There has been much postulating in recent times about how well movies like Thor, First Class, Green Lantern & Captain America will perform on-screen and at the all important box-office, our opinions, and comments form the basis of my day, I check this site regularly to read reviews, and news, and comments about the movies due to come out and are in production, like I'm fairly certain most of you do.
For the many people I work with, & know socially, these are things they take no notice of until the movies are showing at the multiplex, and after that are not given a second thought, many people I know look at me with wide-eyed surprise when they find out that this is something I am deeply passionate about more than almost anything else, its often discussed that comics are for children and that a grown man is silly for following such things, but I point out that comics aren't necessarily directed at kids just because its filled with pretty pictures, and the text in a funny font of type.
Whats interesting especially here in Australia, and more pointedly in my city of Perth, is that the geek culture is quite small, the overwhelming majority is sports orientated (I myself am quite the sports nut, and blend in quite well) or is of a family oriented culture, where the focus of people my age is get married have kids, play happy households and focus on work & family....urgghhhh, but it was some years ago that a local clothing shop had stocked t-shirts with the logos and symbols of some of our much loved heroes, & heroines for the ladies, and all manner of people would wear them from the muscle-bound no necks, to your garden variety geeks, like me, and all the rest in between. So while being a fan of this culture is certainly gonna get a snicker or two, the branding has certainly worked its why into the sub-conscience of the mainstream public.
With the success of Iron Man, Spider-Man, & Batman the good movies have shown that comic movies don't have to be campy like the Batman TV show from the 60's as they have seen Batman be a bad-ass who kicks ass and takes names, a character like Tony Stark keep a certain amount of the cockiness and pants man like behaviour some of the regular people in the world exhibit, which has made the films appeal like never before to a wider audience, do we now have a film that if you believe what you have read is that bad, it will put the Green Lantern in a bad light? Or is it that close to its source that it will alienate the wider audience, and have them write it off as a silly film?
Let's play devil's advocate for a minute and say it is bad, then what? Does it throw all the good that's come before off the slate for the mainstream to say its all crap, put back all the good work that Marvel & (let's just say) Christopher Nolan has done in putting the gritty "reality" back into comic movies, because the many people from the outside do not realize that Marvel and DC are two different companies, and just as being a geek was becoming somewhat cool this movie comes a long and ruins it, I'd like to be hopeful and think not, but it still probably won't bring the numbers in to guarantee it a success.
I won't have the opportunity to see Green Lantern until August, by which the heat on this movie from the rest of the world will have dissipated, but reviews from my local media will still have to give their opinions on this film, now going by what has already been said by industry media, it has not been flattering to say the least, and this trend could end up here, but should we be worried? There is a line from the last review I read on the front page that said Green Lantern is the most comic book film of all comic book films, and as such could this be the reason for the unfavourable comments directed at this much loved character, I mean we all know the story and with all that we know about this character and the footage we have seen thus far, are in for a thrill ride that only we will appreciate or are we doomed to bear witness a disaster that could set DC's cinematic desires back another 20 years where only Batman & Superman films will get made due to their wider appeal?
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