83 Responses to “That trailer everyone is excited about”

1. 

   CJ Holden

   November 28th, 2014 at 1:05 pm

   Damn, John Boyega totally looks like RZA in that new Star Wars movie. But I’m sure the decision to replace light sabers with iron fists will be controversial among the nerds.

2. 

   Mr. Majestyk

   November 28th, 2014 at 1:11 pm

   I can’t wait! The last one betrayed too much of an idiosyncratic personal vision and thus was dissimilar to the movie I’d been picturing in my head since I was a much younger person, which as we all know is the greatest crime a motion picture can commit. This new one, created by a hired gun who can be counted on to deliver whatever market research indicated the presumed target demographic wanted without letting little things like a point of view or integrity get in the way, is sure to be much more up my alley. As we all know, the best art is created by consensus, so this exercise in brand extension is sure to create a work of enduring appeal and influence.

3. 

   CC

   November 28th, 2014 at 2:29 pm

   Two absolutely stunning shots in that trailer (lightsaber and falcon). Not really much else to go on so still pretty hopeful. As long as they do something interesting with Han and Luke (which by all accounts they are), I’ll be happy.

4. 

   The Undefeated Gaul

   November 28th, 2014 at 2:55 pm

   Kinda weak teaser but I’m still excited about this. We’re a long way off from the finished thing, they must not have had anything properly impressive ready to show yet.

5. 

   The Undefeated Gaul

   November 28th, 2014 at 2:58 pm

   Also I wonder if in the finished film they will zoom out on that shot of John Boyega and you can see he’s dragging a giant comb through the desert.

6. 

   The Undefeated Gaul

   November 28th, 2014 at 3:03 pm

   Also, that trailer did not immediately load for me and now I’m feeling a bit silly. Well played, Vern.

7. 

   Stu

   November 28th, 2014 at 3:29 pm

   Goddammit. I was hoping a different director meant a different star, as RZA was the WORST part of the original for me. HOW ABOUT ACTUALLY EMOTING WHEN YOU’RE SUPPOSEDLY GRIEVING, RIZ?!

   As for that other trailer that a few people might have heard about: I like it, but I am disappointed that it seems all so very familiar, seemingly playing safe with nostalgia rather than hinting at something truly fresh.

8. 

   RRA

   November 28th, 2014 at 3:49 pm

   Mr. Majestyk – Oh if only you could spare some of your daggers at Abrams against Snyder sometime, that would be super.

   Gaul – considering the movie aint out for another 13 months, I’m not surprised.

   Also I like the people trying to argue how illogical that broad sword Lightsaber is. Logic in laser swords!

9. 

   Hurtado

   November 28th, 2014 at 4:50 pm

   But what if they had Iron Fists IN SPACE!?!?

   Because the other trailer had Spaceships flying 10 feet off the ground rather than in space so somebody needs to be there.

10. 

    Mr. Majestyk

    November 28th, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    RRA: Yes, because what everyone hated about MAN OF STEEL was how it was too slavish to what had come before. All the Superman truthers were like, “Why was this exactly what I wanted? Why did you listen so closely to what I have to say about what Superman would and wouldn’t do? Why didn’t you do your own thing instead of reprising old imagery? Why?”

    I’m not sure what this has to do with MAN WITH THE IRON FISTSES, though. Which is what I was talking about earlier, in my opinion.

11. 

    Tim Horan

    November 28th, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    The opening shot of the new trailer for MAN WITH THE WHITE PLASTIC FISTS: KEEP PUNCHIN’ is fantastic – reminiscent of Leone. No effects, just a bleak landscape and sweaty face. The only thing that would have improved it is if the following shot was a close-up reaction of Russell Crowe’s grizzled visage. He is in this one too, am I right?

    As for that other trailer, I like how the villain’s narration lingers on the word “LIGHT.” In the original BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS Trilogy, the bad guys were always “Dark, dark, darkness! If only you knew how funky the dark-side is!” This new character seems to have a longing for the light. Imagine the Joker showing up and causing mayhem, not because he wants to watch the world burn, he simply wants to hang out with Batman.

12. 

    Tim Horan

    November 28th, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    Thank you all for being here on such a prestigious occasion. The next award is for – ‘Excellence in Distilling Eighteen Months of Nerd Rage into Two Words’

    [shuffling noises as envelope is opened]

    And the winner is….Mr. Majestyk for “Superman Truthers.”

13. 

