Mark Kermode returns for the second series of his Secrets of Cinema. The first episode looks at Superheroes which in recent years have taken the worldwide box office by storm.
As always Kermode looks at history of the superheroes and how they chimed in with the depression era of the 1930s when some of this comic book characters were created.
The Mask of Zorro, The Man Who Laughs were two of the films that inspired superheroes and super villains.
Superheroes are nothing new in the cinema. In the 1940s they were C grade serials. Now they are tent pole films expected to open massively.
Richard Donner's Superman and Tim Burton's Batman established the template. The Marvel Cinematic Universe took it further and evolved it with more diverse characters both in front and behind the camera.
There are detractors. Martin Scorsese and Francis Coppola have been critical of these films; Kermode offers his own solution. He is spot on about the climax of the Marvel and DC universe movies, they are almost identical and forgettable as they are lost in a fog of special effects.
A hugely enjoyable outing which made me consider aspects of this genre. I never knew how much it had in common with the rom com.
As always Kermode looks at history of the superheroes and how they chimed in with the depression era of the 1930s when some of this comic book characters were created.
The Mask of Zorro, The Man Who Laughs were two of the films that inspired superheroes and super villains.
Superheroes are nothing new in the cinema. In the 1940s they were C grade serials. Now they are tent pole films expected to open massively.
Richard Donner's Superman and Tim Burton's Batman established the template. The Marvel Cinematic Universe took it further and evolved it with more diverse characters both in front and behind the camera.
There are detractors. Martin Scorsese and Francis Coppola have been critical of these films; Kermode offers his own solution. He is spot on about the climax of the Marvel and DC universe movies, they are almost identical and forgettable as they are lost in a fog of special effects.
A hugely enjoyable outing which made me consider aspects of this genre. I never knew how much it had in common with the rom com.
