Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut-up, already. I know this isn't my usual forte. I wrote this list in conjunction with Valentine's Day last month. It's a fun article in which I honor many of Marvel's classic couples, not to mention a couple that once you see them you'll be like "Yep, Mitch definitely wrote this one," all the while shaking your head.
Last night, to the sounds of cheering crowds and giggling nerds everywhere, Warner Bros. unveiled the long awaited and much anticipated BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Never before have the two most recognizable characters in comic book history, and some might say the greatest literary characters of all time, been shown together on the big screen before. That prospect alone is exciting and worthy of the price of admission.
In September of 2014 Warner Bros, the studio that has long owned the rights to the complete DC Comics universe, announced their plans for their very own DC Cinematic Universe along with the film slate for the following six years. The first among their proposed list of films was Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (which from now on we will call BvS) set to be released in 2015 against rival Marvel Studios' Avengers: Age of Ultron. This announcement seemingly scared the pants off of Marvel and forced them to retaliate with their own press conference and release of the Marvel Phase 3 film slate and schedule. Marvel was right to be scared as they have nothing as crowd drawing as the prospect of seeing Batman and Superman together on screen.
BvS, despite the name, is a sequel to 2013's MAN OF STEEL and it was announced that Man of Steel would be DC's first film in their extended cinematic universe. BvS is as much a Superman film as it is a Batman film. Due to Ben Affleck breaking his leg and delaying filming, BvS's release date was pushed back a year to May of 2016 going up against Marvel's Captain America: Civil War. For reasons I myself don't know, BvS once again moved it's release date to today, March 25th, 2016, ahead of the summer schedule.
Releasing in March is a little unusual for a film of this magnitude, especially one meant to be a tent-pole for a multi-franchise film universe. March is usually reserved for lower profile films. There is snowy weather to contend with as well as the basketball season and television season. But DC appears to be looking at March as grounds for unrivaled film success. It worked for Deadpool last month. Why not BvS?
There are spoilers ahead so tread carefully.
THE PLOT
In the wake of the devastation of the Krytonian attack on Metropolis, the world has become divided on the Superman issue. Half the world hates him while the other half looks to him as the new god. Batman can only see Superman as a threat, fearing the Krytonian's infinite power and the prospect of that power being turned on Earth. He is plagued by nightmares of flying creatures and Superman worshipers destroying Earth and paving the way for an even greater enemy. Meanwhile all Superman wants to do is help people but half of the world simply refuses to see that. Machinations of the scheming Lex Luthor force Superman's hand into battling Batman, who is now more than prepared to take on the Krytonian. But Lex Luthor hasn't revealed his entire hand, as he has a monster in waiting should Batman fail to kill Superman.
THE GOOD
The Dark Knight Returns. Director Zack Snyder, returning from directing Man of Steel, draws heavily on the famous and lauded works of Frank Miller and the character redefining book, The Dark Knight Returns. Having recently read DKR, there are images and sequences in BvS taken straight off the comic book page and they look magnificent. Ben Affleck as Batman and Jeremy Irons as Alfred are a great pair and compliment each other very well. This is a Batman pushing 50 years old and seemingly at the top of his game. The fight sequence near the end of the film in which Batman takes on a group of Luthor henchmen is my favorite fight scene in the movie.
Super-Hero Opera. This isn't a Marvel movie. There is nothing at the end of the credits and none of the usual comic book movie troupes here. DC has done their own thing, taking a new and different approach to the genre. It's bold and admirable. They've taken the characters in their universe, placed them in the archetypes befitting The Iliad or The Odyssey or the epic of Gilgamesh, transcendent tales of gods and men, heroes and villains. Snyder shows us that this isn't reality anymore but something beyond. Hans Zimmer's wonderful score punctuates this feeling by providing a very operatic soundtrack.
Wonder Woman. Her appearance in the film is a major highlight. The music when she appears is perhaps the shining moment of the entire film score, invigorating the audience for what comes next. Gal Gadot certainly looks the part when she is in full demi-god costume. Her foreign accent is still prevalent, which takes some getting used to, and when she's out of costume and wearing regular clothes she seems like an anorexic and fragile Amazon. Those are my only complaints about her.
