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A post that isn’t a review? Yep, time for a good old fashioned opinion piece, allow me to go all White Goodman on you fine readers and hit you with some knowledge.
OK that sounded stupid. (just a little 😛 ~Lone)
A thought struck me recently: Why do we get so up in arms about sequels? In fact not just sequels; remakes, reboots and franchising in general.
Immediate Answer: Well we as fans of entertainment, don’t like to think of our favourite films/characters/heroes/intellectual properties being used solely for profit. We want new and original content and not just the same things rehashed and reused every so often.
OK, that’s fair enough. New ideas should be sought after and praised, of course they should. Humanity probably wouldn’t have gotten very far if we didn’t take advantage of new and exciting ideas (Christ knows where we’d be if the wheel hadn’t caught on), and don’t get me wrong, I am all for new ideas in films and entertainment but if I like that new idea why is it so bad that I want more? I’m always the first to ask for seconds and thirds at the dinner table when pasta is being served.
This train of thought really struck me when I saw a news article about Disney and how they’re going to extend the life of the Frozen Brand (Yes I know it’s a giant film and you probably can’t escape it, yes I know Let It Go is everyone’s favourite song right now, yes I can understand how so many people find the film overrated, just hear me out). The comments on the link to the article were what you’d expect,
“They’re just trying to make as much money as possible”
“Why can’t they come up with anything original?”
“Frozen was overrated anyway”
“Hey everyone, lets all just Let It Go”
Yet all I could find myself thinking was, “You’re all surprised? This is Disney we’re talking about”
This is the company that bought Marvel because they were raking in so much dough with all of their really, really good adaptations of their superheroes and we’re all surprised that they want to make more money of their most successful animated film ever? But I’m not here to talk about Frozen, not when I already did for my dissertation, (it made me enjoy the film even more).
Look I believe you can make a good film out of anything, if that means I get to return to Arendelle or fight some more Xenos then sweet, bring it on says I. BUT, having said that, I can completely understand why sequels/remakes etc etc are frowned upon. We all know why, say it with me everyone, “They’re never as good as the original”
Now that phrase is as subjective as it gets, how could it not be? But as for sequels never being as good as the originals? What about Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Die Hard with A Vengeance, Hot Shots Part Deux, Blade 2, Empire Strikes Back, Shrek 2, Desperado, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Revenge of the Sith (Don’t give me that look), Spider-man 2, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn, Superman II, Back to the Future Part II, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior or X-Men 2. We can probably agree that each of those are superior to their predecessors or at least on par with them.
But of course those are only a few, and a debatable few at that. But still proof that it can be done, it just majorly sucks that not many people took notice of how a good sequel is made, and more of how much money they brought in. Foul play indeed I think we can all agree. But saying that, we still shouldn’t be surprised (trust me I’m especially not trying to put myself on a pedestal here, I am as guilty of bitching about sequels and money grubbing studios as the next person), last time I checked the whole point of Hollywood was to make money wasn’t it? That’s why Film Studios have marketing divisions and accountants isn’t it?
In fact going back to Disney, people are annoyed that they’re going to be franchising Frozen right? Well why are we angry at that and not the Marvel Franchise? That’s one of the biggest franchises out there at the moment yet when Captain America 3 or Guardians of the Galaxy 2 gets announces nobody says a thing. Well that’s because the Marvel Franchise is praised as unanimously good of course. But so is Frozen, at the very least people thought it was good when they saw it, that’s half the reason it was so well received (aside from all the money it made of course).
In fact if you are so sick of a certain franchise, why not just stop giving it your attention? Turn the radio station over next time you hear Let It Go or turn it off altogether, this is sadly more difficult for parents since their kids are the target audience, sorry parents everywhere.
So when a large studio decides to make money off something popular we collectively smack our foreheads and bemoan it. Yet when they’re in the midst of franchising the shit out of something else that’s very popular…we all clam up? I guess I’m just yelling at a larger beast here, after all I’m just one person with a keyboard, hardly going to make a difference right?
