This is as perfect an overview of superhero comic book movies, as well as the source material itself as I've read, or for that matter, said. Of course, I agree wholeheartedly with Worley's assessment of superhero comics and the movies based on them, so there is an element of being in a well preached to choir. I haven't seen DICK TRACY since its theatrical release, and now this seems like a must to revisit. Thanks so much for this.
Howard, I wish you'd make (or write) a comic book movie--the way one ought to be made (or written). Do you own the rights to American Flagg? I'm just a guy from the peanut gallery, but I think you'd have something unique to say.
I really have no interest in seeing modern superhero movies at all. I wasn't too big into comic books as a kid, but I loved Dick Tracy and Who Framed Roger Rabbit and developed a strong appreciation for film noir
I never realized what I actually wanted from a comic book movie, but seeing a batman or superman movie set in the 1930s and 40s would be fantastic! Thanks for the perspective!
I appreciate that you place a high emphasis on exploring the aesthetic of the movie and how it functions throughout it. There are too many critics that say things like "graphics don't matter" or "people only watch movies for the story" and they heavily undermine the importance of it being a visual medium. Art style and design is just as important if not more so. If Dick Tracy was written as a book it would be an entirely separate entity, as the visuals always evoke certain tones and feelings, and help tell parts of the story through its visual execution. When it comes to movies, aesthetic should always be a top priority; it should be a functioning part of the movie and always come from the bottom of the artist's heart
The beautiful thing about comic books and superheroes is that they can be any and everything the writer, artist, or filmmaker wishes them to be. They can be over the top, six color or more realistic and gritty. It's all a part of what makes these characters last. If you prefer one kind of story over another, that's fine, but to just write off an entire section of a characters history or a particular style of storytelling is incredibly shortsighted and demeans the characters, as well as just limiting the variety of stories you can find. Variety is the spice of life. I love Dick Tracy, but I also love Nolan's Batman films and Burton's and really, I've actually come to really appreciate Schumacher's as well.
I watched this in a vintage 1940's style, one-screen cinema with my dad & it was a great movie & a great day. The popcorn never tasted better. It was the same year in the same retro theatre that dad & I watched the WW2 pic "Memphis Belle". A cinema can be many things & in 1990, it was a bona-fide time machine. Absolutely magical. "Dick Tracy" remains a perennial favorite.
Ever since I watched Bonnie and Clyde I’ve been fascinated with Warren Beatty’s career. I just watched Dick Tracy then remembered you made a video, good work keep it up.
On a cinematic level, the difference between Beatty's Dick Tracy and more recent superhero movies such as Captain America or Wonder Woman is that he brings a genuine understanding of the film styles he's drawing on as inspiration and homage. You can definitely detect the influence of Robert Wiene, Fritz Lang and Maltese Falcon-era John Huston in this picture, and it's made even more impressive by his deft handling of Expressionist and film noir techniques. By contrast, watching Captain America or Wonder Woman you don't get the feeling the filmmakers have actually sat down to watch or have any particular special knowledge of the films or styles they draw upon either to assist the storytelling or provide a visual frame of reference. (Indeed, if Patty Jenkins used The Big Parade or the 1929 version of All Quiet on the Western Front as inspiration for the period setting and/or combat scenes it's virtually impossible to tell as the production design and composition is so flat you might as well be watching a TV movie.) This is why they all end up as bland, homogenous product rather than films that not only understand their source material but also make creative decisions with the cinematic experience itself. But, that's just my view. Anyway, thanks for another great video: as always, a real pleasure to watch.
Finally got around to watching this, so I could come back and take in the video without losing my first impression of the movie. I would leave plenty of room in the "great comic book movie" conversation for stuff made since '90 -- even some of the stuff brushed aside here -- but Tracy is a legit entry that, as you persuasively argue, shows a compelling road not taken by the genre. Would love more stuff that operated in the space and tenor of this flick. Thanks for giving me a motive to check it out.
I was 12 years old when I saw this movie in the theatre and I loved it. I revisit it from time to time. I didn't read the comics, but I watched reruns of the old '60s cartoon when I was a kid. It was so cool to see the characters come to life on the big screen. Watching it as I'm older, I really appreciate the art design and the fantastic music by Sondheim even more. This and the original Ninja Turtles film are my favorite adaptations of comic books.
I remember trying to get the wristwatch from cereal box UPC codes, and renting the NES game from Blockbuster. Now everyone can make a call from their wrist and it's no big deal. except me, I don't have a smart watch
That ended so quickly, and I was thoroughly enjoying what you were saying, I wanted to keep it going. I was putting some paint on my custom Dick Tracy action figure of Frank Redrum that I am creating for my imagined sequel, Dick Tracy 2: Return of the Blank and Wave 2 of Playmates figures.
Wow this was fantastic! Especially your discussion on costumes and color palettes. Dick Tracy never gets the respect it serves. It’s a fantastic film with great aesthetic and cinematography. It’s a nice nod to a golden era of Hollywood and film noir. It’s a perfect comic book movie.
I think the supposedly "unfilmable" state of WATCHMEN lies within the very nature of adapting the material into the mode of film. The conventions of the comic book medium ultimately match Dr. Manhattan's perception of time. He can see the past, present, and future simultaneously just as the reader sees the sequence of event play out on a page all at once. A person can read one panel while shifting their eyes and begin focusing on another, or view everything all at once. The problem with adapting the film into a motion picture is that this comic book structure is ultimately lost. The flashback sequence is great in its juxtaposition of sounds and images, but ultimately the flat comic book perception of time is lost in this medium. (This is why I really don't like the motion comic, which does absolutely nothing to justify itself being in motion). However, this is an issue inherent to any adaptation of the source material. When watching a film adaptation of this book, we almost need to surrender this aspect--unless it's like so avant-garde that it adopts something of a multi-screen structure akin to Toshio Matsumoto's FOR MY CRUSHED RIGHT EYE or Andy Warhol's CHELSEA GIRLS. In many ways, Snyder attempts to replace the comic book conventions with that of superhero filmic conventions as well as pop culture references in general, but I will admit that some of it does get muddled a bit. I think he misses a few opportunities to comment on the filmic medium than he does. If someone wants to argue that his cinematic substitutes for comic book conventions are not sufficient enough for the adaptation's themes, then I would be potentially interested in engaging in such a discussion. However, I don't think UA-cam has really made it that far. People are still stuck on ridiculous notions that the film completely misses the basic political views expressed in the comic, which I just couldn't disagree with more. This is something I want to shift discourse around a bit on in my videos on the film. I would rather recognize what it is Snyder is actually doing and saying, instead of writing him off as a hack. Though, I find so many Snyder fans so obnoxious and uninterested in film that I sometimes feel it's too exhausting to even try to defend him. Like it or not, that film is more anti-cop than any other superhero film, which should count for something.
@@samlerf I just saw the video and I think it's a mostly successful dissection of the HBO series, but it gets a lot of things wrong about the characterization in Snyder's film.
"Like it or not, that film is more anti-cop than any other superhero film, which should count for something." There are next to no comic book films that are anti-cop to begin with. Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is a death-knell to the very idea of a society without cops.
