Wonder Woman: A Movie Done Right

There's a lot of talk about DC Comics/Warner Brothers launching a Justice League movie, now that Marvel has proven that a superhero movie can be done, and can be VERY successful.  It seems as if the WB and DC are panicking, scrambling to get their ducks in a row to "catch up" to Marvel's success. It's probably not a good idea to rush something that Marvel spent more than a decade developing. But maybe DC and WB will prove me wrong.

The Nolan Batman trilogy has come to a close, and now Zack Snyder's Man of Steel comes to theaters in 2013. Man of Steel could be a huge blockbuster, a luckwarm entry, or a major flop - we just don't know yet. All indicators point to this film being epic - as it looks to have avoided making the mistakes of its predecessor: Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. There were high hopes for Green Lantern too, but that didn't go so well...

Man of Steel is being marked as the beginning of DC's Cinematic Universe, with rumors abound of Wonder Woman making a cameo. With Batman taking a break until the actual Justice League film debuts, the question has been asked: which superheroes are going to appear in this JL movie, and of them, which will get their own movies?

Out of the 6-7 heroes that should star, Wonder Woman should definitely get her solo film, and it should play a key roll into leading into the team-up movie. The Princess of Themyscira is part of the DC Trinity: Superman (deemed the first superhero), Batman (the second superhero, and the first superhero without superpowers) and Wonder Woman (the first female superhero). Superman and Batman are secured with films. Now it's Diana Prince's turn. There's been debate though as to whether she should get her own movie - does she have what it takes to pull it off? I say yes.

WW is a hard character to pull off for DC/WB for 2 reasons:

1. 1. She's female, and for some reason, the right forces are not in play to pull her off. With movie series like Aliens, Resident Evil, Underworld, Kill Bill and to a lesser degree Tomb Raider, there is absolutely no excuse as to why/how WW couldn't be done well. 
2. She's based in Greek Mythology. This is where WW can be a hard sell for many movie goers. It's very difficult to combine sci-fi and fantasy. If little effort is done, the project comes off like oil floating in water. But it CAN be done, it HAS to be done if you're going to put WW with more reality-based, sci-fi heroes like Batman and Superman respectively.

I say take the best elements of WW from over the years (there's no need to reinvent the wheel - there's plenty of material to build a live action WW movie with).

Wonder Woman vs. Ares

1. Take the best elements of the Lynda Carter series (no camp). Have Diana Prince working for the IADC in Washington DC with Steve Trevor. Putting her in the roll of secret agent would add an angle to her character that is befitting of a strong female role, and put her in a logical position to deal with some of the conflict that arises. This is likely the more mainstream way WW is perceived, and the best way to present her to general audiences.  
2. The Wonder Spin, and the various WW suits, weapons, vehicles and gadgets add another level of uniqueness to the character - she's got powers like Superman, and is resourceful like Batman.
3. Don't get caught up in the fact that WW is female. Sigourney Weaver's Ripley character could have been male if you just read the script - just write the part, and let the actress to bring life to it.
4. Take the Thor approach to the gods by making them alien beings, or humans that were affected by alien technology - this is where you can tie in Darkseid and his planet full of minions, and set him up for the main JL villain. 
5. Work up WW's Rogue's Gallery - Ares is probably the best one to start with, perhaps team him up with lesser villains as minions.

Wonder Woman should come before the JL movie, as opposed to being introduced in it. Despite past female action movies going wrong - Supergirl, Electra, Catwoman - that doesn't mean a female action movie cannot be done. WW SHOULD be the beginning of female action movies done right.

Lackluster Summer Blockbuster Numbers

Why is the 2011 Summer Blockbuster season seeming so lackluster in ticket sales thus far? Typically, we look to the action/fantasy/sci-fi/super hero films to show us what big numbers a movie can really make - romances, dramas and comedies don't usually reach the stratospheric numbers of the tailored "Summer Blockbuster" movies. Many critics are looking at the 2011 movies and asking why the box office figures aren't where they "should" be. Is it because the movies suck, or that they're marketing campaigns didn't reach audiences? Is it because the films were too ambiguous, or that there's too many of the same type of film - 3 super hero movies so far with 3 more to go (Captain America, Conan, Cowboys & Aliens). Or is it something else that people just don't want to talk about - the economy?

I’ve seen all three comic book movies of the summer thus far: Thor, X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern. Out of all of them, I felt that X-Men: First Class was the most grounded and well paced. The super sci-fi/fantasy elements of both Green Lantern and Thor are strong departures from what we know – Batman, Spiderman and Iron Man were all earth-based with human villains. Even the early Christopher Reeve Superman movies, which still present a standard today, rooted the titular hero in a very earth-based movie series with mostly human villains. The otherworldly element of massive alien clouds of fear coming to suck your souls out may be a bit of a stretch, as well as the almost ambiguous invasion of Asgardians and Frost Giants. I am biased to this material due to my familiarity with the genre. But for fresh audiences, it’s likely that Green Lantern and Thor gave the audience too much to digest too soon and too quickly.

BUT, despite my bias, it is obvious that the studios have learned from their mistakes - the relatively low quality of a Daredevil or a Catwoman or Elektra is not present here. These new comic book films are far more enjoyable and palatable than these 3 previous entries. Unfortunately, it's possible that with the run-away success of the new Batman films, as well as Spider-Man and the sneak hit Iron Man, the numbers may be skewed. Not EVERY comic book movie is going to make a billion dollars, so perhaps that expectation bar is being held too high.

I think that the studios need to take into consideration that with ticket prices continually going up, they are likely to see some drop off in movie goers. I think economic issues are definitely a primary decision maker as to whether or not people will go to the movies, which can be a relatively expensive venture, or wait until the film is available on DVD, or various online purchase options. This is likely to be where the true success of these films needs to be measured.

Perhaps we'll need to wait and see what Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2 do in numbers before we know for sure if ticket sales are indeed plummeting.

Entertainment: Green Lantern is Green Lit!

According to Comicbookmovie.com, Green Lantern will start filming in two months! I typically don't pay attention to all the hoopla that surrounds non existent comic book movies - a lot of time, it's just healthy rumor mill, or nothing truly etched in stone.

But an interview with Martin Campbell, director of the recent Zorro movies, and the two Daniel Craig James Bond reboot films, proves that this movie is on track - with Ryan Reynolds set to portray the Green Lantern...YES!

The approach of focusing Green Lantern on the character's intergalactic cop rendition is a smart move - setting it apart from previous comic book movies. This also opens up a whole galaxy to explore for a movie franchise.

I'm excited.