Line #17 GrowingTheBeard/Film


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6	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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10	%% NOTE: If this only applies to one film rather than a continuing trend through a series/franchise/studio, it might be better suited for the Surprisingly Improved Sequel or Even Better Sequel tropes instead.
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15	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
16	* [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Walt Disney Animation Studio]] has fluctuated in quality throughout the years, but there's have been various definitive starting points for when their studio rebounds in quality. The first instance of this was ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', the first film to come close to capturing the critical and commercial success of their first feature, ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs''. Before that, the studio was finding themselves struggling to find a strong title. Disney would go on to have another string of successes until ''Walt Disney's'' passing signaled a decline in quality after ''WesternAnimation/{{The Jungle Book\|1967}}''. Their next stage began with ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid\|1989}}'', which saw the starting point of the Disney Renaissance. Eventually the 2000s would result in another AudienceAlienatingEra for the studio. The late-2000s and early-to-mid-2010s had [[Creator/{{Pixar}} John Lasseter]] as the head honcho of the WDAS, with movies like ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen\|2013}}'' bringing the studio back to the critical acclaim and commercial success.
17	** While nearly all of ''Disneytoon Studios'' DirectToVideo sequels remain divisive among fans of Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, many note the 2000-onward era as the point they were often at least attempting to make sequels that complemented the originals, with some even validated fit to release in theatres in certain regions. Due to high budget animation, scripting and acting, the likes of ''WesternAnimation/BambiII'', ''WesternAnimation/CinderellaIIIATwistInTime'' and ''WesternAnimation/ReturnToNeverland'', even if not considered on the same level as their predecessors were, are often considered good pieces in their own right.
18	** ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'' was the first fully CGI movie in the Disney Animated Canon, but it unfortunately ended up being considered the worst in the entire canon. The second, ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'' was much better received, but not enough to be considered a classic. The third, ''WesternAnimation/{{Bolt}}'' was good enough to be considered the start of the Disney Revival, producing many hits, the most popular being ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013''.
19	* Creator/DreamWorksAnimation:
20	** When they started their animated movies, they were seen as a FollowTheLeader of Disney, and later on a FollowTheLeader to Pixar, despite having a few hits like ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' and their collaborations with Creator/AardmanAnimations. However, by ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'' and ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'', [=DreamWorks=] started to be seen as less of a FollowTheLeader and more of a company who developed their own style, while the ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon'' films were considered on par with the best of Disney or Pixar.
21	** The first ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar1'' film, while popular, was considered SoOkayItsAverage by most critics. ''WesternAnimation/MadagascarEscape2Africa'' is where many say the franchise takes off, thanks to abandoning most of the forced pop culture references, focusing more on each of the four characters of the Zoo Gang rather than just Marty and Alex, and embracing a sense of humor that is DenserAndWackier, which better compliments the art style. This newfound quality continued with its spinoffs and an EvenBetterSequel in ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar3EuropesMostWanted''.
22	* In ''Film/ThePixarStory'', John Lasseter said that ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' was the film that defined what Pixar is perhaps best known for: the ability to drive a story with interesting [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments hilarious comedy]], [[TearJerker poignant pathos]] and interesting characters.
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25	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
26	* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' served as this for ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'', which in turn is considered one of several instances of this trope for the Batman franchise as a whole (not all of which, similarly, [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries were limited to the comics]]). ''Film/BatmanBegins'' was well-received - and rightly so - but it was nothing in comparison to just how well Creator/HeathLedger pulled off ComicBook/TheJoker and how ''The Dark Knight'' delved into even more complex themes.
27	* While ''Film/DrNo'' was considered a good film, ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'' is where things started to grow for Film/JamesBond. It was a stronger film and introduced many of the things we would think of with the series. It was an even greater hit and is among the fans often (and by Creator/SeanConnery himself) considered to be the greatest Bond of them all and put the series on the map. ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' is another strong contender and was the start for the Bond-fever.