Excellent video! I remember having a hard time finding it when it was first released on DVD 20 years ago and eventually tracking it down at Costco of all places. I wish Disney would get Beatty to oversee a 4K remaster of the film. We must be about the same age because I was a kid when it originally came out as well. I had some of the figures, the hat and most memorably the watch. I always figured the film was made not just because of the success of Batman, but also Disney’s own Who Framed Roger Rabbit (another film I was obsessed with as a child back then that still holds up incredibly well as an adult)
Yes it's great because the screenplay is so good it's perfectly written. Warren did a great job directing it and acting and he cast it to perfection plus the colorful world he captured.
I've always wanted a Batman movie set in 1939. Ever since the Nolan movies went a bit over the top with the high tech yet grounded in the 21st century realism motif I started yearning for a low tech Batman. As for Dick Tracy, it came out when I was 5 and I have always liked the film and appreciated it for different reasons at different points in my life and still do.
I don’t agree with all the points made in the video, but you do make some great points, and the video is really well done. You got yourself a new subscriber.
Love the passion and effort that went into this defense. Haven't seen the film yet myself, but I guess I'll have to check it out now! As far as 90s superhero films go, I'm very partial to Spawn. Has a similar hyperbolic comic book-y tone to Tracy where it balances its campy and serious moments very well into this psychedelic nightmare of a hero's journey. Jai White's performance in particular had a lot of vulnerability and pathos to it that's missing from the stone faced action figures of today's superhero flicks.
Great video! I may just check this movie out. I’d also be curious to find out what you think of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and the Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight trilogy
Funniest line in the witty script: Tracy to Breathless: "I could take ya downtown, sweat it out of ya under the lights." to which Breathless responds: "I sweat a lot better in the dark."
Thanks for another great video, Rick. As someone who has never seen Dick Tracy, I want to check it out now. That said, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the audience growing up and enjoying a more mature version of what they enjoyed when they were younger. The Winnie the Pooh bits in your video are very funny, but the recent Christopher Robin film is a very good example of a more grown-up take on a classic children’s story. I know cashing in on nostalgia is Disney’s m.o. these days, but it’s a strong film on its own merits.
@rickworley9081 What is your opinion on Joe Johnston’s The Rocketeer from 1991? It is one of my favorite superhero movies along with Unbreakable, Mask of Zorro, The Phantom, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and Superman: The Movie. Also, what is your opinion on both cuts of Superman 2?
Superman (1978) has that time travel issue that breaks the movie for me. Superman II is far too much of a mess that it can't ever really be fixed. Honestly, the best comic book films are the Fleischer Superman Cartoons, Batman 1989, Batman Returns 1992, Dick Tracy 1990, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Unbreakable 2000, and The Incredibles.
I disagree about the idea of character's not being able to extend beyond the era's they were born out of. Take Batman for instance, he works now arguably even better than he did originally, partially because of all the advancements in technology and investigative techniques that he can utilize which strengthens his character regardless of the era he's in (but also because much better stories have been written utilizing him, such as Batman Year One, The Man Who Laughs, The Killing Joke, Knightfall, Black Mirror, etc). You also miss the point of the malleability of superhero comics in the same way you blame modern film-makers for "missing the point" of superhero comics (which, the examples you cited, were pulled from after the Comics Code Authority started pressing down on the comic book industry and forced them to make more kid-friendly content, rather than Batman machine-gunning truck-loads of soldiers, hanging a monster from a noose from his batplane, or throwing people into swords, like he did ad nausea before the CCA intervened). Comic books were read by adults and kids alike in the 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's, but it was when the CCA intervened that they began labeling comics as specifically for kids. Dick Tracy was appearing alongside Prince Valiant, a very serious take on fantasy, and it appeared in a Newspaper and appealed to both adults and kids. You seem to limit comics (particularly superhero comics) in the same way the CCA were trying to limit them in the 50's, which I find laughably absurd, especially considering that comic books (superhero comics in particular) were also aimed specifically to the military. The rise of Captain America can thank not the children, but as this article states, can thank the soldiers over-seas who were actually fighting. www.wearethemighty.com/troops-comic-books-wwii If you'd done a little bit more thorough research you wouldn't have that same smug-sounding script to work off of, probably because you'd realize that comic books are a part of Americana in general and that kids are a very small part of the equation in regards to them, and that they are indeed meant to appeal in many regards to the adult fantasy and the adult mind. This fact seems to evade you for some unknown reason. Perhaps you're just misinformed? Or is it that you don't like the particular direction a comic book character has taken with modernization/popularization and he's not your personal safety net? Whatever the reason, it seems you like to use the argument "it's for children" to rail against your dislike of different interpretations of the character, which is very silly since the appeal of the character you liked is still there in the comics you enjoyed before. Dick Tracy is different in regards to extending beyond the era he was born out of, as he was more a comment on the gangster-appeal of the 20's and 30's, while Superheroes like Superman and Batman are more ideals manifested within the era they take place in. Dick Tracy's strength of character doesn't come from him as a character, it comes from the aesthetic surrounding the setting it takes place in, just like Tarzan or The Lone Ranger. You can have Superman fighting modern threats without the setting of the era he comes from, but you can't separate Dick Tracy from the setting of the era he comes from.
Except they WERE for children! Yes some adults read them,and they were sent to soldiers overseas, but they were primarily for kids. The presence of violence doesn't hate this. Kids have been consuming entertainment with violence & death since the beginning time The Comics Code did make comic books to e for kids, it just removed what it's enforcers thought was bad, but the target audience remained the same. You're exactly who Worley is talking about,adults embarrassed about consuming children's entertainment so they tell themselves "It's not really for kids!". Perhaps you should fine something more grown-up to read,rather than kids' stuff?
@@yalbad5160I don't think he's saying they weren't for kids. I think he's saying things for kids can become things for adults depending on how they're adapted. Unless you believe that a character can only be adapted within the intentions they were created in. There are plenty of outlandish characters in adult stories that are completely unrealistic. And if we're going to get into "who's more adult" territory, why wouldn't you attempt to argue against the OP's points? Isn't just calling someone immature somewhat childish without the argument to back it up?
While not every part of it works, I think Snyder does actually adapt the unique storytelling style of Watchmen into a cinematic format. The panels in the graphic novel are drawn to emulate the Golden Age of superhero comics. It feels visually evocative of classic, cheesy 1940’s Superman strips, although instead the panels are filled with sex, violence, and other complex and disturbing concepts. Snyder uses this same juxtaposition, but adapts it to suit the format of film. For example, the scene where Dan and Laurie beat up those thugs in the alleyway. It's a classic superhero set up. The fight is fast paced, highly choreographed, and shot in an exciting style. But unlike other similar scenes in the genre the fight is noticeably bloody and violent. We see bones break, we hear the thugs scream, and most importantly it is cross cut with the interview that suggests the Dr. Manhattan is responsible for giving people cancer. Snyder took the traditional elements of a superhero fight scene but imbued it with a contrasting sense of real world consequences. The slick visuals aren’t just aesthetic choices, they are adroit narrative ones that tell the meta story underneath the surface level one. He uses the exact same techniques as the graphic novel, but adjusts them to suit a cinematic format. It's a comment on superhero movies of the day where the original graphic novel was a comment on superhero comics of the day. That's my take on it anyway. I have a soft spot for Snyder because like George Lucas he's one of the few filmmakers who's using big budget films as a platform for storytelling and art that's personal to him. Love or hate something like Man of Steel, it feels very much like an auteur vision to me, rather than a studio film. Terrific video though! You've quickly become one of my favourite channels. I'm very keen for part 2 of the Star Wars one.
