DC Movies We Will Probably Never See

As a fan of comic books I have found characters the mainstream has never even heard of that deserve a motion picture. As touched on in my previous post about expanded movie universes some characters will never see the light of day, at least not in their traditional forms. Disney/Marvel is being brave with Guardians of the Galaxy and its success will determine how many more risks they will take. Sony and Fox might be forcing characters and movies down the pipe no one has asked for and WB/DC seems to afraid of doing anything that doesn't involve Batman or Superman. Wonder Woman has been cast but in a Superman film already featuring Batman. Some of their fear maybe due to the failure of Green Lantern and moderate box office success of Watchmen, but this only holds so much weight. Before the comic book film fad started in the late 90's early 00's Marvel sold some of their characters to other studios. Blade and X-Men kicked off the superhero boom at New Line Cinema and Fox respectively. Spider-Man sky rocketed the genre to another level at Sony. Sure Disney/Marvel would love to have them back now but would that merger have happened if not for those films success? Probably not. My point being is that if WB/DC is too scared, conservative, or whatever to take a risk why not let another studio take the chance for them? They get paid and someone else takes the risk on the character. If it succeeds they know that they can take a risk, if not they don't lose anything. I would argue Disney/Marvel has already proved people want superheros that aren't main stream. People forget Iron Man was not super cool until after the 2008 film. Captain America was probably the most known of the Avengers before the MCU was launched. He didn't get his film until after Hulk, Thor and Iron Man twice. Moral of the story WB/DC please take a freaking risk! Here are some that I think could be worth while.

Teen Titans

Why it could work: Beloved characters that are stuck in their mentors shadow could finally get some love. Teen movies make tons of cash weather good like the Hunger Games series or bad like Twilight. Give this team its own universe apart from the universe being set up by the Man of Steel. The mentors could be mentioned but never seen. The cast of characters that could be drawn from is rather deep allowing the team to evolve over time. An actor doesn't want to or can't come back you have an easy out. The character "out grew" the team or isn't needed for that mission. The villains are diverse as well. Deathstroke is a total bad A who could challenge the Titans with his skills and strategies. Or Trigon could bring a horror feel to a film. Brother Blood, Dr. Light, or the Hive could be great options.

Why it won't happen: Robin/Nightwing would probably be off limits even if they never use him in a Batman film again. Superboy, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl are probably in the same boat as Robin. Cyborg is now in the Justice League in the comics and doesn't look to be leaving anytime soon. You take those options away you lose a ton of marketability. As much as I like Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy they don't have the name recognition WB would likely want on the team. Some of their best villains are also currently in use on the WB show Arrow which could complicate matters.

Could someone else do it: Nope. The Titans will eventually want/need Robin and WB is not about to sell the boy wonder.

Blue Beetle and Booster Gold

Why it could work: Buddy cop movie mashed up with superheroes sounds like a plan to me. Imagine something like Lethal Weapon meets Spider-Man. These two could also keep things in the PG-13 bracket as well.

Why it won't happen: These 2 are best when playing off other heroes; best known for their stint in the Justice League during the late 80's and early 90's. Most of those characters could probably be spared but they can't be called the Justice League and a Guy Gardner Green Lantern on screen is as likely as this movie ever being made. Another problem is villains or lack there of. Maxwell Lord could be good but part of what made him a great bad guy in the comics was he was their friend first so he would need at least one movie before becoming the big bad.

Could someone else do it: YES! These are guys that are probably too lighthearted to fit in with the tone set by Man of Steel. You could even package in the rest of the Charlton Comics characters as well (I know Booster is not from the Charlton line) and you have the makings of a Justice League or whatever they would call it. The Charlton line includes the Question and Captain Atom who could also have their own films.

The Justice Society of America

  

 Why it could work: WWII period piece with superhero punching Nazis, heck yeah! As seen above there is a plethora of options for the team. So much so that it could survive without its Green Lantern or Flash. You could even make it a team with no inherent powers. Wildcat, Mr. Terrific, Hourman, Sandman and Liberty Belle could make up a team of "everyman" heroes battling the Axis powers and their super powered never do wells. Captain America proved people would buy into superheros battling Nazis or give it an Indiana Jones feel. Or you could have age crossover where the elder statesmen are training the newer generation. It doesn't have to be teenagers even guys in their 40's and 50's training 20 somethings.

Why it won't happen: WB can't even get the JLA off the ground fat chance we ever see the JSA. We might see some individuals like Dr. Fate, Mr. Terrific, or even Jay Garrick Flash. We know that Superman isn't the first superhero of the new universe it is possible Batman isn't either.

Could someone else do it: Hypothetically yes. Much like the Teen Titans their are too many brand names that WB won't sell i.e. Flash and Green Lantern even if they are completely different from the ones being used in their main line of films.

