Man of Steel v Arrow: Dawn of the 2 Justice Leagues

It was a typical Thursday night back in January 2007.  My friends and I had purchased some beer and pizza and were about to watch the newest episode of Smallville before heading out to our usual bar for some karoke.  On that Thursday night we were a little more excited that usual to watch Smallville. In this episode Clark was teaming up with Green Arrow, Impulse(Flash), Aquaman, and Cyborg in an episode called 'Justice'.  After twenty years of reading superhero comic books it was the first live-action Justice League I had ever seen.  I still haven't seen the TV movie done years ago, and I plan to keep it that way.  Skip ahead to present day. We are about to get two different Justice League teams within the next five years.  One on the small screen, and one on the big screen. But which one will be better?

 In it's second season, Arrow introduced Barry Allen, and even showed him being struck by lightening.  The show has already featured Black Canary and will bring in Ray Palmer, the future Atom, and Arsenal in season three.  Meanwhile, Barry is about to zoom over to his own Flash series and Firestorm is set to make an appearance.  This will make six Justice League members in The CW television universe that started on Arrow.  It was also announced that Arrow and The Flash co-creator, Greg Berlanti, is pitching a Supergirl series next.

 Over on the Warner Bros set another DC Comics team is slowly being assembled.  In 2016 the world will see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that will feature Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Victor Stone(Cyborg), and a rumored Aquaman.  Man of Steel director, Zach Snyder, is directing this film, and has already said he's directing a Justice League film that has not gotten a release date yet.  Most speculate though that the release of Justice League will not be too far off from Batman v Superman.

 WB and DC executives have already said that the television and film worlds will not connect like Marvel Studios is doing.  This means eventually audiences may have two Flashes, or two Barry Allen's, at the same time that have nothing to do with each other.  I bring up the Scarlet Speedster as an example because he is one of the dominant Justice League members just behind the Trinity, but with his own TV series about to debut, and hopefully be a hit, will he be featured in Snyder's upcoming film?  The smart thing would be to have another Flash besides Barry(such as Wally) in the film.  But so far evidence supports that Snyder and WB aren't that smart.  Besides the Flash, most of the other Arrow heroes are B to C stringers(love it) which wouldn't come to a fan boys mind when you name off their top five or seven key Justice League members. But given that Cyborg wasn't an official JL member till just a few years ago he wouldn't be on my A-team either. 

 What about Green Lantern?  The Ryan Reynolds film failed to start the DC Cinematic Universe so WB jumped off with Man of Steel.  But he's also another A-lister.  Do you just skip GL or replace him with another member of the Corps and give the Hal Jordan stench more time to dry out? By the time these questions in DC's film universe will be answered I feel like The CW will have already had their own Justice League multi-series crossover event.

I can't hide my opinion that I am way more excited for what is happening on my TV than at my local cinema.  As a big Superman fan I had quite a few issues with Man of Steel, Zach Snyder, and the vision of the DC Cinematic Universe so far.  Arrow creators are crafting a long narrative by getting to know the characters quite well. Meanwhile, Snyder and his film makers are just rushing to catch-up with Marvel Studios. 

I feel like WB still doesn't get why they've fallen behind in this comic book movie race.  The strength of the Marvel Media Universe is that everything is connected!  Bruce Banner can pop-up at the end of Iron Man 3, or Lady Sif can appear on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's all a pay-off for someone who follows it all.  I don't watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, if I did I would have enjoyed Captain America: The Winter Soldier that much more because of the tie-in and vice versa.  But I didn't have to catch the television series, or any other Marvel franchise movie, to enjoy Cap 2.  So why would I pay $12 to see another Flash when I already love the one I get for free on my TV? Minus the better special effects I'm sure it would only disappoint. Basically I'm saying what Marvel has done is brilliant.

 My hope is that Warner Bros has already answered all the questions I have posed in this article and I'm just going to eat my words later.  And while I am excited for comic book properties kicking ass in every medium, and seeing another a live-action Justice League back on my screens, I continue to be disappointed how Warner Bros is handling these modern day Gods in film.They are trying so hard to be different from Marvel that they are being different; they're sucking.  So for now, I'm with Team Arrow.

