HeroDistrict

Statistically, you have probably seen this movie at least 3 times by now.

The world has spoken with their collective wallets, and The Avengers all just got really rich. SHIELD easily has enough to fund their future operations without worrying about rising gas prices, the retainer costs for a group of super heroes, or any money spent on national defense (they basically cornered that market). However, the present state of Hollywood is based on the principal of complete one-upmanship. Lets not forget that Avatar was really cool not that long ago, but we all kinda forgot about that when we heard Titanic was coming out in 3D. Christopher Nolan just got really pissed.

Yup, Nolan looks just like this.

Mr. Nolan is now in the enviable position of taking the crown from the reigning kings, and I think he has a legit shot at it. The most recent trailer for The Dark Knight Rises was released slightly ahead of time on the Monday before The Avengers came out, after previously being announced that it was to be a trailer in the theaters alone. I was still super pumped about The Avengers, but I had Bane in the back of my mind the entire time. The Avengers may be casting the bigger shadow right now (most likely from the big, green, angry guy), but I would not be surprised to see the Hollywood machine make The Dark Knight Rises even more lucrative. It was just announced this week that Mountain Dew and Warner Bros. have teamed up to give movie goers a digital experience that seems quite a bit more impressive than the partnership between The Avengers and Acura. (And hopefully slightly less obnoxious.) The campaign includes the new flavor, Mtn Dew Dark Berry, and a website, DEWgothamcity.com (set to release June 18th), will be releasing exclusive content and story lines.

Either way, I am already riding the 5 Hour Energy high from The Avengers baditude, and can not wait to jump on the DEWness of The Dark Knight Rises.

The Avengers has been shattering box office records left and right, earning its place as one of the best superhero movies ever made. The funny thing is that the team and its members were relatively unknown to audiences just a few years ago. Somehow, by the time the crossover hit theaters, the whole world was dying to see Iron Man and Thor on screen. How then, would the world react to a movie consisting of pop culture icons such as Superman and Batman? Can the Justice League be done?

Short answer yes, long answer maybe. There are plenty of reasons why a Justice League movie could happen, and I see two ways of going about the franchise.

Option One: Follow the Avengers.

This could take a while if every Justice League member gets a movie.

Give each hero a solo movie before building up to the big crossover. One of the joys of the Avengers was seeing these unique heroes who each had their own individual mythologies and styles meet together despite coming from entirely different genres. The challenge was that each solo movie had to work on its own right. If any of them had failed, it would have seriously jeopardized the team up. The up side was that Marvel had a blank slate, where they could build from the ground up with few complications. They had an opportunity, produced a series of quality movies that lead up to their mega event.

DC is at a bit of a loss here since they don’t have that blank slate. Their first real attempt at crafting a wider universe failed with Green Lantern. One way or another, they’re going to have to seriously reconsider how they approach the character. On the other hand, Nolan’s unprecedented Batman saga has been so good it almost gets in the way of the Justice League. This incarnation of the character just doesn’t work in a world of superheroes, but with the trilogy coming to a close they might move forward with a version of the character that does.

The key to this pathway is going to be Henry Cavill and Man of Steel. If DC can revitalize Superman, this would be an excellent foundation for their larger than life characters. The problem is that Nolan insisted on making Batman a solo hero, one who’s story and mythology wasn’t complicated by the rest of the DCU. DC also has to figure out how to finally adapt Wonder Woman and the Flash before the whole team gets together.

Even though this is the most satisfying option, there is just too much to juggle here. Batman and Superman are off doing their own things, and Warner Bros just can’t figure out how to capture the rest of the team.

Option Two: Straight to the Justice League

Big names like Batman, Superman and Flash need no introduction. Cyborg probably does.

Ignore the crossover factor, and just go straight into the Justice League as its own continuity. Bring in new versions of each character (mostly) and create a unique, new mythology for the team. In terms of visual style, I recommend something close to Jim Lee’s work on the New 52 version of the team. Each character has their own style, but the repeated design elements brings everyone together in a fun way.