THE BAD
Disjointed. The plot moves erratically from point to point at times with no transition or natural progression. To be fair there was a ton of story and a whole universe to set up in this one movie that runs a mere two and a half hours. The film also strives to be entertaining too. This is perhaps the most loaded plate for a movie in the history of cinema. It comes across like a massive episode of HEROES or LOST in which every three minutes we shift scenes to another character and another subplot, rarely spending enough time on a scene to get the audience invested.
Not a Superman movie. Batman easily hogs the screen from what by right should be Man of Steel 2. Batman's dark dour character seems to permeate every inch of the film's tone. Where this movie should be equal parts Day and Night it seems to be wholly night. The light and the hope that Superman brings with him seem to have been forgotten. Instead of a world where one believes in the inherent goodness of humanity, a lone protector doing right simply because that is his nature and instinct, we are told that the world only makes sense if you force it to. Personally that isn't the message I look for in my stories of heroes. Instead the movie promotes a philosophy that humanity is either inherently evil, weeds that keep coming back up, and or helpless and in need of gods to save us from ourselves. I'll admit that I have had trouble understanding the character of Superman, and if this is what he represents, then I'm not sure he's the character for me.
Jesse Eisenberg, while playing his role within a specific archetype and deliberate style, reminds me of Jamie Foxx in Amazing Spider-Man 2 or Jim Carrey as the Riddler. He is too goofy and manic to connect with which appears to be a conscious choice by the filmmakers, perhaps to distance themselves from the financial failure of Superman Returns. It is a style befitting classical story-telling but one that I have long since grown out of.
While Lex Luthor isn't as endearing a villain as he has been in the past, Batman isn't perfect either. He's supposed to be the world's greatest detective and one of the most intelligent men on the planet. His intelligence doesn't appear to be well represented in the film as he blindly wages a war against someone so obviously on the side of good it's ridiculous. Instead it is his single-minded emotion that drives him and ultimately it is his emotion that appeals to his sense of reason. I understand that in the film he is supposed to be the opposite of Superman and the filmmakers seem to have taken this to heart. His reason and intelligence are left behind in favor of fear and hate.
Then there are the "not so clever" easter eggs letting us all see glimpses of what DC is going to be giving us in the next four years. !SPOILER ALERT! The Flash looks so alien from any iteration of the character that I've ever seen. It's difficult to get excited about it when it looks like they're setting up another character to be nothing like the character they're based off of. The Cyborg sequence felt too cliche to be interesting and the design for Aquaman, as well as the lingering camera shot, doesn't do much to help the character's reputation. And then there is the setup for Darkseid.
Remember where I said that DC was doing their own thing? Here's where I put my foot in my mouth. In Marvel's The Avengers (2012) they showed audiences the "endgame" in the character of Thanos. Thanos and Darkseid, while very different and quality characters in their own right, fulfill similar roles in the greater universes. DC tells us that they're going the same route and with the release date for the first Justice League film set to debut before Avengers Infinty War it looks as if DC will beat Marvel to the punch. This could force Marvel to fight back and change things around in their plans, maybe even forcing them to release something that isn't ready and sub-par from what could've been. Let's hope Marvel sticks to their plan but if BvS does extremely well in the box office they may in fact buckle under the pressure. We could receive a lesser, potentially disappointing finale to Marvel's Cinematic Universe. We'll see.
THE VERDICT
Responding to this movie was a tough call. Remember folks, I'm the guy who said Star Wars The Force Awakens and Jurassic World were merely okay films, not great films. I also thought the same about Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron so it's very possible that I don't know a single thing of what I'm talking about. I guess what I'm saying is keep an open mind and decide what you think for yourself. Don't let me or anybody else tell you what to think, which was my mindset going in to BvS.
I've often been told that the difference between Marvel and DC's universes is that Marvel takes place in the "real world" where men are heroes and DC takes place in an allegorical world adjacent to our own where Gods walk among us. DC's characters aren't heroes, they're above that. They're gods. This very much is the feeling I had when watching BvS. Zach Snyder doesn't give us a "real" world but instead a world all its own. Snyder has said that Superman cannot exist within the world Christopher Nolan created in his Dark Knight trilogy. So a different world had to be created.