My Top 6 Lightsaber Duels

Last week starwars.com came out with their Top 10 Fights from the Star Wars live-action films.  This list seemed a little peculiar to me.  Not only did I disagree with spots certain fights fell on their countdown, but how some of their fights weren't lightsaber fights.

I will openly admit, the minute an actual lightsaber becomes available to sell to the public I will max out every credit card I have for it.  For me, my love of Star Wars has always been rooted in the Jedi mythology and ideology.  Sure I enjoy the spaceships and bounty hunters, but the Jedi(and Sith) are what has made me a life-long fan.  

So because of my quarrels with starwars.com's list I decided to make my own.  These choice are mainly based on emotional impact.  I think a fight, or any scene, is so much better when their is a history behind it, or high stakes at risk.  Since their are six films in the Star Wars saga I'm counting down My Top 6 Lightsaber Duels.

6) Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader (Episode IV: A New Hope)

It's the first ever lightsaber duel in history so it gets major points for that.  But when you look at the saga as a whole it's really quite epic.  20 years after Obi-Wan left his best friend for dead they meet again.  Their both off their game a little, but the scars from that day on Mustafar still seem fresh.  

In the end Obi-Wan gives up citing, "if you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."  To this day I still ponder Obi-Wan's reasoning behind his surrender and have come up with three answers. He A) knew his sacrifice was the only way for Luke to escape 

B) knew he could serve Luke better by joining The Force or 

C) feared he would fail Luke as he did Anakin and would rather him seek Yoda to complete his training.

5)Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn vs Darth Maul (Episode I: The Phantom Menace)

Before Episode I was released George Lucas said that this will be the first time we get to see an actual Jedi in action.  In the original trilogy we saw an old man, a half-trained Jedi, and a half-machine Jedi.  This fight did not let down.  The duel starts with a door opening and Darth Maul behind it ready for a skirmish.  And when Qui-Gon says, "we'll handle this." You know some real sh*t is about to go down.  

Darth Maul brings out the double-edged lightsaber that makes every uber nerd in the audience wet themselves a bit.  The fight is long and far as Obi-Wan eventually watches his master fall.  Then, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul engage in a sword fight so fast and unreal our eyes could barely keep up with our brains as to how cool(yet short) it was.  

The finale of this fight does two key things.  It turns Obi-Wan into an apprentice who agrees with the council on Anakin's training, to a Jedi Knight who will see his mentor's dying wish fulfilled.  And as most Star Wars fans know, it isn't the end of Darth Maul.  Instead it sets up a great rivalry between Kenobi and Maul that will continue in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and hopefully beyond.

  4)Master Yoda vs Darth Sidious (Episode III: Revenge of the Sith)

While Obi-Wan has been sent to deal with his former padawan Yoda decides to take on the Phantom Menance himself; Darth Sidious.  The rest of the Jedi are being slaughtered throughout the galaxy so Master Yoda makes an effort to stop the bloodshed at its source. 

The two start out with their lightsabers and end up going through the rage of Force powers such as throwing giant objects, Force pushes, and Force lightning.  It's a step-up from the Yoda/Dooku fight in Episode II, with the stakes even greater.  Sadly, Yoda flees knowing that he may not have what it takes to take down the Dark Lord of the Sith, but perhaps someday, someone will.  

3) Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)

Let's rundown what Vader has done to Luke at this point in Episode V.  Luke thinks Darth Vader killed his father and his killed Obi-Wan, his mentor.  He has also captured his closest friends and tortured them, and plans to sell them to a bounty hunter.  And this is on top of killing millions, if not billions, of people throughout the galaxy.

Luke comes into this carbon freezing chamber looking for a fight, but only half ready.  He is outmatched, but still foolish enough to think he can win.  He is that consumed by hatred for this man.  Luckily, Luke is a little more spry then Obi-Wan in Episode IV so we get a decent fight.  But then, at the end of the battle, Vader drops the bomb.  "I am your father."  The idea blows up Luke's entire outlook on life.  The man he hates so much is his father.  Luke is so confused by this information he bails into a thousand foot drop that he may not survive knowing it's either that or get taken my Vader.  This is where everything gets Shakespearean. 

