The evolution of tone couldn’t be clearer. Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman and 1992 Batman Returns tried to introduce a dark, savage tone, but they shared a surrealist, goofy, and ultimate circus-clown zaniness with Schumacher’s 1995 Batman Forever and 1997 Batman and Robin. In stark contrast, the Nolan reboot, with Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), exchanges absurdity for hyper-realism, comedy for dark, character-based drama, and child-oriented gimmicks for adult-oriented violence that far exceed Burton’s work (which had already shocked and infuriated parents expected kids’ fare).

But Batman—probably the darkest of the classic American superheroes—is not the only one undergoing a deep cosmetic reinvention. The Spiderman trilogy that starred Toby Maguire from 2002-2007, like the superhero movies of the 90’s, could easily be summed up as “fun.” Although it explored some of the deeper pathos of its characters, it stayed mainly within romantic comedy and action movie boundaries, relying largely on colorful action sequences and an explosive cornucopia of operatic characters. In contrast, this summer will reveal The Amazing Spider-Man, which seeks to follow Nolan’s Batman Begins with its gritty tone and hyper-realism, eschewing science-fiction explanations of superpowers in favor of cold, naturalistic, character development.

So, the trend set by Batman Begins and The Amazing Spider-Man, with echoes in other hyper-realistic superhero films like Kick-Ass seems to be here to stay. Even the upcoming Superman movie, Man of Steel (2013), seeks to “reboot” the franchise with a more naturalistic origin story (with Christopher Nolan on the production team, no less). It’s no longer acceptable to put your hero in a cape (much less the outrageous nipples of the Batman Forever batsuit), toss in some weak sci-fi “technobabble” to explain the superpowers, and let the whole concoction explode into a computer-generated cataclysm. In today’s superhero movie world, you have to explain how things work, show how people get hurt, and end with some (considerable) amount of tragedy.

How will these dynamics play out in the admittedly lighter franchises, such as The Avengers, and the more social-content driven series such as The X-Men and Wolverine? Most likely, all of these films will need to pay their respects to contemporary audiences’ demands for gritty realism amidst all their flair and summer fun. But you’ll have to head to the theaters this summer to see for yourself!

Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

First of all, children in the 1980’s and 1990’s were still buying comic books—lots of comic books—and older collectors, driven by emerging news stories of ultra-rare “first appearance” issues of Golden Age superheroes selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars, bought all the “special” edition and first issue comic books that they good get their hands on, hoping to cashing and retire on the skyrocket collectors’ value of comic books. This frenzy led to an actual comic-book bubble that burst around the year 1997, a year that coincided with the disastrous film, Batman and Robin, which laid waste to the superhero film market for years to come. By contrast, many children in the “millennial” generation born in the last 15 years hardly know what a comic is—to them, Batman, Superman, and the rest of the gang are all movie characters and always have been. Movie studios are well aware of this, as are traditional comic book companies, particularly Marvel Comics, which was purchased lock, stock and barrel by The Walt Disney Company in 2009 for $4.24 billion (enough money to make a lot of comic books, although the new Marval-Disney entity has its eyes set squarely on film production, a new direction that was foreshadowed by 2008’s Iron Man, which was funded entirely by Marvel Comics at a cost of $140 million).

The second and probably most obvious explanation for the boom of comic book movies in recent years is the mind-boggling advance of computer-generated special effects, which have transformed the impossible physics of comic books into a new kind of visually spectacular hyper-realism. In fact, these two media, comic books and film, seem to be linked more closely than ever in a “life imitating art imitating life” exchange, with 1999’s trend-setting storyline The Matrix actually developed through the filmmaker’s use of frame-by-frame storyboards, and subsequently the successful spinoff of a number of Matrix-derived comic books. If there are two things that comic books and contemporary special effects share, it’s the physics of the impossible.

