The trailer for the third installment in The Purge franchise dropped today and we’re gifted with a deliciously relevant title: The Purge: Election Year.
From the looks of it, we see the return of Frank Grillo (a universal “Huzzah!” should be heard here) who now seems to be running security for a political candidate in the form of Elizabeth Mitchell (my own personal Lost crush) who wants to do away with the grotesque and annual Purging. The footage shown seems to be the best of both worlds from the first and second films in that we get a home invasion set on a grand scale, along with more of this so-absurd-it-could-be-us universe.
The creative team behind Election Year knows exactly what they’re doing and seem to have tailor-fitted their story perfectly for the times our real-life USA is experiencing. What happens when change is necessary but the best candidates for the job aren’t allowed to enact what is right? What happens when the system seems to work but is costing human lives and souls? What happens when two ideologies with money and reason and willpower behind them come to meet each other on the road toward annihilation? What happens when Donald Trump is allowed to run this country for four years?
Mothereffing Frank Grillo seems to be the answer The Purge: Election Year purports and I’m oh, so down. Sorry, Independence Day: Resurgence, this is where I’ll be placing my money first when it comes time for our nation’s birthday.
With the overture of a Harrison Wells monologue, speaking to Jesse, stating that he is coming for her, it really set the tone for this episode and what will likely be the mentality for many episodes to come. From the start, the spirit is determined, yet upbeat. Last weeks pep-talk/team hype-up seems to have changed the morale inside of Wells’ head. Transitioning into a birds eye view, urgency strikes as we see Barry bolting around Central City, throwing the charges into the breaches and closing them. In a blink of an eye, 51 of the 52 breaches are closed, the last being right below them in the S.T.A.R. Labs basement.
With their eyes on becoming a team to save Harry’s daughter, the focus turns toward the very place that has been a mystery to this point in the season, Earth-2. Jesse’s location, as well as Zoom, is still unknown, but we see a determined trio ready to get going and figure it out. Against hesitation from Iris, worrying that Barry is reeling from the sudden departure of Patty and that he is trying to escape. Barry’s reply is sweet and sincere, ensuring her that he is going nowhere, and that he is going to come back.
The team wastes no time in preparing for their jump, hastily heading to the speed cannon, eager to traverse through the breach and into the void. With some warnings from Jay, like not getting too emotionally attached to the new place and not get caught up in what they will see inside of the portal, he kickstarted the cannon and off the three went, with a few surprises in store.
Obviously, the big news was the confirmation of the crossover between The Flash and Supergirl rocked the headlines, but no one, not even I, expected to see her confirmed inside of the show. To explain, the middle of the breach pulled “visions,” with the former Flash played by John Wesley Shipp, Gorilla Grodd, Connor Hawke, Jonah Hex and Supergirl dotted the screen, offering a glimpse of just how big this multiverse is.
Once arriving in Earth-2 Central City, Barry and Cisco were instantly amazed at the grandeur of the city. Personally, I love the hybrid design of Central City on Earth 2. It had a very 40’s/50’s mixed with a futuristic feeling. It had that sense of old school and new school values that really contrasted the modern day Central City that we are used to seeing each week. Back on Earth-1, once the three made their way through the breach, tragedy struck with the speed cannon, as the massive amount of energy that is usually diluted through 52 breaches, instead accelerated through the sole breach and caused a massive ripple that broke the cannon apart. Clearly a cause for concern, as Caitlin, Jay and Joe now have 48 hours to figure out a way to bring them back.
With an urgency to stick to the plan, Barry, Cisco and Harry head to S.T.A.R. Labs to map out a plan and use Cisco’s vibe abilities to hopefully put a pin on the map of Zoom’s and Jesse’s location. Putting on his new goggles, Cisco tries and fails a couple of times to vibe and able to see anything. Quickly realizing the issue, Harry realizes that both Earths vibrate on separate wavelengths, so the use of the goggles is limited to a specific band.
Of course, being in a parallel world is interesting enough, throw in the fact that doppelgängers are out and about. While listening to the news on TV, attention was drawn to a familiar face talking about the latest development with Zoom.
Introducing, Earth-2 Barry Allen.
Without hesitation, Barry sped away and returned with his E-2 counterpart. The shock of being ripped away, plus the sight of an identical twin would be enough to make someone faint, but it was the shell shock of meeting Harrison Wells that sent E-2 Barry into a frenzy. Imagine a teenage girl meeting a Kardashian, but instead, it was a geeky twenty-something meeting a renowned scientist.
