Superheroes- Live versus Cartoon

[Burgold]

Hey, sorry for the new threads... but if it's an apolitical day, we still need something to talk about and I've been wondering about this.

I think I like Superheroes in cartoon format better than live action. As much as I thought they did a great job with Spider-man, Batman, Iron Man and even the Hulk... I think that there is something lacking in the movies using people. I think because it's real, too often they try to make it real, so you lose some of the heroism because you want to make these characters "real people," you lose some of the nobility, and you lose some of the ridiculousness.

When it comes to Superheroes (movie or tv) which format do you prefer live action, 3-d animated, or old fashioned 2-D?

[SkinsBry]

The X-Men cartoon show that was on in the early/mid-nineties was bad-ass. As a kid I liked Spidey and Friends (With Iceman). For the most part, I've liked the live action movies (except the first Hulk).

[Bang]

If it's animated well. Prior to the Batman series that began in the early 90s, the animating style for any superhero on TV was just garbage. Stencilled art, bad placement over backgrounds that didn't match the characters meaning light and shadow is ignored on the characters themselves, making them look like Colorforms cutout dolls placed on backgrounds they could not and did not interact with.

That Batman series showed animators that people of all ages would get behind these programs if they actually gave them something worth looking at, rather than trying to cut corners to quickly produce junk.

The live action Superhero movies are usually terrific in terms of the action sequences,, with only one thig that bugs me.

In many of them, the action sequences are filmed (or animated CGI) with too much close-up. It's exciting, and it's fast and blurry, but it removes some of the cooler elements of the art that makes comics so cool,, these dynamic action poses drawn full figure on the page, 2 dimensional still drawings that pack motion and energy, they rarely manage to capture that fully.

~Bang

[USS Redskins]

I love all superhero stuff, animated and live action. Justice League from 2001-2006 was the best animated superhero show ever. I also loved Batman, Superman, X-Men and Spiderman from the 90's. I just hope DC gets their rear in gear to make a live action Justice League and not wuss it up.

Iron Man was the best movie of the summer - I liked Dark Knight but thought the Joker stole the show and Batman was kind of lame in this one.

I even loved Superman Returns. I am really sick of re-imaging, though.. Everyone knows the freaking origin stories... lets just get to the action.

[Burgold]

I think where they lose me a little bit is in movies like Fantastic Four, where there is this feeling of almost embarrassment about the "Fantastic" element. There's a hokieness, and cheesy earnestness to the FF that hasn't translated to the movie. There's also an unapologetic absurdity (especially with Mr. Fantastic) that comes from the characters and the actions. Sometimes the live action movies either can't or won't embrace that.

Superman is also a good example of that. I thought Superman returns was unable to let Superman be Superman. Even Chris Reeves Superman, was a human being Superman (although both one and 2 are great movies). There's something you lose when you see characters you know who are just pretending... while with animation you are always having to buy in to the fantasy, because nothing you are seeing is real.

[Bang]

I think where they lose me a little bit is in movies like Fantastic Four, where there is this feeling of almost embarrassment about the "Fantastic" element. There's a hokieness, and cheesy earnestness to the FF that hasn't translated to the movie. There's also an unapologetic absurdity (especially with Mr. Fantastic) that comes from the characters and the actions. Sometimes the live action movies either can't or won't embrace that.

See,, i might be the only guy on planet Earth who thought they did a fine job of transferring the dysfunctional rambunctiousness of the old FF comics to the screen. Granted low budget effects, but I think they got the characterizations and comfortable hokieness pretty well.

Doctor Doom on the other hand... could have been much better.

~Bang

[Burgold]

Dr. Doom was horribly rendered. From a meglomaniacal despot ruler who was the intellectual equal of Reed Richards to Lex Luthor Jr. It was really icky. What a horrible treatment of a great character.

I thought the FF movies were mediocre and I wanted them to be good or great. They got the dysfunction and the family dynamics okay (although Alba was a horrible choice for Susan Storm Richards), but I thought the Super Hero aspects in both movies were weak. They were not allowed to be particularly heroic or fantastic.

[BigMike619]

personally I like both ways. I am a huge fan of The Hulk and how they have made him come to life but in the comic you are able to do so much more with him and show just how much power he had. But things like The Fantastic Four pretty much sucked except for The Thing. And a dancing emo Spidey in part 3? Give me a break!!

[TK]

If it's animated well. Prior to the Batman series that began in the early 90s, the animating style for any superhero on TV was just garbage. Stencilled art, bad placement over backgrounds that didn't match the characters meaning light and shadow is ignored on the characters themselves, making them look like Colorforms cutout dolls placed on backgrounds they could not and did not interact with.

That Batman series showed animators that people of all ages would get behind these programs if they actually gave them something worth looking at, rather than trying to cut corners to quickly produce junk.~Bang

Have you ever seen any of the old Fleischer Superman cartoons that actually inspired Batman: TAS?

[Burgold]

I bought a collection recently. Some of them were really very cool.