Blockbuster Burnout: How Hollywood is Destroying Itself

I've made no secret about my absolute love of movies. They have been my life's obsession since I was old enough to speak and walk. I remember, growing up, watching the likes of the "Star Wars" saga, the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the "Harry Potter" series, and the Sam Raimi "Spider-Man" trilogy, among others. To this day those films still capture my imagination as they did back then.

But now I'm hearing about all the films set to come out in 2015, films that should make my inner child go absolutely nuts. Among them- "Batman vs. Superman," "Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Ant-Man," "Fantastic Four," "Jurassic Park IV," "Independence Day 2," "Pirates of the Caribbean 5," "Terminator 5," "James Bond 24," "Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2," "Kung Fu Panda 3," "Finding Dory," "Assassin's Creed," "Warcraft" and the biggest surprise of all, "Star Wars Episode VII."

My inner cinephile is still reeling from all these announcements, the Avengers, Star Wars and Superman/Batman ones in particular. But while any kid would look at all these titles and swoon, as a cynical adult I look at all this with suspicion. It's something I've noticed the last few years- every summer, we get more and more sequels, prequels, remakes and reboots.

I have been around to remember franchises like Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, Pirates, Harry Potter, Transformers, the Star Wars prequels, Star Trek and others blossom and falter, while other series like "Die Hard" and "Indiana Jones" were resurrected. Every year, more would come, and every year there would be hits and misses. Such is the way of Hollywood. Almost anyone will tell you how unoriginal the film-making industry is today, with executives only greenlighting blockbusters with franchise potential so they get a return on their investments.

In this day and age, as much as I hate to admit it, I see their point. Film-making is first and foremost a business, and executives invest heavily in brands that turn a profit. I'm not here to remark on Hollywood's obsession with "brands," or franchises. I'm here instead to comment on what this will lead to. The thing is, I don't even have to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

It's already been predicted by the two men who arguably started Hollywood's blockbuster franchise obsession- George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg. Earlier this year, speaking at the University of Southern California, both talked about how the film industry was headed for an "implosion," where "half a dozen mega budget movies are going to go crashing into the ground, and that's going to change the paradigm" (quote taken from an article of The Guardian). I've mentioned in previous rants how certain event films have changed the paradigm of Hollywood film-making. Now it seems we may be set for another paradigm-a return to smaller, independent films.

I would say the process has already begun. The Internet has made it possible for anyone with a webcam and a computer to make their own films. Thanks to Kickstarter campaigns, we're getting movies like "Veronica Mars" made just from donations. Netflix has made the small screen the ideal place to watch film and TV, some even made exclusively for online streaming. The point is, you don't need a gigantic budget to make a film anymore. Look at how Hollywood is investing its money. Recent films like "John Carter," "Battleship," "Pacific Rim" and "The Lone Ranger," which cost upwards of 100 to 200 million dollars to make, are flopping at the box office. All four were promising films that executives hoped would kickstart a franchise. All four failed. What does this say about the industry as a whole?

Sure, we still have surefire hits. "Iron Man 3" made a billion on the good will of "Avengers," which was considered a huge risk at the time but paid off thanks to the crossover appeal of multiple superheroes. Now every comic book film wants to be just like it. Animated children's films like the recent "Despicable Me 2" still rake in the dough, so it's no surprise we're getting more of that. And franchise resurrections, while not always critically lauded, are almost always box office hits if only for the nostalgia factor. But now we're getting to an age where all of these blockbusters are going head to head, at once, in an incredibly short time frame.

Yes, it's happened before. And yes, the film industry didn't implode. But films are getting more and more expensive. Hollywood is banking entirely off the money made by these films to turn a profit. While some of these films will succeed, not all of them will be the hits Hollywood wants them to be. Some will outright bomb, while others will just underperform. We are living in an economy where people can't just blow all their cash going to see a film in theaters, not when there's a more comfortable, less expensive alternative waiting at home on a laptop.

Hollywood knows this, which is why these franchise films more often than not feel like gimmicks instead of actual movies. People still lap it up, but by 2015 I think everyone will start wising up. They will question, as I have, why all these giant blockbusters are being pitted against each other at once. The whole thing reeks of desperation on the part of the executives. People want to be entertained, sure, and there will still be those drawn out by curiosity or nostalgia. But it won't be as big as Hollywood thinks.

At the very least, some blockbusters will draw all of the attention and leave the other films in the dust. Too many "event" films will come out, too many will tank, and the result will be Hollywood going bankrupt trying to make up for the losses of these films they thought would be "sure things."

Once upon a time, Spielberg and Lucas emerged as part of a generation of directors who were anti-Hollywood, making smaller films as an antidote to the formulaic dribble the studios were putting out. When those films became huge successes, Lucas and Spielberg went from anti-Hollywood to becoming Hollywood. They invented the blockbuster, and the studios have adopted that model ever since. But Lucas and Spielberg have seen this before, and now the Blockbuster Age they have started looks to be coming to an end. The Internet is creating the next anti-Hollywood movement, and soon everyone will suffer from Blockbuster Burnout and call for less expensive, more original content.

Of course this is just a prediction. And for all my talk, I'll still probably end up seeing most of these movies, maybe even multiple times. But I love going to see films in theaters. I'm part of a generation that's used to that. But the generations after me aren't. They see movies at home, on laptops, not in theaters. They will look at all these big movies, speak of how the films will empty their wallets, and choose instead to see what's on Netflix while waiting for the Blu Rays to hit.

I could be entirely wrong. I can't speak for thousands of other moviegoers. But at the rate the film industry is churning out these films, one thing is absolutely certain- come 2015, either Hollywood will get very rich, or watch as their beloved blockbuster model crashes and burns. And should they get rich and crank out even more event films? The entire thing will bust eventually. If 2015 is not the end, then it will at least mark the beginning of it.