As much as I don't agree with what you think about the MCU, It is perfectly valid to say "it's not what marvel movies should be" as opposed to the star wars prequels, where it is invalid to say what they "should be"
This is pretty entertaining. But there is no one right way to do a Comic Book movies just as all Comic Books don't have the same style, lots of Comics are going for a quasi realistic approach. Burton, Shucmacher, Nolan and Snyder's takes on Batman are all equally valid and I've enjoyed all of them. On the subject of Watchmen I recommend you watch Style is Substance's videos on it, he's someone who usually isn't talking about Superhero movies but like you has an interest in older cinema. He shows how Snyder's Watchmen did adapt the story for the Cinematic medium. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people try to argue certain characters from 19th and early 20th Century shouldn't be brought to modern times. A story is only a Period piece inherently if it was a Period Piece from the start. Dracula stood among among prior Vampire stories because it was set in then contemporary London and not some inherently alien setting, when the adaptations stay in 1890s even thought ti's 100 years later they loose part of the appeal. And it was the same with both Superman and Batman, prior comic strip heroes were usually stuff like Buck Rogers. The reason DC and Marvel Superheros have stayed relevant while the Pulp heroes that inspired them fell into obscurity is because the Pulps failed to update with the times. I'm not inherently agaisnt the idea of a period piece Superman film, I'd be very interested in seeing one actually. but it's absurd to go around saying that's the only way it can be done. This notion that something that was once for Kids can't ever be re-imagined as something more adult I find very limiting. These characters are archetypes that in my view are adaptable to many different kinds of stories. The relatively realistic aesthetic can seem dull when that's been the dominant approach for over a decade, but it would be the same if we'd had 30 films in 10 years that looked exactly like Dick Tracey. What do you think of 2008's Speed Racer?
Actually I had a long phone chat with Style is Substance about Watchmen, and he got me to soften what I wrote about Snyder in this video. I still think the movie doesn't adequately adapt the deeper purposes of the comic, which are the things in the comic that I think are of value. There are comics characters that are designed to be realistic. Batman and Superman are not those characters. I love Speed Racer (2008). I think that's a good example of a live action adaptation that does it right.
@@rickworley9081 You did great. But I also have a question: Did you ever watch the youtube series "Games of Thrones Rewrite" by Macabre Storytelling? I think it is super great. It compares the Game of Thrones series to the original novels, while also giving credit to both, if possible. And yet he described very well, I feel, why the Game of Thrones series had mayor problems from season 4 onward and how much better storypoints could have been made. I guess one could accuse the youtube series of falling into putting personal taste above art - but I don't that's true in this case. And that's not even everything, Macabre Storytelling also did a great Watchmen video, comparing the original comic, the Snyder film and the HBO series. I really learned alot and found new love for Alan Moore's comic. Especially the watchmen video (almost 3 hours), I find, was very in line with what you said in the past, so much that I almost forget it wasn't from you. Very interesting. You can of course ignore this comment, if it annoys you, but since I remember you talking about Game of Thrones and Moore, I thought you could like it.
It's funny you mention my videos because I talked to Rick about this already. I actually more or less agree with the criticism expressed in this video. Read my posted comment for more info. Although, I side with you on reinterpretation and modernization of super heroes. It's a big part of comic book history, even if they weren't originally designed to support serious ideas and the contemporary political landscape.
I agree with Rick as regards what’s wrong with superhero movies. A lot of friends love Nolan’s Batman trilogy. To me it’s pretentious pseudo intellectual crap that makes me feel every second of my age and wishing I was watching something genuinely adult instead of the superhero movie I was stuck with. I keep hoping someone makes a Batman movie that’s stylish and fun, with a ghoulish sense of wit like a Hitchcock movie. May never happen, but I’ve got Batman: The Animated Series in the meantime.
When it comes to Superman and Batman Snyder isn't really adapting from the 40s, though, but rather the 80s/90s post-Crisis iteration of those characters and setting. He's not really interested in the Daily Planet Clark Kent who fights bank robbers, Metropolis crime thugs, and maybe the occasional robot. The post-Crisis Superman and Batman may not be a period of the comics you appreciate, but many others do, so this idea that there's only one valid adaptation is just being dismissive. You say that you want a creator to put their stamp on the material like Burton, but then balk at the idea of the work not being based on the earliest of the comics, and instead being based on more recent iterations. Everyone is free to like what they like, but I always find it spurious when a primary complaint is about what a work isn't rather than considering what it is.
Although it wasn't that popular with other kids, the Dick Tracy movie and toys and other movie merchandise at the time were some of my most memorable interests I still remember like it was yesterday. Major impression on me in my childhood. PS. Great short documentary btw Keep up the good work -Your newest subscriber
Dang, I just watched this movie for this first time since I was a kid, and was blown away - and baffled as to why it got such a 'meh' reception. It really translated the feel of a comic book into film in a compelling way. The Sin City films did this too (and maybe Ang Lee's Hulk, which I actually remember quite liking), but there's a 4-color, cartoonish, and kid-friendly feel to Dick Tracy that's particularly unique. You did a great job of articulating why the film was great, Rick, and for that matter why Watchmen and most superhero films suck. (Though I do think Dark Knight Rises captures the dark and adult comic feel of Frank Miller's Batman.)
Another brilliant video! I've never been interested in seeing Dick Tracy but now I am. I completely agree with your take on comic superheroes and I've been waiting to hear someone with a similar opinion. Superheroes work best when the creators realize that these things were meant to be for kids. I find that the great iteration of these characters are always the animated versions I grew up with. I find Batman TAS to be far smarter than the overrated Dark Knight Trilogy. I find the same to be true of other animated superhero properties as compared to their gritty "adult" film counterparts such as Superman TAS, Xmen TAS, Spiderman TAS and Justice League.
I'm not sure why you have to build Dick Tracy by knocking other comic book movies down. You have your taste which is fine, but I don't think every comic book movie since Dick Tracy is "stupid". Staying with comics for a second, the old 30s Batman comics were great, but for me, Batman Year One and Dark Knight Returns is my Batman. Neither is wrong. I like Chris Nolan's Dark Knight movies overall, but to each his own. Some people like campy Batman and that's okay. I think you can focus on why a movie works for you and why you think it's "great" without belittling everything that comes after it. Just saying.
Simmilar problem with the Disney live action remakes. They just try to make them as realistic as possible taking away the expressiveness and beauty of the stylistic 2D animation.
Entirely off topic, but your mini tangent on Batman TAS got me thinking. Given your opinions on his later iterations, what did you think of the most recent Batman movie with Edward Cullen?
@@jethrothomasibarreta5892 Yeah, I've partially written a video on that, but it's down the list. It's more fun to make videos on movies I like than to spend all that work and time on something I don't.
@@rickworley9081 Have you ever seen "The Spirit"? It's also another comic book movie that tries to be a very faithful adaptation of the source material.
I love this channel, your content is of an unusually high standard for UA-cam and I'm pretty sure I could listen to you talk about anything. By your own standards however, do you not count Into the Spider-Verse as a great comic book movie which has come out since Dick Gracy?
First I guess your channels great btw whats next? Also, do you think Watchmen is not a good film because it only copies the surface of the book? I personally like it
I think if I would have been in charge of for example Marvel Studios I would set Marvel in the sixties starting with The FF, Iron Man, Spidy and Thor, I could change the look of subsecuent movies in a 70s, 80s and 90s fashion and technology look or stylization of those looks due to the technology jump of having minds like Reed Richards, Bruce Banner, Hank Pym, Valeria Richards, Victor Von Doom, T'Challa, etc.