    RRA

    November 28th, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    Mr. M – Not really what I was trying to do. I was simply trying to get you to spread around your piss & vinegar, or else you’ll become like me on MOS. I do care about you. :(

    Note to self: Locals still angry when criticism (or even merely jokingly at such a concept considering my history with him and that certain film) is laid down on the feet of Senor Snyder.

    Note to self: Don’t make your notes public.

    Note to self: SHIT!

14. 

    Tim Horan

    November 28th, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    Back to that other trailer –

    I was impressed how the filmmaker has obviously tried to redress the appalling to date portrayal of our armed services. In the previous entry our brave servicemen and women were presented as little more than ‘Keystone Cops,’ easily defeated by a bunch of rock slinging, tree-hugging, back-to-the-land types, holed up in the Pacific North West.

    The brief, moody shot in this new trailer of our soldiers clad in body armor, weapons at the ready, has reintroduced a sense of menace and skill sorely lacking in the former episode. It almost makes me want to sign up.

15. 

    Mr. Subtlety

    November 28th, 2014 at 7:37 pm

    Man, how did they get IRON FISTS 2 into development an out on video without me even knowing about it?

    An wow, Roel Reine from PISTOL WHIPPED directed it? And Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is in it? The trailer itself doesn’t look like a surefire win (like the handsome establishing shots, less sure about the self-consciously hip attitude) but I’m genuinely excited about this one. RZA co-wrote the screenplay, so I’m hoping it will bring out the best of his idiosyncratic take on Shaw broes films and colorful imagination while also giving the film a little more professional structure and production.

    I’m not sure exactly how sold I am on RZA as a charismatic action hero, but he’s definitely trying hard. His performance didn’t exactly work in Part 1, but it was definitely interesting and unique, so I’m down for him to get anther try. I sort of liked him in PROTECTOR 2 recently, so maybe he’s getting better as he goes. Count me in for this one.

    Ahem. As for that other trailer you guys seems to be referring to…. big ol’ “meh.” Lightsaber broad sword is pretty much exactly what I predicted from Abrams: mildly clever overthinking to try and change something and convince people that this aint your daddies’ STAR WARS to cover for the fact that fundamentally everything else is just a tired desperate nostalgia checklist.

    Also: woah, seeing STAR WARS with fancy modern editing makes it look exactly like everything else that has ripped it off in the past 40 years.

    But. Those Williams themes still hold enough power in them to put a tiny spark of misplaced excitement in my heart in some tragic Pavlovian way.

16. 

    Mr. Majestyk

    November 28th, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    RRA: The funny thing, I don’t even hate Abrams. His flaws are obvious and plentiful, but I more or less like most of his movies. I just hate that he’s doing STAR WARS.

    Tim: I wish I could take credit for “Superman Truthers,” but like five minutes after I wrote it I realized that I’m pretty sure I stole it from Vern.

17. 

    Franchise Fred

    November 28th, 2014 at 10:10 pm

    I love you, Vern. I hope in the future when people look at these archives, MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS 2 will be the only film of public record.

    I guess if they’re going to go DTV at least RZA is still writing and starring. Hope it answers the question of how he wipes with those iron fists.

18. 

    Broddie

    November 29th, 2014 at 12:38 am

    This seems much more safe and mainstream oriented than it’s predecessor. The last one wasn’t perfect but it was a more personal expression.or RZA’s artistic sensibilities.

19. 

    Vern

    November 29th, 2014 at 2:11 am

    I do think the trailer looks disappointingly normal, but I have hope that they’re just trying to tone down any RZA weirdness for marketing purposes. IMDb has RZA as sole screenwriter. I hope he didn’t use up all his ideas for colorful characters in the first one. But we can look forward to the return of The Gemini Killers and the introduction of C-HT as The Mayor.

    Roel Reine gives me some hope because of his DEATH RACE prequels and THE MARINE 2, but he’s also done his share of boring movies. I hope his experience with THE MARINE 2 means he’ll shoot the fights better than RZA did.

    I think RZA has been better in every other movie besides THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS, so maybe not having to worry about everything else will improve his performance this time. I don’t know.

    But even if it’s not what I want, I like the idea of this being a long running series where every entry seems really different from the others.

20. 

    Toxic

    November 29th, 2014 at 3:27 am

    Speaking of much-anticipated DTV sequels, is THE SCORPION KING 4 out yet? And will there be a review of SEE NO EVIL 2 here?

21. 

