Anghus Houvouras rates the big Marvel and DC superhero movies coming out of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con….
Like most of you, I spent the weekend sifting through the barrage of announcements coming out of this years San Diego Comic-Con. It seemed like every ten minutes there was some kind of mind blowing project being announced. Comic-Con has become the annual apex for geek related happenings, and 2013 may go down as the most epic year ever. So now, in the afterglow of it all I decided to take a moment and do some introspective analysis.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN – Grade: A+
Marvel has been dominating the cinemas in recent years rolling out four films for every one DC can manage to get into theaters. Warner Bros. has been taking a beating online in recent years for not having a game plan, for failing to get their ancillary characters the same level of quality and care as Marvel who has dominated superhero cinema. But then they showed that logo. The Superman symbol cloaked by the shadow of the bat. And right there, the gauntlet was thrown down. Warner Bros. walked out of Comic-Con with some real swagger. Sure, Marvel has three hundred and forty movies coming out in the next three years, but Warner Bros. has Batman and Superman playing in the same sandbox. Hands down the most earth shattering announcement of the Con.
What could possibly go wrong?
It’s not Nolan in the chair. Still, this thing is going to be a billion dollar beast and give Avengers: Age of Ultron a run for its money.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON – Grade: B-
This is one of those announcements that plays perfectly to the Comic-Con crowd and excited the entertainment writers, but what was the real impact? We all knew The Avengers 2 was coming in 2015. Hearing that it centers around Ultron is an interesting new tidbit. I think we all now know who Vin Diesel is going to be playing. Either Ultron, Vision, or both. After the initial buzz I started thinking what an odd choice this is. First off because the Marvel model has been based on setting these things up in advance. So far we have no Ultron. I’m guessing Ultron’s not going to be part of Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, or Guardians of the Galaxy. Does that mean the second Avengers movie is going to be self-contained? Second, should I really be getting excited about another technology based villain in the Marvel Universe? Marvel got me all hyped up about Thanos and the prospect of a universe spanning superhero showdown. And instead they go back to the silicon well? We’ve had three Iron Man films with three technology based villains. The prospect of Earth’s Mightiest Mortals fighting another robot doesn’t exactly inspire back flips.
What could possibly go wrong?
Marvel’s biggest fear should be redundancy. One audiences feel like they’ve seen it all, where does that leave Phase 3?
X-FORCE – Grade: C
Marvel also needs to worry about dilution of their brand. Fox and Sony are going to milk these characters for all their worth. Hearing about an X-Men spin-off movie being creatively steered by Jeff Wadlow (Kick Ass 2) seemed almost trite when levied against things like The Avengers and Batman/Superman. Fox and creative consultant Mark Millar have made it very clear that they want a large shared universe like Avengers. But if we’re being honest, Fox has done a pretty sub-standard job managing those characters. The idea of ‘more’ is only enticing if we’re happy with what we’re seeing. And did anyone watch the first two Fantastic Four films and junk like X-Men: Origins Wolverine and think “Yeah, I’d like more of that.”
What could possibly go wrong?
Everything.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – Grade: B
I like Chris Pratt and I cannot lie. The Guardians of the Galaxy panel made me very confident that this is my most anticipated Marvel movie. It’s seems very weird and wonderful. The concept art is inspiring. And when I heard Director James Gunn (Super) say ‘They told me to make the movie more James Gunn.”, I smiled. God knows the best comic book adaptations are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously. Seeing a big budget Marvel movie directed by a guy with a Troma background set in the far reaches of the galaxy should be cause to celebrate.
What could possibly go wrong?
Will anybody outside the comic fans want to see it? Is Guardians of the Galaxy the Pacific Rim of 2014? That one film all the geeks love but has a hard time finding a wider audience?
