[新聞] Forbes 文章：超英電影不再必要了？

看到三天前的 Forbes 文章討論超英片，這應該是正規媒體不是農場文了吧？我不想精準措辭全文翻譯以避免爭議，僅把每段用自己話大致摘譯一下並附加點主觀感想，還請有興趣者自己閱讀英文正文。 新聞網址： https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2023/03/21/superhero-films-just-dont-feel-essential-anymore/ 縮網址：shorturl.at/lpzA6 標題：Superhero Films Just Don't Feel Essential Anymore 我的中譯：超英電影似乎不再不可或缺了 作者：Dani Di Placido 日期：2023/03/21 Superhero movies seem to have lost their momentum at the box office, with the last two entries from Marvel and DC facing audience apathy; superhero movies seem to be slipping from their pop culture pedestal. 這段說「超英電影看來失去了票房的動量」不論漫威DC都有這跡象。（我也這麼覺得） Shazam 2 opened to a limp $30.5 million domestic, and Ant-Man: Quantumania never lived up to its $106 million opening weekend, sputtering toward a $462 million global total and unlikely to hit $500 million. 這段說《沙贊 2》票房很慘，但強他很多的《蟻人 3》也好不到哪去。（我則都沒看也沒在意） This is disappointing, considering that Quantumania was a vital stepping stone to Marvel’s next big crossover event, introducing Kang (Jonathan Majors) the big bad of the MCU’s Phase 5. Technically, it is Kang’s second introduction, if you count his appearance on the Disney+ series Loki. 這段看來已懶得談沙贊只想談蟻人，畢竟這是漫威下階段「多重宇宙」一大步！但... Marvel Studios seems to be suffering from the same issues the comics did, releasing too much, too soon, resulting in a confused, fatigued audience. DC, on the other hand, has been inconsistent and messy for years; new DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran have pledged to clean things up, having recently shown off their new slate. 這段說漫威影業看來正重蹈漫畫的覆轍：推出作品太多又太快，讓受眾感到困惑又疲勞。至於DC，幾年來反覆無常又混亂，新老闆 Gunn & Safran近來正展現重整意志。（看來他對DC兩位新老闆頗有期待？那我祝福） It was never really clarified if Shazam was going to be part of the new plan for DC, which perhaps explains some of the audience disinterest. Plus, fans already got burned on Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, which featured a post-credits scene promising the return of Henry Cavill as Superman, which is no longer happening. 這段接著說：然而，沙贊到底是不是DC新計劃的一部分？這點保留模糊恐也令觀眾喪失興趣。此外粉絲對《黑亞當》片尾承諾了亨利卡維爾演的超人將回歸、但後來又沒要發生，感到很怒。（這段說得有點像是粉絲對《黑亞當》這片很怒，但真的是這樣嗎？我想這也很難說） Post-credit scenes, a fun feature first introduced by the MCU, have grown stale, often holding empty promises and underwhelming reveals; The Eternals post-credits scene, for example, introduces Harry Styles to the MCU, along with a creature known as “Pip the Troll.” 這段再談「片尾」這東西，從漫威宇宙引入至今也漸趨疲乏，給的承諾常淪為空頭支票，透露的訊息也不怎麼令人驚艷。譬如《永恆族》片尾，竟是 Harry Styles 和一個小山怪生物。（《永恆族》我個人是很愛的，片尾這段我就當沒看見） There’s a stench of desperation to the superhero landscape; Marvel has started taking legal action against spoilers (they’re currently attempting to track down an anonymous script-leaker from Reddit), despite little of consequence having occurred in their films since Iron Man sacrificed himself. 