Batman v Superman and Avengers Age of Ultron will arguably represent the greatest clash of film franchise superpowers yet upon the Silverscreen. Batman and Superman are two of DCs most successful, prolific and beloved characters; moreover, they are arguably the most iconic superheroes in the world. Known in the DC universe as "The World`s Finest" Batman and Superman are the ultimate superhero duo. Batman is the world`s greatest detective; a master or criminology and a zen warrior, with a seemingly limitless arsenal of advanced technological weaponry and gadgetry. Superman is physically Batman`s superior in everyway - possessing god-like superpowers harnessed through the radiation of the Sun`s light. It is no secret Superman can fly, see through solid objects, fire lazer beams from his eyes and is impervious to all but the most sophisticated and deadliest of man-made weaponry (and of course Kryptonite). Yet one of Superman`s greatest strengths lies not in his powers but in his humanity. Superman`s actions are governed by a strong sense of morality and justice but which also sees the good in people.
The Avengers meanwhile both on screen and off combine some of Marvel`s greatest superheroes, including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, the Hulk and in the comic book universe even the likes of Spiderman among others. Marvel enjoyed tremendous success at the box office with the first Avengers film, Avengers Assemble. The sequel will include new characters including the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, as well as a brand new and terrifying foe - Ultron. With the Avengers already being established as a successful blockbuster franchise, it would seem that Marvel has the edge in terms of momentum with their flagship ensemble superteam. However, here are my thoughts.
The announcement that the next Superman sequel would also feature Batman as the co-lead character took many fans by surprise, including myself. Following Marvel`s successful formula of introducing the separate Avengers characters before bringing them all together, many fans expected DC to do the same with Batman receiving his own reboot as well as other Justice League characters such as the Green Lantern and Wonderwoman. But DC chose to follow a different route. And it is a route I respect and applaud them for taking. Despite many fans concerns that they are "rushing" a Batman/Superman film to try and keep pace with Marvel and the Avengers, I see it very differently. Yes there may be some truth to the fact that Marvel has DC chasing their tails in the war for Silverscreen domination, but I believe this decision makes perfect sense within the universe Zack Snyder created in Man of Steel.
Man of Steel was met with mixed reactions, with people either loving or hating the movie. Most criticism fell on the the latter part of the film and its protracted end battle between Superman and Zod, not to mention the incredibly controversial ending where Superman has to kill Zod in order to save the lives of innocent bystanders caught in the middle of their epic duel. While I understand this criticism, I don`t subscribe to it. The scale of collateral damage within the film, wrought upon a very unfortunate Metropolis, would be precisely the kind expected should the world be faced with its first major existential threat from an alien military general who is given superpowers through the effect the sun`s radiation has on his physiology. As an alien from a race where people are born artificially, each encoded with their own function and purpose in society, his being the protection and survival of his race no matter the moral consequences of his actions; Zod would have literally killed every human being upon earth had Superman not killed him. Superman`s actions were for the greater good and the protection of the human race. As Zod had the same god-like powers Superman possessed, this was a decision only Superman could have made and he had to make it with the knowledge that he was dooming his own race of Kryptonians to history.
In light of the aftermath of Man of Steel it is completely logical that they would create a Batman versus Superman sequel. Batman and Superman co-exist within the DC universe and as Batman is already meant to be a veteran superhero within Snyder`s cinematic DC universe, he would naturally have been alerted to the potential threat an alien like Superman poses to the world in the wake of the catastrophic events of Man of Steel. As a character Batman is fundamentally a cynical person, who trusts no-one, bar possibly his loyal butler Alfred. It is well documented within the comics that Batman distrusts every member of the Justice League and is especially careful in creating defences against Superman`s powers, should ever he be tempted to turn to evil. Had Superman been given his own sequel after Man of Steel it would have made no sense from within the DC universe. The world discovering that humanity is not the only intelligent life form in the universe and that aliens do in fact exist - who are also more powerful than us and who could cause a very real existential threat changes everything. In reality it would change the course of human history forever. Within the DC universe we would expect the likes of Batman and the Green Lantern to show up to assess the situation and strategise how best to respond. Superman could not exist within a vacuum. A Batman v Superman film is to my mind the most logical and natural sequel to Man of Steel.
Regarding the casting of Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, I believe he received a disproportionate amount of criticism. Yes, he also starred in the Marvel film Dare Devil, which was one of Marvel`s failures but he was not the only reason for the failure of that film. Dare Devil is a very flawed film top to bottom. Since then, Affleck has come a long way in his own acting career and as a director, who has earned a lot of respect for his own films. Until the film is made and the first trailer is released there`s no way to know now whether DC have made the right decision. However, I am prepared to be open-minded and am still very hopeful and optimistic about the film. The continuity of returning star Henry Cavill as Superman is excellent news, as he was born to play Superman with his looks and physique.
That is not to say I have no concerns about this film. This film is possibly the DC film with the highest stakes. Get it wrong and it is unforgivable. There are rumours Wonderwoman may get a cameo and Lex Luther will surely turn out to be the arch villain that ultimately unites the two superheroes in a common cause. These are major characters in the DC universe and their portrayal, the plot and pace of this film are all crucial to its success. At the end of the day Batman is my favourite superhero of all time and a film with him and Superman in it is a dream come true. I can`t wait to 2015 to see it.
