wow, you really hate them that much?
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Some characters I understand becoming movies like Hulk and Iron Man. They are well-known and accessible.
But Elektra? Did anyone really want an Elektra movie? And why were they so lazy about it? That was one of the most boring movies I've seen.
Yes, I can appreciate movies individually, so if it's good then it's good, but I still don't like the fact that Hollywod is always trying to get the next big comic book movie. My problem is with the fact that all they want is the next Spider-man. When they snatch a comic book property, they're looking at it as a tentpole movie first.
To me, it's unnecessary to adapt graphic novels like Y: The Last Man or V For Vendetta or Wanted or Watchmen. I don't want to see that--they're already a finite story in a visual form I enjoy. But that's me personally because I read those things. I treat comics as a very serious medium. Superhero movies are a different story because it's not an adaptation so much as it is a compartmentalization. But even then, I think that unless you can have something relevant to say with the character or offer a definitive take, don't even bother. Take this Captain America movie. A politically-fueled Cap movie, examining what it means to be a patriot or representing a country with ideals you don't agree with? That's warranted. That's great. A Cap movie with him running around New York throwing his shield at some supervillain, I'm less enthused about.
Unfortunately, Hollywood has found a very viable self-serving market here. By adapting comics and cartoons, not only do they have a built-in fanbase, but the community connects with each other and every hit serves to market the next project. You don't really have this with novels. It's not like people are going, "Hey! I liked Kite Runner a lot, and this new movie is based on a novel, too! Maybe I'll give it a try." With comic books, you do have non-readers going "Hey, X-Men was good. Marvel superheroes are cool! I'm gonna go see Avengers!" There are also people who equate Transformers with G.I. Joe just because they belong to the same bubble, even though one has nothing to do with the other production-wise.
I've said it before in the Hancock thread. I like the concept of superheroes because, like science fiction, they're rich for social commentary, but they're also a great conduit for explorations of mythology. But what I want to see is expanding the genres and ideas on how movies treat superheroes. I'm tired of every superhero movie trying to be the next big hit, the next blow-em-up-CGI-spectacle summer popcorn movie. There's nothing wrong with it and if it's done well I'll probably enjoy it, but the lack of variety saddens me.
Well put, 8.
It's kind of struck me as weird that in recent years, comic book superhero movies have become event movies/social obligations/brand loyalty products in the way generally reserved for big franchise threequels like Pirates of the Caribbean. Despite the relatively small regular audience for comic books themselves, their adaptations sell to absolutely everyone. That's pretty much the anti-incentive for artistic innovations within the genre, as everyone is just gonna keep seeing them.
And one of the few truly artistsically satisfying superhero films was Lee's Hulk. Which they're pretty much rebuking.
Totally. And that's the rock they're hiding under. There's this big ball of optimism in the comic book industry because Hollywood is taking interest, and I just shake my head because I know it'll pass. And it's also self-destructive because you have Marvel and DC scrambling to accommodate these phantom "new readers" that the movies bring in, ruining their own niche market. What's funny is that Hollywood is actually pretty much using the comic book community to market their movies. They create this big buzz in that crowd, and the enthusiasm is reported by the media and it becomes a wave in the general public. It actually works, as we've all seen.
And don't get me started on the failed screenwriters who are writing comic books with no other purpose than to hope that it gets optioned for a movie. That shit makes me sick to my stomach.
They should cast MM for Thor. Because then I'd have more reason to careless about it.
not familiar at all with the comic. but here he looks uber-badass.
http://images.wikia.com/marveldataba..._Brereton).jpg
Vaughn is no longer attached to Thor.
Please no Brett Ratner. Please no Brett Ratner. Please no Brett Ratner.
Uhhh...apparently pro wrestler Triple H is in the running to play Thor.
As a wrestling fan, I think it's badass, but as a movie fan, I don't think it'd be good.
Any more word on who's directing (or posssibly writing) these? Because my interest pretty much begins and ends there.
Has Marvel signed Faverau for IM2 yet? Or are they still planning on going with someone else? Stupid assholes...
Nope, they haven't signed anyone on yet.
And Favreau is very concerned with the release date scheduled for 2010. He feels this isn't enough time to put together something truly original and that fans and critics will like, instead of just making something quickly and easily to cash in on the first movie's success.
I think that's a pretty admirable statement fromt a guy working in "the system".
I don't like his movies much, but Favreau seems like a pretty swell guy.
Considering the lack of development, isn't Marvel getting a little trigger happy with these announcements?
Wow.
I agree pretty much completely. Not only because of studio chum like Elektra, Ghost Rider, and Fantastic Four. But because the entire notion of superhero films have become a commodity.
After Iron Man, I was actually depressed. Not because it's a bad movie (it isn't), but because I found the final act uninspired and dry. It's the same type of climax we've seen in these films a dozen times. I was left wishing that the film had returned to its most interesting sections - when Stark murdered his Afghani enemies. That scene suggested all manner of insights into morality, violence as a solution, the worth of a superhero in modern times, etc.
Maybe Hancock can give us a fresh angle, but I suspect it will similarly slide into the patterns of superhero films. Smith doesn't want to mess with a good thing.