The Third Stanza-- No More Comic Movies

Let me just start by saying, this one's going to be fun (and probably full of bitching!). Now, we all like comics (maybe), and who doesn't wanna see a real live Spiderman flying through the building tops of New York on a tiny string, am I right?... But, the thing about comics, is that the stories work unbelivably well as year long sweeping, arching story lines... but not so much as empty, stripped down, action packed two hour long films. Comics have depth (especially modern comics); They tell deep and thoughtful stories (mostly) through the eyes of unlikely characters, and already use visual depictions!! Almost no comic translates well into film (I'm sorry if you disagree) and ESPECIALLY not comic book series'. On a very rare occasion does a series make a good film (the rebooted Batman series is a good example of that occasion). One reason for this, in my opinion, is the fact that comic movies don't generally delve deep into a story and just focus on mindless action, which is what most people want (do you wanna see Ironman deal with drug and alcohol abuse or see him shoot lasers at another dude in a metal suit?). My problem with comic movies is that fact that they can never follow the stories they attempt to... And I know, they have time constraints to deal with and blah blah blah, but do they always have to kill off enemies that never actually die in the books? (Doc Ock didn't need to die, he didn't even stay evil).

Not only do comic book series' get poor film treatment, but one shot graphic novels do also.  One prime example is The Watchmen (*gasp* he's badmouthing The Watchmen?!?!?!).  The Watchmen, like all Zach Snyder films, was an over-the-top production that focused WAY too much on visual effects and fight scenes; even though there were only a few. I get a bit tired of the dramatic, slow motion cuts and zooming during every single action sequence (A staple in every Snyder film); Admittedly, this wasn't as frequent in The Watchmen as in 300 (*shudders at the thought of 300*).  This, however, isn't a blog about Zach Snyder (that may come eventually).  The soundtrack in The Watchmen didn't always fit the scene (such as "All Along The Watchtower" being used when approaching Ozymandias' lair. I would have gone with dramatic score, personally) and the acting wasn't the greatest either.  Admittedly, Jackie Earle Haley, DID do a good job portraying Rorschach.  The ending of the movie was an interesting change (and one that I actually enjoyed), and it made a bit more sense than the actual book ending (no offense to the comic, which I love).

Even so, I do not believe all comic-based films are totally awful. V for Vendetta, for example, was a very good comic-based film. It didn't disgrace the graphic novel it is based off of, the acting was good and the story got fairly deep (although not as deep as the book of course).
Another one I want to mention; The Dark Knight, which was a very decent adaptation of a comic series (although the more you watch it, the worse you realize it is). Heath Ledger's roll as The Joker was excellently acted. Questionably, the best acting in a super hero movie, ever.  The action was very well done and the dark tone was an excellent addition.  I'm actually excited for the next installment of this Batman series (unfortunately it's titled The Dark Knight Rises).  Another comic-based movie I enjoyed (even though the creator himself disliked it) is Tank Girl. The movie really doesn't follow the comic and is also fairly ridiculous, but it was a very entertaining (and very 90s) movie.  I suppose more than anything it took me back; It reminded me of the slightly ridiculous movies I used to watch as a kid. The characters with bad attitudes, the lame 90s style and cultural references, the overall cinematography... it just screams 90s!! (that's one interesting thing... even if you don't know when the movie was released, the cinematography can tell you a lot).
I also didn't really mind Hulk, the Ang Lee one (but I'm not saying it was good). They focused on the psychological side of the character and the way it was laid out like a comic, with scene in scene, was really intriguing.  Most people complained that there was not enough Hulk and that may be true, but at least they focused on a story (however, they basically did not stick to the comic at all... major strike against it!!).

I feel like I need to discuss the Spiderman franchise now. It wasn't in any way the first superhero movie, but it DID kick off this new resurgence of superhero movies' after the success of the first one. It seems like Marvel and DC are doing film adaptations of every single one of their series'.  Spiderman was a hit for a few reasons:
1. Spiderman is a popular superhero (the most popular in the Marvel lineup),
2. Seeing a real Spiderman swinging around New York was amazing at the time. And finally...
3. The general public loves lame action films.
The first Spiderman was decent, nothing more than an origins film. The second was okay, actually adapting one of the more striking story arcs. The third... awful, a waste of a great villain, a waste of a great story (That was told wrong), horrible acting, AND it, in no way, followed the comics!  I like Sam Raimi, I liked the Evil Dead films and I really want to see Darkman,  The Spiderman films though, not worth it (and now they're rebooting the series... already. Let's see how that goes).

Who knows, maybe it's just Marvel, because the X-Men series is another that is progressively getting worse... the first movie wasn't bad, just a bit slow.  The second was okay but they ruined it by including Wolverine's story which, for one, made him the center of attention and, for two, was wrong... then there was the disaster of the third one (enough said) and finally X-Men Origins... horrible acting, horrible CG, horrible (and totally wrong) plot and they even went as far as ruining Deadpool.  Then again, DC continually messes up Superman movies, so I suppose they both suck...

Alright, I'm done complaining.  Now, to add a few more things;
A few upcoming superhero films that I'm not particularly looking forward to, but may see anyway...

X-Men: First Class
Thor
Green Lantern
Captain America: The First Avenger
Cowboys & Aliens
Luke Cage
Y: The Last Man
Wonder Woman
The Amazing Spiderman
The Dark Night Rises
The Avengers
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Superman: Man of Steel
The Wolverine
Doctor Strange
Nick Fury
Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall
Shazam
Sin City 2
Justice League: Mortal
Ironman 3
The Flash
The Crow
Runaways
Ant-Man
Deadpool
Daredevil reboot
Silver Surfer
Sub-Mariner

Enough about my preferences.  If you're a fan of comic-based movies, then more power to you.  I just happen to be disappointed by the disregard of the books and the lack of anything that could make them redeemable (Daredevil and Elektra for example).

On that note, it's 2:30 AM, I'm going to bed and so should you (if you read this immediately).  Good night.