    RBatty024

    November 29th, 2014 at 7:22 am

    It’s a shame Man with the Iron Fist didn’t do well enough for a theatrical sequel. But a few of the shots from the trailer look really nice, so it’s not like they’re phoning it in.

    As for the other trailer, it looks like Star Wars. It didn’t give us much, but I was going to be seeing this film in theaters no matter what. So far, the most memorable part of the trailer is the predictably ridiculous reactions from the nerd community. The complaints about the lightsaber broadsword are as hilarious as they are sad.

22. 

    Dikembe Mutombo

    November 29th, 2014 at 7:41 am

    I kinda dug the first MAN W/IRON FISTS but I dunno if it’s a world I’m dying to revisit. The racism movie RZA described in an interview as his next project sounded more enticing. Hopefully the new director gets a better handle on the action scenes. The dismal action directing nearly ruined the first one.

23. 

    Amazing Larry

    November 29th, 2014 at 10:25 am

    Last night I stumbled upon this interesting bit of speculation about the (presumed) Sith in the teaser:

    http://ginmo.tumblr.com/post/103815415924/so-im-pretty-damn-positive-that-the-cloaked

    I truly hope this guy is correct. Great idea, IMO.

24. 

    Stu

    November 29th, 2014 at 11:17 am

    “The complaints about the lightsaber broadsword are as hilarious as they are sad.”
    It’s not like we’re talking complaints about how spaceship designs are unrealistic or anything. This lightsaber being designed like that has some implications as to how duels will play out, since the wielder will have to take into account not being able to hold the thing really close or having to be really careful when they do, certain moves being more difficult or impossible (two handled twirl), which’ll affect how the performer has to act out the fights. Also, as a cross guard it doesn’t really work as the emitters can just be cut through, it seems, so if that’s their conceived purpose, it’s a failure of form over function.

    Larry- That’s cool.

25. 

    AsimovLives

    November 29th, 2014 at 12:33 pm

    Oh Vern, i saw what you did there. Funny.

26. 

    AsimovLives

    November 29th, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    Snyder is a lesser evil compared to Jeffrey Jacob Abrams.

27. 

    Vern

    November 29th, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    Larry – I’m convinced! I thought it was Adam Driver, but I think your tumblrer is probly right. And I like that we don’t know. It’s refreshing in this day of knowing everything about every movie in advance.

    (although to be fair we still got a year to find out everything)

28. 

    KingNewbs

    November 29th, 2014 at 10:41 pm

    Nice find, Amazing Larry. I think she’s on to something there.

29. 

    Griff

    November 30th, 2014 at 1:50 am

    Just thought I’d throw in my two cents on the STAR WARS trailer, I like it, I’m sure it will be good if not life changing, I mean heck the bar is so low for STAR WARS after the prequels that JJ would almost have to be intentionally trying to do a worse job just for a sick laugh.

    It’ll be nice to live in a world where there are STAR WARS movies that are actually decent again.

30. 

    Shoot McKay

    November 30th, 2014 at 3:14 am

    The interesting characters and world that RZA shaped was interesting enough for me to see more of it. It reminded me of some of the better Shaw brothers films, but with much less actual kung fu. Which was the films biggest flaw. But how are you gonna replace Russel Crowe? What an amazing display of ” The Grandeur of Ham” that was.

31. 

    Sternshein

    November 30th, 2014 at 3:56 am

    I would argue any shortcomings about the first one was the fault of Eli Roth. I assume he has nothing to do with this one so I bet it’s better.

32. 

    The Original... Paul

    November 30th, 2014 at 5:46 am

    Yeah, it’s not even loading for me. Yuck. With that and the Amazon.co.uk thing, I’m wondering if my browser is even working properly.

33. 

    AU_Armageddon

    November 30th, 2014 at 6:00 am

    Just noting I am pretty slow on the uptake cos I spent 2 days wondering why everyone is excited about a sequel to Man with the Iron Fists given how sore everyone was first time around. That said, it’s reasonable to wonder why everyone is so sore about SW7 given they hated SW3, 4, 5 & 6 too, so a little odd to get excited about 7. I never understood anyone writing on these kind of sites who hates so many movies, but then even a lot of the regulars here make me cringe at their hatred of even action movies that I dun know I can relate to anyone on the internet at all.

    That aside, I agree, this is movie to get excited about, and so is that one.

34. 

