What is it with Marvel Studios? Is there one Department that says 'Great Films' on the door and on the other 'Duff Films'?
I happened to watch Man Thing this week and it was made behind the 'Duff' door for sure. It was awful. I had such high hopes as well, as I am genuinely curious about Man Thing and for instance what makes him different to Swamp Thing [I'm not a comics buff].
The difference between say X Men and Man Thing is quite staggering and yet they were made in the same golden decade which X Men kicked off in 2000. Yes, I know there's also the small matter of millions of dollars difference but even so, are Stan Lee's expectations for some his characters so low that he accepts garbage? Doesn't Man Thing deserve better?
Now I'm not saying that every Marvel film, or DC for that matter, have to be for teenagers and big box office. I assume some of them are for comics fans and some are for adults. The Punisher from 2004 was a great flick but no way Sunday afternoon viewing with the family round. Its a tough, violent film about a tough, violent anti-hero. Made in the golden decade, for adults but certainly not duff.
Which brings me to Ghost Rider 2: Spirit if Vengeance. It was pants. OK, Nic Cage isn't everyones fave leading skull boss but at least Ghost Rider 1 was enjoyable. It had Sam Shepard in if for God's sake. But Spirit of Vengeance is just crud. What happened down at Marvel? Did those production values specs fall off? Was Stan Lee locked up in solitary for 6 months?
I've always liked underdogs and as such I like lesser known superheroes. I applaud any effort made to give them air time or shelf space, but not at any cost. Trash is not acceptable on the screen.
Man Thing is better served on this Slurpee Cup than being undermined in a sub-standard pile of slime masquerading as a Marvel film like the one I watched!
Rant over. Next on my viewing list is Nick Fury Agent of Shield starring David Hasslehoff.
What do you think readers? Should quality fluctuate so wildly in Superhero flicks?
Hi woodsy, I think part of the dilemma is that we've grown to have high expectations of our modern Marvel/DC superhero movies. In recent times the transition from comic books to the big screen has evolved into a cinematic cash cow, thanks to high end production values, seamless CGI and generally good directing/casting. I suspect that the struggling Man Thing was simply a part of that comic book-to-movie evolutionary process. That said, even though the Superhero genre is big Box Office business now, movie quality could easily fluctuate in the future. In part, I suspect this will be down to sustained genre popularity versus shifting cinematic trends, ultimately balanced against the Studio's own commercial needs. Regards Tony K
ReplyDeleteThat's a good summing up Tony. I suppose I just expect every Super hero flick to be brilliant. Some have grown on me with several viewings: Daredevil and Elektra for example. There is an early Punisher film I'd like to see as well.
ReplyDelete