So, the new year is well underway. Figured I might as well write something.
For those I haven't seen since 2015 landed, happy new year. That means, strictly speaking, just about everyone.
Still unemployed, ranting internally about companies not even doing you the courtesy of telling me to fuck off.
Lots of time for movies though. Even though I'm not a movie buff, and hopefully gainfully employed by the time any of my desired movies hit theaters.
You wanted me to talk about the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe for the willfully uninitiated) and its offshoots. Here goes. Backstory-ish first though.
I've been somewhat of a Marvel fanboy since a young age. Despite none of the comics being available locally, the cartoons were. Spider-Man and X-Men mostly. I watched the shit out of them, not really thinking about the deeper messages they entailed. Fucking lasers, man. OUT OF HIS FUCKING EYES, YUSSSS.
cue growing up and those cartoons inevitably ending. Not very sad at the time. Out comes Fox with the first X-Men movie. I had to check it out. If not for nostalgic reasons (though I was barely 12 years old). Loved the shit out of it, and wore out the VHS. Yes, VHS.
Didn't spark anything though. No internet connection at the time (probably for the best too. The amount of porn I would've consumed couldn't have been healthy). Internet connection came about some 5 years later and was too busy with wrestling to look up Marvel comics.
Iron Man comes out in 2008. Didn't care, other than a cameo in the Spider-Man series, I knew next to nothing about Iron Man. Didn't help he was kind of a dick during that cameo.
2011. Not so very long ago. Interest in wrestling waned momentarily. I don't think I need to rehash why. Read just about any wrestling related entry I've posted here. Not much to do except college assignments but since I was flunking out of that anyway, I didn't care.
Decided to watch Iron Man just for the hell of it. And of course, I loved the shit out of it. Watched Iron Man 2 immediately after. Less good, still awesome. Wait, Marvel has more films out? They have Joss Whedon attached to a product? YUSSSS! (I had watched Firefly not too long before and had a massive Whedonboner, fyi)
WATCH ALL THE MARVEL FILMS. Captain America, Thor and even that remotely ok Hulk film.
Loved all of it. Well, shit.
It's now something of a religion. Even after reading up about the characters and possible story arcs for the films to tackle, I can rant like comics expert. I don't, because it's silly. Who gives a shit if it's true to the comics. They are entertaining films.
Much like myself, every competitor in the superhero genre realised far too late that Marvel was pretty much rendering their franchises (a lot of them Marvel based) completely fucking useless.
Sony was resting happily producing another Spidey film, because they knew audiences would be drawn to it. "Why expand? Spidey works!"
Fox produces a couple of X-Men films (the ensemble films being really good, the standalone Wolverine movies not so much.)
DC running behind hopelessly, coming out of a successful run with the Batman trilogy and doing absolutely fuck all to capitalise on it while the franchise was shit hot. Now Marvel has the top spot, and with their quality control and using key people who actually know their comics are light years ahead of any competitors.
This allows them to take chances on new characters. They are now in the position that Sony was in, being an almost guaranteed success. It shouldn't be a wonder that Sony has now struck a deal with Marvel.
Spidey gets to appear in Marvel produced films, with Sony making use of Marvel's expertise on the character as well as piggy-backing off the success that Marvel still has to this day.
Superhero films always work. That's why the comics endure. New generations stand up and read them, and relate in some way. Wanting to be those heroes even. No matter how sick of those films you might become, there's always someone else looking forward to that next installment. For the time being, that'll be me for sure. Even if Marvel drops the ball at some point ... I'll still forgive them, because they've brought me so much entertainment during my lifetime, it would be wrong not to.
Now that they've announced the release dates for several films up until 2020 (and pushed back some, because of the Spidey involvement) it looks like any competitor is fighting a losing battle. Marvel gambled and won. An Affleck Batman rehash isn't going to change that. Buona Fortuna, amici.
Ah well, DC still has tv huh. I can't say I've watched Flash, Arrow or Gotham, but they're getting good reviews. Agents of SHIELD is pretty fucking awesome though. Slow start for season 1 but so far, things are absolutely looking mighty amazing.
All in all, it looks like Marvel will be dominating the box office for quite some time. I'm not unhappy about it either. At this point, I can only hope the Assassin's Creed film will turn out to be a critical and commercial success. Fuck, I love that series.
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| copyright to the respective owners, probably Victoria's Secret. |
I should add a babe right? Which one should I highlight ...
Let's go for Sara Sampaio, my favourite Portuguese person. Because she's cool as well as pretty.
Replying to random tweets of mine a couple of times. Not that I'm bragging or anything ... why would I? It would make appear even more of a sad, lonely fucker. Ah shit, I'll carry that badge proudly! As per usual, boobs are google-able.
Anything else you want me to talk about, or something wrestling related? Let me know. Until then.
Peace be upon thee, young Padawan.
~D.
** Addendum:
I feel Marvel will continue to keep traction going for the planned schedule up to 2020. However, this market will likely be satiated by the time Marvel reaches the end of their current schedule. Take a break guys, before you plunge into the depth that an inevitable push back will create. Your actors won't be around for the next 20 years sticking to the suit they made inarguably famous.
I don't expect them to do it, with so many hot commodities attached to the projects, but still...