So far I've been hearing a lot of negativity surrounding the film. The reaction to Man of Steel was divided equally among fans. Those negative reactions are addressed in BvS only to be met with new negativity. Snyder adapted his approach to this film as opposed to what was done in Man of Steel. I'll admit that this film is loaded with problems and perhaps the three hour long R rated director's cut will feel like a more completed experience. But the fact remains that this film was given an impossible and unrealistic task.
The warning signs were present in the trailers from the get go. Even the title, as disjointed and a mouthful as it is, should've given us an idea of what to expect. There is no short cut to building a house or a cinematic universe. One must put in the time and effort, take both the negativity and praise in stride, adapt and try to improve and build upon in the future. A film like BvS had to be made in order for everyone to learn this. It is such a shame it happened with characters like Batman and Superman.
Personally, I thought it was fun. In the same vein as FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF-MAN, KING KONG VS GODZILLA, ALIENS VS PREDATOR, and FREDDY VS JASON, all movies I love and adore. The title is Batman V Superman. This is the kind of movie it is, a fun two and a half hour wild romp. I praise DC for not copying Marvel (despite the Darkseid move which nearly removes any defense I can come up with for DC here) but it seems that the heads of DC's burgeoning cinematic universe need to rethink their strategy.
It's no secret that I am a fan of super heroes, comic books, and movies. One of the best melding of these three was Netflix's original series DAREDEVIL Season One which debuted last year in April. This was the first act of what was going to be a four-part epic culminating in a fifth production tentatively titled THE DEFENDERS. The four single seasons were going to be focusing on the characters Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts, these characters would come together in an Avengers-like feature, the Defenders.
Daredevil Season One was so good and so well received that it changed to original game plan. Forget the Defenders, everybody wanted more of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Jessica Jones was already in production at the time so it was too late to alter that course. But instead of Luke Cage debuting in early 2016, like it was planned, Daredevil Season 2 was green lit. March 18th, 2016, DDS2 was released on Netflix taking the plot and the characters even further than before.
THE PLOT
With Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, in prison and the Russians, Chinese, and Yakuza mafias driven out of the city, the drug trade in New York is left wide open for the taking. The Irish mob moves in but then are suddenly gunned down with military-like precision. A biker gang and the Mexican Cartels are dispatched in similar fashion. Daredevil needs to discover who the killer of killers is, this Punisher of the guilty. Then Horn-Head reunites with an old flame and his former mentor, Stick. Stick informs the hero of an ancient war being waged in New York, and Daredevil's old girlfriend is the key.
THE GOOD
All of it.
The acting. Just about everyone who survived Season One returns. !SPOILER ALERT! Charlie Cox, Elden Henson, and Deborah Ann Woll are wonderful once again as the core players. Scott Glenn returns as Stick and is developed further along with Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple. Seeing Dawson and Glenn again is great as they could've been left out altogether. But probably the most amazing returning actor of the group was the surprise appearance of Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. D'Onofrio is masterful as the Kingpin of crime and one of the major highlights of the season. Fisk cannot be left out of any further seasons that may come as his character is the best acting in the entire show.
The Punisher. Jon Bernthal as the Punisher steals the spotlight from Daredevil himself. Bernthal is easily the best actor to have stepped into the role of Frank Castle, but to be fair he has seen three other portrayals of the character to learn what to do and what not to do. Not only does Bernthal embody the essence of the character but he also looks like he stepped out of a Steve Dillon comic panel. The prison hallway massacre sequence is better than the Dolph Lundgren and Thomas Jane Punisher films combined. Punisher's murder methods and Daredevil's "no kill" code are tested against each other in very compelling arguments and the audience is pulled back and forth between them.
The Hand. The Punisher is taken out after four or five episodes and the show teeters on falling apart due to a lack of cohesion. What Fisk brought to season one was a central plotline and overall goal. Season two has a directionless feel after the Punisher's rampage is resolved, but then Stick returns and reveals what was lightly hinted at in season: the war between the Chaste and the Hand. I love ninjas. The Hand are the Marvel Universe's primary ninja clan and they are treated very well here. Instead of being simple cannon fodder for DD, even the simplest of the Hand ninjas was beating the hell out of the hero. The Hand fill the vacuum left by Fisk and introduces a massive plot which could stretch over seasons and possibly wider into the other heroes of Netflix's combined universe.
