What was the last movie you've seen?

[AppleQueso]

I don't know what's going on but I'm gonna spoil this post too

[dsheinem]

comic book movies suck

[Luke]

Question: Why is it that critics loved The Avengers, which is just as "stupid" and "nonsensical", and arguably more so, but are now criticizing Man Of Steel for being pretty much the exact same type of movie? Seriously, do you like movies like this or don't you? MAKE UP YOUR MINDS!

Marvel's The Avengers never took itself seriously, had genuine moments and likeable characters, didn't put people to sleep, and the third act actually had some substance and wasn't just disaster porn.

8 out of 10 comic book movies suck.

[dsheinem]

8 out of 10 comic book movies suck.

then again, comic books suck too. guess it figures.

[Retrodude]

8 out of 10 comic book movies suck.

I see. You openly admit to hating the genre yet still feel qualified to say whether new genre films are any good despite being predisposed to hate them. Got it.

[dsheinem]

8 out of 10 comic book movies suck.

I see. You openly admit to hating the genre yet still feel qualified to say whether new genre films are any good despite being predisposed to hate them. Got it.

Just because most comic book movies suck doesn't mean he's "predisposed to hate them" or dislikes the genre. I LOVE a good comic-book based film, but they are so so far and few between.

By analogy, I also think most comedies suck these days, but I'm hardly "predisposed" against the genre.

[Retrodude]

Just because most comic book movies suck

Only to people who don't "get" the genre. Comic books, in general, are inherently ridiculous, so criticizing comic book movies for retaining that aspect makes no sense to me because it seems like people are completely missing the entire point. For example, Ghost Rider is one of the cheesiest, goofiest, most absurd movies ever made, but it captures the tone of the comics perfectly. Thus, it's a great comic book movie as opposed to The Dark Knight, which is a great movie that just happens to be based on a comic book. There is a difference.

[dsheinem]

Just because most comic book movies suck

Only to people who don't "get" the genre. Comic books, in general, are inherently ridiculous, so criticizing comic book movies for retaining that aspect makes no sense to me because it seems like people are completely missing the entire point. For example, Ghost Rider is one of the cheesiest, goofiest, most absurd movies ever made, but it captures the tone of the comics perfectly. Thus, it's a great comic book movie as opposed to The Dark Knight, which is a great movie that just happens to be based on a comic book. There is a difference.

It's not hard to "get" the genre or to understand that many comic book films are based on fantastical, farcical, and "cheesy" source material. All of that can be and has been done well on screen. The source material doesn't excuse poor directing, writing, pacing, acting, etc. Comic book films are adaptations and thus they need to translate their stories well to a new medium in order to not suck. Most don't do that these days.

We've talked about favorite comic book/graphic novel-based films in this thread several times before, and most people point to the films coming out from the late 90s to the mid 2000s as sort of the "golden age" of comic book films. Lately, they've mostly sucked.

Also, FWIW, you seem to love EVERYTHING with the baffling exception of Harold and Kumar go to White Castle (which is awesome). If you would do a better job of explaining when and why you don't like a film, maybe your views on film could be better understood or hold more sway.

[Luke]

Just because most comic book movies suck doesn't mean he's "predisposed to hate them" or dislikes the genre. I LOVE a good comic-book based film, but they are so so far and few between.

By analogy, I also think most comedies suck these days, but I'm hardly "predisposed" against the genre.

Exactly. Maybe years from now, only 5 out of 10 comic book movies will suck, but at the current rate...well, most comic book movies are pretty awful films. Also, most movies are ridiculous, but that doesn't mean they have to be stupid. SHREK is absurd, but it's not dumb. And it's a movie about fairy tales, yet everything fits into place and doesn't insult the viewers intelligence.

And I have no clue what Ghost Rider comics Retrodude read, but the ones I read were pretty damned serious for a story about a guy who becomes a flaming skeleton.

[Gunstar Green]

Question: Why is it that critics loved The Avengers, which is just as "stupid" and "nonsensical", and arguably more so, but are now criticizing Man Of Steel for being pretty much the exact same type of movie? Seriously, do you like movies like this or don't you? MAKE UP YOUR MINDS!

Marvel's The Avengers never took itself seriously, had genuine moments and likeable characters, didn't put people to sleep, and the third act actually had some substance and wasn't just disaster porn.

8 out of 10 comic book movies suck.

This is how I felt about the two films. They're both "dumb comic book movies" but the way they handle the material is completely different. There's plenty of good reasons for why a person who would praise one would hate the other.

I think Man of Steel works better as an alien invasion movie than it does as a super hero movie. Even then I would have still personally found it bland. I completely agree with the view that Zod fight was drawn out disaster porn.

I had a longer rant typed up but I decided not to post it since it's probably all been heard before and I've also heard and fully understand all the reasons why a lot of people enjoyed this version of Superman. I just didn't dig it.

Unrelated edit:

And I have no clue what Ghost Rider comics Retrodude read, but the ones I read were pretty damned serious for a story about a guy who becomes a flaming skeleton.

Ghost Rider has had bouts with the absurd but yes, in general it's one of Marvel's darker labels.

And there-in lies the trouble with comics as movies. A lot of these characters have been around for decades and have appeared in hundreds if not thousands of stories with many reboots, retcons, and creative changes.

For most of these characters there's no one consistent version to base a movie on. If you go serious or if you go goofy you're going to annoy someone, somewhere.

That's why these movies have to be judged as cinema, against other works of cinema and not be given a special pass because they're based on a comic book character because that doesn't mean anything.