28	* ''Franchise/TheFastAndTheFurious'' has always had its loyal fans who watch it for [[JustHereForGodzilla the awesome car chases]], but critics didn't start to warm up to the movies until [[Film/FastFive the fifth installment]] -- which surprised most non-fans with its positive reviews.[[note]] It actually managed to earn a "Certified Fresh" rating on Website/RottenTomatoes, where none of the previous movies had even managed a "Fresh" score.[[/note]] The general consensus is that the movies noticeably improved when they stopped taking themselves entirely seriously, and decided to proudly embrace their own cheesiness by ramping the {{spectacle}} up to eleven with action sequences that wouldn't seem out of place in a Franchise/JamesBond movie. It also didn't hurt that they moved away from the original movie's "''Film/PointBreak'' [-[[RecycledWithAGimmick with sports cars]]-]" premise, and reimagined it as a [[TheCaper heist]] series centered around a band of close-knit TrueCompanions; many critics felt that the series gained some much-needed heart as it began to focus on the UndyingLoyalty of the crew, spotlighting Creator/PaulWalker and Creator/VinDiesel's excellent chemistry. The series received fresh ratings for four straight installments. [[note]]This streak was broken with ''Film/{{F9}}'', which ended up barely below the threshold to receive a fresh rating at a 59%.[[/note]]
29	* The original series of ''Film/{{Gamera}}'' movies made little effort to be anything more than a cheap knockoff of the far superior ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' franchise (which had more than its fair share of [[SoBadItsGood bad movies]] to begin with), and are most notable today for providing ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' with some good comedic material. But thanks to such talents as director Creator/ShusukeKaneko, special effects director Creator/ShinjiHiguchi, writer Kazunori Ito, and composer Kow Otani (of later ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'' fame),[[note]]all of whom, with the exception of Ito, worked on ''Film/GodzillaMothraKingGhidorahGiantMonstersAllOutAttack'', nigh-unanimously considered the best Godzilla movie of the "Millenium" era (1999-2004) by far[[/note]] the rebooted "Heisei-era" Gamera trilogy (released between 1995 and 1999) quickly became known as representative of the height of the {{kaiju}} genre alongside even [[Film/{{Gojira}} the original 1954]] ''[[Film/{{Gojira}} Godzilla]]'' [[Film/{{Gojira}} movie]]. This is all particularly true of [[Film/Gamera3AwakeningOfIrys the third film]].
30	* The first two ''Film/HarryPotter'' films were enjoyable, but suffered from [[AdaptationDistillation squeezing in as much of the original books as possible]], with little in the way of cinematic imagination. ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]'' however, embraced itself as a film first and foremost, and the rest of the series followed suit.
31	* ''Film/MarvelOneShots'' kicked off with ''Film/TheConsultant'' a short comprising of nothing more than a clip from ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008'' bookended by clips of SHIELD agents conversing at a table. The following shorts rely more heavily on original footage, and boast more interesting plotlines. And now Marvel's thinking about using them to test new characters and see if they're received well enough to make the jump to the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse movies.
32	* ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'' is generally considered a comedy classic in [[Franchise/ThePinkPanther its series]], but the beard started growing with ''Film/AShotInTheDark'' (which introduced us to Dreyfus and Cato) and had grown completely by the time ''Film/TheReturnOfThePinkPanther'' came out. Once Creator/PeterSellers died and ''Film/TrailOfThePinkPanther'' was released, however, the beard was shaved off completely.
33	* Film/TheThreeStooges started growing their beards when they broke away from Ted Healy. Although their first short ("Woman Haters") was a bit of a misfire, the beard was full in their next effort, "Punch Drunks". The beard was trimmed when Curly's declining health hampered several promising shorts, but the beard grew back, albeit slightly less fully, when Shemp replaced Curly. Most fans would agree, though, that the beard fell out completely and took the whole jawline with it when Shemp died and was replaced by [[ReplacementScrappy Joe Besser]].
34	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse
35	** Universe-wise:
36	*** While all the early movies were financial successes, critical reception was hit or miss. Things turned around with ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', which some have even compared to ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' as one of the best superhero movies of all time and a great case of GenreBusting the superhero movie. Every MCU movie since has gotten glowing praise, with the only ones not breaking 80% on Rotten Tomatoes during its first three phases being ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' and ''Film/{{Captain Marvel\|2019}}''.
37	*** Based on both box office and reviews, Phase 3 is widely seen as this for the MCU as a whole. An important reason frequently cited was the restructuring at Disney that remove the infamously intrusive Creative Committee from the process. Most notably, the Phase 3's ''Film/{{Black Panther\|2018}}'' became the first movie in the franchise to win an Oscar with 3 awards for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score.
38	** Individual Series:
39	*** Among Captain America fans, ''Winter Soldier'' was the film that forever cemented him as a fan favorite. While Cap wasn't disliked in the beginning, some fans felt he lacked a compelling flaw or relatable personal struggle, his fighting style wasn't entertaining, and [[WhatTheHellCostumingDepartment his costume looked unintentionally silly]]. ''Winter Soldier'' tackled these issues with its moral complexity, gritty realism and brutal melee combat that would define the later films, but without undermining Cap's idealism and heroic outlook. It also [[AuthorsSavingThrow significantly redesigned his costume]], which most fans loved.
40	*** The same happened with Thor in ''Film/ThorRagnarok''. While Thor wasn't exactly hated before, he wasn't the most popular superhero and was seen as a dull InvincibleHero when compared to the other Avengers or his own brother Loki. One of director Taika Waititi's stated goals was to [[AuthorsSavingThrow change this]] by giving Thor a more engaging character arc this time. Most would agree that he succeeded, given that it's the best received of all the ''Thor'' films. It also helps that Creator/ChrisHemsworth gave Thor a 180 change of personality. The beard continues to grow in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', reminding viewers why Thor is known as the god of thunder in the fight against Thanos.