Captain Marvel/Shazam

Why it could work: I will first admit that of this list Captain Marvel is the most likely to make the big screen. That being said I don't know and feel uneasy about him being true to the source material. If they made a family friendly franchise out of the Marvel Family it could be fantastic! Let him use magic, fight talking caterpillars, and have a talking tiger as a friend. They could even make them animated for all I care. Pixar isn't an option but the folks who did How to Train Your Dragon jump to mind or the Lego Movie crew shows they know how to have over the top fun. Please make this happen.

Why it won't happen: Captain Marvel as Shazam is getting a big push in the comics and has come close to getting movies before. The Rock was even attached to play Black Adam. At the end of the day the "Big Red Cheese" is one of the few heroes that can go toe-to-toe with Superman. WB will want that in their back pocket.

Could someone else do it: I wish! I admit I would love to see The Captain duke it out with Supes, if that ever happens, and WB has to keep him for that to see the light of day. His allies and rouges gallery would make another studio and fans very happy.

What do you think? What DC heroes do you want to see on the big screen? Have any topics you think I should write about? As always thanks for reading.

The Burden of an Extended Universe

I love comic books and I love movies therefore I love comic book movies. The explosion of comic book films sense the turn of the century has given me hours of geeky glee and a few nerdy rage fits too. Overall I would say the genre is becoming consistently good and part of that is Marvel's ever expanding universe. When Iron Man opened the gates in 2008 no one could have expected what has happened. The success of the first Iron Man caught Disney's attention and pocket book. Eight films have been released as of today with four more scheduled for release in the next two years. That is a total of twelve films in eight years. Some would ask what burden could there be unless you are one of the lucky ones with a much thicker wallet? I will concur that for the most part the films have been good, and we are seeing properties getting made that no one would have ever expected (or asked for) like Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy. But indulge with me for a moment when I point out of few negatives that will impact more then Disney/Marvel films, but all future comic book movies.

 

Don't get me wrong I liked the Iron Man sequels but they don't stack up to the original, especially Iron Man 2. It suffered from the weight of trying to set up the expanded universe unlike any other of the pantheons films. Giving major roles to characters that are there to say, "Look at us we are bringing all of these world together." Black Widow kind of fit but I feel Nick Fury and Agent Caulson's appearances were not needed. Black Widow could have done there jobs. Tony Stark's status quot doesn't really change. Yeah he has a new power source that isn't killing him slowly but he is still the same person he was at the end of the film as was at the beginning. The only thing that really changes is War Machine is now present in the Iron Man world. So why is this so bad? It's only one in eight films. Indeed it is just one film and it seems Marvel/Disney has learned how to balance and individual heroes story with the universe as a whole. I Think it is just a matter of time before another suffers from trying to connect with overall continuity.  I am hopeful that Fox, Sony, and WB can make it work with their expanded universes but it won't be easy. 

 

This brings me to my next concern with the expanded universe. Shoehorning characters. Squeezing characters that don't fit in the overall universe's tone. I use this picture of Captain Marvel/Shazam but I could have used any number of other characters: Wonder Woman, Dr. Strange, Dr. Fate just to name a few. I know we are getting Wonder Woman. That's okay I want a Wonder Woman movie, she needs to be in the Justice League movie (if that ever happens) for it to truly be the Justice League. I worry about the cost to her origin and therefor her identity with the current direction of the DC film universe. I worry that if they don't include at least some ancient mythology/magic she won't really be Wonder Woman. The notion that she is a possible descendent of the empty Kryptonian pod from Man of Steel is bothersome. Is she really going to be more like Supergirl then Wonder Woman? I don't know but that might happen. Marvel has done a great job balancing the mysticism of Thor into the Marvel Cinematic Universe hopefully DC can do the same for Wonder Woman. Also if Marvel does make a Doctor Strange movie how will they explain his magic? The higher science can only work for so long before it feels like a cop out. It works for Thor but I don't think that will fly for all of Doctor Strange's magic. Doctor Strange won't be Doctor Strange without magic likewise for Captain Marvel.

My next concern is shoehorning movies. I understand that there is a ton of money being made by Disney with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I understand that Warner Bros., Fox, and Sony want in on that action. I also know that it is possible to saturate the market. That could happen if we have all four studios pushing comic book movies out two or three timrd a year. Could you imagine 12 super hero movies in a single year. If all goes well for WB, Fox, and Sony it could happen. This is where shoehorning movies comes in. WB has the characters to do it Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the list goes on and on. Fox to a lesser extent and Sony even less so. Fox has made it known they want to crossover X-Men and the Fantastic Four. I don't think people are really clamoring for that crossover.

 

Don't get me wrong I would go and watch it but I would rather see more X-Men characters get introduced and treated properly in X-Men films, X-Men spinoff teams like X-Force or New Mutants, or even more stand alone character movies. The Fantastic Four need to find their own footing before I would want them to crossover and why would they crossover? To fight Galactus? None of either teams villains seem to have a lot of crossover appeal. I'm not a guru of either team but this seems like overkill when each team has so much to offer on its own.

