Boy, what would Hollywood do without comic books to keep them going? Between “Iron Man,” “Spider-Man,” “The X-Men” and “The Dark Knight” franchises, comic books have provided the studios with some of their biggest and most reliable hits of the past decade or more. These days, imagining movies without comic books is almost like imagining movies without sound or color.
With that in mind, then, here’s our comprehensive look at the upcoming comic book adaptations currently making their way towards theaters (starting this weekend with “The Green Hornet”). Because these caped crusaders aren’t just fighting crime — they’re also fighting for the future of cinema.
When the “Green Lantern” trailer showed up online Back in November 2010, immediate reactions seemed so negative I thought we might have another “Avatar” on our hands. As in, here’s a highly anticipated movie that’s easily crapped on in initial ad form but which will end up making a lot of, well, green. Personally, I thought the movie looked like the worst comic book-based superhero movie since Roger Corman’s “Fantastic Four,” but that was a little harsh, even for me. In reality it’s more like the 2005 “Fantastic Four,” which still isn’t great, but it’s the best we can hope for with a movie that sends Ryan Reynolds back to “Van Wilder” territory and then covers him in CG magic.
But I do think at least the Green Lantern Corps. stuff looks cool. It’s just the stuff on Earth that makes me feel uncomfortably embarrassed for the character, Reynolds and DC Comics. As for director Martin Campbell, it’s probably not going to be his worst film. And like the rest of the bad-mouthing responders, I will of course be seeing this the soonest I get the chance.
while Ryan Reynolds’ CGI costume is often a topic of debate, within the context of the trailer it doesn’t look so out of place even though I still think it looks a tad too fake from the final scene of the trailer, notably in the mask. I hope it improves in the many months left before the summer 2011 season kicks off.
The next biggest gripe is the decision to cast Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan. (In my opinion, he really should have been saved for a film version of the Flash.) I can, again, see their concern. My question is if the trailer is really representative of his overall performance. It’s possible that they cut together what they felt were the funniest and most marketable bits to bank on Reynold’s comedy. I have the feeling that he has the capacity to effectively bring Hal Jordan to the big screen, but don’t know if he’ll deliver.
Marvel has two big movies coming out as well with Thor and Captain America! This should be a fun summer no matter how you look at it. DC? Good Luck to you...your going to need it until Dark Knight Rises is in theaters.