While E-2 Barry droned on about Harry’s work, Barry tasered the other and knocked him out. What a better way to figure things out than to hide in plain sight as well, yourself.
Heading for CCPD, Barry was slapped with another huge reality, in this alternate world, we finally get to see another Allen. Iris West-Allen, to be more specific. Quickly finding out that he is married to his former love, Barry is hit with what could be the first emotional hurdle.
With two worlds in play, we see double the villains. However, some of this week’s foes take on a familiar face, or faces. In the form of Caitlin Snow and Ronnie Raymond, we finally meet Killer Frost and Deathstorm. On the polar end of the hero-villain scale from their counterparts, both are out for mayhem, as they sense the breach and immediately go hunting. On Earth-1, Joe, Caitlin and Jay are left without their key hero, and have to deal with Adam Fells, A.K.A. Geomancer.
With the strong ability to create tremors, not much is really explored with him in this episode. He is merely a mention for most of the episode, causing problems around Central City, and it’s not really until about 3/4 the way through that he is finally confronted by Joe and CCPD.
Heading back to Earth-2, Barry is hit with another emotional point. After returning to their home, or the West household in E-1, Iris tells Barry that his mother called. Although the entire undertone of the series so far has revolved around the murder of his mother by Eobard Thawne, it was a different change of pace to hear a dramatic scene between Barry and his mother, despite it being from different worlds. Nonetheless, it shows the deep emotional attachment between the two, even though we only hear from his mother and not a face-to-face interaction.
Barry is obviously happy but sad at the same time, as he talks with a person he has not heard from in years. Although, we also get a small easter egg in the form of Atlantis, a place that Barry bought his parents tickets to. Confirming that both Supergirl and Aquaman exist in. That number can quickly grow also, as the speed dial reads Bruce, Diana and Hal. Were these names bigger hints at the existence of Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern or just fun little easter eggs? While we know that through the confirmation of Supergirl in this universe, that adds Superman to the fold as well.
Let’s just say, it’s the little things that explode and make a big splash.
Joe West had a big play in this episode, with drama unfolding in each and every way. Facing a Central City with no Flash for the first time in a long while, E-1 Joe seemed scatterbrained throughout, clearly having trouble keeping himself sane. He even goes as far as applying pressure to Jay to take Velocity-6. On Earth-2, Barry learns that his marriage to Iris and his want to become a CSI has created an air of disdain around Joe and Barry’s relationship. Blaming him for putting his daughter in harms way since she became a cop to pay for his graduate school, Barry seemingly repaired this broken relationship, when he saved Iris in the Jitterbug (E-2’s version of CC Jitters) in the first battle between Barry, Killer Frost and Deathstorm. The only victim was Joe, taking a blast from Deathstorm. The drama continues into the hospital, where Joe and Iris exchange last words, and ultimately forgiving Barry before passing away. Wally makes a small appearance, heading to CCPD to talk to Joe about something, but is quickly quieted as Geomancer begins to cause issues again. He walks past and we are left wondering what he needed to say.
Following the pressure applied by Joe, Jay finally reveals his illness to Caitlin. He goes on to explain his past, how he gaining his speed wasn’t enough and that he wanted more. He experiments with Velocity-6 back on E-2 to boost his speed even more, but it ends up hurting him and making him sick in the process. But instead of wallowing in the past, they look ahead to an exciting development.
Quickly rushing to confront Geomancer, Fells reveals what has been apparent. He states that he knows the Flash is missing, stating that he has been causing tremors all over without the intervention of Central City’s protector. He begins to attack, but is thwarted by a new speedster with an old face. Jay Garrick, Earth-2’s Flash, sped up to the scene and stopped Fells in the act. However, the heroics were short-lived, as the newly designed Velocity-7 wore off faster than expected, leaving Jay in a vulnerable state. However, Joe managed to fire some rounds into the foe and neutralize him.
It was definitely an exciting sight to see Jay coming back into his own, regardless of how brief it was. It’s clear now that Jay is ready to experiment again with a Velocity serum that does good and not bad. Whatever the chance, Jay’s health is declining, so the sense of urgency is greater.
