2010: "It's gonna be an epic year! We've got Green Lantern, Cap, Thor! Then the year after we have Spiderman, The Avengers, Batman 3 and Superman! As a comicbook fan I am officially excited!"
2011: "Yeah I've seen the footage and Green Lantern looks like Van Wilder was just let loose with a green highlighter pen! Thor looks OK but I'm not sure about the camp costumes. Cap looks ace though. I was looking forward to it the least but it's gone straight to the top of my most anticipated list....Oh and have you heard The Avengers budget. That movie is gonna blow....yeah Spidey's costume looks rubbish as well. As for Batman and Superman we'll see if the 'dark tone' get's continually overused....As for X-Men fist ass, let's just say I'll be saving my money to buy some lotion and kleenex because what I'll do with that will be twenty times the excitement of watching that mutant ravaged trainwreck!"
They are the words (give or take a few) of a so called 'fanboy' who visits my comic store regularly. He's usually great to talk to about comics. But honestly he seems to echo a similar feeling as a reasonable minority of fans on this webpage and others. So although I try to always remain objective until I see the final product I always wonder...
...With all of us getting to, finally, see our favourite characters getting big screen time, shouldn't we just be happy?
I've been a huge Green Lantern fan since I started collecting comics. I, maybe, agreed with some of the reservations of others but in all fairness I am just simply glad to see a live acion outing for my favourite superhero. When it seems to differ visually from what I am used to I can truelly say it really doesn't matter. I get to see Hal Jordan hacking fighter jets across the sky and Sinestro being a menacing bastard. I get to see Abin Sur share his ring *tee hee* with Hal Jordan and watch him train under Kilowog! Instead of imagening what it's like to see Hal construct a glowing fist I get to see it happen in real time. People have seen 30 seconds of footage and already feel it's not for them. But I think we should just be grateful we get to see our heroes, in whatever capacity, light up the big screen.
With changes a-plenty rife throughout the movieverse I don't think anybody (?) would be truely chuffed to see a word for word, frame for frame, carbon copy of a particular comic or graphic novel. Watchmen was close yet differed enough to give it a level of originality.
Vaughn was unlucky enough to be given an X-Men movie that had to follow some broken continuity and comic to movie translation issues yet I trust him as a director and fanboy to bring us something great. Nolan managed to make Superhero movies a little more credible than just a slice of action pie. Marvel have made it possible to build a Marvel Cinematic Universe in todays pretentious movie business. Examples like this have meant that there is a major influx of Superhero movies which pleases me greatly. Instead of waiting a year or two for an adaptation and being left a little deflated I now have a whole rosta of films, that I believe will be great, to look forward to. And the anticipation is just as overwhelming as watching them.
When Samuel L. Jackson was cast as Nick Fury there was a real split. People wanted the 616 classic Fury where as people, like myself, loved the Ultimate Nick Fury. Either was isn't it just reasonable that we just get a bad ass regardless? Thor has a beard. I'm happy. Others aren't. It doesn't make a difference to the adaptation or the performance. It's purely cosmetic. Just so long as he smashes sh*t up and becomes the hero he should be, that's the pinacle of what a Thor story should achieve. The 'original' First Class doesn't mirror that of the comics I can get over it. I'm not sure why some, after it being in the works for so long, can't make their piece with it. You're all gonna see it anyway so make some room for positivity.
So are you like the gentleman quoted above? Do you get excited by the thought of a Superhero movie then decide to hate every little detail change? I can understand your hesitancy after Ghost Rider was railroaded (my opinion) and Daredevil didn't quite cut the mustard, to name a few. Maybe my opinions on these movies makes me just as guilty as the next fanboy at finding a negative? I guess, to me, so long as it's not a huge pile of sh*t [insert Jeff Goldblum photo here] I dig it. Regardless of my views I still own them. I'd still rather watch either of these (Ghost Rider through parted fingers) than a rom com, horror flick or mediocre action movie.
I feel we should simply learn to accept minimal changes for the fact we get to see all our favourites brought to life. Learn to accept that with all the varying source material out there to draw from we will never see the movies we feel we should be getting. I love Ultimate Marvel but the majority would most probably disagree it would be the way to fill a movie. I also believe that we should all learn to just simply be grateful.
I anticipate a divided opinion when it comes to any comments but, ideally, there should be one thing ringing in your head. This rambling throws up more questions than answers but brings us down to one simple point...be grateful, be happy.
CraptainAmerica salutes you!