THE BAD
There isn't too much wrong with this season. If I had any gripes it would be with the casting of Elektra. Elodie Yung delivers an underwhelming performance and feels a bit forced. She plays a character the antithesis of Deborah Ann Woll's wonderful Karen Page, immediately placing her in a negative light. I prefer this interpretation of the character as opposed to Mark Steven Johnson's but I vastly prefer Jennifer Garner to Elodie Yung. Elektra does get better by the end and ultimately is another strong addition to the cast, despite having trouble getting started.
Elektra's Demise. Perhaps the most iconic image within the entire Daredevil comic book canon is that of Elektra's initial demise at the hands of the villain Bullseye. !SPOILER ALERT! This scene is replayed during the final episode's climactic battle. But Bullseye isn't the one to do it, instead it is executed by a character named Nobu of the Hand. Now I'm not the biggest Daredevil fan nor do I have any strong affections for the character Bullseye (who has yet to be introduced formally in the series), but this sets up a unique situation. When Bullseye is officially introduced what are they going to do with him that will equal or replace his big moment? There were plenty of different ways they could've resolved that final battle, they didn't necessarily have to adapt that seen.
It worked for the show and it has bolstered the narrative. Nobu, one of my favorite characters in the show, is given this big moment and it adds incredible power to the character. But even a cursory fan of Daredevil, like myself, questions this choice. Bullseye and Punisher are similar characters. Perhaps Bullseye was originally intended to be in this season, as he was hinted at in season one, but the creators pulled him in exchange for the Punisher to hopefully garner higher ratings and play a little "dirty pool" against DC's forthcoming Batman V Superman. How this drastically altered sequence will ultimately be viewed will depend greatly upon what the showrunners do in the future and whether or not Bullseye is portrayed with the respect the character deserves.
THE VERDICT
The year of heroes battling heroes has begun. I binged Season One in one day. It took me two days to get through Season Two, not because it was inferior but because my schedule didn't allow the time. Season Two is even better than Season One, a feat I wasn't sure was possible. Netflix still appears to want to deliver on their promises of Luke Cage and Iron Fist, but with the success of Daredevil and Jessica Jones also being green lighted for another season, this could prove problematic. Netflix has stated that they only have the budgets to do two Marvel shows per year. Luke Cage is officially debuting on September 30th, 2016. Where's Jessica Jones Season Two? And will we get Daredevil Season Three next year or will we instead receive JJS2 and Iron Fist Season One? Or will Iron Fist be pushed back yet another year? And what if Luke Cage Season One is a major success? Unless they find more money something will have to give.
What Netflix has done with Daredevil and Jessica Jones and hopefully will continue to do with Luke Cage and Iron Fist, is taken the characters far beyond anything the films could ever hope to do. Netflix truly has no limits and, for the most part, have taken the same care and precision as the Marvel Studios films have. But where the big screen films have their PG-13 limits and short two hour run times, Netflix is displaying a quality of content far beyond.
Comic books are ongoing sagas (at least they used to be). Netflix television provides what appears to be a far more appropriate medium for these characters and stories. With a few exceptions the Marvel movies have developed their heroes but scarcely scratched the surface of the supporting casts and have given use mere paper caricatures for villains. Wilson Fisk and the Purple Man have surpassed anything (other than Loki) that the films have given us. Even Nobu of the Hand feels more menacing and further developed than most of the film antagonists. The only advantage the films have over Netflix is the budget.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but the future of super heroes is Netflix.
With Quentin Tarantino films one is always treated to an interesting experience. The eighth film (technically ninth because Kill Bill was separated into two films) was released last December under the apt title of THE HATEFUL EIGHT. This time Tarantino gives audiences a full blown western as opposed to Django Unchained which was a period drama. Tarantino is a big fan of the western genre of film and more specifically he enjoys Spaghetti Westerns.