The final twist to the episode was the confrontation of Cisco, Harry and Iris against the destructive duo. In the middle of a warehouse, we get another doppelgänger joining the party. Out of the shadows, emerges Reverb, Cisco’s twin from Earth-2. It’s evident that Reverb is more powerful than everyone else, as he act’s like Darth Vader, even so far as to be quoted by Cisco, “are you Vader-ing me?”
Flexing his power, he attempts to influence Cisco to join him and hone his powers, knowing full well that Cisco hasn’t quite tapped into his potential. Resisting the tempt of power, he calls in the Flash to take everyone down. But he ultimately falters against an onslaught of meta-humans. Triple-teamed and out-gunned, Deathstorm and Reverb lose their heads and unleash a brutal beatdown on Barry, despite Killer Frost’s cries to stop.
Enlisting the three to capture the Flash whenever the time comes, Zoom appears in the mix of things and strikes down Deathstorm and Reverb for falling out of place. He spares Frost’s life after recognizing that someone knows their place. He sees a battered Flash and takes his opportunity to take him on his own. Barry awakens in a cell, surrounded by numerous figures, but one in particular – Jesse Wells. Calling out, he says that he will get her out of here, but is cut off by Zoom, who eerily speaks to him, clearly exhilarated from the capture of his biggest enemy.
In the final scene, all that remains clear is this, the team has 24 hours to save Barry and as the title reads, Escape From Central City.
Overall, the episode was a good change of things. It was a different exposure being in a new world. Clearly, the universe is A LOT bigger than just Flash, Arrow and the Legends of Tomorrow. Beyond Earth-1, as already assumed, is a host of heroes and villains that are just waiting for their time to show up. With the complexity that is the DC Universe, we may not see the big names that we hope to see appear, but one thing is for sure. They’re out there.
Which Actor Would Play The Best ‘Cable’ In The Deadpool Sequel?
With the news of Deadpool getting a sequel, there was also news of another iconic mutant we will see in the future film. Cable, the telepathic & telekinetic marksmen, will be joining his “frenemy” Deadpool in Cables’ first big-screen appearance! A former member of The X-Men & archenemy of the villain Apocalypse, Cable is probably best known for his ongoing comic series titled ‘Cable & Deadpool.’ The pairing is a wonderful juxtaposition of personalities and their relationship would work well in a film format.
But which actor should join Ryan Reynolds’ in this future Deadpool sequel?
Below are 5 top actors who should fill in the boots of the one-eyed X-Men:
5. Sean Bean
-Sean Bean is known for never making it out of a show or movie alive but as Cable, it’s almost guaranteed he’d leave the film in one piece. The former ‘Game Of Thrones’ actor hasn’t made it to a comic film; playing Cable in Deadpool 2 would be the best way to break into the genre. While this rugged-looking actor is selective with his film roles, he has the attitude for a perfect Cable.
4. Kurt Russell
–An acting legend, Kurt Russell would truly shine in the role of Cable. The notorious ass kicker has been an action-star for decades and a turn as Cable would be another amazing role for Russell. He’s one of the few actors who could hold his own against the attention-seeking Deadpool and his humorous banter with Reynolds would be a must-see.
3. Ron Perlman
-Known for playing ‘Hellboy‘, Ron Perlman is famously badass. That badass-ness would easily turn into one of the best comic character adaptations of all time if he landed the role of Cable. Ron Perlman without any makeup already resembles Cable; now add the talented art department that brought Deadpool to life and we have our perfect Cable in Perlman.
2. Ray Stevenson
-Ray Stevenson looks, sounds, and is built like the perfect fit for Cable. Though he is only really known for previously playing The Punisher in Punisher: War Zone, Stevenson surely has the skills to play Cable. Once playing a gun-toting Marvel character, Cable is just another gun-toting Marvel character but this role would allow him to be seen by a larger audience.
1. Jon Hamm
-Handpicked by the Deadpool co-creator Robert Liefeld, Jon Hamm is one of the most solid choices to play Cable. The Emmy-winning Mad Men actor could use another franchise to dive into it and Deadpool is the exact franchise to join. Hamm is one of the most recognizable actors in Hollywood right now so joining Deadpool would bring mainstream attention to the film.
Is there an actor you would love to see as Cable in the upcoming Deadpool sequel?!
Don’t forget to comment!
Deadpool hits theaters this week and is tracking at an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with estimates of $70 million opening weekend. All this excitement has led FOX to greenlight a Deadpool sequel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Anyone with half a brain would know that Cable needs to be part of that sequel, as the audience can only handle so much off-the-wall antics without a straight guy to punch Wade Wilson in the mouth.
