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Zack Snyder

Can Marvel do no wrong?

by Palle Schmidt Leave a Comment

marvel_s_the_avengers__age_of_ultron___banner_i_by_mrsteiners-d74vpuj

When I was growing up, the superheroes I knew where two-dimensional four-color characters in comic books. The live action superhero was the cartoony Batman TV show but even as a kid I realized the tackiness of it. It wasn’t until Tim Burton’s 1989 movie Batman that it felt like they at least tried to take it seriously.

Kids today have a much wider access to the characters in both comics, movies and computer games that let you fill the shoes of your favorite heroes. And it’s not just because CGI has improved that the movies have gotten better. It’s because really smart people are involved in making them, from script to screen.

Getting Christopher Nolan on board for the Batman trilogy was no doubt a smart decision. But no sooner had the Dark Knight died (at least that’s my interpretation) before DC Comics dropped the ball again, leaving the field wide open for Marvel to score big with Guardians of the Galaxy – a completely left field choice that won over even the harshest critics.

While DC seems to alienate fans with their new dark and gritty reboot of Superman and the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, Marvel keeps surprising us with smart and funny movie versions of fan favorites. Apart from the third instalment that is widely regarded as a misfire, the X-Men movies have been pretty great, both faithful to the comics and smartly adapted for the big screen and a wider audience.

In the original X-Men from 2000, there is a great line where Wolverine bitches about the costumes they are prompted to wear in the final confrontation. Cyclops replies: “What would you prefer, yellow spandex?” A great tongue-in-cheek reference to the costumes of the comics, which undoubtedly would have looked ridiculous in the movie, and a great example of fan service while still having the guts to change things for the better.

The strategy has often looked far from obvious. From Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man to the complete surprise hit of the almost unknown Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel have taken bold choices both in casting and in characters, and pulled off the impossible of bringing together a band of heroes from different movies in The Avengers. They have managed to make us all interested in less known characters, at least from a non-fan perspective, and seamlessly woven together intricate plotlines while juggling dozens of characters at the same time.

This week the news that Marvel have cast Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. strange and new movies will feature heroes such as Captain Marvel and Black Panther. And at the same time this new clip and trailer from the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron aired, sending chills down my spine – and I don’t even know who Ultron is! Didn’t know I cared!

From my perspective it looks like Marvel can do no wrong and it even made me want to read some of the comics again. What do you guys think? Excited for the future of superhero movies? Or just sad that no one knows these blockbuster franchises are based on comics?

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Age of Ultron, Avengers, Batman, Ben Affleck, Benedict Cumberbatch, Black Panther, Capatain America, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Christopher Nolan, Cobie Smulders, Cyclops, DC comics, Dr. Strange, Elizabeth Olsen, Guardians of the Galaxy, James Spader, Jeremy Renner, Joss Whedon, Man of Steel, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel, Marvel movies, movies, Paul Bettany, Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Spider-Man, Stellan Skarsgard., superhero comics, superhero movies, superheroes, Superman, The Dark Knight Rises, Thomas Kretschmann, trailer, Wolverine, X-Men, Zack Snyder

Sandman the movie

by Palle Schmidt 3 Comments

joseph-gordon-levitt-sandmanJoseph Gordon-Levitt, who recently played a major role in Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, has signed on to work on another comics adaptation – this time as a producer and director. He is teaming up with screenwriter David S. Goyer (known for Blade and Nolans Batman trilogy) to produce an adaptation of Neil Gamain’s Sandman, the acclaimed Vertigo comic, for Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment. So far there’s no word on wether Gordon-Levitt will be in the movie as an actor, but perhaps we’ll see him as Morpheus himself? He certainly has experience with working inside a dream through his role in Inception and has proved himself a very capable director with this year’s Don Jon.

Sandman is yet another graphic novel of epic proportions to be transported to the screen in recent years. The adaptation of Alan Moore’s Watchmen got massive critizism, not just because Zack Snyder was directing, but simply because many believed it sacrilege to tamper with the perfect genius of the source material. So far there doesn’t seem to be flame wars going on concerning Sandman, but what are your thoughts? Is Sandman “unfilmable” or can Hollywood do it justice?

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Alan Moore, Batman, Christopher Nolan, comic book adaptations, David S. Goyer, Don Jon, Hollywood, Inception, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, movie, Neil Gaiman, Sandman, The Dark Knight Rises, Vertigo, Warner Brothers, Watchmen, Zack Snyder

Ben Affleck as… Superman?

by Palle Schmidt 3 Comments

Hi, I'm Batman. And Superman. And Daredevil...
Hi, I’m Batman. And Superman. And Daredevil…

There has been a lot of debacle over the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming Zack Snyder movie Batman vs. Superman, but no one seems to akcnowledge Afflecks earlier superhero performances.

No, I don’t mean Daredevil. The reviews and word of mouth has been so bad that I spared myself of that one (wish I had been smart enough to do the same with Die Hard 4 and 5). But who knows why that movie tanked? All of it can’t be on Affleck.

I think what a lot of people have forgotten, is one of Affleck’s finest performances was in fact as… Superman. In the 2006 thriller Hollywoodland, Affleck plays the 1950’s TV Superman actor George Reeves, a not very talented actor and pretty boy. And – surprise -Afflecks nails it!

When I first heard of Affleck’s Batman casting, I thought (and perhaps secretly hoped) that it was a joke. But then again, casting is somebody’s else’s profession, not mine. Would I have cast Michael Keaton as Batman, a comedy actor? Christian Bale, a skinny, blonde brit? Would I have cast Heath Ledger as The Joker? Robert Downey Jr. as Ironman?

The answer to all of the above would be a roaring NOO! And I would be wrong.

And what about the seemingly obvious, spot-on casting, such as Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Or Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin in the first Spiderman movie. All they had to do was paint his face green – Boom! And yet in the movie, Dafoe’s was not the most impressive of performances. Largely because they chose to put a full face helmet on him…

Movies turn out for the worst for a million reasons. Casting is but a small part of it. Script and director is much more important. Maybe we should give anyone involved the benefit of the doubt, and maybe stop bitching about stuff that is beyound our control.

Does the casting of Ben Affleck take anything away from our enjoyment of Batman as a comics character, or even earlier incarnations? Come on. It’s just a movie. DC and Warner Brothers don’t care what we think, as long as they sell tickets. What we CAN do, is stop buying their crap JUST because it has Batman in it, and do a little research, find the good stuff and vote with our wallets.

I  just think there should be a limit to how many iconic superheroes one actor can portray. Three strikes and you’re out!

Here’s what former Batman, Val Kilmer says, and I concur:

ben-affleck-as-batman-internet-reactions-40

Who would you see as Batman, or any other superhero, if you had a say in the matter?

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Batman, Ben Affleck, casting, Christian Bale, DC comics, Heath Ledger, movies, Robert Downey Jr., superhero movies, superheroes, Superman, Val Kilmer, Warner Brothers, Zack Snyder

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