I too enjoy the western films to have come from Italy during the 1960's and 70's, not all mind you but a select group. Some of these select films on my list came from a list of Tarantino's Top 20 favorite Spaghetti Westerns. The more I watch Tarantino's movies the more interested I become in the films that inspired his films. The man is a passionate film aficionado. Tarantino's films are more than just another movie in the world of cinema, but also his personal tributes and homages to the films, genres, and filmmakers he loves so dearly. Not only does Tarantino get to shout his love for these films from the mountaintops but he also is given the means to make his own films his own way.
Delving deeper into Tarantino's world, not simply viewing his films but viewing the films that inspire him, enriches the whole experience. It also provides a bit of a game when viewing his films, that of trying to discover which movies he has drawn from. With The Hateful Eight there are obvious ties to the western genre, Delmer Daves' 3:10 TO YUMA and Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST come to mind, but nothing I could pin down as being the whole inspiration. What ultimately came to mind wasn't a western film at all, but rather a science fiction horror film from 1982: John Carpenter's THE THING. The Hateful Eight is very much an Agatha Christie murder mystery in the vein of TEN LITTLE INDIANS.
THE PLOT
Eight strangers are trapped in an outpost along a mountain pass as a blizzard besets them. Bounty hunter John "the Hangman" Ruth and his bounty, Daisy Domergue worth $10,000, find themselves the subject of a deadly plot. One or more of the strangers are not who they say they are, in league with Domergue, and dead set on freeing her. One by one the strangers drop like flies, the survivors desperately trying to ferret out the killer or killers. As the night continues the true characters of these strangers come to light, each one of them cruel evil bastards, all deserving of death.
THE GOOD
The Dialog. This is a trademark of Tarantino's films. He engages the audience with clever and interesting verbal exchanges rather than explosions and rip-roaring action (although he does enjoy that too). Not all his films contain the same caliber of voice but The Hateful Eight has some of the most interesting dialog I've heard from Tarantino in a long time. And he maintains this level of dialog throughout the duration. And in his usual flare these conversations end in bloody conflict, courtesy of the amazing gore effects of KNB.
Kurt Russell. Another parallel to The Thing. Kurt Russell plays one of the eight, a bounty hunter by the name of John Ruth also known as "the Hangman" as he has an affinity for bringing his bounties in alive just to watch them hang. Russell brings his own distinct flavor to the role calling to mind his character Jack Burton from the movie BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (also directed by John Carpenter). As Jack Burton, Kurt Russell gives his own rendition of a rather inept JOHN WAYNE. His character John Ruth is very similar albeit without the Jack Burton smile.
Tarantino is a fan of director John Carpenter and Carpenter, like Tarantino, is a fan of westerns. Tarantino is also a fan of Kurt Russell (who isn't?) and a fan of legendary Spaghetti Western badass LEE VAN CLEEF. Russell has had the privilege of working with Lee Van Cleef in John Carpenter's ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. Why am I telling you all of this? Because I too love Lee Van Cleef and Russell channels some of Mr. Van Cleef's essence here, no doubt by Tarantino's direction. Out of all the characters in the film the only likable character is John Ruth. !SPOILER ALERT! After he dies the film looses a bit of its appeal.
Also worthy of note is legendary film composer, Ennio Morricone. Tarantino yet again works with one of his film heroes and can be linked to Sergio Leone and the spaghetti western genre directly. Morricone earned an Academy Award for his work in The Hateful Eight and it is his incredible score that sets the tone for the film immediately. Tarantino has sampled much of Morricone's work in his previous films, Morricone's scores for the films THE BIG GUNDOWN and DEATH RIDES A HORSE appearing in Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill vol. 1. Now Tarantino is given another Morricone score all for himself.
THE BAD
It's my personal taste when watching films to have characters to root for. When a film doesn't possess such characters I tend to lose interest. Such is the case here. After (SPOILER ALERT) John Ruth dies along with the only truly innocent person among the group, O.B. Jackson, we move to actor Samuel L. Jackson as our hero. But his character, we discover after his tale of Chester Charles Smithers, is one sick evil man. Jackson's character is set to oppose our antagonist(s) but I'd be lying if I didn't want him dead too after his story. Don't take this as a fault of the film because the scene is extremely effective, but it is also a scene of such pure evil that I never care to see or hear it again. Kudos to the director for effecting me so powerfully.