In the second post-credits scene Deadpool mentions a time-traveling character with a robotic arm will be in the sequel.
@bleedingcool Deadpool said all that, no visual of Cable is shown.
It’s amazing to think The Silence of the Lambs surprised Oscar pundits and audiences back in March of 1992, when it took home the “Big Five” at the Academy Awards ceremony, winning Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay. It was the first film to pull that off since the 1976 ceremony, where One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest grabbed the Big Five, and to this day only the third film in history to do it (It Happened One Night was the other back at the 1935 Oscars).
But The Silence of The Lambs is still, 25 years later, the very best thriller of its kind. It is a lean, focused, unforgettable film, running like a Swiss watch from beat to beat, forever getting under our skin. Top to bottom it’s perfect, and it hearkened in an entire new wave of psychological thrillers, pushing those yuppie thriller Fatal Attraction imitators to the back burner. And without a single false beat, the film manages to approach themes of disturbing paternal relationships, personal growth, and the hero fighting preconception at every turn to get the job done.
The utilitarian genius of director Jonathan Demme, whose previous credits included (among others) the off-kilter road comedy Something Wild and The Talking Heads’ documentary Stop Making Sense, keeps the measured efficiency of the film in tact from start to finish. It bleeds into the performances as well. Jodie Foster is Clarice Starling, a West Virginia hayseed working to shed her hayseed-ness as a newbie in the FBI. Starling is all business, stripped of glamour and carrying an almost asexual vibe in her “good bag and cheap shoes.” The FBI is a man’s world, and rather than having a character blatantly voice this ideology, Demme simply gives us the feel of the sexism at play while the plot moves along. The sideways glances Starling catches, the smug elitism of others, all build a world of repression surrounding Starling, though she never backs down.
Efficiency.
And when Starling is assigned to visit Dr. Hannibal Lecter – one of the most brilliant minds in the world who also happens to be a psychotic cannibal – in his maximum security, glass-encased prison cell deep in the bowels of the Baltimore State Hospital for The Criminally Insane, the suppressed misogyny of the FBI is exposed in a way. These madmen behind bars are driven even more insane by the appearance of, gasp, a woman! The inmate Migs has a rather disturbing opinion of Starling (and even a worse gift for her, eventually) and Lecter himself has her sized up before she even sees him standing at attention in the middle of his cell.
Brian Cox played Hannibal Lecter in Michael Mann’s Red Dragon adaptation, Manhunter, back in 1986. And while Cox did admirable work, his Lecter was far too human. Anthony Hopkins, whose film career was fledgling at the time, reinvents the character, this monster, as subhuman. He is a machine of knowledge with any semblance of true human emotion or the ability to function within a society without his insatiable desire for carnage destroying those who are unfortunate enough to cross his path. Lecter has Starling’s number from go, and as this most unlikely duo push and pull against one another to try and find the whereabouts of a similar killer, Buffalo Bill, one of the more odd romances in cinematic history evolves and transforms in every scene.
Lecter may very well be in love with Starling, but their relationship bounces from paternal exploration, to psychiatry sessions, to a mutual respect. It all depends on how Lecter wants the moment to be; he’s in charge, and Starling is fully aware of it because, no matter how simple her upbringing may be, her will to rise above it is what keeps her pushing forward. In the end, when Starling finds and ultimately kills Buffalo Bill, it is a moment of which Starling would never have been prepared were it not for Lecter pushing her to look inside herself and find what makes her tick. He uncovers her ugly truths, and this exposure allows Starling to expel her demons so they cannot impede her growth and eventually defeat Bill.
And somehow we’ve made it this far without touching on Buffalo Bill, played brilliantly by Ted Levine, whose twangy molasses pipes defined the character. Bill is beyond disturbed, but a less confident film would go to great lengths to tell us how disturbed he actually is. There is very little exposition from Bill himself, very little hints into what made him such a psychopath, and scant glimpses of him at his full madness (except one highly disturbing scene everyone remembers). Bill is, like everyone else involved, a character who is only explained as far as we need him explained. Demme and screenwriter Ted Tally (working from Thomas Harris’s bestseller) allow the audience to fill in the gaps with their own imagination, which then allows the horror of the situation to seep into our subconscious, making it last.