As many of my good friends know, I hated Avengers Assemble. But contrary to what some of my friends may think, I don`t love to hate the Avengers; it genuinely disappointed me. The Avengers is a totally superficial film that completely got the balance wrong. Hawkeye was a pivotal character within the film yet he only received a minor cameo in Thor, with no explanation as to who he was and so the impact od him being controlled by Loki for evil was lessened in my opinion. Loki`s alien army was pathetically generic and didn`t even look realistic. The end battle scene for the fate of New York was total overkill - much worse than Man of Steel, and it seemed much of it was just an excuse to see the Hulk practically beat the entire alien invasion force single handedly. Very simply, it was dumb.
Criticism of the first Avengers film notwithstanding, I will go and see Avengers 2 and I will try and keep an open mind. From what I have learnt about the character, Ultron seems like a genuinely terrifying threat to humanity and a far better villain than Loki`s underwhelming and forgettable alien army...in fact having a villain that can`t be beaten up so easily by the Hulk will be a vast improvement (not to say Loki was a poor villain, but I felt he was undermined by that scene and it made it hard for me to understand the relevance of the Avengers if the Hulk was such a dominant force all by himself, with the added convenience of being able to control his rage).
Nevertheless, I think Avengers 2 could be just as disasterous as the first one, for several reasons. 1. Joss Whedon is directing it again (will he go back to the well again of the first Avengers formula?), 2. The introduction of more superheroes could be difficult to balance, a serious problem that X-Men Last Stand suffered from and 3. Iron Man 3 was a somewhat anticlimatic finale to the Iron Man trilogy. This I believe is cause for concern because Iron Man is a major character within the core Avengers team. Stark was made out to be too vulnerable in Iron Man 3 to the point where he was having panic attacks induced by questions from small children. His experimentation with his Iron Man suits had become totally ridiculous to the point where the supposed upgrade broke down and he spent the best part of the film just as Tony Stark, which was further exacerbated by the fact that his girlfriend, Pepper Pots, had to save the day for him after undergoing the extremis operation (an operation Stark himself receives in the graphic novel). The portrayal of the Manderin while novel, was ultimately unsatisfying and a massive let down, especially for Iron Man`s arch-nemesis.
Finally onto another major superhero francise: the X-Men. X-Men Days of Future Past comes out next year and the first trailer has just recently been released. The film borrows its title and major theme from the graphic novel of the same name. The film takes place in a dystopian future, where Mutants have almost been hunted to exstinction by giant robotic Sentinels. Like its comic book namesake, the film involves time travel as Wolverine`s mind is transported back in time into the body of his younger self in order to prevent the apocalyptic war against the mutants, with the help of the young Professor Xavier and Magneto, introduced in X-Men First Class. I am really excited for this film. Firstly, I love dystopian sci-fi plots (the Matrix is one of my all-time favourite films). Secondly, I enjoyed both X-Men First Class and The Wolverine, proving that the X-Men franchise was not lost after X-Men 3 Last Stand. Thirdly, Bryan Singer is once again directing it, after having established the franchise in the first place.
Going back to point 2, X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a disappointing film, but what it got right was the central axis of the film, namely the transformation of Logan into the adamantium laced killing machine that is Wolverine. The actual adamantium surgery scene is one of my favourite superhero movie moments, as an enraged Logan emerges from the chamber in beserker Wolverine mode. The Wolverine, however, is to my mind the defining Wolverine film of the series. Set in Japan sometime after the events of X-Men 3, Logan is haunted by the death of Jean and has lost all purpose in life. Rather than this being a weakness to the film or character, I believe it adds depth and gives us a great Wolverine film. What makes Wolverine such a compelling and interesting character, is his humanity and his desire to be a better person than the mere killer he was created to be by the Weapon X story arc. The Wolverine (film) brought out the best in Wolverine`s character - a man who ultimately wants to do the right thing and finds the strength to live with his mutant ability that gives him near immortality. He learns to bear the emotional and psychological scars of his past and use his natural born weapons - his iconic claws - to serve the greater good.
With both the X-Men and Wolverine franchises being redeemed, I think there is real cause for hope with this new film. Parts of the trailer make me really excited, such as the teasers of new characters Bishop, Warpath and Blink, as well as a bullet-ridden Wolverine. Some of the aesthetics are a little concerning in my opinion (it looks at points like Last Stand), however, they may come across far better in the finished film on the big screen. Overall, I think Days of Future Past is a very ambitious X-Men sequel and a very exciting one, combining the casts of the original and prequel X-Men films.
With comic book/superhero films becoming an established and popular film genre in their own right, film studios are attempting bolder and bolder story arcs and adaptations. The Avengers was a real game changer within the genre as superhero films of the future will now be judged by its scale and success. I`m sure excitment levels will rise the closer we get to the release dates of all these respective films and there is much to look forward to in the near future.
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