I hate to be this cynical. Like I said, I love movies, especially the experience of watching them in the theater. Some of my most precious memories are going to see these big event films at midnight, surrounded by friends and family. I hope future generations get to experience that. But the way things are now, the theater-going experience may take a huge hit, if only for a few years. I don't think it'll ever go away, but in the next decade it will very much decline. All I can do is wait and see, but no matter what happens, my love of watching movies will never diminish. And for the thousands of others who love the art of film, they won't stop either.

In Comic-Con We Trust

It's been over a week since the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, and yet I'm still reeling from all of its announcements. Clearly THE nerd event, Comic-Con is the place to go to get the scoop on the biggest nerd films of the next few years, as well as events in TV, video games and comics. It's an understatement to say that a lot happened. The pilot episode for the MCU show Agents of SHIELD was aired. Footage from next year's Robocop reboot was shown. We got our first look at anticipated films like "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "Godzilla," seeing an aged Caesar and glimpses of the atomic breathing lizard fighting and killing other giant creatures. But of course, the biggest announcements at the Con came from the film adaptations of Marvel and DC, so naturally, in this reaction piece, I plan on focusing on them. 

First up is Marvel, and what better place to start than with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Joss Whedon already screened the SHIELD pilot, which drew unanimous praise from fans thanks to its Whedonesque dialogue and the return of Clark Gregg's Agent Phil Coulson. While that show is set to focus on how human society is reacting the events of "The Avengers," this November's "Thor: The Dark World" will see the cosmic aftermath. Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston, appeared at the Con in character to promote the film, rallying the crowd by asking "Where are your Avengers now?" and getting them to say his name. This was a treat to see, since Hiddleston clearly relishes the role and the audience really loves him. The film might break a billion easily just by having Loki in it. 

But as to the footage screened, from what I hear it detailed a lot of what was seen in the first trailer, with Thor taking Jane to Asgard and visiting Loki in prison. What was new was a brief clip of Thor fighting a giant rock creature, and Loki betraying Thor and apparently cutting off his hand. If this is truly in the film, then the Thor sequel looks to be a huge improvement over the original. Since Alan "Game of Thrones" Taylor is on board as director, I was hoping we'd get a more dark fantasy feel from this film, as befitting a Viking god. It looks like that's exactly what we're getting, and thanks to that footage description I'm more excited than ever for the film to drop in November. 

Next up is "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." While I'm not as pumped for the Cap sequel as I am for Thor, this is based on my favorite Captain America arc from the comics, detailing Bucky returning from the dead as a brainwashed Soviet assassin. As shown in the picture above, Cap is set to get a new suit, heavily inspired by his Secret Avengers comic costume and containing a blue and white stealth shield. The footage shown at the Con revealed Black Widow and Falcon in action, the SHIELD Helicarrier crashing, and a final money shot of the Winter Soldier picking up Cap's shield. 

This all sounds fantastic, and while Cap is not my favorite Marvel character, I'm genuinely interested in seeing his adventures in modern day as he comes to understand his role in the present. On a side note, the Con also screened the Marvel One Shot that will come with the "Iron Man 3" DVD, Agent Carter, which will follow Peggy Carter after the events of the first Cap film. I sincerely believe we should get a Marvel film with a female character, and if the reaction to the Agent Carter film is any indication, it's proof that a solo female adventure can be done well. 

We were all expecting Thor and Cap news, but the real surprise was footage from "Guardians of the Galaxy," which is still filming. Besides Chris Pratt's Star Lord, Zoe Saldana's Gamora and Dave Bautista's Drax, the panel confirmed John C. Reilley as Rhomann Dey of the Nova Corps, Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser (leader of the Kree Empire) and "Doctor Who's" Karen Gillian as Nebula, the granddaughter of Thanos. Gillian revealed she was wearing a wig at the Con and took it off to reveal her bald head, having shaved her hair for the role. Now that's commitment.

The footage that follows shows the entire Guardians line-up in a Nova Corps rap sheet. Groot and Rocket Racoon are featured, Star Lord has some great one-liners, and the tone seems like that of an actiony sci-fi comedy. It all sounds very promising, so I'm fully on board for the MCU's first foray into the cosmic universe. Specifically, the development of Thanos and the existence of both the Nova Corps and the Kree is promising. Maybe down the line we'll get Captain Marvel, Adam Warlock and Nova. That thought alone is salivating. "Guardians" is still a big risk for Marvel, but based on this footage, I think it'll pay off in a big way.

Which brings us to the last MCU announcement. Many fans were expecting some Phase Three news, maybe a Doctor Strange confirmation or something about the Ant-Man movie. Ironically, we got nothing on Ant-Man but something very big about his creation. Joss Whedon confirmed that 2015's "Avengers" sequel will be called "Age of Ultron," which will bring the iconic robot super villain to life. I had a miniature heart attack at the news, since Ultron is one of my favorite Avengers villains and it will be amazing to see him fight Earth's Mightiest on screen. We know that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch (sans mutant backstory) will be in the film, and now we have our main antagonist. However, fans raged when Whedon revealed that Hank Pym, aka Ant-Man, Ultron's creator, wouldn't be in the film.

Personally, I don't have a problem with this. We already have a basis for A.I. and robots thanks to Stark's JARVIS program and the Iron Legion, which could very easily become corrupted and turn into Ultron. Maybe SHIELD has something to do with it, creating a fleet of Ultron drones from Stark tech as a replacement for the Avengers to deal with threats. Since the Ant-Man movie drops a few months later, it could be Pym could get a mention or a cameo as a SHIELD scientist involved in Ultron's creation, as a way of hyping up his solo film. Not a lot is known at this point, but one thing we do know is Ultron is coming. Just as I suspected, Thanos will be built up using Guardians and most likely saved for Avengers 3, leaving this film to fully develop Ultron as the threat he was meant to be. Color me beyond excited.