這段說「超英片風景正散發一股絕望的氣息」：漫威開始對爆雷者採取法律行動，儘管自某片某人自我犧牲起，漫威電影也沒啥真夠份量的雷值得一爆。（我覺得這種「負面」氣氛的放送才是真致命！做電影是給觀眾帶來娛樂的、做英雄電影更是給人們帶來激勵的，這樣劍拔弩張起來那正向精神已煙消雲散） Even the conversation around these franchises has undergone a dramatic tonal shift; previously, actors, writers and directors would talk about their superhero films with reverence, recognizing that they were riding a popular wave into a big payday. Now, they post defensive tweets, and still seem angry at Martin Scorsese for criticizing the MCU four years ago. 這段說，甚至電影周邊的話題談論，那基調也與過去大不同：過去演員編導等創意人會帶著敬意與景仰談論他們的作品，充滿樂觀地知道他們站在流行浪頭上準備樂賺一筆；但現在他們連推特推文都充滿防衛性語言，而且對幾年前馬丁史柯西斯批評 MCU仍忿忿不平。（我也仍老派地覺得，娛樂事業大家就是要多說好話做好事，創作事業面對批評更該帶著笑容虛心受教呀。但這時代看來不流行這個） Shazam director David F. Sandberg posted on Twitter that he’s done with superheroes for now, while star Rachel Zegler tweeted about the box office failure of Shazam, writing that some people were being “senselessly mean” and asked the public to “give it a chance.” 這段談《沙贊 2》的相關談論：導演 Sandberg 推文說他不想再拍超英了、影星 Rachel Zegler推文抱怨部分評者「無感而刻薄」、訴求大眾「給這片一個機會」。（我則覺得現在的宣傳行銷到底怎麼了，導演自嘆不如歸去是他自由，但傳統做法應該會等片子下檔後再低調說吧；而演員訴求大家來看居然不是正向光明細數它的好，而是有種受害姿態懇求個機會？這是英雄片耶，觀眾期待更多正能量呀） Quantumania screenwriter Jeff Loveness said he was left “despondent” by the negative response to his film, and pushed back against fan criticism over his controversial interpretation of comic villain MODOK, stating: "No, [the reviews] are wrong! I’m right! MODOK is great!” 這段談《蟻人 3》相關談論：編劇 Loveness 提到他對負評感到沮喪，而面對粉絲批評他對漫畫反派 MODOK的詮釋時竟還「他們錯了！我是對的！MODOK 很棒！」（我個人對藝術不喜歡說「對錯」之別，倒是覺得誰人都值得分享自己的不同觀點與詮釋，但是否現在「黑白分明」比誰大聲才是主流呢？） It’s all kind of a downer, especially compared to the heights of Infinity War, when it seemed that superhero movies were just going to continue soaring to new heights at the box office. 這段則比較過去不勝唏噓：回想復三《無限之戰》時還一副超英榮景沒有終點似地。 It’s unclear who the Avengers are nowadays, because they don’t seem to team up anymore. DC is full of half-remembered heroes who, seemingly, aren’t coming back. On the outskirts, there’s oddities like Morbius, a movie which seemed to be clinging on to the tattered edges of the MCU, and might crossover one day, maybe? Possibly with Tom Hardy’s Venom? 這段試著開始分析一下氣氛低迷的原因：現在復仇者們各在幹嘛大家都不瞭，他們也不再像以前跨片集結了；DC英雄則總是出來一下故事才講一半，還沒留下印象就默默消失了；外圍還有《魔比斯》這類在 MCU外圍打打醬油的，好像要連結又好像沒有？（對我來說這也是前述「推出太多太快」令觀眾「困惑又疲勞」的問題） In a sense, the Morbius meme, an ironic celebration of bland, corporate mediocrity, encapsulated how many feel about the current crop of superhero movies; increasingly interchangeable costumed crusaders soaring around a tangled web of shared universes and multiverses where, if they’re lucky, they might get to stand beside Spider-Man in the next sequel. 這段以《魔比斯》為例來說一種「平庸」的徵兆：越來越多穿著戲服煞有其事宛如「十字軍」的角色們，在揪成一團的共享宇宙甚至多元宇宙裡各找營生，其中夠幸運的也許有機會搭上蜘蛛人這等一哥。