John Wick Movie Review

Keanu Reeves is fairly synonymous as far as action films go; though he isn’t nearly as prevalent as he was in the nineties, the likes of Speed and The Matrix films built a strong image for the actor. After many years of average to poor offerings, the actor teams up with director/stuntman Chad Stahelski in one of his finest films yet. Taking inspiration from many films such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, John Wick is a strong and well put together addition to the action genre.

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a retired hitman who is living a seemingly secluded life while mourning the loss of his wife (Played in brief moments by Bridget Moynahan). Unfortunately for John, his peace doesn’t last long as he stumbles across a band of youths led by Iosef Tarasov (Played by Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen). After a nasty spat at John’s home, John dives back into the criminal underworld on a vendetta to eliminate the Russian crime lords he once worked with. It’s a premise which has been seen many times before; in fact, at several points it reminded me of the much lauded Max Payne, minus the one-man police investigations (the 2001 game, not the awful 2008 film adaptation!). John Wick puts in the effort to mix things up with a network of acquaintances which John encounters on his crusade. His previous background in the criminal underworld provides far more twists and turns than there usually would be in a film like this, whether its assassins barging in to claim a bounty set by mob boss Viggo or an unexpected ally helping John out of a sticky situation. The film is paced well, giving audiences a good amount of time to learn about Wick and his day-to-day life before diving into the action. Above all else, John Wick’s plot gets all the plot attributes of an action film right and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.

The engaging plot of John Wick is backed up by some good performances from the main actors. In terms of physicality, Keanu Reeves is on his highest form since the Matrix trilogy. It’s also a welcome sight to see the actor take some tentative steps forward when it comes to conveying emotion. It’s a relatively simple bond between Wick and his wife, but you can see the resolution on his face as he hunts down those who wronged him. Above all else Reeves manages to portray John Wick with a sense of light duality; on the one hand, he’s calm and collected and on the other he’s ruthless and efficient. Michael Nyqvist is also solid as main antagonist Viggo Tarasov; you get the sense that Tarasov knows John Wick very well and this builds a dramatic tension between the two characters. Unfortunately the side characters can’t escape the trap of being side-lined as they often do in many modern action flicks; while they do contribute a fair bit to varying up the plot, they are relatively basic and generic. Willem Dafoe goes underused on Wick’s old partner Marcus and Alfie Allen doesn’t really have enough material to make Iosef as developed as his father. While the side characters do disappoint, the main cast ultimately redeems the film, particularly the interactions between Reeves and Nyqvist.

John Wick also carves a fine niche when it comes to choreography and editing; inspired by anime and martial arts films, the film incorporates the gun fu style, blending hand-to-hand combat with fast paced shoot-outs. It’s an incredibly engaging mix with the film quickly alternating between the two to ensure that neither becomes stale. It’s pulled off with some slick editing that keeps the action at a consistent medium frame at all times. Both forms of combat are also very impactful as well with the often bloody violence always putting across the film’s gritty setting and tone. The music is rough and pounding, adding even more flair to the film’s action sequences and the settings themselves look just as you’d expect; grim, underground, dark and seedy. Even with all the gruffness on the surface, John Wick understands that the best action comes through building tension and putting its central protagonist against overwhelming odds; although Wick is a professional, he doesn’t simply blaze through the opposition like many action films nowadays and this keeps the audience invested in his mission.

Move over Taken, there’s a new breed of visceral, moody action in town; John Wick is slick and stylish, setting itself apart from countless other action flicks with its brooding atmosphere, brutal fight scenes and brilliant editing.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Post-Viewing: Could Jurassic World hail a resurgence of dinosaurs in popular entertainment?

Jurassic World marks the prehistoric franchise’s thunderous return to cinema and I’m clearly not the only one who was looking forward to it; despite not being too much of a hit critically, the film has been incredibly successful with audiences everywhere. Clearly the franchise has a place in modern cinema and World is far more popular than I could have imagined.