    The Original... Paul

    November 30th, 2014 at 10:36 am

    @ AU_Armageddon: You gotta remember that the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. Love and hate are pretty closely intertwined. For example, I’ve been pretty critical of NIGHTCRAWLER, a movie that I actually liked a lot. I don’t think I would ever want to give people the impression that I “hate” it though. If I didn’t think it was worth that kind of analysis, I wouldn’t do it.

35. 

    The Original... Paul

    November 30th, 2014 at 10:38 am

    And I probably won’t see any more Star Wars movies, and not because I hate STAR WARS – I simply do not care enough about the world or the franchise to bother with it.

36. 

    Forrest Taft

    December 1st, 2014 at 8:47 am

    Why no C-T-H logo in the article? Also, this reminds I really should check out the first one. The time has come.

37. 

    AsimovLives

    December 1st, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    The Original… Paul, i almost feel the same.

38. 

    karlos

    December 4th, 2014 at 8:53 am

    POSSIBLE HUGE SPOILERS – READ AT OWN RISK (and probably best if not openly discussed on here):

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/star-wars-spoilers-leaked-episode-4748644

39. 

    Vern

    December 4th, 2014 at 10:58 am

    Come on man, nobody wants anything given away. I don’t even want to know if the scorpion that stings the man with the iron fists is a guy or a metaphor.

40. 

    Knox Harrington

    December 7th, 2014 at 12:23 am

    Not for me, thanks. I thought the first one was a terrible disappointment and have yet to find a Roel Reine film that I like.

    Also, no extension of the original’s popping eyeball shot? They should have had 2 eyeballs popping out onto the back of the title. Because, you know, it’s the second one. Missed opportunity.

41. 

    The Original Paul

    December 7th, 2014 at 5:30 am

    YAY! I could see it! Finally!

    …Yeah that trailer tells me nothing other than the trailer-makers have something of a sense of humour. “We’re on a quest for inner peace”… WHAM. (Insert Batman-inspired spinny sound-effect visual cue whatever-the-heck-it’s-called here.) I mean, if the rest of the movie lives up to that moment it might be great, but the tone doesn’t seem to be set that way. It seems a lot more serious, and I don’t just mean straight-faced (you can have a serious tone and still use moments of humour). I’m not sure about the visuals – I hope there’ll be some variety in the settings – if it’s all very one-note, you can end up with something like CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE, which was… not good.

    My requirements for enjoying an action movie would be something like this:

    1) Must have characters I like, or at least would want to spend time with.
    2) When it’s supposed to be fun, make it fun.
    3) When it’s supposed to be intense, make it intense. (So don’t mess things up by trying to add forced humour to it at these moments.)
    4) Make sure the scoring is good enough to compliment it.
    5) Make it varied enough that it doesn’t get boring – different locations (if possible), different fighting styles, etc.

    I guess I could add a sixth about the action actually being edited together well enough that you can see what the heck’s going on, which unfortunately seems to be a requirement nowadays. Damn you shakycam!

    So the problem with this trailer is, I really have no idea how many of these targets the movie hits. I’ll reserve whether to see it or not on the basis of the reviews. At which point they’ll be spectacular and I can do my usual bitch about the fact that it’s not available to watch anywhere near me. Because that’s what always seems to happen nowadays.

42. 

    Amazing Larry

    April 16th, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    2nd SW Ep.7 teaser trailer has arrived:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs

    Seems like Asi’s BFF is taking the old school SW approach. Fine by me. Let’s get rid of those pesky memories of the soulless, lackluster prequels… wipe them out, all of them.

43. 

    Broddie

    April 16th, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    Yeah still passing on this. In a year where Mad Max is coming back, I get a Mission: Impossible from the guys who gave us JACK REACHER and I also get Brad Bird’s TOMORROWLAND at some point I don’t really need a superfluous Star Wars story. It’s gonna make copious amounts of cash though that goes without saying.

44. 

    Broddie

    April 16th, 2015 at 2:43 pm

    Oh and how can I also forget that James Bond will return.

45. 

    Mr. Majestyk

    April 16th, 2015 at 2:59 pm

    Man, I just realized I’ve had serious beef with all of those franchises in the recent past. I may need to mellow out.

    Broddie, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but TOMORROWLAND is a Lindelof screenplay. I don’t know if that affects your excitement at all but I figured you should have all the facts.

46. 

    Broddie

    April 16th, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    Mr. Majestkyk – “Broddie, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but TOMORROWLAND is a Lindelof screenplay.”

