Marvel's Behind the Mask
Marvel's Behind the Mask | |
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Documentary | |
Directed by | Michael Jacobs |
Composer | Mondo Boys |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Cinematography | Joshua Weinsten |
Editor | Clayton Worfolk |
Running time | 64 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Disney+ |
Release | February 12, 2021 |
Related | |
Marvel's Behind the Mask is a 2021 American
The documentary film was first announced in January 2021. Marvel's Behind the Mask was released on February 12, 2021. The film received positive reviews for its informative discussions on creating characters and their interpretations but was criticized for steering away from the advertised topic and for the length of discussions about specific races being short.
Premise
Marvel's Behind the Mask features guests, including writers and artists, who were behind the making of several characters from Marvel Comics, such as Black Panther, Miles Morales, Luke Cage, the X-Men, and Captain Marvel, among others, while also highlighting the impact Marvel has had on popular culture and media.[1]
Background and production
Marvel's Behind the Mask was announced in January 2021 as a
Behind the Mask was originally conceived to showcase the history of the character T'Challa / Black Panther, in anticipation of the release of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Black Panther (2018), although, Jacobs, Gary, and Simon realized during their research that Marvel's efforts "to break ground" with the representation of race, gender, and sexual orientation were more complicated and rich than one character. The documentary's filmmakers said Marvel executives were supportive with a "warts-and-all look" at the company's representation efforts, especially after their "less than admirable history" of depictions of race with skin tone coloring and sexual orientation, which Gary said Marvel had accepted would be uncomfortable. Marvel were "complete partners" in this process and gave the filmmakers access to their full range of history for it. While none of the filmmakers considered themselves to be die-hard comic book fans, they became appreciative of the creators after looking through Marvel's history of the characters. Jacobs said that while much of Marvel's popular culture is surrounded by their films, Behind the Mask would be a "nice reminder" of the people who created their ideas, while noting that they had "fall[en] into stereotypes" and made mistakes, and called the comics and characters "uniquely special". Gary, who is Black, felt the use of certain colors for skin tones, such as depicting Asian characters as yellow and Black characters as grey, was shocking, and he said he did not "know how I would explain that to my kids", who have Black and Asian heritage, and said that was a "conversation you don't really want to have, but it's a necessary conversation".[12]
Following the announcement of the documentary, Steve Seigh of
Music
The group Mondo Boys served as the composers,[17][4] after previously scoring Jacobs' docuseries Blackballed.[5]
Marketing
After the trailer for the documentary was released on February 2, 2021,
The first clip from the documentary was released on February 10, 2021, and featured Quesada discussing the identity of Black Panther in his debut appearance in
Release
Behind the Mask was released on Disney+ on February 12, 2021.[1]
Reception
Writing for Laughing Place, Mike Mack said "[o]n the surface, Marvel's Behind the Mask is more or less another history lesson on the creation and growth of Marvel Comics", but noted that the creators' discussions of creating characters that audiences can connect with made it feel like a "Master Class on how to create interesting characters who can stand the test of time from creators who have done exactly that". He also noted "some great stories" about Stan Lee and Jack Kirby from Kirby's son Neal and others about inclusion and making the Marvel Universe feel "familiar to the world in which we all live". Mack said he first questioned if the discussions of secret identities would sustain the hourlong runtime, and said while it did not become a "simple history lesson" on Marvel Comics, he felt it did "stray from the subject illustrated in the title" by having the second half of the documentary focusing "more on the concept of identity and the inclusion of various types", and said that the "result is a beautiful look at the diverse and ever-growing tapestry that is the Marvel Universe".[24] Gary Catig at AIPT Comics said that the documentary "serves as a good introduction for both those new to comics and to those curious after watching the films" by following several key creators as well as characters who appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and said it could also cater to hardcore fans. He found it intriguing how the documentary presented different interpretations of the characters from several people. He concluded that Behind the Mask could have benefited from a longer runtime, and criticized the timing of discussions for diversity, particularly the discussion about the Asian influences being shorter than others, and the lack of discussion of indigenous and Latinx characters and creators, but said it was overall enjoyable.[25] Jade-Louise Yates of TWM+ also noted how the documentary's "original topic is not really delved into" and called it "more of an entertaining look behind the curtain" that offered a lot for Marvel Comics fans "to relish".[26]
See also
- MPower, a 2023 Marvel documentary series
References
- ^ Marvel.com. January 19, 2021. Archivedfrom the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ComingSoon.net. Archivedfrom the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ a b "CV | Joshua Z. Weinstein". JoshuaZWeinstein.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ a b "Marvel's Behind the Mask – clayton worfolk | editor". ClaytonWorfolk.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ a b "Blackballed – clayton worfolk | editor". ClaytonWorfolk.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ CinemaBlend. Archivedfrom the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ Kit, Borys (October 11, 2023). "'Daredevil' Hits Reset Button as Marvel Overhauls Its TV Business". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ Shoucri, Amir; Hillhouse, Jason (May 25, 2022). "The Making of Moon Knight". Marvel Studios: Assembled. Season 1. Episode 9. Disney+. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ ComicBook.com. Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Syfy Wire. Archivedfrom the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ a b c Marvel's Behind the Mask | Official Trailer | Disney+. Marvel Entertainment. February 2, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Vary, Adam B. (February 11, 2021). "How Marvel's Black Panther Had a 'Perfect' Comic Book Launch — Except for One Major Flaw (Exclusive Video)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Seigh, Steve (January 20, 2021). "Marvel's Behind the Mask: New documentary special coming to Disney+". JoBlo.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Flook, Ray (January 20, 2021). "Marvel's Behind the Mask Offers a Look at The MU's Secret Identities". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ SuperHeroHype. Archivedfrom the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Wolinsky, David (February 16, 2021). "Marvel Announces Assembled, New Disney+ MCU Documentary Series". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ Mondo Boys [@MondoBoys] (February 2, 2021). "Classic disclaimer: we scored the movie but not the trailer. it's a real interesting doc feature though. More than just inspiration behind the heroes, these artists went through interesting ups and downs in calibrating the wokeness properly. very proud to be part of it" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Twitter.
- Marvel.com. February 1, 2021. Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Looper. Archivedfrom the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ a b Bui, Hoai-Tran (February 2, 2021). "'Marvel's Behind The Mask' Trailer: Disney+ Documentary Goes Into Marvel Comics' Superhero Origins". /Film. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Tsang, Christopher (February 3, 2021). "Marvel's Behind The Mask Trailer Explores Identity In Comics". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- Marvel.com. Archivedfrom the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Game Rant. Archivedfrom the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Mack, Mike (February 11, 2021). "Review – Marvel's "Behind the Mask" is a Touching Look at the History of Inclusion in Marvel Comics". Laughing Place. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Catig, Gary (February 12, 2021). "'Marvel's Behind the Mask' review: Developing the identity of our favorite heroes". AIPT Comics. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Yates, Jade-Louise (February 16, 2021). "Marvel: A Brief Look at "Marvel's – Behind The Mask"". TWM+. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
External links
- Official website Marvel.com
- Marvel's Behind the Mask at IMDb
- Marvel's Behind the Mask on Disney+
- Marvel's Behind the Mask at Rotten Tomatoes