It's A Bird, It's A Plane...No, It's Super-HYPE

Flurry Of Pics Surfacing From Upcoming DC Movies

Set pictures. You either love 'em or hate 'em. The upcoming and overly anticipated films Superman: Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises have been releasing some exciting pictures as of late. Today was a big bombshell, with the first pic released of British actor Henry Cavill in full garb as Kal-el, or as he's better known to the world...Superman. Take a look-see...

So Mr. Kent...Will you be making a withdrawal today sir?

Refreshing isn't it? The costume looks somewhat reminiscent of Bryan Singer's take of Superman back in 2006 with the damper, less vibrant colors. There are some big differences when you look closer though. First, the iconic "S" symbol is a little higher up on the chest, and the cape is a lot longer than we're used to. Anyone reminded of "300?" A film which was no-so coincidentally directed by Zack Snyder, the same man behind the helm of this new Superman. 

The costume also shows a big difference in the texture. It's loaded with fish-like scales, similar to Spider-Man, which is sure to pop-out at people once the film is released in HD formats, and most likely 3D. But look a little bit closer at the costume, specifically at the testes-satchel area. No, I'm not admiring Cavill's bulge, but you can make out that the red underwear is gone. The producers of the film, one of which is my cinema king Christopher Nolan, said they were going to make the costume a little more solid and unique by taking out the red-over underwear. A minor gripe for devoted fanboys, but maybe it's for the better. It just makes the character look too cartoonish.

God my undies are sexy

My first impression of the picture was a little jarring. I guess I've been itching for a great Superman live-action movie since part II way back in the 80's, but I'm growing to like it. I love the primal look in Cavill's posture and pose. If you remember the first pic released back for Superman Returns, it showed Brandon Routh in the more usual iconic pose, resting his arms on his waist; very stoic. But now Warner Brothers is throwing a curve-ball. "Superman looks like he's in a Wolverine pose?" "Nooooooo!?!?" Relax everyone, this is what we need.

For too long Superman has been behaving very Dog Whisperer-like: calm and submissive. The man is faster than a speeding bullet, can punch through steel walls, and can take a beating. Go back and watch Superman Returns, and count the amount of punches he threw on-screen. That's right ... there were zero. Now, go watch any of the animated films of Superman and you'll notice the big difference in his portrayal. Fist-fly faster than E. Honda from Street Fighter, and he's always getting thrown around by baddies like Metallo, Darkseid, and even a robot-riding Lex Luthor; who I'm ecstatic is NOT making an appearance in this upcoming film. It finally seems like we're going to get a brutal take on the man who represents truth, justice, and the American way. That's not to say we won't get our typical portrayal of the Man of Steel. Cavill is after all British, which if James Bond taught us anything, means he must have some kind of charm about him. And how can you deny that beautifully stone-chiseled jaw-line? 


It looks like Snyder and company are on the right track so far. The only thing that sucks is that we'll have to wait until Summer 2013 to watch it.

Moving on now to the other 500 lb. gorilla in the DC room: Batman. The Dark Knight Rises is easily the more anticipated of the two films, considering it's already established itself as a worthy film franchise. New pics rose from the narrows of Gotham City last week, showing Tom Hardy in his full Bane costume. Don't let this pic BREAK YOU...

A lot of people, including myself, were a bit baffled when it was announced Bane was the main villain in the film. But once it sank in that Tom Hardy was playing the intellectually muscled threat...I was at ease. It looks to me that Nolan has again found a way to stay grounded in his realistic take on the comics. Hardy definitely beefed up for the role, but he's not the massive, luchador-mask-wearing wrecking ball we're accustomed to. Instead, he's got a fur jacket, a bullet-proof (maybe batarang-proof?) vest, with his combat pants topped off with that S&M mask, which is likely the source of his Venom serum. 

It just seems too coincidental

Other than his mask, there's nothing that really stands out with Bane's costume, but this is a good thing. Once you get too flashy with a villain's costume it distracts the audience from the performance of the actor. Hardy is a great actor. I know it's cliche, but he was meant for this role. Don't believe me? March your nerdy butt to your nearest NETFLIX instant queue and devote an hour and a half of your time to watch "Bronson." Hardy plays Britain's most notorious prisoner Charlie Bronson with a meticulous portrayal that pushes the limits of the character to insanity. Bronson was a bald-headed, handlebar mustachioed bulky prisoner, who loved to cause trouble for prison guards by holding them hostage, psychologically torturing them, and then buttering his naked body up so that when he'd fight them, he'd be harder to get under control. Sounds a bit like Bane right? Except for the whole mustache, naked butter thing. Whatever, you get the point.


Hardy is going to own this role. He's a fearless actor, who's not afraid to step up to the plate and deliver a notoriously villainous role in the Nolan inspired Batman universe. He's spoken on countless occasions of his displeasure of Schumacher's version of Bane in "Batman and Robin," who served merely as a henchmen who loved to mutter the word "BOOOOMMMMBBBB." He also admitted to sharing a great deal of respect to Heath Ledger's take on the Joker, but says he's not daunted by the task of following the performance, saying "Brilliant actor, brilliant work – that's it. I've got a job to do. ... It's the same with Mad Max and Mel Gibson. I'm not here to engage in a competition with their talent. It's to play the character that I've been given."(Little asterisk here, Hardy is playing the title role in the upcoming Mad Max 4: Fury Road)

Heath Ledger raised the bar when it comes to memoriable villain portrayals; now, Tom Hardy is ready to power clean it over his head, and hopefully break its sorry ass back. July 20th, 2012 is indeed much too far away.