A victim of his own undoing. Tarantino appears to be his own enemy in this film. While there are no other films like Tarantino's out there, here he seems to fall into his usual patterns. The movie is broke apart into chapters similarly to Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. The story is told out of sequential order as well, again another classic Tarantino move. And the director makes his cameo as a narrator in one scene which was rather groan worthy. Tarantino is a master story-teller yet this one scene is rather obnoxious and off-putting, and nearly takes the viewer out of the film. He titles his eighth film The Hateful Eight and inserting himself as the narrator wreaks of pretension, a characteristic in nearly every of his films but somehow seems punctuated here.
THE VERDICT
I have very mixed emotions about this film. All the films he draws upon for inspiration I enjoy. Most of the actors are amazing, charismatic, and memorable (with the exception of Michael Madsen). The dialog is some of Tarantino's best. Yet Tarantino's own ego gets in the way more than usual. Then there is elimination of the only likable characters early on and the incredible level of evil shown by Samuel L. Jackson that renders the remainder of the film a painful experience to finish. To be fair, I personally need characters that I enjoy watching in my films. This is a good movie, and Sam Jackson does get his comeuppance for being an evil bastard, as they all do. But dammit, why did Tarantino have to kill Kurt Russell off so early?
Tarantino used to strive for a purity of experience. He recreated the feelings attached to those 1960's and 70's films that he loves and a perfect genre experience. With his last three films however he seems to have lost sight of this purity of spirit, striving for academy acclaim rather than a unique film experience and love letters to the genres, directors, and films he loves so much. In this respect I feel Robert Rodriguez, Tarantino's "Brother in Arms," has continued to succeed where Tarantino seems to have forgotten.
So, I'm a little behind the times but this is one that is better late than never. Last month the fans and everyone else were finally privy to a film that was promised nearly seven years ago. I have to admit, I was skeptical of whether or not this film would succeed. February usually isn't the month where you expect to see summer blockbuster caliber films that rake in over $300 million. I blame Guardians of the Galaxy and Furious 6 for their recent demonstrations that months like April and August, months usually reserved for the films that can't quite make the summer blockbuster grade, are merely grounds for unrivaled success.
DEADPOOL was released on February 12th of this year, the first in a long list of comic book related films in what is sure to be one of the most epic years in super hero cinema. A February release of a genre film is typically a sign of "B" grade quality cinema or a highly niche corner of the market. Then with the film being rated R your audience is limited even further. So, what is one's first thoughts when you see a film released in February seven years later than when it should've been released, a super hero film no less with a rarely seen R rating? Chances are it's going to be crap.
Not this one.
THE PLOT
Wade Wilson is an ex special forces black ops soldier who is now a mercenary with a smart-mouthed attitude and a unique conscience, helping teenage girls get rid of their would-be stalkers. He finds the woman of his dreams and life becomes heaven... that is until the big C. Cancer hits him like a bus and Wade slips away hoping to spare the love of his life from seeing him waste away into nothing.
He is offered a chance to be cured. A secret organization claims it can cure him and make him a super hero. After a resounding "No" and then an all-time low in self-esteem, Wade agrees. What they turn him into is a hideous monster who can't die. He can't go back to his lover looking like a monster. So he goes after this secret group, guns blazing, hoping to persuade them to reverse the process.
THE GOOD
In the age of an over saturated market of super-hero and comic books films, the smart ones are those who reinvent the genre and take it in new directions. Deadpool is a wild and crazy character unlike any other in comic books. He has multiple personalities, breaks the fourth wall, has rated R violent tendencies, and jokes from sun-up to sundown. Already he is something completely different from what's out there. The Marvel Studios films have demonstrated that humor is a sure-fire way to ensure ticket sales with completely unknown characters like Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy making nearly $200 million and over $300 million respectively. They also presented themselves as something other than the typical super-hero film by being an Ocean's Eleven-esque heist film and a Star Wars like adventure film.
