Disclaimer – I am not a fanboy for Marvel or DC. They both have their good and bad points. I am just someone who is stoked that we are getting some great adaptations of both properties.
I sat last year through the Dark Knight Marathon jaw dropping through the whole thing. Some great cinema love or hate the way Nolan changed things. If there was no source material aside from the glaring plot holes (am I the only one that thinks a Director’s Cut is absolutely necessary for TDKR?) it was a fine movie.
I also sat last year with my heart beating out of my chest as I watched Capt. America, Iron Man, Hulk Thor and Loki(let’s face it they were the only real fleshed out characters in that movie, everyone else was eye candy or a plot pawn) battle it out on the big screen. It never felt like they were in any real danger, but I hung on every frame. It has become the gold standard by which all CBMs will be measured for years to come…Until Avengers 2.
And again I sat this morning (0001) as I finally saw a Superman for the 21 century. Reviews have been all over the map for this movie. Why? Some of it is Nolan’s fault. Mainstream critics heard his name attached and thought that they were going to get a realist view to a comic movie again. How can you be a realist when you have an alien with God-like powers on earth? Not going to happen. Also, it is being compared to the gold standard; but is the gold standard really that great?
Hold on fanboys…do not crucify me yet, hear me out.
It has been my belief that Avengers is not graded as a standalone movie, but graded for the amazing undertaking that Phase 1 was. Every theory needs data to support it. I offer to you my wife (not in that way Tea Bag or Gusto). She is not a fangirl, she hasn’t even seen Star Wars. I dragged her kicking and screaming to Capt America. She LOVED it. She loved the nostalgia of a WW2 period piece. She liked the story, not the love story part as she is not a “chick flick” girl, but the overall aspect of the plot.
I also drugged her and took her to Avengers (I meant to say dragged her…I really did). She didn’t get it. “Why does that guy turn green and bash the crap out of things? Wait so this chick had no a single power yet she is holding her own with the God of Thunder? Who is this Robin Hood guy?” She saw one movie in Phase One and just didn’t get why this was all going down. The Thanos conversation should have made it on YouTube, it was that cringe worthy. She thought it was just ok. We went back and forth on the movie’s merit and then it hit me. We are not grading the Avengers on the movie alone. We are grading it on the scale and incredible ambition that 5 years of movies set up.
For that it gets a solid A+. No doubt in my mind. Hoverer, the movie itself was good…not great…but good. It was amazing to see the team kicking ass all together on one screen. It had its share of plot holes and script problems. We let that pass though because of what this move meant to all of us and it was just damn fun.
Now we get to Man Of Steel. It is not fair to compare it to the entire set up and load blowing that Phase One was. Pretend you haven’t seen any of the Dark Knight Trilogy or Phase One.
Hold this move to the same standard you would hold any standalone movie. Not one in a set of sequels or a 5 year plan. Don’t compare it to other CBMs. See it like I did. A 31 year old kid sitting in Oxnard Ca reacquainting myself with an old friend that has been gone for so long. With that in mind I was BLOWN AWAY! Its not perfect but I left that movie speechless. Just fun from start to finish. It is what Superman was supposed to be. Honestly it is how I would have done it.
If we take that approach to more of these upcoming CBMs it may keep the fanboy fighting down. Be a kid again! If you are a kid you are so damn lucky to start your CBM experience at the time you are. If you are just getting in to CBMs DO NOT RENT DAREDEVIL OR GREEN LANTERN, but enjoy what you are getting your minds on.
Either way we are all lucky to be living in the CBM world we are living now.
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