For the few who have known me from a young age, I used to be a huge fan of dinosaurs as a child; I loved learning their names, I loved looking at all the skeletons and exhibits in the Natural History Museum in London and I enjoyed watching films and documentaries about them such as Walking with Dinosaurs from the BBC. Just why have dinosaurs struck a chord with so many people in this way? They’re simply fascinating, astonishing creatures and the fact that they’ve been lost to the world for millions of years has only fuelled a more intense interest in them. The journey of discovery for dinosaurs and other pre-historic animals has been a constant staple of palaeontology as well, meaning that there’s always a new find lurking just around the bend, which re-sparks interests with every news story published on the subject.

The Jurassic Park film franchise has always played on our fascination with dinosaurs and the premise of them co-existing with us in a modern world. Seeing dinosaurs fully realised on the big screen in the 1993 original was a truly awe-inspiring experiences for audiences the world over. It also made such a huge impact because audiences had never seen anything like it before; before Jurassic Park, dinosaurs on such a massive scale in films were a rarity. Some would argue that film audiences hadn’t been so enthralled by prehistoric creatures in film since 1925’s The Lost World which featured a stop-motion Brontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus (albeit rather inaccurately portrayed based on the findings of the time). Audiences had never seen anything like the dinosaurs featured in Jurassic Park and that’s why it gained such a strong success.

Jurassic World itself is clearly set to be a smashing success over the coming weeks; it’s already beaten multiple records for profit intakes, including June opening weekend and June opening day in the US and Canada. It’s managed to outperform other blockbusters such as The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises in terms in gross profits and has even topped Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 for the strongest worldwide opening weekend with a whopping $511.8 million taken. There’s no denying that dinosaurs are still incredibly popular with audiences and that the franchise is more than capable of making a full comeback.

Already we’re seeing plans for future sequels to Jurassic World with Chris Pratt signed on for an undisclosed number of films. But it doesn’t stop at film; video games are also beginning to bring back the dinosaurs. Titles like ARK: Survival Evolved and Primal Carnage are experimenting more and more with the use of dinosaurs in a multiplayer environment and so far this has shown to have a very dynamic effect on online play. In the years Jurassic Park has been mostly absent from the entertainment world, the likes of zombies, remade slasher villains and ridiculous B-movies have filled in. But now we may be seeing the welcome return of the dinosaur, and audiences should be in for a treat in the years to come.

Jurassic World Movie Review

Original article on CultNoise: http://www.cultnoise.com/jurassic-world-a-fun-filled-dino-romp/

Over twenty years ago, the original Jurassic Park astounded audiences everywhere with its breath-taking dinosaurs. But the sense of wonder the film brought in 1993 couldn’t strike again with its subsequent sequels. The series finally returns with Jurassic World; a film which, for the most part serves as an enjoyable update to a long-dormant blockbuster.

Jurassic World ignores the events of the second and third entries in the series and uses the original 1993 film as its main narrative springboard. Twenty two years after the Isla Nublar incident, the park is finally open with scores of visitors, tourists and celebrities visiting every year. But the dinosaurs seen in past films are no longer enough to keep the money flowing and the officials of the park, led by Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) decide to create a genetic hybrid by splicing several dinosaur DNA strand together. The result is Indominus Rex; a super-intelligent Tyrannosaur more dangerous than all the other animals in the park put together. Following a few character introductions, (Most notably velociraptor expert Owen Grady played by Chris Pratt) the film unfolds from all over the park, swapping perspectives between the characters before it they all eventually come together for the film’s second half. Taking steps into genetic modification was a good move on Jurassic World’s part; taking the time to play about with both biology and palaeontology spices up the familiar formula, allowing the action to have much more impact and unpredictability. With this in mind, the film also veers off of common theories of palaeontology in favour of more action-packed scenarios which are sure to thrill any common film-goer.