    

2) Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader (Episode III: Revenge of the Sith)

This is my favorite duel to watch because it's so fast and choreographed.  From a fantasy perspective these two Jedi are so powerful in The Force they can fight this fast and make it an even battle.  From a real-life perspective these two actors are actually swinging their swords that fast, which is awesome.

At this point in the film Obi-Wan finds his best friend choking his wife.  Anakin, who is now calling himself Darth Vader, has just killed children and Jedi, and plans to enslave the galaxy because Sidious has twisted his mind into thinking it's what's best for everyone.  Obi-Wan doesn't want to fight, he begs his best friend and brother-in-arms not to fight him.  But they do.  It's pretty awesome, and of course Vader's arrogance becomes his undoing as he tries to leap over Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan cut him down.

Obi-Wan stands there, seeing what he has just done, what he had to do, to is closest friend.  The man is almost in tears.  "You were my brother Anakin.  I loved you." As Vader begins to burn Obi-Wan walks away.  I'm not sure if it's because he feels that the flames will finish him off or that Obi-Wan just can't bring himself to finish Vader off himself.  Either way, the two meet 20 years later on the Death Star to finish the duel.  When I watch the Star Wars saga from Episodes I-VI, by this point I feel so bad for Obi-Wan Kenobi and all the people he has lost over the course of three films.  When he then reappears in Episode IV you know everything the character has been through and it makes Alec Guiness's performance in the original Star Wars film that much better.

1)Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader (Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)

To me, these last two lightsaber duels on my list are what the entire Star Wars saga is all about.  The Obi-Wan/Vader fight was what the prequels all lead too, and this fight between Luke and Vader is what the original trilogy, if not the saga, is all about.

When Luke finds out the most evil man in the galaxy is his father he has a tough choice to make.  Does he join him or does he kill him?  Instead, Luke wishes to redeem him, a feat that nobody; not Obi-Wan, not Yoda, not the Emperor, and not even Vader himself; believes is possible.  It is only when Vader threatens his sister does Luke lash out, and takes off his father's hand.  He looks at his own hand and realizes if he takes one step more he will become Vader.  Luke then does something nobody saw coming.  He is willing to sacrifice himself to bring back Anakin Skywalker.  The Emperor is electrocuting him and he pleads to his father to save him.  And it works!  Vader sees his son dying before his very eyes.  In that moment Vader/Anakin reaches inside himself and finds the love he had for Padme and his unborn child and decides to stop Luke's suffering.  He kills the Emperor and sacrifices himself to save his son.  I don't care who you are, there is no greater storytelling than the events that unfold in that throne room while the rest of the galaxy battles outside the window. 

  

Finally, A 'Flash' of Hope

It's been about three years now since DC Comics implemented their New 52 style and turned off fans like myself who have been loyal readers all their lives.  Your see, back in 2011, DC re-booted their universe.  They broke up several relationships and hit the 'restart' button on quite a bit of continuity.  Since then I've had a hard time getting into a lot of what DC publishes.  I still enjoy Green Lantern and Batman titles, but I can't stand anything Superman and Green Arrow.  

The Flash has been a title that seems interesting, but I've been having a hard time connecting with.  When Geoff Johns wrote the book and Francis Manapul did the art I couldn't get enough of it, but ever since Manapul took over writing duties as well I haven't really liked The Flash.  Last night, I sat down to read volume 4; Reverse.  And I must say I actually liked it.  

This book introduces us to The New 52's Reverse Flash.  Eobard Thawne is a man from the future who recreated the experimented that turned Barry Allen into the Flash and ended up becoming Barry's mortal enemy; the Reverse Flash.  Not to give too much away, but Thawne is not The New 52's Reverse Flash; at least not yet.

Someone is going around killing people who have been inside the Speed Force, the energy source that gives the Flash his powers.  Barry must rush to find the killer before the last two targets are hit; himself and Iris West.  This leads Flash to cross paths with Kid Flash for the first time, and finds out the kid's powers don't come from the Speed Force like his.  Meanwhile, Barry has just moved in with his girlfriend, Patty.  And she's throwing her parents an anniversary party.  In typical superhero fashion, the Flash has to be quick enough to find the bad guy, and make it to the party on time.

