My feeling here is that Warner Bros took a chance on Snyder because they had to, and yes it was a misstep, but that actually the DC movies of this era are not a complete disaster. I greatly dislike 'grey Krypton', but Wonder Woman was a solid romp, and succeeded in something Marvel/Disney had not managed: to get a female-led superhero film succeed at the box office.
I'm also not sure we should hold up the MCU as a huge creative success either, although obviously it was a huge commercial success... It reminds me of how pre-Disney Marvel poisoned superhero comics in the 1990s by overplaying the 'first issues' and crossovers playbook. Many comic fans (myself included) gave up comics after this. We were too blatantly being manipulated. Similarly, after Endgame, a lot of folks (myself included) decided to pack it in for the MCU. But I guess this business model allows for 'churn'...
We seem to have reached a point in which intellectual property has become a millstone for creativity. I am curious what can get us beyond this.
Yeah I too enjoy Wonder Woman and Aquaman - and several of the other DC films are OK - but it's the BO and overall fan reaction I'm highlighting of course. It's a gargantuan job that Snyder had and many would have done worse.
Yup, while Marvel's sugary, often chuckled filled rides worked, but that can get stale after awhile as well. James Gunn usually serves up what a fan base loves, critics and vital BO, so I'm optimistic. He'll prob go down the middle to straddle both narrative tones.
Personally, I'm just relieved that Gunn has the confidence to not bother with an origin story. What made Superman Returns so painful for me was that it felt it necessary to pay extended homage to the 1978 Superman (which I'm actually rewatching right now). I can rewatch that movie to enjoy it! I didn't need a film bending over backwards to pay tribute to it.
Exactly. That was the very worst thing about it. I was shocked how much Singer tried to clone Donner's film. A tip of the hat is one thing, an outright copy is grating.
Do you think we suffer more from these issues as writers as well as nerds, rather than just nerds? I mean: does the fact that we write as well as watch/read put us in a worse place than, say, comic fans who only read...?
I have become acutely aware of some of the things that bug me as a writer that probably wouldn't bother me if I had never written fiction in any form! 😢
Hi Will,
My feeling here is that Warner Bros took a chance on Snyder because they had to, and yes it was a misstep, but that actually the DC movies of this era are not a complete disaster. I greatly dislike 'grey Krypton', but Wonder Woman was a solid romp, and succeeded in something Marvel/Disney had not managed: to get a female-led superhero film succeed at the box office.
I'm also not sure we should hold up the MCU as a huge creative success either, although obviously it was a huge commercial success... It reminds me of how pre-Disney Marvel poisoned superhero comics in the 1990s by overplaying the 'first issues' and crossovers playbook. Many comic fans (myself included) gave up comics after this. We were too blatantly being manipulated. Similarly, after Endgame, a lot of folks (myself included) decided to pack it in for the MCU. But I guess this business model allows for 'churn'...
We seem to have reached a point in which intellectual property has become a millstone for creativity. I am curious what can get us beyond this.
Stay wonderful!
Chris.
Yeah I too enjoy Wonder Woman and Aquaman - and several of the other DC films are OK - but it's the BO and overall fan reaction I'm highlighting of course. It's a gargantuan job that Snyder had and many would have done worse.
I'm no fan of Snyder's films, personally, but if the goal was a wide audience, 'going dark' was always going to be a problem.
Yup, while Marvel's sugary, often chuckled filled rides worked, but that can get stale after awhile as well. James Gunn usually serves up what a fan base loves, critics and vital BO, so I'm optimistic. He'll prob go down the middle to straddle both narrative tones.
Personally, I'm just relieved that Gunn has the confidence to not bother with an origin story. What made Superman Returns so painful for me was that it felt it necessary to pay extended homage to the 1978 Superman (which I'm actually rewatching right now). I can rewatch that movie to enjoy it! I didn't need a film bending over backwards to pay tribute to it.
Exactly. That was the very worst thing about it. I was shocked how much Singer tried to clone Donner's film. A tip of the hat is one thing, an outright copy is grating.
Do you think we suffer more from these issues as writers as well as nerds, rather than just nerds? I mean: does the fact that we write as well as watch/read put us in a worse place than, say, comic fans who only read...?
I have become acutely aware of some of the things that bug me as a writer that probably wouldn't bother me if I had never written fiction in any form! 😢