And yet there is also third element to the impressive rise of the comic book movie, one that has to do with the changes in the storylines and the visual styles of the films themselves. But for that story, you’ll need to tune in tomorrow—same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

Photo by JBCurio

By the time the 1990’s arrived, American pop culture had become skeptical and cynical about capes and Spandex. 1989’s Batman heralded a stunning change of tone for comic book spinoffs. Gone were the campy colors, the sidekicks, and the POW! WHAM! punches that induced so many winces in the Batman television series. In their place was a highly stylized, moody, dramatically theatrical piece, with Jack Nicholson’s “Joker” evolving from merely criminal to truly psychopathic.  The “Bat Car” and the “Bat Cave” were closer to James Bond-style futurism, and Robin was nowhere to be seen until his unfortunate appearance in 1997’s Batman and Robin. This last Batman disaster was the final nail in the coffin for an entire generation of ridiculous-looking cinematic efforts to make literal real-life versions of absurd costumes and characters.

So, what changed between 1997, when superhero movies were on the ropes, and today, when the studios are buying up cash-generating comics by the fistful? Three major changes—a grittier tone, high-tech special effects, and changes in the reading habits of children—have completely transformed the comic book film landscape, but that’s a story for tomorrow’s article. Stay tuned…

Original Cover Art by Fred Ray

So, will this film subject us to two hours of “B9…. Miss! C3… Hit! You sank my destroyer”? Not exactly. Although the film does revolve around the tactical exchange between two large fleets, there is a very significant twist: One fleet belongs to the U.S. Navy… the other to a race of extraterrestrial aliens.

Will this bizarre plot work as a film? Universal Pictures is betting $200 million that it will, as are major celebrity actors Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch, and Rihanna (this will be her acting debut). The filmmakers have implied that their tribute to the board game is deeper than just the name of the film. By revealing the alien’s point of view to the audience, we get to be part of that hit-or-miss thrill that made such a simple game into an enduring classic. After all, before Battleship became a board game in 1967 and a video game in 1993, it was a paper-and-pencil game that goes back at least to the beginning of the 20^th century.

Clearly, the Battleship franchise has a past, and some kind of future. If you want to see how the 2012 film plays into that legacy, check it out this May.

Photo courtesy of IMDb

Once again, hope lies in the comic chemistry between leads Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, with new additions Josh Brolin and Emma Thompson, and appearances by Alice Eve, Jemaine Clement, and Nicole Scherzinger. Other returning talent includes executive producer Steven Spielberg, director Barry Sonnenfield, and composer Danny Elfman, who was nominated for the Best Comedy Score Academy Award for the first Men in Black.

In the latest installment of this oddball science fiction comedy series, Agent J (Will Smith) has to travel through time to save the planet from the latest and greatest alien menace. In addition to Nicole Scherzinger’s appearance as one of the antagonists, there is a rumor that Lady Gaga and other celebrities will make cameo appearances.

Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

The Avengers: These past few summers, did you ever find yourself wondering: Why so many superhero movies? One answer is that they are surefire box office smash hits, and the other is that they have all led up to The Avengers. The film, which stars Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson as Iron Man and Black Widow, combines the superheroes of Marvel Comics in one epic battle against evil.

Men in Black III: The long-awaited third installment of the Men in Black series will be released this summer. The film highlights Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in their familiar roles of Agent J and Agent K, along with Josh Brolin, who will be playing a young version of Agent K. Add time travel to the list of science fiction eccentricities in the film and MIB III is sure to be a hit.

Brave: Brave is the newest Pixar animated film and also happens to be the first to feature a girl in the lead role. The film is set in a medieval Ireland around Princess Merida, a skilled archer who is thrown into an epic adventure. Brave is sure to please young and old audiences alike.

The Amazing Spider-Man: The newest take on the Spider-Man comic books will star Andrew Garfield, recently made famous by his role in David Fincher’s The Social Network, as Peter Parker. He will star opposite Emma Stone and the film will take place during Parker’s high school years. This film is worth seeing if only to compare to the past trilogy starring Tobey Maguire.

Photo: Walt Disney Pictures 2012.

