Possible Batman Beyond Movie: Good or Bad Idea?

There is a rumor going around that the next batman film could possibly be based of the 90's cartoon Batman Beyond. Which if you are unaware stars a high school boy named Terry McGinnis, who is given the opportunity to protect Gotham with the tech from his new mentor. The mentor is an aged retired version of Batman's best Bruce Wayne, which means Batman Beyond is based around 2019.

The Good

The best possible scenario in my opinion, would be to run a Batman Beyond film series while keeping the normal Bruce Wayne version of Batman in a Justice League film. This gives the opportunity for a slightly older actor to portray Bruce in Justice League, then with the magic of Make-up and clever thinking have that same actor portray the older Bruce to mentor Batman Beyonds Terry McGinnis. This would allow a completely fresh sci-fi version of Batman in a new creative world that looks similar to the futuristic scenes in The Wachowski's Cloud Atlas. The character of Terry would be more relatable to the younger audience, and also offer a fantastic coming of age story if written correctly. The best part of all is years down the line if they do use the same actor for both versions of Bruce Wayne, the Justice League franchise could clash with Batman Beyond and show a powerful intriguing reason as to why Bruce hung up the cape. Weather it be someones death or something personal it would add a sense of mystery throughout the Batman Beyond films that could lead to a revelation worth the wait.

The Bad

With the knowledge of what some comic book fans think of the previous Batman Trilogy by Chris Nolan, their argument would be that there still hasn't been a perfect incarnation of the Caped Crusader. Chris Nolan's was more grounded and without several writing progressions Christian Bale could never stand in a battle with Henry Cavill's Superman. So why would we force our way into a futuristic series without offering a perfect incarnation of Batman first. Though perfection is impossible and someone will always hate, it is a logical argument to bring up. Most people would want another solo Batman film even though I feel Nolan already offered some of the best cinema can offer. Yeah we can live with two incarnations, we have two different Spiderman in the last 10 years and it hasn't taken away from the older version at all. Perfecting a rich character that is loved may be needed again before jumping into the future. Not to mention Batman Beyond from what I remember doesn't have the rich rogue gallery that the Batman series had. Though I believe the Joker would still be around (even though another Joker is looking at an uphill battle) the other villains are much less interesting than the ones Batman had. I guess you could always use one of Batman's unused villains like DeathStroke or Hush and implement them in Batman Beyond without little backlash.

Rebuttal

You can very well reboot Batman and people will see it, however you are going to be looking at film that has so many bars to reach that anything less than Dark Knight Trilogy numbers will be looked at as a disappointment. That is why I believe that keeping Bruce Wayne as just a Justice League member without a solo film, allow the judgmental nature of some to soften. We have seen Batman enough, Nolan gave me at least everything I wanted to see. I want DC and Warner Brothers to move on with other character, Batman would work great as a Justice League only character, who can even be the Samuel L Jackson like bridge and show up in other solo films for publicity reasons. I am all for Batman Beyond and I hope this article at least made you consider the possibilities.

Movie Review: Pacific Rim

 

In a futuristic world, monsters known as Kaiju flood through a crack in the earth and wreak havoc on everything. To counter these monsters we created monsters of our own. Giant robots called Jaegers whose duel pilots mesh their minds together in a process known as drifting, are the only hope to save mankind. The plot is the key factor on if you will enjoy this film, because it says basically all the positives of the film. If you want to see giant monsters fighting giant robots, you get that and its exciting. Other than that though the film falls flat on most technical levels. The set pieces of this film is the high point of Pacific Rim, in particular the Hong Kong battle (or is it Tokyo? I don't remember). The scale of this film is massive and the way director Guillermo Del Toro crafts these scenes was worth the price of admission for me.