41	* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
42	** ''Film/{{Wonder Woman\|2017}}'' was a major improvement for the franchise. The first 3 DCEU movies ''Film/ManOfSteel'', ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', and ''Film/{{Suicide Squad\|2016}}'' received mixed-to-negative reviews on Website/RottenTomatoes with many criticizing the movies for having underdeveloped characters, lacking coherent narratives, and being excessively dark. However, ''Wonder Woman'' became the first DC Extended Universe movie to earn an overall positive response from critics, currently sitting at a 93% approval rating, with many praising the movie for having a straightforward story with well-defined protagonist and a balanced tone, while also grossing over $822 million worldwide. Furthermore, the DCEU actually beat the MCU to a landmark moment by releasing the first acclaimed female superhero movie, proving that the DCEU can compete with the MCU after being mocked for constantly playing catchup to its chief rival.
43	** 2018 is considered a turning point for the franchise. After 2017's ''Film/{{Justice League\|2017}}'' received mixed reviews and bombed at the box office, Warner Bros. reorganized the DC Films division with New Line Cinema producer Walter Hamada as president starting in January 2018. The first film released under Hamada's leadership, the Creator/JamesWan-directed ''Film/{{Aquaman\|2018}}'', received positive reviews (albeit not to the extent of ''Wonder Woman'') and managed to gross over $1.133 billion worldwide, making it both the highest grossing movie in the franchise ''and'' the highest grossing film to be based on a DC Comics property. The following ''Film/Shazam2019'', directed by Creator/DavidFSandberg, became another winner with a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a satisfying $360 million on a comparatively small budget [[note]] Production budget was roughly $90 million and marketing $40 million. [[/note]] Yet most importantly, as Hamada had previously worked with Wan and Sandberg on ''Film/TheConjuringUniverse'', the DC movies didn't experience any significant ExecutiveMeddling, allowing the franchise to recover its public image and recruit new talent like Creator/MattReeves, Creator/JamesGunn and Cathy Yan. Hamada also won a lot of goodwill for allowing (with the blessing of the new WB studio head Toby Emmerich) ''Wonder Woman 1984'' to be pushed back a full seven months. The creative team had wanted a June 2020 release date all along but the studio had wanted to [[ChristmasRushed rush]] it for a November 2019 date. Timing issues had plagued the productions of both ''Suicide Squad'' [[note]] David Ayer had six weeks to write the script [[/note]] and ''Justice League''. [[note]] The execs at WB knew the project needed more time but wanted to stick to the original date to get bonuses as there wasn't another big movie that quarter. The movie released in November but the cast couldn't get together to film reshoots until July due to the cast being all around the world and Gal Gadot's pregnancy [[/note]]
44	** The new direction truly came to fruition in early 2020 as ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'', which is the first project produced solely under his leadership, has also been released to rave reviews. Even if afterwards there was the divisive ''Film/WonderWoman1984'' and how ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'', in spite of great reviews, could not break the overall box office slump of UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic times.
45	* ''Franchise/StarWars'': While [[Film/ANewHope the original 1977 film]] was a smash box-office success that changed the course of movie history, many consider the follow-up [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack sequel]] to be when the franchise grew a beard, stepping out from the shadow of [[JidaiGeki Samurai films]], {{Cowboy}} adventures, and [[Film/FlashGordonSerial pulpy Sci-Fi serials]] from which the original drew much inspiration. The much expanded budget allowed the creative team to pursue new ideas and technologies while the story more character driven and less dependent on [[TheHerosJourney Mythic archetypes]].
46	** For the prequel-era ''Star Wars'' films, ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' addressed the flaws of the previous two films by reducing the focus on galactic politics and concentrating more on the action-adventures of the original trilogy, and paving the way for the well received ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' series. Coincidentally, Obi-Wan began growing a beard during this era, after being clean shaven in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''.
47	* The first three ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries Mission: Impossible]]'' films received mixed to positive reviews. While fairly popular, it wasn't until ''Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol'' that the series really broke out. Every subsequent film in the series to this point has received glowing reviews from both critics and moviegoers.
48	* Years prior to being the TropeNamer on TV, ''Franchise/StarTrek'' was this on the movies, and also because creator Creator/GeneRoddenberry was sidelined - though while in ''The Next Generation'' on his own accord due to failing health, this time on studio imposition: Roddenberry had plans for a follow-up to ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', but Paramount decided that his excessive input was what led to that movie getting over budget and being tepidly received as [[LeaveTheCameraRunning boring]], so he was instead KickedUpstairs to being just an executive consultant and other people assigned with the sequel. ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' was a remarkable SurprisinglyImprovedSequel, and the ensuing success of further movies also ensured there was the return to TV. No matter if [[StarTrekMovieCurse the film quality became inconsistent]].
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Context GrowingTheBeard / Film