You nailed it on the head. I hate comic book movies and I don't watch them at all. they are lame. I don't know why everyone is seemingly so obsessed with them. I however love Dick Tracy and the first two Batmans that Tim Burton made.
@Rick Worley While i can understand the that The Dark Knight does not fit the billing of the comic book feel per say, but in terms of storytelling, writing, characters and even acting, The Dark Knight is up there with the best films in history. I totally agree with you from the perspective that filmmakers tend to have little to no imagination to them and are just in reality nothing much more than yes men for the studios, where as a filmmaker like Tim Burton has a vision that is interesting and stands out regardless of whether his films work or not. 80s and 90s Burton is great, everything else after not so much. But, there is a huge difference between a Marvel film and something like The Dark Knight. A Marvel film doesn't know what the hell it wants to be half the time. Batman is by definition a dark character and the film understands this. The film's plot is at it's core a detective noir story that truly captures the mystery and darkness of a great Batman story with Batman's perspective on the whole world and himself totally altered from what he thought of the world as in Batman Begins and other Batman stories. It's dark, mysterious, epic scaled, beautifully stylized in its own respect and perfectly encapsulates the Batman character. While i agree to a extent, a preference of a certain style over the movie itself is not at all a objective way to truly criticize a film. If you're going entirely by that logic, that's like trying to say that Batman & Robin is better than The Dark Knight. And believe me, even in Clown World it is no less ridiculous of a statement if anybody attempted to.
OR You're just embarrassed that your taste in movies hasn't evolved, so you just latch onto the one that you think is the most "dark" and therefore the most mature. You pretend that marvel films "don't know what they want to be" because you don't understand them, or just personally don't like them. I don't want to say you're "dumb" but...
@@yalbad5160The original appearance of the character was somewhat dark. Not enough to not be kid friendly, but certainly not light hearted. I'm not really a big fan of solely respecting the artist's interpretation so I'm all down for reinvention of the characters.
I think your fundamental issue with the argument is that you are only pulling from silver age Batman stories. The blockbuster movies pull from the comics that came out after 1986, not before. You ignoring that ironically limits your own view on these characters. Not to mention that the Burton films and BTAS also don't solely pull from such silly silver age stories. If you want something like that, you can always watch Brave and the Bold. But you ignoring literal decades of DC history in making your point makes this a bit unconvincing
You have Chris Nolan to blame for dark Batman and Zack Snyder for dark Superman. Tim Burton's Batman movies were colorful some might call them dark. Then with Joel Schumacher we got super colorful Batman movies and I enjoyed his two movies. Richard Donner did the best comic book movie his two Superman movies were perfect even though his version of Superman 2 was totally wrecked by Richard Lester but The Donner Cut is now available.
15:48 No, Dick Tracy was not more lighthearted than Batman. He was even more violent if anything but in fairness the original Superman was pretty ruthless as well.
Main villians falling to their deaths was the go-to ending in the 80's through mid-90's. Superman II, Return of the Jedi, Star Trek III, Temple of Doom Die Hard, Batman, Dick Tracy, TMNT, Batman Forever, etc. Then Hollywood moved on to the main villian meeting their demise in an explosion.
You can feel the way you like about this being the last great comic book movie, but I don't understand the people who defend Dick Tracy but don't give the same energy to Joel Schumacher's Batman films. Schumacher's Batman movies have much more depth than Dick Tracy in my opinion. Dick Tracy is a nice looking film, but there's so much to Schumacher's films than simply stylish visuals.
I agree with everything you said except that it’s the best ever made. I agree that modern superhero movies try to feel real and gritty and they just don’t work. See the entire MCU. However I think Nolan’s Batman films are a character study more than comic book movies. The realistic nature of those movies work for me because Nolan grounded everything and made everything practical. It’s really the only comic book movies that actually feel like they could happen. The other comic book movies I would defend would be the Raimi Trilogy for Spiderman (give or take the 3rd one). He managed to keep the same feeling of reading a comic but placed it on film. From the dialogue to the editing to the cinematography. It’s also worth noting that those are really the only modern comic book movies where the director had full control and was telling their story with their style. Or at least the only ones with great directors. But like I said. Everything you said I find to be very true.
Nolan films are infinitely superior to Burton's, and Nolan was an auteur. the robot batman is an explicit reference to Frank Miller's genre-changing Dark Knight Returns. Some flawed takes here, but as usual your work overall is excellent
I loved the movie but it was a love hate relationship loved everything except for one thing. Madonna was a horrible choice. Her voice didn't work. I could care less about what she did and couldn't care that she was no face. Other than that everything else worked great,
This is as perfect an overview of superhero comic book movies, as well as the source material itself as I've read, or for that matter, said. Of course, I agree wholeheartedly with Worley's assessment of superhero comics and the movies based on them, so there is an element of being in a well preached to choir. I haven't seen DICK TRACY since its theatrical release, and now this seems like a must to revisit. Thanks so much for this.
Howard, I wish you'd make (or write) a comic book movie--the way one ought to be made (or written). Do you own the rights to American Flagg? I'm just a guy from the peanut gallery, but I think you'd have something unique to say.
If this is the real Howard Chaykin , your comics and art are excellent. Loved your The Shadow work.
I really have no interest in seeing modern superhero movies at all. I wasn't too big into comic books as a kid, but I loved Dick Tracy and Who Framed Roger Rabbit and developed a strong appreciation for film noir
I never realized what I actually wanted from a comic book movie, but seeing a batman or superman movie set in the 1930s and 40s would be fantastic! Thanks for the perspective!
This channel just gets better and better the deeper I dive. Warren Beatty is seriously one of the most underrated film artists ever.
I appreciate that you place a high emphasis on exploring the aesthetic of the movie and how it functions throughout it. There are too many critics that say things like "graphics don't matter" or "people only watch movies for the story" and they heavily undermine the importance of it being a visual medium. Art style and design is just as important if not more so. If Dick Tracy was written as a book it would be an entirely separate entity, as the visuals always evoke certain tones and feelings, and help tell parts of the story through its visual execution. When it comes to movies, aesthetic should always be a top priority; it should be a functioning part of the movie and always come from the bottom of the artist's heart
If the mean thing you miss from Hollywood is interesting visual style then maybe you should try getting into Anime.
@@Kuudere-Kun I already do lol ;)
The beautiful thing about comic books and superheroes is that they can be any and everything the writer, artist, or filmmaker wishes them to be. They can be over the top, six color or more realistic and gritty. It's all a part of what makes these characters last. If you prefer one kind of story over another, that's fine, but to just write off an entire section of a characters history or a particular style of storytelling is incredibly shortsighted and demeans the characters, as well as just limiting the variety of stories you can find. Variety is the spice of life. I love Dick Tracy, but I also love Nolan's Batman films and Burton's and really, I've actually come to really appreciate Schumacher's as well.
You deserve an exponentially larger viewerbase
I disagree.
Absolutely
This is exactly why i love Adam West's Batman, that's the only way to portray a grown man using a bat suit.
I watched this in a vintage 1940's style, one-screen cinema with my dad & it was a great movie & a great day. The popcorn never tasted better. It was the same year in the same retro theatre that dad & I watched the WW2 pic "Memphis Belle". A cinema can be many things & in 1990, it was a bona-fide time machine. Absolutely magical. "Dick Tracy" remains a perennial favorite.
