Girls Can’t Kick Box Office Ass

Super heroines should be able to generate as much box office clout as their male counterparts, but poor takings and critical mauling say otherwise. Supergirl, Catwoman and Elektra were all franchise hopefuls but unfortunately they stank even worse than Batman’s codpiece. It’s a shame because the characters themselves offer a wonderful foundation for complex and multi-faceted personalities. X-Men, Spiderman, Iron Man and The Dark Knight have proven superheroes can please Joe public and critics alike and send box office receipts into freefall. But is this arena only testosterone fuelled or can the fairer sex produce a heroine to champion their box office plight?

The first obstacle for the super heroine is to be taken seriously. A screenplay doesn’t have to be as gloomy as The Dark Knight but a multilayered narrative is far more accessible than a paint-by-numbers origin story. Catwoman exemplifies the awful trend to ignore characterisation and plot. Unforgivably it lacks originality and is unable to produce a decent villain with suitable evil aspirations. Instead it gives us Sharon Stone selling defective beauty products, hardly an explosive storyline. Catwoman is by no means a one dimensional character. Some of comic’s best writers have helped her evolve and develop into an intriguing personality; Frank Miller, Jeph Loeb to name but a few. Halle Berry’s take on the character was less convincing than Stallone as Judge Dredd (a harsh but fair criticism). One would think Ms Berry’s sex appeal would be a sort of consolation prize but unfortunately even that was lost thanks in part to a ridiculous costume that looked as if it had been designed by a leather fetishist with a penchant for ripped jeans.

Perhaps it is sex appeal that is stunting the growth of super heroines in film. These day’s breasts seem to take up most of the panels in comic books, each new heroine amassing larger and larger chests. Transfer this to the big screen and you have Barb Wire. Casting Pamela Anderson is practically a guarantee the film will be as risqué as a 15 certificate will allow. There is no attempt to rein in the sex appeal, it’s a super heroine film made for a Playboy audience. I’m not saying a super heroine shouldn’t have sex appeal but in no way should it undermine the character development. Electra, the spinoff from Daredevil (itself a critical and box office turkey) actually manages to incorporate a fine balance.  Jennifer Garner gives an admirable performance as the revered assassin. Her sex appeal is more of a bonus than a necessity, there’s no steamy shower or bikini clad fight scenes. There is however a half decent origin back story which helps explain the characters motivation but unfortunately the narrative never manages to take the action to the next level. It’s almost as if no one has any faith in the film and therefore doesn’t want to risk the expense of an all out bang for your buck sequence, mores the pity.

Super heroines in male orientated comic book adaptions haven’t been able to grasp the public’s imagination either. Before Christopher Nolan breathed new life in the much beleaguered Batman franchise Joel Schumacher gave us Batman & Robin, not just the worst superhero film ever made but quite possibly one of the worst films period. The intriguing botanical villain Poison Ivy (played by Uma Thurman) and the Caped Crusaders sidekick Batgirl (played by Alicia Silverstone) were employed simply as eye candy and given no more depth than throw away one liners and cheesy dialogue. Super heroines in the far more sophisticated X-Men franchise haven’t faired any better despite greater character development and story arcs. It comes as no surprise Wolverine is the first character to have a solo adventure with a young Magneto feature touted to be next. What about the likes of Storm (played by Halle Berry, perhaps not conducive to comic book adaptions), Rogue, Jean Grey, Shadowcat and even Lady Deathstroke, do they not deserve the big screen treatment? These characters have strong fan bases in the comic world why is it that their popularity can’t translate to film?

 What is needed is a writer/director/producer with the gumption and foresight to give a superhero film a healthy combination of character, sex appeal and kick-ass action. A lot of fans had high hopes for Joss Wheadon’s Wonder Woman project. Joss Wheadon is no stranger to writing strong female characters. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has more x-chromosomes than you can shake a stick at and all of them intricate and motivated. Wonder Woman has always been too Linda Carter goody two shoes for my tastes but with Wheadon at the helm I was looking forward to a visual feast and action packed blockbuster, accompanying franchise safely intact. When the project went belly-up so did the prospect of a decent super heroine film. The only glimmer of hope is in the Batman, Ironman and Spiderman sequels. If the next film in each franchise provides a strong super heroine then perhaps she’ll get a spinoff. It’s just a shame it has to be off the back of her male counterpart.  It seems Girl Power is alive and well just not in the world of superhero franchises.