The acclaimed screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for A Beautiful Mind, will finally get to make the film he has dreamed of. In the mid-2000s, Goldsman prepared to direct an adaptation of Winter’s Tale, a novel by Mark Helprin. The “supernatural period thriller” project was set to be produced by Warner Bros., but the production was halted due to budgetary issues. Goldsman, who wrote the adaptation, was set back from making his dream a reality.

However, with some savvy changes in the budgetary issues, the film is now on its way to production. Goldsman will be making his directorial debut with Winter’s Tale, which will be an interesting change from his past as a writer and producer. Goldsman already has some of his A-list friends, like Russell Crowe and Will Smith, set to star in the film. The addition of big names to the cast gave Warner Bros. the confidence to set the project to pre-production.

A pair of young actors, some of them lesser known than others, will join Crowe and Smith in the cast of Winter’s Tale. Some of the actors who are currently in deals with the studio include the dashing Tom Hiddleston of The Avengers as well as Jessica Brown Findlay, who can be seen in the hit television series Downton Abbey.

No matter which actors are chosen to play the leads, Winter’s Tale promises to be an exciting new piece of work for Goldsman. Keep a look out for the film during 2012.

Photo: Weindenfeld & Nicolson 1983.

Not to worry though, the Coens have new tricks up their sleeves. They are currently shooting a project, entitled Inside Llewyn Davis, which will be about the folk musician’s struggles in 1960s New York City. Knowing the previous work of Ethan and Joel, the film is sure to promise dark humor and expertly drawn characters. With the backdrop of the early 60s folk scene, the music is sure to be exceptional.

They will be teaming up with producer Scott Rudin, who also helped on recent projects No Country for Old Men and True Grit. The film has an expectedly star-studded cast, including Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac. The production crew has already been spotted filming on Bergen Street in Greenwich Village.

The exact details of the plot are being kept under wraps for now, but it should be expected that the film will receive mass critical attention. With a year to brainstorm and a cast of talented actors, the Coen brothers are sure to impress fans and moviegoers alike with Inside Llewyn Davis.

Photo: Rita Molnar 2001.

Tribeca Film Festival: One of the most famous film festivals in the world, the Tribeca Film Festival is a viewer-friendly week of films and events in downtown Manhattan. The festival, which runs this year from April 18^th to 29^th, was started in part by actor Robert DeNiro, a native of New York. Along with its expansive list of new and exciting films, the festival will open with the Judd Apatow-produced comedy The Five-Year Engagement.

New Directors/New Films: The official mission of the New Directors/New Films Festival, which is held in New York City, is to unveil “a brand-new lineup of fresh faces on the filmmaking scene.” New films from around the globe will be showing at the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center. This year, the festival will run from March 21^st to April 1^st, so start planning as soon as possible!

Los Angeles Film Festival: The Los Angeles Film Festival, which will be held this summer from June 14^th through the 24^th, is one of the most prestigious and well-attended festivals in the country. Films shown at the festival include box office hits, like The Devil Wears Prada, as well as small-scale independent productions. The venues are spread out and include some of the most famous landmarks in L.A., including the Disney Concert Hall. If you are in the area this summer, be sure to check out the show. You might even see some of the producers and stars!

Photo: Tribeca Film Festival 2011.

The Big Lebowski (1998):

Superbad (2007): Superbad not only became a calling card for successful comedy director Judd Apatow, but also brought fame and followers to young stars Michael Cera and Jonah Hill. Superbad encompasses everything that makes buddy movies great: a constantly twisting adventure, ludicrous characters, and a happy ending. If for no other reason, you should watch Superbad with your friends just so that you can recognize the many references in today’s lexicon.

Dazed and Confused (1993): Dazed and Confused, much like Superbad, follows the lives of a few high school students on the last day of school as they gear up for a night they won’t forget. The cast of characters ranges from terrified incoming freshman to super cool rising seniors, and the two groups blend as the story progresses. Even though it is set in the 1970s, this film is a universal reminder of the pain and joy of high school and summer vacation.

Photo: Columbia Pictures 2007.