TOP FOURS: Disappointing Performances in CBMs

TOP FOURS: Disappointing Performances in CBMs

This article has you take a look at some disappointing casting and performances from comic book movies.

Editorial Opinion
By BenjiWest - Jul 01, 2014 08:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Other
Hello CBMers!!!

Casting is perhaps the most crucial feature in creating a successful comic book movie. It os often hit or miss. And certainly, lately comic book movies have done an incredible job as of late in this department, definitely in the MCU. Everyone often praises the casting of actors in great performances. What about when it doesn't work out? Is the movie ruined? Depends on the size of the role really, but in any regards it is assuredly detrimental to the film overall. That's why casting choices are so popular, because they are so crucial. One bad choice can either raise the film to the highest of levels, or relegate it to middling mediocrity. So it's understandable the reaction casting choices garner, because like these listed here, you don't want them to be bad. This is a Top Fours article of disappointing comic book movie performances.


Mickey Rourke - Ivan Vanko - Iron Man 2
I realize that the character was essentially created for this film, combining aspects of Iron Man villains such as the Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash. But did they essentially have to create such a terrible role? Rourke must of heard about it being a combination of two bad guys and thought, "interesting I can do that!" But he ends up combining a James Bond villain with an Austin Powers bad guy. What the heck was the deal with that bird? That accent? Those teeth? The hair? Just an oddball performance, as they obviously wanted a blend of menacing and humor. But they got bizarre. Utterly bizarre. What's odd as well, you know he can do well in a comic book movie performance, as exhibited by his role in Sin City.


Halle Berry - Storm - X-Men franchise
How Halle Berry got that Oscar confuses me to this day. Maybe they asked the wrong question on the ballot that year. Something like, "who would you want to spend the night with?" of course next to actresses like Dame Judi Dench, it's really a no brainer. Her acting has often come off as corny and very feint, not particularly powerful. Which is one of the reasons she was terrible as Storm. Why not choose her role as Catwoman? That was awful for reasons well beyond her performance, my goodness they had her acting like an actual cat! The animal! A freaking housecat!! WTF??!!? Exactly. But the Storm performance is largely on her shoulder She's inconsistent and sort of pathetic. At one point, she has an accent, but I guess Storm was seeing a voice coach at the time. She didn't want be hindered at all during her American Idol audition. She drifts in and of said accent even in the film she was supposed to maintain it in. She was passive and like most Berry performances, corny.


Tommy Lee Jones - Two-Face - Batman Forever
I think Jones was told to watch the '60s Batman TV show as research for the role. It's obviously the vision of Batman that director Joel Schumacher wanted to adapt. Perhaps Jones came back and said, but Joel " Two-Face isn't even on this show?" To which Joel probably replied, "Oh, just watch that Joker guy, it's all the same." And he probably told the same thing to Jim Carrey for his portrayal of Riddler. In fact, if Joel had his way, his Batman film would feature four Jokers as the villains! It doesn't help that Jones was especially hammy in his performance, chewing scenery like it was going out of fashion. Overly outrageous in certain parts, and then super serious in some areas. Talk about an uneven performance, plus he was constantly trying to show up Jim Carrey in zaniness. The same actor who used to talk out of his butt!


Kate Bosworth - Lois Lane - Superman Returns
Granted this movie has a whole textbook of problems, but one of the most glaring? Bosworth's casting as Lois Lane. She was easily to nubile and young for such a character. A seasoned Pulitzer Prize winning journalist? Oh yeah film, I question this. Her big story was most likely about the bake sale at school. The producers must of crossed wires when casting the role, confusing Lois Lane for Harriet the Spy. Plus, she didn't seem like a chain smoking mother of Superman's child. More like that kid's big sister. And Clark's weird, immature younger sister. "Please guys, I want to play reporter too!"
 