If Ferris Bueller was a blood-letting unkillable spandex wearing super-whatsits this would be his movie. It literally goes for an 80's comedy feel mixed in with unabashed violence, sex, and wildly offensive humor. It is a film that only the character of Deadpool could pull off. It is a self-aware film too in that Deadpool believes he's in a movie and makes references to the studio and film budgets as well as the actors involved too. The opening credit roll was even hilarious. How many films can you say that about?
Had this film been PG-13, like some mothers were petitioning it to be, it would've no doubt been relegated as another stinker in the X-Men franchise. The R rating works to the film's advantage rather than detriment offering up a seldom seen experience. My only wish was that the film would've went further.
Watching Deadpool I couldn't help but compare it to films like CRANK and SHOOT EM' UP, films which I really enjoy that travel a seldom trodden path. Deadpool is another addition to this small group of films and most definitely the greatest success among them financially. But among these films I still prefer CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE the best. That in no way is a mark against this film but rather a level to aspire for the sequel.
THE BAD
The movie ignores most everything from the comic books storywise and makes no attempts to repair the damaged continuity and timelines of the X-Men franchise. In reality it only compounds the problems. Despite both of these glaring flaws the filmmakers succeed in capturing the spirit of the character which was in essence the major factor. Deadpool is such a crazy character (his multiple personalities were missing, shame on you Ryan Reynolds) that staying true to the comic origins and plot isn't really vital to the success of his character. Oh yeah, and personally I didn't care much for Colossus's portrayal. It just seemed to wimpy to me. But Nega-Sonic Teenage Warhead was awesome!
THE VERDICT
There are a myriad of characters existing in comic books, so many in fact that if you look hard enough just about everyone can find a character almost tailor-made for them. Let me go on record here and state that Deadpool is not a character I find much of a connection to. Many of my friends (you know who you are 'cough' Bryce and Kelly 'cough') have tried hard to show me why they like the Merc with the Mouth. I've come to the conclusion that he is a fine character, but he's not the right fit for me. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. With that being said I think the Deadpool video game for PS3 is the best encounter with the character that I've had to date.
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 4 out of 10
Don't look too hard or you'll see dangling parts
Had the movie been CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE it would be receiving an 8 out of 10. I love that movie.
History: In 2003, four years after the attempted alien take-over of our world by the extraterrestrials known as the Kilaaks, our Earth was once again imperiled by another outer-space threat. Highly advanced insectoid beings from Nebula M Space Hunter orbit secretly infiltrated our atmosphere and established a base of operations in the countryside an hour outside of Tokyo, Japan. These beings wore the bodies of recently deceased men disguising themselves as human beings. Under the guise of a legitimate business, the aliens opened a theme park museum called World Children's Land.
Kidnapping many humans and forcing them to build structures and computer equipment, these beings from Nebula M set about creating machinery that transmitted a particular frequency of sound able to manipulate the great kaiju of Earth. When they kidnapped engineer Takeshi Shima, Shima's sister began investigating this "legitimate" corporation. She, along with three others, exposed the aliens plans ahead of schedule. While only able to manipulate kaiju from their galaxy at this point, the beings from Nebula M went ahead with their plan of Earth domination.
Two monsters were summoned from outer-space to do the aliens' bidding. King Ghidorah and a monster never seen before on Earth: Gigan. The two monsters, through the sound manipulation broadcasted by the aliens, attacked Tokyo. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces utilized everything at their means to repel the monsters including the special Maser technology. The Maser Tanks nearly succeeded in repelling Gigan but were eventually destroyed by Ghidorah.
The soundwaves broadcasted by the aliens attracted the attention of other kaiju living on the Ogasawara Islands. Godzilla and Anguirus followed the soundwaves to their source and encountered both Ghidorah and Gigan. The four monsters engaged in battle with the space kaiju quickly gaining the upper hand. An attack by Takeshi Shima and four others on the aliens' base of operations ultimately turned the tide of battle. Shima and his allies, with the assistance of the JSDF, planted explosives in the aliens' base which destroyed the kaiju controlling equipment.
No longer being controlled by the alien technology, Gigan and Ghidorah were ultimately defeated by the combined might of Godzilla and Anguirus. The two alien kaiju were driven from Japan and back into outer space.