I wish we would stop committing the above offence. Sequels and franchising are not inherently bad, it’s their execution that can be viewed as bad. But hey, this is all amazingly subjective and I’m sure a lot of people disagree with me on this. Do you disagree? If so I’d love to hear how. (Politely, mind you this isn’t YouTube.)
The best summation I can give is this, if you don’t like the look of something, be it a sequel, remake or whatever, just don’t give it your time of day, you’ve undoubtedly got better things to be doing.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Director: Ralph Hemecker
Starring: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, Jesse L. Martin, Rick Cosnett, Robbie Amell, Victor Garber
Major Spoilers Ahead
The Flash: Season 2, Episode 1 – “The Man Who Saved Central City”
It’s back. Finally. You know that phrase “waiting with bated breath”? Well I have been waiting with bated EVERYTHING!! I love this show, I really do. Ever since minute one I’ve found it to be so much more enjoyable then Arrow, which of course deserves major kudos for starting this DCTU (That’s the DC Televised Universe, trademarked I’ll have you know, maybe). But Season 2 has finally started and Episode 1 is off to a…well not stellar start exactly but about the same level that Season 1 started off with.
So after the Cliffhanger ending of Season 1 where Central City was being ripped apart by a black hole, we learn that Barry Allen aka The Flash has, for the last few months, been defending Central City all on his lonesome for fear of his friends getting hurt. The reason you ask? It turns out that Firestorm (a superhero formed from the merged personas and bodies of supporting characters Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein, don’t ask because science) flew up into the vortex and separated their bodies in order for the resulting bullshit techobabble to destabilise the wormhole and close it permanently. Thus Barry, who has been receiving a huge amount of media attention due to the endeavour has secluded himself from his friends and family because this is what every superhero does when their close friends step on anything bigger then a drawing pin.
Let’s all be honest here, does anyone actually enjoy this trope in superhero fiction anymore? Did we ever? To my knowledge Spiderman tries to pull this shit on a regular basis and look where that’s got him, retcons up the wazoo, tons of dead family and friends and an instance where he made a deal with Satan. Yes that actually happened! Now the Blue Beetle, there was someone who could protect his loved ones. Speaking of which when are we getting Ted Kord in the DCTU?….ANSWER ME DAMMIT!!!
But back on the topic, Barry throughout pretty much all of this episode is being your a-typical grump who keeps rejecting his friends offer for help even though its left him completely alone in Star Labs and most likely unable to operate any of its equipment which has usually been instrumental in defeating….every bad guy if I remember correctly. Even when it hasn’t been some do-hickey of the day it was probably some science babble given to him via radio from Cisco or Caitlyn, at the end of the day what we’re left with is that Barry clearly needs his teams support. The problem is that in order to convey that sentiment, the script states it through the filter of the aforementioned really tired superhero trope of “I must protect my loved ones by not letting them help me”. If they really wanted to put a new spin on this trope, throughout the episode we should have seen Barry gradually make the decision by himself to go solo and then right before the finale his friends grab him by the shoulders and convince him to go the other way, it would have been a very gradual progression that felt natural…and then would have subverted the trope entirely by having Barry see things from their point of view.
Having said that however, the rest of this episode is SOLID. The best kind of enjoyable in my opinion. You can really tell the effort that went into it from an acting standpoint. Despite the tired old trope that was utilised all throughout the episode (other tired tropes include starting with a dream sequence that includes everyone whose “died”, because lets face they ARE coming back) everyone was on top form for the start of Season 2. ESPECIALLY John Wesley Shipp, Jesse L. Martin and Danielle Panabaker. We also get some great cameos from Rick Cosnett, Tom Cavanagh and Robbie Amell, tons of great chemistry between Carlos Valdes and Victor Garber, who is fast becoming one of my favourite characters and to everyone’s surprise I’m sure, a really great turn by Adam Copeland as Atom Smasher who brings a tremendous physical talent to the role as well as being intimidating and able to make the word “Zoom” sound really foreboding. I really hope we see him in other things or just straight bring him back as Atom Smasher, he’d be a great recurring villain.
