Genre to Genre (Comparing Rom-Coms to Super Hero Films)

Romantic comedies spring up a lot of debate between movie-lovers. On one end you have the defenders, the ones would give many films of this genre a pass, the group who cry when they see the ending of Bridget Jones even when they’ve watched the film a dozen times over. The critics however point to insignificant characters, lacklustre plots and an onus to pandering to single females in society. Whether you agree or disagree with both groups, one thing is assured, this genre is here to stay and has fired up some classics over the years. Even Shakespeare himself tried his hand at romantic comedies in his plays ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ way back when.

Superhero movies on the other hand, well let’s just say they’re a little different to Romantic comedies but in many ways the same. Both genres stick to the same conventions that made them great. No film within this genre differs from what audiences expect from them, risks are rarely taken, and the equilibrium is always broken, eventually rectified through tasks completed by the main protagonists. Both are set most of the time in a major metropolitan area. Obviously, if you ignore the high-voltage, fast paced nature of superhumans smashing together in an explosive opera full of crumbling cites, snake like robot behemoths and talking racoons then; yeah, we can come to the conclusion that both genres share stark similarities whist still being left open for critical analysis on the contrasting differences between them. Today we’re going to be deconstructing each genre, seeing what makes them tick with audiences, following this up with a comparison to highlight the disparities of both.

The Romance of Romantic Comedies

If we look at Rom-coms, what do audiences expect from this genre? Well to answer this we need to look at the typical target audience for these films. You don’t need to be a genius to realise that females mainly young female adults tend to be more incline to enjoy this genre, so producers already have a simple market strategy and target audience. Look at popular Rom-Coms, Bridget jones (female lead), Love actually (multiple female leads) although with love actually the narrative is a juxtaposition. Twelve characters all leading different stories with some eventually intertwining makes for some compelling viewing and is why it is listed up there as a classic within this genre. Often described as chick flick movies, Rom-Coms are predictable in nature. The start sets up a romantic endeavour between two characters usually beginning in unnatural circumstances.

You can expect when viewing these types of films, once this meeting between our two lover birds has happened, the whole movie consists of people trying to break up this relationship. Mishaps occur. These could be acted out by the male lead who needs to win back the love and interest of his female companion or, some other supporting character. The genre follows the notion of ‘love always wins’. Nothing can stop love as the ending closes normally with our couple embracing and smooching to closing credits. All well and good but this doesn’t come without some shady tactics by certain characters.

The genre as stated appeals to the female majority so in most cases the films are set in a female gaze. Because of this, males are prone to being heavily stereotyped and borderline ‘creeps’. They do everything in their power to win the affection of their darling female. Countless examples of this point can be seen in the Bridget Jones franchise. The end scene of the first film features a male lead breaking into Bridget’s apartment and reading her diary. Reading this without watching the movie, that scene sounds like that character who’s a stalker, right?

Well Bridget Jones approaches this ‘creepy’ scene oozing of quirkiness and slapstick comedy. You see Bridget herself trying her best to chase after her lover even when he has just broken into her home. The audience is shown a woman parading the snow-ridden streets trying to find this character all while barley being dressed. It makes for entertaining viewing and optimises the genre in one foul swoop. It shrugs off any notion of characters acting in non-societal ways. Female gaze people, the wonder of a female gaze.

The sound design typically plays off the emotions of the actors onscreen. The use of non-diegetic sounds broadens the mise en scène of some shots. Rom-Coms self-awareness allows them to play around with the sound design as well, they understand that the situation they’re showing is ridiculous and hyper-visualised. Usage of popular songs in many scenes is a key marketing strategy.

Dialogue is paramount to a successful Rom-Com. If the one-liners don’t hit and the characters who are ‘supposed to be in love’ sound like robots with no chemistry at all then you’ve got a massive problem. Therefore, great emphasis is put on screen writers for these types of films. Having a good script is an under-rated trait often overlooked in Rom-Coms. On the topic of mise en scène the genre is mainly shot within a capital city of a major

country. Actors portray characters who fit into the middle-class stereotype. Stable job, apartment in a suburb of Manhattan, you know the drill.

Lighting is a lot of the time, soft. Light colours and soft tones to characters for the scene is the approach taken. The use of shadows is neatly applied as well. You see at the end of the first Bridget Jones when our characters are embracing, both are positioned in the light whist the rest of the scene is blanketed by dark shadows. This technique utilises the light almost as a spotlight. Very subtle but an effective way of shooting an ending scene.