    [img]http://www.applepiebrigade.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/sad-kid.jpg[/img]

    There are certain franchises I could do without at this point. JURASSIC WORLD is another easy skip for me. I don’t need any more JP sequels. In defense of Mad Max though it’s George Miller and it’s been over 10 years in the making. It will uncompromisingly be all him and that is to be commended and supported so I will go pay my 8 or 9 bucks.

    This right here has footage that reminds me of my old RC The Animal and how I used to make it climb through rocks in the park

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7_hKYb7CUg

    It’s also very classy because it pays respect to the franchise’s roots. Though it also does make you miss Mel.

47. 

    Broddie

    April 16th, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    BTW the img thing was intentional for humor purposes. The title of the pic (sad kid) should say all. I know all about etc.

48. 

    Mr. Majestyk

    April 16th, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    Yeah, I got over my disappointment that we won’t be seeing the adventures of old and wizened Mad Mel when I saw the trailer. I still don’t see what the big honking deal about Tom Hardy is but those stunts look bananas. I’d have to be some kind of asshole not be into that. My only beef with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE is that GHOST PROTOCOL is a children’s movie wearing grownups clothes and thus not particularly satisfying for a fan of the badass cinema such as myself, but all the installments have their own flavor and I liked JACK REACHER a lot so I’m optimistic for the fifth one. JURASSIC WORLD looks fucking idiotic but I like rampaging dinosaurs so how bad can it be?

    I truly hate SKYFALL, though, so I think I’m gonna sit out this current incarnation of Bond until this creative team moves on. Also that new trailer looks almost inconceivably boring. BEHOLD!! THE WORLD’S GREATEST SECRET AGENT ENTERS FUSSILY LIT ROOMS AND SEES PEOPLE SITTING AT TABLES!! CAN YOUR HEART WITHSTAND THE EXCITEMENT?!!

    Remember when Bond went to exotic locations and not just cabins in the woods? I have a feeling I’d be on SPECTRE’s side.

    As for STAR WARS, well… I’m trying not to think about STAR WARS. It’s better for all of us if I don’t.

49. 

    Mr. Majestyk

    April 16th, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    Also, apropos of the actual topic of this post we’re commenting on, I watched THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS 2. I am on record as considering it “moderately unterrible.”

50. 

    Charles

    April 16th, 2015 at 6:08 pm

    Mr. M, I watched TMWTIF2, and felt the same way. There are some fun bits, but overall it is pretty mediocre in the least offensive way possible.

51. 

    Charles

    April 16th, 2015 at 6:15 pm

    I did think it was hilarious that the RZA spends a good portion of the film with his iron arms bandaged?!?!?!?!? Why does he need bandages on his iron arms????

52. 

    Vern

    April 16th, 2015 at 6:50 pm

    Because he’s on a path to Buddha and doesn’t want to use his fists. Also because his legend precedes him and he doesn’t want people to identify him and *ask* him to use his fists (which ends up happening when Innocence peeks under the bandages).

    Review coming soon!

53. 

    Charles

    April 16th, 2015 at 7:18 pm

    I figured he kept them bandaged to try and keep a low profile and not let people know he is the man with the iron fists but that is kind of hard to do when you are the only black guy in town. If that was his goal he should have been wrapped like like a mummy or cloaked like a ninja. However, if it seems like I am being critical I am not. The little touches like the bandages even if they seem silly are what I liked about the movie.

54. 

    Griff

    April 16th, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    It kinda blows my mind they’re already coming out with another M:I flick, I though those were supposed to be once in a blue moon?

    Granted by the time it comes out it it will be almost 4 years since GHOST PROTOCOL, which is about the span of time between 1 and 2, but there was a six year span between 2 and 3 and almost long between 3 and 4.

    However, don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining, I just find that interesting.

55. 

    Broddie

    April 17th, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    Mr. Majestyk – There was a brief point in my life where I couldn’t skip a Bond movie at the cinema. I even saw the one with Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist twice at the flicks. Those days are long gone for me though so I still haven’t seen SKYFALL or QUANTUM OF SOLACE. They were just uneventful and not intriguing in anyway to me based on the clips and trailers I saw. With that said I’m a sucker for Bond Vs. Blofeld and have been dying to see that in a modern context since GOLDENEYE. So for that reason alone I will give the new one a shot. Especially with Waltz stepping into the shoes of Donald Pleasance and Telly Savalas. That has potential for fun.

