AHC/WI: Pulp Hero Films of the Nineties Successful?

Not Pulp Fiction. The Nineties were a sort of awkward era in superhero films. It felt like they were supposed to be more of a thing in the wake of Batman, but even that franchise died off and there were more failures and films stuck in development hell than successes. There were more superhero films than just remembered today, and those include the three films this thread is focused on: The Rocketeer (1991), The Shadow (1994), and The Phantom (1996). Those three films were an attempt to explore a genre where, if successful, more Hollywood films would have likely followed suit. These obviously owe something to Indiana Jones and the newly found infatuation with that pulp feel. However, these films failed either critically or financially, killing a potential film trend in the cradle, as well as denying those films the sequels and franchises they were planned to have, and further suffocating that first era of superhero films.

What if, and how can those films be successful?
 
Some of these are a lot harder than others. The Rocketeer could have been a lot more successful if they had just marketed it and maybe made some minor tweaks. The Shadow at least had star power and some clever bits like the dynamic between Alec Baldwin's character and Khan (or whatever he was calling himself). The Phantom seems like the hardest to "sank", that was sort of a case of self-plagiarism with all the obvious similarities to Indiana Jones. But at least Billy Zane was having a good time and they had some other stars attached to it. I'd imagine a better budget and script would help a lot.
 
Some of these are a lot harder than others. The Rocketeer could have been a lot more successful if they had just marketed it and maybe made some minor tweaks. The Shadow at least had star power and some clever bits like the dynamic between Alec Baldwin's character and Khan (or whatever he was calling himself).

I remember skipping an afternoon of school in the first grade with my Dad and my older brother to see The Rocketeer. That movie was a fun ride. I understand that Disney had hoped to be able to spin three or four sequels off of that movie. Its a shame that it didn't happen, but with the emphasis these days on serialized story telling in film, maybe The Rocketeer might get revisted by Disney. It certainly deserves it.

I think there's also a great pulp adventure movie buried somewhere in The Shadow, but the Alec Baldwin movie wasn't it, partially due cheap production values and partially because they missed the tone of The Shadow. The Shadow is basically Batman with telepathy and guns. I've listened to some of the original Shadow radio shows and that is some seriously dark shit. I heard one episode where the Shadow locks a pair of arsonists in a basement and sets them on fire with their own took kit and another where he kills a serial bomber with his own bombs. Plus the Shadow has at least two alter egos, his own and he occasionally borrows the identity of a friend who's in on the secret. I think that a proper adaptation of The Shadow needs to take place mostly at night, ala Batman, and probably needs to be fairly violent. It might need the touch of someone along the lines of Zack Snyder or Christopher Nolan.
 
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