Two sides collide

So, we’ve touched base on Romantic Comedies. Now onwards to Superhero films. These films typically are a box office hit. The likes of The Avengers and Captain America: Civil War grossed over $400 million dollars each respectively. Regarded as tent-pole films, they provide Marvel studios as well as Disney with a vast money pit of cash. Popularity for this genre has never been higher.

Delving into what makes them great then, a variety of factors arise. Firstly, the high-octane concoction of cinematography on display is palpable to how talented the crew is producing these films. Currently, the DC superhero films divide popular opinion. But one cannot deny how awesome it is to see Superman and Batman fight on the same screen though. The action is what drives these films. These films can present some stunning shots. The scene where we see a pan shot of every hero in the first Avengers film is Cinema, gold. A beautiful scene which captures the true nature of what situation the characters are faced with, fulfilling everything the film has been building up to.

Sound design is almost always epic and thrills audiences. Characters tend to have their own theme song. This is clever because when audiences hear the theme cue, they know who to expect. Non-diegetic sounds and CGI are frequently used. Most only to enhance the scene audiences are watching. I doubt the studio creating the first avengers had the means or the ability to capture the last act practically, so CGI is a great way of negating this problem.Dialogue often is simple and just used as an avenue to further plot points. Depending on whether you watch DC or Marvel though this differs. Captain America First Avenger has rich dialogue tackling how our hero goes through the turmoil of living during the period of World War 2. Even with this the film portrays its self as light-hearted and fun.

DC on the other hand take a different slant. Dark gritty lighting. Deep shadowy tones to a lot of the scenes. Producers try to create a deep atmospheric feel to each frame. Take for instance in Batman vs Superman when the film switches to Gotham. Lighting is dark and dimly lit. Characters are contrasting to the background to make them stand out more and the sounds are especially hyper-visualised. Purely for design reasons, DC and Marvel approach the Superhero genre differently.

Money talks

The contrasts between Rom-coms and Superhero films are endless.To save time, lets look at three main contrasts. To start with the budget. As I mention earlier Superhero films are tentpoles whereas Romantic comedies tend to be a side project that could be hit and miss. The grossing figures speak for themselves. The highest grossing Rom-Com is My Big Fat Greek Wedding coming in at a steady $241 million dollars in the US. A very respectable number. If we turn our attention to Superhero films though the number is definitively trumped. Grossing well over $600million dollars in the US, the first Avengers film stands proud as one of the highest grossing films of all time. To put perspective on this comparison, if we pitted My Big Fat Greek Wedding against many of the other Superhero films, it would stand at a mere #26 on the list. Some would argue though because of the big budget nature that Superhero films are given, these figures are to be expected right? Well of course but many Rom-coms turn a small budget into a large profit which must be commended as well. My big fat Greek wedding. $5million budget, grossed over $100 million as stated which is a commercial success.

A tale of two ends

Aesthetically, both Superhero films and Romantic comedies are polar opposites. Without treading over already established facts we can gather a lot from the mise en scene of these films. Let’s take the ending of both the first Avengers and Love Actually. Both feature multiple characters at the conclusion of their story arcs . But the mise en scene is drastically different. Avengers contains alien artefacts, superhumans touching shoulders and a large aircraft. Added with teleportation as well, fast cars and a zoom out shot of a large-scale building with the Avengers theme churning out. It’s a literal comic book being read out on screen.

But compare this to Love Actually and you see a notable difference. The concluding scene to the film is an airport setting at the arrival terminal. Audiences watch as each character is reunited with their loved ones. Kissing, embracing, having fun. Truly a feel-good scene where everyone is met with some happy ending. Love always wins. Lastly, the dialogue. I said before this, screen writers are in demand when it comes to Rom-coms. For Superhero films not so much. Audiences tend to remember fight scenes and action rather than telling quotes which stand out to viewers. The quote in Titanic ‘I’ll never let go’ still stands as a great moment in cinematic history. What about ‘We’ll always have Paris’ from Casablanca. Great lines from absolute classics. Testament to talented screen writing and acting. Albeit not Rom-Coms but it shines a light on where the money is being spent on within these genres.

So much debate surrounds these two genres we could go on for hours. Endless discussion on shots, lighting and indeed, characters. I’m sure you’ve got it in your head which genre you like more. Both have striking qualities. This, people, is why we all love the flicks.

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