Thread: The Comic Books and Comic Book movies thread

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

I HAVE to think it's going to be some bastardized version of Mandarin. Look, there is no way a major franchise is going to go all 'Ming the Merciless' w/that character because it is (public opinion,not necessarily mine) in really bad taste. I could see some nanotech version of the rings and an extremely toned down version of the villain...hell, the name is even politically incorrect from what I have read. So, as perfect as Kingsley is for that part it there is no way that Marvel/Paramount(?) are going to risk killing the golden goose. They need a solid critical/public hit with IM3. It is the engine that drives the whole Avengers/Thor/Cap'n money printing machine and IM2 was not as well liked as the first one was.

So I take it I shouldn't expect Yellow Claw or Sunfire either...... Seriously, I like your take on it, though. What is also intriguing is the sort of conflicting statements from Black and Favreau regarding the Mandarin character. Is he in or not. Will he be called Mandarin. All very interesting.

Zack Snyder Making MAN OF STEEL “Edgy” Like THE DARK KNIGHT

ruh roh raggy...

Archie Goes A-Gender-Swappin' | CraveOnline

Ummmmmmmm. These just ain't the Archie comics of our childhood anymore.

Editorial: Contemporary Superhero Films Should Take a Lesson from BATMAN: THE MOVIE

This July, Christopher Nolan will complete his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan’s approach to Batman has been to set the character in the “real” world. Anything remotely comic-book-y is verboten. There is no Batmobile; there’s the Tumbler. There’s no Two-Face; there’s “Harvey Two-Face”. In The Dark Knight, Gotham City looked like Chicago, and because of tax breaks for the production, Gotham City will look like Pittsburgh in The Dark Knight Rises. Say what you will about Tim Burton and Joel Schmacher‘s takes on Batman (and there’s plenty to say), but they dreamed bigger. Nolan’s take has merit, but it also wants to take the “super” out of superhero. Yes, Batman doesn’t have superpowers, but he’s still extraordinary. But there’s no room for Bat Shark-Repellant.

Bat Shark-Repellant was used by the Caped Crusader in 1966′s Batman: The Movie. For those who haven’t seen the film, it’s an absolute joy. It’s big, it’s cartoony, it’s campy, and it doesn’t care. No filmmaker or studio would risk a plot where the villains dehydrate the world leaders into colored sand. And if a modern superhero movie dared to make this leap, it would twist itself into circles to provide some reasonable explanation, which would defeat the purpose of making such a grand leap in the first place. Can teenagers not accept a movie where Batman is running down a boardwalk, carrying a giant bomb over his head? Contemporary superhero movies don’t have to be this campy, but an over-the-top, exuberant style has merit. There’s no shame in liking a bombastic, unabashedly silly superhero movie if it’s done right (if it’s done wrong, you have Batman & Robin). The shame comes from keeping superheroes in rigid box of “reality” when the genre has so much more to offer. Like Bat Shark-Repellant.

great editorial...really. And it makes you wonder, have things skewed too far over the line. Will there be some great FUN comic book that Anti-Dark Knights up the world of comic books and comic book movies? Or will comic book movies continue towards one dimensional grimness to the point of redundancy? Kick-Ass was a nice straddle over the line and yet not too successful. Do superhero movies have to be joyless to be successful?

Jesus Christ. Does everybody forget Batman & Robin where Batman pulls out a god damned Bat Credit Card?

We HAD CAMPY. This current era of films is a reaction TO THAT.

I'm not reading that articel but I hope there's some nod to reality and not just what their personal nostalgia machine wants everyone to see.

*GRUMBLE*

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

Editorial: Contemporary Superhero Films Should Take a Lesson from BATMAN: THE MOVIE



great editorial...really. And it makes you wonder, have things skewed too far over the line. Will there be some great FUN comic book that Anti-Dark Knights up the world of comic books and comic book movies? Or will comic book movies continue towards one dimensional grimness to the point of redundancy? Kick-Ass was a nice straddle over the line and yet not too successful. Do superhero movies have to be joyless to be successful?

What about Iron Man, Thor and Captain America?

I think this is more of a singular reaction to the thought of a Nolan-like Superman. For some reason that's a stone in my shoe as well. Superman is the antithesis of Batman...which is why I never really cared for him. But he is what he is. He is the bright blue schoolboy. Even those three you cite Adgy have their fare share of angsty stuff. Marvel just makes movies geared for wider audiences so of course they don't have that Dark Knight edge. You also have a point Doc, the Batman tv show would be one and done in this day and age. But Adgy, isn't that Batman & Robin comic supposed to be more of a fallback to the 'golden age' stuff? And, if I remember correctly you really liked that book...as do a lot of others. I said it was an interesting editorial...did not say that I agreed with it hook line and sinker. But(Doc, talking to you here) whats the harm in listening/reading alternative opinions? Just made me think that these 'funnybook' movies have had an exceeding lack of lightheartedness. There is a balance. Perfect example...if a Deadpool movie got done right. Over-the-top violence mixed with sight gags/fourth wall breaking/and other silliness. If you remove the fun from that you wind up with that godawful Wolverine flick. And the darker these things get the more repetetive they get. Which does not do much to advance the genre. Another sort of example...horror movies tend to be samey just as well. Yet you get a movie like Zombieland that expanded things a bit by being charming, sweet as well as a good zombie flick. That's what this article really made me think about...that we could use a expectation bender in the superhero category. You are hyperfocusing the argument too much Doc. Here's an idea...instead of making a Superman movie that mirrors the 'dark/edgy' mold maybe throw Bizaaro/Mr. Mzxtxlplx(you know who i mean) into it and make a different kind of movie more in line with the original concept. It's just something to talk about really...what do I know? Maybe there is no room in these movies for innocence. Look at how the Rocketeer failed.

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

Maybe there is no room in these movies for innocence. Look at how the Rocketeer failed.

you actually argue my point...albeit with a cartoon. See also Megamind. Incredibles was a tremendous superhero movie with nary a moment of ultrarealism/grittiness in sight. Why can't that same 'whimsy' be applied to an actual superhero movie?