Why Is It So Hard to Make a Good Female Superhero Movie?

[Destro]

Why Is It So Hard to Make a Good Female Superhero Movie?
by Britt Hayes
Female Superhero MovieMarvel Studios/Warner Bros.



The last several years have blessed us with plenty of superhero films, ranging from Marvel flicks like ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Captain America’ — which led us to the ultimate superhero ensemble flick this summer with ‘The Avengers‘ — to the final film in Christopher Nolan‘s Batman trilogy, ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ But men are the focus of each and every one of these superhero films — when do the female superheroes get their time?

Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) kicked ridiculous amounts of ass in ‘The Avengers,’ and though her motivations reside in the grey area, Anne Hathaway‘s Selina Kyle/Catwoman was equally well-written and rounded in ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ Why, then, are these women relegated to supporting roles when they’ve shown they can hold their own alongside their male counterparts?

Female heroines in comic books have long been drawn with exaggerated curves and decked out in impractical costumes, their sexuality heightened to suit the largely male demographic. It makes sense, then, that the translation from book to screen would follow suit, continuing to relegate these women to roles that are — while relatively crucial to the plot — for all intents and purposes, minor in comparison to their male peers. Though Black Widow had some of the best moves, made all the more impressive due to her lack of super powers and accessories, many looked to her as necessary eye candy. In ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ Hathaway’s Selina Kyle is, again, crucial to the plot, but the male gaze was prevalent in many scenes in which the catsuit-clad Hathaway straddled the Batpod and the camera gave us a rather eye-popping view of her from behind.

But setting these issues aside, these heroines needed neither gadgets nor super powers to accomplish their goals, making them superior to their male peers in that they relied more on wit, intelligence and hard-won physical ability rather than sophisticated technology or improbable abilities bestowed upon them by circumstance or divine intervention. In this way, art imitates life in that women often work harder than men to achieve their goals — we have something extra to prove to a world that has long viewed us as weaker-than.

Why, then, aren’t we getting a superhero film led by a woman? For that answer, we look to horrible films like ‘Catwoman,’ ‘Barb Wire,’ ‘Aeon Flux,’ ‘Elektra’ and the arguably cheesy but still kinda awesome ‘Tank Girl.’ The dominating issue with these films is the way the filmmakers choose to continue to capitalize on the attractiveness and physical appeal of their leading ladies and their costuming to draw the male fanbase, completely discounting the possibility that there exists a large female contingent — both young and old — who wish to see themselves represented as superheroes just as awe-inspiring and fantastic as guys like Hulk and Iron Man. (The other glaring issue with these films is that they are poorly written, corny and incredibly lazy — as if a female heroine deserves minimal effort, which is just outright offensive.)

It’s fine to have characters like Catwoman and Black Widow rely on their looks to get what they want; and in Catwoman’s case in ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ she uses female stereotypes like emotional weakness and vulnerability to cleverly manipulate her way out of dangerous situations. But when you build an entire character on the basis of appearance and sex appeal, little is left for the audience to empathize, creating a dynamic in which the audience objectifies rather than relates. This scenario allows for the continuation of women to be dismissed as we pay more attention to how she looks and what she’s wearing than her character development, her intelligence or even her humanity.

We can have a superheroine who is both attractive and kicks ass, but we can’t seem to give her a film to call her own without continuing to pander to a male-dominated audience of comic book fans and fanboys. It seems so simple. Looking back at films from the last year or so, we’ve seen several female-centric comedies and dramas that portray women as complex and empathetic, with attention paid to their emotional depth and histories. ‘Bridesmaids,’ ‘Young Adult,’ ‘Melancholia’ and even ‘Bad Teacher’ taught us that women can do things we don’t necessarily agree with or even like, but that’s what makes them human and ultimately empathetic. Why, then, is it so difficult to take a woman like that, put her in a superhero costume and have her save the day?

Do we not believe that women can achieve greatness without getting a little boost from men? Without ‘The Avengers,’ is Black Widow any less relevant or able? We won’t know until we give her a story to call her own and put her in the capable hands of a competent filmmaker who respects that her womanhood is incidental to her ability to save the world.


http://screencrush.com/female-superhero-movie/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_27177

[Volitzer]

Okay first off, the obvious

The costumes, if you are going to see a female hero in action you want her physically fit wearing a bright costume displaying her attributes.  Why cheerleaders seem to master this but movie makers don't I have no idea.
The way they do it now with 95% black covering they may as well have Super-Nun or Amish-Woman movies.   

