With ‘Superman,' the destruction Christopher Nolan wrought on comic book films is finally over
Watching the new 'Superman' reboot starring David Corenswet, which hit theaters this weekend, I saw the franchise's years-long depression finally vanish.
In James Gunn's cheery film, the colors were 'Wizard of Oz' bright instead of ugly grayscale. The performances were upbeat rather than brooding and angry. And the story was — am I dreaming? — actually fun.
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5 David Corenswet plays 'Superman' in James Gunn's upbeat reboot.
AP
The shift was stark. Because DC Comics films, and really most movies in the superhero genre for more than a decade, have been as enjoyable as algebra.
They warped into interminable Debbie Downers after — oh, the nerds are gonna protest at my apartment for this one — Christopher Nolan's 'Dark Knight' trilogy.
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Sorry, dweebs. The gloom-and-doom comic book reinvention is entirely the fault of the director of 'Inception.' He did it.
Remember 'Batman Begins,' 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Dark Knight Rises'? The 2008-2012 series in which Gotham looked like a down-and-out Chicago and the villains were reconceived as a series of evil terrorists?
Where Heath Ledger murdered a man in cold blood on a grainy video feed and, on the rare occasions daylight was shown, it was always cloudy outside?
The ones in which Christian Bale put his body through hell? Well, I suppose that's every Christian Bale movie.
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5 'The Dark Knight' trilogy, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, brought a realistic and sinister hue to superhero movies.
That trio made so much money and received so much acclaim, everybody had no choice but to rip them off.
Nolan's movies, which are very good when taken on their own, undeniably had a rotten effect on what came next.
Think back. Superheroes used to be quirky and inspiring.
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We'd watch Adam West hilariously test the limits of a gray shirt and Tim Burton doll up Danny DeVito as a penguin. Tobey Maguire's 'Spider-Man' was about the can-do spirit of New Yorkers. And the aughts 'X-Men' flicks were campy. Alan Cumming played a disappearing frog.
Then the post-Nolan era unleashed a medieval murk and cathedral-like bombast. The ensuing movies were deafening and weighty. They punched us in the face with arrogant sludge.
5 'Man of Steel' starred a serious Henry Cavill as Superman.
First came Hollywood masochist Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steel' and 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' — dour slogs that had all the charm of a puddle of Manhattan garbage water.
Henry Cavill's Clark Kent looked happy as Mr. T.
And the frowns weren't limited to Superman.
Ben Affleck played Batman. Need I say more?
Some flicks were downright upsetting. After Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance in 'The Dark Knight,' the Joker evolved into some sort of pretentious King Lear.
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The funereal first standalone film for the character, 'Joker,' starring that piece of work Joaquin Phoenix was modeled after 'Taxi Driver' for Pete's sake! The guy was a disturbed serial killer.
5 'Joker' turned the Batman villain into a disturbed serial killer.
Niko Tavernise
Even 'Aquaman' with Jason Momoa was bizarrely serious for a tale about a fighting mermaid. Gal Gadot's 'Wonder Woman' was about a World War I German mustard gas.
What about Marvel? True, the MCU isn't as sooty and downcast as DC tends to be.
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But ever since Nolan's human Batman, there has been an obsession at Marvel with grounding the stories of Spidey, Iron Man, Doctor Strange and the rest in the familiar real world. There's not much style to them. They never dazzle. They're run-of-the-mill action movies with cute costumes. Cash-checking A-Listers running around Atlanta.
5 Even 'Aquaman' with Jason Momoa was bizarrely serious
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Is Gunn's 'Superman' the start of an optimistic new era of letting comic books be comic books? Its domestic box office is on track to a strong $120 million start, so people are buying what he's selling.
And Gunn is now in charge of DC alongside Peter Safran. His vision is king.
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Let's hope the change sticks.
Seventeen years of 'The Dark Knight' is plenty.
I'm ready for some sunshine.
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