Super X
Before I start todays blethering nonsense ... you need to know two things:
1. Although an uber sci-fi geek, my comicbook geekiness is limited.
2. In accordance with (1) I do however love comic book franchises and have a strong background knowledge on most of them, even if I dont read that many. Batman is the main exception due to my adoration of the Bruce/Selina Batman/Catwoman duplicity.
So, last night I watched My Super Ex Girlfriend.
At this point you may be waiting for a simpsons comic book guy style rant (worst .. movie ..ever) but you aint getting one because I loved it! I thought the effects of her flying were actually better than most of the Spidey stuff, the romance plot more interesting and believable than Superman Returns and the villain .. well the great thing about it was that the villain was kind of the hero... for anyone who has seen it, one word ... telescope. Classic.
But this leads me to another point ..... what the hell is going on with the real superhero movies? Spiderman - nice start, brings in the background very well but the last act was just shocking. Hardly a big ending was it? And over in 3 seconds flat. And as for all the reviews at the time of how great the effects were of spidey swinging down the streets ... did they see a different cut to me? Did Cineworld in Luton get a working print by accident with incomplete FX? (Mr. Rainbow ... you were managing projection then ... what gives??? Or did Barti put something in my drink!!!!). Spidey 2 was much better ... in fact I would go as far as to say I liked it. Spidey 3 I am dead excited by as it has Venom who has been a fave of mine .... since before he was venom! I just think the colours are nicer.
And on to Superman .... The original two films .... you cant touch them. The look, the casting, the music, the sets ... everything ... its (to me) just what Superman is about. Superman 3 I can enjoy on a slapstick level .. plus that robot woman at the end is quite cool, i liked that as a kid. Lets gloss over 4 and move on to ...
X-Men. Now, prior to the first movie, my X knowlegde was very limited. I have a few friends who are big fans (Hi John!) and so most of my knowlegde was through them. I really liked the first one ..LOVED the second (cried like a girl when Jean Grey was engulfed by the water .. then Dan explained the Phoenix thing to me) and thought the third was a lot of fun but ultimately not a fitting end to a trilogy (but dont get me wrong, still enjoyed it a lot).
And of course ... The Bat.
Tim Burton nailed Gotham for me. 100% Joel Schumacher fucked it, rolled it over, fucked it twice more up the arse and then shot a wad on it face for good measure. Now, I dont blame Joel per se for this. I have seen the man interviewed and I like him a lot ... he had some great ideas that the studio kind of ran way with ... and spoilt. The only thing where Joel and I disagree is a colour scheme ... and you are going to get that kind of argument when you ask two gay men to decorate, be it Gotham City, a living room or otherwise. But please ... what was Batman & Robin? And Jim Carrey as The Riddler? Not evil, clever and conniving so much as just a hateful twat.
But Batman Forever was the start of what became the probelm with these franchises. It suddenly became about the toys .... now in part, this has been an issue since Star Wars that has been gestating and growing but to my mind, Forever was the turning point and B&R the breaking point. Returns worked beautifully. One hero, one villain, one .... duplicitous central charatcer and all the support. Forever ... Hero, sidekick with backstory needed, Two Villains each with a backstory/origin. B&R .. hero, sidekick, three vilains with origins/backstory, a sick butler, new sidekick with story related to sick butler ....plus costume changes and mutiple accessories to maximse toy potential..... you see my point?
Sp back to where we started ... My Super Ex Girlfriend. Not over complicated, four central characters around which all revolves and some effects that look like they are at least actually happening to the people around them ... and on a considerably less budget I would imagine too. Hollywood, are you listening?
1. Although an uber sci-fi geek, my comicbook geekiness is limited.
2. In accordance with (1) I do however love comic book franchises and have a strong background knowledge on most of them, even if I dont read that many. Batman is the main exception due to my adoration of the Bruce/Selina Batman/Catwoman duplicity.
So, last night I watched My Super Ex Girlfriend.
At this point you may be waiting for a simpsons comic book guy style rant (worst .. movie ..ever) but you aint getting one because I loved it! I thought the effects of her flying were actually better than most of the Spidey stuff, the romance plot more interesting and believable than Superman Returns and the villain .. well the great thing about it was that the villain was kind of the hero... for anyone who has seen it, one word ... telescope. Classic.
But this leads me to another point ..... what the hell is going on with the real superhero movies? Spiderman - nice start, brings in the background very well but the last act was just shocking. Hardly a big ending was it? And over in 3 seconds flat. And as for all the reviews at the time of how great the effects were of spidey swinging down the streets ... did they see a different cut to me? Did Cineworld in Luton get a working print by accident with incomplete FX? (Mr. Rainbow ... you were managing projection then ... what gives??? Or did Barti put something in my drink!!!!). Spidey 2 was much better ... in fact I would go as far as to say I liked it. Spidey 3 I am dead excited by as it has Venom who has been a fave of mine .... since before he was venom! I just think the colours are nicer.
And on to Superman .... The original two films .... you cant touch them. The look, the casting, the music, the sets ... everything ... its (to me) just what Superman is about. Superman 3 I can enjoy on a slapstick level .. plus that robot woman at the end is quite cool, i liked that as a kid. Lets gloss over 4 and move on to ...
X-Men. Now, prior to the first movie, my X knowlegde was very limited. I have a few friends who are big fans (Hi John!) and so most of my knowlegde was through them. I really liked the first one ..LOVED the second (cried like a girl when Jean Grey was engulfed by the water .. then Dan explained the Phoenix thing to me) and thought the third was a lot of fun but ultimately not a fitting end to a trilogy (but dont get me wrong, still enjoyed it a lot).
And of course ... The Bat.
Tim Burton nailed Gotham for me. 100% Joel Schumacher fucked it, rolled it over, fucked it twice more up the arse and then shot a wad on it face for good measure. Now, I dont blame Joel per se for this. I have seen the man interviewed and I like him a lot ... he had some great ideas that the studio kind of ran way with ... and spoilt. The only thing where Joel and I disagree is a colour scheme ... and you are going to get that kind of argument when you ask two gay men to decorate, be it Gotham City, a living room or otherwise. But please ... what was Batman & Robin? And Jim Carrey as The Riddler? Not evil, clever and conniving so much as just a hateful twat.
But Batman Forever was the start of what became the probelm with these franchises. It suddenly became about the toys .... now in part, this has been an issue since Star Wars that has been gestating and growing but to my mind, Forever was the turning point and B&R the breaking point. Returns worked beautifully. One hero, one villain, one .... duplicitous central charatcer and all the support. Forever ... Hero, sidekick with backstory needed, Two Villains each with a backstory/origin. B&R .. hero, sidekick, three vilains with origins/backstory, a sick butler, new sidekick with story related to sick butler ....plus costume changes and mutiple accessories to maximse toy potential..... you see my point?
Sp back to where we started ... My Super Ex Girlfriend. Not over complicated, four central characters around which all revolves and some effects that look like they are at least actually happening to the people around them ... and on a considerably less budget I would imagine too. Hollywood, are you listening?
posted by Peter Pan @ 9:21 am
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