Is this the ideal solution? No. But it’s one that can work and has potential. If this is the case, I suggest that DC avoids an origin story. Have it be an early version of the team, but the origin story itself for the Justice League never really mattered. We all understand the concept of the team and don’t need an extensive explanation. And honestly, I’m nervous an updated origin would be an inferior rip off of the Avengers’ team issues. DC heroes were always a bit less flawed, and although there will be conflict on the team, we shouldn’t see as much as the Avengers.

Regardless of which option they choose, the most important ingredient is having a unified vision. Not that each movie needs to fit a certain mold, but some coordination is in order. And for the Justice League itself, a special director is going to be needed to handle such a huge showing. Joss Whedon was someone who understood the Avengers and knew exactly how to handle each character. DC needs a director and writer with that same understanding of the characters and how to make them work together. It’s a tough request, but it can be done.

There are a lot of things about The Avengers that have people talking. Mark Ruffalo did such an excellent job as the Hulk that a new movie featuring the jade giant is almost a certainty at this point. The after the credits scenes were informative and absurdly hilarious. Then there was a big event in the movie that has led to debates, rumors, and a ridiculous amount of speculation. If you are one of the five people who haven’t seen The Avengers yet, you should run to your local theater and fix that before you read the rest of this spoiler filled article.

Spoiler: Hulk gets angry. 

Read the rest of this entry »

I will fully admit that I am not an unbiased or professional journalist in way, and I’m openly willing to express my utter disdain for Mark Millar. I can’t stand his comics which replace shock value for storytelling, him constantly spewing BS about movies, or his general strategy of writing comics for the sole purpose of turning them into movies. So when I hear that Kick-Ass is getting a sequel due in May, it is reasonable to say I’m less than excited.

A superhero should have a better secret hideout than this.

The sequel will have to start shooting in August, with plenty of shake ups in the production crew. Replacing Matthew Vaughn will be Jeff Wadlow, whose resume includes Never Back Down and not much else. Wadlow will also be writing the movie, which really doesn’t fill me with much hope.

I’m really not that big a fan of the original movie. I know Kick-Ass has plenty of admirers, but the movie didn’t do much more me and was kind of forgettable. It’s a movie that relies mostly on shock value, awkwardly being a satire of the superhero genre and pretty bland characters. Mark Millar’s material always struck me as being edgy for the sake of edgy, and I can’t really tell what the overall message of the movie is. Nevertheless, plenty of people thought it was fun, so there is some fan interest. The movie was fairly profitable, making almost $100 million off a $30 million budget (actually a lot more when marketing is taken into account).

My biases aside, little of this news inspires a ton of promise. We have a director with a short (and poor) resume. The writers of the first movie won’t be involved. Chloe Moretz might not be able to return based on other commitments. And to top it off, the source material is weak. Kick-Ass 2 is a significantly inferior comic when compared to the original, and is going to need a lot of work in the script stage. I suppose the premise becomes somewhat relevant since it deals with the introduction of superhero teams, which people now have more exposure to after the Avengers.

The film is due for next May. Although considering this is a Mark Millar project, expect it to be delayed at least six months.

One of the hallmarks of the Avenger is the ever rotating roster. Heroes come and go, and by this point almost every Marvel hero has called themselves an Avenger at one point or another, whether that be of the New, Secret, or West Coast variety. With The Avengers 2 now confirmed we can expect some lineup changes, but probably only one or two new team members. Who joins the team? Here are four candidates who would work well with Hulk and the gang.

The Wasp

The team could use some more eye candy.

Of all the founding Avengers, only Janet Van Dyne and Hank Pym were left out. I don’t blame Whedon for the decision: they have odd power sets that might be tricky to establish, especially without a solo movie to set them up. But if Ant-Man does indeed get a movie soon, I would be shocked if one of the pair doesn’t make it to the team. Which is great for me, since my dream team is the movie roster plus the Wasp. Whedon openly expressed his desire to include Janet in the current outing, so she seems like a somewhat likely choice. Ant-Man could also join the team, but if I had to choose between the two then Wasp makes the cut. Consider her the most likely option.

Nova

If we are going off his comic book track record, it’s probably best to just let him stay in space.

Okay, so he was only on the team for about five minutes before things went horribly, horribly wrong. I get that. But if the Avengers are going to face big, cosmic level threats, it would useful to have someone more familiar with that realm. Nova is a great character who could add new layers to the mythology of the team, opening new story possibilities. How does he join the team? Nova comes to Earth to warn our heroes about the arrival of the team’s latest threat.