For the time being, Marvel won't have anything to worry about. Diverse characters (Carol Danvers; smart choice), enough source material to create genre-films, possibly avoiding the pitfall detailed in the comments below about superhero films dying a slow and painful death because it was no longer the story that prevailed.
That's Marvel's strength. Striking the balance between characters and their development as well as providing a story that isn't a strictly by the book "good vs evil" popcorn flick.
I thought it took balls to turn Winter Soldier into a political thriller. And it likely saved that film from turning into a cartoonesque mess (i.e. Batman & Robin, Every Superman film since 1978*)
So, what am I looking forward to? Age of Ultron, Fantastic Four reboot (I really want to see if they can do it better; sheesh those first two were really not good); Terminator Genisys (shoot me, I love the franchise, including the much maligned T3); the Hitman film (I liked the first one too, partly because Tim Olyphant is fucking awesome in everything he does). And not to forget: X-Men: Apocalypse. The current X-Men cast is fucking stellar (MacAvoy is probably even my favorite) and Apocalypse is pretty much the top villain within the X-Men franchise. Lastly, Deadpool. Have you seen the test footage? Totally convinced this will be awesome.
*Yes, every single one. While I enjoyed I and II, it was never what it was supposed to be. Superman I was recut from what director Richard Donner envisioned, turning it into a parody of itself with the most ass backwards Deux Ex Machina ending imaginable.
While I liked Man of Steel, it wasn't nearly good enough to wash away the vile taste of Superman returns. Good heavens, that was a terrible movie.
Thanks for the diligent response to my "request" (oh, you must be bored, my friend) and allow me to give my two cents about this latest entry.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated New Year to you too! Professional success I wish you :)
I have high regards towards X-Men (the first film) which made me start a comic-book collection (and waste all my bus-money on it) and loved X2. The X3 movie was, in a sense, the biggest disappointment of all. There's this saying, "less is more"...The X3 wanted to do so many things it obviously was doomed. Combining the phoenix saga, the juggernaut, the cure for mutants, and all those separate things altogether gave them no justice whatsoever. It's a movie I've come to hate with a passion and thus, the latest "Days of Future Past" cancelling all that shit makes its own way to my heart just for that simple reason.
Just because Robert Downey Jr nailed Tony Stark perfectly doesn't mean he shits golden eggs. The IM2 and IM3 were in no way good, plot-wise or character-wise. Villains were plain dull. Plot was plain dull. Only RDJ saved the franchise.
The true-to-comics aspect of the films. You can't expect people not going on rants if they take a giant turd on the universe they've loved for years. Even beyond the film universe, the heated debates over the choice of killing such and such affects fans around the world. Take their beloved product and turn it sideways, they're gonna boil. So, in all aspect, I say we keep the story truer as possible and everyone will be happier for it. (Picture the Ten Commandments where Moses crosses the Red sea holding Poseidon's scepter while riding a unicorn. Majestic as it may sound, you'd get riots too); the canon is just as important to comic-book fans.
The superhero films always work THESE DAYS. In the past, the Superman 4 and Batman films (B&R) nearly killed the superhero film industry. These days, I'm affraid to see the general public reaction with the upcoming tidal wave from both Marvel and DC in the next couple of years, and people might get fed up with superhero films. This is a pressure they can't lift unless all movies get a great reception, which implies they give each one a "new stuff look" (same as Cap America Winter Soldier, which had a darker tone)
The TV shows now. AoS is strong indeed, and I'm looking forward to seeing if they can somehow integrate the show in the big picture (cameos in Civil War maybe?). The DC shows, as I heard, are quality. I've watched the Flash and it's kinda nice. I got my hands on Arrow and I'll proceed later on this week to watch some episodes. Never watched Gotham, and while I appreciate the effort to give some highlight on Batman's background, I don't find it exactly exciting. (coming up next, the brand new "New York" TV show, which tells you the story of Spiderman's city, but, hey, Spidey won't be in it. Just sayin)
But all in all, you didn't really go where I asked you to go, my friend, and I'm sure you spent more time looking for the babe (or rather looking at) than you did at my question ;)
I wanted to have your honest and humble opinion on your expectations regarding all the next MCU films (and DC while you're at it); which ones are you most eager to watch? Which ones (beside Star Wars) are you not interested in at all?
Till next time!
ah cheers. I get your comment regarding canon. Speaking from my own perspective though, it doesn't bother me, perhaps because I'm not an avid comics reader.
ReplyDeleteI'll add an addendum detailing my own expectations for the MCU later today. I can't really speak for DC as I'm not entirely up to speed or have seen much DC movies.
As for Batman and Superman III and IV, it's easy and your expectations for the MCU details exactly why those later Batman and Superman films bombed beyond compare.
Marvel seems to be well capable of relaying undertones either subtly or bluntly, and creatively directing the movies accordingly. Winter Soldier would not have worked as a vehicle for Captain America to beat shit up.
With them spearheading their own films as opposed to independent studios doing those DC films back then, they are more easily able to adapt the source material they have and create an interesting movie, rather than a cartoonesque knock off to cash in on a franchise.
The only one that hasn't succeeded as much in that are the Thor films, and I don't really expect Ragnarok to make a difference either. There's too little footing in realism. If they could add a realistic and relatable setting, while not sacrificing the Asgardian part, it would be better (hence why Thor 1, while still being messy, was a generally better film than Dark World imo)