Quote from: The Joker on Tue, 25 Jul 2023, 15:45Apparently, Blumhouse is going ahead with a sequel to Believer. They've announced that franchise-fixer Mike Flanagan has a take on this material that will hopefully revitalize the franchise in ways that Believer wasn't able to do.
Quote from: Slash Man on Wed, 26 Apr 2023, 02:21I just read that comic not too long ago, I guess it didn't strike me as much. Would it have been too much for Batman to act on any of these threats? Absolutely. But they're just that - threats. It's not out of the ordinary for Batman to threaten awful things, mostly inflicting pain on a cornered victim for information. But it's only when something's seriously wrong that he actually follows through, the story does not frame this as virtuous.Most incarnations of Batman have boundaries, and after a while operating on the streets people begin to know it. Maroni says as much when he compares him to the Joker in TDK. There has to be an element of doubt present in the criminal's mind for them to second guess themselves. Maybe Batman will kill me? Maybe Batman will go that far this time? Batman talking like this helps keep people on edge. That's an important component of being a human crimefighter. At the end of the day, the decision is in the suspect's court. If they don't want to cooperate they've been told what will happen. Batman isn't threatening someone he knows to be innocent.
Quote from: thecolorsblend on Mon, 27 May 2024, 04:06Actually seeing the movie was fine on its own merits. I enjoyed the production design and gothy Winona Ryder. But I always believed the first Ghostbusters film provided a far superior mix of authentic horror and genuine comedy than Beetlejuice. The characters never made a huge impression on me and I don't recall watching much of the animated series precisely because of the fact that I wasn't overly taken by the film.
I liked the mythology of the film. The rules the ghosts had to live by, the Handbook For The Recently Deceased and those things. But the movie didn't explore that stuff to the degree that I might've preferred.
Quote from: The Joker on Sun, 26 May 2024, 23:41Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Mon, 11 Mar 2024, 22:14This also appeals to my headcanon, wherein Keaton's Batman defeated Mr. Freeze.
I saw this piece on X, and couldn't help but think of your comment.
QuoteBruce Timm on Superman #2: "People who want him to be more of a bad-ass are missing the point. He was raised in the heartland of America by two wonderful, loving parents who instilled in him a powerful sense of 'right' and 'wrong.' So, for all that everyone complains about Superman's 'boy scout' qualities, that's exactly what he is: he's not just super-strong, super-fast, etc...he's super-good, too. He's the ultimate man. [As a result, his morality forces him to] live his entire life under strict self-control; otherwise the results could be catastrophic (courtesy of Toon Zone)."
Bruce Timm on Superman #3: "It astonishes me somewhat that anyone could actually think that I could 'hate Superman outright.' I mean, no offense, but...sorry, I'm kind of at a loss for words. I couldn't possibly produce fifty-two episodes of a series starring a character [that] I flat-out hated, or had disdain or contempt for...life's too short! Sure, I've worked on shows in the past whose lead characters I had no love or respect for, but to put in the kind of man-hours that I did as producer / designer / what-have-you on STAS, my commitment to the character was absolute. My comments (from Comicology, right?) were, I thought, pretty clear on the matter: I've loved, respected, and admired Superman since I was a kid—I even dressed up as him for Halloween and brought my lunch to school in my beloved Superman lunch-box. It's just that, by modern standards, he can come off as quaint or corny or out-dated, if not handled properly. Batman, by contrast, is much easier to 'get right' with that outfit, the attitude, the whole mystique...he's automatically 'cooler.' If I had to choose one over the other, sure, I'd pick Batman in a heartbeat, [but] that doesn't mean [that] I don't like Superman too. I just like Batman better.
"I've admitted elsewhere that we dropped the ball with Superman's portrayal in Season One of Justice League, not out of malice, but merely inattention; thus we did end up temporarily with the slightly daft, bland, cornball boy scout, [but] when we all realized what was happening, we took steps to re-vitalize him in Season Two. I, personally, may have gone a little overboard in that area, as I wrote the entire Superman / Darkseid verbal thrown-down scene in 'Twilight' myself—including the notoriously over-the-top 'greasy smear on my fist' line—I even wrote his, 'Y'know, Bruce, you're not always right,' line, allowing him to one-up Batman (my 'favorite' character, remember), in one of the rarest instances in the entire DCAU canon. I wouldn't have gone to the trouble for a character I hated. Anyhow, I hope this clears that up (courtesy of Toon Zone)."
