Marvel Comics in Film: What Might the Future Hold?

[Mathim]

Batman Begins and Dark Knight were damn fine works but they really dropped the ball with Rises. I don't know what the hell they were thinking. But when you say it 'set the standard', that's flagrantly untrue. Every superhero movie is going to be of a different sort and to say that Batman's villain (as hypnotic and sadistic as Hannibal Lecter) is going to have to be emulated for any of the otherupcoming films to be any good is utterly false. The Dark Knight had its flaws (what was the deal with the whole 'taking fingerprints off a bullet' sequence? Complete waste of time and confuse the shit out of the audience) but it was still a damn good overall film that ultimately forced Batman to compromise his 'no killing' rule despite allowing the Joker to live. The point is the writing and artistry were top-notch and no other films really devote that much focus to writing a cohesive and logical script because unlike Batman, these folks who actually have superpowers seem to be giving their writers the idea that they can sacrifice story quality for special effects and that is simply not true. Every hero needs a good villain for their foil and it's difficult to find good ones. Iron Man 3 fucking blew it explosively by

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

having the Mandarin be a fucking fake-out

and Hulk's was...well, for a simpleton like him I wasn't expecting much anyway (although I did enjoy the climactic finale).

Thor 2 has the potential to really shine if Disney doesn't royally screw them up like with IM3. Malekith the Accursed is a really interesting villain so hopefully the people who worked on the script weren't smoking what Shane Black was smoking to think what they turned in was anything like an acceptable product.

[Chris Brady]

Iron Man 3 spoiler/gripe:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Whatever happened to the 'Ten Rings' reference in the first film anyway?

And only ONE film has 'set the standard' and it's The Avengers.

[Inkidu]

Iron Man 3 spoiler/gripe:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Whatever happened to the 'Ten Rings' reference in the first film anyway?

And only ONE film has 'set the standard' and it's The Avengers.

It's implied that it was wiped out by the villain of Iron Man 1.

On Iron Man 3

I kind of figured something tricky from Iron Man 3 when the director admitted he thought the Mandarin was stereotypical and cliche, if not racist. I kind of like what he did, but I hardcore comic fans didn't like it because it messed with status quo.

It was certainly better than the second one. As much as I like Micky R. I don't think the villain for that movie was really effectual. Honestly the whole series has had weak villains. :\

I don't know if I could in good conscious call the Avengers the standard because it's the product of so many more movies it's the sum total is greater than that of its parts, but it's crippled with each Marvel movie you don't see.

In fact, I was a little perplexed why Nazis were looking for Norse artifacts in Captain America, because I saw it before being able to see Thor.

Oh, and if Kenneth Branaugh doesn't direct Thor 2 I'm not watching it.

I'd say as a stand alone film the best standard there is would be Captain America.

[Oniya]

The Nazis were historically into 'reclaiming' (or reinterpreting) Nordic stuff.  There's a reason that they used the jagged S for the SS, and among other interpretations, one used for the swastika was that it represented Thor swinging his hammer.

And besides, Nazis hunting religious artifacts worked so well for the Indiana Jones movies.

[Inkidu]

The Nazis were historically into 'reclaiming' (or reinterpreting) Nordic stuff.  There's a reason that they used the jagged S for the SS, and among other interpretations, one used for the swastika was that it represented Thor swinging his hammer.

And besides, Nazis hunting religious artifacts worked so well for the Indiana Jones movies.

Mmm... that's really a half myth. Himmler was into the occult he had a whole order within the SS (a group he built) so a lot of SS iconography is Nordic in tradition. It's heavily implied that Hitler himself used the myths for propaganda, but when it came to actually believing it he... indulged Himmler. I agree though it made Raiders epic.

Gee, Mr. Nazi sir, what did you think was going to happen when a Nazi opened the most sacred relic in all of Judaism. 

That aside, I should have said I had no idea where the Comic Cube (because I can't spell tesserwhatsit) came from, but it was revealed at the end of Thor.

[Oniya]

when it came to actually believing it he... indulged Himmler.

That's where the 'reinterpreting' thing comes in.  ;D  'Look!  We have all these myths saying how awesome we are!  We deserve to rule the world!'

[Inkidu]

That's where the 'reinterpreting' thing comes in.  ;D  'Look!  We have all these myths saying how awesome we are!  We deserve to rule the world!'

True.

What he failed to realize is that all the cultures of the world have those kinds of stories.

(America wins because we can actually prove how bad-ass our origin was. ;D kidding, kidding!)

Without watching Thor though the Cosmic Cube kind of comes from nowhere, though.

[ShadowFox89]

Batman Begins and Dark Knight were damn fine works but they really dropped the ball with Rises. I don't know what the hell they were thinking. But when you say it 'set the standard', that's flagrantly untrue.

Let me rephrase then. Batman Begins sets the standard as far as rating go for superhero movies. Before Batman Begins? Most superhero movies were met with "meh" and "eh", ie overall lackluster. Batman Begins and Dark Knight? Made jaws drop and critics go "hey, superhero movies can be good!". Thusly, the bar gets raised up.

[RedPhoenix]

It was one of the things JRR Tolkien hated, was how the Nazis had co opted Nordic mythology. He wrote angrily about it to lots of people. :/

[Inkidu]

It was one of the things JRR Tolkien hated, was how the Nazis had co opted Nordic mythology. He wrote angrily about it to lots of people. :/

It's why the Jews and others played Wagner and Beethoven. They didn't want the Nazis to claim it. 

[Chris Brady]

Let me rephrase then. Batman Begins sets the standard as far as rating go for superhero movies. Before Batman Begins? Most superhero movies were met with "meh" and "eh", ie overall lackluster. Batman Begins and Dark Knight? Made jaws drop and critics go "hey, superhero movies can be good!". Thusly, the bar gets raised up.

I disagree.  Blade was the first film that started it all.  People stood up and said, "Hey, that's pretty good!" and a whole deluge of Marvel properties that suddenly started to get better and better (with a few missteps here and there, Ang Lee's Hulk, I'm lookin' at you.)  Warner Bros. wanted to capitalize on it, and have been struggling for a long time to do so.  Nolan's Bat-thug was a start, but then they released Green Lantern, Superman Returns...

[Inkidu]

Returns wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. I think it was a bad move to try and connect it to the Reeves films.
I think Green Lantern was fairly terrible.

Blade was really good. I'm not as infatuated with Blade II as a lot of people, I found it a bit wonky.

[Mathim]

Blade, the first X-Men, even Daredevil for what it was all came before Batman Begins and really impressed me. That's why I gave Marvel so many chances despite being let down about 51% of the time. As for DC...not another penny. They blew it with Green Lantern and Dark Knight Rises. Sorry, Supes, it's too little too late.