Why I Think the Justice League Movie Won't Work

Last weekend the highly anticipated Man of Steel was released in theaters and it has now surpassed the $200 million dollar mark.  I think Warner Bros. still spent more money than that upon making the film, but with it still being released in other countries I'm sure they'll get their money back. The studio was so pleased with the opening weekend numbers they've already planned a sequel to be released as early as next year.  Then a Justice League movie is set to be released as early as 2015.

Man of Steel seems to have done what Warner Bros. wanted it to, which was jump start the DC movie universe much like Iron Man jump started the Marvel movie universe.  DC was supposed to get their start with Green Lantern, but after it supposedly "bombed" at the box office Warner Bros. had to re-evaluate what they were doing with their DC properties because Marvel was already six films ahead of them. The Avengers set box office records and made $1.5 billion world wide. The only thing that was working for Warner Bros. was their Batman movies, and that was because of writer David Goyer and director Christopher Nolan.  After the success of the Dark Knight trilogy Warner Bros. decided to give these men a shot at Superman, and now it seems the entire DC franchise.  So can Warner Bros. catch up to Marvel and make their films as popular, and profitable, as The Avengers?  I'm gonna answer that question as gently as I can; NNNOOOOOOOO!

For years the rights to making Marvel films were owned by 20th Century Fox studios.  They made Spider-Man films, X-Men films, Daredevil, The Punisher, etc. Spider-Man and X-Men have done well and Fox continues to drain blood from those hollow stones(thank god for Sam Raimi and Bryan Singer).  After making their cut of the money Marvel decided to form their own studio and use the characters they still had the rights to for their movies.  Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America films all went on to do great at the box office, which lead to The Avengers.  Marvel Studios achieved something no other studio thought could ever happen and every comic geek dreamed would happen; they made movies like they make comic books. The films all interacted with each other and fed off one another for the next installment. 20th Century Fox lost the rights to Daredevil and Punisher, which Marvel Studios gladly claimed, but still owns the Spider-Man and X-Men movie rights so long as a film is made every couple of years.  

So what's this got to do with the Justice League movie?  Warner Bros.is a movie studio who owns all of the DC character movie rights, and just like 20th Century Fox, they don't have the talent to bring out what is great in their characters.  Did you see Superman kill General Zod?  I mean, I used to give David Goyer some credit as a good writer and fan boy, but no person who read Superman, and loves the character, would write that scene and think it was a good idea; at least not in the origin film.  Warner Bros. and crew said they want to make their universe more realistic?  Batman is a mortal man but Superman is an alien who looks human, flies, and shoots heat from his eyes; and you want something that's realistic?  Their excuse for Man of Steel is to make the character more modern.  Guess what Warner Bros.? The character worked for ten years on TV starting in 2001, it was called Smallville, watch it and get back to me.

Warner Bros. executives probably haven't read a comic book (if they ever did) since they were kids.  Comic books are fun and exciting to read. Their were barely any jokes or even smiles in Man of Steel. Just two hours of CGI fights(which were well done) and a bunch of talk about a Codex.  Marvel Studio films made money because they embraced their comic book roots.  The films had explosions as well as laughs.  They're fun to watch!  Man of Steel was just depressing and this what they want to try and build a billion dollar franchise off of?  Marvel Studios has actual Marvel comic book writers in their meetings advising them about what works for the character, what would this character act like, and what would they do when their back is against the wall.  Yes, they have taken some liberties, but we fan boys forgive and look past them because the core of the hero(es) is still intact. Joss Whedon said he has read every Avengers comic made.  Even though I feel like that may be bullshit I'm still curious; how many Superman comics has Zach Snyder read?