Been on rewatch of your video. It great having really film analysis thanks for the work
Ever since I watched Bonnie and Clyde I’ve been fascinated with Warren Beatty’s career. I just watched Dick Tracy then remembered you made a video, good work keep it up.
great content as usual Rick, i always get excited to see your videos pop up in my subscription feed, keep up the great work
On a cinematic level, the difference between Beatty's Dick Tracy and more recent superhero movies such as Captain America or Wonder Woman is that he brings a genuine understanding of the film styles he's drawing on as inspiration and homage. You can definitely detect the influence of Robert Wiene, Fritz Lang and Maltese Falcon-era John Huston in this picture, and it's made even more impressive by his deft handling of Expressionist and film noir techniques. By contrast, watching Captain America or Wonder Woman you don't get the feeling the filmmakers have actually sat down to watch or have any particular special knowledge of the films or styles they draw upon either to assist the storytelling or provide a visual frame of reference. (Indeed, if Patty Jenkins used The Big Parade or the 1929 version of All Quiet on the Western Front as inspiration for the period setting and/or combat scenes it's virtually impossible to tell as the production design and composition is so flat you might as well be watching a TV movie.) This is why they all end up as bland, homogenous product rather than films that not only understand their source material but also make creative decisions with the cinematic experience itself. But, that's just my view. Anyway, thanks for another great video: as always, a real pleasure to watch.
💯 I couldn’t agree with you more! This is a fantastic movie. I have loved it since I was a child. I am now 42 years old and still watch it regularly
Finally got around to watching this, so I could come back and take in the video without losing my first impression of the movie. I would leave plenty of room in the "great comic book movie" conversation for stuff made since '90 -- even some of the stuff brushed aside here -- but Tracy is a legit entry that, as you persuasively argue, shows a compelling road not taken by the genre. Would love more stuff that operated in the space and tenor of this flick. Thanks for giving me a motive to check it out.
I was 12 years old when I saw this movie in the theatre and I loved it. I revisit it from time to time. I didn't read the comics, but I watched reruns of the old '60s cartoon when I was a kid. It was so cool to see the characters come to life on the big screen. Watching it as I'm older, I really appreciate the art design and the fantastic music by Sondheim even more. This and the original Ninja Turtles film are my favorite adaptations of comic books.
I remember trying to get the wristwatch from cereal box UPC codes, and renting the NES game from Blockbuster.
Now everyone can make a call from their wrist and it's no big deal. except me, I don't have a smart watch
That ended so quickly, and I was thoroughly enjoying what you were saying, I wanted to keep it going. I was putting some paint on my custom Dick Tracy action figure of Frank Redrum that I am creating for my imagined sequel, Dick Tracy 2: Return of the Blank and Wave 2 of Playmates figures.
Thanks man. I always loved this movie as a kid. And I remember it with unabashed affection. Glad others feel similar.
Another excellent video essay. I've never seen this film before, but you've definitely convinced me to put it on my watch list.
The great 4. TMNT 90, 89 Batman, Roger Rabbit, Dick Tracy
Warren also gave Michael J. Pollard a small part that was nice of him to do that he first worked with MJP on Bonnie & Clyde.
Best new film Channel on UA-cam. Your Allen video is glorious.
My man really predicted Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
The way you talk about movies makes me want to watch him :-) also, I'm very appreciative of your Star Wars videos - look forward to the next one
You sold me this movie and you are an amazing UA-camr, have watched all of your videos, keep it up.
Wow this was fantastic! Especially your discussion on costumes and color palettes. Dick Tracy never gets the respect it serves. It’s a fantastic film with great aesthetic and cinematography. It’s a nice nod to a golden era of Hollywood and film noir. It’s a perfect comic book movie.
When Flattop opens up on Tracy with the Tommygun he says "I'm rubbin' him out!" so perfect.
I think the supposedly "unfilmable" state of WATCHMEN lies within the very nature of adapting the material into the mode of film. The conventions of the comic book medium ultimately match Dr. Manhattan's perception of time. He can see the past, present, and future simultaneously just as the reader sees the sequence of event play out on a page all at once. A person can read one panel while shifting their eyes and begin focusing on another, or view everything all at once.
The problem with adapting the film into a motion picture is that this comic book structure is ultimately lost. The flashback sequence is great in its juxtaposition of sounds and images, but ultimately the flat comic book perception of time is lost in this medium. (This is why I really don't like the motion comic, which does absolutely nothing to justify itself being in motion). However, this is an issue inherent to any adaptation of the source material. When watching a film adaptation of this book, we almost need to surrender this aspect--unless it's like so avant-garde that it adopts something of a multi-screen structure akin to Toshio Matsumoto's FOR MY CRUSHED RIGHT EYE or Andy Warhol's CHELSEA GIRLS.
In many ways, Snyder attempts to replace the comic book conventions with that of superhero filmic conventions as well as pop culture references in general, but I will admit that some of it does get muddled a bit. I think he misses a few opportunities to comment on the filmic medium than he does. If someone wants to argue that his cinematic substitutes for comic book conventions are not sufficient enough for the adaptation's themes, then I would be potentially interested in engaging in such a discussion. However, I don't think UA-cam has really made it that far.
People are still stuck on ridiculous notions that the film completely misses the basic political views expressed in the comic, which I just couldn't disagree with more. This is something I want to shift discourse around a bit on in my videos on the film. I would rather recognize what it is Snyder is actually doing and saying, instead of writing him off as a hack. Though, I find so many Snyder fans so obnoxious and uninterested in film that I sometimes feel it's too exhausting to even try to defend him. Like it or not, that film is more anti-cop than any other superhero film, which should count for something.
What about the watchmen video by macabre storytelling? Do you know it?
@@samlerf I just saw the video and I think it's a mostly successful dissection of the HBO series, but it gets a lot of things wrong about the characterization in Snyder's film.
"Like it or not, that film is more anti-cop than any other superhero film, which should count for something."
There are next to no comic book films that are anti-cop to begin with. Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is a death-knell to the very idea of a society without cops.
@@bud389 exactly lol
Excellent video! I remember having a hard time finding it when it was first released on DVD 20 years ago and eventually tracking it down at Costco of all places. I wish Disney would get Beatty to oversee a 4K remaster of the film.
We must be about the same age because I was a kid when it originally came out as well. I had some of the figures, the hat and most memorably the watch.
I always figured the film was made not just because of the success of Batman, but also Disney’s own Who Framed Roger Rabbit (another film I was obsessed with as a child back then that still holds up incredibly well as an adult)
There’s also Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse those are great too
Happy 30th Anniversary Dick Tracy!
Yes it's great because the screenplay is so good it's perfectly written. Warren did a great job directing it and acting and he cast it to perfection plus the colorful world he captured.
I've always wanted a Batman movie set in 1939. Ever since the Nolan movies went a bit over the top with the high tech yet grounded in the 21st century realism motif I started yearning for a low tech Batman. As for Dick Tracy, it came out when I was 5 and I have always liked the film and appreciated it for different reasons at different points in my life and still do.
I don’t agree with all the points made in the video, but you do make some great points, and the video is really well done. You got yourself a new subscriber.
It's been a long while since I've watched the film and thankfully you gave me more reason to.
Rick can I just say you've become my new favorite UA-camr?
I was about the same age as you when this movie dropped. I absolutely loved it... I've always loved noir.
Warren Beatty is an amazing filmmaker.
Love the passion and effort that went into this defense. Haven't seen the film yet myself, but I guess I'll have to check it out now!
