Would inner monlogue/thoughts benefit superhero films?

['Foretold' Joker]

Comic books often use thought bubbles to show a character's true thoughts about a scenario. Yet this is absent from superhero movies mainly because so much is happening they squeeze it into conversations.

Do you think if they took the inner monologue from Film Noir (Mainly thinking Private Detective style) that it might benefit superhero films? I think this is an underused method in film and would fit superhero films really well.

Spider-man being the prime example as he is portrayed as a worrier/thinker/isolated a lot of the time in comics.


*I'm not suggesting using this as a comedy outlet, but for serious stuff or characterisation.

[AFN: Judge Shred]

Zombieland showed it can be used pretty well in film. It would all just depend on how it is handled. That said, for the most part a big rule of movies is "show, don't tell".

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Jul 16, 2013 16:34:11 GMT -5 AFN: Judge Shred said:

Zombieland showed it can be used pretty well in film. It would all just depend on how it is handled. That said, for the most part a big rule of movies is "show, don't tell".

Which is kinda opposite of how comics and books tell their stories, especially if they are first person stories.

[Brood Lone Wolf Funker]

It would depend on the hero like Deadpool it would benefit greatly but a hero like the Thing not so much

[BlackoutCreature]

I think it could work sometimes, especially if they're doing a hero that has some noir-ish qualities to them. But in general I could see this getting real cheesy, real quick, sounding less like Humphrey Bogart and more like Kevin Arnold from the Wonder Years if not done right.

[AFN: Judge Shred]

Jul 16, 2013 18:48:42 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

I think it could work sometimes, especially if they're doing a hero that has some noir-ish qualities to them. But in general I could see this getting real cheesy, real quick, sounding less like Humphrey Bogart and more like Kevin Arnold from the Wonder Years if not done right.

A Wonder Years style young Spider-man could be awesome as all get out. Or the Runaways... Yeah, that, do that.

[Deleted]

I can't see DEADPOOL being made any way other than like this......

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Narration works just as well, and is easier to work into a movie.

Inner dialogue needs to have an 'in the moment' feel to it, and I just can't picture it working in a serious movie.

[Deleted]

It depends on the character and the way the story's being done. Like, Deadpool would have to have it, I can see it for someone like Daredevil, Spider-Man, or Batman depending on the way it's written, but it really wouldn't work with Superman or something.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

They tried it in Raimi's Spider-Man and it didn't feel right. I don't like having everything explained to me as well. That and chances are I'd be reminded of "The Spirit" all over again..ugh....

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

I think it would be tough to pull off and largely pointless. a major reason for internal monologuing in comics is to help convey emotions you can't do with a drawing alone. in a live action film an actor's body language can do a lot of that "talking".

plus it brings in the "talking/thinking is a free action" problem.

["Cane Dewey" Johnson]

[kidglov3s]

Twilight really shows how much this can hurt a movie when done wrong. I would've mostly enjoyed that without the poor voice over work.

[mizerable]

In the animated Spiderman, I always felt it ruined certain scenes because the thoughts did the thinking for you or took you out of what's happening.

Sometimes, explaining too much kills the aura of the action.