I think everyone knew from the get-go that Warner Bros. was going to fight an uphill battle after The Avengers did so well, and we all knew they couldn't follow the exact same formula, but wanted the same result.  I like to think of them as Coca-Cola and Pepsi.  Anyway, so they're going to try and make a Justice League movie first.  That film will introduce Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and maybe a new Green Lantern and Batman.  Then of course they will each have their own film; presumably.  Pretty much a reverse Marvel formula.  But unless they get the right people behind these films it won't work.  The director of Thor was known for his Shakespearean films like Henry V and Hamlet.  The director of Captain America: The First Avenger was known for making vintage films like October Sky and The Rocketeer.  Snyder was known for making stylistic, serious, films that are a little too violent and edgy.  Does that sound like Superman to you, or Flash, or Aquaman?  Baskin Robbins doesn't have 31 flavors that all taste like their best seller do they?  I'm just saying Warner Bros. is trying to make everything feel like Batman because that's what has been working for them.  But these characters have been around for decades because each character has their own fan base of flavor, and Warner Bros. has to find out what each character's taste is and why it works.

I really want to see a Justice League movie; I really do.  But the direction and speed Warner Bros. is taking the DC properties are going to lead the Justice League to a train wreck.  Man of Steel couldn't even hold down the #1 spot in theaters for one week.  There's your blinking yellow light.  I'm going to go get some ice cream now.

(found this fan art online an loved it! Notice how Cobie Smulders is in both of these pictures)

5 Life-Lessons from 5 Superman Movies

Well kids, the time has come.  Once again Hollywood is taking another shot at the Man of Tomorrow, the original superhero, and an American, if not worldly, icon.  Man of Steel premiers in theaters this week.  Christopher Nolan and David Goyer, the men behind The Dark Knight Trilogy, have teamed up with 300 and Watchmen director Zach Snyder to give us a modern take on Superman. Being a Superman fan I’ve been fearful of this film with every piece of news I heard about it, but that’s an opinion for another blog entry.

I’ve spent the last 5 Sundays re-watching the last 5 Superman films.  Just yesterday I was chatting to someone about upcoming movies and I mentioned Man of Steel.   She said she really didn’t like Superman and that she liked Batman more.  Well, anyone who knows me knows that this is a good trigger to set me off on a major rant!  Some people seem to think the Man of Steel is just a big blue Boy Scout who never does anything wrong and always plays by the rules.  To those nay sayers I simply reply, “You obviously don’t know Superman.”  I’m sure they’ve never watched an episode of Smallville or even read The Death and Return of Superman.  There is a reason the character has been around for 75 years and inspired the entire genre of superheroes.  There are a lot of life lessons to be learned from this character, and these cinematic adventures are just five of them.

Superman (1978): Director Richard Donner was the first to give a serious take on Superman’s origin and create an epic film for all others to live up too.  Christopher Reeve plays the double role of Clark Kent and Superman with superiority.  Gene Hackman isn’t the most ruthless of Lex Luthor’s and I’ve never been fond of Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, but the film itself and Reeve's performance is enough to carry the film to glory.   My only negative comment about this film would just be the ending.  Superman spins the world back-in-time to save Lois, but Jimmy still remembers Superman saving him?  In an otherwise flawless film that was a pretty big plot-hole Mr. Donner. Plus we all get to hear all John Williams classic score in this film for the first time, big plus!

Life-Lesson Take-Away from Superman: You have to find out who you are and you’re place in this world.  Plus you have to do whatever it takes to protect the people you care about, even if it does involves spinning the world back a few minutes.

Superman II (1980): By the time Superman premiered Superman II was already in production and almost finished filming, but a disagreement between Donner and the film’s producers got Donner fired before filming was done and he was replaced by Richard Lester.  Having seen the Richard Donner cut on DVD I think it was for the best, but looking at Lester’s Superman III it was probably a combination of both directors that made this film fly higher than the original.

 In this sequel Superman gives up all his powers and super status to be with Lois.  Of course this is the exact time that Krypton's three greatest criminals, led by General  Zod, come to Earth to take their revenge out on Kal-El.  Terence Stamp rules this film with is portrayal as General Zod and the reason Zod has become such an iconic Superman villain.  I’m sure Michael Shannon’s Zod performance in Man of Steel will be scarier for today’s audience, but he won’t win my fear until he says, “Kneel before Zod!” I am looking forward to a more updated fight scene between Superman and Zod.  More like Neo vs. Mr. Smith in The Matrix Revolutions.  “Mr. Kent, welcome back.  We’ve missed you.”