If I had it my way Geoff Johns would go on writing The Flash for ten years like he did Green Lantern.  As an artist I really like Manapul.  I think his style is perfect for the Flash.  Just something about it fits uniquely into this world and it just gels.  I also like Manapul's New 52 Flash costume.  It's more pieces of armor that are electrifying rather than stretchy spandex. But story wise I feel like Manapul's tales about the Scarlet Speedster so far have been so impersonal.  While Barry has had to save his loved ones from danger there was no inner turmoil.  In Flash: Rebirth Barry has to realize he needs to slow down enough to enjoy life with his family and friends.  Manapul has yet to go that deep of a level. But in this volume Barry has to fight a villain who is using the powers he creates to kill people. It's not Johns deep, but at least it's getting under the surface.

When The New 52 started I hated the break-up of Barry and Iris almost as much as the Clark and Lois break-up.  This book is the first time I've actually liked them being apart.  Barry has moved in with Patty and she knows his secret.  They're getting serious.  But also, the Flash has to protect Iris, which makes him spend more time with Iris than Patty at a crucial point in their relationship.  A short tale at the end of the book takes us to past.  More specific; Gotham City. Barry is a young intern and meets Iris on a case.  Before parting ways Iris and Barry kiss.  This establishes a connection the two of them have even in The New 52, and makes you question if things will go south with Barry's current significant other.  In short, it ups the stakes in Barry Allen's life outside of the Flash.

The reason I'm not a big Batman fan is because most of his stories are just about him solving the crime.  When the hero is tested on a personal and internal level it makes the story better in my opinion.  That's what I felt like this book did.  It dug deeper than we've gotten so far into Barry's life, and let us know that things may not be as stable as they seem.  For the first time in a while, I'm excited to read the next volume of The Flash. 

A Dame To 'Eh' For

The summer blockbuster season has come to an end for me. It started back in April with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and ended last night when I saw Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.  First off, I have to admit that I still have never read any Sin City comics books in my life, and I didn't even see the first film in theaters when it was released.  When I saw it on DVD I thought Sin City was something very fresh and interesting with it's look and film noir style.  Were Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller able to recapture that same interest nine years later?

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For brings back quite a bit of the cast from the original film and also adds some new faces like Eva Green, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeremy Piven, and Dennis Haysbert taking over the role of 'Manute' for the late Michael Duncan Clarke.  Meanwhile, Josh Brolin steps in to take the role of 'Dwight' for Clive Owen.   Some other good cameos came from Ray Liotta, Lady Gaga, and 'Doc' himself; Christopher Lloyd.

 The Dwight storyline explains the title of the film.  Dwight is betrayed by a woman he can't resist, played by Green, and enlists his friends Marv and Gail to help him seek revenge.  Jessica Alba returns as Nancy, who is haunted by the death of Bruce Willis's character, Haritigan, from the first film.  Nancy also sways Marv to help her seek revenge against the man responsible for Haritgan's death; Senator Roark.  But Roark is busy seeking his own revenge on Johnny, played by Gordon-Levitt, the lucky kid who beats Roark out of a whole lot of money.  There is another short Marv storyline at the beginning of the film that is pretty much useless, and could have saved us all ten minutes. But Dwight, Nancy, and Johnny are the main plots being told.

Starting off, I think the Johnny storyline was my favorite.  Gordon-Levitt is constantly showing his growth as an actor as his roles become more and more enticing.  The character was fresh for the film and the slight twist makes you guess how it all will play out in the end for Johnny.

 The Nancy storyline was meant to showcase Alba's range and bring back Willis for a few brief cameos. Sadly, this plot came last in the film, and by then I was just looking for it to all end.  Again, they should have given Mickey Rourke a pay cut and skipped his brief plot at the beginning.  The majority of the film was taken up by the Dwight storyline.  We get to see him become the man we meet in Sin City, which instead of paying attention to the film made my mind wander as to how the stories from both movies go together in a linear sense.  

 Nothing new was seen from this film that we didn't already get from it's predecessor.  While I think this star-packed cast did a good job playing their characters I felt like the story lines were drawn out too much, and Rodriguez and Miller overused Marv just because he was the break-out character in the first film.  If the directors wish to continue this franchise they'll have to come up with a new angle to peak my interest, or possibly move these characters to TV, because the nostalgia of Sin City has worn off.  I would recommend this film as a Saturday night Redbox rental for just yourself, and maybe someone else who really enjoyed the first film.