In simple terms it's flipping awesome, and enhance a film that is in other ways dull. The acting was stale, and I haven't exactly figured out if it's the actors or the writing to blame. Idris Elba and Ron Perlman may be the only exceptions to the rule, but their screen time is limited. The leads in the form of Sons of Anarchy alum Charlie Hunnam (Raleigh Becket) and Rinko Kikuchi (Mako Mori) are uninspiring and bland and offer no emotional attachment throughout the 2 hour run time. I also found both scientist (Charlie Day, Burn Gorman) rather annoying and I often found my eyes rolling as they spit out fast talking "logic". The more I think about it the more I realize how much the writing failed this film. No characters were given a specific arc, and any conflict was solved within minutes or were dropped all together. The character were written in the most basic cliché ways and nobody every became more than a one dimensional being. I could go on and on but most of all its easier to say the writing sucked. Even with incredible special effects and incredibly fun action set pieces, Pacific Rim is a movie that never strives to be anything more than a popcorn flick. While that is fine, it had potential to be a game changer in a day and age where originality is lost. Thank you Guillermo Del Toro for trying something I haven't seen in a long time, but you missed an opportunity.

Verdict: 3 out of 5

Pacific Rim and Grown Ups 2 Predictions

This weekend we are treated (more or less) to the bombastic Robot vs Monster film Pacific Rim, and another attempt to revamp his career with Adam Sandler's Grown Ups 2. While tracking for Pacific Rim has been poor, and Adam Sandler movies continue to be successful even while being the skid mark on the under britches of cinema, we are given an unpredictable week in the money category. Here are my predictions for this weekend (Both Rotten Tomato score and weekend gross).

Grown Ups 2

The last Grown up film was more or less terrible, but still was an incredibly bankable film which leads me to believe this one will be no different. I find it hard to believe that this sequel will do anything to improve on it's predecessor in quality, especially since Adam Sandler has failed to make any film with critical praise this decade (excluding Punch-Drunk Love which isn't a Sandler type film). Most of these films like Jack and Jill and Just Go With It float between the 10%-20% range and flood the theaters with the same type of people, all people. People see Adam Sandler movies, it's just how the world turns and I have no clue how to explain it. Will Grown Ups 2 be good? No, I am 100% sure and I have complete confidence saying it. Will it be a successful film? Absolutely, once again I am 100% sure because all of his films are. I will not be seeing Grown Ups 2, unless of course hell freezes over and it gets semi positive reviews.

Rotten Tomato Score: 15%

Weekend Gross: 44 Million


Pacific Rim

Guillermo Del Toro is well known within his fan boy circles, but has yet to become anything more than that. Though Pans Labyrinth is known as fantasy at it's highest form, his Hellboy films stay within his cult status. Guillermo is back to big budget film making with a film straight out of a 14 year old boys mind, Pacific Rim. While in the broadest sense we have seen a fight between Robot and Monsters play out in the slippery surface of our bath tubs (I know I have), it never had this big of a production value. Though action figures do put on one hell of a show. The biggest asset that director Guillermo Del Toro has is his passion for his projects, this being one he has been eagerly anticipating to make. That is enough to make me believe the film will be fresh by the weekend. The problem that this film will face is the inevitable comparison with The Transformers Trilogy. The Rotten Tomato score may suffer from it, and I feel it will. It also has struggled to gain traction within the public, but positive word of mouth may help a slow start. The massive budget will be hard to overcome and its very possible that it may be the biggest flop of the year. I don't believe this film will top the box office this week, nor am i sure it will be able to surpass the previous weeks winner Despicable Me 2. Only time will tell if this blockbuster will strike with fans or be left in the dust.

Rotten Tomato Score: 74%

Weekend Gross: 40 Million

The Heat Review

A buddy cop film centered around a know it all FBI agent named Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) and her partnership with a foul mouthed Boston PD member named Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) on their mission to take down the a drug lord.

 