As for the mechanics of the plot, The Silence of The Lambs is a masterclass in tension and mood. Sometimes the director’s camera work is crucial in conveying feeling, in playing a part in the story. Demme’s camera observes, allows the performances and situations to play out in unsettling ways, though the climax in the depths of Buffalo Bill’s house of horrors is when Demme’s camera shines. Shot mostly through night vision, the horror is palpable, leaping from the screen and singing dread into our minds. There are very few moments as unsettling as the moment when Bill’s hand reaches out, almost touching Starling’s hair.
The Silence of The Lambs spawned sequels, prequels, and imitators, and none have been able to recapture the magical confluence of events which brought the world this masterpiece. There is not an ounce of fat here, not a missed beat, and not a forgettable moment.
The CW announced Tuesday that Former Disney Channel star Cole Sprouse will play Jughead Jones in the pilot episode for the live-action ‘Riverdale’ TV series, with Lili Reinhart playing Betty Cooper, according to Deadline.
What could be considered the headline in the Deadline article is the ‘Riverdale’ series plans to introduce Josie and the Pussycats. Where ‘Riverdale’ is just another high school drama, a ‘Josie and the Pussycats’ series could fill the void left by Glee.
‘Riverdale’ will be written by Archie Comics Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and produced by Warner Brothers Studios and Berlanti Productions and has been described as a subversive take on the classic Archie mythos. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter, Jon Goldwater, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa serve as executive producers.
The live-action series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends, exploring small-town life and the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade. The show will focus on the eternal love triangle of Archie Andrews, girl-next-door Betty Cooper, and rich socialite Veronica Lodge, and will include the entire cast of characters from the comic books—including Archie’s rival, Reggie Mantle, and his slacker best friend, Jughead Jones. Popular gay character Kevin Keller will also play a pivotal role.
No premiere date has been announced for the series.
From the moment Deadpool begins, you know you’re in safe hands. It’s no ordinary opening, and it sets the tone for what is about to come. Which is pure, full-throttle entertainment. Director Tim Miller does a fantastic job and it’s easy to see this must have been a lot of fun on set. The work put into the characters is complete, and it just makes you want to see more of everyone on-screen. The film could have run another hour. Easily.
Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool. This is the character we should have seen long ago, and it is a shame it wasn’t made sooner. He is perfect in this role, and his sense of humour, and comic timing is flawless. His scenes with T.J. Miller, who plays Weasel, are funny, and his scenes with Morena Baccarin are emotional and somewhat disarming. Reynolds can switch from being the merc with the mouth, to merc with the heart without missing a beat. This helps you understand why he is trying so hard to change the way he looks and get back to Vanessa.
Speaking of Vanessa, Morena Baccarin is simply awesome in this film. She plays a different type of love interest, just as foul-mouthed and crazy as Wade/Deadpool is. The chemistry is tangible, and Reynolds and Baccarat work off each other incredibly well.
The standout element of the film was the humour. Deadpool will require a second viewing as lines spout one after another. The breaking of the fourth wall works. It never comes across as forced and fits in with the everything else and you just accept it. One surprising element was how much the film made fun of both the studio and other superhero franchises. It would be easy to see studio heads watching this and laughing through gritted teeth.
Ed Skrein does a great job of making you hate Ajax, the central villain, and makes it easy for the audience to get behind Deadpool. His fight scenes are well done and choreographed with confidence, which makes for great viewing. Gina Carano as Angel Dust is also solid. She doesn’t have much to say, but when you can lay the smackdown on Colossus, then words don’t matter all that much.
Someone I would love to see come back for a sequel is Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Not only is she armed with brilliant powers, but she’s also fun to watch and has great chemistry with Reynolds.It’s also a welcome back for Stan Lee in his usual cameo role. A couple of people actually cheered when they saw him on-screen (yes, I was one of them.)
The action in the movie is incredible. From the opening scene, to the big battle at the end, everything you see is inventive and forever kinetic. Deadpool is a superhero film that grabs others by the short and curlies and gives them a good shake. When it comes to the source material, then Deadpool is the closest you will get to seeing a comic book on-screen. A massive round of applause to all the cast and crew.
In a cross promotion that worked so amazingly well, the crew at Documentary Now! announced the summer tour of Hall & Oates for Live Nation.
Documentary Now! is a comedy series on IFC. The show parodies some of the world’s best-known documentaries. Helen Mirren served as host of the six-part first season, lending the gravitas that documentaries of this caliber so rightly deserve. Documentary Now! stars Fred Armisen and Bill Hader, each episode is shot in a different style of documentary filmmaking, and honors some of the most important stories that didn’t actually happen.
