superheroes | the m0vie blog

Some Superhero Legacy: How Spider-Man Changed the Movies…

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Darren

This is one of my entries on the latest cross-blogging event, tracking down some of the most overrated movies of all time. It’s being run by Mike over at You Talking to Me. I can’t spoil the list by giving you any of the other titles, but I can tell you another entry will be appearing on this very blog before the week is out.

Let me pitch you a scene. It’s early 2002. There’s a whole rank of huge blockbusters looming. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; Star Wars: Episode II; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Austin Powers in Goldmember; Men in Black II; Ice Age. And then there’s a strange one. Spider-Man, from that guy who made The Evil Dead. Really? Sure, Richard Donner’s Superman was great, but that was decades ago. Joel Schumacher had killed the Batman franchise only a few years back. That Bryan Singer fella had proved he wasn’t a one-hit wonder with X-Men, but it wasn’t exactly box office gold (only the eighth biggest film of 2000). Comic book movies were a strange proposition – transitioning the characters to the big screen just didn’t work naturally. Somethings aren’t meant to be adapted.

Has Spider-Man Blackened the Name of all Superhero Films?

Continue reading →

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: blogging, comic book, comic book films, comic books, daredevil, films, Movie, Movies, spider man, spider-man 2, spider-man 3, spider-man ii, spider-man iii, superhero movies, superheroes | 10 Comments »

Marvel-ous Day: Marvel Optioning Off Smaller Projects on Smaller Budgets

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Darren

I hope you aren’t tired of comic book movies, because it seems like the past few summers have just been an attempt to whet our appetites for even more of the four-colour heroes. Marvel, ever keen to stay one step ahead of their “distinguished competitor”, have announced a scheme to allow the less well-known of their characters a day in the spotlight. DC is still struggling to get its iconic heroes to the screen, let alone put together a coherent shared universe, and Marvel is already scouring the depths of its published materials for new films. I have to admit, I’m kinda excited about the news.

Who's next?

Continue reading →

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: comic book films, comic books, dc, film, genre, marvel, Movies, subgenre, superheroes | 7 Comments »

Should Joss Whedon Direct the Avengers?

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Darren

It appears that releasing news that Joss Whedon was in contention for the gig as director of The Avengers on April 1st was just horrible timing – it looks like this particular story might not be a festive-themed joke and might just be something thiat may be actually happening. However, since Marvel’s somewhat shrewd business strategy seems to consist of mentioning a name and dodging the internet backdraft long enough to determine how fans will react, we thought that a Joss Whedon helmed Avengers film might merit some discussion.

Will Joss Whedon assemble the Avengers?

Continue reading →

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: films, joss whedon, louis leterrier, marvel, Movies, superheroes, the avengers | 8 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Kick-Ass

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Darren

Kick-Ass may be the action movie of the year. It will more than likely be the comedy of year. And it is currently among the best movies I’ve seen so far (and it’s been a very good March, might I add). Kick-Ass does what Watchmen should have, and takes superhero movies to the next level: working on the assumption that the genre is so well recognised that audiences will appreciate all the tiny little tropes, Kick-Ass picks apart the big budget superhero flick, but manages to avoid being mean.

Kick-Ass kicks... well, you see where this is going...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: aaron johnson, big daddy, Chloe Moretz, film, hit girl, kick-ass, mark millar, matthew vaughn, Movie, nicolas cage, non-review review, parody, review, superheroes | 12 Comments »

Iron Man 3 Before The Avengers?

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Darren

A geek bombshell has landed. Apparently Iron Man 3 may be arriving in 2012. Not that it’s coming at us out of nowhere. Iron Man and Iron Man 2 were two years apart. There’s no reason to believe the same wouldn’t be true of Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3. Also, The Avengers was the only major Marvel film planned for 2012… well, before the Spider-Man reboot got moved back to 2012, but that’s a co-production with Sony. Marvel have strived to get a bit of momentum going – Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk were released in 2008 as a double-act and Thor and Captain America will have the same partnership next year. The Avengers is big enough to open by itself, but it seemed likely that Marvel would have some other support feature designed to lead into it a month or two before release (in case audiences forgot about Captain America: The First Avenger in the year since its release). I like the idea of Iron Man3 in 2012.

Looks like Tony might not be taking any well-deserved time off...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: films, gossip, iron man, iron man 2, iron man 3, jon favreau, marvel, marvel films, Movies, robert downey jr, rumour, superheroes, tentpoles, the avengers, trilogy | 2 Comments »

Why Chris Evans is a good choice for Captain America…

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Darren

It’s official. Chris Evans is Captain America. I’m sure the internet is on fire with people complaining and yelling and shouting – like they were when John Krasinski was the front runner. But I’m actually quite happy. He seems like a great fit for the role and – with a bit of luck – I can see the role doing for him what Tony Stark re-did for Robert Downey Jnr. It could be a star-making role. And I think he deserves that. But I also think there are other reasons he’s a great fit for the role.

Apparently Chris Evans wields the shield...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: captain america, captain america: the first avenger, casting, film, iron man, marvel, Movies, superheroes, the avengers, the avengers movie, the first avenger: captain america | 7 Comments »

The Twilight of the Superheroes?

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Darren

We’re a bit late to the party, but this week we’ll be celebrating the 75th anniversary of DC Comics, with a look at the medium, the company and the characters in a selection of bonus features running Monday through Friday. This is one of those articles. Be sure to join us for the rest.

Earlier in the week, I wondered if the dominance of the comic book medium by superheroes was affecting the general perception of the relatively young medium. Is the time of the superhero long gone?

Some characters take this "superheroes as pagan gods" schtick a bit too seriously...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: alan moore, archectypes, comic books, deconstruction, graphic novels, heroes, reconstruction, superheroes, the dark knight returns, the twilight of the superheroes, villains, watchmen | 1 Comment »

Leonardo DiCaprio Planning to Make a Splash as Aquaman?

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Darren

Well, it’s been a busy week for Leonardo DiCaprio. First his production company snaps up the rights to make a Twilight Zone movie. And now the word on the street suggests that his company, Appian Way, has picked up the rights to develop an Aquaman movie with Warner Brothers. Though that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, it does indicate that DiCaprio may be interested in taking up the mantle of the character. Even if he isn’t, it does mean that an Aquaman movie is coming closer to happening.