The biggest IT'S TRUE tag ever is needed here. At most, the film equivalent of the one page origin story that Grant Morrison gives All-Star Superman, that’s enough!!!
It depends rather on your target audience, doesn't it? The first Tobey Maguire Spiderman needed at least some of an origin if only because they weren't simply aiming it at those of us who have read/read comics. If you're going to reboot a franchise, a la the TMNT, and change things in the process, then you'll probably need to update the origin.
It seems to me it's also dependent on the point of the... movie, graphic novel, whatever. Sometimes the origin doesn't matter, but frequently it gives the character a reason to be doing what he/she/it is doing. Batman, anyone?
So, yeah. Sometimes, the origin story is just filler, and it can go much too long (the Green Lantern movie, for instance), but sometimes it is necessary.
"Yo Danny Phantom he was just fourteen when his parents built a very strange machine it was designed to view a world unseen (gotta catch'em all cause he's danny phantom) when it didn't quite work his folks they just quit but then Danny took a look inside of it there was a great big flash everything just changed his molecules got all rearranged. When he first woke up he realized he had snow white hair and glowy green eyes he could walk through walls disappear and fly he was much more unique than the other guys and it was then that he knew what he had to do he had to stop all the ghosts that were coming though he's here to fight for me and you!"
There. Now everybody who's never even heard of the guy knows the sitch. It took a fraction of the time that these movies give to their opening credits and now we can jump straight to the action. If the Tobey Maguire movies had dedicated forty seconds at the beginning of the movie to a catchy jingle explaining that Peter Parker was bit by a spider, used his powers irresponsibly, his uncle died, he blames himself, now he's vowed to be responsible forevermore, we'd be done. Everybody's taken care of.
Is titles the proper term for that part in the beginning where the camera races all over the place showing us a bunch of inconsequential albeit riveting nonsense while the captions bounce across the screen saying
"Old Time River Productions Presents"
"A Millennium Enterprises Production"
"Produced By Dirty Hat Presentations"
"Directed by Trent Witwicky"
"Starring Jon Voyage and Sally Meadow"
"Based on the bestselling novel by Raymond E. Faust"
"This is a completely ridiculous pet peeve... There are no such things as 'opening credits.' There are titles at the beginning, and credits at the end."
well, you got the "ridiculous" part right, anyway.
nowadays, a full list of credits is most commonly placed at the end of a movie. but that practice did not become firmly entrenched in hollywood until the 1970s. there used to be a time when credits were shown at the start of a movie, and ONLY at the start. they were opening credits. when any cast & crew names are displayed at the start, even if it's an incomplete list, those are still opening credits.
p.s. to last post: a movie may or may not have opening credits or a discrete title sequence. credits may or may not be included in the title sequence. title and/or credits may or may not be superimposed over the movie's action, as opposed to a discrete title sequence.
they told spider-man's origin story in the first spider-man movie. ten years later, they spent nearly an entire movie on an inferior retelling of the same origin story. got it right the first time, no need to reinvent the wheel... as some other novel shape that isn't a circle.
"I know the story and that's enough! That KID over there DOESN'T, but he's just a NOOB so he can SUCK it! It's all about ME and what I want!! CHARACTERS SHOULD JUST COME OUT OF NOWHERE AND NEVER BE EXPLAINED!! I'LL LOOK THE BACKSTORY UP ON WIKIPEDIA AFTERWARDS IF I CARE!! $#@& YOU MAN I'LL FLING SPITTLE WHEREVER I LIKE! HOLLYWOOD MAKES ME GO SEE ALL THESE MOVIES THAT I KNOW I'M GOING TO HATE!!! ...Wait, who is THAT? What's HE doing there? I don't know what's going on!"
We also didn't need to know that Thanos' mother didn't hug him enough, or that he was picked on at school, and the girl he loved didn't love him back or whatever else they're adding to his origin.
Thanos is a man who fell in love with Death, and does everything he can to please her.
well, nobody ever needed to see the predator's planet...
ReplyDeleteThat is the WEIRDEST euphemism I've ever heard...
DeleteThe biggest IT'S TRUE tag ever is needed here. At most, the film equivalent of the one page origin story that Grant Morrison gives All-Star Superman, that’s enough!!!
ReplyDeleteIt depends rather on your target audience, doesn't it? The first Tobey Maguire Spiderman needed at least some of an origin if only because they weren't simply aiming it at those of us who have read/read comics. If you're going to reboot a franchise, a la the TMNT, and change things in the process, then you'll probably need to update the origin.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me it's also dependent on the point of the... movie, graphic novel, whatever. Sometimes the origin doesn't matter, but frequently it gives the character a reason to be doing what he/she/it is doing. Batman, anyone?