The plot is your typical buddy cop comedy, that trudges along as the lead actors spit jokes left and right until your lungs collapse. The film as a whole, reminded me of events from better films like The Other Guys, and never truly offered something we haven't seen. That is in no way going to effect the score because in this day in age it's hard for almost any film to differentiate itself from the millions of films from our past. What does offer this film something fresh is the lead actresses, in particular the always talented Melissa McCarthy. I am a big fan of McCarthy, I do however feel in almost every film she has been in (besides Bridesmaids) she is given the short end of the stick. They give her one note jokes when she can absolutely kill an emotional scene if given the opportunity. A minute long scene of her crying isn't enough to warrant any sort of emotional attachment to her character. I also had a problem with the way she was written, I understand that she is "ghetto" but her use of profanity resulted in shock value that after the first half hour became a lot less funny. The funniest moments of the film where her clever lines that used no profanity. There was a handful of clever jokes the rest were just curse words than while funny will result in no re watch value. Shock value is only good one time around, the writing of the film didn't offer anything for multiple viewings. I also didn't find Sandra Bullock to be all that believable, matter of fact I don't believe any cop in the film could actually be a cop. Luckily, the majority of the film made me forget about that feeling. On the positive note the chemistry between the leads was fantastic, even though the characters were as cliché as cliché gets. Even if you don't enjoy the film you should find enjoyment in the leading ladies interactions with each other. I firmly believe that the actions in the film are much more funny than the dialogue that is presented.

All in all The Heat is a solid comedy that may not stand out, but will give a handful of laughs when other films fail to do so. It may not be clever or witty, but for the first viewing the shock value will do enough to make the film worth seeing for most people.

Verdict: 3 out of 5

Despicable Me 2 Review

In 2010, Illumination Studios warmed everyone's heart with a tale of an oddball villain named Gru (Steve Carell) who through a series of events turns his life around and becomes the parent of 3 adorable orphan girls. In this expected sequel we revisit this new family as Gru's begins his new mission as the good guy in a secret spy organization known as the Anti-Villain League. Though Despicable Me 2 never recaptures the heart of it's predecessor, it offers a slew of laughs and an enjoyable experience for all ages.

 

My biggest gripe with this in particular film is the amount of screen time given to the fan favorite minions. Much like any other kids movie, the cutest and most loveable characters are forced into the frame without any need to be there. This is the case with the minions, I figure they are in at least 95% of the scenes in the film, and most scenes with them didn't work for me. The scenes that did work however is any interaction between Gru and "his girls". Not only where they funny, they added a large amount of heart to the film that for the most part is a mixed bag. The minions being forced into each frame felt forced, and while at times funny, relied on slapstick to get a the youngsters to laugh. They are even an essential part of a razor thin plot, that I felt could of and should of been different. Too much of a good thing, isn't necessarily a good thing and that is the case with the minions. What made the minions so loveable is there subtle way they were used in the first film. This movie may has well been called Minions (oh yeah, that comes out next year). I know a large majority of the population will disagree with me, and that's fine because I understand what they wanted from the film.

Not many people are like me, they don't go into animated films expecting more than a good time. Which means I highly recommend the film to pretty much anyone, even though I found it to be an average animated film. The minions will make people laugh, and there is no character that is ever dull or misused, with the exception of the middle child Edith who is really there to complete the group. You will continue to fall in love with Gru as a father figure, and even have fun with the newer characters like Lucy (Kristin Wiig) or Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt). For a sequel I say, not bad Illumination keep working hard and thanks for an enjoyable film.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5

Monsters University Review

Pixar shows up this summer season with the prequel to one of their many beloved animated films, Monsters Inc. In this film titled Monsters University, the college years of Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) are revealed to us in a fashion that is all too cliche, for a company that strives to be so innovative.

To go into the story of this film would be somewhat tedious, because I can sum it up in a way that will explain most of the film. Leaving this film my first thoughts were Revenge Of The Nerds with  a Monster exterior, and I firmly believe that is what this film is. The story has the popular kid (Sully), and the unpopular kid (Mike) who eventually are forced to work together in a series of events against the best scare students on campus, exactly like fraternities in a Greeks row battle. Despite some subtle twist and turns the story is the most cliche and lazy story that the company has ever produced. That is not to say everything about the film is poor, because it is enjoyable and offers a handful of laughs (literally maybe 5). Most of which are given to the group of misfits that Sully and Mike get attached to, while the stars lack the opportunity to shine. It was like the quick witted and funny Mike Wazowski that I loved was dulled down into the typical straight man that Sully was in the first film. One straight man is enough, Mike needed to be utilized much more effectively. While the leads advance the plot, the misfits are held in the background, only to pop out to throw a joke now and then. Which would work if the story wasn't so painfully predictable and average. There is also a couple appearances made by Monsters Inc. alums that felt forced and in someways confusing. I can't stand films that rely on nostalgia to enhance a film. Make a good story before you decided to nod the previous films, in this case a film that events happen after this one.

