The Comic Book (Superhero) Genre

Genres are useful in grouping together movies with similar themes and subject matter. At times, however, the genre is not only a mean to classify movies, but evolves to be a sort of guideline for these movies to follow. In other words, many movies of the same genre play out in very similar ways just because they are in the same movie category. This is why many movies of particular genres end up becoming predictable and trite. This is especially true for the relatively new comic book movie genre.
Although comic book heroes like Superman and Batman were made into movies since the 1970s, this genre is rather young in comparison to other movie genres such as comedy, action, or even horror films. It may be due to its relative youth that this is true but many comic book movies follow a very specific and similar standard when it comes to their plotline. Take, for example, the movie “Spider-Man”. In this movie, the hero, Peter Parker, starts out as being the exact opposite of what one might expect a hero should act and look like. For example, he is scrawny and geeky and cannot even get his life long crush, Mary Jane Watson, to notice him. Then one day, this unassuming character gets bit by a super spider and Peter Parker is magically transformed to be Spider-Man. With many comic book movies, the superhero is usually someone that no one would expect to be a hero. This leads to the next topic of the alter ego. With many comic book movies, the superhero usually has an alter ego so that their true identity is never realized by the rest of the world. For some reason, all superheroes believe that they have to keep their identity a secret and work at all costs to do so. Another common aspect of the comic book movie is that the hero always ends up “getting the girl”. Even Peter Parker, who starts off with no chance of being with Mary Jane, somehow manages to win her heart after becoming Spider-Man.
These movies may all seem to be so similar because in fact the original comics that they are based upon are in fact very much alike. However, whether it is the comic book or the movie, these stories with superheroes in them all seem to follow a very similar storyline that its movie directors cannot seem to digress away from.
Dinah M. Han