But despite my excitement for the main Marvel films forthcoming, I'm anticipating even more the Marvel films from Sony and Fox- "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past." Spidey and the X-Men were my gateway drugs to the Marvel Universe, and even if these cinematic versions aren't apart of the MCU, the success of "The Avengers" is clearly inspiring them to take larger risks and be more comic-book accurate. The panels for both films were wildly celebrated, thanks in no small part to Andrew Garfield appearing in costume and character as Spider-Man and the entire cast of the next X-Men movie showing up.

As a huge Spider-Man fan, it was an absolute joy to see Garfield embrace the role as his own, cracking wise the way Spider-Man would and bouncing off the likes of Marc Webb and Jamie Foxx. Speaking of which, the leaked footage for the film of Foxx's Electro looks absolutely breathtaking. Electro seems to have a solid character arc of going from a nobody to a feared menace, amassing god-like power as he performs feats like blacking out all of Times Square. I have no doubt that Foxx will dominate the role, and make Electro a true threat for Spidey to face. This could very well be the best Spider-Man film of all time, between the look of the suit, Spidey at his comical best, amazing action, and a truly threatening villain.

In regards to the X-Men, while I've enjoyed the series as a whole thus far, I still take issue with both the liberties taken from the comics and the lack of continuity between "First Class" and the other films. Thankfully, "Days of Future Past" seems to be correcting all of that. Peter Dinklage, who excellently plays Tyrion Lannister on "Game of Thrones," is playing Bolivar Trask, creator of the Sentinels, and with him comes the entire arc from the comics, complete with time travel. True, Wolverine will be the time traveler instead of Kitty Pryde, but I'm still beyond psyched.

The very idea of all the cast members returning to do a massive crossover event between all the X-films, ironing out the continuity and possibly resetting the timeline "Star Trek" style, is really appealing to me. The end scene of "The Wolverine," wherein old Xavier and Magneto recruit Logan as Trask Industries gathers power, had me cheering, and this entire panel did too. Between the cast members old and new, our first look at the Sentinel robots on the Con floor and some fantastic footage (including a meeting between young and old Xavier), this looks set to fully redeem the X-Men franchise and carry it into the future.

In the midst of all the Marvel news, however, the biggest announcement came from DC. Ok, so we still don't know if they're working on Justice League, Flash or Wonder Woman films. But those movies could very well be in our future if this next film is a success. I don't see how it couldn't. When Zach Snyder announced he would be directing a "Man of Steel" sequel, he brought out Harry Lennix to read a passage from "The Dark Knight Returns" comic, before showing a Superman/Batman logo on the screen. The crowd went nuts, and I nearly died. At long last, DC is finally taking advantage of their properties and building a shared universe. A film with both Superman and Batman together? It will destroy the box office. Granted, this will be a new Batman, but the popularity of the character alone will ensure its success.

I've given this movie a fair bit of thought, of course. As big of a Marvel fan as I am, I want to see DC succeed just as well. The tentatively titled "Batman vs. Superman" film could organically spin out of the events of "Man of Steel," forwarding Superman's character as well as warming audiences up for a new Batman. I could see Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor pooling resources to rebuild Metropolis, distrusting Superman, eventually leading to Bats and Supes fighting each other, before teaming up to take down Luthor and maybe a couple of soldier villains. I could see Superman, racked with guilt over the destruction in Metropolis, embrace his role as the optimistic, uplifting savior after seeing the good in humanity within Batman while also having an example of what not to be (dark, brooding and cynical). I could see Superman and Batman form a solid partnership that could lead to the revelation that other heroes exist in this world, building towards "Justice League."

No doubt about it, the future of the DC Cinematic Universe lies with this film. But then again, maybe it would be better to forward Superman's character arc in another solo film before moving on a crossover. Maybe Batman needs time away from film so people can forget the "Dark Knight" saga. Maybe DC is only doing this to capitalize on Batman's popularity and the "Avengers" crossover appeal. There's no doubt this has the potential to be either an amazing film or a rushed cash-in. But either way you look at it, the fact of the matter is we're getting the two most iconic superheroes in pop culture together in a movie. Stuff like this is what Comic-Con's all about, and I'm hoping for great things to come out of this movie.

But nerddom is far more than just Marvel and DC. I've already mentioned footage from "Agents of SHIELD," "Robocop," "Godzilla" and "Planet of the Apes," to say nothing of "Ender's Game," "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," season 2 of "Legend of Korra," season 4 of "The Walking Dead," updates on season 3 of "Sherlock" and the 50th Anniversary special of "Doctor Who" and even an In Memoriam video for all the deaths on "Game of Thrones." Not to mention Duncan Jones' test footage for his upcoming "World of Warcraft" film. There's so much that happened this year at Comic-Con it's hard to really comment on all of it. I will say that I'm excited for all of it.

The shows mentioned above are either my all-time favorites or slowly becoming favorites, while the footage from the genre films of late this year and next year all look promising. I'm so glad to live in an age where nerd culture is accepted and embraced by millions, and Comic-Con is living proof of that. I hope one day to visit the Con for myself, but until then, just basking in the geeky glow of all the major movies and TV shows is good enough. 

Double Review: Pacific Rim/The Wolverine

There's no doubt that Japanese culture is seeping into the West. Anime is a hot commodity. Japan is the cornerstone of revolutionary video game technology. Old Samurai films like "The Hidden Fortress" and "Seven Samurai" inspired Hollywood classics like "Star Wars" and "The Magnificent Seven." It's safe of say that Japan has come a long way from being our archenemies in the days of WWII. And now, in a summer full of blockbusters that update classic Western comics and TV shows, we have two films deeply rooted in the Land of the Rising Sun. I am speaking, of course, about "Pacific Rim" and "The Wolverine," films I have had the pleasure of watching recently. 

If I were to describe how "Pacific Rim" affected me, I'd say it made me cry tears of nerdy joy. That's literally what ran through my mind as I exited the theater. Guillermo Del Toro, the director of cult hits such as "Pan's Labyrinth" and the "Hellboy" films, basically made a love letter to mecha anime and kaiju films with this movie. For those not aware of these very Japanese genres, "mecha" refers to giant robots, and "kaiju" giant monsters. Shows like "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and films like "Godzilla" personify these genres, both of which have huge fan followings. If you're a fan of either of these genres, "Pacific Rim" will deliver in spades. 