QuoteDwayne McDuffie on Superman: "Superman constantly learns from his mistakes and, when it comes down to it, takes appropriate actions (even when they make him look bad, as in many of the situations that Luthor has engineered to that purpose). He does what's right, not what's easiest. Consider: Superman is powerful enough to end Cadmus right now. Why doesn't he? He tells Huntress why in 'Question Authority.' Later, in 'Panic in the Sky,' despite his understandable anger and frustration, rather than going after Cadmus he talks about it with the rest of the Justice League, who he knows will disagree with attacking. As J'onn points out, Superman came there to be talked down.
"Our version of Superman is far from perfect. He makes mistakes but, eventually, gets the right answer. He might walk right up to the precipice, but he'll never fall in. [...] I like for my heroes to be tempted, and I tend to forgive them for their mistakes, just like I do my real-life friends. Some people see Superman as absolutely incorruptible and incapable of human foibles. That's a reasonable way to go with him, there have been lots of terrific stories over the years that treat him that way, but we're more interested in showing him struggle to overcome his weaknesses, as opposed to not having any other than kryptonite (courtesy of Television Without Pity)."
QuoteBATMAN V SUPERMAN HAS OUTLIVED CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
Looking back, the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice vs Captain America: Civil War fight had a clear winner.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War both debuted in theatres around the world in 2016, and eight years later, the former has had a far more long-lasting impact.
Batman v Superman and Civil War were released in very close proximity, with the former debuting on March 25th, 2016. The latter, arriving on May 5th of that year, and their close release to each other stoked the DC vs Marvel fandom war to its boiling point. This was in large part due to the two films, each being the big "heroes vs. heroes" chapters of their respective cinematic universes.
When all was said and done, Civil War emerged as 2016's biggest box office hit with a largely positive reception. Batman v Superman, meanwhile, instantly became one of the most divisive superhero movies ever made. While it was a huge hit with its $873 million worldwide haul, the fact that it did not join the $1 billion club, along with its love-it-or-hate-it reception and never-ending lampooning of the "Martha" moment, gave Warner Bros. cold feet about Zack Snyder's vision for the DCEU.
While all of the above factors gave Civil War the crown for 2016, eight years later, it is Batman v Superman that has cemented a much greater legacy in the long run. Ironically, the polarized reception to Batman v Superman itself helps explain why that is.
THE SNYDER CUT PHENOMENON
The divisiveness of Batman v Superman led directly to Warner Bros.'s decision to pivot away from the tone Zack Snyder had started the DCEU within 2013's Man of Steel, with the studio bringing in Joss Whedon to extensively reshoot and rework 2017's Justice League. However, the massive retooling of Justice League (along with the seedy behind-the-scenes situation during the reshoots) lit the fire of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign, which eventually led to Snyder's version of the film being released as Zack Snyder's Justice League in 2021.
Amid the Snyder Cut fan campaign, the debate about the themes of heroism, power, corruption, and sacrifice in Batman v Superman raged day in and day out online, a trend that still continues to this very day. By itself, that is testimony that Batman v Superman has maintained a presence within the zeitgeist seldom achieved by most superhero movies. Even with a split audience reaction, Batman v Superman has done anything but recede from the public's memory.
CIVIL WAR: A PASSING CHAPTER?
By contrast, Captain America: Civil War has arguably come and gone even within the context of the MCU itself. Despite its generally positive reception and box office triumph in 2016, Civil War has not left a comparably visible pop culture footprint. After all, when was the last time you saw nerds furiously debating whether they would fight on Captain America or Iron Man's side? Within the MCU, Civil War also has not been referenced or returned to much, if at all, especially after Thanos showed up to threaten the entire universe, effectively forcing the divided Avengers to put their baggage from the Sokovia Accords aside and team up again.
In measuring the impact the two films had, Batman v Superman has survived years of slings and arrows and simply seared itself into the collective consciousness. Moreover, the push for the Snyder Cut also bolstered the legacy of Batman v Superman even more.
Since its 2021 release, Zack Snyder's Justice League has enjoyed an all-around positive reception, with even many detractors being won over and the public stock of Batman v Superman noticeably rising due to the pay-off its follow-up brought – even to the point of many still hoping to see Snyder's intended conclusion to his five-movie Justice League story concluded at some point.
None of that is to say that Civil War is a bad movie or didn't help move the MCU's larger story forward. However, with eight years for both films to embed themselves in the public's consciousness, nerds and the general public alike continue to talk about, debate, dissect, and ruminate over Batman v Superman far more than Captain America: Civil War.
However many Martha jokes it may have had to overcome, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice may have lost the battle of 2016, but it has clearly won the war.