CarolianOctober2013Issue - St. Charles Preparatory School

The Carolian Page 7The basic premise of the movie,according to IMDb, is that a government-maderobot/alien/whatever named Ultron puts theAvengers out of business until(surprise, surprise!) it turnsagainst them. One of the problemsWhedon has to address isthat, because of the success ofthe first movie, much will be expectedof the film. The first moviewas a superhero fan’s dreamwith not one, not two, but sixsuperheroes causing mayhem.We still have that cast of heroesin this sequel, but that’s the problem.The characters have thesame moves, the same powers. Ithas to be bigger and better;something that doesn’t seem possible.Another point to make isthat there won’t be much morecharacter development. All theheroes already have discoveredtheir potential and have won distinctemotional battles. They’veall told their origin stories andmost importantly, they’ve allbanded together. Now what?Where does Whedon go fromthere? Plus there won’t be muchgoing on romance-wise (not thatthere’s anything wrong with nodrama). The final problem thatthe franchise has, and that Marvelhas had throughout theirmovies, lies in the villains. Simplyput, Marvel has been ineffectivein creating villains that theaudience will remember and love(or hate). Only devoted readersof the original comics know whoUltron is. Marvel has yet to createa villain as iconic and as universallyknown as The Joker orLex Luthor. These problems andseem to be substantial roadblocks to the top of the superheromarket.Verdict- Marvel has nowhere togo but down. The Avengers 2 looksto lead the way.Man of Steel 2 (Batman vs.Superman)- Man of Steel 2 is thesequel to the blockbuster-turnedfailureoriginal. The movie willstay under the same direction asthe first, under Zack Snyder, andthe main actors of the first willstay, like British-born Henry Cavilland sassy Amy Adams. Thebiggest news of this sequel wasthe revelation that Batman wouldbe involved in the movie and thesubsequent casting of Ben Affleckas the Dark Knight.Both the bat-symbol inthe promotional picture and theage of Ben Affleck (41) hint theplot. That bat-symbol is the sameone used in The Dark Knight Returns,a 1986 comic about the returnof Batman after ten years ofretirement. The Batman we’ll seewill probably a moreexperienced,grittier hero; just thekind of guy a young guy like Supermanneeds. However the alternatetitle Superman vs. Batmansuggests some obvious conflict.There are some majorproblems for this greatlyanticipatedsequel. First off, ZackSnyder needs to somehowavenge the horrible first movie.In Man of Steel, Snyder relied onthe incorrect assumption that allthe audience cared about was thelook of the film. He sacrificed astory for expensive CG explosions.Also, the film was too darkfor many people, especially thosewho loved the originals. Anotherproblem with this sequel is that itseems like a jump. Snyder seems,in essence, to be skipping a crucialpoint in the overall storywhere we get to know and lovesocially awkward Clark Kent andhis adventures at The Daily Planet.This will fail to brighten themood, especially since the plotshould only get darker with theintroduction of Batman. Ultimately,this movie is a gamble forDC Comics. Unlike Marvel, thecompany has only one franchisecurrently running. That meansthere’ll be nothing to cushionthem if this movie fails. Eventhough they dominate the videogameindustry and the moderncomics industry, Marvel has yetto express itself through film.Maybe the heroes were nevermeant for the big screen. That’ssomething they need to find outsoon.Verdict- This could be DC’s lastchance at victory. Man of Steel 2seems like a desperate and pressuredcourse of action.Something tells me thatthis battle will not be over soon.The superheroes like Superman,Spiderman, Batman, and CaptainAmerica are characters that willnever die out. However, as a newera of superhero movies begins,the way each company representsitself in these films will alter howthis battle turns out. Therefore,these two blockbusters mark acrucial step in defining an era.May the best team win.