Why Hollywood needs more movies like Scott Pilgrim and Kick-Ass

Here's looking at you Hollywood

 
So as we all know Hollywood is a melting pot of filled with beautiful, talented, and creative individuals. It's also filled with some of the most narcissistic, egotistical, and self-depreciating pricks of all time. However Hollywood is something we've all grown up with, and it's something that we will never stop appreciating or following for the rest of our lives. Still, there are many moments where I have to remove my hat and take a big bow of thanks. Enter "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" and "Kick-Ass."

Seriously one of the best video games of all time

I got the opportunity to watch Scott Pilgrim this weekend and let me tell you, as an extravagant fan of video gaming, films, and comics, this movie is the perfect homage to fans of the "nerd" culture. Just from the opening title sequence of the film, I knew this was going to be something extremely different from the norm of standard filmmaking. Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame) was able to grasp the nature of the graphic novels and translate it with success. Everything from the sound effects (Legend of Zelda music) to the narrative structure of the battles is a throwback to the glory days of the good ol' NES. Perfect example, everytime Scott defeats one of the bosses they turn to coins....Brilliant.

Anyone wanna check out my blue junk?

Anyway, as I was watching Scott Pilgrim, I couldn't help but compare it to another comic-book adaptation "Kick-Ass." This was another film I thoroughly enjoyed which was another service to fans...specifically to comic book mafiosos. It was a film that never completely strayed from its roots, and challenged the norm of typical filmmaking. I mean, our supposed "hero" character gets his ass kicked to a literal, and quite gritty, bloody pulp, a 12-year-old girl is a believable potty-mouth assassin. Kick-Ass challenged the norm of comic-book movies by giving us a realistic, sometimes uncomfortable take on the genre. The only other movie that came close to this was "Watchmen," which was also a great fan service film.

So here's my gripe, many of these fan service films are underperforming at the box office, which is leaving many studios to turn a blind eye to adapting works of this nature. Scott Pilgrim came in 5th at the box office this weekend, scoring a meager $10 Mil. dollars on its opening weekend. Kick-Ass had a similar fate. The film scored something like $20 Mil. on it's opening weekend, which was well below what the studio wanted.Last year, Watchmen was able to rake in more cash, but it had a massive budget and also underperformed to studio expectations.

Hey...did anyone get Jean-Claude Van Damme's invitation?

My point in all of this is that I want studios to understand that just because a fan-service film underperforms at the box office doesn't mean audiences don't love it.  Many factors could play into why a film was unsuccessful. Things like competition, release date, marketing, casting, and even the economy play a major factor in a film's success. Sure Scott Pilgrim and Kick-Ass are going for a specific audience, but movie-goers need films like this to balance out the selection at the box office. What kind of world would we live in if we were forced to choose between "The Expendables" or "Eat, Pray, Love?" I think I'd rather grow pony-tails and have Miss Trunchbull from 'Matilda' hammer throw me across the patio.

Dude...I thought I was the Flash?

Hollywood needs to stop being a bunch of wusses and continue to make these fan service films. Many studios are sticking with the sure-fire bets like Captain America, Green Lantern, and X-Men First-Class, but I hope they continue to produce the "lesser known" works of art that need to go mainstream. Sure us 'hardcore' fans will drag our girlfriends to see these films with us, but movie-goers in general need a break from the routine bullshit that Hollywood churns out every year. Studio executives need to take a risk and slap movie-goers in the face with a comic-book/video-game adaptation that pulls our pants down and reminds us why our parents spanked us. Plus there are always DVD sales and rentals. HOLLYWOOD...LEND ME YOUR SPECIAL FEATURES!!!