 SUMMER MOVIE BLOCKBUSTER GRADES:
Captain America: The Winter Solider: A+ (You haven't seen this movie!!!)
X-Men: Days of Future Past: A (This is bad-ass)
Guardians of the Galaxy:   B+ (I highly recommend this film)
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: C- (Wait for Redbox)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2: D+ (Wait to borrow it from a friend)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: F (This will give a child-of-the-80's nightmares)
Godzilla: Waiting for Redbox
Transformers: Age of Extinction: Dreading seeing it on Redbox

Growing Up with Robin Williams

This past Monday the world was rocked with the passing of actor Robin Williams.  At age 63, we all know Williams still had some great performances left him, which makes his tragic suicide that more saddening.  I don't know one person on social media who did not comment about this event, and almost a week later people are still sending their love to his family and talking about how much he meant to them.  I myself could not even begin to fathom the influence Williams has had on my life.  In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I owe to Robin Williams.

As a child, two of my favorite animated films, even still to this day, are Aladdin and Ferngully: The Last Rainforest.  Williams provided his voice for characters in both of these films and it was his comedic wit that helped make those film so memorable and iconic.  He also paved the way for well-known actors to lend their voices to animated films.  I still remember seeing those films in theater, along with a another childhood favorite of mine; Hook.  I'm a fan of the Peter Pan tale, and director Steven Spielberg brought a new spin on the mythology with Williams as the lead.  The film had some laughs in it, but Williams played a more straight-laced character, but still delighted us and made us believe in magic.

Other films I remember fondly from my childhood are Jumanji and Mrs. Doubtfire. But as I entered my teen years my taste in films began to change.  To this day, one of my favorite coming-of-age films is Dead Poets Society.  In it, Williams played an excentric teacher at a stuffy prep school that taught his students to think for themselves, realize their dreams, and live life to the fullest.  Another film I discovered as a teenager was Good Morning Vietnam.  Of course this film showcased what Robin Williams did best; bring light to a dark place.  During my adolescence Williams also made a film about the difficulties of growing-up; Jack.  In it, Williams played a 10-year-old who looked 40 because of a rare aging disease.  He had to act like a child with all their innocence, fear, and confusion as to how the world works.  I think it's one of his best performances, aside for the film he won an Oscar for; Good Will Hunting.  Williams starred opposite Hollywood rookies Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and finally claimed the golden statue.  Good Will Hunting is one of those films that gets better and better every time I watch it.  

As a young adult the films I watched Williams in seemed to get even more mature.  He was phenomenal in Patch Adams as, again, playing a character who brings joy to those who have little.  Williams even stepped out of his normal type casting to play dark villains in films like Insomnia and One Hour Photo.  In Bicentennial Man Williams played a robot who taught us about being human, and it turned out to be a wonderful little film.

As the years have passed I've enjoyed seeing Williams return to comedy with films like RV, Night at the Museum, and License to Wed.  And thanks to my wife I've started to have a fondness for a film I never really payed attention to when it was released; The Birdcage.  Last year Williams returned to television in a CBS show called The Crazy Ones.  The series only last one season, but I was anxious to watch it when it came to DVD.  I have a feeling I'm not the only one now.

There are a dozen other films I could recommend, from Popeye to August Rush, that made me love Robin Williams.  Though he lost his battle with depression I hope he was aware of the joy he brought to myself and so many others.  He made me dream when I was a child, think when I was an adolescence, and as an adult, realize we all have many different sides to us.  I know people who are re-watching some of their favorite Robin Williams films, but I'm waiting till next month to view my own favorite films of his; from his oldest to his newest.  So far I've counted 25 films I want to watch, including Robin Williams: Live on Broadway. And I'm going to soak in each performance like I never have before.  So thank you Robin Williams.  We'll never have a friend like you again. 

Cowa-No Way in Hell I'm Watching These Ninja Turtles Ever Again

On March 30, 1990 I was a young boy in a crowded dark movie theater.  I remember sitting in the back row and barely being able to see the screen as I peered between the people in front of me.  It was a late showing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  My brother and I had begged my parents to go see the live-action adaptation of our favorite cartoon the day it opened.  We had Turtle toys, lunch boxes, t-shirts, and of course, Halloween costumes.  We were ecstatic to see the heroes in a half-shell up on the big screen.  Fast forward 24 years later. TMNT has been living under the entertainment grid since their hit cartoon ended in the mid-1990's.  They've had several more cartoons, a 2007 CGI film, and a new ongoing comic book that I read and quite enjoy.

