Costume Critics

Before any comic book movie is released, there is one thing on the mind of fans around the world. Everyone is interested in what the costumes of their favorite heroes or villains will look like.  Will it stay true to the comics, or will there be an entirely new vision of what the character will look like, or even how he/she will act. Sometimes however, there can be a lot of negativity towards how a character is portrayed on screen, whether it be personality wise, or how he/she looks.  The fans sometimes make such a big deal about their hatred of a costume, and all the hatred, and how they portray it is borderline childish and stupid.

Everyone has his or her own opinions. The writers and directors of the various movies and TV shows have their own vision of the character.  Just like the creators of the various characters, and the writers/artists who inherited those characters have. They are paid and hired because of their ideas. Sometimes it doesn’t always work out how they intended, but when it is early in the process, you can’t know how the movie will be received. When it was first revealed that Heath Ledger would be playing the Joker in “The Dark Knight”, many people didn’t like him as the villain. When his appearance as the Joker was revealed during production, some people loved his look, while other people hated it and bashed it to shreds. Later on, everyone loved his portrayal, and some say that he did the best job of portraying the Joker.

            When Jared Leto was revealed to be playing the Joker in “Suicide Squad” I was very happy with his casting. I knew that he was a very dedicated actor who could really get into a role, and make it his own. The overall reaction to him being cast was mixed, but I personally loved the choice. When David Ayer first revealed a picture of Leto in full Joker regalia, there was a lot of outrage. There was criticism about almost every aspect of Leto’s look. From the tattoos, to the grills on his teeth, people were looking for something to criticize.  Some said that the tattoos that said “HAHAHAHAHAHA” on him were too much, and that maybe it could be interpreted as the Joker being full of himself. I think that could be what the tattoos represent, but that would be a great thing. In the comics, the Joker is very full of himself, and views himself as the greatest of Batman’s villains, the jester to his king, and it is just part of his overall craziness that he would tattoo that on his body. I think Jared Leto’s look of the Joker is unique, and amazing. This is just one of the many interpretations of the Joker’s look throughout the years.

            On the top of my head, I can think about at least 20 different outfits that Batman has worn throughout his history. Most superheroes go through various costume changes throughout their history. Some look incredible, and some don’t.  Sometimes, the specific costume represents a time of the character’s life where such a change is necessary, and sometimes the change could come at random.  After David Ayer released the picture of the cast of “Suicide Squad” in costume, there was a lot of negative feedback. One comment on the costumes mentioned how some cosplay outfits were better than the costumes that these characters would be wearing in the movie.  The vast majority of cosplay outfits are based on the classic costumes from the comic books. The director/writers/costume designers of movies are given the task to come up with new designs for costumes, not just use the classic ideas.

Some people might think that it might be a good idea to just use the already designed costumes from comics. They are already there; people love them, so why not just use them. If this were the standard procedure, then we would still be using costume designs from 30 or 40 years ago. The fans would then be calling for the heads of studios everywhere for not coming up with new designs. New designs come with the passage of time, and different people have their own visions for how these fan favorite characters will look. We need to have faith that the writers and directors know what they are doing, and successfully bring our favorite characters to life. Be positive people, it’s going to be a great movie (hopefully)!

            I’m excited to see “Suicide Squad” when it comes out in August of 2016. I can’t wait to see what storyline they have planned out, as well as the personalities of the characters. Even more excited to see Harley Quinn being brought to the big screen by the beautiful Margot Robbie, who I think it a perfect casting for the role.