It’s also worth noting that he has an awesome costume and powers that would look great on screen.

Now, Quasar might seem like a better candidate with his longer history on the team, but I have a feeling he’ll be seen with the Guardians of the Galaxy first. He just seems to mesh better with Peter Quill and company if you ask me.

The Vision

We must know if robots can love.

He might not be a founding member, but Vision is as close to classic Avengers as you get. The Avengers is a team that works because of its diverse roster, and adding an artificial intelligence would spice things up nicely. Not to mention are some fun fan theories about how the Vision could join in the team if you want spoilers. Vision is an important part of the team’s legacy, and if Marvel ever decided to use Ultron as a villain then he will make for a great part of the team.

Captain Marvel

Is it cheating for Marvel to use a character named Marvel?

The Marvel Universe is getting bigger, and it’s only a matter of time before more alien races starting getting taking a look at our planet. One such race is the Kree.  If the Kree are involved in the sequel (either as invaders or allies), then it would be useful to have a sympathetic face. Adding an alien to the team would really change up the dynamic, and Captain Marvel could offer some cool new conflicts for the group. An alternative is Carol Danver, or Ms. Marvel. Her origin would have to be retooled and streamlined, but I can see this working.

Honorable mentions: The Black Panther and Dr. Strange are two characters that would make excellent additions to the team, but they really deserve solo introductions first. The story of Wakanda needs more time than the Avengers 2 can give it, and jumping into the world of magic suddenly might be a steep step. But if they do get solo movies, consider them locks for Avengers 3, which we’re all assuming will happen anyway.

I’m a diehard Avengers fanboy, but even I didn’t see this coming. We all knew the movie would be a success, some of us even hoped that the movie might break the opening weekend record set by Harry Potter. But to think the movie would completely eradicate that record by more than $30 million, becoming the first movie to break $200 million on its opening weekend? That’s ridiculous.

Swimming pools filled with gold ridiculous. 

Why exactly did this movie make so much more money that analysts were predicting? The answer is quite simple actually. The movie is really, really good. Initial estimates didn’t take into account much people would love the superhero ensemble, which has spurred on excellent word of mouth and even repeat viewings in its first weekend.

America just can’t get enough Hulk now.

Right now, the big question is can the The Dark Knight Rises top this? If you had asked me even a month ago I would have predicted this as a certainty. Now I’m not so sure. Not that I doubt TDKR making bank, but it’s hard to imagine ANY movie getting this much money.

Suck it, Katniss.

After a four year wait, we’re here. The Avengers hit theaters last night and, spoiler alert, it was awesome. It’s big, has great action, fully developed characters, and might just be the funniest movie I’ve ever seen. There are hundreds of reviews out there, so I figured I’d offer some insights from the mind a comic book movie fanatic. Let’s break it down.

Characters

They are awesome.

Captain America- Chris Evans did solid work the first time around, but this time the character really benefits from his costars. The straight laced, old fashioned Captain America feels much more fleshed out when surrounded by such madness. It was incredibly satisfying to see him start to take on a leadership role towards the end, which is something I thought would be left out. The “Man Out of Time” element wasn’t overdone, more focusing on his efforts to bond with the team. This will give Cap’s sequel plenty of room to explore that theme in more depth. We also see Whedon take a little bit more advantage of Cap’s physical abilities, making his powers feel much closer to their comic book levels.

Iron Man- Robert Downey Jr. is still in top form. His banter is better than ever, and Stark shells out a steady string of one liners. What else needs to be said? He’s probably the most complex character on the team

Thor- Hemsworth was a ton of fun in to watch Thor, but this time it’s a more tempered performance. Our beloved thunder god isn’t quite such a dick this time around, and we miss out on some of those spectacular from the solo film like smashing a coffee mug. Luckily, Hemsworth looks a lot more natural on screen, and handles the more mature Thor quite well. The result? The noble warrior straight from the comics.

