Last year, while decent, was not the best year for comic book films. Or films in general.
However, I think this year might be a kick ass year for films. If not amazing, than at least a year where studios take some big gambles and the fate is determined for the future of comic book movies. Why? Three reasons….
- Remakes: Films like Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and The Amazing Spider-Man are both films that are remakes of their predecessors. If they do very well in the box office, it might be a sign that comic book films will at least have ten extra years in the spotlight. Especially if The Amazing Spider-Man does well. If that happens, Fox might be eager to give franchises like Daredevil or Fantastic Four another go.
- Re-releases: IN 3-D!!! Actually, I don’t care too much for 3-D. But what I do care about is seeing some of my favorite films back on the big screen. Which I’d take over a remake any day of the week. They’ve already had some success with last year’s re-releases such as The Lion King or Ghostbusters. But this year’s re-releases (such as Titanic, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and Beauty and the Beast) may do well enough to prove to the studios that yes, we love our classics. And if that’s the case, will I finally get the chance to see films I was too young/not born yet to see, such as Batman or Superman, on the big screen?
- The Avengers: One hell of a gamble. A big cast and a big set up throughout the films. If it does go well, you can damn bet Warner Bros. will be eager to get the Justice League set up for a major film.
But of course, chances and gambles are nothing if the films are crap. Fortunately, there does seem to be some intriguing films. Here’s all the comic book (and near comic book) films you’ll be able to catch this year.
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3-D
Like most people, Star Wars Episode I was not my favorite Star Wars film. In fact, it’s not even one of my favorite worst films ever. However, it’s been a while since I last saw it, so I might warm up to it after the passage of time. Plus, I’ll finally have the chance to review each Star Wars film for Movie Monday (you can put your money on the fact that Lucas is going to be re-releasing all of them). Hopefully Lucas won’t be editing the films yet again.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Yes, I know. It’s a Nicholas Cage film. Not only that, but the first Ghost Rider wasn’t the best comic book film of all time. But this one promises to be a darker and grittier take on the motorcycle, chain wielding badass. Plus, let’s not forget the fact that Nicholas Cage did a kick ass job in Kick-Ass.
John Carter
It’s not a comic book film, but it is classic pulp. And more importantly, you’d be hard pressed to argue against the fact that Edgar Rice Burroughs was influential to science-fiction, literature, and comic books. And for those of you who say that John Carter is a rip off of Star Wars, sorry to tell you but it’s the other way around. Lucas was definitely influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
The Avengers
This one I’m definitely curious to see how it turns out. The anticipation has been brewing since the after credits scene in Iron Man. But can you pull some of the top name actors around town and get them to drop their egos for the sake of the story? Even if you can get them to humble a bit, can you squeeze all of those characters in for a decent story? And most importantly, can Joss Whedon fans shut the hell up about Joss Whedon? We shall wait and see. Whether it’s a mega success or a catastrophic bomb, it will be an interesting spectacle nonetheless.
Men in Black III
I loved Men in Black and have plenty of fond memories of it back when I was 9-years-old. But I hated Men in Black II and wished that Men in Black would appear and erase my memory of it. However, the new Men in Black III looks good enough. Probably nowhere near the quality of the first Men in Black, but I’m sure I’ll get my popcorn kicks.
Prometheus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaLGS8_gE7g
G.I. Joe Retaliation
It’s not a comic book film, but G.I Joe certainly has its fair share of comic books. I haven’t seen the first film, but by the looks of the trailers, the sequel might be better than the first one.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Mixed feelings. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure it will be good. But I’m not sure if it will be as ground breaking as Spider-Man. People complain about Peter Parker being emo in Spider-Man 3, but this guy looks like he needs to be chewing down Prozac pills. Not sure if it will be a good or an amazing (pun intended) film. But I do know one thing. They say there’s a hero to save us, I’m not gonna stand here and waaaaaaiiiiit!
The Dark Knight Rises
I’m sure I’m gonna love this. But you know what I won’t love about this? Having to hear the legion of Nolanites weep that this is “THE BEST TRILOGY EVER!”
Dredd
I AM THE LAW!!! I admit, I do have some affection for the 1995 film. But this might be a fresh take on it. Especially since the 2000 AD version is very different than the 90s film. However, the creative drama behind the scenes makes me weary of this one.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2
JUST KIDDING!!!
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Since I added Prometheus, I might as well add our little furry feet friends to appease the fantasy fans and various editors. I loved the book, but I’m a bit nervous about Peter Jackson breaking it up into two films (a.k.a. let’s split it up into two films to make more money). This isn’t The Lord of the Rings where it was an epic saga long enough to be broken into three books. The Hobbit was a fairly quick read and a much lighter one, too. Still, I’m interested to see how it turns out. And no, you’re not the only one with the Lord of the Rings song stuck in your head.
So there you go. One giant leap for comic book films. Whether it’s a stumble or a move towards the right direction will determine the fate for this decade. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see what the new year brings.
Andrew Hudson
ahudson@comicattack.net
@Hudsonian
I am one of those people who saw Lion King in 3D, and will be going to see Beauty and the Beast. Those are two of my favorite movies, so of course I’d take the opportunity to see them in the theater again, even if it has to be in 3D. And to be honest, Lion King 3D wasn’t all that bad. It wasn’t great, either, but the payoff was Zazu flying around in the opening sequence. Also, that they didn’t use the new song they wrote for one of the previous DVD releases, because it was awful. So hooray for that.
