Superheroines on film

[Steve Rogers]

A lot of people hated Sue Storm and Storm Storm (you know, Ororo Munroe Storm) in the Fantastic Four and X-Men films. Also, Elektra and Supergirl are, for many, the epitome of horrid comic book filmmaking. So what's the deal? Are filmmaker's not giving enough respect to the females or is it our fault? Is a female super hero harder to sell to us, the audience?

Are we just a sexist society when it comes to our heroes, and if so who is to blame? Us (the audience) or them (the filmmakers)

 

[3dman27]

the film makers they are the ones making the movies its THEIR JOB to do it right
OUR JOB'S just to WATCH said movies

 

[04nbod]

I don't think its the fault of the characters at all. Supergirl had huge problems with the script eg- i don't need to be told she's superman's cousin 5 times in one and a half hours and i don't need her acting like a child while on krypton. I've never had a problem with Storm although Halle does not play the regal, african storm of the comic books. Elektra was great in Daredevil but her movie suffered from a bad storyline. Sue Storm never interested me so i won't pass judgement on that one.

I think unfortunately the movie industry thinks they have to sex up these characters. I read a poster on countingdown.com say that they want characters like wonder woman and supergirl on their bedroom walls not in their cinemas. Its laughable. We have to look at the success of Buffy to show that strong well scripted women can and do work without putting her in a bikini for the entire time

 

[Mister J]

I don't how it's remotely the audiences fault. There hasn't be a superhero headed by a female that's been worth a damn. The best thing about Supergirl was the grace Helen Slater conveyed in the flying scenes. The movie was trash. Elektra turned to crap immediately after that opening sequence, which I enjoyed. If the film could have maintained that type of feel, it would have been OK. Instead, it turned into some cliched, formulaic amalgam of inanity. Catwoman was simply an abomination.

Alba was miscast from the start; not nearly good enough of an actress to portray Sue. Her casting blatantly reeked of a primary sex appeal consideration and they even managed to partially screw that up. Berry caught flak as Storm because the proper characterization just wasn't there. She oscillated between being mousy and a *****. X3 was probably her best effort, but in totality the X-Men franchise didn't come close to doing Storm justice.

Fans of this genre respond negatively to what they perceive as bad product, whether the target is male or female. Trying to pin it on misogyny is simply misplaced. I haven't seen people railing against Famke Jannsen's portrayal of Jean Grey, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Anna Paquin as Rogue (beyond the filmmaker's decision on how the character would be represented) and it seems the general opinion on Jennifer Garner in Daredevil was positive (before it all went to hell in the spin-off). Aeon Flux and Ultraviolet didn't bomb because they had female leads. They bombed because they sucked.

I can understand female casting decisions that are influenced by attractiveness, but after I've paid my money for a film, I'd like to be entertained. If a female character is abysmal in a role, I couldn't really care less how hot she is. I'm hoping that, if DC can ever get their act together, a properly done Wonder Woman will put this argument to rest.

 

[Mr. Sinister05]

The audience is to blame partially. The film makers are just trying to do their job in accordance to what the marketing executives/P.R. people deem will work for a mass market. Your average brainless tentpole porjects aimed at every demographic is what rakes in the green. It's all business not exclusively an exercise in creativity. So yeah, it is partially the audience's fault for going to movies such as the Fantastic Four and giving them money.

 

[ANTOINE X]

Maybe I m macho or maybe Hollywood never really find a way to do a good heroine movie.But I am not a fan of super heroine movies.. I saw Elektra and the first thing I said is; why they didn't do DD2 instead? It was a waist of time same thing for catwoman. I m no really in to WW or worse super girl.

 

[The Joker]

They're just badly portrayed. Poor writing in poor scripts.

Simple as that.

 

[Banshee]

Sometimes its scripts, other times its horrible miscasts.

 

[Warhammer]

Catwoman is the s***.
Best comic book film ever.

 

[Hole Shot]

Not a comic book superheroine, but people seem to like Alice in Resident Evil. I know its a series meant to be nothing more than trash entertainment, but it still has its following and a lot of it has to do with her. And as beautiful as Jovavich is, she's hardly ever looks particularly hot in any of those movies.

