Summertime Super-Heroes Mach II

My previous post discussed how the summer's three major comic book movies were similar, conveniently forgetting X-Men First Class, which was AWESOME, but didn't fit my lone-hero theme.

This time around, let's look at how Thor, Green Lantern and Captain America were different. Each had a unique plot, of course, and delved into two different universes, Marvel's (Thor and Cap) and DC's.

The critical reaction to the three films were dramatically different. Rotten Tomatoes currently has Thor rated at 77% on the tomatometer with an 80% audience approval rating. Their snapshot review reads, "A dazzling blockbuster that tempers its sweeping scope with wit, humor, and human drama, Thor is mighty Marvel entertainment."

Captain America: The First Avenger is currently rated 79% on the tomatometer with a 78% audience rating. RT said, "With plenty of pulpy action, a pleasantly retro vibe, and a handful of fine performances, Captain America is solidly old-fashioned blockbuster entertainment."

And then, there is Green Lantern. GL has a 27% tomatometer rating and a 52% audience approval. Ouch. RT said, "Noisy, overproduced, and thinly written, Green Lantern squanders an impressive budget and decades of comics mythology." Double ouch.

By necessity, so much of GL was CGI, that it was easy to overproduce. Personally, I think it was a mistake to focus on the sweeping, universal implications of the Guardians of the Universe and the GL Corps, rather than the wonder of one man being presented with the most powerful tool/weapon in the cosmos. Have Hal Jordan (played by the always-delightful Ryan Reynolds) learn the uses of the ring on his own, stumbling, awkward, Earth-bound and ultimately heroic for the first movie. Then, drag the cosmic stuff in for the sequel. And seriously, another cloud-like, world-destroying villain? Did we learn nothing from the Galactus debacle of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer?

Other than the Batman revamp, DC hasn't had much luck with bringing their properties to live action media. Superman Returns was considered by many to be a disappointment. Wonder Woman couldn't make it on NBC. Jonah Hex failed to generate any significant interest.

When Green Lantern failed so spectacularly, some critics hailed it as the end of the super-hero movie genre. But then Captain America came along and knocked Harry Potter 8 off the top of the heap and proved them wrong. The Avengers (aka "Group Hug") starting filming today in Cleveland under Joss Whedon's (my master) direction. I have high hopes for it.

Apparently, there is talk of a GL sequel, despite the disappointing return on investment. I didn't hate the movie. I just hope that next time around, the writers, producers and director can focus on story, not dazzling special effects. Fantastic SFX are de rigeur now (with or without 3-D enhancement). But at the heart of every successful film is a tale to which viewers can relate. Sinestro looks to be the villain for GL2. Let's hope fear can bring audiences back to theaters.