Avengers v. Batman: the pointless debate

Pardon me while I step onto my soapbox.

Fanboys, as I have said before, are an irritating bunch. I’m not talking about myself or others like me. I’m talking about the ones who, upon seeing a newly released still from a film, say things like “That costume f*%#ing sucks! This movie blows!” This same group likes to flop between liking or hating particular movies, directors, actors, etc. because they think it’s “cool” at the moment. These fanboys are currently blowing up an argument over whether just-released “The Avengers” is better than the upcoming “The Dark Knight Rises.” This debate is beyond ridiculous. I’m sorry, but that’s a lot like saying, “This Five Guys Burger is better than that Prime Rib.” Do you see where I’m going with this? The two are not similar.

Just to be clear, I’m not completely biased toward “The Dark Knight Rises.” if you know me at all, you know my passion for Batman, as well as my love for the first two Christopher Nolan movies. I really respect what Marvel has accomplished with their recent movies, though. I have enjoyed all of the movies leading up to “The Avengers,” and the payoff was worth it. The finale of “The Avengers” felt like a fitting reward for sticking around since “Iron Man” first teased this culmination of superhero powerhouses. I have to say, though, that the Avengers hype is well out of hand. Marvel fanboys are already touting it as the “best superhero/comic book movie ever.” I think that this is a huge exaggeration. “The Avengers” has some great dialogue and character interaction, but the first hour or so of the movie is pretty boring. The middle act plays out awkwardly. As I mentioned earlier, the final battle was the best part. In my opinion, as a 30+ year reader of comic books, I would put Avengers behind “Superman: The Movie,” “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” and “X-Men: First Class,” if we were to rank comic book superhero adaptations. I would even put the first “Spider-Man” on par with it.(Don’t get me started on how overrated “Spider-Man 2” is.)

Having said all of that, I want to make clear that I’m not comparing these movies to each other. I’m simply rating them on how true to their source material they are, and how closely the characters on screen match their comic book counterparts. I maintain that the goal in making “The Avengers” is much different than the goal in making “The Dark Knight Rises.” This idea of Marvel vs. DC is preposterous. The films in the Avengers series play out like classic single-issue comics. Nolan’s Batman saga is structured like a classical drama. Does it verge on melodrama? Yes…deliciously so. So far in the Dark Knight series, we have a first act that is all exposition, with a middle act that is all rising action. The third act has the difficult job of bringing the story to its best conclusion. No matter what the quality will be, I think that the film that Nolan and company will deliver will be a far, far cry from the type of movie that “The Avengers” is. You know what? THAT’S OKAY.

See you in July. The fire rises.

Bane revealed!

Today, Warner Bros. Pictures published the first official photo from Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises.” Below, you’ll see Tom Hardy as Bane, Batman’s most physically challenging enemy. As I expected, the Lucha Libre look is gone. In its place is a more practical mask, and by the looks of it, it feeds Bane’s trademark venom into his mouth or his sinus cavities. The super-cynical Fanboy crowd are already drawing comparisons to TMNT baddie shredder, but I promise you that Bane will be a more than worthy foe. I’m officially excited!

The Week in Geek 7/15

This week has been quite eventful in the world of comic-to-film adaptations. Christopher Nolan allowed just a little more info to spill on his highly anticipated third Batman film, confirming that filming gets underway next April. He also confirmed that there is a story, once again developed by himself and David Goyer, who also co-wrote the screenplay for “Batman Begins” with Nolan. His brother Jonathan is working on the script. Details about the villain are not yet known, but Nolan has rejected the idea of recasting The Joker. Speculation somehow points to The Riddler. I personally think that The Riddler is one of the lamest villains in any form of media. He drops clues so that he can get caught. He’s not even dangerous! In spite of the over the top neon quasi-gay themes that pervaded the movie, I did enjoy Jim Carrey’s depiction of the Riddler BEFORE he was The Riddler in “Batman Forever.” The slightly unhinged, socially handicapped, dejected eccentric he brought to Edward Nygma worked for me. Once he became the Riddler, it got old real fast. Now in Nolan’s Gotham, I just don’t see the Riddler working. The main problem I have is that in the first two movies, there’s a sense that the threat escalates. The Riddler at his best would be nothing after Heath Ledger’s unhinged anarchist Joker in “The Dark Knight.” I say stop speculating about who will play HIM and imagine a more real threat to Batman. Something physical, because he hasn’t faced that kind of nemesis yet. Imagine a REAL showdown between Batman and…BANE, the super-steroid-addled strongman who broke Batman’s back in the comics. Javier Bardem would be an excellent choice, and would fit the arthouse pedigree of the first two films. Continuing with the mob story from the first two, bring in Rupert Thorne as the new mob king and cast the great Brian Dennehy. Done and done.

In less exciting news, Marvel Studios has dumped Edward Norton from “The Avengers,” where he was slated to reprise the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk. I feel that Marvel jumped the gun here. Norton was really good as Banner. He was one of the best parts of that movie, in my very humble opinion. His replacement appears to be Mark Ruffalo. I like him as well, but I hate recasting in these kinds of movies anyway. I know that sometimes it has to happen, but I’m very disappointed about not seeing Norton’s Dr. Banner anymore.

Finally, a couple of new photos surfaced this week. One is of Thor, Loki, and Odin. It’s nice, but…I’m only a little bit excited about “Thor.” The other is of Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. I’m including it below. While the costume isn’t perfect, it’s not as bad as it could have been. I like the logo area, the mask, and the ring. I miss the black highlights, and I’m undecided about the veiny look rubbing through the suit. I’m putting my faith in this one, as GL is my 3rd favorite superhero. Greg Berlanti was involved with this movie at one point. He was responsible for great shows like “Everwood” and “Eli Stone.” I hope the screenplay reflects his ability to define strong yet flawed characters. I also hope that the special effects are badass.

That’s it for now. Tomorrow’s blog will review a movie from my library. I’m thinking that it will either be North By Northwest or Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Vote in the comment section and I’ll go with the movie that wins the popular vote!