Hulk- The hero people can’t stop talking about, Ruffalo might have stolen the show. Easily the best Bruce Banner on film, he’s full of nervous energy but somehow feels like he’s keeping his composure. And of course, when “the other guy” is unleashed, he has some of the best moments in the whole movie. By making him part of an ensemble rather than the solo protagonist, they really let the Hulk be a monster. Considering this time the Hulk shares Banner’s likeness, the result is a winner.

SHIELD- I’ll lump all them into one category. Hawkeye doesn’t get a lot of time to shine, sadly. Renner has fun with it, but hopefully in future installments his character can be fleshed out. Until then, agent Barton remains a bit of a mystery, a casual mix of the Ultimates and classic versions of the character. Black Widow on the other hand, was given a lot more focus and plenty of special moments, but ScarJo doesn’t really do it for me. The whole “dark past” angle never interested me, and not much else about her stands out. Samuel L. Jackson finally gets some stuff to do as Nick Fury, and even though the character has some Machiavellian tricks they make him far more sympathetic than the Ultimates version. That works for me, since if we don’t believe Fury is a good man then it casts doubt on the entire Avenger Initiative.

A special shout out goes to Agent Coulson. He has one of the most memorable scenes in the movie, and one that really fits the function of the character as the connective tissue of the Marvel U.

Loki- Our villain, this Loki is far more feral and wild. Although he claims that freedom is a lie and that subjugation is humanity’s preferred state, clearly these are hollow words to him. The invasion is little more than a big temper tantrum, a way of expressing his anger and pain. This is the evil Loki we know from the comics, but one that’s not far removed from the last time we saw him. Even though we’ve seen him as a villain twice, there is still plenty more that can be done with the character in Thor 2.

As for his army? Basically Whedon chose the Chitauri as a generic alien race, a blunt tool. They’re pretty much a new creation, loosely based on Marvel’s Skrull-like aliens in the Ultimate Avengers series. This is fine by me. The aliens aren’t important. I care about the team.

Hmm, an alien. Yawn.

The Movie

One of the least action packed moments in the movie.

The Action- This is easily the most action packed marvel movie. By far. The entire third act is an epic attack on New York, and it’s pretty spectacular. The fighting is briskly paced, not overly fast and jarring like a Bourne movie but not burdened by never ending slo-mo.

The Story- In some ways the weak spot of the movie. Sort of. The plot is rather basic, and we don’t see too many twists and turns. Then again, this isn’t a horrible thing. The basic set up is so tricky that it benefits from a simple, epic scope. The story gives the characters plenty of room to breathe as Whedon’s script explores what makes each of them tick. While the overall structure is basic, this doesn’t  make it any less of a rollercoaster.

Final Thoughts- Yep, the Avengers is a blast. If at times it feels long, it more than makes up for it with witty dialogue, great characterization and huge action set pieces. Much like how the only word to describe The Dark Knight was “intense”, the only word for the Avengers is “awesome”. Still, I do have to say that this is not a truly great film. Yes, it’s extremely entertaining, but didn’t walk away feeling like there was a great meaning or emotional journey. Certain scenes are emotional, but at time it feels like maybe things go too fast or without enough gravitas to truly sink in (with one very notable exception). This is a big directorial step for Whedon, and if the inevitable sequel can gain some more dramatic tension and deeper meaning, then we will have a truly perfect superhero movie. Until then, go enjoy the wonderful spectacle that is The Avengers.

In a week dominated by the overwhelming presence of the Avengers, we get a break from the insanity from our old friend Batman in the form of this lovely new trailer. Check it out.

My opinions on the trailer are a tiny bit mixed. All of the footage looks fantastic, and Nolan has really upped the scale of the story. We see bridges getting blown up, and massive fight scenes on the streets of Gotham. Much more of Batman’s scenes have him in the light of day, unlike the past two installments. Any worries about Bane being inaudible can be forgotten, and the villain is suitably menacing. Even Anne Hathaway as Catwoman is starting to grow on me. I don’t love the overall look of the character, but I did enjoy her moments on screen. It did sound a bit like she was imitating Michelle Pfieffer, but she’s a quality enough actress and seems to pull it off. I just think the trailer wasn’t perfectly put together, and ended on a bit of a flat note. Even though the trailer didn’t blow my mind, I have no reason to doubt the movie and it’s going to be a surefire hit.

Who wouldn’t pay to see this?