The basic plot follows veteran Raleigh Beckett and rookie Mako Mori as they pilot the antique robot Gipsy Danger, one of the last Jeagers (the mechas of the film) built in a now twelve year long war with Kaijus, giant beasts that have breached our dimension through a portal beneath the sea. The Jeagers and Kaiju all have fantastic nicknames, like Stryker Eureka, Crimson Typhoon, Leatherbeack, Otachi, and Knifehead. Seeing these titans duke it out high above the sky or deep below the waves is a genuine thrill, and worth the price of admission alone. Unlike the "Transformers" films, the action here is crisp and easy to follow, not to mention done on a scale not often seen in film. You don't really get a sense of how massive these things are until one of the Jeagers uses a cruise liner to club an incoming Kaiju. 

While the entertainment value comes mainly from the giant robot-monster action, the film never forgets the humans who pilot these mechanical behemoths. Beckett and Mori have good chemistry together, even if Beckett is a little bland for a protagonist. He has issues stemming from witnessing his brother's death at the hands of a Kaiju, but heals after he Drifts with Mako and sees how a Kaiju orphaned her as a girl. The Drift is another main element of the film, detailing how two pilots are needed to man a Jeager through sharing memories. It's a fascinating concept that emphasizes the bond between characters. 

In the midst of all the action, the true heart of the film is how completely different people come together in times of crisis. Two bickering mad scientist characters, who nearly run away with the film, are a perfect example of this, as is Idris Elba as Marshall Stacker Pentecost, the commanding presence who easily gives off the best performance. His rousing speech about cancelling the apocalypse is probably the most uplifting monologue in a summer blockbuster since the U.S. President united mankind in "Independence Day."

Despite all this praise, don't go in expecting anything deep. This is, after all, a giant robot-monster movie. A really well done giant robot-monster movie, in fact. This won't get any awards for acting (not to say that it's bad, just nothing memorable aside from Elba). It's meant, first and foremost, to entertain audiences with a simple yet moving story of mankind's response to attacks from giant beasts. Unlike, say, "Power Rangers," there's a sense of realism and genuine danger to the proceedings, but it never goes into complete seriousness and always remembers to be fun. "Pacific Rim" is a nerd's dream come true, and for fans of Japanese mecha animes and kaiju flicks, it's practically Heaven. 

"The Wolverine," on the other hand, has a bit of a pedigree to it. And I'm not just talking about the infamous legacy of the previous "X-Men" films, which have ranged from really good (X2, First Class) to decent (X1) to horribly embarassing (X3, Wolverine: Origins). The pedigree I'm referring to is, first and foremost, the film's inspiration from Frank Miller and Chris Claremont's epic Japan saga, as well as the references to numerous Japanese gangster flicks, revenge thrillers, and neo-noir. Unlike its predecessor, this film is set post-X3, following a Logan traumatized by his killing of Jean Grey along with his survivor's guilt stemming from his immortal mutation. Through this great set-up, we get a much more vulnerable Logan who undergoes a mental and spiritual journey influenced by the culture of Japan.

The film begins with a WWII flashback, where Logan, a Japanese P.O.W., saves a soldier named Yashida from the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. It's an intense and powerful sequence, showing the devastation of the atomic bomb as well as Logan's gruesome survival of it. It sets the stage perfectly for what's to follow, hammering home Wolverine's immortality and Yashida's obsession with mutation. In the present day, Yashida's agent Yukio brings Logan to Japan to pay respects to the old man, now dying of cancer and CEO of a powerful corporate empire. He offers to transfer Logan's healing ability into himself, saving his life while giving Logan the mortality he secretly craves. Logan refuses, but thanks to a mysterious woman named Viper, his healing is repressed anyway, making him mortal just in time for ninjas and Yakuza mobsters to target Yashida's heir and granddaughter, Mariko. 

If it seems overly complicated, it is. Corruption and inner family turmoil abound in a conspiracy that ultimately talks about what it means to be immortal and live a life with (or without) purpose. For a superhero film, this is heady stuff. Oddly enough, this is probably the least comic-booky of all the X-Men films, at least until the last act, where the mutant battles return in full force. Other reviewers say it derails the picture, but I disagree. For a majority of the film, we see a Wolverine more brutal than before, thanks in part to the loss of his healing ability. When it returns towards the end, the threat he has to face is still actually capable to killing him, raising the stakes and making the battle personal despite the mass of CGI. 

What really sets this film apart from previous X-flicks, and from a lot of superhero films, is how personal it all is. This is, first and foremost, Logan's story, unlike the Origins film whose goal was to set up as many mutant cameos as possible. We see Logan compared to a Ronin, a samurai without a master, as he strives to get over the loss of Jean (who haunts him as a ghost) and find purpose again when he falls for Mariko. While the film takes liberties with the Japan saga, it manages to keep the central characters and tone intact, making for an excellent character-driven film focused on developing Wolverine instead of forwarding the mutant mythos. Granted, there are still nods to the wider X-universe, but Logan is still the driving force, and that alone makes this film one of the better X-movies. 

Logan himself is played once again by Hugh Jackman, in what I believe is his best performance as the character to date. He's played the role enough times to really get under Logan's skin, and has mastered both his inner rage and his more vulnerable side. Speaking of crawling under someone's skin, the snakelike Viper, while gorgeous and deadly, contributes little to the overall proceedings. I have a hard time justifying exactly why she was part of the plot, other than to reinforce her ties to the Silver Samurai like in the comics. 