The second season of Documentary Now! will debut this fall.
Watch The Blue Jean Committee reflect on their time touring with Hall & Oates.
Hall & Oates Tour Dates
May 13 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
May 15 – Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
May 17 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
May 19 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
May 21 – Tampa, FL @ MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
May 24 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
May 26 – Washington, DC @ Jiffy Lube Live
July 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ BB&T Pavilion
July 12 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
July 14 – Bangor, ME @ Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
July 16 – Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
July 18 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 20 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
July 22 – Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 24 – Indianapolis, IN @ Klipsch Music Center
September 9 – Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
September 12 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
September 14 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
September 18 – Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
September 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
September 23 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
Superman is having a tough time in both his comic books and mass media appearance. Some people think that the character is simply too difficult to make appealing in this day and age, what with the boyish charm and goody “two-shoes” persona. Others feel that it comes from the fact that he is too powerful to give any real conflict. And finally there’s a sense that whatever they do to make the Man of Tomorrow relevant again, it’ll never truly be the iconic character audiences know and love. Yes, it seems that Clark Kent just hasn’t got that movie, show, or even comic book that has rejuvenated his initial groundbreaking popularity.
Many have tried to analyze why Superman has got the short end of the stick for so long. Just a few days ago, writer Asher Elbein offered his take on the issue in an article for The Atlantic. His overall thesis was that the character isn’t at fault for his criticisms, the problem comes from overeager heads trying to reinvent the character. He talks about Kal El’s most recent iterations, and why they are hurting the character more than helping him. He offers the idea that there’s no real need to reinvent Superman, but rather just get to the core of the character and tell unique stories as the best Superman stories do that. “Stories that stop trying to reboot Superman and instead refine and build on what’s already there. In other words, if you believe in him, the man can fly.”
“Superman, you know I can’t breathe in space right?”
I agree with the sentiment and feel that it’s not difficult to keep the idea of Superman without reinventing his main ideals. Marvel has had great success bringing Captain America into the movies without sacrificing who he is, for example. However, I do offer a small rebuttal to Mr. Elbein. There is a Superman movie that stays true to Superman and attempts to build on his character by creating a new story for him. It was called Superman Returns and everyone hated it.
Yes, a lot of audiences and fans forget about this movie, or refuse to acknowledge anything about it other than that it existed at one point. It debuted ten years ago, and made very little of an impression then and even less of an impression now. Directed by X-Men director Bryan Singer, the film was trying to bring the Man of Tomorrow back to the mainstream audiences… By trying to recreate a Christopher Reeve Superman film, and keep it in that same continuity. Kind of.
The film is a sort of sequel that takes place after Superman and its first sequel; it blatantly ignores the other two. The main premise is that after Clark Kent (Brandon Routh) leaves Earth for five years to see if there’s any chance that some remaining debris of Krypton has any life on it; he comes back to discover that the world has moved on from Superman. Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) even writes a Pulitzer Prize winning piece on how the world doesn’t need the Man of Steel and even raises a kid with Cyclops from the X-Men trilogy. The film tries to analyze the purpose of Superman’s return, while also having Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) create yet another scheme to get real estate and kill Superman.
Honestly after watching three movies of Lex Luthor nearly killing millions of people to try to get some beachfront property it’s hard to not wonder why he doesn’t just buy any with his vast fortune, but I digress.
Step 1: Kill Superman. Step 2: Uhmmmm.
The story of the film is bizarre; the events don’t occur with logical progression. They’re kind of weirdly tacked on, with little to no sense, and incredibly clumsy transitions. One minute we’re with Lex discussing a plan with a beat that feels like the next scene should be about Luthor acting out his scheme, but then we awkwardly go back to Clark Kent being a dope around Lois Lane. There’s also little structure with the events, and the film almost has these little scenes that are almost independent of the story. There are times when I was wondering why they kept certain moments in the film. Most of them could have been cut and there wouldn’t have been much lost.