We’ve already been wowed by the by the dinosaurs in the original film, so Jurassic World chooses to focus some of its efforts into the park itself; it’s definitely a sight to behold with all sorts of interesting technology drawing the viewer in. Unfortunately the plot of Jurassic World isn’t without its flaws. Modern clichés such as family dilemmas and forced romance sub-plots do creep in, distracting from the main attraction at many points. There’s also a fair degree of senselessness which the original film didn’t suffer from, be it dinosaurs popping out of nowhere or sending an untrained helicopter pilot to hunt down a deadly dinosaur. If Jurassic World maintained a greater plausibility, the plot could have been much more engaging.

The weakest area of Jurassic World though is its characters; a lot of them just aren’t very interesting or developed. The exceptions to this are the lead actors; Chris Pratt once again proves that he’s more than capable of handling roles in blockbuster films. The man is just plain likeable in every role I’ve seen him play so far, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him make his way into other popular film franchises in the future. Bryce Dallas Howard is also quite good as Claire, who delivers equal parts comic relief and desperate urgency throughout the film. Sadly, the same praises cannot be sang for the side characters; Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins try to make the best of the material they’re given, but as child characters they really don’t do anything to distinguish themselves from the others seen in the series. The black sheep of the cast is Vincent D’Onofrio; as a human antagonist, his militaristic motives are painfully forced and it’s a real shame to see the scientific themes from previous films be shoved aside in this fashion. Because of this, Dr Henry Wu (B.D. Wong), the only returning actor from the original film is wasted and really doesn’t have much to do over the course of the film other than spout a bit of scientific talk here and there. It’s a shame that the characters of Jurassic World can’t hold up, given how clever and engaging they were in the 1993 film; instead they fill their respective roles and little more.

With the gradual reduction in the use of practical effects over the years, Jurassic World makes use of full computer generated imagery as opposed to the animatronics used previously. The burning question is of course, how good do the dinosaurs look? Quite good in fact; the creatures are all really detailed and maintain the look they had in the previous films. The skin and scales on the creatures both boast some solid texturing and the way they move and interact is far more varied, thanks to the tricks of modern animation. The signature dinosaur roars are all there and accounted for and they continue to thrill just as much as they did before. The music also makes an impact, rising with the action as the danger heats up in the park, whilst the cinematography always give a full and complete view of the animals on-screen. Jurassic World’s presentation ultimately does exactly what you’d hope for; maintain the style of the previous films whilst updating and modernising it for a modern audience.

Jurassic World is a huge amount of fun and if you liked the first few films like I did then you’ll be happy to see dinosaurs making their long-awaited return to the big screen. With that said, it does come up quite short in areas which the original film did a much better job with; namely character development and thoughtful themes.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Christopher Lee: A Reflection

Christopher Lee; an actor of truly legendary proportions passed away on June 7^th 2015 at 93 years of age. While his acting career was vast, expansive and varied spanning over 200 films, it’s also important not to forget his contributions to other areas, particularly his service in World War Two and his contributions to the metal genre in music. He truly was a person who lived life to the full and I’m looking back on some of his greatest moments in film.

His greatest moments

1. The Hammer horror films (1957-1976)

After beginning his acting career following the end of the Second World War, Lee rose to prominence with his involvement with Hammer Film Productions. Hammer remade numerous horror classics for nineteen years and Christopher Lee was a key anchor-point of their success. Starring alongside the likes of Peter Cushing and Boris Karloff, Lee played both the Frankenstein monster and Count Dracula, bringing a far more visceral and bloody take on the famous monsters which made their debuts in the 1930s. Interestingly, Lee grew less inclined to star in the films as the series went on, stating that the studio often used emotional blackmail to get him to appear in subsequent releases. Controversial casting aside, Lee’s portrayal of Dracula in particular has stood the test of time, arguably becoming almost as iconic as Bela Lugosi’s original performance.

2. The Wicker Man (1973)

Earning him his first Saturn Award nomination for best actor, Christopher Lee’s performance in The Wicker Man helped propel the film to the heights of horror masterpieces. Lee himself considered the film to be his best. His performance as the unassuming, yet calculating Lord Summerisle added a tremendous amount of character to the film while assisting in allowing the film to gain a strong cult following in British cinema.

3. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Lee was initially contacted by Ian Fleming (who was also a step-cousin of the actor) to the antagonist of the original 007 film, Dr No; but after the role went to Joseph Wiseman, Lee had to wait twelve years until he finally got his chance in 1974 with The Man with the Golden Gun. Lee said that he played the character of Francisco Scaramanga like “the dark side of Bond” and it really showed. Some argue that Scaramanaga was the best villain of the Roger Moore Bond films and despite only playing in one film, Lee undoubtedly left his mark on the series.

4. Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

Christopher Lee was so interested in being in Peter Jackson’s fantasy epic that he read the books several times over; he also happened to be the only member of the entire Lord of the Rings cast to meet the original author JRR Tolkien personally. When he was finally cast as the wizard Saruman the White in all three LOTR films (Plus two of the Hobbit movies in 2012 and 2014) the result was something to behold. Lee’s powerful voice and varied facial expressions brought Saruman to life beautifully, portraying the character both as a wise leader and a man consumed by darkness. He was just one of many actors who made Lord of the Rings such a stand-out series; aside from Sauron, Lee really was the most impactful villain in the series in terms of acting prowess.

5. Star Wars (2002-2008)

Inspired by Lee’s appearances in the aforementioned Hammer Dracula series, director George Lucas casted him in his epic science-fiction franchise; cross a vampire with a dark lord of the Sith and what do you get? Count Dooku. Lee did a brilliant job of conveying the sinister side of the prequel villain, but the most surprising thing of all was that he also managed to back it up with a deft contribution to lightsaber combat in the way he did most of the fight scenes himself, despite being seventy-nine years old at the time. Starring in both Star Wars: Episode 2 and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in the same year, Lee didn’t let his age slow him down and delivered two strong performances that captivated millions.

What I’ll remember him for

The most striking thing I saw in Christopher Lee was the imposing characteristics he brought to every villain he played, particularly in modern epics. Saruman the White and Count Dooku were both strong-willed villains who didn’t need to be physically imposing to make their impact. Instead Lee’s powerful voice and collected mannerisms brought a far more sinister presence to the screen; villains who asserted their dominance through authority and manipulation rather than brute force. Truly there will never again be an actor who can portray villains the way Lee did on the silver screen.

Fallout 4 Announcement: Trailer dissection and my thoughts

After a nearly five year wait, Fallout 4 has finally been announced; today on the third of June 2015 Bethesda announced the fourth main entry in the venerable post-apocalyptic series for the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It’s an incredibly anticipated title and one that I’ve wanted to see since I first got into the series in 2014. So in a first for my blog, here is my own reaction to the initial trailer.

0:00 to 0:30

From the offset, we know for a fact that it’s Fallout; the classical track plays and we zoom out from the fifties style television to view a destroyed house. In this case the song is (if my shazam result is correct!) “It’s all over but the crying” by The Ink Spots, a vocal group who were popular in America through the thirties and forties

It’s also clear that the graphics have definitely taken a fair step forward from Fallout 3 and its pseudo-successor New Vegas. We can see the improved lighting radiating in from the window on the right. It is an announcement trailer so we should take this with a grain of salt for now until Bethesda shows off real gameplay.

0:30 to 1:10

As the camera pans around the ruined house, we see a lone dog sniffing about the place; I’d say we’re definitely going to have another companion similar to Fallout 3’s Dogmeat once again. As the dog explores, snippets of life before the bombs fell flash before our eyes, featuring various tenets of the series such as the robot Mr Handy alongside a relaying by what we assume is an American official over the radio. Are we going to see flashback sequences in Fallout 4? It could be an interesting direction for story and narrative purposes.

1:10 to 1:25

The dog runs out the back door and onto the desolate streets as statements from the official grow more serious, warning of the detonation of nuclear bombs. As the dog runs, the trailer cuts between the grimy ruins of the wasteland and the pre-war citizens running for cover on a significantly more colourful suburban street. This forms a fine contrast between the destroyed world and the peaceful society abandoned long ago.