Life-Lesson Take-Away from Superman II:  Clark’s selfish desires almost caused the entire world to be placed under Zod’s rule, but eventually he realizes that Superman belongs to the world, not just Lois.  We all have responsibilities.  We have people who count on us to do our jobs and even if it would be better to just let go you might end up getting a lot of people hurt.  Also look out for bear-skinned rugs that are pink!

Superman III (1983):  It’s probably a toss-up between this film and the next Superman film as to which one is the worst ever.  I vote Superman III because it tries to take itself seriously, which is what makes it so bad.  Richard Pryor plays a computer genius who falls under the wing of an evil billionaire, who is not Lex Luthor.  Pryor’s character and his employer try to create kryptonite and end up with something that makes Superman go crazy instead.  Clark becomes a jackass version of himself and must find his sanity in order to take down the bad guys and their super computer located in the middle of frikkin nowhere!

Pryor’s character is so dumb there is not a scenario in this reality that would make me believe he’s a computer genius.  Pryor’s antics take center stage in this film and overshadow Reeve’s channeling the Man of Steel’s inner turmoil.  This dumbs down the film and makes it horrific to watch.  The only redeeming quality of this installment is Annette O’ Toole as Clark’s high school crush, Lana Lang.  Lana is a far better character than Lois, and easier on the eyes if you ask me. O'Toole went on to play the character of Martha Kent in the series Smallville.  She’s stated the reason she got the job is because when the creators found out she was in Superman III they insist she be in their version of Superman. 

Life-Lesson Take-Away from Superman III:  We all have our inner demons to fight.  We have to find a way to beat them down so we can do what we must do, and what is the right thing to do.  But if you ever find yourself fighting your alter ego in a junkyard you might as well just drop a car on yourself and be put out of your misery.

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987):  The only reason I like this film better than Superman III is because of it’s even more ridiculous and can in no way be taken serious. That makes it such a good bad movie to watch.  Superman is on a mission to rid the world of all nuclear weapons.  But he didn’t count on Lex Luthor stealing a sample of his hair and attaching one of his genetic experiments to a bomb that Superman just happens to throw into the sun, thereby creating his own worst enemy, Nuclear Man. Duh, Duh, Duuuh!

The film is a little over 90 minutes and is so bad it’s hilarious to watch. Just last week as my wife and I were watching it and she had to point out the ludicrously of Clark going on a double date with Lois and Superman.  I mean that’s just crazy!  Reeve should have stopped at Superman II, or least not been given the opportunity to help write this one himself.

Life-Lesson Take-Away from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace:  The world has problems people, lots of them.  As much as we would like to change the world we can’t change to people in it.  All we can do is keep “it the same as it’s always been……On the brink. With good fighting evil. See you in twenty.” Oh and never trust a film where Jon Cryer is the comic relief.

Superman Returns (2006): Well, after those last lines by Christopher Reeve we do get the next Superman film, twenty years later!  Brandon Routh steps into the red boots while Kevin Spacey shaves his head to play his arch-enemy.  Superman has just flown in from his five-year journey to find the remains of his home planet.  But everyone else has gone on without him.  Lois Lane has a family and little secret to tell the Man of Steel.  Meanwhile, Lex Luthor is out of prison, rich as a hell, and is planning on using kryptonian technology to re-invest in his real-estate ventures while wiping out most of America.

A lot of people didn’t like this film, which is probably why it took seven years for another Superman movie to be released, but I’m a fan of it.  It doesn’t have a lot of action, but instead of taking a tale from the comics and fucking it up royally like most adaptations do (I’m looking at you Brett Ratner) director Bryan Singer took the essence of the Superman characters and made something different, with a little homage to the Christopher Reeve films.  He still made it feel like a pure Superman story.  Some argue that Kate Bosworth isn’t your classic Lois Lane, but she’s a mom now, parenthood changes us all!

Life-Lesson Take-Away from Superman Returns:  We grow up, we move on with our lives, and people we leave behind also move on.  We have to try to keep the people who are important to us in our lives or we may lose them.  And if your ever gone for five years and your ex has a kid who is four years old you’d better find the next ship back to Krypton!

