This has been a great year on Comicbookmovie.com. I personally have had a particularly great and fun filled year. This article is essentially a recap of all my CBM highlights of 2013. Whether it be movies, games or announcements. Thanks for reading!
Red 2
Red 2 was the fourth comic book based movie I saw this year. I wasn't expecting very much out of this film. So I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the first Red. But I felt that it was kinda boring and lacked depth in many ways. In my opinion Red 2 was an improvement over the original in every way. Red 2 was better than the first for many reasons. The first of which is that it doesn't throw a ton of underdeveloped characters into the mix like the first one does. Most of the characters are already established from the first movie and now are being expanded on. Other than one or two new additions the characters are recurring from the first film. Red 2 also has a vastly superior plot. The first Red had a decent plot, but was rather thin if you ask me. This one was a major improvement over that one. Dealing with an old CIA project now hidden, but being rediscovered and stolen by a psychotic killer. Then the various characters both good and bad deciding to put aside their personal and national differences and work together for the greater good. Hardly anything excellent but good in my opinion. Red 2 also had superior villains, I mean Han Cho Bai and Dr. Ed Bailey were far superior to that Cooper guy and the vice president. The action scenes were much better too, especially between Han Cho Bai and Frank Moses. As a whole I feel that Red 2 is the most criminally underrated comic book film of the year. A vast improvement over the original and a great movie in it's own right. A 7.5 out of 10 if you ask me.
Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 was the first comic book movie that I viewed this year. I saw it in the theaters and was slightly disappointed but still loved it. I have since seen it multiple times and still enjoy it immensely. I have never been a Mandarin fan to tell the truth. I have read four iconic Iron Man story arcs (His origin, Armor wars, Demon in a Bottle and Extremis) and Mandarin wasn't a major part of any of those. So seeing as I really don't give a crap about Mandarin in the first place I didn't mind the big twist one bit. Of course the film had other issues with it, many plot holes. But plot holes occur in every comic book movie. Even in my all time favorite ones, so I feel those are all forgivable. Too much humor is another complaint, but I felt it was fitting to the character that was created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Obviously Iron Man from the comics is not comedic, but the Iron Man that came to life in 2008 is an incredibly different character than that. A more marketable comedic character, that is why I feel the humor in Iron Man 3 isn't necessarily out of place because it matches the character that was created in 2008. But besides that, Iron Man 3 also suffers from a weak villain. Yes I didn't care about Mandarin, but the villain we got in Aldrich Killian really wasn't that good. I wouldn't say he sucked but he is just OKAY. His character is exactly the same as what we've seen in previous Iron Man films. But his powers and visuals were completely different from anything we've seen yet. So out of the three potential "problems" with Iron Man 3, I feel only one of them is actually an issue. That said, the film does have a lot of positives to it. The story and script were exceptional considering this was a Marvel Studios film. Character development was sufficient all around. The fight scenes were different, unique in a way we've never seen before in an Iron Man film. As a whole I loved Iron Man 3. Yes it's relatively weak when you compare it to stuff like The Dark Knight Trilogy, Raimi's Spider-Man, Avengers X-Men series or the original Iron Man. but it is still a really good film in it's own right. In my opinion it was an 8 out of 10 movie.
The Wolverine
The Wolverine was the third comic book based movie I saw this year. I honestly don't get where all the dislike for this film comes from. It's really just because ANY comic book movie related to X-Men gets bashed around these parts. People hate it because it's kool (with a k) to do so. Don't you guys remember back in the early to mid 2000's when most of us just liked comic book movies? Regardless of what brand it came from? The amount of brand loyalty I see on this website is baffling. But with that said, The Wolverine was nothing short of excellence. It was a deep, dark, interesting character search into the Wolverine. I got so much fanboy cheer as well as a nerdgasm when watching this. Just knowing that Wolverine had gotten over that disappointment called X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Which I honestly felt had many redeeming qualities to it, but this movie blows that movie out of the water. No questions asked. I was also so excited to know that Fox is back on track. After their last failures Last Stand and Origins, First Class was the film that temporarily restored faith in the company. The Wolverine just showed up, and reassured us that Fox is back on track and ready to bring it on unlike they've ever done before. I'm so excited for the upcoming Days of Future Past and Apocalypse movies. But aside from that, aside from helping to build hype for the next X-Men film. The Wolverine is of the utmost quality on it's own. The story is pretty good, nothing special to be sure but it is very well written. The character arc though is so deep and so rich. This film has arguably the deepest character search out of all comic book movies save for the original Iron Man and MAYBE Batman Begins. (notice the maybe) The Wolverine also had some stellar fight scenes, like the battle at the funeral. The fight atop the bullet train was epic too. Wolverine vs Shingen was one of the most well shot and choreographed fight scenes of all time. And the final act was full of eye dazzling special effects. Which leads me to my next points which are the villain and the final act. The villain was nothing to rave about, and while he was not as good as Zod or Faora. Silver Samurai still blows all of the rest of this year's villains out of the water, hands down! The final act gets hated and I don't know why. It was an epic, eye dazzling, over the top way to cap off this deep personal character movie. If not a bit too generic, still a truly emotional, eye popping scene. Overall The Wolverine was this year's second best comic book movie, and is an 8.5 out of 10 film.
