I just finished watching “Justice League: Doom” on Netflix, and I have to admit that I enjoyed it. I like that way that the Hall of Doom was used, and much to my liking, there wasn’t a bit of camp, irony or nods (other than its appearance) to the one that originally that appeared in the “Superfriends” cartoon that looked like a massive Darth Vader helmet.
As I mentioned many times before, DC Comics aren’t, generally speaking, my reading material of choice (though when I do on occasion buy DC comics, I tend to purchase those from their Vertigo line, such as “Hellblazer,” “Lucifer,” or “Shade: The Changing Man.”) but all the characters were handled very well, which is why I wonder why the “Green Lantern” feature was such a mess.
If the rumored Justice League movie is handled nearly is well, it’s not only going to be a hit, but also have legs that other tentpoles can only dream of.
I have been dealing with a cold since Monday, and I just finished providing tech support to my Mom, so I am a little bit tired at the moment. Whining aside, I saw the new “Man Of Steel” trailer and noticed that it’s a step up from the teaser, which looked like a fabric softener commercial.
If this latest trailer is any indicator, a more “human” Superman is going to be on offer, which I am not sure is a good thing. Part of the joy of the character (at least for me) is how he managed to treat the residents of his newly adopted planet as equals, despite being on par with the gods.
Visually, the cinematography, based upon the trailer, seems almost dream-like and somewhat soft, which is almost the polar opposite to what has appeared in other Zach Snyder productions. It also spends more time stressing the honorable, noble nature of the character more than anything else.
Though I am not quite sure it that’s necessary–in other words, a trailer more based upon him being…super would have been appreciated–because there are few characters that embody the American ideal (as opposed to the reality) more than Superman.
This has got to be one of the most violent trailers I have seen in a while. The aforementioned violence is cartoony, but pretty relentless, though what’s most interesting is that the person that showed it to me was probably ten or 11 years old, which concerned me somewhat.
That is, till I remembered that violence is more acceptable than expressions of sexuality in our culture, especially among males (if Michael Bay films are any indicator).
And before I forget, thanks to ‘X’ for the heads-up.
Why does this movie not–so far, at any rate–move me? Maybe it was the first teaser trailer, which reminds me of a fabric softener commercial. Now we have a poster, courtesy of Superherohype, and I am even less interested. It has Superman in cuffs, being led who knows where, when you know full well that there aren’t any cuffs made (of anything other than Kryptonite) that could hold him.
And I don’t claim to be impartial. Marvel superheroes are my favorites, though I don’t wish DC characters to fail. After all, Green Lantern is one of my favorite DC Comics characters, and look how fraked that was (Green Lantern is a character that I have always thought is a bit difficult to screw up. I guess that I was wrong).
For me, not quite the event that was “The Avengers,” but a must-see nonetheless (plus, I always go to these things with the hope that I appear for a second on screen–I was an extra on this film–as unlikely as that is in this particular case).
Why is it that comics and movies can’t have characters of a particular sexual persuasion, and it not become an event in and of itself? In the past year or so, DC Comics has ‘rebooted’ their entire universe, with ‘The New 52,’ which is unifying and adapting their characters for the current age, more or less.
So, according to Superherohype, one of those rebooted characters, Green Lantern, would be homosexual, though what I am wondering is why this non-event is–by some–an event at all. There are homosexual people in reality and all over television and movies, and it’s hardly earth-shattering.
In reference to comics, if stories are well-written, and the art works with the character–as opposed to against them–then most people are going to care less about who the character has sex with.
Conversely, if the stories suck, so will the character, though it will have very little, if anything, to do with the character’s sexual preference.
Today a new trailer for Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Rises,” was released, and despite being confident that I will not appear in it–despite being an extra–I intend to see it. It will be interesting to see if it manages to knock “The Avengers” off the perch it has come to occupy for the past three weeks or so, though it’s a long time till July 20th.
I also have included the new poster for the movie, which I actually am not too crazy about.
The third trailer for Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” came out a few days ago, and while it took me a few days to post it, possibly due to my current fixation with “The Avengers.”
It strikes a certain mood, but other than the moulded rubber suits, has little in common with Marvel’s film, which is a good thing because anyone that says that all superhero films are alike clearly isn’t paying attention.
I also noticed that you can actually make out what Bane is saying, which is good because there was a bit of contention about that.
This is also the film that I was an extra in, so despite there being little chance I was on screen I will be looking just the same.
If you have seen any of the Marvel Studios productions, like “Iron Man,” “Thor,” “The Incredible Hulk” you already know that you should never leave the theater before the end credits (a trend DC tried to copy with “Green Lantern,” though not as successfully).
That’s because the end of credit scenes have–so far–included hints for what would be Marvel’s next big production (in this case, they all help build toward “The Avengers.”
Now, since as each day goes by I become more and more certain that “The Avengers” will not only wipe the taste of “John Carter” from Disney’s collective mouths, but also lay the ground work for Avengers 2.
So, imagine my surprise when I learn over at Superherohype that there will not be one end credit scene, but two!
Is this a way for Marvel to makeup for releasing the film last in North America? I have no idea, though what I do know is that when “The Avengers” ends, you should just sit back, get comfortable, and let the credits roll.
I am not a huge fan of DC Comics, though I do like a few of their characters, which is why when their movies don’t work it bothers me.
I mean, if Marvel Studios screws up–they haven’t so far, but bear with me–then I can just lick my wounds and go on because they have done well so far, and there are many other characters that I am familiar with.
DC, not so much, so it hits harder when they mess up.
For instance, Green Lantern has always been one of my favorite superheroes, so imagine my dismay when the film ended up being really mediocre. I enjoy the ‘Batman’ films, though director Chris Nolan’s attempt to place the character so firmly in the real world sucks a lot of the enjoyment out of watching the movies.
By which I mean, the Batman films are a lot of things, but a fun time at the movies isn’t one of them.
I grew up on Vertigo’s “Hellraiser” (‘Vertigo’ is an imprint of DC Comics) and when I heard that a movie was being created about John Constantine’s adventures, I was psyched, till I heard that Keanu Reeves was playing the title character.
