Paving The Way

For modern movies, I'm going with Blade (1998). The movies really took on a seriousness after Blade. It also inaugurated the Marvel age of comic movies.

Superman (1978), Batman (1989) each sparked their own cycles, but they ran their course. Superman's ended with the dreadful Superman IV (1987) and Batman's ended with Batman and Robin (1998). Both of those cycles ended on campy notes.

It's possible that the Blade-sparked cycle will do the same, but it remains to be seen. The post-Blade movies, for the most part, have been more serious/dramatic enterprises. (Road to Perdition, A History of Violence, and especially Hulk, Spider-Man 1 & 2, Batman Begins are just some examples. I don't think these movies could've been made in the previous cycles without camping them up.)

 

the s-man

 

Superman. most people didn't even know Blade was based on a comic book...

 

and btw, you forgot American Splendor on the 1998-Present list...

 

Superman paved the way for all comicbook movies.

 

Blade's success didn't have anything to do with it being based on a comic book. most people didn't even know it was a comic book. it was just a cool, vampire action movie which turned out to be a surprise hit. I'd definitely give X-Men more recognition for the latest comic book movie craze.

 

I HATE THAT!! I HATE people trying to devalue Blade's significance, just because it wasn't a "popular" or "Well-known" comic book! And where were Marvel films before Blade? The only property to get a theatrical release was freakin' Howard the Duck!! While Captain America and Punisher languised in direct-to-video hell, having hooked up with low-rent studios that all went under before they could get the movies in theaters! And let's not act like film reviews and articles didn't make mention of it being based on a comic, not to mention the appearance of the character on the Spider-Man animated series, which seemed to be done to promote the character and the film, as the episodes including Blade also included Whistler, who was only created for the films.

 

Batman in 89. That was what really started the super-hero trend which then died a little and was then revived by Blade in 99 or X-MEN in 2000 depending on who you ask for.

 

Superman. Over at the marvel forums, they seem to think that STM had no influence on their current movies, even though various producers and writers have admitted to a bit of STM's influence.

The Fact is, STM paved the way.

The Big Budget you see in comic flicks? STM

The unknown as the main charatcer? STM

The use of realism? STM

Using the first hour for the origin story to flesh the main character out? STM

Using their archenemy in the first film? STM

Hero has to stop villains major plot at the end of the movie? STM

And the list goes on and on...you'd have to be blind not to realize that STM created the blueprint for todays comic movies. Blade and X1 just revived said formula.

 

I think it ("it" being everything from the quality, popularity, respectability, etc. of comic book movies), was never born out of a single film. It was, and still is, a progression that has over time improved everything, so giving credit to a single film for all of those things is fool-hardy.

However, the movie to start that progression was STM, and as The Batman outlined, it did introduce a great deal to the genre. Including the actual plot structures of both SM1 and BB. So, I voted STM.