We also get some lovely starting points for the Season Requisite story threads that will develop over the coming few episodes. Zoom is name dropped, a very prominent Flash villain in the comics, we also see that the Particle Accelerator may not be the sole reason for all the meta-human activity, Atom Smasher reveals that it was Zoom who turned him into a meta-human. How you ask? Well you’ll have to keep watching won’t you. BUT the best reveal comes in the form of JAY FUCKING GARRICK!!! The Flash of Earth 2 made his debut in this episode and as cool as that is…it was actually really underwhelming. Ok that’s actually mean, I’m really freaking happy that this show is introducing the alternate universe angle this Season because that’s always been one of the most enjoyable facets of Superhero Fiction, what rustled my jimmies about his introduction was that it’s just him walking onto the scene and stating who he is. I was really hoping he would have blitzed onto the show in a spinning cylinder of lightning and speed, in fact the show really looked like it was going that way.
The final scene is after Atom Smasher gets defeated and the band is back together all congratulating Barry on getting over himself and welcoming his friends back into the fold, as well as getting his Dad out of prison. But the point is that Cisco and Caitlin start stating that Star Labs now includes upgraded security systems that should keep anyone out who shouldn’t be there, that’s when the lights should have started flickering and we hear this really ominous noise, a noise that almost sounds like Barry when he’s running, that’s when a swirling pillar of lightning appears in the room that seems to be draining Star labs of its power, we all stare in confusion until BOOM a man clad in red leather, a tin hat with wings and boots is standing there, he looks up at the cast and announces,
“My name is Jay Garrick and your world is in danger”
God…DAMN that would’ve been awesome. But alas we can’t have everything, if that were possible I’d be living on the moon in a bunker made of solid platinum being served an endless supply of milkshake by my staff of monkey butlers. Was there a point to that? Maybe, I don’t know, it’s very late. But the point I’m making is that even though it wasn’t as great an entrance as I wanted, it’s still great to have Jay introduced here. I seriously can’t wait for more Speedsters to start being introduced (Bring on Jesse Quick!) I’d also be stupid to not mention that we get two genuinely touching scenes in this episode, both towards the end that left me with a very big smile on my face, I won’t spoil those ones for you though, but trust me when I say that both are very well written and bring a good balance of light-hardheartedness and relief to that particular plot thread.
So in summation, whilst this episode gets dragged down by a tired and very overly played out trope, what really holds it together is the performance by the cast, a great villain to start off with and some killer reveals for the series to move forward to.
In 2017, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are getting another shot at big screen stardom courtesy of director Dean Israelite and screenwriters Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama. While the movie is a complete reboot of the original Power Ranger series, it may also offer something that the TV show couldn’t: character development.
The character descriptions from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie have reportedly been leaked. And while these are definitely the five original Power Rangers, they have more personality in these descriptions than they ever had before:
Jason – 17 years old, the makings of someone or something great if he would just get out of his own way. Jason was a legend of this town—a freshman quarterback with the skills to take him all the way. People knew his name. Children wore his jersey. Until, one night Jason wrapped his car around a pole and busted out his knee. Everything Jason was going to become ended in an instant. And with it, he lost himself. When we meet him at the start of the film, he’s a kid in need of redemption. By the end, he’ll be leading this disparate group of teens to shed their individual baggage and find who they truly are.
Kimberly – 17 years old, unconventionally cool all in a way the popular girls wish they were. In fact, she was one of those girls, but isn’t anymore. Not since she’s returned to school after an absence of 6 months. Rumors are flying as to why; rumors she seems not to care about, because she’s come back with this new rebel-without-a-cause, edgy attitude. But the truth is, it’s all masking a deep secret that makes her feel profoundly vulnerable.
Trini – 17 years old, mysterious and extremely bright. Her parents constantly move for work, making Trini the perpetual new girl to any school. A loner who owns it, Trini is self-sufficient, contemplative, but always observant. All she wants is to find her gang of friends, but she’ll never admit it – least of all to herself.
Billy – 17 years old, slight and awkward. Billy is challenged in his abilities to communicate and interact socially. Whip-smart and sweet, but always odd. Sometimes in a fun way, sometimes not, Billy is a kid with no filter. Showing his emotions, understanding sarcasm, and dealing with his OCD is a constant challenge. Has never really had any friends and instantly gravitates towards Jason.
