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The big problem with all the aforementioned re-designs comes down, I think, to a combination of ego and CYA on the Hollywood creators' parts.
Instead of simply trying to run the costumes through a "reality filter" (Reeve's Superman suit, Maguire's Spidey suit, even Zane's Phantom suit) to make something lat looks like the comci suit in the real world, I think a lot of the H-wood types want to leave their mark on the character -- that way, if it goes well, they can take credit for it all ("See? I made those changes and everyone loved it and we made buckets of money) and it it tanks, they can point at the original concept and blame it on comic-book silliness (I wanted to do the character without the costume, make it real, but we had to please the stupid fanboys, and it cost us").
When the love of the character's there -- like in Donner's Superman, Favreau's Iron Man, or Raimi's Spider-Man -- the adjustments work 'cuz they get it. When it's guys trying to show how they can do the character better than the comics do it -- or mock the fans for their "silliness" -- we end up with Daredevil or Batman and Robin.
Sometimes, I think the whole point of Ultimates was to show fand how silly they are, and how real adults would handle the stories realistically, in adult ways, while direspecting the past and the fans.
One of the best superhero movies ever was The Incredibles, and although it was silly and funny, it showed genuine love for the superhero world, with all its goofiness and charm with the heroism and humanity, and I think a lot of filmmakers assigned to these comic projects would do well to look to it for tone and spirit. I have only one real requirement of them for my comic book movies:
Just make the hero breathe.
The rest will fall into place if they can do that.
Instead of simply trying to run the costumes through a "reality filter" (Reeve's Superman suit, Maguire's Spidey suit, even Zane's Phantom suit) to make something lat looks like the comci suit in the real world, I think a lot of the H-wood types want to leave their mark on the character -- that way, if it goes well, they can take credit for it all ("See? I made those changes and everyone loved it and we made buckets of money) and it it tanks, they can point at the original concept and blame it on comic-book silliness (I wanted to do the character without the costume, make it real, but we had to please the stupid fanboys, and it cost us").
When the love of the character's there -- like in Donner's Superman, Favreau's Iron Man, or Raimi's Spider-Man -- the adjustments work 'cuz they get it. When it's guys trying to show how they can do the character better than the comics do it -- or mock the fans for their "silliness" -- we end up with Daredevil or Batman and Robin.
Sometimes, I think the whole point of Ultimates was to show fand how silly they are, and how real adults would handle the stories realistically, in adult ways, while direspecting the past and the fans.
One of the best superhero movies ever was The Incredibles, and although it was silly and funny, it showed genuine love for the superhero world, with all its goofiness and charm with the heroism and humanity, and I think a lot of filmmakers assigned to these comic projects would do well to look to it for tone and spirit. I have only one real requirement of them for my comic book movies:
Just make the hero breathe.
The rest will fall into place if they can do that.
WHEREVER YOU ARE IS WHERE YOU ARE AT
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