DC on Film

DC Comics vs. Marvel Comics, since when did it become a battle? So many comic book nerds tend to either label themselves as a DC fan or a Marvel fan, most tend to take an interest in only one and stick to their guns defending it to death. I happen to be a rare hybrid of the two. I actually like DC and Marvel equally.

While at the end of the day, Marvel is more hipster in its aesthetic, DC is all about the classic superhero motra and what one thinks when they hear of superheroes. Now, obviously Marvel has gotten it together recently in regards to their film franchises, pumping out high quality product like Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, and that is just the tip of the iceberg with a reboot of Spider-man on the way, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers all getting the big screen treatment within the next three years. Now, let's take a look at DC's slate for the next three years as well. At the least there's gonna be a Batman 3 and a Green Lantern, alongside few lower tier DC Comics properties, like Jonah Hex.

When it comes to the battle of the cinema, Marvel wins by a landslide. Sure, DC has the highest grossing comic book film of all-time with The Dark Knight, but Marvel is currently winning the war. But with recent announcements involving Christopher Nolan's involvement with the Superman franchise and DC forming DC Entertainment with parent company Warner Bros., it's clear that DC is wanting to get in on the Marvel game, but is it possible, and what are the things that could keep DC from reaching Marvel's success, and what are the keys to unlocking the secrets that will enable DC to usurp Marvel as the movie king?

DC seems to be trying too hard at the moment to mimic Marvel's success, and my biggest fear is that in their attempts in competition they will rush out lackluster product that is not worthy of the DC Comics logo. DC has not had the best track record when it comes to their film adaptations. It took them almost two whole decades, millions upon millions of dollars on countless actors and directors, to finally get Superman Returns made, and guess what, the film came nowhere close to turning a profit because of that.

The one good thing about DC and WB, they do know when to slow down and call it quits if something isn't coming together, like the horrendous Superman Lives written by Kevin Smith, directed by Tim Burton, and starring Nic Cage as Superman, or the even worse Justice League film (think G.I. Joe in terms of style and you'll see what I mean) that was scheduled to happen up until the writer's strike and it fell apart, thank goodness. Even still, even if DC and WB managed to avoid disaster, they still thought at one time that something like Superman Lives or Justice League was a good idea, so what to expect from their future in the cinematic arena?

Though DC does have a few irons in the fire that have some real potential to challenge the best of Marvel. Obviously a potential Chris Nolan directed follow-up to The Dark Knight is high on many filmgoers list of most anticipated films over the next 2 or so years, but also one must not forget that DC and WB are also making a Green Lantern film about the intergalactic superhero, starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale). The simple fact that WB has decided to do a more faithful interpretation of the Green Lantern character as opposed to their initial idea of turning it into a comedy starring Jack Black, is very much appreciated from a fan such as myself, but in all honesty, I've always believed that Green Lantern was the perfect cinematic superhero. Not only does majority of the story take place against the backdrop of space, but Green Lantern's power ring can pretty much create anything that its wearer can imagine, so you can only imagine the awesome cinematic possibilities for the film. While I'm still not psyched about the casting of Ryan Reynolds, they have a highly talented action director so perhaps this could be DC's Iron Man and really jump start a line of DC related films.

Over the years DC has also had a great many film properties that just couldn't get off the ground, like Wonder Woman and The Flash, which just seem as if they're lost in the obscurity of countless script revisions and rewrites, though ever since Marvel started their whole initiative of trying to create a unified world with all of their films and ultimately tie them together with The Avengers, many had been wondering when DC would try and pave the way as well leading to a faithful, and justified, Justice League film.

With the recent announcement that helmer of the Batman franchise, Chris Nolan, would play godfather for the latest installment in the Superman franchise, clearly WB and DC are hoping that he can not only reboot Superman in the same way in which he did with Batman Begins, but also I believe it is their intent for him to find some way to tie the two universes of Batman and Superman together to where it is how Nolan sees fit. A few years back when DC and WB were trying to make a Justice League film that had no connection to Nolan's Batman films, Nolan raised some cane about the whole situation, saying that his Batman was not ready to join the Justice League, and I believe that this is WB and DC's way to appease Nolan's wishes that they don't create two parallel film universes at the same time of the same characters, and it will satisfy the studios desire to eventually see a Justice League film. But in a way, it's also WB and DC saying, well Chris, you didn't want us to do that Justice League film, so tell us how we should do it.

Now, I for one love Christopher Nolan and his vision for Batman is perfect, and I believe he is probably the finest filmmaker currently working in the industry, but I don't think he should really be involved within the world of Superman. The last thing Superman needs to be is realistic. The appeal of Superman, to those of us who adore him and call him our favorite of all superheroes, is that he is a big blue boy scout, the ultimate goodie-good if you will. Superman always does the right thing, and sure it is pretty darn convenient that every villain has access to some kryptonite, even though it is supposedly rare, but I mean, seriously, don't dock off points for that. Not to mention, Batman is about realism, he is the world's greatest detective, he could plausibly exist in the real world, but with Superman, he is fantasy. I want to believe that a man can fly, much like I did when I first saw Superman: The Movie with Christopher Reeve. Nothing ticks me off more with modern fantasy or sci-fi than the filmmakers feeling a need to over explain every aspect of the fantastical to where the world is no longer awe-inspiring and it's just kind of like, oh, the Force is derived from these tiny microscopic cells called midichlorians, that's why they can manipulate time and space, it's not really magic. Okay, but enough of this rant, back on track.

While I applaud WB and DC for trying to get all of their ducks in a row, I'm afraid that they're being too hasty and rushing the process, such as hiring Chris Nolan to spearhead a Superman reboot. Now they definitely have some good things going, such as Batman 3 and Green Lantern, but that still isn't enough to put a ding in Iron Man's armor or Captain America's shield. Hopefully if Green Lantern succeeds, DC and WB will start to focus more so once more on The Flash and Wonder Woman, and perhaps if Nolan pulls off interconnecting the worlds of Batman and Superman, a Justice League film might be a warranted reality in the near future, much like The Avengers, but at the moment I feel DC and WB are walking on thin ice and must be careful not to make a crack or else they'll go plummeting into the icy cold waters below.