In the end of the day, I found myself watching an average animated film that falls more towards Cars 2 and Brave, than every other film released by Pixar. The last 3 Pixar films are what I consider an extreme rut, one that they have yet to get out of. I don't believe that doing a sequel to great animated films is the answer either. It saddens me that the some upcoming films that Pixar are planning are indeed sequels (Finding Dori). With Toy Story being the only exception to the rule, sequels do nothing for an animated film franchise. Monsters University was unnecessary, forced and not nearly as funny as it should have been. While no animated film this season haven impressed me (Though Epic and The Croods were better than this) both Turbo and Despicable Me 2 rest on the horizon. As for now I will be waiting for Pixar to up its game and get back to what made them great. 

Verdict: 2.5 out 5

Pacific Rim Tracking Poorly

What some people considered to be a huge movie, is tracking to be nothing more than the speed bump of the summer season. Pacific Rim which plot pits giant robotic war machines vs monstrous creatures from the deep, hasn't a couple more hurdles to jump. On paper you may piss your pants with fanboy excitement but that is just the problem, fanboys aren't the majority of people that go to the movies. What the majority of people may go see is a stupid Adam Sandler comedy in this case Grown Ups 2 which opens on the same day as Pacific Rim. I can't explain why Pacific Rim is tracking at a mediocre 30 million and Grown Ups 2 is tracking 40 million I can however read between the lines.

Grown Ups the predecessor of this new comedy, grossed 40.5 million in its opening week, which gives the sequel a better chance to improve on that. As for Pacific Rim, you get what would be considered either a monster movie, or a robot movie. While robot movies have found some success in the form of the transformers trilogy, monsters movies haven't fared very well. While Godzilla (1998) did hold a 44 million dollar opening weekend it was in an extreme downfall from there and ended up grossing 136 million dollars domestically. That could just be the case of a bad film under performing in all categories, but it does say something about the films itself. The films are pure fanboy films, Pacific Rim more so than ever and it may hurt itself in the long run.

What Legendary Pictures Is Saying

Like any bad press start, you have people trying to pick up the trash. In this case Thomas Tull the head of Legendary Pictures, here is what he had to say and what I make of his comment.

Audiences that have seen the movie, love the movie," Tull told me.  "I think in our core audiences and, sort of, the fanboy groups that want to see the movie...we have seen tracking wildly on all of our movies so, at this point, all we can say to audiences is if you go see this movie, you're going to love it and you're going to tell your friends - that's all we can do.  The other stuff, it has almost become like sporting events.  Every weekend, it's so wildly reported on and now even opining about tracking, which is kind of weird to me.  I can tell you, when I was a kid andStar Wars came out, I wasn't like, 'I don't know, the trailer looks cool, but the tracking sucks.'  I don't know what that is."

I applaud you Mr. Tull, for playing it off as if tracking is no big deal. There is nothing wrong with the confidence he has in the film, but to pretend that everything is going well is an absolute lie. I am sure Legendary is shaking in there boots, especially after leaving their partnership with WB. Though Warner Brothers is backing this particular film (a very small amount) a bust will not run well with a company looking to find success. Also though Rian Johnson (Director of Looper) raved about the film, saying it made him feel like a 12 year old boy. The others reviews that have came on board tho mostly positive are not what I would call "loving it". Also yeah feeling like a twelve year old boy is great and all, but a more complex and inventive story would be nice. Nobody is denying that the action of the film and scale will be extremely impressive, but nowadays that doesn't cut it.

Why you shouldn't worry

Just because a film doesn't do well, it doesn't mean its a bad film. Look at last years Dredd, I found it to be a pretty good film even with its poor box office reception. However it's low budget made it still a successful film in the long run. Also this years The Great Gatsby was projected well below it actually performed, but it is a different case. At the beginning of the year if you told me I could see a film staring Leonardo DeCaprio or a Robot vs Monster flick, id have to choose DeCaprio because the latter has a better chance of being bad. If we are lucky it would turn out like Hellboy I and II and it will find its fanboy following, but for sure it won't be one of the more successful films of this year.