Secondly the plots, they don't seem to have the fate of the world type plots like male movies do.

Thirdly, the feminist-**** personality.  No one wants that in a female superhero just like no one wants it in a cheerleader.

If I were given http://gallery.rxmuscle.com/index.php?contest=30 these women to fill a bright superhero costume hell even I could make a classic movie.

http://gallery.rxmuscle.com/index.php?contest=30&year=483&bodybuilder=4121    Supergirl 2 easily....

http://gallery.rxmuscle.com/index.php?contest=30&year=483&bodybuilder=4532  Wonder Woman easily....

http://gallery.rxmuscle.com/index.php?contest=30&year=483&bodybuilder=8885  Nubia easily....

Or an independent movie co. could take any of these other women and with the right script make them stars.

The problem is too much political censoring and not enough imagination.

[Venom]

Too muscular!  Women should have curves, not biceps.

[Cydonian]

Just make one with big bazooms, that would be enough for me.

[Rebelitarian]

http://gallery.rxmuscle.com/index.php?contest=30&year=483&bodybuilder=4532

A good wonder woman for sure.

Now all they need is a great script.

[Volitzer]

I got one....

It would be called Darwin Woman.

An archeologist by the name of Daria Wynsom goes on an expedition.  Discovers the secret to amazonian strength in a plant based hormone.  Makes herself up a cup of the plant's sap discovers the augmenting effects of the hormone and decides to bottle it.

She returns to America, she sees women doing stupid things, putting themselves in danger, takes the hormone becomes Darwin Woman, saves American women then users her magic battery cables to jump start the female's anterior cingulate cortex so she doesn't end up making stupid decisions that put her in danger again.

This would be a great hit but between HOLLYWOOD politics and the feminists out there it would never get made.

[Rachel Dearth]

Volitzer, you would not want a woman that thinks the same way that a man does. I like to think that men and women compliment each other in what we each think is important, and that is why we tend to become drawn to each other.

[Volitzer]

Here's a little secret for you Rachel.....

American women are known the world over for being gullible, undereducated, immature, and more irresponsible than their foreign counterparts.

This is why the mail order bride business is booming !!!

Ever notice how you never have a mail order husband business ?

Case and point and a little humor too....


A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City , where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:



You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!



So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:



Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs.



She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:



Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.



'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.'



So she continues upward rd. The third floor sign reads:



Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.



'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.



She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:



Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.



'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'



Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:



Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.



She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:



Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

 

[Volitzer]

PLEASE NOTE:



To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a New Wives store just across the street.



The first floor has wives that love sex.



The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.



The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.       

[Rachel Dearth]

Wow, so you are saying that men don't love sex and beer? Not in my universe! 

For the record, I don't usually drink beer, Volitzer, I like wine and mixed drinks.

[Rachel Dearth]

Also, well, if we're so impossible to please, here's an idea, don't try and please us! Just be yourself, and if we meet and hit it off, well, beautiful!

[Volitzer]

Wow, so you are saying that men don't love sex and beer? Not in my universe! 

For the record, I don't usually drink beer, Volitzer, I like wine and mixed drinks.

Cannot you comprehend english ?

The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.

The point being that men like sex, money and beer.

[Volitzer]

Also, well, if we're so impossible to please, here's an idea, don't try and please us! Just be yourself, and if we meet and hit it off, well, beautiful!

I don't bother to try anymore.

WHy bother, if American women have no obligation to grow up why waste the time.

[Robert0326]

Also, well, if we're so impossible to please, here's an idea, don't try and please us! Just be yourself, and if we meet and hit it off, well, beautiful!

I don't bother to try anymore.

WHy bother, if American women have no obligation to grow up why waste the time.

Wow!  The word for today is......  Bitter.

[Rachel Dearth]

Wow, so you are saying that men don't love sex and beer? Not in my universe! 

For the record, I don't usually drink beer, Volitzer, I like wine and mixed drinks.

Cannot you comprehend english ?

The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.

The point being that men like sex, money and beer.

That's really funny, Volitzer, now I get it! So you're saying that men basically just like sex and beer while women don't like anything. Gee, with views like that its no wonder you don't even try anymore.  I guess there are always hookers.