    One thing I already don’t like though is the contrivance of what appears to be making Blofeld Bond’s brother or family of some sort. This is an issue with modern movies in general. It ALWAYS has to be that close to home for the hero. Enemies just can’t be conventional rivals anymore. People who stand for the opposite ideals and/or don’t like each other. This just screamed of the use of a very unnecessary trope.

    It also felt off because last time I checked AUSTIN POWERS was supposed to be the parody and not the other way around. Now you have a Bond movie ripping a page straight out of that movie that revealed Dr. Evil and Austin Powers as brothers. It’s kinda sad to see. Feels like a bit of a lowpoint. Still I’ll reserve judgement overall until the movie is finally here.

56. 

    Crushinator Jones

    April 17th, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    I don’t know if new Star Wars is going to be good but it definitely looks good.

    Also I saw the leaked Batman v Superman trailer, I think that’s going to be very unpopular with the public. I loved it though and am very excited.

57. 

    Broddie

    April 17th, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    I saw it too. Having Larry Fong back makes such a difference even with bootleged grainy footage. Cinematography was one of my many issues with MOS. This new one looks good though. That is if it really delivers on the promise of how a world similar to ours would really react to Superman and the events of MOS. That concept has potential. Also should mean more Amy Adams which is never a bad thing since in a world that has Superman confused she’s the only person he could truly confide in. I really hope they hit this shit out of the park.

58. 

    Broddie

    April 17th, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    Oh and Ma Kent too. Keep forgetting she’s alive in this incarnation.

59. 

    Stu

    April 18th, 2015 at 8:24 am

    I liked the style of MAN OF STEEL, but Snyder’s style I think is going to suit a more expanded superheroic universe better, and a responsible use of “ramping” could make for some awesome action scenes. The film’s got the same fight choreographer as KINGSMAN, who’s specifically said he wants to have some fights in there that are the opposite of Nolan’s obscured style.

60. 

    Sternshein

    April 18th, 2015 at 10:18 am

    My wife loved the fight scenes in Kingsman but even with the unbroken shots I still couldn’t tell what the fuck was going on.

    I really don’t like pretentious Superhero shit that DC gives us.

61. 

    Mr. Majestyk

    April 18th, 2015 at 10:34 am

    The Nolan REDACTED TRILOGY has grown on me somewhat over the years, but I really like MOS. I think the “pretentious” approach works for DC because, as opposed to Marvel, their characters are more archetypes than individuals. Marvel is more about the man behind the mask; DC is more about the meaning behind it. Marvel can do boilerplate hero’s quest stories because it’s the personalities of its heroes that matters, not what they represent. DC, whose characters are the templates for all other superheroes, takes a more mythic tack that is actually way harder to pull off and doesn’t always work. I’m glad there are both options and that we don’t live in a world where we’re forced to choose–oh wait this is the inherently binary internet where you’re either with us or you can die in a fire.

    (Not talking about you, Sternshein, just the general tone of the discussion of DC/Marvel. The funny thing is, the actual companies don’t seem to have the bitter hatred of each other that their fans do.)

62. 

    Sternshein

    April 18th, 2015 at 10:44 am

    You can do all these things you mention about myths and meanings and still make it fun. I think that’s why I don’t really dig the Nolan films because it was three films talking about how much it sucks to be a superhero.

63. 

    Broddie

    April 18th, 2015 at 12:57 pm

    A lot of the people on the internet are on that “my dick is bigger than yours” shit which is a played out mentality when it comes to fandom. Many are also very trendy. Once the DC movies start coming out and really gaining traction with the mass audience watch how many of them will act like Marvel Studios wasn’t holding them down all of a sudden and start shitting on Marvel movies. Which is wrong.

    It’s like it’s impossible to like both or something. I grew up on both Marvel and DC Comics. With a preference towards DC for the accurate reason Majestyk pointed out in terms of what makes it really distinct. The essence of the company is that their superheroes are archetypal in scope. Which allows for a lot of freedom for creative types and that spirit bleeds out across all of their other publications. It just allows for the type of storytelling I prefer.

    They could play with alternate versions frequently or the identities becoming legacy titles passed from generation to generation. As opposed to “Tony Stark IS Iron Man”. For better or worse that’s why Marvel could never publish a WATCHMEN or SANDMAN or ALL-STAR SUPERMAN or any of the other Vertigo (besides SANDMAN) and Paradox Press stuff. Nevertheless when Marvel puts something out that catches my eye whether it’s comic books or otherwise I don’t hesitate to check it out.

    People try to hard to make this shit 2pac and Biggie when the truth is like those 2 rappers Marvel and DC co-exist to make each other better. You don’t think DC’s “pretentious” movies will make Marvel question how they approach their movies in the future? thus allowing Marvel Studios to make better movies than the homogenized stuff they usually put out all which feel like more of the same. I predict more WINTER SOLDIERs and less THOR: THE DARK WORLD’s and IRON MAN 2’s after this.

    I saw some article the other day talking about how Marvel “shockingly” retweeted a sad reply to DC leaving NYC after so many years of being an industry mainstay out here. It’s just funny to see the word “shockingly”. A lot of people in both companies are not only friends with each other but talent also often jumps from one to the other like a hot potato. It’s been that way since Timely became Marvel Comics to compete with National which became DC and it will remain that way for further decades to come.

    It’s not exactly Bloods and Crips and it never should be. Also controversially I kinda want Fox to be pushed so much that they have to find ways to outdo WB and Disney to make them even better. I think all this creative competition will end up being very healthy in the end and to be honest it’s what Marvel needs after having a monopoly on the shared superhero universe business.

64. 

    Stu

    April 18th, 2015 at 2:46 pm

    Broddie- Yes. Yes. Yes. Totally agree. The fanboyism is really getting out of hand. I like both sets of movies, but because I’m more of a fan of DC Comics, I can’t voice legitimate concerns about the Marvel movies without someone getting all knee-jerk and criticising the WB movies as a defence mechanism even though I never mentioned DC in my statement. It’s silly, because even WHEDON likes DC movies:
    http://screenrant.com/joss-whedon-dc-marvel-movie-differences/
    I think some of the bitterness from the DC fan side though is largely from frustration it’s taken so long for these properties to get traction, and Marvel at this point is so overwhelmingly popular and really accepted by the mainstream, and super-aggressively promoted that it’s easy to resent that. They also make it look really easy by comparison to some of the failures DC have had, and they’ve really took advantage of some of the personalities under their banner to do that. DC has some great actors but up till now there’s no one who can be trotted out to get people excited like Marvel uses RDJ and Stan Lee. Hopefully whenever the SHAZAM movie starts up, Dwayne Johnson will be doing that stuff.

    Back to the trailer itself; it’s funny how some people interpret it. I personally see the story of the trailer as “Superman has some PR problems and it’s troubling, Batman is really, really, really intensely hostile to him for some reason”, while I’ve seen others who view it as “Batman is the hero standing up to Superman”.

65. 

    The Original Paul

    April 19th, 2015 at 4:08 am

    After WINTER SOLDIER and DARK KNIGHT RISES, I think I can safely say that I dislike both equally. Does that count as being fair and equitable?

66. 

    The Original Paul

    April 19th, 2015 at 4:09 am

    Or equable… yeah I have no idea what that damn word is.

67. 

    Shoot McKay

    April 19th, 2015 at 4:22 am

    DAREDEVIL is the only Marvel property I have seen in a long time that I genuinely think is good. It doesn´t shy away from serious ideological and theological discussions about good an evil and about the dangers of idealism. But it also is very funny as well without shoving comedy in your face. I like how laid-back the relationship between Matt and Foggy is that Foggy can pull off the most insensitive jokes about blind people and still be funny. The tone is quite perfect in my opinion.

68. 

    The Original Paul

    April 19th, 2015 at 4:41 am

    Shoot – I’d actually quite like to see it. It’s not as though Marvel has become incapable of producing stuff that I actually like (look at the THOR movies). Daredevil has always seemed like a more paletable hero than, say, Iron Man.

69. 

    RBatty024

    April 19th, 2015 at 5:36 am

    I liked MoS and thought it was Snyder’s best film since his Dawn remake. I thought the cinema verite aesthetic was a nice change of pace for Snyder, but from what we’ve seen it looks like he’s moving away from the Terrance Malick does superheroes approach. I do think the ultra-seriousness can get tiresome, but since Marvel is trying to be lighter and more fun, it makes sense to have a film studio that’s trying to give us a different approach on superheroes. Besides, how can you not get excited when Batman asks Superman if he bleeds?

70. 

    Mouth

    April 19th, 2015 at 9:07 am

    Oh shit now the script has been leaked too:

    

71. 