As for 2012, I am that editor who is super looking forward to The Hobbit. 🙂 I, too, was skeptical over splitting the movie in two. Especially since they were talking about making a bunch of stuff up that would basically take place between The Hobbit and Fellowship. But…well, I trust Peter Jackson with it. He did such an amazing job with the trilogy films, it’s hard to seriously worry about the fate of The Hobbit. At any rate, some of the actors, like Ian McKellen, won’t let him get away with fucking it up.
Not at all interested in Phantom Menace re-release. I went to see it the first time it was in the theater, and came out with such a huge feeling of disappointment. I didn’t see the first Ghost Rider, I don’t know anything about John Carter, Men in Black III I don’t have much interest in, The Avengers I’m quite excited about (especially after having finally watched the Ed Norton Hulk movie, which I quite enjoyed)…. The new Spider-Man…eh. I was so in love with the one they already made. You’re right in that it won’t have the same impact. The Raimi Spider-Man movie was the first really great comic book movie that kicked off all the rest. Obviously this one won’t do that, though I do worry that with the “pressure off” so-to-speak, not enough effort will be put in to make it great. Toby Maguire was a brilliant Peter Parker, I thought, so it will be hard for me to watch a replacement. At least the first Hulk movie with Eric Bana was freaking awful (and Bana was awful in it), so the redo of that one was not only necessary, but pretty much erases the other from existence.
The Dark Knight Rises…ugg…. I wish they had replaced Christian Bale like they replaced Katie Holmes. He just kills those movies for me. I hated Batman Begins, and I only liked The Dark Knight because of Heath Ledger’s performance (which was brilliant). I’m really confused as to why people think he’s so great, because he completely ruins those films for me.
I saw Lion King 3D, and I saw Beauty and the Beast 3D.
And I’ll see any movie Disney wants to re-release in 3D.
Speaking of re-releases.
Don Bluth/20th Century Fox is re-releasing Titan AE in 3D!!!
I can’t wait!!!!
Katie said:
“The Dark Knight Rises…ugg…. I wish they had replaced Christian Bale like they replaced Katie Holmes. He just kills those movies for me. I hated Batman Begins, and I only liked The Dark Knight because of Heath Ledger’s performance (which was brilliant). I’m really confused as to why people think he’s so great, because he completely ruins those films for me.”
I LOVE YOU!!!
I couldn’t agree more.
You said:
“The Dark Knight Rises…ugg…. I wish they had replaced Christian Bale like they replaced Katie Holmes. He just kills those movies for me. I hated Batman Begins, and I only liked The Dark Knight because of Heath Ledger’s performance (which was brilliant). I’m really confused as to why people think he’s so great, because he completely ruins those films for me.”
I LOVE YOU!!!
I couldn’t possibly agree more!
First of all that Phantom Menace poster has some of the worst photoshop I’ve seen lol Why is Yoda checking out Darth Maul’s ass? “Soon, in half it will be cut.” 🙂
I’m looking forward to a lot of the movies in the list especially Prometheus since it’s the prequal to Alien. The Hobbit and Avengers are the other big ones that are a must see on my list and I’m very interested in John Carter. The others have piqued my interest enough to where I’ll see them but I won’t be rushing to the theatre.
As for the 3D releases I really liked seeing Lion King w/ my daughter but I don’t think I’ll be rushing to see Beauty and the Beast lol. Phantom Menace is just a waste and I’m wondering why Titanic even needs to be in 3D.
JOHN CARTER!!
I can’t wait.
Prometheus is going to rock.
As for 3D…
Lion King rocked. Beauty and the Beast was great. If Disney does any more 3D re-releases I’ll go.
But I’m most excited for Don Bluth/20th Century Fox re-releasing TITAN A.E. this year!!!
I also think that Bale plays a better Bruce Wayne than he does Batman.
“I also think that Bale plays a better Bruce Wayne than he does Batman.”
I think he sucks horribly at both.
But I think his Batman is infinitely better than his absolutely piss-poor Bruce Wayne.
I disagree.
I think both portrayals are god-awful.
But I think his lousy two-dimensional, moronic, ineffectual turn as Batman is still infinitely better than his wooden, completely wrong, piss-poor Bruce Wayne.
Is the new Ghost Rider a reboot or a sequel? I assumed since Nicolas Cage is in it again that it was a sequel to the first one.
It’s a reboot that can be considered a sequel. Kind of like Punisher: War Zone
Aha…you mean a sequel that doesn’t refer to the mistake of the first movie? 🙂
I am excited for Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Hobbit, and Prometheus. In that order.
All of these films except for The Hobbit and possibly Prometheus will be mediocre at best. And nothing will justify watching The Phantom Menace. It’s the single most disappointing and criminal film of all time.
“And nothing will justify watching The Phantom Menace. It’s the single most disappointing and criminal film of all time.”
THAT would be Attack of the Clones, IMO.
I’d have to say it’s still Phantom Menace, because it was the first one. I remember being at least mildly excited about it, a new Star Wars movie, my sister and I went together…. And it was a HUGE disappointment, and I immediately dreaded that there would be two more.
“And nothing will justify watching The Phantom Menace. It’s the single most disappointing and criminal film of all time.”
THAT would be Attack of the Clones.
Ghost Rider – Feb 17
John Carter – March 9
Bullet to the Head – April 13
The Avengers – May 4
Men in Black III – May 25
The Amazing Spider-Man – July 3
The Dark Knight Rises – July 20
Dredd – September 21
Plus a good number of sci-fi/fantasy/geekdom/nerd movies as well.
Gonna be a fun year for reviews!