Alright, that's the end. Thank you, everyone that read. Hopefully you got a chuckle. Be sure to hit that red glove. Thanks guys.
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HulkOnion
HulkOnion - 7/1/2014, 8:47 AM
[frick] dat shite
BenjiWest
BenjiWest - 7/1/2014, 8:48 AM
Dammit!!! It's like this site mocks me terribly, curses! I wrote these article to work on putting pictures, which I can upload, but they don't appear on the article, just the damn embed code! I've watched the YouTube tutorial and followed the guidelines to the exact ctrl v letter! Damn!
BenjiWest
BenjiWest - 7/1/2014, 10:28 AM
@Doopie - I follow the directions completely. Load the images to be embedded. I copy the code from that page. Then paste it in the article where I want it to appear, but it just pastes the text code... I dunno...

oh and btw, where the heck is that second Defenders work at???
BenjiWest
BenjiWest - 7/1/2014, 11:25 AM
Thanks so much Doop!! I was hoping you wouldn't have to load the pics, thank goodness! Thanks Doop! When I get back to the PC, got some tinkering to do!
AnthonyLantern
AnthonyLantern - 7/1/2014, 11:54 AM
YEAH! Halle Berry sucks and so does Storm!
BenjiWest
BenjiWest - 7/1/2014, 1:50 PM
Sweet!! A Miley!!

Electro was an odd, weird character. I feel like Foxx, probably played the part as it called for. Something like, pathetic obsessive who becomes misguided rage fueled menace.
PAF
PAF - 7/1/2014, 2:17 PM
A thousand times YES to Kate BORESWORTH. JESUS. Singer REALLY missed the ball on that one.
SauronsBANE
SauronsBANE - 7/1/2014, 3:03 PM
TASM 2 by itself could've taken up 3/4s of this list. Maybe even all four spots.
MileHighRonin
MileHighRonin - 7/1/2014, 3:48 PM
Good list, can't argue with anybody on this list. Garnder as Elektra is another one. Lol berry could be on this list twice with Catwoman.

I AM GROOT!!!
Wolf38
Wolf38 - 7/1/2014, 3:55 PM
Claire Danes should've been Lois in Superman Returns. Then again, maybe it's better that she was unscathed by it.

NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 7/1/2014, 4:54 PM
Y'know who I think is miscast? Iron Man! *drops mic*

Just kidding. I agree with your list, luckily I've avoided watching Returns.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 7/1/2014, 5:29 PM
Can it really be considered a "disappointing" performance when people already knew the performance would before watching the movie?

I mean come on, who was disappointed in Halle Barry's performance as Storm? We all knew what it was gonna be.
Greengo
Greengo - 7/1/2014, 6:08 PM
I agree with all these but I think Mickey was okay.
Starkasm
Starkasm - 7/1/2014, 7:08 PM
Ivan Vanko. Not Anton.
Starkasm
Starkasm - 7/1/2014, 7:08 PM
@greengo

Agreed. His portrayal wasn't the problem.
SauronsBANE
SauronsBANE - 7/1/2014, 7:46 PM
@DrunkenNukem, I've argued before that Nolan intentionally made TDKR more campy and comic booky than he did with The Dark Knight (and when you think about it, Batman Begins was very comic booky as well) and so things like Talia's plot twist, her death, a literal ticking time bomb in the 3rd act, etc were all intentionally cheesy...but I certainly don't blame anyone for getting annoyed at that kind of stuff.

Still, one poorly executed death scene doesn't automatically and retroactively make Cotillard's ENTIRE performance in that movie a waste. Apart from those 8 seconds, she wasn't even close to being terrible at all. Have you seen her in Inception? Contagion? The lady is FAR from a bad actress prone to deliver sub-par performances.
DrKinsolving
DrKinsolving - 7/1/2014, 8:59 PM
I disagree about Rourke too, there were some scenes left out of IM 2 that could have made things more interesting.

I think Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spiderman should be added to the list
BenjiWest
BenjiWest - 7/1/2014, 9:15 PM
@dethpillow - thanks man! It's definitely not mentioned in tutorial. I tried watching this video on YouTube by Nathan, and it kinda confuses stuff, as in, there's no mention of the whole embed process, which seems important in the tutorial.

About Rourke, I do believe he could have been a great villain. But I think most likely he thought, "just a fun comic book movie" and used it to try some things. Such as the bird stuff, which I think was one of his ideas. Not sure, tho.
DrKinsolving
DrKinsolving - 7/1/2014, 9:46 PM
@dethpillow

Haha, Definitely, I always thought it looked like he lost his legs when he was being dragged away!! Iron Man 1 was a really tough act to follow but I agree they were rushed and needed more time.

I can see what your saying about the Mandarin, but Iron Man 3 was still a mess to me, especially with the kid and everything. The way I'm coping with it is thinking about IM 3 as a bad Iron Man comic, there will be better ones in the future, that's what I like about MCU, I'm still looking forward to seeing Stark in the Avengers: AOU, but the way they marketed that movie, I was waiting for this epic battle and this awesome villain, and all the suits aaaand it didn't happen....
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