1)
1978 Superman vs.
2013 Man of Steel Re-watched the 1978 Richard Donner classic
Superman. Watching it again underlined why
Man of Steel did not work. The first version embraced the comic book, and concentrated on the humor, making sly fun of the hero and the verse, the second version took both far too seriously. One has a great deal of color infused throughout, while the other appears to be so stripped of color it may as well be in black and white. Also the first is more optimistic and romantic, while the second has a decidedly nihilistic and militaristic vibe. But mainly the visuals in the first, along with the music pull at you. Particularly in the beginning:
This trailer gets it across, with Glenn Ford portraying Jonathan Kent.
Now contrast with
Man of Steel...
One is just more about delight, helping others not just family members...the other has a darker, grayer undertone, a drabness, and focuses more on war and violence. Both casts are excellent, no what is off is the focus and how it is told.
2)
Dark Knight Returns Part I - Animated Version of Frank Miller classic graphic novel.
The other flick I saw today, courtesy of netflix, was
The Dark Knight Returns Part I based on the classic Frank Miller comics of the same name. And it follows it exactly, with Peter Weller voicing Batman. I'd forgotten what a socio-political novel it was. It's more of a graphic novel than a comic, following in the same vein as Alan Moore's
V for Vendetta and
The Killing Joke. This comic takes place in the 21st Century, basically five years prior to now. Bruce Wayne is in his 60s. And the novel is an interesting sociological/political examination of vigilantism and superheroes, in line with Watchmen. Asking harsh questions - like whether taking a hard stance on crime necessarily equals fascism. What the film underlined for me is once again what extremists people are. It's always one extreme or another. There's no in between. Saw it with the two Superman films above, one was really dark and one was light and
frothy campy. Can't we find a middle ground?? Hello?
( review )3. What would be your top Superhero Movies? It's harder than I thought.
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