Last night I went to my local cinema to see the Turtles re-imagined for a new generation.  Michael Bay may have only produced the film, but his finger prints are all over it.  From the slow motion action to the Turtles the size of cars, who really cares if another name is credited as director.  This film first exploded in controversy a while back when it was rumored that the Turtles would be aliens and not mutants. Fans like myself took to the internet in protest.  Then, the addition of Megan Fox as April O'Neil did not help our expectations.  I went into this film thinking the worst but hoping to be surprised.  The surprise never came.

April O'Neil is a small time news reporter who wants to be more; kind of like Fox's career.  Her late father was also a scientist who experimented on four turtles and a rat.  April soon discovers that the turtles and the rat had grown, learned ninjutsu, and were trying to protect this city from the criminal organization known as the Foot Clan.  The Foot are led by a man named Shredder, who wants to unleash a deadly virus upon New York, but needs the Turtles blood for the antidote.  It's up to Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey to protect New York, and each other, from Shredder.

Well, let's start with the obvious.  Megan Fox is a horrible actress. The only reason she seemed decent in Transformers is because she was half-naked.  Her performance is so wooden I felt like it would have been better if she was computer animated as well.  Her co-star, Will Arnett, was a shameful waste.  I love Arnett, but his character was just some other human for April and the Turtles to talk too with no real purpose.

Master Splinter looked different in this film from other versions.  I honestly had no problem with the way he looked.  In the 1987 cartoon Splinter was Hamato Yoshi who had turned into a rat.  In the 1990 film he was a rat that was owned by Oroku Saki.  And in the 2012 comic book series he was Hamato Yoshi in a past life.  In this film there is no Hamato Yoshi.  Splinter isn't even Japanese. He has no connection to Shredder, and in doing so this film lost a good chunk of the TMNT myth.  But the worst thing about this Splinter is that he teaches the Turtles ninjutsu from a book he found in the sewer.  It's like he taught them 'Ninjutsu for Dummies' instead of passing on a lifetime of knowledge and training.  As for the Shredder?  More like Megatron with knifes.

Now, to the Turtles.  They actually looked cool.  At first I wasn't a fan of their size, but I was fine with it after the movie started, and I could see that if the Turtles are over six feet tall then you have to make Shredder eight feet tall. I get it.  But I felt like the film went out of its way to make them too different looking. Donatello is the only one with glasses, even though I'm sure all their genes are the same.  It's as if they thought we couldn't tell he was the smart one without glasses.  Every word out of Michelangelo's mouth was a joke, and a bad one at that.  And for some reason Raphael had a toothpick in his mouth THE ENTIRE MOVIE.  Seriously, even in fight scenes he has a toothpick in his mouth.  Like that was the missing piece to let everyone know he's tough.  

This film is full of plot holes and ridiculous dialogue!  "They are called the Foot Clan because they step on everything".  OH COME ON.  "You're father took less bullets."  "You killed my father?"  DIDN'T HE JUST IMPLY THAT.  There were also forced references like "heroes in a half-shell' and "cowabunga" added to the film that only made this mockery worse. 

I really wanted to like this movie, but the parts I like only adds up to maybe 15 minutes out of 116.  Director Jonathan Liebesman and Michael Bay tried to make their Turtles so different they forgot the mythology and attitude that have made the Turtles beloved for generations.  A sequel has already been green lit, but after a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes I can't seeing it doing well.  I know this is supposed to be a kids film, but so are Pixar films, and adults love those movies more than kids.  It is my hope that in another thirty years I can take my grand kids to see a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but done right. Until then I will always have Turtle Power. 

Rating: F

The Guardians of Summer Entertainment

If you're one of my Facebook friends then for months now you have seen me post numerous things about the  film, The Guardians of the Galaxy.  It's based on an obscure little comic book that even most fan boys have never read, which is why so many of us scratched our heads when Marvel Studios announced it's 2014 release.  