Sony wants to expand its Spider-Man universe by making Venom and Sinister Six movies. I'm on board for a Venom movie but Sinister Six not so much. I do want to see the wall-crawler battle the six but I don't want to cheer for the Six. Maybe a villain centered movie could be cool and new for one or two films but at the end of the day these are bad guys. I don't want to cheer for Doc Ock, Green Goblin, or The Vulture to actually kill, maim, or hurt innocent people. Venom could be a good anti-hero type or even a hero if they eventually put Flash Thompson in the Venom role. But who else is there? Black Cat could work but no one wants to see a Prowler movie.

 

Disney is making Ant-Man but that's eleven movies into the universe. I'm not sure Sony has that many movies to make. Yes Spider-Man has that many stories to tell for sure but will we get that many before Andrew Garfield wants to hang up the tights and Sony wants to reboot? I doubt it.

 

The other problem with shoehorning characters and movies is that movies that should, would, or could get made won't. I know no one is jumping up and down for Blue Beetle but other heroes will never see the light of day because they won't or don't fit into the main universe's storyline. In the Disney/Marvel camp Daredevil, The Punisher, and Luke Cage will be relegated to Netflix because they aren't child friendly enough. Any number of X-Men will never get a quality treatment because they aren't a big enough name to get past the Wolverines, Storms, and Magnetos. Captain Marvel will end up being PG-13 if he ends up getting a movie because they will want him to fit in with the Man of Steel Universe. Why can't we see some more family friendly superhero romps? I don't need all my heroes to be in the same world. Captain Marvel could be a really fun family film. Why not use existing character to make new family films instead of hoping kids buy into something that is starting from scratch? Teen Titans anyone. A Blue Beetle and Booster Gold movie could be a great buddy comedy. Once WB/DC decides what human Green Lantern they want to use we will probably never see a different one, the same goes for the Flash. What about a JSA period piece during WWII. 

That is the biggest burden of all is cutting off other outlets. The way things sit right now the good is outweighing the bad. With all the money being made none of the studios would part ways with any of their characters. Oh how I wish WB would let someone else make movies out of some of their characters. The awesomeness that could be a Incredibles crossover with some Marvel characters. Sadly most of these things will never come to fruition. But for now I will grab my pop corn bucket and get in line to see Captain America 2.

Thanks for reading. What do you think? What comic movies do you want to see get made? Have a suggestion for a topic let me know.

A Father's Film Review: Planes

Welcome back! The blog has switched names and will be shifting gears. I will be writing for the fun of it not for a class with specific purposes in mind. I plan on doing reviews, top ten lists, and opinion pieces. One of the running article types will be A Father's Film Review in which I will review a "children's" movie and give a fathers take on it. There will be SPOILERS! On film's still in theater I will try to avoid them but when it is already available for home purchase I will not tip-toe around them. Let the mayhem begin!

 

Synopsis: Dusty Crophopper, a small town farm plane, finds his way into the world's biggest air race. Facing obstacles both inward and outward can he overcome them to win the race?

My thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Being that it is a spin off of Pixar's Cars franchise, and it not being produced by Pixar or Disney Animation Studio; instead by Disneytoon Studios, I wasn't expecting much. Add in Dane Cook voicing the lead and I was ready to cringe as I viewed the movie with my 2-year-old at home.

 Dane Cook was my first surprise he wasn't his typical loud annoying self. Many times when an animation studios choose to use a traditional actor to voice a character, instead of a voice actor, I can never get into the character. All I can hear and see is the actor and that can be a huge problem when you are not a fan of the actor. For example I can't watch The Croods without seeing Nic Cage in a caveman outfit. Kudos to Mr. Cook for letting Dusty be Dusty instead of making Dusty be Dane.

The story itself isn't anything new a typical rags to riches tale but they manage to have fun with it. The flying scenes are pretty spectacular to watch. And much like the original Cars, Planes has some actual history/planes sprinkled in for plane enthusiasts. Thankfully Mater and Lightning didn't make any cameos, at least not any that I noticed.

Being from the world above Cars I can't help but compare them. It holds up strong against the original franchise. It doesn't quite have the charm, whit, and voice cast as Cars, but does a better job of capturing the fun of globe trotting then Cars 2. It also treats our working class hero as an intelligent capable person, unlike Cars 2 and doesn't depend too much on the fish out of water and toilet jokes. There are toilet jokes but not enough to make me care. Overall it's a close second to the first Cars for me and a much stronger film then Cars 2.

Should you see/own it: I wouldn't run out and buy this film but renting it for cheap to watch with your children is worth it. If your child falls in love with it I don't think it will be a movie you regret having on your shelf.

Final Grade: A strong C+ or weak B-.

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you thought about Planes or give suggestions on future reviews or topics.