Begin at the beginning...

Somebody I was talking to told me that they hated origin stories. I was confused because doesn't an origin story help set up important characters? Doesn't an origin story take the audience from knowing nothing of what they are walking into, to giving us all the details that we need to form an opinion of the character and their ways? I don't understand how somebody, especially a person that claims to enjoy superhero movies, can even say that they hate origin stories. After all, it all has to begin somewhere. 


I don't mind a good origin story movie when it comes to superhero films. After all, how do you introduce that character to a new audience, or an audience that doesn't know much about that character? Sure, you can take the approach that dropping the audience into the story forthright will make it more appealing. And maybe it could, to some of the audience. However, not giving anybody a place to start with is dangerous, and may lead to even more issues with the movie.

How'd you like a nice Hawaiian punch?

When The Green Lantern came out, I shared my view of this movie in a recent post. It wasn't a bad film, per se. It just didn't have anything terribly good to offer. It was an origin story, showing Hal Jordan's journey from a reckless pilot to a superhero saving the day. This movie had the task of giving us Hal before, during, and after he becomes this new hero. Some of it worked, Sinestro for one, and some of Oa as well. But most of it didn't. And therein lay the problem here. GL is an origin story that causes troubles, because at the end of the film, you still don't really know who Hal is, what the Green Lantern can truly do, and who the Corps really are. There are more questions than answers, and that feels like a cheat and a cop-out of sorts.

High school photos suck!

X-Men: First Class came out before that, bringing with it a new set of characters to establish to the massive backstory that is legacy of the X-Men. It did a good job of giving us plenty of background on Magneto; in fact it's his movie, when you get down to it. He's definitely the most memorable character in the film. Even Professor X, his mentor of sorts, is not as featured.


That said, the other mutants are, for the most part, given the shaft. Sure, we establish that there are people with mutant powers, like Mystique and Beast. But what about the characters of Emma Frost, of Havok, of the Banshee? Who were they? Where'd they come from? I am well aware that you can't cover everything in a movie of this type, with this number of characters running around, but you have got to give me something to go on. When they aren't well developed and are left with very little to do so, these characters are little more than cannon fodder.


So what is a well done origin story, you might ask. Well, let's start with Iron Man. You are given the character of Tony and shown that he has an ego and makes weapons. You see that he is full of himself, making those around him or that he encounters less of a priority than his cars. This, of course, changes when he is captured and forced to deal with his mortality. Using his mind and his talents, he builds himself a way to escape the captuters and head to freedom, in the process learning who he really can be, and what he really can do. When he gets back to his world, he is changed and needs to be a different person. He builds the suit, takes it out, and wham-o! He's a superhero.


See, simple! Sure, there are other characters running around helping him out in the process, but it is Tony's story, about how he became a hero. It's not a story about him thinking about becoming a hero. It's not a film introducing him as the hero at the last second, thereby setting up a sequel. No, it's Tony's journey from point A to B.


Others have made this journey as well. Spiderman did a good job of giving us Peter as he transforms from a bumbling, idiot teenager to the hero that we all love and respect. And while his world is populated with many other characters, it is still Peter that you care for and watch go forward. When he is in the final battle with Green Goblin, there is much at stake that must be dealt with. If I didn't care about Peter, then I wouldn't care if he fell to the ground crushed under an elevator of screaming kids. You have to give me something to care about. 


Superman from 1978 might just be the best example of how to handle an origin story. Sure, it's long, but holy cow does it give a lot to go on! There is the character's birth and escape, there is his growing up with the Kents, there is his coming to terms with who is he and what he can do, there is him moving to Metropolis, and then introducing himself to the world. Then, he falls in love, gets an arch nemisis, and saves the day. There is a ton going on there, but it is all worth it as this grand character unfolds on screen.


Batman Begins is another great example of dealing with the rise of a hero.  It shows a young boy losing his parents, a young man running away then returing to get revenge on the person who destroyed his life. It then shows him leaving all this behind to find the answers about who he is. He grows to be a person that is more about defending the innocent than seeking revenge. It is a powerful story, showing Bruce Wayne changing into the Batman we all love and respect, and not just mentally, but phsycially as well. It shows the birth of a superhero from the mask, to the cave, to the car and so on. Although it does set up a sequel, it is not hingent on having a follow-up movie. Instead it takes its story and makes it self contained. Yes, Batman is set up, and yes he can go onto other adventures, but for the moment the story that needed to be told is done. 


The origin story has to be told. You cannot introduce all superheros into the movie world without something to go on. Batman (1989) is a rare exception. There is no origin story given for Batman/Bruce Wayne. Yes, they do show what happened to get him to where he is, but there is no montage of him training in Siberia or finding the cave of bats, or desiging his Batmobile. No, what we get is an already established character who has decided to take out the crime in the city of Gotham. However, this movie is an origin story for the Joker, his arch nemesis. It shows who he was before, Jack Napier. It shows him falling into the vat of chemicals that will alter him, and it shows his madness as he comes to terms with who he is. This movie takes the origin idea in another direction. Imagine getting a Lex Luthor movie showing him from birth to supervillian, and Superman only an annoyance to him. Wouldn't that be something? I'd watch that movie. 

I've got you now He-Man...ahem, Superman!

So to those who complain about the origin story, I ask the question what would you rather do? Walk into a movie with no idea of who this person is, or have some build up giving us the knowledge that we need to sympathize with and be floored by our hero? Some stories are done very well, and others do not fare as well. For every Batman Begins, there is a Green Lantern, or as I will call it now: a coming attraction for a better movie. 


--MGS