 

[Warhammer]

Alice is such a lame character. When an original, made-up character becomes the main protagonist in the Resident Evil franchise [God knows you had 29849749 people to choose from, whether it be Jill, Chris, Carlos, Claire, Leon, (etc.) then some of them become side characters to Alice], you know there is something wrong.

 

[Hole Shot]

Alice is such a lame character. When an original, made-up character becomes the main protagonist in the Resident Evil franchise [God knows you had 29849749 people to choose from, whether it be Jill, Chris, Carlos, Claire, Leon, (etc.) then some of them become side characters to Alice], you know there is something wrong.

What make her lame? I'm not challenging your statement, I'm sincerely asking. Don't play the games and haven't seen the movies. Just saw the fan reaction to Resident Evil 3 at comic con, did a little Internet research and arrived at the conclusion that she's a female lead in an action role people do enjoy.

 

[3dman27]

Alice is such a lame character. When an original, made-up character becomes the main protagonist in the Resident Evil franchise [God knows you had 29849749 people to choose from, whether it be Jill, Chris, Carlos, Claire, Leon, (etc.) then some of them become side characters to Alice], you know there is something wrong.

whats wrong with "an original made up character"?

 

[Matt.S99]

because it is supposed to be an adaption from a video game and alice isnt in the video games. though i like the RE movies, it was stupid to make up a character and make her the main focus of all 3 films

 

[ReallyCoolGuy]

A lot of people hated Sue Storm and Storm Storm (you know, Ororo Munroe Storm) in the Fantastic Four and X-Men films.

Who doesn't like Storm? She's one of the most popular X-Men and gained an increased fanbase from the films...

 

[Mr. Sinister05]

Tentpole project aims are what ruin pretty much every movie out there. This is why movie's can be considered the lowest form of art out there. Creativity is nixed in favor of catering to every demographic out there.

Female roles are simply delegated and handed out to fill pointless

Just look at how studio's have shoved powerful/assertive/no personality/no point female roles into all the action movie/TV shows that have come out. The movie 300, while the best comic adaptation this year, was brought down by that inane/stupid/pointless sub-plot with the Queen (who came off as very non-descript), which wasn't in the comic book.

 

[SouLeSS]

Wait, are you asking whos fault it is that the superheroines are grossly over-sexified, the filmers or the audience?

How about the source material. I can't think of really any females in comics that were made to be pretty much the "everygirl" body. Small figure, big boobs.

 

[CaptainCanada]

How about the source material. I can't think of really any females in comics that were made to be pretty much the "everygirl" body. Small figure, big boobs.

And most superheroes are big, broad-chested guys. Whatever criticisms there are about art, comics contain a huge number of great female characters.

Hollywood has yet to produce a good superhero film headling a female hero; in fact, they've pretty much all been abysmal. Catwoman is probably the epitome of this, taking the name and changing everything else beyond recognition, including the ridiculous costume.

 

[Steve Rogers]

Who doesn't like Storm? She's one of the most popular X-Men and gained an increased fanbase from the films...

Go into the "Most Butchered Character" in the Marvel Films Forum. They're not loving Storm in there. My buddy who is a hardcore X-Men fan was pissed with Storm.

 

[November Rain]

superheroic women in outfits are always going to be perceived as eyecandy...

saying that, the best portrayal of a female in this genre is mystique and rebecca's performance of her (although small) was amazing and she was NEKKID???



unfortunately when the name behind the character is more important than their portrayal, you get problems regardless of whether its a male or female role...

 

[Dr. Fate]

superheroic women in outfits are always going to be perceived as eyecandy...

saying that, the best portrayal of a female in this genre is mystique and rebecca's performance of her (although small) was amazing and she was NEKKID???



unfortunately when the name behind the character is more important than their portrayal, you get problems regardless of whether its a male or female role...

True that, true that.

Too bad they can't get guys as talented as James Cameron to handle these movies. His tough women (Aliens, T2) really kicked ass, and kicked ass believably at that.