Then there are some weird choices that ended up in the final cut that were obviously trying to bring something new to the character, while still keeping to his core. First of all, he’s kind of a stalker. When he finds out that Lois has moved on he out right flies to her house to see what her life is like, and it doesn’t come off as charming. It comes off as really creepy. There’s also the forced interactions and moments of dialogue where they discuss trying to bring back the ideals of Superman in a modern age. And then finally the infamous twist that Lois Lane’s child is also Superman’s kid. It was a stupid reveal then, and it’s still a stupid reveal now. The fact that Superman has a child didn’t add anything to the character or give him more relation, if anything it makes Superman look more like a jerk for not being there for him in the end. And on top of all that, wouldn’t be more tragic if it wasn’t his kid? Wouldn’t the real sadness of the film be that he could never have the life Lois has? It was just something thrown in there to try and build on the legacy of Superman while still understanding his character.
The kid’s acting does not help save the movie.
One of the upsides to this movie is that Singer and his team understood the public perception of Superman. He saves everybody he can, he smiles a lot, and he stands for Truth, Justice, and the American way. Brandon Routh actually plays a great Superman, when he’s in the tights he has a confidence and bravado that resonates with those around him. When he’s Clark Kent he’s a little clumsy, but he’s still genuine and nice. He had the Kal El down (even though he does stalk women and break into the bedrooms of children), and it’s a shame that he was given this script that wasn’t trying to reintroduce audiences to the character. The film was trying to reintroduce the Christopher Reeve Superman movies to audiences.
That’s the biggest problem with the movie, it’s trying way too hard to be something it didn’t need to. Sure the story and script are a wreck, and the special effects were held back by the technical limitations of 2006 (they did NOT hold up), but those could have been fixed/forgiven if it was its own movie. The writers Michael Doughery and Dan Harris clearly understood Superman, and Bryan Singer did the best job he could with the script. But they wanted to continue a story that audiences lost interest in over twenty years before its release. All the actors do a fantastic job, Kevin Spacey is almost eerily identical to Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor, and Kate Bosworth played a fun Lois Lane. And if this were a reboot, or a re-imagining, or just creating a new franchise the movie could have worked.
There are so many fans who complain that Warner Bros. doesn’t get Superman, and that he’s not getting the proper treatment he deserves with the Zack Snyder and the current direction. Well all I have to say to that is simply that they did make the ultimate movie that understood the character. Nobody liked it, and nobody wanted to see anything more with it, so no wonder the studios are constantly trying to reinvent Superman, and going to people like Zack Snyder to see what happens.
It’s certainly not the worst Superman movie. There are elements that are very enjoyable, but in trying to somehow both be a tried and true Christopher Reeve Superman film, and create a new story that can help audiences identify with the Man of Steel it fails miserably. It should have taken a bigger risk by being its own movie, but instead we got a boring, uninteresting film that may be authentic to Superman, but wasn’t interesting for the audience. I would say that you should give it a watch if you’re curious as there are some diamonds in the rough.
Spoiler alert: This is how House of Cards ends.
Next time we take a look at what many people consider as the greatest adaptation of Batman, The Dark Knight. Strap yourselves in, because it’s going to be a long one.
Johnny Depp has been cast to play The Invisible Man for Universal, as they continue to expand their new reboot of their Monster’s Universe.
Deadline had the exclusive earlier this evening. Johnny Depp’s Invisible Man will presumably be the second film in the new reboot series, with The Mummy ramping up production soon and Tom Cruise on board in an unnamed role. I’ll say this for Universal, they’re getting stars.
The original Invisible Man, adapted from the H.G. Wells novel, was released in 1933 and Claude Rains nailed the eccentric maniac behind the bandages. The special effects for the time – or decades after for that matter – were tremendous. It was a tight, well-crafted blend of comedy and madness. I can’t imagine Johnny Depp being able to pull off subtle madness anymore. This whole franchise will most certainly be run into the ground now. Cruise still has the star power to propel a film and, possibly, anchor an entire universe of films. Depp, on the other hand, quit trying a decade ago. And forget the Black Mass defense, because it took about two weeks for the general consensus to sour on that shallow mob flick wannabe.
Where is all the Invisible Man’s jewelry going to go when he’s invisible? His bracelets and his necklaces? Will Depp channel someone like Iggy Pop to play this potential franchise part? Or will he just coast through on autopilot? This is inspired casting on the business side of things, but on the cinematic drawing board this is two things: 1) a step back above everything else, and 2) a clear indication this new Universal Universe is going to be action oriented. I fully understand the need to sell tickets, and Depp does that very thing, but there are so many fresher and more motivated options available.
Just please, for all that that is sacred in this world… Don’t bring Tim Burton on this boat too. Or Verbinski.