1:25 to 1:30

We reach the top of a hill, the site of a vault guarded by soldiers in the popular power armour and marked with a Vault-Tec billboard. It’s here that Ron Pearlman makes his triumphant return, uttering the famous words from the series: “War never changes”. We can also see both the divide between those who survived the bombs by making it to the shelter of the vaults and those who failed to heed the warnings until it was too late.

1:30 to 1:36

The vault in question is Vault 111 and as the steel door opens we catch a hint or two of first person gameplay of the protagonist, emerging from the vault, shielding his (or her!) eyes from the natural sunlight. From what I’ve seen so far, the game’s graphics seem far brighter and colourful than any other previous Fallout game. It’s difficult to tell whether or not this may impact the immersion of exploring a ravaged game world at the moment.

1:37 to 1:40

The trailer then pans around some of the locations of the game and we see several landmarks including what I assume is the Bunker Hill Monument and later the Paul Revere statue and Massachusetts State House, confirming that the game will be set in Boston on the eastern coast of the United States. In the Fallout series, Boston is known as The Commonwealth and has only been mentioned in Fallout 3 in the quest “The Replicated Man”. It is described as a hub of technology and is also home to The Institute; an organisation home to all manner of advanced technology and artificial intelligences. From this it can be argued that the Brotherhood of Steel (who have a huge interest in technological artefacts) is sure to feature along with the return of androids.

1:40 to 1:50

After a brief view of what looks like an underground settlement we’re taking to the expanses outside the city where we see many different kinds of life-forms, including Deathclaws and feral ghouls, who have all received a fair few visual upgrades. These are accompanied what could be a far more detailed day and night cycle as well as a possible weather system; we can see the sun setting behind the deathclaw, rain pattering down on the underground settlement and stormy clouds building over the city outskirts. We also see what appear to be soldiers bearing a different kind of power armour; could these be Enclave remnants patrolling the wastes?

1:50 to 1:55

We now see other settlements in the Commonwealth including a metallic fortress and a trading hub which I believe is called “Diamond City” with stores for medical supplies (Chem-I-Care), general supplies (Diamond City Surplus) and possibly a store for melee weapons called Swatter. The baseball bat on the left has nails in it; could this hint at the return of weapon customisation, only to a greater extent than we could in New Vegas?

1:55 to 2:05

Next we see a new flying vehicle in the form of an airship flanked by the usual vertibirds seen in the series followed by more sweeping shots of the city. Again we see evidence of a more dynamic weather system with a red sun forming over the horizon before cutting back to vault 111, the first of its kind to have a vertical structure. Could we be seeing more dynamic missions taking place on and around these kinds of vehicles in the final product?

2:05 to 2:25

Following a final flashback to a nuclear explosion we cut back to the dog who is sniffing around a garage with countless items and loot, including a full suit of power armour before coming across the protagonist on the road next to the building. This could mean one of two things; either the player character may have the option to build and maintain safe houses to store items, or it could be a simple hideout that the player character stumbles across while wandering the wastes. Either way, it’s looking very exciting.

2:25 to 2:40

The concluding portion of the trailer sees the protagonist petting the dog and, for the first time in the series, speaking before setting off with the highest buildings of the Commonwealth in the distance. Nothing is set in stone yet but both the Vault-Tec jumpsuit and the pip-boy indicate the protagonist is from Vault 111. The player character having a voice may be controversial with some of the fan-base but personally I wouldn’t mind it, so long as we still have the chance to customise our character’s appearance from the offset.