A part of me thinks Man of Steel will be bad and another part hopes it will be good.  Either way it has gotten people talking about the character again and I hope it shows them that the battles Superman face are the ones we face ourselves.  I mean he’s called the Man of Tomorrow people, he ain’t goin anywhere! 

The Man of Steel's Pal Will Be.......A Girl?

This week's blog was already written in my head.  I was going to share my thoughts and feelings on the great gun debate that everyone seems to be engulfed in, but then I found something way more pressing to talk about; Jimmy Olsen is a girl!  In the upcoming film by director Zack Snyder, Man of Steel, it seems they are planning on replacing Superman's best friend, Jimmy Olsen, with a female counter part, Jenny Olsen, played by Rebecca Buller.

My brother alerted me to this grave crime, and I, being a bigger Superman fan than he, become enraged with fury.  Jimmy Olsen is a character that goes to the very core of the Superman mythology.  In the center of the story you have Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen.  These are just five characters you can just alter and not expect to get hell from the fan boy community. As of right now Lex Luthor is not listed on the IMDB website as a character in Man of Steel, and Laurence Fishburne will be playing Perry White.  Now changing Perry from an old white guy to an old black guy isn't too much of a difference, however, I will remind you his last name it WHITE.  I know that in this P.C. world where you can't step on a bug without pissing somebody off the way to help a movie make money is to diversify your film as much as possible, but it shouldn't be at the expense of the story.  Changing Jimmy from a young male to a young female completely changes the dynamic of the Superman mythology that the film will be based on.

Now odds are this Jenny could not be Jimmy changing his sexual identity, but perhaps his sister and Jimmy will be in the sequel, but let's stick to the point.  This female character who is replace a male character could ruin this movie!  If you know anything about the character of Jimmy Olsen you know that he is a young photographer for The Daily Planet who works with Clark and Lois, gets Perry's coffee, and is everything Superman fights for.  Jimmy is idealistic.  He likes to give people the benefit of the doubt and thinks people are mainly good.  He even starred in his own comic book at one point.  Now when Clark has a rough week of fighting super villains Jimmy reminds Clark that there are good people in the world besides him, and these people are who he continues to fights for.  Clark and Jimmy hang out, Jimmy has his own watch to call on Superman when he's in trouble, and I think at one point Clark lived with Jimmy as his roommate.  How is that relationship going to be the same when Jimmy is Jenny? 

To answer my own question  believe I have the answer; love triangle, or some form of puppy love.  You see kids, love triangles are all the film franchise rage lately from Twilight to The Hunger Games.  Clark developing a relationship with Lois would be just too simple for the film making hot shots of Hollywood.  My guess is that when Lois and Jenny go out to cover Superman's adventures like Lois and Jimmy did that they'll both be smitten by the Last Son of Krypton and two tongues will fall the floor.  

Of course this is all just hypothetical from what I know and what I hear about Man of Steel, and I had nothing to do with the making of this film, so don't quote me only any of this.  But this little idea of Jimmy's possible gender switch does not help the fear I've had about this movie from the beginning. David Goyer, the man who wrote all 3 Blade and Dark Knight films wrote the story and screenplay for Man of Steel, and I know Goyer as a big comic book fan so I trusted him.  Christopher Nolan, who is producing, is also a great film maker, who makes great films, as is Snyder.  But to put all three of these people on a Superman film seemed like a mistake to me being that most of these gentleman make darker and more gritty films.  Now that kind of tone is great for Batman, Blade, and Watchmen, but dark and gritty is the exact opposite of what Superman is.  And seriously guys, a British actor to play the ultimate American hero?

I'm told Man of Steel will make Superman more relatable to modern film audiences, but both DC and Marvel have ruined film versions of their characters by straying from the formula that has made their characters work for decades!  If Snyder ruins this chance for Superman's silver screen comeback he may just beat out Brett Ratner on my list of people I need to kick in the nuts. "What was I supposed to do? Just let 'em die?"  "Maybe"  

MAYBE, MAYBE!  Do you even know who Jonathan Kent is!  Come on guys!  Pull you're heads out of those studio executive's asses and make the film worthy to be called MAN OF STEEL!  Do it for comic book truth, film justice, and god damn it, The American Way!  Here's the trailer, judge for yourselves: