History Reconstruction / Film

* ''Film/Aquaman2018'':
** The film mixes ReimaginingTheArtifact with moving away from Arthur's gruffer portrayal in ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' and utilises elements that Aquaman is regularly mocked for to its favour. Those silly supervillain names? Titles. The orange and green costume? An ancient king's armor (made golden at that). Talking to fish? Pretty useful when it can control both an army's shark cavalry and bloodthirsty seafaring humanoid beasts, [[spoiler:converse with a sea Kaiju]], and create an army of fishes in an instant.
** Black Manta's classic bubble-head deep sea diver design has been a difficult thing to process in the modern era, coming across as a silly, impractical top heavy look. The first film shows Kane building the suit from scratch, adapting Atlantean weaponry alongside his own high-tech armor designs and specifically making the helmet huge so that it could fire a plasma blast without frying his own head. When Black Manta finally shows up in full costume he is presented as a MightyGlacier, and can believably fighting Arthur on even footing.
* ''Film/TheBatman2022'' [[DeconReconSwitch takes apart a lot of the Batman mythos, but also picks apart a few of its more common criticisms:]]
** "Why doesn't Bruce Wayne just take all the money he's spending on Batman and donate it to charity?" In this continuity, Thomas Wayne tried this by putting most of his fortune into the Gotham Renewal Fund, which was intended to improve the city through charitable means. However, since the institutions of Gotham [[WretchedHive were almost universally corrupt,]] Thomas was murdered in short order. Without any oversight, the Fund was soon looted and used as a money-laundering scheme by anyone who wanted a piece, including the Mob, crooked cops, and corrupt politicians.
** "Why doesn't Batman kill?" [[SerialKiller The Riddler]] admits that he was inspired by Batman and [[TerrorHero his ability to make a difference to the city]] by staking out targets, infiltrating their bases, and then applying focused violence. The only real difference in how they operate is that Riddler kills his enemies: supplying Batman with an EvilCounterpart therefore justifies why he has to remain different from them.
** Riddler himself often gets mocked for his [=MO=]: he's the supervillain who literally leaves clues so that Batman can catch him. In this film, Batman solving the riddles actually ''helps'' Riddler proceed with his larger plan, and while Riddler does allow himself to get caught, [[spoiler:he assumed that Batman would carry on the mission in his stead, and had several dozen radicalised followers who ''definitely'' would.]]
** The "[[GangOfHats themed minions of a supervillain]]" that is normally seen as a relic of [[Film/BatmanFilmSeries comic-adherent older movies]] gets reinterpreted as [[spoiler:domestic terrorists wearing copies of the Riddler's outfit, leading to a climatic final battle that feels simultaneously realistic and bombastic as Batman neutralizes mass shooters that all happen to be masked in surplus army gear.]]
* ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' starts out as a deconstruction of the two characters, however it eventually gives way to being a reconstruction in how it brings both of them back to something closer to their classic forms. Consider how much each's characterization at first aligns to how a bunch of people complain about them on the internet, often in the name of "realism". Superman is a figure with so much power that people have trouble relating to him on a human level, and without it completely under control, accidentally contributes to the loss of lives during the battle between him and Zod in Metropolis. Batman, rather than being the noble hero with a strict no-killing policy, is here more unhinged at first, being more jaded and perfectly willing to kill even someone like Superman. However by the end Superman proves that he can live up to the ideal he's supposed to represent by willingly sacrificing himself to destroy Doomsday, which brings about him the adoration of the masses that he usually receives. Batman begins to renounce his more extreme ways, as shown by his decision not to give Lex Luthor the Bat-Brand and how he's now willing to work with metahumans, to the point that he decides to put a team of them together in order to continue Superman's mission in his stead. ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' completes the Reconstruction by showing Superman as a more genuinely heroic figure who has come to terms with his powers and role of protector of Earth.

* ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'':
** ''Film/BatmanBegins'' is a reconstruction of the idea of Batman, not only giving a plausible explanation for how Bruce Wayne acquired all of his Bat-themed crime fighting equipment and training, but also exploring the motivations behind what would drive a man to dress up in a rubber Batsuit to fight crime.
** ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' reconstructs how a superhero can operate in, and have an effect on, a larger society.
** ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' ends up reconstructing what happens to a superhero in the long term.

* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse is essentially a reconstruction of not only Marvel characters but of the superhero genre in general, giving the characters and stories more realistic/fleshed-out styling while still not losing the idealism, mysticism, and fun of superhero comics. No matter what challenges the protagonists face, in the end they're still bigger-than-life heroes going on adventures and fighting villains. It also defies many of the common criticisms/deconstructions that superhero comics face. For example, the darker implications of ThouShallNotKill are averted by having the superheroes be ''willing'' to kill but only if absolutely necessary, preserving their moral codes while preventing "Why doesn't Batman just kill the Joker?" situations.
** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' is a reconstruction of [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Captain America comics, and [[TheCape do-gooder superheroes]] in general. It specifically addresses common quibbles with the character (PatrioticFervor, InvincibleHero, UnfortunateImplications, etc.) and tries to breathe new life into the concept. It's particularly prominent with the CaptainPatriotic trope: the whole image of an invincible American superman bitch-slapping Hitler that the character is usually [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] into is explained as a propaganda stunt, hated by the "real" Captain America, who has much more depth.
** ''Film/IronMan3'' reconstructs how grandiose villains with a thing for theatrics and terror can be adapted to operate in the real world. [[spoiler: The Mandarin, the flashy BigBad adapted from the source material, is actually a fictional character played by an actor, Trevor Slattery, made to distract the public from the real villain, Aldrich Killian, who instead takes advantage of anonymity to perform his manipulative deeds. However, [[BrokenBase after this went over very badly with the fans]], the short film ''Film/AllHailTheKing'' [[AuthorsSavingThrow reconstructed the Mandarin further]] ([[TheGhost without showing him just yet]]) by revealing that he actually ''does'' exist and leads the Ten Rings, and Killian merely stole his name without realizing the consequences. And then ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'' reveals said Mandarin, although a very reimagined version.]]
** As noted by Ralph Garman, the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] also reconstructs the superhero costume, notably [[AvertedTrope averting]] MovieSuperheroesWearBlack. While none of the outfits are actual spandex, and most make plenty of concessions to practicality, they also tend to be very colorful, and as faithful as possible to their comic-book origins - the Winter Soldier even retains his NinetiesHair. The Falcon was a rare case where [[MovieSuperheroesWearBlack an MCU hero was stuck in a drab grey version of his costume]] - until ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', when his outfit was revamped to feature more of his signature red.
** ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' reconstructs Spider-Man's interaction with New York, whereas in the comics often makes Spider-Man a subject of disdain thanks to the Daily Bugle. Here Peter is a local superhero in a vibrant New York whose troubles come from wanting to become something more than just a local hero and attempting to stop a weapons deal only to find himself out of his depth and unintentionally being a Spider Menace. However, he still saves the day at the end, and is beginning to achieve fame once more.
** The MCU in general reconstructs the old-fashioned BlackAndWhiteMorality of the comics, but special mention goes to ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame''. In ''Infinity War'', although the Avengers are generally good and try to stop Thanos from killing off half the universe, they're ultimately not perfect: not only are they still divided after the events of ''Civil War'' and struggling to patch their wounds up, they make crucial blunders at some really bad times, specifically when [[spoiler: Peter Quill attacks Thanos he's been rendered into a sleep-induced coma, causing him to wake up and shake the heroes at Titan off, and when Thor goes for Thanos' chest and not his head, which allows Thanos to barely muster enough strength to snap away half of all lives in the universe.]] On the other hand, although Thanos is absolutely wrong in wanting to wipe out half the universe, he genuinely believes [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans it's necessary and right, if terrible]], he shows sincere respect for the heroes trying to stop him, never goes back on his word, and shows his love towards his daughter Gamora, and as a result of this, he wins. In ''Endgame'', however, the Avengers get their chance to reverse what Thanos did and bring everyone back, and when push comes to shove, they ultimately rise above their flaws and fully repair their [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar broken wounds with each other]], [[spoiler:but when a past version of Thanos finds out what they're up to, he completely jumps off the slope and decide to destroy the ''entire'' universe and rebuild it from the ground up. Because of this, the Avengers not only destroy him for good, but successfully bring back everyone his future self killed off five years ago.]]

* ''Film/TenThingsI HateAboutYou'' has a reconstruction of some elements of this with regards to the teen comedy. Kat's anti-social behavior stems from past high school drama and Bianca has a HeelRealization with her ItsAllAboutMe attitude.

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' reconstructs the idea of being an AscendedFanboy. On the one hand, being a martial artist is not as easy as practicing moves in your room-there's a lot of hard work and training that goes into it, and already-established students aren't going to fall over themselves for you just because you're TheChosenOne. On the other hand, if you can prove yourself through dedication and determination, you can live the dream and make friends with your idols. In particular, the film runs with the idea that the way Po reaches his desired level is by training the way that best suits ''him'', while also keeping in line with the necessary steps; Shifu uses food as a motivator and incorporates its presence into training.

* ''Film/Aquaman2018'': Black Manta's classic bubble-head deep sea diver design has been a difficult thing to process in the modern era, coming across as a silly, impractical top heavy look. The first film shows Kane building the suit from scratch, adapting Atlantean weaponry alongside his own high-tech armor designs and specifically making the helmet huge so that it could fire a plasma blast without frying his own head. When Black Manta finally shows up in full costume he is presented as a MightyGlacier, and can believably fighting Arthur on even footing.

** As noted by Ralph Garman, the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]] also reconstructs the superhero costume, notably [[AvertedTrope averting]] MovieSuperheroesWearBlack. While none of the outfits are actual spandex, and most make plenty of concessions to practicality, they also tend to be very colorful, and as faithful as possible to their comic-book origins - the Winter Soldier even retains his NinetiesHair. The Falcon was a rare case where [[MovieSuperheroesWearBlack an MCU hero was stuck in a drab grey version of his costume]] - until Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron, when his outfit was revamped to feature more of his signature red.

** The MCU in general reconstructs the old-fashioned BlackAndWhiteMorality of the comics, but special mention goes to ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame''. In ''Infinity War'', although the Avengers are generally good and try to stop Thanos from killing off half the universe, they're ultimately not perfect: not only are they still divided after the events of ''Civil War'' and struggling to patch their wounds up, they make crucial blunders at some really bad times, specifically when [[spoiler: Peter Quill attacks Thanos he's been rendered into a sleep-induced coma, causing him to wake up and shake the heroes at Titan off, and when Thor goes for Thanos' chest and not his head, which allows Thanos to barely muster enough strength to snap away half of all lives in the universe.]] On the other hand, although Thanos is absolutely wrong in wanting to wipe out half the universe, he genuinely believes [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans it's necessary and right, if terrible]], he shows sincere respect for the heroes trying to stop him, never goes back on his word, and shows his love towards his daughter Gamora, and as a result of this, he wins. In ''Endgame'', however, the Avengers get their chance to reverse what Thanos did and bring everyone back, and when push comes to shove, they ultimately rise above their flaws and fully repair their [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar broken wounds with each other]], [[spoiler: but when a past version of Thanos finds out what they're up to, he completely jumps off the slope and decide to destroy the ''entire'' universe and rebuild it from the ground up. Because of this, the Avengers not only destroy him for good, but successfully bring back everyone his future self killed off five years ago.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie''. Sometimes, people can seem conformist and unoriginal in their lives. However, everyone has the potential to be a hero. Also TheProphecy was made up, but it was made so [[SelfFulfillingProphecy someone would believe in it and actually save the day.]] And most importantly, everyone can take what someone else did, and recreate something more, because [[ThemeSong Everyone IS awesome]].

* ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'':

* ''{{Film/Hitch}}'' reconstructs the notion of 'pick-up artistry' - as in teaching {{Dogged Nice Guy}}s how to score with beautiful women. Hitch is a date doctor of course, but he encourages guys to be themselves and overcome their fears in order to let the women get to know their best selves. However he refuses to work with a HandsomeLech who just wants to use his methods to score one night stands. And when the female lead mistakenly thinks this about him - and wrecks his career in the process - he calls her out for it.

{{Reconstruction}}s in {{Film}}s.

*** The movie reconstructs the Darth Vader mythos. In the original films, Vader was depicted as an extremely powerful and dangerous, but ultimately beatable antagonist, but after decades of parodies and references, he lost much of his mystique and aura of threat. However, ''Rogue One'' depicts him as a borderline HumanoidAbomination, a vast, unknowable force of pure death which even his nominal allies are visibly frightened of.
*** PsychicStrangle. Director Krennic's look of visible terror as Vader chokes him shows just how horrifying an attack like that, which he can barely comprehend and couldn't possibly fight against, would be.

* In the 2010s (although it arguably started earlier with 2007's ''Film/{{Enchanted}}''), Disney began reconstructing its classic "fairy tales with princesses and true love" formula that had been deconstructed and parodied to death in the 2000s by films like ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Hoodwinked}}''. Their princesses are proactive and have goals that don't include "find my true love" anywhere in them, their princes now need to go through a lot of CharacterDevelopment and/or aren't even actual princes in the first place, and TrueLovesKiss and LoveAtFirstSight don't work as they used to, but ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' all still end with the villain being defeated, ThePowerOfLove saving the day in some way, and the main characters living HappilyEverAfter.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' reconstructs the superhero plot, partially by correcting the mistakes and partially by transferring them to villains. Yes, superheroes need special suits, so Edna designs them. Yes, capes are silly; so Edna's suits don't feature them. Heroes do cause destruction, but how else can you defeat evil robots? Most supers are eager to be supers, as opposed to being tired and suicidal. The only one doing this for fame is, well, the villain. And so on.

* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow'' reconstructs the trope WithFriendsLikeThese after at first deconstructing it. When the Eds pull a scam that pushes the neighborhood kids to their limit, forcing them flee the cul-de-sac Double D starts to question his friendship with Ed and Eddy after too many poor decisions with them, especially after they keep [[DudeNotFunny pulling some very ill-timed jokes on him]]. Eventually, a fed up Double D almost ends his friendship with Eddy and Ed when they pretend to [[QuicksandSucks drown in quicksand]], until Eddy [[HeelRealization finally realizes how his actions are costing one of the only friends he has]], and admits his flaws and [[ItsAllMyFault how it's his fault they got into the mess they're in]], and apologizes to Double D, who happily accepts, showing even though Eddy hasn't been a very good friend to him and Ed, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold he does care about them and doesn't to lose their friendship]].

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' reconstructs the idea of being an AscendedFanboy. On the one hand, being a martial artist is not as easy as practicing moves in your room-there's a lot of hard work and training that goes into it, and already-established students aren't going to fall over themselves for you just because you're TheChosenOne. On the other hand, if you can prove yourself through dedication and determination, you can live the dream and make friends with your idols.

** ''Film/TheLastJedi'' both deconstructs and reconstructs classic ''Star Wars'' tropes at the same time. [[BrokenPedestal Your heroes can make mistakes, and sometimes aren't what you thought they were]], but [[EarnYourHappyEnding in the end, they prove why they became such legendary heroes in the first place]]. Blindly jumping into a battle you have no chance of winning gets people killed, but fighting to the end to save what you care about is never foolish. Looking to bloodlines and families to find heroes can create a ruthless KnightTemplar, but heroes can emerge from the most unlikely of places. It is ''extremely'' divisive whether these elements made the film a masterpiece that restored the franchise to its roots, or a cynical mess that doomed it forever... Or, you know, anywhere in between?
*** Divisive arguments aside, it is generally accepted that the sequel trilogy was an unfocused mess without a clear message as to the any of the points above, and not purely because of The Last Jedi, but also due to the attempts during Rise of Skywalker to correct the deconstruction made by TLJ. It is fair to say that TLJ made attacks on the original which weren't merited; the original heroes were never flawless, sometimes made mistakes, and the original trilogy was already a reconstruction and correction of far older black-and-white tropes of space opera science fiction from decades earlier (Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, etc). If anything, the sequels attacked a strawman version of the original trilogy, one in which Luke, Han, and Leia had previously been depicted as being infallible, then portraying them as deeply broken people. Of course, this was done to tear the original heroes down in order to make the new characters look better by comparison, but the poor reception of the sequels combined with subsequent successful appearances of Luke as in his classic form (in The Mandalorian and the Book of Boba Fett) have, if anything, only made people want a flawless version of the original characters more than ever.