Does it drive you crazy when a movie you like gets unfairly trashed? Ever sit at your computer reading a sea of hate and feeling utterly defenseless? Have you ever been shamed into disliking a movie that you initially thought wasn't that bad?
Let this forum be your therapy- No one shall judge you here!
I write this because I've noticed a nasty trend as of late when it comes to new CBMs. There is this instant dismissal of what came before. You know; the "This is already better than..." comments. I don't know why this is such a pet peeve of mine. In some cases it's deserved, but in others, it seems more like a flavor-of-the-month reaction to anything shiny and new.
I first noticed this with the Nolan Movies. I'm not even really talking about Batman Begins, because at the time- at least to my recollection- people were still unsure what they were getting. Also, to my point about it sometimes being deserved, this was a huge improvement over Batman and Robin. But what I'm really talking about is the conversation that grew about the overall Dark Knight Trilogy not only squashing the Joel Schumacher entries, but shitting all over the Tim Burton ones as well. I just couldn't believe that those classics, which did so much to help make Batman dark again, were suddenly now seen as trash. Can't have it. I'll stand up for Jack's Joker, Burton's gothic style, the iconic music, and that Batmobile all day long. But has the combination of time and a new generation gotten the best of the Michael Keaton films?
It happened again with X-Men: First Class. Sure this was a refreshing entry after X3 and Origins stunk up the joint. But additionally, almost as if collateral damage, fans were suddenly turning on the original Bryan Singer films as well, in lieu of this hip new revamp from Matthew Vaughn. I mean, I get. The originals are not very comic accurate, but in fact, First Class is even less so...so where were the people standing up for the films that helped comic book movies gain mainstream notoriety? I don't really understand why the same things that can bug you about one movie won't bug you about another. Where were all the haters at the time of those X-Men movies? I remember them being quite popular with fans. If this is true, once the Millennials attacked the Wolverine-centric hits, where was the defense?
That's not to say that every flashy new take on a CBM means kicking the previous version to the curb. There have been heated debates as to which Spiderman series is doing the better job. When The Amazing Spider-Man came out, I was quite worried people would crap all over the Raimi versions right on cue. Even though that does happen to a degree, I am very pleased to see fans stand up for the franchise that got a lot more right than it got wrong. Adversely, we also have those that believe the Amazing series (or at least Andrew Garfield) is leaps and bounds ahead of some of the camp the first trilogy provided. It is this kind of back-and-forth, that I enjoy partaking in. Not just one-sided hate.
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Netflix just released their first trailer for Daredevil, and to be sure, it looks pretty friggin good. And right on schedule, we've got our "already better than the movie" conclusions. This of course, comes off Marvel getting the rights back and vowing to do the character justice. Because apparently everybody hates the Ben Affleck version. Even though it debuted at $40 million dollars, (the second biggest Feb. opening at the time) stayed no. 1 for two weeks in a row, and even got "Two Thumbs Up" by Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper. The movie has its share of problems, sure, but what movie doesn't? The Director's Cut improves on a lot, and I even wrote a piece about a number of things the film got right. I won't get into it all here, but the gist of it is, while superhero flicks up until then were inventing their own stories, DD was the first CBM to use exact references from the source material, and it should get more credit for doing so.
Anyway, the point is Daredevil is a movie I will stand up for. Back in 2003 it was a great, dark counterpoint to the colorful world of Spider-man and the flashy antics of X-Men at the time. I can put up with the "It sucks!" comments. That's fine. Of course everyone's entitled to their own opinions. But I would like to see a better conversation around this movie, and many others. The misunderstood and the underrated. Perhaps if more people stood up for Fantastic Four (@Sage just posted a nice article in defense of the sequel) we wouldn't be getting this divisive, out-of-left-field new take in Josh Trank's Fan4stic.
*Movie's not out yet, I know, but the trailer is "already better than..", amirite?*
What are some flicks that maybe needed a little more defending? I open the floor to you readers: What hated comic book movies are you not ashamed to stand up for?