As for the Samurai, they do take liberties with him, making him Old Man Yashida encased in a giant samurai mech suit instead of a mutant who can charge his sword (funnily enough, the original Samurai is in the film as a human archer, and the Samurai we do get can charge his sword anyway). The Samurai made for an engaging villain, though not up there with the likes of both Magnetos, Brian Cox's William Stryker or Kevin Bacon's Sebastian Shaw. He embodied the theme of the price of immortality, and made for one hell of a final showdown. Thankfully, both his battle with Logan and his overall character, while different from the comics, isn't an embarrassment the way Deadpool was.  

The real stars are Yukio and Mariko, the women of the Yashida clan (one the official heir, the other an adoptee). They have amazing chemistry with Logan, particularly Mariko, probably Logan's strongest love interest to date. Yukio makes for a great sidekick, and she's both incredibly strong while vulnerable due to her worry for Mariko and Logan and the angst brought on by her mutant ability (she can foresee people's deaths).

But when you look at the film as a whole, the real star of the show is the Japanese setting, which gives this film a unique flavor. In a stand-out fight sequence, Logan brawls with Yakuza members atop a bullet train. He faces over 40 ninjas who pin him down with poison arrows. He engages in a brutal sword fight with Clan Yashida patriarch Lord Shingen. And then, of course, there's the matter of the final battle against a gigantic robot samurai warrior. Japan covers every inch of the film, and the movie comes off better for it. 

It may not rank with the great Yakuza flicks or Samurai epics, but the fact that it strives for that is impressive. The Silver Samurai fight at the end does revert to superhero formula, but it's refreshing to know that it's only Logan's life at stake and not the fate of the world, as in fellow hero films "Iron Man 3" and "Man of Steel." Saving the world is hinted at in an end-credits sequence, but I didn't mind because it was more a tease for next year's "Days of Future Past," which was utterly brilliant and had me geeking out with memories of the original X-trilogy. 

Both "Pacific Rim" and "The Wolverine" succeeded because they were loving homages to different aspects of Japanese culture. One captured the lighthearted fun of the Japanese mecha and kaiju genres while the other sought to be a Yakuza thriller mixed with Japanese noir and a samurai epic. Both movies have their flaws, to be sure, but they are entertaining films that work regardless. It's great to see filmmakers who love Japanese culture bring it to life on the big screen, resulting in two films that, amid their CGI set pieces, still manage to remain small and personal. Nerds everywhere should rejoice at these two films. But that's not all they have to rejoice about. Tune in soon for my reaction piece to last week's San Diego Comic-Con, and all the fantastic news contained therein. 

In Defense of Change

It's an exciting time to be a nerd. Every superhero we can imagine is getting greenlit for a film. Old favorites like Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator, and Jurassic Park are getting sequels and reboots. Fan-favorite comics and books like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Walking Dead are being translated into films and TV shows. Even the old British sci-fi classic, Doctor Who, is enjoying a surge in popularity seven seasons into its relaunch. I guess what I'm trying to say is, we should be thankful.

This summer alone, we've had the one-two-three punch of Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Man of Steel. I've had time to see these films multiple times and enjoy every single one of them. They were my top three most anticipated films of the year, and in one way or another, they delivered. However, I took a stance very different from the rest of the Internet and said that these films aren't perfect. For all the hype I was giving these three films, they do not wildly meet the high expectations I had set for them. But just because they didn't meet my expectations, doesn't mean they're bad films. I've seen them enough to pick apart their flaws, but also to appreciate everything they get right. And believe me, these three films get a lot right. But for all they get right, all people seem to focus on is what they get wrong.

"Mandarin's a washed up actor! Where are his power rings? Why is Iron Man fighting a fire breathing Guy Pearce?" "Why is Kahn white? He's supposed to be Indian! The last act is a rip-off of Wrath of Kahn!" "Where was Superman that entire movie? The Superman I know doesn't destroy Metropolis or break Zod's neck!" These are just a few of the complaints I hear about the films. While there are flaws in each movie that go beyond these complaints, I don't actually think those complaints are the problem. If you're criticizing a film, criticize it based on how well it tells it's story. What's common about all these complaints is that they're focusing not on the story at hand, but on what the films should be. In other words, all three of these films are getting a bad rap from the purists.

Now as a die-hard Marvel fan, I too was initially pissed at the way "Iron Man 3" handled the Mandarin. But upon repeat viewings, I came to see that what was at first a poorly mishandled parody was in fact a very self-aware reinterpretation of a dated character. This not only made the film more interesting, but gave it a villain smarter and more dangerous than previous Iron Man foes. Killian emerged as the true Mandarin of the film, and once I realized that, it hit me that the MCU's Tony Stark finally found an archenemy worthy of both him and the Mandarin's name.

As for "Star Trek," I also agree that the latter half of the film is too much of an homage to "Wrath of Kahn." But given its status as a parallel universe, wouldn't it make sense that the events of the first film cause things to happen earlier in this new timeline? The action is still good, the characters are great and the story, while a little unoriginal, is still told remarkably well. Besides, they even referenced the original Kahn through old Spock, so if anything this will just encourage newcomers to go back and discover the original "Wrath of Kahn." You have to reinvent the old to get people into what came before.

And as for "Man of Steel," whenever I hear that Superman destroyed Metropolis and broke Zod's neck, I get confused. First off, has anyone even read a Superman comic or watched the "Justice League" cartoon? Superman fights powerful beings all the time, and their battles cause tons of destruction. It's natural. Plus, Superman is still a rookie. He hates the amount of lost life, but in this scenario he needs to focus on Zod, the imminent threat, or else more people will die. And speaking of Zod, Superman's killed him twice before. He killed him with kryptonite in the post-Crisis comics, and killed him in Superman II after depowering him. After witnessing his father die, it would stand to reason that, watching others put in harms way, Supes would do whatever is necessary to save someone. He had no choice but to kill Zod, so he did what needed to be done. It doesn't make him a different character, just adds another layer to him. His anguish after the killing alone shows how he feels about his actions.

Now just because I defend these points doesn't mean the films aren't flawed. "Iron Man 3" suffers a little from overdoing the '80s action-comedy tone, "Star Trek" does play a little too much off nostalgia, and "Man of Steel" does have editing and pacing issues that hamper the effectiveness of both the flashback and action scenes. But they have so many redeeming qualities, not to mention pure entertainment value, that I can put these aspects aside and just enjoy them as films. I've mentioned what worked and what didn't before in my individual reviews of these films, but the reason why these points need to be re-addressed is that purists still can't get over how the films change their iconic mythologies.

We find this more and more in adaptations, sequels and remakes. Batman and Bane both being trained by Ra's Al Ghul. Tom Bombadill being cut out of Lord of the Rings. Spider-Man having even more angst due to abandonment issues brought on by his parents' disappearance. And yet, these aspects made for more entertaining films and more interesting stories. People, especially hard core purist fanboys, seem to forget that part of the filmmaking business is changing elements of the story to make a stronger film. Sometimes, this doesn't always work. I could write a book on how Sony mishandled Venom and Sandman in "Spider-Man 3," or how the X-Men franchise completely disavowed Dark Phoenix and Deadpool. And then of course there are the abominations that are Dr. Doom and Galactus in the "Fantastic Four" movies. Plus, I haven't even touched on Michael Bay's "Transformers" films.

But I don't seem to recall fans complaining when Tony Stark's butler JARVIS was made into an A.I., or Hawkeye and Black Widow being founding Avengers in place of the Pyms. I can't think of anyone who complained when Heath Ledger's Joker had white makeup and a facial scar instead of permawhite skin like the comics or Jack Nicholson. The point is, fanboys are fickle, especially purists. They forget that the film medium is rapidly evolving. Times change, and if these icons want to survive, especially on film, they need to change too. There have been many interpretations of Superman and Mandarin, and just because they're not the Silver Age versions many grew up with, they get picked on. Kahn is an iconic villain in Star Trek lore. It may not be original to go back to that well, but in a parallel timeline, using Kahn to explore post-9/11 politics was a smart move. Isn't the whole point of Star Trek about commentating on our modern society?

If the purists are so upset over the changes made to these characters, then they should go back to the versions they grew up with. Re-watch "Wrath of Kahn." Read some original "Iron Man" stories. Pop the George Reeves Superman show and the first two Chris Reeve films into the VHS. But don't deny fans of the modern age a chance to forge their own memories with new versions of these characters. The very reason they have stood the test of time is because they are willing to change. The movies have finally realized that, and while every adaptational change may not always work, it doesn't always have to be heresy.

In the case of "Iron Man 3," "Star Trek Into Darkness," and "Man of Steel," the changes to the mythology work in the films' favor. As much as I go to these films to see them draw from the past, I also want to see something new. The fact that these three films want to add on to their mythologies instead of just rehashing versions we've already seen shows the filmmakers care about these characters as much as we do. Sometimes, caring about a franchise means knowing when to shake up the formula. It's a dangerous balance, and doesn't always work, but I'd rather see a filmmaker take a chance in bringing something new to the table, even if it fails, than clinging onto one version of a character just to please the purists.

If you really want to please the fans, just stay true to the spirit of the source. In their own way, these films have changed up their mythologies while also staying true to what their stories and characters mean. As long as they do that, then any other change is justified. Change isn't always good. Sometimes, like in the Spider-Man, FF, and X-Men series, it can be detrimental. These changes can betray the characters and themes set forth by the source material. But that doesn't mean change shouldn't happen.

Change can be good. Sometimes it can be great. A lot of times it's even necessary. But one thing change always is is scary. Don't be afraid when an iconic mythos is changed. Instead, try and figure out why it was changed. If you want a series you love to move forward and be loved by others, then change is needed. And if you want to enjoy other adaptations this year, like "Kick-Ass 2," "The Wolverine," "Hunger Games 2," "Ender's Game," "Thor: The Dark World," and "The Hobbit Part 2," then change is absolutely essential.

Fanfic: Shaping the DC Cinematic Universe Part II

With my Man of Steel trilogy now established, it's time I take a crack at the other heroes of the DC Universe. Following "Last Son of Krypton," I want to re-establish Batman in a reboot called "The Batman." It will be based on "The Killing Joke," "Under the Red Hood," and "Night of the Owls." The basic storyline begins with Joker and Harley Quinn hired by a mysterious organization to kill the second Robin, Jason Todd. Not content with just doing that, they proceed to cripple Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, as well. About a year later, Batman is still in mourning. Barbara has remade herself as the hacker Oracle, while the first Robin, Dick Grayson/Nightwing, occasionally comes from Bludhaven to check up on Bruce. Bruce learns that the organization that hired Joker was the Court of Owls, a secret society that has run Gotham City for decades.

He learns that both Grayson and Todd were meant to be assassins for the Court, who use a special chemical agent to reanimate the dead. The Court plans to induct a new member, Tim Drake, into their plans. Batman saves Drake and takes him in, and when the teen shows promise, Bats reluctantly takes him on as his third Robin. All the while, the Court reanimates Jason as the Red Hood, who seemingly does the Court's bidding and leads a squad of assassins to kill Bruce, Tim, Barbara and Dick. Eventually Jason betrays the Court and helps the Bat family end them, before revealing that he has been using everyone as pawns to get to the Joker so he can finally have his revenge. Bruce talks Jason out of it, who leaves to become his own person, having been given a second chance at life.

Following this will be a "World's Finest" movie, that will depict the first meeting between Superman and Batman. With Luthor in jail following "Last Son of Krypton," LexCorp is run by his proxy Mercy Graves. As a result of the Brainiac/Doomsday event plus various super humans popping up across the country, the government commissions LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises to create an advanced, satellite guided missile system to deal with meta human threats. Both Bruce and Clark are obviously suspicious of the missiles, and meet in Gotham in their alter egos when trying to uncover Lex's true agenda.

