Tag: dc

Blog Themes

So, August had Comic Book movie as it’s theme.  I had not intended it, I kind just of fell into it.  I started because I thought it might be nice to get the rest of the X-Men films as to go along with the Apocalypse review.  And then I though, why not the Superman movies, as I have reviewed Man of Steel and Batman V Superman.  And it snowballed from there to focus on DC properties.

So, for September, I will be looking at several films from the Marvel Franchise, including some that were outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  We will cover the good and the bad.  Except George Lucas’ Howard the Duck.

 

And next month? Halloween, Baby.  Scary movies and nothing but.  Including a look at the films of John Carpenter.

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Marvel (Studios) Vs DC (Warner Brothers)

So, there has been a fair amount of talk suggesting DC royally kicked Marvel’s butt at the San Diego Comic Con this years when it comes to the movie side of things.  There was this article specifically citing nine ways that DC owned Marvel at SDCC.  While the points are valid, the “nine ways” are really the same one point, repeated nine times.

What is all comes down to is DC brought their A Game.  Marvel did not.  I was not there, so I am trusting the word of people I know who were there.  They were more impressed with DC (and Warner brothers) than Marvel’s contribution.  Marvel has one movie left this year, Doctor Strange.  I am excited for this film, I think it could be a nice and solid expansion into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They had some brief news, one that Kurt Russell is playing the human form of Ego the Living Planet.  The full Cast of Black Panther (which looks like an excellent cast).  They also announced Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel, Marvel’s first movie focused on a female lead hero.  Which comes out two years after Wonder Woman.  Way to drop that ball.  But the thing is, these announcements are simply confirmations of rumors.  Marvel relied mostly on concept art, rather than exciting new footage.

You see, DC Surprised everyone with brand new footage of Wonder Woman and Justice League.  Footage that got even jaded fans tired out by Man of Steel and Batman V Superman.  People got excited for DC’s cinematic future with actual footage.  Marvel only had footage for Doctor Strange…not one scrap of footage from Guardians of the Galaxy or Thor Ragnarok.  Now, that is understandable…filming just began on July 4th.  Far to close to SDCC to provide anything substantial.  But it would have been cool if Marvel announced their new name for the next Avengers film.  And that they next two were not a two parter.  Instead, they announced this after the con and they did not know what it would be called yet.  They had no footage from Spider-Man homecoming either.

DC’s parent company WB also got people excited with a new trailer for the Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Creatures and Where to Find Them and the first trailer for Kong Island, which looks quite thrilling.  Disney (Marvel’s parent company) brought…well…nothing.  It is pretty hard to say that Marvel did not get owned this years.  They played the same game they always played, and their over confidence appears to have led them to underestimate their competition.  It is to bad, considering how ahead they were, allowing DC to catch up may dampen enthusiasm.

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Spider-Man Swings Past the Origin

The site Collider has a discussion with the writers (though, the actual interview occurred on the Andy Greenwald Podcast) of the rebooted Spider-Man franchise.

comics-spider-man_00426012Much talk has been given about Spider-Man’s second reboot and his entering the the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The hype is getting so ridiculous that an article appeared in my Facebook feed *confirming* Spider-Man would appear in Civil War.  People are so desperate for angles that they are confirming stories confirmed months ago.

The more interesting part is the address the most common concern people seem to have about the reboot.  Are we getting stuck with another origin story?  The fact that Spider-Man is appearing in Civil War would indicate the answer to be no.  The MCU has been fairly good at not jumping backwards.  The timeline appears as if they will be jumping into a story with an active Spider-Man.

This interview suggests that, currently, they are not writing an origin movie:

“I think that everybody feels like you know he got bit by a spider and you know Uncle Ben died, and we probably don’t need to revisit that.”

“We want to explore the fact that just because you get superpowers doesn’t make you into a really sophisticated, successful adult. He’s still a kid and he’s clumsy and he’s a geek and he’s a bit of an outcast, and in many ways the superpowers amplify that and exacerbate his trying to fit in.”

This is good to see.  Truthfully, the origin movie is rarely needed.  I get that there are all sorts of fun that can occur with someone learning their powers.  But a simple solution is set the story early in the hero’s career.  This allows for amusing and dramatic stumbles  due to inexperience.  You can still set up the rivalries.

affleck_batmanIn that sense, I get the idea that DC is working with.  It seems like Batman v Superman will be introducing characters who are already active.  I am not fully behind the “older Batman” approach…but in a way, I appreciate the way they seem to be avoiding another Batman origin story.  Sure, it appears we will see some flashbacks, but comics have always reflected on characters origins in their storytelling.  But Warner Brothers and DC seem to be realizing they can start the story later in the career of the character.  Really, I think it would have helped Man of Steel to start in his early career, instead of the introduction to his world as fighting a massive and destructive battle with Zod.

To be fair, Marvel has not just given us origin films.  The Incredible Hulk was not an origin tale and really, Thor was an established Asgardian Warrior.  But Marvel really has leaned heavily on origin films.  And it certainly worked for the best with Captain America.  So it is good to see that Marvel and their screenwriters understand that it is just not necessary to retell the Spider-Origin all over again.

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