The difference between reality and fantasy is pretty fundamental - is Hollywood right to try and splice them together in new superhero outings?

All too often these days, certain words get thrown around in Hollywood to describe their products. The three most popular at the moment are “Gritty”, “Realism”, and “Urban”. And for a lot of films, it works. But it seems that they believe that modern audiences can’t suspend their disbelief long enough to watch and enjoy a film based in the realm of Sci-Fi/Fantasy, particularly when dealing with movies based on comic books.

It’s not that you can’t take the content of these beloved books and make them more reality-based; after the debacle that was Batman & Robin, it was the logical choice for Christopher Nolan to take a more grounded approach for Batman Begins. He took a franchise that had been murdered by Joel Schumacher, and rebooted it, basing his screenplays on the Batman works by the incredible Jeph Loeb, adding gangsters and lesser-known members of the Rogue’s Gallery to create a riveting movie. He also made it less fantastical by taking Ra’s al Ghul, and making him a mortal threat, instead of the immortal known to comic fans. While there were those of us that balked at them changing that aspect of the character, we knew it worked for the film (also, we knew that we never saw his body after he “died”, so it may have been a comic book death for him, after all).

But it wasn’t just Batman that had nearly been killed. It was the comic genre at large that was at stake. Many thought that had been the end of comic book movies, until Bryan Singer gave the genre the shot in the arm it desperately needed with X-Men, a film based on the long-running comic title. Liberties were taken with characters and timelines – and costumes – but it remained faithful to the spirit of the books, while keeping it grounded in the real world.

"One has to accept that certain things that look cool in comic book or animation form don’t always translate well in live action - still, I’d have paid extra to see Wolverine up onscreen in his classic yellow spandex"

Singer took the path of Richard Donner’s Superman, by taking an extraordinary, larger-than-life figure and placing him in an everyday setting (Singer has said numerous times that Donner’s film was his inspiration for making X-Men). One also has to accept that certain things that look cool in comic book or animation form don’t always translate well in live action (still, I’d have paid extra to see Wolverine up onscreen in his classic yellow spandex). Singer’s two X-Men films are excellent examples of how you can take a story based in fantasy and make them believable.

But recently, SyFy presented their reboot of The Phantom. This was four hours of my life I will never get back. Ryan Carnes plays the new Kit Walker with so little enthusiasm that I wondered if he was going to fall asleep (which surprised me, because he had been so good as Laszlo on a brilliant two-part episode of Doctor Who). His jungle hideout consisted of the classic skull cave, which has a fully-staffed lab and crime fighting center attached to it. Also, the purple costume makes one quick cameo in a display, only to have Kit whine about wearing it. Later on, one of the techies presents him with a new costume, looking as though it were stolen out of Bruce Wayne’s closet.

As I watched this, I could only think of my fellow comic fans that made fun of me for liking Billy Zane’s take on the character, and how I would watch that movie a hundred times before I sat through this again. This isn’t the first time SyFy has tried to base a classic comic story in realism. 2007’s Flash Gordon was an attempt to take Flash out of the world of rockets and cheesy villains and place him in the modern age. While some really enjoyed it, I wasn’t impressed (even the scantily clad ladies couldn’t keep me interested). Some of these characters don’t work in a “gritty, urban” setting. The work best in their original form, and to take them out of that element takes something away from them. Taking away The Phantom’s purple tights might make him a better, more realistic crime fighter, but it takes from that classic image.

"Some of these characters don’t work in a “gritty, urban” setting. The work best in their original form, and to take them out of that element takes something away from them"

Then recently, Stephen Norrington announced that he was planning a remake of the cult classic The Crow. Ever since the announcement, he has been adamant that this would do away with the “goth overtones” and be a “gritty, urban” take on the character.

First off, it becomes increasingly apparent that the guy has never read the original comic. Second, why does it have to be more realistic? You’re dealing with a man who is brought back from the dead to avenge the murders of himself and his fiancé. There isn’t much point in going back to reality once you’ve made that leap, and if audiences are willing to buy into the already fantastic premise, they’ll stick with it through the end.

I would accept, to a point, that the reasoning is to get a larger audience than just the core fan-base. But look at Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films (the first two, anyway – it’s best if everyone just ignores the third film). Sure, it’s based in the real-life setting of New York City, but it’s still a story about a kid who is bitten by a radioactive spider, inherits the spider’s powers, and makes a colorful costume to go out and fight crime in the most acrobatic way imaginable. There’s something fun about those films, even when they get dark or we get the “With great responsibility…” speech. You can have fun with the premise, without having to worry about the audience buying into every aspect of the film. I’m certain that no one sat through Transformers overanalyzing how real alien robots would react to their situations.

"I watch fantasy films to get away from real life, not be given the Law & Order version of the genre"

Sure, Russell T Davies set more of his Doctor Who stories in more realistic settings, but it worked. And Steven Moffat has brought back more of the fantasy to the series that hasn’t been seen since the days of Sylvester McCoy (and in some ways, brought back a magic that has been missing since the Tom Baker era). It can’t be serious all the time. I watch fantasy films to get away from real life, not be given the Law & Order version of the genre. Bring back the fun, the magic, the imagination, and don’t restrain the genre by putting it in a box. Set it free and see where it takes you. Because in the end, you might end up somewhere fantastic.

See also:

Why Tolkien should make room for Dickens

Game of Thrones: Winter is coming

The Strain - a vampire series with real bite

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