    Sternshein

    April 19th, 2015 at 9:26 am

    I agree that there is more than enough room for both movie properties to exist. I hope the DC movies are good because I obviously like good movies. I think my brain gets a little defensive because this is mostly the only talk backs I’ll actually read. There is an overwhelming number of posts from a select few people here that seemingly hate the Marvel movies that I have enjoyed for the most part and I feel like I want to defend them. However, I am not really that good at writing my feelings compared to how well written a lot of responses are from these select few individuals. It gets me frustrated. So probably it just comes down to jealousy of how well written these select few individuals are.

72. 

    CJ Holden

    April 19th, 2015 at 9:34 am

    Mouth, that script is fake. I think it’s pretty clear that Supes will break Batman’s neck.

73. 

    The Original Paul

    April 19th, 2015 at 10:25 am

    Sternshein – sorry about that.

    I did like the THOR movies and the first two Nolan BATMAN movies a lot. If that helps.

74. 

    RBatty024

    April 19th, 2015 at 11:49 am

    Perhaps one of the most entertaining things to come out of the Batman v Superman trailer was a ridiculously long comment thread I read where a bunch of nerds went back and forth arguing about why or why not Batman could possibly go head to head with Superman. It was as hilarious as it was sad.

75. 

    RRA

    April 19th, 2015 at 7:45 pm

    Stu – People being pro-Marvel or pro-DC is retarded. I like Coke and Pepsi. I like THE FLASH and DAREDEVIL.

    I do think you hit the nail on the head with why some of those self-described DC partisans have a persecution complex. Reminds me of that THR op-ed published the other day which basically said that if anybody didn’t care for that teaser, its YOUR fault.

    And no, I’ve not seen the BVS trailer yet. And I think you all are thankful for that.

76. 

    RRA

    April 19th, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    RBatty024 – I came across some on one board debating the realism and you know what not one single person brought up?

    Batman’s exposed chin. If Superman punches him in the mouth, Batman is dead.

    I’m sick of people trying to bring up realism in defending something. I enjoyed DAREDEVIL, but seeing people defend the DD costume as being “realistic” made my eyes roll.

    (I liked the costume. I defended it as a nice DIY aesthetic in contrast to Iron Man or Captain America or Hawkeye or whoever.)

    Be interesting to see how they do Iron Fist.

77. 

    RBatty024

    April 20th, 2015 at 7:56 am

    RRA – I think the exposed chin is there for the same reason that Spiderman has his mask off so often in the Raimi films: you have to have at least a partially exposed face to convey some acting. (But maybe he has some mouth guard that pops up before his battle that we haven’t seen). I’m sympathetic to the idea that too often Superman is portrayed as slow and dumb when he’s facing Batman. What I’m not sympathetic to is the idea that Superman could never lose because of powers A, B and C. People forget that he’s a fictional character and his power levels have fluctuated wildly over the decades. The writers can make him as strong or as weak as they want really.

    And I agree that realistic is a terrible choice of words when talking about superheroes. Maybe you could call Daredevil grounded or street-level, but not realistic. I’m only three episodes in, but one thing I like about the show is the fact that because Daredevil isn’t absurdly powerful, there’s more tension to the fight scenes.

78. 

    Crushinator Jones

    April 20th, 2015 at 9:41 am

    Well I was right about the BvS trailer, at least at the circle of websites I read. Just whining about how dark it is and how it’s not “inspirational”, whatever that means.

    People’s brains seem to be totally melted by the Donner Superman films. And I like those movies! But that’s only one very limited interpretation of the character.

79. 

    Broddie

    April 20th, 2015 at 10:13 am

    I found the BvS trailer inspirational. It inspired me to give the movie my money on opening weekend.

80. 

    Broddie

    April 20th, 2015 at 10:14 am

    Still haven’t seen the SW trailer. Don’t plan to ever see it unless I catch it during the coming attractions at the cinema. The concept of a geriatric Han Solo is about as appealing to me as a Grandpa Aged Indiana Jones. Meaning not at all.

81. 

    Crushinator Jones

    April 20th, 2015 at 10:24 am

    Yeah well before Unforgiven I would have said the concept of a geriatric Man with No Name is a pretty shitty one too but they made it work.

82. 

    Sternshein

    April 20th, 2015 at 10:27 am

    BTW, Iron Fists 2 is streaming on Netflix

83. 

    Broddie

    April 20th, 2015 at 10:29 am

    Crushinator JJ Abrams is no Clint Eastwood.