The trailer also gives us lots of nice plot details. As expected, Bane is going beat the hell out of Batman at one point. It’s kind of his thing. Catwoman definitely seems to have uncertain allegiances, although at the end of the day she probably seems like she’ll follow Batman. Most interesting to me are the Joseph Gordon-Levitt scenes. Out of all the non-costumed characters, he had by far the biggest presence in the trailer. I have no doubt he’ll be one of Batman’s closest allies, maybe even his successor. The trailer did allude to Batman’s possible death, so it is certainly possible Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a version of Azrael, the man who took over for Bruce Wayne after his infamous encounter with Bane. Although Batman is considered a murderer and criminal by the city after the events of TDK, it looks like his image is becoming a symbol of resistance once again.

Much of the story is still uncertain, but this is shaping up to be a fitting finale to Nolan’s Batman saga.

Our direct future sees the release of The Avengers (awesome, I know), and the more distant future sees even more opportunities to bring to life the colorful pages of the comics. However, the large number of superhero flicks that have come to fruition have been received mostly with negative reviews by the critics. Until Christopher Nolan turned the Batman franchise into artwork, superhero movies were looked down upon as cotton candy films. Loki does not agree with this.

Loki is very disappointed in you.

In a wonderfully written blog post for “The Guardian“, actor Tom Hiddleston spoke at length about the pride he takes in his role as Loki, and the power superhero movies can hold in the imagination and in the canon of strong cinematic characters. The Hulk is our anger, and Bruce Banner our shame of that anger. Bruce Wayne is Hamlet, forever trying to avenge the death of his parents. Captain America is the paradigm of military pride, and his placement in a time not his own, challenges his belief in himself and his country. All of these characters show an amount of depth that could challenge any actor, and in the case of Robert Downey, Jr., redefine a career.

I believe his career is now defined as “being awesome”.

Some may scoff at this, and bring to the conversation the CGI and use of special effects as taking away from what could be a moving story if it wasn’t lost in the muddle of too much grandiose computer work, but Hiddleston reminds us that the first moving film in 1895 put us on a path to where we are right now. What we are doing with movies now would shock and amaze the minds of the past. Perhaps the depth of superheroes is distorted by the colors and movement, but perhaps it also puts a magnifying glass up to the spectacle of flawed individuals who just happen to be able to fly.

Axe Cop is one of the biggest success stories from the world of web comics. Who knew that a story told by a 5 year old and illustrated by his 29 year old brother would be so popular? If you are not familiar with Axe Cop, it is a comic series about a cop who uses a fireman’s axe to chop crime to pieces and often rides a tyrannosaurus rex. It is full of the randomness, plot twists, and robot moon battles that you would expect from the mind of a little boy. In other words, it is ridiculously entertaining. Fox agrees and decided that Axe Cop would make the perfect cartoon for Animation Domination HD, a new block of late night cartoons that is supposed to draw viewers away from Adult Swim on Cartoon Network.

Yeah, I think I’d watch this.

Neither Malachai Nicolle, the young writer, or Ethan Nicolle, the artist, aren’t Seth MacFarlane, so it is a little surprising that their work will be on Fox. I thought MacFarlane had some sort of monopoly on animated airtime there. Either way, it will be interesting to see how the sudden twists and turns of Axe Cop will fit into animated airtime. I am especially curious to see how long episodes will be. I feel like 15 minute episodes in the vein of Aqua Teen Hunger Force would be the way to go if the Axe Cop television show stays as random as the comics. That kind of manic story jumping could grow wearisome if it went on for a full 30 minutes every episode, as those longer episodes usually require a bit more of a structured story element to keep the audience interested. Too much structure would rob Axe Cop of its unique charm, so Fox will definitely be walking a fine line with the development of this series.

I also wonder if Fox is scouting other web comics to turn into animated series. The popular web comic Least I Could Do has been working on putting together an animated series for quite a while now, and the adult humor in that strip would certainly fit a late night cartoon block. If I was to choose one web comic to become an ongoing television series, my vote would have to go to Anthony Clark’s Nedroid comics. 15 minute episodes of Beartato and Reginald being random and lovable would be the best thing ever. Basically a grown up Adventure Time without having to grow up.

Go read about Beartato if you like being happy.