With a slew of comic themed films out this year including Thor, Capitain America, Green Lantern and yet another X-Men movie it has me pondering just how far we've come.
In my day we salivated at the mere thought of seeing one of our beloved comic heroes on the big screen. All too often we were let down by cheezy plotlines and special effects. So imagine my 12 year old imagination gone wild when I feasted on the first Superman film...you know, the ONLY Superman film?!... Dick Donner's "Superman the Movie" with Chris Reeve.
That film so nailed the quintessential comic book hero that it left zero doubt comic movies could be done right. As the trailer teased, I believed a man could fly. Now though, so many let downs later I'm a bit jaded, or at least guarded. I read about script problems with the new Superman movie and groan. Not another 'Sperman Returns'! Not another chipping away at my childhood. You know why fans are so bitter toward George Lucas? It's because he built the most amazing fantasy world in his Star Wars trilogy only to destroy it with a pandering, cardboard lackluster trilogy that was clearly done more for marketing than for love.
This in a nut shell is why many of us are so hard on these comic book movies. The comics represent some of the happiest moments of our childhood, moments that inspired us in epic fashion. Who among us can't remember the pride of owning a classic Spiderman or Hulk comic, toy or even underwear?? I'll never forget the comic where Hulk meets and befriends Rick Jones only to leave him at the end because the militay was after him. I cried after reading that comic book!
These are the classic moments of our life. Its little wonder the anger many of us feel when some Hollywood hack comes in and messes it up. In a very real sense, they're messing with our child-hood. So forgive me for seeming a little like an "Uber-nerd". The truth is I speak for for many nerds and geeks who all have similar feelings.
Now, as it relates: how is the current crop of summer blockbusters shaping up? Below are several trailers for upcoming comic films including a truly ispiring (perhaps the best I've ever seen) clip for the upcoming "Thor". Question: which of these films will be a major hit? Which will be tapping our boyhood dreams and igniting our imaginations...and which will just leave a bad taste in our mouths??? You judge and please comment below:
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