THE FLASH – Grade: C
So we heard that DC is planning to expand their cinematic line up. After Batman/Superman the tentative plans are for a Flash movie in 2016 and maybe… just maybe a Justice League movie in 2017. Fans have been hyperactive for a Flash movie for years. Though the quiet, whispered announcement is cause for concern. Warner Bros. got burnt on Green Lantern. And outside of Batman and Superman their track record is wretched. There was no real weight to the idea of a Flash movie and it feels like Warner Bros. announced it to show that they have a plan for an expanded DC Cinematic Universe, though it sounds like a lot of it might be penciled in, rather than a proper blueprint.
What could possibly go wrong?
With Warner Bros., just about anything. The whole thing could be vapor.
THOR THE DARK WORLD – Grade: B+
We all know what happened between The Avengers and Iron Man 3: Marvel got huge. It will be interesting to see if the ‘Marvel Bump’ applies to Thor: The Dark World. As far as panels go, this one got a lot of props for continuing to be the most unique corner of the Marvel movie universe. The footage of Loki betraying Thor (who saw that coming) played to thunderous applause. Confidence seems high and for many November can’t come soon enough.
What could possibly go wrong?
Have we had a Marvel movie not released in the comfort zone of the Summer? Should be an interesting test.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER – Grade: C-
As far as ‘known’ quantities go, the second Captain America film came out of Comic-Con with little in terms of identity. We didn’t learn much about the film that wasn’t already known. Other than Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow plays a significant role in the story. And that’s not exactly news that makes me particularly excited. ScarJo’s involvement with the Marvel U has always been… what’s the word I’m looking for… interesting. She’s not exactly dead weight, but has anyone been clamoring for more Black Widow? Captain America: The Winter Soldier feels like a movie with no clear identity. A kitchen sink conundrum packed to the brim with new characters and developments. The final film could be something different, but the Comic-Con coverage did nothing to paint a clearer picture.
What could possibly go wrong?
The first was a well liked, modest hit. After a full season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., will audiences feel oversaturated with this corner of the Marvel Universe?
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, 3 & 4 – Grade: C
Give Andrew Garfield props for being an unapologetic geek. The guy is a real fan and it shows every time he’s on stage. Like Fox, Sony is going to churn out as much Spider-Man as they can contractually commit to. The Electro reveal was a fizzle. To me, it looks like an updated version of Mr. Freeze from Batman & Robin. I can already hear the puns in the back of my mind: “SHOCKING, isn’t it?” or “WATT am I going to do with you Spider-Man?” That Batman & Robin comparison feels apt, given that every screen shot we’ve seen (like Paul Giamatti in his underwear) seems to indicate an abandonment of emo-Spidey in favor of something sillier. Either way, Comic-Con did little to make the film stand out amongst an ever widening field of comic book movies.
What could possibly go wrong?
I liked The Amazing Spider-Man, but it was a mess. The second installment looks to be juggling even more. Does Marc Webb have the chops to manage an ever expanding cast and subplots?
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST – Grade: B+
Speaking of ‘ever expanding casts and subplots’… How can you not be excited for a movie packed to the brim with talent. Just seeing the cast photo of all those amazing actors should be enough to generate a lot of buzz. McKellen! Stewart! Fassbender! Dinklage! It’s like a geek dream team. And we know Bryan Singer does have the chops to manage something of this size. Then again, after Jack the Giant Slayer, maybe we should avoid using the words ‘Singer’ and ‘Size’ in the same sentence. We got some confirmations on details of the story. It will in fact be Wolverine who travels back to try and avert disaster, which makes perfect sense seeing how his character has been around forever and could be prominently featured in both time lines. We know there’s going to be Sentinels. Proper Sentinels. With the time travel aspects and the merging of the original cast with the First Class has this one looking like a monster mutant movie.
What could possibly go wrong?
X-Men: First Class was well liked by fans but wasn’t the box office earner Fox was hoping for. At a rumored $225 million dollar budget, X-Men: Days of Future Past will have to deliver big.
Overall, a fantastic weekend for fans, and a lot of projects to get excited about.
How would you rate this upcoming movies? Let us know in the comments below…
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the novel My Career Suicide Note, is available from Amazon.