I will admit, I had never read any GotG(Guardians of the Galaxy) before I heard they were making the film.  I knew the names Rocket Raccon and Groot, but not much more than that.  I decided to check out the source material, the 2008 comic book series by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan.  And I LOVED it!  It was so different from the superhero-style comics that Marvel put out.  It was weird, a little quirky, and didn't really take itself seriously. In 2013, Brian Michael Bendis relaunched the series to help people get acquainted with these heroes before the film opened, and it's been a hit ever since.  Seriously, check it out, you'll get all those Peter Quill "dad" references in the film.

Because this property was so unknown the film was Marvel's Studio's biggest gamble since their first film, Iron Man.  Park and Recreations star Chris Pratt plays Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, a human who grows up with a band of intergalactic thieves. Quill finds an orb that everyone is after, including that purple guy who was at the end of The Avengers, Thanos.  Peter then finds an entourage of misfits and outsiders who decide to come together to protect the orbs power from Ronan the Accuser, a Kree criminal who wants to kill billions of people on the planet Xandar.

This film felt like The Avengers in that it was fun as hell!  There were a lot of laughs and a lot of action to make it the perfect summer popcorn film for everyone to watch.  The characters were really the thing that made it pop.  The five leads just sitting around talking were some of the best scenes.  And these characters could have turned out sooo bad.  

Being familiar with Pratt's work I wasn't worried about him carrying this film at all.  Zoe Saldana as Gamora was probably the safest bet; her being a veteran to sci-fi films like Star Trek and Avatar.  Vin Diesel's unique voice was perfect for the character of Groot, who only is supposed to say three words, ever.  But I'll get to that.  Pro wrestler Dave Bautista could have also been bad, but Drax the Destroyer seemed to be tailor made to fit his "range" as an actor. Finally, Rocket Raccon was voiced by Hollywood pretty boy, Bradley Cooper.  Sure there were dozens of animators that helped bring Rocket to life, but I think Cooper did a great job of bringing this character out, so much that sometimes I forgot it was Cooper, and isn't that the point?  

The other actors were small and really unimportant. Lee Pace as Ronan was effective, but not memorable and complex like Loki.  Djimon Hounsou(who I think should be playing Black Panther) was a waste of talent in this film.  Meanwhile, award-winning thespians John C. Reilly and Glenn Close didn't even have enough screen time to have character personalities.  The best supporting role I felt was Karen Gillan as Gamora's sister, Nebula.  She didn't say much, but carried that character with attitude.  I would have loved to have seen that sibling rivalry more, but that's what sequels are for.

Now for the knit-picking kids!  First off, the Nova Corps is Marvel's version of the Green Lantern Corp; each with tremendous power.  So why did they seem more like a pathetic, galactic, military.  None of them showed the strength a Nova Corps member was supposed to have. GotG is about opening up the Marvel "universe" so let's see the universal police be badass so people will say, "I want to see more of that."  As of right now I don't want more Glenn Close unless she plans on boiling a bunny.

Gamora seemed a little too good.  This is a girl who was raised as a warrior to kill and is the most feared woman in the galaxy.  Why did she seem as pure as Princess Leia?  Right now I fear Black Widow more than Gamora. 

"I am Groot".  That's all I've ever read Groot saying in any comic book, EVER. "We are Groot" does not make sense.  It took me out of the film.  In fact it made some people in the audience laugh at a moment that was supposed to be sad and sweet. I am Groot. That's all we'll ever need.  And as for the post-credit scene?  I found it funny, but these extra bits at the end usually add something to what is to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Is this a hint of things to come, or just a silly thing to make people laugh and say WTF?  I'm gonna go with option B.

I had high expectations for this film, and although I really liked it, I didn't LOVE it. It's a great sci-fi/comic book film that I can't wait to see a sequel too, but the plot was simple and nobody outside of the main cast is worth remembering. Well, maybe Michael Rooker.  However, I do hope this shows J.J. Abrams what today's audience is looking for in it's sci-fi/fantasy.  I had a blast watching this film, and I'm glad everyone else did too.  Now, to all of my Facebook friends who got annoyed with all my GotG posts.  You're Welcome. 

Rating:  B+

P.S. What's on your Awesome Mix?