Zack – 17 years old, always the life of the party. Filled with bravado and swagger, Zack’s tough and cool on the exterior. A charming guy who’s never had trouble with the one-liner, nor lacked confidence around women. A great athlete that’s never wanted to play on any team but his own. Zack advertises everything about himself, except the truth, which is that he lives in a trailer park with his single mom, and because of it, feels deeply inferior to all his peers.
—
Tommy (a.k.a. the Green Ranger and the White Ranger) is noticeably absent from the character list. But if the filmmakers can pull this off, then the five teenagers at the heart of the movie could actually have some depth in this incarnation. That would be a very welcome change.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers will dropkick into theaters on January 13, 2017.
Old school Power Rangers fans, how do you feel about the changes to the Rangers’ personalities? Summon your Zords and share your opinions in the comment section below!
Since Iron Man blew up cinemas back in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and DC TV for that matter) has undergone a transformation for the better when it comes to movies and TV shows about iconic comic characters
Daredevil is a new twist on these shows, dark and gritty is somewhat of an understatement when I think about how to describe Daredevil and Netflix was the BEST way for this addition to the MCU to be adapted. This season takes place after the events of the first avengers film, as does Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Unlike S.H.I.E.L.D. though, with its worldwide coverage of the aftermath of the battle of New York and the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Daredevil centers around Hell’s Kitchen, a part of New York. Wilson Fisk (A.K.A. The Kingpin), played spectacularly by Vincent D’Onofrio, and his criminal empire want to demolish most of Hell’s Kitchen and rebuild, of course, this also comes with all the other seedy activity like racketeering and drugs.
Fighting not only as Daredevil, but also in the courts, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) save Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) from a murder charge she was framed for, then, with her help, and Murdock beating thugs as Daredevil, uncover Fisk’s operation.
This season is all about Murdock evolving from the warrior Stick (Scott Glenn) started training him to become after Murdocks father was killed, into Daredevil that we’ll see in the upcoming The Defenders series which will involve Iron Fist, Luke Cage, etc…
So, my thoughts…
I loved this 13 part series, I binge watched it over the weekend as all 13 episodes were released together in one go, and frankly, I liked it. Although, I do like a weekly release schedule, I like a cliffhanger from time to time. But, I see a change coming with this show and other Netflix are helping put together and that is a change to how we watch TV now, with Netflix and Amazon Prime, traditional TV channels are missing out as people can do what I did with this show and binge watch shows they’ve either missed or just want to watch again.
The biggest surprise is Disney in this. Marvel have changed Disney, something I was worried about when Disney bought the Star Wars franchise aswell, but Daredevil is gritty, it’s more what I expect from DC with Arrow or Batman. The Daredevil comics have always had a dark tone, especially with assassins and the devil involved, and regular teams ups/fights with Marvel regulars like The Punisher, Elektra, Ghost Rider and Blade, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still grounded more in our reality than the comics more outlandish themes (although, that may be changing after Guardians of the Galaxy and the existence of the Inhumans and mutants in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Well, I loved this show, it had me totally hooked from start to finish. I loved the writing of the characters involved, I was incredibly shocked by what happened to some characters that I’ve known in the comics for decades now and I even liked the suit in action in the last episode (it looks SO MUCH better on screen than it did in the stock photos Marvel released)
The fight scenes are gorgeous, from early ones where Murdock takes on a dozen Russian thugs and all of them are clearly tired (beautifully played by Charlie Cox), to the final showdown of the series
One caveat to all this, if you’re not a fan, you won’t like it, simple as that, but if you’ve loved the Marvel movies and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., then you’ll love this too
~9 out of 10 from me, but it would be difficult to have made it better than it was
Ryan Reynolds revealed the first official promo shot for Deadpool and it is — appropriately — a shot of the merc taking some time to get caught up on current affairs while attending to bodily functions. Well… His current affairs anyway. He’s reading the latest Deadpool comic, #250, which is reported to feature the character’s death.