Man of Steel
Man of Steel was the second comic book based movie I saw this year. And to be truthful I have nothing but praise for this film. Sure say what you will about it being "destruction porn" or "only for angry teenagers". If that was the case, then I suppose only "angry teenagers" are the ones who enjoyed The Avengers. But with that said, Man of Steel is a truly epic movie. The character arc for the titular hero is so moving, so inspiring. It's about choosing who he wants to be. It's about him growing up always wanting to find his "real" family, race and planet. But in the end realizing that he already had all that and choosing to be of Earth instead of Krypton. Just like his dad says "You're gonna have to choose what kinda man you're gonna grow up to be" an epic story about Clark choosing to be "the most human of us all" (courtesy goes to Batman) Man of Steel also had an excellent main villain and a particularly bad-*** henchman (or henchwoman I suppose). I've heard those silly complaints about Zod a trained warrior losing Jor-El and Superman. What you guys fail to realize is Jor-El is a {frick}ing warrior too, besides Zod beats him and actually kills him the second time. In the fight against Superman, Zod is new to the planet for one thing but also Superman has drinking in the sun's radiation for over thirty years making more powerful every day. Zod has been there for what? A week maybe? Anyhow Zod is an excellent villain who creates a great contrast to Clark, Clark is a mam choosing what man he wants to be, Zod is a man born into who he is. Faora was just such a beast, that face, everything about her is wonderful. Sure as a character she's flat but still a {frick}ing boss. Man of Steel also boasts top notch acting from everyone involved save for Amy Adams. Not to mention a truly fantastic main theme. Man of Steel is a beautiful film visually and emotionally. One of the best comic book flicks I've seen in a long time. In my opinion the best I've seen since The Dark Knight. Easily a 9.5 out of 10 film.
Arrow
Arrow is a comic book based TV show running in 2013. Arrow is a fantastic show, with great acting. A lot of depth from all the characters. Not to mention a 99% close to the comics adaptation of the Green Arrow. The first season was great, I loved getting to see Natas and Deathstroke show up on the screen. Plus, the show's story is excellent. Stephen Amell IS great in the role, I don't care what anyone else might say about him. The series felt a bit slow moving in the beginning but it has since picked up. Season 1 was great, Season 2 is even better especially with the reveal of Barry Allen. Overall, I love this show. I love the acting, the characters, the tone, the story. It's all excellent. And don't dare compare this to Agents of SHIELD. That'd be like comparing a steak dinner to dog food. Arrow in my opinion is the greatest comic book based TV show of all time. Nothing else even comes close to tell the truth. Such a great show. Definitely one of my highlights of the year.
Injustice: Gods Among Us
Injustice: Gods Among Us was a video game released in April of this year. I got Injustice: Gods Among Us when it first came out and was wowed by it. I played it a lot, but after a while got carried away by real life. Earlier this month I got the game again for IPad. I gotta say, to me it is the best comic book based video game of all time. It's just so much fun to play you know. My favorite to play as is Deathstroke, but Nightwing, Batman, Green Arrow, Flash and Luthor are not that far behind. I actually feel that Nightwing has been the most effective character to use overall. This game has taken countless hours of my time and frankly I don't regret any second of it. Injustice: Gods Among Us is my second favorite video game behind the original Halo. It is also in my view the greatest comic book based video game of all time. Great game, so addicting.
Announcement of the Man of Steel sequel
After I was blown away with the excellence of Man of Steel. I was excited to see what Warner Brothers might do next, of course Justice League was on my mind. But the announcement of a Batman & Superman film blew my mind. Because it is better to go this route to try and build up to a Justice League film instead of rushing into it. This announcement made my day when I found out about it. I am so {frick}ing stoked for this movie, I can't wait. Say what you will about Ben Affleck and Daredevil, but Ben was not at all the reason that movie was just average. Gal Gadot sounds like a decent choice for Wonder Woman. You guys think that just because she doesn't have massive breasts that she's a poor choice? Shaking my head....I'm not much of a Wonder Woman fan to be honest. But I AM excited to see what Gal Gadot and Zack Snyder are going to do with her character. I honestly think all of the haters are mostly Marvel Studio fanboys who are afraid that DC films might actually be good enough to challenge Marvel. All I can say is watch out, Snyder and company just might knock your socks right off.
Announcement of X-Men: Apocalypse
My final CBM highlight of the year is the announcement of X-Men: Apocalypse. The X-Men have always been among my favorite comic book characters, and their films have been excellent for the most part. While there were the travesties X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. 20th Century Fox has since revived their X-Men franchise with the fantastic movies X-Men: First Class and The Wolverine. They have gotten this franchise back on track and with the return of the man himself Bryan Singer. I have a feeling Days of Future Past and Apocalypse are going to rock. Apocalypse is a staple X-Men villain and although Ratner and I suppose Mangold have made changes to the villains. Bryan Singer has never poorly adapted a major X-Men villain. That in and of itself gives me hope for these movies. Not to mention the returning casts are going to be fantastic. I just can't wait!
Well, thank you for reading my friends. Please feel free to post your opinions and your own CBM highlights of the year. Thanks!