Superheros and Girls

Let me just begin this post by saying that I am a feminist. Not a femi-nazi, just a feminist. This is Nolan. No, just kidding, it's Kimber. Onward.

I have a problem with the way women are depicted in most superhero movies. They are always worried about their main man's safety, able to help him, but never able enough to understand the big picture, and they're always gorgeous. Really, you think if the Hulk had a girlfriend that put up with him despite his inability to master a simple anger management course, she would be completely understanding and drop dead beautiful? I don't think so. She'd probably either have one hell of a temper herself, or else have some sort of physical drawback, such as a flat chest, or mousey hair. Instead, they cast Liv Tyler, who has neither of those things; quite the opposite.

I'd like to see a superhero movie in which the female love interest isn't all that interested in whether or not her man makes it out alive. Or even one where she's not that interested in him. Not mean, just not interested. Maybe there should be some female roles where the woman is more concerned about what she can do to help save the city, rather than whether or not the hero will be in any significant danger. Really, I'd be satisfied with a ditsy love interest that didn't grasp the situation at all and only wondered what was causing that huge traffic jam.

The main point I'm trying to make is that women in superhero movies are insufferably cliched, more so than most superhero movies themselves. Think about it. We now have two options for the attitude of the superhero; he is either a bad ass that experiences a change of heart, or is in some way convinced to use his powers for the greater good, or we have the suffering emo-boy who was given a cross to bear and is determined to bear it, no matter what the personal toll. As far as villains go, we can either have a villain that worked with the hero before his transformation as a friend, but then became his enemy, the villain that has somehow gotten a hold of the hero's power and has perverted it to serve his own evil means so the hero ends up fighting a more sinister version of himself, or a personal, well, hero of the hero that has somehow turned evil through grief, bitterness, or love of money and power.

All of the elements above are limited, but can be combined anyway the film makers like. However, a tiring constant is the love interest. She's always there, but never involved aside from pressing a button that her boyfriend has directed her to as part of his master plan. The women in these movies are symbols only of what the hero is giving up in order to be a hero. Instead of being at home with his one-dimensional wife, he's out fighting crime because, damn it, that's what a man does. I'd rather not see women in the film at all than to see such lifeless renderings of them, but Hollywood keeps churning them out because they're part of the formula, another name to add to the poster, and a reason for girls to see the movie in the first place.

Hollywood, I've got news for you. I go for the superhero, not to see a love story. I want to see blood and guts and action tempered only by a few comic moments. Until you find some real girls, leave them out of it.

P.S. My computer dream team may be no match for the almighty Mac, but at least using our combined powers we can go on a rant the likes of which Nolan and Devin have never seen.