For those who don’t know, I am an avid comic book collector. So it breaks my heart to see Hollywood slowly killing a medium I love so much. You would think that turning a comic book into a movie would be pretty easy: the story, script and story boards are all there; sometimes put together in a handy graphic novel. The characters are all developed, with their own back story and conflicts. But, unfortunately, Hollywood needs thing to be BIGGER and BETTER!!
*sigh*
Now, I could used a dozen of examples of were Hollywood has screwed up the stories of the many comic book characters that I love; (For every ‘Spider-Man’ movie, there’s ‘Spider-Man 3′) but thankfully (?) there are a few hitting the theaters (and tv screens) this Summer and Fall, for me to tear apart.
First we’ll go with the obvious: DC Comics. You’d think that DC Comics would have the easiest time time making a movie version of one of their characters: they have the two most recognizable characters in field: Batman and Superman; and they are owned by Warner Bros. This should be a no brainer!! Yet, they keep making the same mistake, which causes them to fail: Jam as many movie stars into the film as possible!! For the upcoming ‘Superman’ reboot, I had high hopes. They had cast ‘unknown’ (not to me) actor Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent. I love this! Not only does he fit the bill looks-wise, but he doesn’t have any baggage from previous roles weighing him down (Something Robert Pattinson will have to deal with for the next few years). However, with reports of Diane Lane and Kevin Costner taking on the roles of Martha and Jonathan Kent; I started to get nervous. Why the ‘big stars’ for two roles, that will be finished within 30 minutes of the movie?? Now it’s been announced that Amy Adams will play the role of Lois Lane………WHY?!? Don’t get me wrong I like Amy Adams, but she’s NOT Lois Lane!! Lois is tough as nails and cynical and ‘one of the guys’ working in a ‘man’s occupation’ . Which is why Superman turns her world around. He brings out the feminine in her and makes her softer and opens her eyes to the world around her, that doesn’t involve getting a Pulitzer Prize. If she’s already a wide eyed ‘wow!’ type girl, how is he going to surprise/shock her with his powers??
As much as I like Superman, I love Batman more. But the problem I have with DC & Warner Bros. adaptations of Batman is two fold. Not only do they try to cram as many BIG STARS as they can into the movie, they also cram as many Batman characters into one film as well. I enjoyed ‘Batman Begins’, it was a good beginning piece, with two lesser known villains: The Scarecrow and Ra’s Al Ghul, battling Batman. However, I started seeing the same problems creep into this franchise when ‘Batman: The Dark Knight’ came out. You have a classic tale of Batman vs. The Joker, a rivalry as old as the Boston Bruins vs. the Montreal Canadiens….why add another villain, Two-Face, to the mix?? (And leave out Harley Quinn, which is a crime!!) Now, with the upcoming ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ you are going to see Bane, Catwoman AND the Holiday Killer!! All three of these characters could hold their own in an individual movie, against Batman. WHY PUT ALL THREE IN ONE FILM???
Then of course, there’s this:
Yes, DC and Warner Bros. are retooling a Wonder Woman TV series and THIS monstrosity is what actress Adrianne Palicki will be wearing. WHY???? WHY WOULD THE POWERS THAT BE DECIDE THAT A COSTUME THAT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME (OK, 60+ years) NEEDS TO BE REVAMPED?????? Granted, DC Comics just recently revamped Wonder Woman’s costume in the book, but I don’t remember seeing Diana in shiny rubber. Seriously, what was the costume department thinking when they came up with this?? Sorry Warner Bros., but there’s only one Wonder Woman:
And finally, we have the “Green Lantern’ movie coming out this Summer. I was looking forward to this….until I saw the trailer:
I love Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, but there are parts of the trailer, esp. near the end, that make me cringe. Let’s hope it’s just bad editing.
(Part 2: Marvel coming soon!)
YES! I’d add a long comment, but you haven’t left me much to add!
I will say this much: to me, a lot of what’s gone wrong with so many of these films is lack of respect for the source material — especially the Batman films. The sheer amount of characters crammed into these things feels like stunt writing, like they’re putting on a circus instead of telling me a story worth my time to hear. Warners could make a trilogy out of the Joker/Batman relationship alone, and through it tell the modern history of Gotham City — but only if the creative team and the production team behind the effort had enough respect for that relationship. Sadly, when I see Catwoman + Holiday Killer + Bane, I see a whole team behind the film treating it like a live-action Very Special Super Friends Episode. It’s still just funny books to them. And so I save my money for another, better conceived film. It’s as simple as that.
Great rant! Thank you for saying it all.
xx