They initially distrust each other, due to being polar opposites, but eventually learn to work together when they notice that several Batman rogues, notably Penguin, Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Mr. Freeze, all begin carrying kryptonite and attack the missile site. The two heroes learn Luthor, through Mercy, has hired the villains to publicly hijack the missiles, so in private Luthor can launch the missiles at the country of Biyalya, starting a war that could only be won if he uses the recently discovered mutagenic effects of kryptonite to begin a meta human arms race. The two heroes stop the villains and destroy the majority of the missiles, and gain a newfound appreciation for each other and a rocky trust.

This will be followed by a "Wonder Woman" movie, which will show how Ares, the God of War, once attacked the Amazon nation of Themyscira with an army of Spartans, causing Hera, Zeus's wife, to grant the Amazons custody of Ares and giving them an island magically separated from Man's World. In modern day, Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, is raising her daughter Diana, who has god-like strength and a lust for battle but is naive about the Amazonian ideals of peace. When pilot Steve Trevor crashes on the island, Diana swaps guard duty on Ares with her friend Circe to enter a contest to determine who will bring Trevor back to Man's World. Diana wins, and while she takes Steve back, Circe releases Ares.

They travel to Man's World and turn Steve's friend Barbara Minerva into the Cheetah to distract Diana, now Wonder Woman, while they attempt to use nuclear warheads to kickstart World War III. This will give Ares enough power to attack Themyscira, kill the Queen, and from there assault Mt. Olympus and overthrow the gods. Diana stops Cheetah and Ares' plan, but the tension caused by the almost launch of the warheads empowers Ares enough to attack Themyscira, aided by Circe and an army of undead warriors released from Tartarus. WW learns that Ares is her father, the result of him raping her mother, which is why Diana has such a hunger for battle. Diana defeats the dark god, who is sent to the underworld, and embraces the Amazonian way of peace, becoming an ambassador to mankind.

A sequel to "World's Finest" and "Wonder Woman" comes after, called "Trinity." It will show Ares escaping from Tartarus and breaking Luthor out of jail. Together they steal the last missile from "World's Finest" and fire it at Biyalya, creating an international incident. Diana travels to Biyalya to negotiate peace talks, while Luthor and Ares follow to sabotage it. Ares still wants to start WWIII, and Luthor sees how he can re-start his arms race. Batman and Superman travel to Biyalya, suspecting Luthor's involvement, and meet Diana for the first time. The three are forced together when assassins sent by Luthor and Ares try to kill them. They form an effective team, with Supes and Bats gaining more appreciation for each other while Diana respects both of them and acts as the negotiator between the two. They become the Big 3 of the DC Cinematic Universe and defeat Ares, while Luthor uses the incident to convince the public that he was being controlled the whole time and gets bailed from prison.

From here, we get a series of solo films focusing on Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman. The Flash film focuses on grad student Wally West, who discovers his uncle Barry Allen used to be the Flash. An accident with a lightning bolt and a particle accelerator grants Wally access to the Speed Force, and Barry trains him to be his successor. Meanwhile, the son of Barry's old enemy Captain Cold, endowed with ice powers, takes up his father's mantle to battle the new Flash. Barry's partner Hunter Zolomon, seeking the Speed Force for himself, hires the new Cold to distract Wally while he replicates the accident, siphoning Barry's dormant speed energy to empower himself and killing Barry in the process. Now the Reverse-Flash, Wally must prove he's worthy of being the Flash by defeating Zolomon.

The Green Lantern film, "Emerald Knight," focuses on a rookie Hal Jordan and his mentor Sinestro as they liberate an alien planet from the tyrant Kanjar Ro, who has entered an alliance with the Weaponers of Qward to fashion a power ring out of the Yellow Light of Fear, the only color that can overcome a Lantern's green ring. Secretly, Sinestro and a conspiracy of followers within the Corps are tired of the Guardians of the Universe and their methods of patrolling space. They confiscate the Yellow Ring and ask the Weaponers to mass produce it. Soon, the Sinestro Corps secedes from the GL Corps, leading to the Sinestro Corps War. To defeat them, Jordan deputizes his friend from Earth, John Stewart, into a new Green Lantern, and leads the Corps in battle against Sinestro.

"Aquaman" focuses on Arthur Curry, aka Orin, the King of Atlantis. The film begins with Arthur already king, married to Mera and keeping his brother Orm as his political advisor. Black Manta, former captain of the Atlantean Royal Guard, has led a rebellion against Arthur, saying his life on the surface makes him unfit to rule. To escape the rebellion, Orm convinces his brother to spend some time on the surface. Arthur and Mera travel to the lighthouse where Arthur grew up, sparking memories of how he learned he was part-Atlantean, set out to find Atlantis, and learned he was of royal blood. All the while he deals with his reputation among the surface dwellers, who don't appreciate him, making Arthur an outcast on land and sea. When Orm and Black Manta lead Atlantis in an invasion of the surface world, Arthur must embrace his role as Aquaman to save the surface and reclaim his kingdom.

The last lead-in film is "The Brave and the Bold," which tells of how intergalactic serial killer and Lantern hater Atrocitus arrives on Earth to kill Hal Jordan. Finding Jordan is off-planet, Atrocitus setttles for John Stewart. To defeat him, he gives alien tech to several criminals, including Heatwave, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, and Weather Wizard. They form the Rouges to take out GL. These Rouges hail from Central City, and the Flash has been on their trail for weeks. GL and Flash meet for the first time and team up to take out the Rouges, during which time Atrocitus finds a way to siphon green energy from a power ring and corrode it into a rage-fueled red light. Becoming the first Red Lantern, Atrocitus proves a dangerous threat. Wally and John form a fast, buddy-cop like friendship to defeat Atrocitus, while reconciling their feelings of whether they can live up to their mentors.