So, yeah. Sometimes, the origin story is just filler, and it can go much too long (the Green Lantern movie, for instance), but sometimes it is necessary.
Kids understand Batman just fine without having to rehash his angst all the time.
Delete"Yo Danny Phantom he was just fourteen when his parents built a very strange machine it was designed to view a world unseen (gotta catch'em all cause he's danny phantom) when it didn't quite work his folks they just quit but then Danny took a look inside of it there was a great big flash everything just changed his molecules got all rearranged. When he first woke up he realized he had snow white hair and glowy green eyes he could walk through walls disappear and fly he was much more unique than the other guys and it was then that he knew what he had to do he had to stop all the ghosts that were coming though he's here to fight for me and you!"
DeleteThere. Now everybody who's never even heard of the guy knows the sitch. It took a fraction of the time that these movies give to their opening credits and now we can jump straight to the action. If the Tobey Maguire movies had dedicated forty seconds at the beginning of the movie to a catchy jingle explaining that Peter Parker was bit by a spider, used his powers irresponsibly, his uncle died, he blames himself, now he's vowed to be responsible forevermore, we'd be done. Everybody's taken care of.
This is a completely ridiculous pet peeve. I acknowledge this. I own it. But I cannot help myself.
DeleteThere are no such things as "opening credits." There are titles at the beginning, and credits at the end.
Is titles the proper term for that part in the beginning where the camera races all over the place showing us a bunch of inconsequential albeit riveting nonsense while the captions bounce across the screen saying
Delete"Old Time River Productions Presents"
"A Millennium Enterprises Production"
"Produced By Dirty Hat Presentations"
"Directed by Trent Witwicky"
"Starring Jon Voyage and Sally Meadow"
"Based on the bestselling novel by Raymond E. Faust"
and so on and so forth?
Yes. Everything written on the screen at the beginning is collectively referred to as the titles.
DeleteNeat. I didn't know that. Thanks.
Delete"This is a completely ridiculous pet peeve... There are no such things as 'opening credits.' There are titles at the beginning, and credits at the end."
Deletewell, you got the "ridiculous" part right, anyway.
nowadays, a full list of credits is most commonly placed at the end of a movie. but that practice did not become firmly entrenched in hollywood until the 1970s. there used to be a time when credits were shown at the start of a movie, and ONLY at the start. they were opening credits. when any cast & crew names are displayed at the start, even if it's an incomplete list, those are still opening credits.
p.s. to last post: a movie may or may not have opening credits or a discrete title sequence. credits may or may not be included in the title sequence. title and/or credits may or may not be superimposed over the movie's action, as opposed to a discrete title sequence.
Deletethey told spider-man's origin story in the first spider-man movie. ten years later, they spent nearly an entire movie on an inferior retelling of the same origin story. got it right the first time, no need to reinvent the wheel... as some other novel shape that isn't a circle.
ReplyDeleteBy crikey, I agree with this guy so much.
ReplyDeleteJames Bond was popular for decades without ever having an origin story. Sometimes you just don't need it.
ReplyDeletePETER PARKER GOT BIT BY A SPIDER! QUICK! SOMEBODY CALL POISON CONTROL BEFORE HE
ReplyDeleteThere's a great Patton Oswalt bit about this.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDCjIjsZp_Y
"I know the story and that's enough! That KID over there DOESN'T, but he's just a NOOB so he can SUCK it! It's all about ME and what I want!! CHARACTERS SHOULD JUST COME OUT OF NOWHERE AND NEVER BE EXPLAINED!! I'LL LOOK THE BACKSTORY UP ON WIKIPEDIA AFTERWARDS IF I CARE!! $#@& YOU MAN I'LL FLING SPITTLE WHEREVER I LIKE! HOLLYWOOD MAKES ME GO SEE ALL THESE MOVIES THAT I KNOW I'M GOING TO HATE!!! ...Wait, who is THAT? What's HE doing there? I don't know what's going on!"
ReplyDeleteBut... They didn't show the Predator's Planet in "Predators". o_0
ReplyDeleteWe also didn't need to know that Thanos' mother didn't hug him enough, or that he was picked on at school, and the girl he loved didn't love him back or whatever else they're adding to his origin.
ReplyDeleteThanos is a man who fell in love with Death, and does everything he can to please her.
They will always start with the origin, because when they reboot the franchise, the new director wants to get his grubby paws all over the origin.
ReplyDelete