Do you think a superhero movie will ever win a Best Picture Oscar?

It does feel a little too easy to blame Spielberg and Lucas. They were just better at making profitable movies, and at least Spielberg used those riches to blend in some meaningful work into his career later.

Superhero movies were on the menu from Batman in 1966 (Adam West) and some TV movies in the early 70s (Wonder Woman, Spider-Man). And then came Superman in 1978, which was contemporaneous with Close Encounters (which I wouldn't say was a simplified plot) and Star Wars. And I think that ignited the trend toward bigger and louder Superhero films. It feels like they came at the same time as Spielberg and Lucas, not *because* of Spielberg and Lucas. Just a general trend toward reaching broader audiences who were in a mood for entertainment over enlightenment.

I suppose it's theoretically possible for a Superhero film to win Best Picture. A decade ago, who would have predicted winners like Parasite and Everything Everywhere All at Once.

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Just a friendly reply back I'm not into debating...so take my reply in a light heartened manner.People on discussion boards can take what another says and interpret it wrongly (but I'm not saying you did). So to clarify, I like Spielberg and many of his movies and Lucas's American Graffiti is a top 10 movie for me.

Of course trends in movies can't be traced to just one instance or one or two directors. But both of those directors dominated and shaped cinema. Though we might be where we are today with endless reboots, franchise sequels and superhero movies even if Spielberg and Lucas had decided to sell used cars instead of making movies.

I kinda agree, but disagree too. I wouldn't consider the made for TV Batman movie a superhero movie it just doesn't have that feeling. I would go further back to the 1930s with serial superhero movies like Flash Gordon (1936) which has all the hallmarks of today's superhero movies. What has changed is in 1936 adults didn't watch Flash Gordon, 10 years old did. Today alot of Hollywood's money is being thrown after superhero franchise movies, which diminishes the chances of x number of serious big budget dramas being made (of course there are some being made but not enough IMO.)

Sorry for any misunderstanding ... sloppy reply on my part, since I thought of myself as responding in general to the whole Spielberg/Lucas thread of comments and not exactly to yours in particular since you later mentioned it was partly in jest.

I bounce around drastically in my attitudes. Sometimes I also lament the dumbing-down of movie narratives, but then swing back the other direction and get too defensive about anyone's choice to prefer mindless entertainment.

It's gotten me to thinking though about the influence of individual directors, and even specific movies, and where we might be without them, as you suggestion. An interesting thread might be to pinpoint at least specific movies that engendered trends. Dystopian futures ... Mad Max 1979? Space Opera ... Star Wars 1977? Modern Western ... McCabe and Mrs. Miller 1971? Hmm ... might be endless actually ...

I wonder what Leonard Nimoy & Adam West thought of Birdman?
(You know, with the whole typecasting as a fantastical character theme.)

You were totally fine in your reply. I was just concerned that my own reply might look defensive or argumentative, which wasn't my intention of course. I find different opinions interesting so all is good.

I often watch the silliest of movies, I love old 1950s b-sci fi flicks. A fun movie is golden to me.
Dystopian futures ... Mad Max 1979...I was just thinking about that the other day when I watched On The Beach (1959) "After a global nuclear war, the residents of Australia must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months." On the Beach made me think it might have created the mindset in Australian film makers about post apocalyptic events including the lack of gas, such as Mad Max and the New Zealand film The Quiet Earth (1985). There might be more that I can't think of right now, but I do think Stanley Kramer's On The Beach was an influential film in sci fi genre.

Adam West probably wanted some of that Birdman dough. Talk about being typecast and losing out on other acting possibilities. Hey, did you know Adam West was on the old Family Feud with Richard Dawson? West was on 'Family Feud Crime Fighters' week, the shows are on YouTube.

Do you also like 1950s serials?

No, ugh not at all.

They should have given Adam a cameo in Birdman!

That's what I was thinking as well. Superhero films seem to be doing worse and worse at the box office year after year over the past three or four years. I can't say I'm sad about it vis I strongly dislike superhero films. I can't tell any of them apart, and I'm in the target audience.

As for the topic, it's certainly possible, however I think it's becoming less and less likely now that their popularity is starting to decline. It wouldn't be an inherent evil if a superhero film wins Best Picture because a Best Picture victory doesn't really change the movie less it gives it some cool mystique that's nice for the people who made it. I hated Slumdog Millionaire even though it was Best Picture, so it's not like everyone has to agree with every single one. Fluffy films don't typically win though.

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I think Lucas and Spielberg just had the right ideas at the right time to take advantage of the newfangled popularity in movies. I doubt the Blockbuster wouldn't exist if they didn't make movies. I get the point though. They made the popular movies at the time and it kind of shaped how the movie industry moved after that. Was it bad was it good? I guess it depends on how you view others watching films. I'm fine with where the film industry is because I get what I want out of it while others get what they want. I'm just happy Lucas and Spielberg put their ideas on film for me to watch because I enjoy a lot of what they've done.

What I thought of On The Beach...

https://www.movieforums.com/communit...67#post2366367

Despite your rating I repted your post What you disliked about it, I thought made the movie special
To me the human story element is so much more moving and illustrates the themes so much more than any visual-technical sci fi elements or action scenes could ever hope to do.

Am I right that you dislike romance in movies in general? I know that was your complaint about Titanic (1997). But it's all good. I know of a post apocalyptic movie that doesn't have soap opera melodrama but has plenty of harrowing actions, Miracle Mile (1988), one of my favorites have you seen it?

Have you seen The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)?

I don't dislike romance in movies (in fact, just finished viewing Mystic Pizza on TCM On-Demand which I'd never seen).

However, looking over my (never updated) list of favorites, I do notice a lot of movies without much romance (there's not a lot of room for it with all men crammed into ships, submarines or space capsules!) But hey, even that is an outdated concept.

My issues with Titanic weren't so much with romance, but with fiction used when there was enough historical reality to fill 10 movies! (As always, I plug A Night to Remember (1958) as a less fictional account of the Titanic, the same way I deem Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) as a more factual account of the attack on Pearl Harbor than the highly fictionalized Pearl Harbor (2001).)

Haven't seen Miracle Mile, but it's now on the list.

So....keeping it simple, will a superhero movie ever win Best Picture?

No.

Neither will a horror movie.

I'll check back in 50 years and see if I'm wrong.

You don't consider The Silence of the Lambs a horror movie?

Early sketches for the upcoming Captain Steel movie look promising, though!

Bold fashion choice!

We use to do this event called Movie of the Month here at MoFo. Take a look for your answer:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=44695