（我也覺得，現在就是大家都來貼超英，覺得應該都會分到一杯羹） Unless one has been doing their homework, it all just seems like a tangled mess; the clean simplicity of the early MCU isn’t coming back. 這段回想 MCU最早的魅力：簡單清楚的 simplicity。現在卻已複雜混亂揪成一團。（我回想起來，自己最愛的漫威片幾乎都 2015 以前的） Is superhero fatigue finally kicking in? Audiences are still willing to show up for superhero movies, if they feel like an event. But it’s not hard to see that superhero films tend to fall short compared to other genre films. 接下來幾段談超英片的未來。第一段先談現況：如果超英片仍像是一種值得共襄盛舉的「事件」，觀眾應該還是願意買票進場的，只是以這角度看超英片很容易被其他片型比過去。（我覺得 "event"的概念很重要：看電影，要成為一種社交生活，就要有 event的參與體驗呀，不然若只是補完宇宙那看 D+ 就好） For sci-fi, compare the muddy, muted Quantumania to the vibrant world of Avatar 2, or Doctor Strange’s dull jaunt through the multiverse to the existential musings of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. For action, audiences are better off watching Tom Cruise performing a death-defying stunt, or Keanu Reeves shoot up a roomful of assassins than watching a masked actor float in front of a green screen. 譬如要看科幻，人們寧看生氣蓬勃的《阿凡達二》而非混亂平淡的《蟻人三》、寧看《媽的多重宇宙》那存在主義而非《奇異博士》的無聊旅行。又譬如要看動作，當然寧看阿湯哥電影種種玩命特技、或是基哥電影大殺四方，都遠勝一堆面具人在綠幕前飄移來去。（拿湯哥基哥與卡麥隆來比？這好像有點殘忍） Iconic superheroes like Spider-Man, Batman and the Joker still seem able to draw big numbers and spark conversation; the former by soaking in nostalgia, and the latter by boasting unique, distinctive takes on familiar characters. 當然真經典英雄如蜘蛛人、蝙蝠俠和小丑這些是例外，光自己仍有高票房號召與高話題討論，其中蜘蛛人好好賣了鄉愁情懷，蝙丑則各以獨特取徑給與舊角新詮釋。（我也比較愛這系：單一角色，好好說自己故事走自己旅程） Will superhero movies become essential again? Some will. Marvel has yet to use Majors to his full potential, and once his Kang is facing characters like Shang-Chi, She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel, he’s likely to make more of an impression. When Marvel eventually begins to incorporate the X-Men and Fantastic Four, fans are going to be interested to see how the iconic characters have been rebooted. 最後大哉問「超英電影還會再次成為必要嗎？」這篇覺得有些應該還行：只要把主要角色潛力好好發揮出來，譬如征服者康終於槓上尚氣浩克驚奇少女等主要角色時，應該終於會留下點深刻印象了。又譬如驚奇四超人與 X戰警也加入宇宙後，粉絲應該也會好奇這回有何重開與新詮。（我則覺得，這仍是越來越複雜地「揪成一團」，我身為非粉絲的一般觀眾只會越來越「困惑又疲憊」） Plus, Superman’s next incarnation will see a fresh take from James Gunn, which could well revitalize a character who always seemed a tad lost in the modern landscape. 此外超人的重啟英能看見 James Gunn 的全新取徑，應能將在當代總有點找不到定位超人角色重新賦予活力。（我相信必會有屬於岡恩的全新觀點！至於活力夠不夠，就請有看的觀眾未來分享囉） Essential or otherwise, superhero movies have become absorbed into mainstream pop culture, and seem to have lost their novelty. They’re just movies now. 必要或不必要，超英電影都已融入了主流流行文化，看來也失去了一開始的獨特創新，現在就只是電影而已。（我還蠻同意「只是電影」這句，成為電影也並沒什麼了不起，不用聽到有人撂一句「不是電影」就忿忿不平 XD ） -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 36.226.167.244 (臺灣) ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/movie/M.1679671126.A.07C.html