As far as 90s superhero films go, I'm very partial to Spawn. Has a similar hyperbolic comic book-y tone to Tracy where it balances its campy and serious moments very well into this psychedelic nightmare of a hero's journey. Jai White's performance in particular had a lot of vulnerability and pathos to it that's missing from the stone faced action figures of today's superhero flicks.
After watching this, I would like to see Rick review Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.
Great video! I may just check this movie out. I’d also be curious to find out what you think of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and the Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight trilogy
Funniest line in the witty script: Tracy to Breathless: "I could take ya downtown, sweat it out of ya under the lights." to which Breathless responds: "I sweat a lot better in the dark."
Thanks for another great video, Rick. As someone who has never seen Dick Tracy, I want to check it out now. That said, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the audience growing up and enjoying a more mature version of what they enjoyed when they were younger. The Winnie the Pooh bits in your video are very funny, but the recent Christopher Robin film is a very good example of a more grown-up take on a classic children’s story. I know cashing in on nostalgia is Disney’s m.o. these days, but it’s a strong film on its own merits.
@rickworley9081 What is your opinion on Joe Johnston’s The Rocketeer from 1991? It is one of my favorite superhero movies along with Unbreakable, Mask of Zorro, The Phantom, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and Superman: The Movie. Also, what is your opinion on both cuts of Superman 2?
The greatest comic book films!
Superman 1978
Superman 2
Batman 1989
Dick Tracy
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990
The Crow 1994
Does Popeye (1982) count
Superman (1978) has that time travel issue that breaks the movie for me.
Superman II is far too much of a mess that it can't ever really be fixed.
Honestly, the best comic book films are the Fleischer Superman Cartoons, Batman 1989, Batman Returns 1992, Dick Tracy 1990, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Unbreakable 2000, and The Incredibles.
I really loved Duck Tracy when I saw it in the theater and in subsequent viewings. It’s a shame they didn’t make more.
I disagree about the idea of character's not being able to extend beyond the era's they were born out of. Take Batman for instance, he works now arguably even better than he did originally, partially because of all the advancements in technology and investigative techniques that he can utilize which strengthens his character regardless of the era he's in (but also because much better stories have been written utilizing him, such as Batman Year One, The Man Who Laughs, The Killing Joke, Knightfall, Black Mirror, etc).
You also miss the point of the malleability of superhero comics in the same way you blame modern film-makers for "missing the point" of superhero comics (which, the examples you cited, were pulled from after the Comics Code Authority started pressing down on the comic book industry and forced them to make more kid-friendly content, rather than Batman machine-gunning truck-loads of soldiers, hanging a monster from a noose from his batplane, or throwing people into swords, like he did ad nausea before the CCA intervened). Comic books were read by adults and kids alike in the 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's, but it was when the CCA intervened that they began labeling comics as specifically for kids. Dick Tracy was appearing alongside Prince Valiant, a very serious take on fantasy, and it appeared in a Newspaper and appealed to both adults and kids. You seem to limit comics (particularly superhero comics) in the same way the CCA were trying to limit them in the 50's, which I find laughably absurd, especially considering that comic books (superhero comics in particular) were also aimed specifically to the military. The rise of Captain America can thank not the children, but as this article states, can thank the soldiers over-seas who were actually fighting.
www.wearethemighty.com/troops-comic-books-wwii
If you'd done a little bit more thorough research you wouldn't have that same smug-sounding script to work off of, probably because you'd realize that comic books are a part of Americana in general and that kids are a very small part of the equation in regards to them, and that they are indeed meant to appeal in many regards to the adult fantasy and the adult mind. This fact seems to evade you for some unknown reason. Perhaps you're just misinformed? Or is it that you don't like the particular direction a comic book character has taken with modernization/popularization and he's not your personal safety net? Whatever the reason, it seems you like to use the argument "it's for children" to rail against your dislike of different interpretations of the character, which is very silly since the appeal of the character you liked is still there in the comics you enjoyed before.
Dick Tracy is different in regards to extending beyond the era he was born out of, as he was more a comment on the gangster-appeal of the 20's and 30's, while Superheroes like Superman and Batman are more ideals manifested within the era they take place in. Dick Tracy's strength of character doesn't come from him as a character, it comes from the aesthetic surrounding the setting it takes place in, just like Tarzan or The Lone Ranger. You can have Superman fighting modern threats without the setting of the era he comes from, but you can't separate Dick Tracy from the setting of the era he comes from.
Except they WERE for children!
Yes some adults read them,and they were sent to soldiers overseas, but they were primarily for kids.
The presence of violence doesn't hate this. Kids have been consuming entertainment with violence & death since the beginning time
The Comics Code did make comic books to e for kids, it just removed what it's enforcers thought was bad, but the target audience remained the same.
You're exactly who Worley is talking about,adults embarrassed about consuming children's entertainment so they tell themselves "It's not really for kids!".
Perhaps you should fine something more grown-up to read,rather than kids' stuff?
@@yalbad5160I don't think he's saying they weren't for kids. I think he's saying things for kids can become things for adults depending on how they're adapted. Unless you believe that a character can only be adapted within the intentions they were created in.
There are plenty of outlandish characters in adult stories that are completely unrealistic.
And if we're going to get into "who's more adult" territory, why wouldn't you attempt to argue against the OP's points?
Isn't just calling someone immature somewhat childish without the argument to back it up?
While not every part of it works, I think Snyder does actually adapt the unique storytelling style of Watchmen into a cinematic format. The panels in the graphic novel are drawn to emulate the Golden Age of superhero comics. It feels visually evocative of classic, cheesy 1940’s Superman strips, although instead the panels are filled with sex, violence, and other complex and disturbing concepts. Snyder uses this same juxtaposition, but adapts it to suit the format of film.
For example, the scene where Dan and Laurie beat up those thugs in the alleyway. It's a classic superhero set up. The fight is fast paced, highly choreographed, and shot in an exciting style. But unlike other similar scenes in the genre the fight is noticeably bloody and violent. We see bones break, we hear the thugs scream, and most importantly it is cross cut with the interview that suggests the Dr. Manhattan is responsible for giving people cancer. Snyder took the traditional elements of a superhero fight scene but imbued it with a contrasting sense of real world consequences. The slick visuals aren’t just aesthetic choices, they are adroit narrative ones that tell the meta story underneath the surface level one. He uses the exact same techniques as the graphic novel, but adjusts them to suit a cinematic format. It's a comment on superhero movies of the day where the original graphic novel was a comment on superhero comics of the day.
That's my take on it anyway. I have a soft spot for Snyder because like George Lucas he's one of the few filmmakers who's using big budget films as a platform for storytelling and art that's personal to him. Love or hate something like Man of Steel, it feels very much like an auteur vision to me, rather than a studio film.
Terrific video though! You've quickly become one of my favourite channels. I'm very keen for part 2 of the Star Wars one.
Have you seen the watchmen video by macabre storytelling?
As much as I don't agree with what you think about the MCU, It is perfectly valid to say "it's not what marvel movies should be" as opposed to the star wars prequels, where it is invalid to say what they "should be"
ok, fine...you convinced me i need to rewatch this.
Once again thanks, cuz I've never understood the negative reception this one somehow gained.
The movie also had a brilliant twist ending "Who is The Blank?" that reveal was so clever and fun.
That title is absolutely Sam Raimi Spider-Man erasure!