THE SEATOPEAN ASSAULT:
The year following the failed attempt at world domination by the aliens from Nebula M Space Hunter orbit another world crisis erupted when the subterranean kingdom of Seatopia deep beneath the ocean, ravaged by nuclear bomb tests, declared war upon the great cities of the world. This, until then, unknown civilization unleashed their kaiju deity Megalon upon the world.
Somehow, we have yet to determine, the Seatopeans and the extraterrestrials from Nebula M Space Hunter had been in communication with one another, perhaps even for several centuries. The beings from Nebula M sent Gigan to Earth for a second time to assist Megalon and the Seatopeans in their bid for world domination. As before, Godzilla encountered these evil kaiju and, through the help of a highly advanced robot named Jet Jaguar, was able to defeat Megalon and Gigan once more.
Theories persist of Seatopean involvement during the previous year's attack by the Nebula M aliens. It is surmised that the Seatopeans aided the Nebula M aliens in infiltrating Earth and establishing there corporate enterprise in Japan. This would account for the Nebula M's quick adaptation to Earth's atmosphere and understanding of our economy. Inside knowledge would also account for the relative speed with which their plans came to fruition. Such theories however have yet to be proven true.
GIGAN'S BIOLOGY:
Gigan, as best our scientists and biologists can tell, is a cyborg creature. The beast is alive and comprised of living organic flesh. The kaiju's body however has been modified by advanced alien technology from Nebula M Space Hunter. Mechanized augmentation to the torso of Gigan has given it a buzz-saw like appendage running vertically from chest to groin. Its hands, feet, and head have been severely modified and reinforced with an unknown alien metal and fashioned into edged weapons. Gigan possesses the power of flight and a limited beam weapon above its eye.
The original eyes of the kaiju have been removed and replaced with a cybernetic cyclopean ocular visor display. This display records and transmits all visual data back to Nebula M, calculating attack patterns and receiving information. The jaws and mandibles of Gigan appear to have been replaced by space metal as well, fashioned into a beak and honed to an edge for close range attacks. It is unknown exactly to what extent the creature's body has been replaced with cybernetics and what, if any, of its original anatomy remains.
Review: Gigan is one rad looking kaiju! A truly unique and iconic kaiju from Toho. I remember first seeing him as kid and being instantly drawn to his wicked design. Gigan is heavily avian and reptilian in appearance in addition to being totally alien to anything on Earth, which is fitting given he's an extraterrestrial kaiju. He doesn't have the endurance or fortitude of King Ghidorah or Mechagodzilla but he still ranks up there as one of Godzilla's greatest enemies.
SHOWA vs MILLENIUM
There are two versions of Gigan in the Toho Universe: the Showa (first series) version and the Millennium (third series) version. Both maintain the kaiju as an alien cyborg but the origins and designs of Gigan differ between the two. The original origins which I have recounted above are completely dismissed for the Millennium version.
According to the film GODZILLA: FINAL WARS, Gigan was created by the aliens from Planet X. The Xileins created Gigan millions of years ago using a mutant DNA code called the M-Base. Gigan was sealed away deep beneath the Earth's crust, during a prehistoric era. This version of Gigan is sleeker and far more robotic than organic. The Showa Gigan blended the living tissue with smooth metal to create a more natural looking transition between his flesh and his cybernetic prostheses.
The Millennium Gigan is almost 100 percent robotic in appearance. His hands have multiple options from his traditional steel hooks to full on mechanized chainsaws and grappling hooks. He even has projectile buzz-saw discs that can be fired from his chest. And when he is ultimately defeated through decapitation there is no blood or flesh shown but rather circuitry and metal. His color scheme is different too, swapping the green and gold for a blue and silver color pallet, accenting the shift from organic to artificial.
Gigan's 2004 redesign is by far the best addition to have come out of the film and the major reason why I go back to watch Godzilla: Final Wars. I look forward to seeing Gigan in all three of his appearances and hopefully one day the tv series ZONE FIGHTER will be released on DVD or Blu-Ray so I can at last see his appearances there, along with Godzilla and King Ghidorah.
Zone Fighter vs Gigan
So, in summary, if the top two classic kaiju villains of the Godzilla franchise are Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla, my vote for the third top spot goes to Gigan.
Threat Level: 7 out of 10
Planet Wide Destruction
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