My thoughts

Even though we’ve only seen the first trailer, my anticipation for Fallout 4 is already flying high. The technologically advanced setting of Boston holds all sorts of potential for new energy weapons, new enemies and possibly new moral dilemmas over the ethics of science and technology. What if we see Doctor Li from Fallout 3 again? Last time she was mentioned in the Broken Steel expansion, it was suggested that she headed north to find The Institute. With the number of years between Fallout 3 in 2008 and Bethesda’s development of Skyrim in 2011, there are all kinds of ideas to throw around and lessons learned to make their next game the best it can be. All eyes are now pointing to Bethesda’s first E3 conference in a couple of weeks, where they may reveal the first snippets of gameplay.

At the same time though, Bethesda also has some large expectations to meet. With the recent release of the Witcher 3 and its ambition in upping world size whilst reducing loading screens, Bethesda also has to keep up with the technicals; it may also be high time for the developer to iron out the bugs which have held their releases back a bit when placed against their competitors. If Bethesda can match this level of quality then I have no doubt that Fallout 4 will be a winner and another brilliant entry in the series.

All images taken from Fallout 4 - Official Trailer courtesy of Bethesda Game Studios. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE2BkLqMef4

(Images used in fair dealing for purpose of review)

Mad Max Fury Road Movie Review

Original article on CultNoise: http://www.cultnoise.com/film-review-mad-max-fury-road/

Serving as a huge inspiration for countless post-apocalyptic tales, the Mad Max series was the original progenitor of the merciless wasteland setting in the eighties. Since then it seemed that Mel Gibson, Warner Bros and director George Miller had left the series for good. After three decades of absence, Mad Max makes his thunderous return to the silver screen and the result is one incredibly enjoyable action flick.

Mad Max Fury Road pursues a simplistic yet engaging plotline, which feels very distant from the previous films in the series; the world is little more than an endless wasteland with numerous bandit clans warring over the precious oil and water needed to sustain life. While being held captive by the War Boys, Max (Tom Hardy) seizes his chance to escape when War Rig driver Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) defies the clan’s leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) to get a group of wives (who were specifically selected by Joe for breeding) to safety and possibly find a new home. From here, the tight-lipped Max forms a shaky alliance with Furiosa and it’s full speed ahead across the wastes with Joe and other factions in hot pursuit. If you were expecting some action that the series is known for then Fury Road delivers in spades and then some; the film barrels along at top speed, only pausing to deliver a few moments of drama as the characters attempt to find a new home. It’s complete madness, yet ironically this kind of plot is a perfect fit for both the ravaged setting and the characters that inhabit it. Despite not learning too much about how the wasteland came to be, it is still bursting with character and the psychotic clans go a long way towards selling the film’s patented style which has been missing from the silver screen for so long.

The characters of Mad Max Fury may feel a little lacking at first; they’re certainly far less outspoken than your usual action heroes. But then you realise that the casting forms a tight parallel with the overall setting. If you’re new to the series, you may be surprised that both Max and Furiosa are fairly quiet and sane when compared to the raving lunatics that populate the gangs of the wastes. When Theron and Hardy do have lines, they are delivered with the gruffness and seriousness you would expect from characters forced to survive in a world like this. Theron in particular makes her presence felt as a strong willed and determined heroine who often steals the spotlight from Max over the course of the film. The quiet protagonists contrast against the War Boys who are characterised by rambling jargon mixed with peculiar religious undertones that give hints and clues about the nature of their clan. Often times there’s a wild range of facial expressions on the actor’s faces that definitely put across far more than any dialogue can. Ultimately, Fury Road proves that a lot can be done without dialogue, which is certainly a welcome change from other films in the same genre.

With a thirty-year gap between it and its predecessors; Mad Max Fury Road seizes every possible opportunity to push the boundaries of the series and the visual result is something to behold. The film is absolutely stunning, both from a technical and artistic standpoint. Imaginative car and costume designs put across the sheer chaos of the post-apocalyptic desert and both of these elements interact beautifully with the computer generated sandstorms. Then we have the chase sequences which all utilise practical effects, real stunt-work and pyrotechnics, meaning that the film never loses its punch no matter how many cars get tossed and mangled on-screen. Fury Road truly does honour its pedigree; you simply won’t be able to take your eyes off the screen throughout the entirety of its run-time because the film succeeds very well at making its action impactful at every turn. Pulse-pounding sound effects and a rocking soundtrack also heighten the tension, whilst the cinematography is quick, clear and fluid despite the pure insanity of the action on-screen. Dare I say it, Mad Max Fury Road could be the most technically advanced movie ever to be based in an apocalyptic setting. You get the sense that the filmmakers didn’t just want to bring Max back, but also wanted to set him apart from all other action sequences on the big screen.

