From the web slinging antics of the amazing Spiderman to the brooding, sacrificial tale ofthe Dark Knight, this summer has been great for comic book fans of all ages. With moresuperhero flicks in the offing, the question arises - what happens next? By Anjali Alappat

40 I CLUB CLASS I SEPTEMBER 2012

A few years ago,with Sam Raimi's

Spiderman trilogy,fans and critics

alike weredisenchanted with

the trend. Thoughthe films did wellat the box office,

the diehard fans ofthe character were

disappointed.Superhero movies,

it seemed, hadreached their

expiry date

Comic book heroes taking over thebig screen is not a new story. Fromthe first Superman movie in 1978,starring the inimitable ChristopherReeves, to the latest in the Batmanfranchise, it has been a long andspectacular journey. Not only arethe heroes of these films largerthan life, with powers that set themapart from the mundane, they arealso men and women with

remarkable backgrounds. Fromorphaned children to ex-KGBspies, none of our heroes areparagons of virtue - a fact thatserves to make them more human

and easier to identify with. Theirvery obvious flaws are possiblywhat we love the most.

DISENCHANTEDAND REVIVED

Between comic book magnates DCand Marvel, there is a superherofor every kind offan. Theirreverent Green Hornet rubs

shoulders with the ruggedWolverine - fans line up to watchtheir favourite heroes fight theforces of evil. But with the

superhero hype peaking, with overfive comic book heroes gracing thesilver screen in the last five years,and plenty more on the horizon, thequestion everyone is asking iswhether this trend can last. A few

years ago, with Sam Raimi'sSpiderman trilogy, fans and criticsalike were disenchanted with the

trend. Though the films did well atthe box office, the diehard fans ofthe character were disappointed.Superhero movies, it seemed, hadreached their expiry date.

Thankfully for the genre,revival and revolution were

in sight. With ChristopherNolan's Batman trilogy

came an influx of

superheroeswhose filmdebuts had it

all - snappydialogue,flashycostumes,cool

gadgetsand actual

plots.Batman, Iron

Man, CaptainAmerica, Thor

- suddenly thegenre was back in

action -

quite literally.

Left:ChristianBaleasBatmanin'TheDarkKnight';lronman

FULL CIRCLE ANDTHE FUTUREThis summer's reboot of the

Spiderman story seems to havebrought the superhero boom fullcircle. With the AmazingSpiderman, being released a meretwo years after the last time TobyMcGuire wore the mask, superherofans everywhere are wide eyed,apprehensive and asking, "Whathappens next?" Well, at leastperipherally that question can beanswered. Iron Man 3 featuring theinimitable Robert Downey. Jr andGwyneth Paltrow will be in theatressoon, followed by the sequels toCaptain America and Thor.Superman will be donning the redcape once again in early 2013, andthe sequel to superhero ensemblesensation, The Avengers is alsorumoured to be underway. TheDark Knight Rises closes the dooron Christian Bale but leaves enoughroom for Joseph Gordon Levitt toput a foot in ifhe so desires. Thefuture is teaming with possibilitiesand audience enthusiasm doesn't

appear to have dimmed.But when will the line be drawn

and the audience declare "Enoughis enough"? Hard to believe that theday may yet come when the worlddismisses its superheroes but asviewers, we have seen the rise andfall of tTanchises tTom the best seats

in the house. From the eponymous'parody' movies like Not JustAnother Teen Movie to Shriek if

You Know What I did Last Fridaythe 13th, the films received astaggering reception initially.Parodying all the teen favouriteslike Varsity Blues, Scream andCan't Hardly Wait, what wassatirical and just plain funny soonbecame generic. There is nothinggroundbreaking or rebellious ifeveryone is doing it. So offbeatbecame mainstream and the parodymovie genre lost its shine.Similarly, the 'ensemble' romanticcomedies have also begun theirdecline. What began with the heart

421 CLUB CLASS ISEPTEMBER 2012

Top:TheAmazingSpidermanstartingAndrewGarfield;TobeyMaguirestarsasPeterParkerintheSpidermanbilogy

warming British comedy LoveActually, soon became the vehiclefor several less than stellarcommercial films like Valentine's

Day, New Year's Eve and NewYork, I Love You. Though theflagging genre is trying for a rebootwith films like Woody Allen's ToRome with Love, it is pretty clearthat this film format needs a break.

Will the interest in caped crusadersand masked marvels peter out? Orhas Hollywood hit upon the onegenre that will sustain itselfthrough the ages? Only time, thebox office and movie magicwill tell. So for now, sit back,

grab some popcorn and revel inthe moment.

Hard to believe that the

day may yet come whenthe world dismisses its

superheroes but asviewers, we have seenthe rise and fall offranchises from the bestseats in the house

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