This movie didn't get the credit it deserved. It was fun. Danny Elfman did the score. Great color selection and placement. Great camera work.
This is pretty entertaining.
But there is no one right way to do a Comic Book movies just as all Comic Books don't have the same style, lots of Comics are going for a quasi realistic approach. Burton, Shucmacher, Nolan and Snyder's takes on Batman are all equally valid and I've enjoyed all of them.
On the subject of Watchmen I recommend you watch Style is Substance's videos on it, he's someone who usually isn't talking about Superhero movies but like you has an interest in older cinema. He shows how Snyder's Watchmen did adapt the story for the Cinematic medium.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people try to argue certain characters from 19th and early 20th Century shouldn't be brought to modern times. A story is only a Period piece inherently if it was a Period Piece from the start. Dracula stood among among prior Vampire stories because it was set in then contemporary London and not some inherently alien setting, when the adaptations stay in 1890s even thought ti's 100 years later they loose part of the appeal. And it was the same with both Superman and Batman, prior comic strip heroes were usually stuff like Buck Rogers. The reason DC and Marvel Superheros have stayed relevant while the Pulp heroes that inspired them fell into obscurity is because the Pulps failed to update with the times.
I'm not inherently agaisnt the idea of a period piece Superman film, I'd be very interested in seeing one actually. but it's absurd to go around saying that's the only way it can be done.
This notion that something that was once for Kids can't ever be re-imagined as something more adult I find very limiting. These characters are archetypes that in my view are adaptable to many different kinds of stories. The relatively realistic aesthetic can seem dull when that's been the dominant approach for over a decade, but it would be the same if we'd had 30 films in 10 years that looked exactly like Dick Tracey.
What do you think of 2008's Speed Racer?
Actually I had a long phone chat with Style is Substance about Watchmen, and he got me to soften what I wrote about Snyder in this video. I still think the movie doesn't adequately adapt the deeper purposes of the comic, which are the things in the comic that I think are of value.
There are comics characters that are designed to be realistic. Batman and Superman are not those characters.
I love Speed Racer (2008). I think that's a good example of a live action adaptation that does it right.
@@rickworley9081 You did great. But I also have a question: Did you ever watch the youtube series "Games of Thrones Rewrite" by Macabre Storytelling? I think it is super great. It compares the Game of Thrones series to the original novels, while also giving credit to both, if possible. And yet he described very well, I feel, why the Game of Thrones series had mayor problems from season 4 onward and how much better storypoints could have been made. I guess one could accuse the youtube series of falling into putting personal taste above art - but I don't that's true in this case. And that's not even everything, Macabre Storytelling also did a great Watchmen video, comparing the original comic, the Snyder film and the HBO series. I really learned alot and found new love for Alan Moore's comic. Especially the watchmen video (almost 3 hours), I find, was very in line with what you said in the past, so much that I almost forget it wasn't from you. Very interesting. You can of course ignore this comment, if it annoys you, but since I remember you talking about Game of Thrones and Moore, I thought you could like it.
It's funny you mention my videos because I talked to Rick about this already. I actually more or less agree with the criticism expressed in this video. Read my posted comment for more info. Although, I side with you on reinterpretation and modernization of super heroes. It's a big part of comic book history, even if they weren't originally designed to support serious ideas and the contemporary political landscape.
I agree with Rick as regards what’s wrong with superhero movies. A lot of friends love Nolan’s Batman trilogy. To me it’s pretentious pseudo intellectual crap that makes me feel every second of my age and wishing I was watching something genuinely adult instead of the superhero movie I was stuck with.
I keep hoping someone makes a Batman movie that’s stylish and fun, with a ghoulish sense of wit like a Hitchcock movie. May never happen, but I’ve got Batman: The Animated Series in the meantime.
When it comes to Superman and Batman Snyder isn't really adapting from the 40s, though, but rather the 80s/90s post-Crisis iteration of those characters and setting. He's not really interested in the Daily Planet Clark Kent who fights bank robbers, Metropolis crime thugs, and maybe the occasional robot. The post-Crisis Superman and Batman may not be a period of the comics you appreciate, but many others do, so this idea that there's only one valid adaptation is just being dismissive. You say that you want a creator to put their stamp on the material like Burton, but then balk at the idea of the work not being based on the earliest of the comics, and instead being based on more recent iterations. Everyone is free to like what they like, but I always find it spurious when a primary complaint is about what a work isn't rather than considering what it is.
Although it wasn't that popular with other kids, the Dick Tracy movie and toys and other movie merchandise at the time were some of my most memorable interests I still remember like it was yesterday. Major impression on me in my childhood.
PS.
Great short documentary btw
Keep up the good work
-Your newest subscriber
Holy shit I never knew Storaro worked on this movie, no wonder it still looks so wonderful
Great video
Dang, I just watched this movie for this first time since I was a kid, and was blown away - and baffled as to why it got such a 'meh' reception. It really translated the feel of a comic book into film in a compelling way. The Sin City films did this too (and maybe Ang Lee's Hulk, which I actually remember quite liking), but there's a 4-color, cartoonish, and kid-friendly feel to Dick Tracy that's particularly unique. You did a great job of articulating why the film was great, Rick, and for that matter why Watchmen and most superhero films suck. (Though I do think Dark Knight Rises captures the dark and adult comic feel of Frank Miller's Batman.)
The colour still knocks my socks off!
Another brilliant video! I've never been interested in seeing Dick Tracy but now I am. I completely agree with your take on comic superheroes and I've been waiting to hear someone with a similar opinion. Superheroes work best when the creators realize that these things were meant to be for kids. I find that the great iteration of these characters are always the animated versions I grew up with. I find Batman TAS to be far smarter than the overrated Dark Knight Trilogy. I find the same to be true of other animated superhero properties as compared to their gritty "adult" film counterparts such as Superman TAS, Xmen TAS, Spiderman TAS and Justice League.
21:29
Winnie the Pooh: “F🤬k Christopher Robin!”
🤣🤣🤣🤣
How can one man have such a based opinion. Although I think the rocketeer was quite good as well
I like Rocketeer, although not as much as Tracy.
@@rickworley9081 any opinion on Raimi's comic book films?
@@rickworley9081 Where did you find the interview with Warren Beatty about Dick Tracy?
What about Road to Perdition, Sin City, Scott Pilgrim, and Snow Piercer?
Road to Perdition was fantastic!
I'm not sure why you have to build Dick Tracy by knocking other comic book movies down. You have your taste which is fine, but I don't think every comic book movie since Dick Tracy is "stupid". Staying with comics for a second, the old 30s Batman comics were great, but for me, Batman Year One and Dark Knight Returns is my Batman. Neither is wrong. I like Chris Nolan's Dark Knight movies overall, but to each his own. Some people like campy Batman and that's okay. I think you can focus on why a movie works for you and why you think it's "great" without belittling everything that comes after it. Just saying.
Simmilar problem with the Disney live action remakes. They just try to make them as realistic as possible taking away the expressiveness and beauty of the stylistic 2D animation.
Such a fun film.
Maybe you'll see this. Do you ever plan on doing a dedicated video about the MCU/modern superhero movies?
Thoughts on Unbreakable/Split/Glass?
Entirely off topic, but your mini tangent on Batman TAS got me thinking. Given your opinions on his later iterations, what did you think of the most recent Batman movie with Edward Cullen?
I know you're not a big fan of modern superhero movies, but are there any particular ones that you like?