The post-apocalyptic setting is ripe for all kinds of stories and Mad Max Fury Road is the tip of the spear by a substantial margin. It revitalises and updates the series whilst not forgetting what made the previous three films such stand-outs. Strap yourselves in and get ready for one of the year’s best action films, Fury Road is the most explosive and rip-roaring good time you will have at the cinema this summer.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Post-Viewing: The bitter silver screen rivalry of DC and Marvel

Having been out for a few weeks now; Avengers: Age of Ultron is well on its way to being one of the most successful films of 2015; it’s also one of the best films of the year so far, pushing the envelope of its pedigree in every way that matters. But any successful film brings a greater drive of competition and a greater need to obtain a slice of the profits and that’s where DC comes in. Indeed the contest between the biggest superhero movie companies has reached boiling point in recent years; the fans argue back and forth and the film studios themselves make numerous business decisions that are influenced by the other. DC has taken the bigger brunt of these business decisions and as such, has never really been able to fully keep up with Marvel. Why is this? The answer lies from 2012 onwards.

When the original Avengers came out three years, everyone went to see it; the hype built up between 2008 and 2012 was so strong that the film became the highest grossing film of the year, beating out other popular contenders such as Skyfall and The Dark Knight Rises. I can only imagine what went on in the DC boardroom at that time; as soon as they saw how much money The Avengers had made, they made the hasty decision to immediately dive into making their own equivalent to keep up with their biggest competitor.

I don’t mean to bash DC; their films still rake in plenty of money and do achieve a strong following with fans but The Avengers has undoubtedly impacted the way they approach their films and characters, and not in a positive way. There’s no denying that in terms of profits and overall quality, they’ve been lagging behind Marvel since The Dark Knight Rises came out and have been desperate in their efforts. Case and point: Man of Steel. As I mentioned in my review last year, the dark and moody style just didn’t do it for me; with Batman this kind of tone really worked as the hero himself was grounded in reality but for Superman it fell really flat. The issue that arises for me is that because The Dark Knight trilogy was so successful, DC has a misguided mind-set that this dark and brooding contemporary style is the be-all, end-all template for all of their films to come and this only works for a few of their characters.

DC’s way of doing things has been impacted in a number of ways by Marvel’s success. Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice is a prime example; what was originally a sequel to Man of Steel is now serving to accelerate to the upcoming Justice League film; rather than giving both Superman and Batman time to develop into their respective roles, it feels like the film is blazing past character development to get to the far more profitable Justice League film. Add to that the shoe-horning of other characters such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Cyborg and you have a film which could end being a cluttered mess when it finally comes out next year. Marvel’s Iron Man 2 was guilty of this as well; the basic way they handled Nick Fury, Black Widow and SHIELD did end up getting in the way of the film’s pacing. There’s also the fact that Batman vs Superman was pushed back to 2016, which is clearly a response to Avengers: Age of Ultron to maximise potential profits. Compared to Marvel, DC’s practice in building up to a Justice League film feels incredibly muted; rather than allowing each character to be introduced and developed at a steady pace, the film is instead saving most of its character based films until after the first Justice League film.

Of course, all of this speculation may be completely scrubbed when Batman vs Superman arrives next year and the rivalry between DC and Marvel is bound to continue. The ultimate reason as to why DC just isn’t as popular in film these days is because of some questionable decisions in their filmmaking. If they weren’t so dead-set on beating Marvel to the box office, then they would be able to put a lot more consideration into the way they approach their respective superheroes.

Images sourced from Flickr via creative commons license.