I'm watching you July 20th, 2012 -- Watch your back (cue drum snare)

    

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Super Snyder!!!

Zack Snyder Taking the Helm for Man of Steel

Zack Snyder ready to tackle the greatest comic book icon of all time

A glorious bit of news seeped out into the media this week, and it's good enough to make comic book fans feel really Super about themselves. According to an Deadline magazine, Zack Sndyer (300, Watchmen) has been given the daunting task to direct the upcoming Superman Reboot "Man of Steel." Hold up your glasses boys and girls, because this is a good thing. For years, Superman has not quite gotten the motion picture treatment he's deserved for this generation. The last great Supe movie came with Superman II, and suffice to say the man faster than a speeding bullet hasn't really been up to speed by today's superhero film standards. Recent comic book film successes like Iron Man and The Dark Knight have proven to moviegoers that it IS possible to make any superhero relevant in today's society, and right now I think it's time the most iconic superhero in comic book history gets his 15 minutes of fame.

Why should you be excited? Given the track record of Superman's big screen appearances, it's tough to imagine a good Superman film these days. Fortunately, the puzzle to creating a good Superman film is beginning to come together, and the pivotal first piece came when Christopher Nolan announced he was going to produce the film. If you can't appreciate what Nolan did for the Batman franchise, then close this blog, because you're probably 50 years old and hate children. Before Nolan became the powerhouse director that he is, Batman was in dire times with all the Nipple Suits and Joel Schumacher raping. Thankfully, Nolan took the source material very seriously, and decided to go in a direction where comic book fans would be taken seriously. Enter "Batman Begins," which presented us with a beautifully gritty, violent, and realistic take on the Caped Crusader, and well, the rest is history. The key...Nolan recognized what made Batman such an appealing character to comic fans, and if I were to put my money on it, he knows what makes Superman so appealing, and that's where Zack Snyder fits right in.

Snyder's signature action, in action...One can only hope Superman gets the same treatment

If you haven't seen any of Snyder's work, you might as well not have watched The Wizard of Oz. Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, and the upcoming film Sucker Punch, are havens for nerds. Each of these films contain an obscene amount of action, but it's not mindless explosive action a-la Expendables. The action sequences are stylistic, using a combination of High Speed Cameras, CGI, prosthetics, and of course, lots and lots of violence. And this my friends, is what Superman has been missing all these years. Looking back at Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns," I think we can all agree it wasn't necessarily a bad film. The problem however, was that it wasn't a great film. A superhero like Superman, who can fly, use heat ray, frost breath, and has super strength, needs to have an explosive presence on camera. Throughout all of Superman Returns, we never really saw The Man of Steel do much of that. He never got into a fist fight, and the climax of the film was that he lifted a Kryptonite continent into space. I felt like a kid who just watched a lousy fireworks show, because I left the movie asking myself "That's It?" Superman is all about the fights, and if the film is going to connect with audiences today, I need to see Superman down in the trenches, bleeding, battered, with his suit ripped and shred to pieces, and he's still ready to take more. On top of that, as iconic a villain as he may be, Lex Luthor no longer cuts it. I am a firm believer that a hero is only as good as his villain, and for this next film they need to bring a person that can go toe-to-toe in a fight with Superman, and if the rumors are true, that man's name could be General Zod

You can never really trust the internet once big news like this comes out, but one of the bigger rumors going around the web is that General Zod will be the villain of the film. Zod, who was so notoriously played by Terrance Stamp in Superman II, was a worthy adversary to Superman (considering both men came from Krypton and had the same powers here on Earth). Of course, the internet trolls are clamoring for baddies like Brainiac or even Metallo, but I think General Zod would be a good start. You can tackle some of the Krypton Origin story, and bring a nasty villain to the table. Ultimately, that decision will rest on writer David Goyer, who is handling script duties on The Man of Steel. Goyer is probably best known for his work on Batman Begins, but his credits also include the Blade Trilogy and Dark City, so the man has his comic book roots in check. That, multiplied with his  Nolan and Snyder team-up, and we should have a recipe for Super success.

As for the casting, no one knows just yet. And for the life of me, I can't think of a proper casting choice at the moment. I hope Nolan and crew don't bank their film on a Triple A Hollywood star, because once that happens, the film's substance gets thrown out the window and everyone is interested in the star attached to it. Given Nolan's track record with casting Christian Bale as Batman, and Heath Ledger as Joker, he has a good eye for these things, however, the casting also shouldn't be a complete unknown. Brandon Routh donned the red cape in 2006 with varying success, ultimately lacking any kind of emotional depth with his performance. Plus, I always envision Superman as a guy in his early 30's, and Routh's look just didn't cut it for me. Instead, the casting should rely on an emerging Hollywood talent, preferably small screen, with enough credibility to tackle a big project like this. Think about it, we already know whomever gets selected to play Kal-el will see his film career launch, so I see no point in picking a well known actor.

Whatever the case may be, I proudly ride the "In Nolan We Trust" bandwagon and hope for the best. Superman: Man of Steel is expected to come out sometime in 2012, and until then, the sky is NOT the limit for the possibilities with this film. Nolan and company will have to think beyond the big blue sky, and maybe hang a hard left around the Sun if they're going to give the Son of Krypton his due justice on the silver screen.