I think a few of the X-Men movies are pretty good popcorn entertainment. I much prefer those to the Marvel Studios movies.
@@rickworley9081 Are you planning to make a video about why you don't like the MCU movies?
@@jethrothomasibarreta5892 Yeah, I've partially written a video on that, but it's down the list. It's more fun to make videos on movies I like than to spend all that work and time on something I don't.
@@rickworley9081 Have you ever seen "The Spirit"? It's also another comic book movie that tries to be a very faithful adaptation of the source material.
@@rickworley9081 The one X-Men movie I really like is The Wolverine. It was going for a Film Noir vibe.
I love this channel, your content is of an unusually high standard for UA-cam and I'm pretty sure I could listen to you talk about anything.
By your own standards however, do you not count Into the Spider-Verse as a great comic book movie which has come out since Dick Gracy?
@@yousquiddingme I know but Spider-verse fulfils all the same things he talked about in this video
That kid looked so familiar. It took me until the end to realize he was in Hook
Am I an idiot for liking joker (2019)
I also liked the mash up of taxi driver and king of comedy with funny gamer man
@@fiddlesticks7245 I can't tell if your mocking me or just making a joke either way lol
Great video! Love Dick Tracy!
First I guess your channels great btw whats next? Also, do you think Watchmen is not a good film because it only copies the surface of the book? I personally like it
I think if I would have been in charge of for example Marvel Studios I would set Marvel in the sixties starting with The FF, Iron Man, Spidy and Thor, I could change the look of subsecuent movies in a 70s, 80s and 90s fashion and technology look or stylization of those looks due to the technology jump of having minds like Reed Richards, Bruce Banner, Hank Pym, Valeria Richards, Victor Von Doom, T'Challa, etc.
Hey Rick, what do you think about Donner's superman?
You nailed it on the head. I hate comic book movies and I don't watch them at all. they are lame. I don't know why everyone is seemingly so obsessed with them. I however love Dick Tracy and the first two Batmans that Tim Burton made.
@Rick Worley While i can understand the that The Dark Knight does not fit the billing of the comic book feel per say, but in terms of storytelling, writing, characters and even acting, The Dark Knight is up there with the best films in history. I totally agree with you from the perspective that filmmakers tend to have little to no imagination to them and are just in reality nothing much more than yes men for the studios, where as a filmmaker like Tim Burton has a vision that is interesting and stands out regardless of whether his films work or not. 80s and 90s Burton is great, everything else after not so much.
But, there is a huge difference between a Marvel film and something like The Dark Knight. A Marvel film doesn't know what the hell it wants to be half the time. Batman is by definition a dark character and the film understands this. The film's plot is at it's core a detective noir story that truly captures the mystery and darkness of a great Batman story with Batman's perspective on the whole world and himself totally altered from what he thought of the world as in Batman Begins and other Batman stories. It's dark, mysterious, epic scaled, beautifully stylized in its own respect and perfectly encapsulates the Batman character.
While i agree to a extent, a preference of a certain style over the movie itself is not at all a objective way to truly criticize a film. If you're going entirely by that logic, that's like trying to say that Batman & Robin is better than The Dark Knight. And believe me, even in Clown World it is no less ridiculous of a statement if anybody attempted to.
OR You're just embarrassed that your taste in movies hasn't evolved, so you just latch onto the one that you think is the most "dark" and therefore the most mature. You pretend that marvel films "don't know what they want to be" because you don't understand them, or just personally don't like them. I don't want to say you're "dumb" but...
But who says Batman is a dark character? He's basically Zorro mixed with Doc Savage mixed with the Green Hornet; none of these are dark.
@@yalbad5160The original appearance of the character was somewhat dark. Not enough to not be kid friendly, but certainly not light hearted.
I'm not really a big fan of solely respecting the artist's interpretation so I'm all down for reinvention of the characters.
It doesn't have to be realistic. It just has to be believable.
I think your fundamental issue with the argument is that you are only pulling from silver age Batman stories. The blockbuster movies pull from the comics that came out after 1986, not before. You ignoring that ironically limits your own view on these characters. Not to mention that the Burton films and BTAS also don't solely pull from such silly silver age stories. If you want something like that, you can always watch Brave and the Bold. But you ignoring literal decades of DC history in making your point makes this a bit unconvincing
You have Chris Nolan to blame for dark Batman and Zack Snyder for dark Superman. Tim Burton's Batman movies were colorful some might call them dark. Then with Joel Schumacher we got super colorful Batman movies and I enjoyed his two movies. Richard Donner did the best comic book movie his two Superman movies were perfect even though his version of Superman 2 was totally wrecked by Richard Lester but The Donner Cut is now available.
Been wishing someone would make a period Batman for years. That and Star Wars reweorked as a Shaw Brothers style kung fu movie.
It is great. i enjoyed it even if i didn't go crazy about it.
This is a good video.
It's ironic considering they are actually making a horror movie based off Winnie the Pooh!
I actually liked The Shadow as well... though it's not exactly a *comic book* movie.
15:48 No, Dick Tracy was not more lighthearted than Batman. He was even more violent if anything but in fairness the original Superman was pretty ruthless as well.
Lighthearted≠Non-violient
its pretty weird how they ripped off the villain death from the first batman movie
i wouldnt mind seeing your opinion of scott pilgrim
Main villians falling to their deaths was the go-to ending in the 80's through mid-90's. Superman II, Return of the Jedi, Star Trek III, Temple of Doom Die Hard, Batman, Dick Tracy, TMNT, Batman Forever, etc.
Then Hollywood moved on to the main villian meeting their demise in an explosion.
What do you think about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)?
You can feel the way you like about this being the last great comic book movie, but I don't understand the people who defend Dick Tracy but don't give the same energy to Joel Schumacher's Batman films. Schumacher's Batman movies have much more depth than Dick Tracy in my opinion. Dick Tracy is a nice looking film, but there's so much to Schumacher's films than simply stylish visuals.
24:17 that lack of pandering is a primary reason for Star Wars’ success.
was
What Alan Moore said.
Rick, what about Spider-Man 2 and Sin City?
>references James Joyce
BASED
21.30......hee heeee..BANG ON!
That alone earned a subscribe
Dick Traceeeeey... He's a good cop!
I agree with everything you said except that it’s the best ever made. I agree that modern superhero movies try to feel real and gritty and they just don’t work. See the entire MCU. However I think Nolan’s Batman films are a character study more than comic book movies. The realistic nature of those movies work for me because Nolan grounded everything and made everything practical. It’s really the only comic book movies that actually feel like they could happen. The other comic book movies I would defend would be the Raimi Trilogy for Spiderman (give or take the 3rd one). He managed to keep the same feeling of reading a comic but placed it on film. From the dialogue to the editing to the cinematography. It’s also worth noting that those are really the only modern comic book movies where the director had full control and was telling their story with their style. Or at least the only ones with great directors. But like I said. Everything you said I find to be very true.
How about Scott pilgrim Vs the world?
Nolan films are infinitely superior to Burton's, and Nolan was an auteur. the robot batman is an explicit reference to Frank Miller's genre-changing Dark Knight Returns. Some flawed takes here, but as usual your work overall is excellent
I loved the movie but it was a love hate relationship loved everything except for one thing. Madonna was a horrible choice. Her voice didn't work. I could care less about what she did and couldn't care that she was no face. Other than that everything else worked great,
I'd love the movie so much more if Madonna could be edited out of the movie. At least the singing parts.