What do audiences want to see when they choose to see action adventure movies? Certainly they want to see high adrenaline scenarios that will get them excited. But don’t they also want these scenarios to be coherent, cogent and clarity of the kind of intricate stories they can easily believe in?
Costumes as Body Armor And Military Gear
As I‘ve said before tights and leotards were the uniform of the superhero when the genre first appeared yet since then the uniform material has been in a constant form of transition. Today the history of the convention is the starting point for a discussion of action ware. In fact I believe the new trend in super hero costumes has entirely morphed into a discussion about utilities rather a discussion about the multi-applicability’s and durability of spandex.
The Dark Knight
Designed in as predominantly spandex, plastic, and silk costume for Adam West, and rubber and leather for Directors Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher’s spectacles of the 80’s and 90’s Batman had an impressive run on the TV’s and Cineplex’s of the late 20th century. When it was time to update the character after the turn of the century a new origin and new motivations were established to fit a new definition of the character. This new Batman wasn’t an inventor as much he was a successful businessman who could afford to scour the world for ingenious non-lethal weaponry. He did not invent or create his Batarangs, Batplanes and Batmobiles; he just bought them wholesale.
Batman’s finest new sidekick was Luscious Fox, a Wayne corporation employee and fine weapon’s connoisseur. Throwing his body into a war with criminals this Batman wasn’t doughy Billionaire; he was instead a tactical soldier, weapons agent, and crowd dissembler.
This Batman needed anti-infantry guards and bulletproof padding. He needed glider technology as well as grapple guns. He needed night vision, throwing stars, gas grenades, and offensive sonar systems. This Batman was dressed for battle not to be a superhero or a thespian crusader for justice as he had been in previous incarnations of the character. In fact every new film about the character is a new iteration of this fact.
Ironman
Learning a lot from Batman, Marvel’s Tony Stark was another non-super powered super hero name Iron man. Different from his original origin his story was told from the standpoint of his being a weapon’s contractor an inventor by trade ironman was a pure war machine until he invented the actual character named War Machine. One of the few human elements of his appearance his eyes were eventually obscured so that there was not tangible human element to the character. All but his silhouette, he was all reinforced iron designed for mayhem.
In a world of anti tank bullets and protective anti grenade under armor Stark was the perfect wartime defender. Of course his offensive weapons were awesome as well, and the best CGI representation and effects could offer.
Captain America
Though still not distributed, Cap has learned far more from Kenneth Nolan’s Batman than the 1990 version of the past. This Cap now played by Chris Evans, (the former Human Torch of the Fantastic Four movies) was designed to serve, a warrior in every since of the word this fairly powerless superhero began his career by being endowed with a super soldier’s physique. So aside from his pronounced athleticism he needs what any infantry man needs: a helmet, defensive pads, steel toed boots and of course his combat shield. He may even have a gun.
Thor
The character Thor is an expression of two super hero traditions he current one and one of the past. In the realm he comes from he is a warrior and to our minds a god. Different from the comic’s incarnation, the film presentation of the character has chosen to emphasize the warrior background at the expense of the less specific spiritual background. His breastplate is a warrior’ tunic influenced by the best Jack Kirby designs that emphasize the most caustic machinery and is a clear reference to other worldly design sense and aesthetic.
The casting of unusually tall actor Chris Hemsworth is yet another reference to the super hero physique and physical characterization of the late decade and century. A physically imposing character, size-wise Hemsworth at 6 ft. something makes him a believable God of Thunder.
Green Lantern
One of the more impressive aspects of the contemporary super hero costumes is their tendency to choose functional and utilitarian designs and materials to address the adventures of their wearers. Some of the best examples of this are Batman, Ironman, and Captain America who are for the most part ordinary men who do battle with other ordinary men who are likely to carry firearms and lethal weapons that would do them harm without defensive gear or weaponry. Because of this all of these men wear helmets, shields, chain mail like garments, carry projectile weapons, travel by way of machinery, etc.
An adventurer like the soon-to-be released like Green Lantern, played by actor Ryan Reynolds, is a different super hero by comparison. He poses one of the most powerful weapons in the universe a power ring that in fueled the wearer’s will power and is refined by the wearer’s imagination. If he isn’t a hero designed for CGI animation no hero is or ever will be. Though the wearer, Hal Jordan is known for being fearless during the comics run it has not been his practice to place himself in purely physical altercations.
In keeping with his fairly non-physical adventures, he obviously does not need the gear of a Batman, Ironman, or Captain America. Hence what we have seen of his costume isn’t a lot of defensive wear; should a defensive situation require it he can conjure up or imagine the appropriate defenses. Instead his uniform, a completely CGI expression of this will is nearly counter what we would expect of the functional and utilitarian design. His costume seems to highlight his physicality minus defensive gear. Appearing to highlight his musculature, like an 18th century anatomical drawing without a layer of protective epidermis; Green Lantern’s costume is one of the most unique in super hero costumes in history. Yet there are critics who have derisively called the costume a giant ribbed condom. Unlike my account, even this assessment sees the suit playing some defensive role. But most polls have specified that fans will give a real critical review of the costume a pass until they have seen it in action.
For these reasons we can only hope that director Bruce Campbell’s unprecedented and original CGI crafted suit passes the critic’s and fans eventual evaluation.
Information pertaining to DC and Marvel costumes were found at:
Image of Batman collected from:
Batman character likeness TM and copyright 2010 DC Comics. All rights reserved.
Image of Ironman collected from:
Ironman character likeness TM and copyright 2010 Marvel Comics. All rights reserved.
Image of Captain America collected from:
Captain American character likeness TM and copyright 2010 Marvel Comics. All rights reserved.
Image of Thor collected from:
Thor character likeness TM and copyright 2010 Marvel Comics. All rights reserved.
Image of Green Lantern collected from:
Green Lantern character likeness TM and copyright 2010 Marvel Comics. All rights reserved.
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