This will lead into "Justice League," which finds the six aforementioned heroes dealing with strange beings attacking their respective cities and homelands. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern John Stewart (Jordan is still off-world) and Aquaman are all still met with suspicion by the government. Superman and WW have support, while Flash is a media darling, but Stewart is having a hard time gaining supporters while Batman is still a feared vigilante. Batman is also on edge, since his recent Robin Tim Drake has left to pursue a career as Red Robin in Bludhaven with Nightwing, leaving the Caped Crusader all alone and not willing to trust anyone. Their cities and homelands are attacked by Thanagarians, winged aliens bearing armor and weapons made of Nth Metal, which can even deal massive blows to beings like Superman. They are led by Katar and Shayera Hol, who seem to answer to a higher power.

When the Thanagarians decimate Atlantis and Themyscira, Aquaman and WW decide to alert the other heroes. The six heroes meet in the Batcave, where Batman reluctantly agrees to an alliance despite his current feelings towards metahumans, even the ones he's worked with like Supes and WW. The heroes receive a psychic distress signal from a government base. They intercept it and discover J'onn J'onnz, the last Martian. He reveals that the Thanagarians are serving as ground troops for Darkseid, the ruler of Apokalips who seeks to have all alien cultures bow to his will. Thousands of years ago, Darkseid tried to force the once mighty Martian race to submit, but when they wouldn't, he slaughtered all of them. J'onn alone escaped, going into stasis until recently, when he sensed Darkseid was coming and came to Earth to warn humanity.

The seven heroes retreat to the Fortress of Solitude to come up with an attack plan, but are greeted by Katar and Shayera. Shayera is shown a vision of what will become of Earth and Thanagar by J'onn, and pleads with Katar to spare the heroes. Katar refuses, and thus Shayera battles her husband before turning against her race to join the others. The heroes end up defeating the Thanagarians just as Darkseid arrives. Using their combined power, the heroes end up killing the tyrant. While the threat is ended, Shayera is exiled to Earth by her people. The eight heroes are praised by everyone, and decide to form the Justice League, with Batman creating the Watchtower satellite base for them to monitor the Earth.

The second film, "Justice League: Doomsday," has Batman secretly draw up contingency plans to incapacitate the League while Luthor uses the Darkseid crisis as a launching pad for his campaign as President. He is eventually sworn in, and with Amanda Waller comes up with Cadmus, a section of the government designed to deal with and interact with meta humans. When the League refuses to fold into Cadmus, Luthor initiates the creation of a "Legion of Doom," consisting of several supervillains from each heroes' rouges gallery, to defeat the League. Luthor hacks into the Watchtower and steals Batman's contingency plans, which he uses to develop a counterstrike with the Legion.

When most of the League is incapacitated, Batman gathers a group of candidates, including the couple Green Arrow and Black Canary and the newly created Cyborg (born in Star Labs during the Darkseid crisis) to help bring back the League and defeat the Legion. As it turns out, this was also a part of Luthor's plan-he was using the heroes and villains as pawns to justify activating an army of repurposed Brainiac drones, now called OMACs, to dispose of all meta humans and give Luthor complete control of Earth. Eventually the Legion and OMACs are defeated, Luthor is exposed and impeached, and Cyborg, Green Arrow and Black Canary are made permanent team members.

From here, we get two more Green Lantern films, "Emerald Twilight" and "Blackest Night," that deal with Hal Jordan going insane when he realizes he wasn't there to defend Coast City when it was destroyed by Luthor's OMACs. He gets possessed by Parallax, the living embodiment of fear, and wages a one-man war against the GL Corps. Sinestro is freed from his prison in the Central Power Battery to lead his Corps against Parallax, while Hal's love Carrol Ferris is chosen to join the love-fueled Star Sapphires. Atrocitus forms the Red Lanterns, while former GL Saint Walker forms the Blue Lanterns. These various colored corps team up to stop Parallax, but in the end it's John and Carol who convince Hal to break Parallax's hold on him.

Hal sacrifices himself to destroy Parallax, leading to the third film. Here, the different corps, now joined by Agent Orange and the Indigo Tribe, fight in the War of Light to determine who will rule the universe. Hal's body is used by Nekron, the Lord of Death, to reanimate the casualties of this war as Black Lanterns, Hal among them. John Stewart, Carol Ferris, Indigo-1, Sinestro, Agent Orange/Larfleeze, Atrocitus, and Saint Walker team up to discover the White Light that will end the Blackest Night, and in the end the different colored corps are removed except the GLs and Hal finally finds peace in death, with John now Sector 2814's sole protector.

Three more films remain in my cinematic DCU. The first is "Shazaam!", which tells of teenager Billy Batson moving into a new foster family and granted magic powers by the wizard Shazaam. He uses them to combat Black Adam, the original host of Shazaam's powers, and thereby brings magic back into the world. This leads into "Heaven Sent," where mystic John Constantine gathers Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Etrigan the Demon, The Question, and Dr. Fate to deal with a coming supernatural crisis. The Phantom Stranger, The Spectre, and the Endless, particularly Morpheus, all have supporting roles. This will lead into the grand finale of my cinematic DCU, "Justice League: Kingdom Come." It will be a loose adaptation of the Kingdom Come graphic novel, set 20 years in the future.

As with the original story, we learn that the Joker killed Lois Lane, sparking the JL's newest member Magog to kill him and thus forcing Superman into retirement. When a new generation of violent anti heroes begin fighting each other, threatening the human race, Supes comes out of retirement, along with the majority of the JL, to prevent more bloodshed. Batman and Lex Luthor will form their own groups, with Luthor's including a brainwashed Shazaam. Norman McCay and the Spectre will play a role, like in the original story.

It will end in a similar fashion, with Shazaam sacrificing himself at the cost of a meta human genocide. Superman decides to help humanity through leading by example instead of direct force, and marries Wonder Woman. The two have a child godfathered by Batman, who reconciles with Dick, Jason and Tim. John and Shayera are also shown to have a child in this future, Warhawk. As an epilogue, the Legion of Superheroes is shown in the far future, creating a golden utopia for humanity inspired by the actions and ideals of the Justice League and Superman. That's my plan for a cinematic DCU. Like my Marvel plans it's a pipe dream,  but it would be great to see any of this become a reality.