It’s pretty clear the upcoming movie “Wonder Woman” is a gamble of sorts in Hollywood.
With the exception of “Elektra,” which had Jennifer Garner as the first female super hero that got her own movie, there haven’t been a lot of female superheroes showcased in film. We have Black Widow in “The Avengers” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” but she’s joined by a bevy of other more popular superheroes.
So it’s obvious DC Comics and Warner Bros. want to knock “Wonder Woman” out of the park. There’s a lot on the line.
ScreenRant.com reports as many as six different screenplays for “Wonder Woman” may be in the works. The idea is the best screenplay would go into production or that a combination of them would be put together to make the best final script.
Arash Amel, whose credits include “Erased” and “Grace of Monaco” posted these two tweets on his Twitter account:
This apparently isn’t the first time more than one script was penned for consideration for one movie. WB signed off for two scrips for “Aquaman,” which is due out in 2018.
The next set of reviews we’ll be publishing are some of the ones Roger Thomas has done exclusively for The Stanly News & Press. Roger has written movie reviews for The Stanly News & Press and other outlets for years, long before starting this blog. So we decided it would be good to give readers a sample of his previous work, in addition to posts of reviews of current films. Other reviews will run daily.
Black Widow, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man and The Hulk
At this point there may be no need to review a film like “The Avengers”. In the first weekend, this latest film adaptation of comic book heroes grossed the highest box office receipts in history – $207,438,708. It almost seems that everyone who wanted to see the film, already has. Yet for the one or two who had other plans last weekend, here are my thoughts on “The Avengers”.
Allow me to start at the beginning. The opening few moments of “The Avengers” are a bit perplexing. It is a personal choice, but I like Superhero films that begin with something simple like Peter Parker delivering pizzas as Spider-Man. The bank robbery at the beginning of “The Dark Knight” was also great. For the first 10 minutes or so of “The Avengers” my mind was trying to catch up – “That’s the energy cube from Captain America.” “He’s the bad guy from Thor.” “And wait a minute, that scientist was in Thor too.” “I thought Jeremy Renner was a good guy in this movie.” “If you haven’t seen Captain America or Thor are you even going to understand this opening?” All these thoughts and several more were running through my mind as I was trying to keep up with fast-paced dialogue, even faster action, and loud explosions. If I were only reviewing the first 15 minutes of “The Avengers”, this column would have ended negatively. But there was still more than two hours to come.
The next 45 minutes or so get better. There are some interesting conversations, and some that are not so compelling. There are some conflicts among the heroes that for the most part are intriguing. I especially like the whole discussion about whether the government had intended to use the energy cube as a weapon; even in the time of superheroes, national security is paramount. Relationships are established as complete strangers challenge one another and grow to understand one another. There is a lot of talking in the minutes following the opening sequence, and much of it is necessary for what is coming.
During this section of the film, the most poignant moment comes when a lone civilian stands up and confronts the villain Loki as Loki orders the people to bow in his presence. Loki believes himself unique as a domineering dictator but the old man replies, “There are always men like you.” It was at this moment, I decided that Josh Whedon’s screenplay had a good deal more going on than I had originally perceived. It was also at this moment that I knew I was going to enjoy “The Avengers”.
The greatest strength of the film comes during two extensive action sequences. The first happens on a flying aircraft carrier. (Yes, I said flying.) The other happens on the streets and in the skies above New York City. The special effects in these scenes are stellar. The action is well choreographed; you always know what is happening even though it often occurs quickly. And the humor, which is consistently amusing throughout the film, continues to be well-written during these loud action sequences. Unlike “Wrath of the Titans” from earlier this year, “The Avengers” understands how to mix effects-driven action, character development, humor, and an overall appealing story.
During the first of these two extended scenes, my nine-year-old son said to me, “I thought this film might stink, but it is really good.” I could not have said it better myself. I was a little skeptical of a film with so many heroes, and such a confusing opening act, but when all is said and done, “The Avengers” is a fun time at the movies. And what else do you need from a superhero flick.
And I offer a special note to Mark Ruffalo for his depiction of Bruce Banner and for the ways director Josh Whedon used the Hulk through the latter half of the film. I have a couple of questions about the Hulk, but he was most definitely a character that made one anticipate his return every time he was off screen.
In the end, “The Avengers” is not the greatest comic book film ever. That title still belongs to “The Dark Knight”. “The Avengers” may not even be the best comic book film of the summer. Here’s to hoping that the re-launch of the Spider-Man series with “The Amazing Spider-Man” and Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises”, both outshine “The Avengers”. If they do, we fans of the superhero genre will have had a great season at the cinema.
If you did not contribute to the $207 million last weekend, you might want to check out “The Avengers” for the fun of it.
Cinema Corner 