Beware the Batman: "Secrets" Review

Magpie as she appears in this episode

Hey everybody! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! I know this review is super late, but at least I got it out. Anyway, this week's episode of Cartoon Network's Beware the Batman was another pretty good episode. In fact, all the strengths of the last episode return on full force in this one. However, so do some of the weaknesses.

First of all, let's talk about some new characters that are introduced and explored. This episode gives us the first actual in-depth look at Lt. Jim Gordon (voiced by Kurtwood Smith). Gordon feels that Batman should be arrested because he takes the law into his own hands. Kurtwood Smith gives us a great performance as Jim Gordon...but not as good as Bryan Cranston. We also meet Barbra Gordon who is voiced once again by Tara Strong. Barbra is her usual cheerful, Batman-obsessed self and Strong is brilliant as usual.

Barbra as she appears in the show

 The two big characters we get to know in this episode are Magpie and Tatsu Yamashiro (Katana). Magpie is an acrobatic thief with multiple personalities and the main antagonist of the episode. She has a really tragic back story and she's pretty entertaining. Tatsu, we find out, knew Alfred when she was a child.

Oh how little you know about him...

 In those days, Alfred worked for Mi6 and was partnered with her father. Tatsu is not yet wise to the fact that Bruce is Batman. She sees him as weak and continually makes remarks about how boring her job is.

This episode has many strengths. Once again, the action is superb. The animation is looking better and better as well. We see more of Bruce's awesome detective skills as he pulls a Sherlock Holmes reading on Tatsu and even notes the features he finds attractive on a woman. Anthony Ruivivar and JB Blanc are still turning in solid performances as Batman and Alfred respectively. The story is very good at showing you both the big and small pictures simultaneously. The main plot of the episode is resolved at the end of the 30 minutes, but we already know that there's more in store for Batman.  However, my complaint about the villains still stands. Magpie felt even more like a stand-in for a much better villain than Pyg and Toad did. With her acrobatics, fighting, romantic interest in Batman, and Grey DeLisle voice, she feels like a poor man's Catwoman. With her multiple personalities and tragic back story, she feels like a poor man's version of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman. I'm not saying that Joker needs to show up now (though that would be awesome), but make these D list villains act different from much better A listers. That being said, it was announced at Comic Con that more and more familiar villains will start showing up in later episodes. Hopefully, some of these D listers will actually be unique in later episodes too.

All in all, it's another solid episode. The show has tons of potential and if things continue to go the way they do, it'll be a great show. My only complaint is again about the villains. All in all, 8.5/10. Until next time, this is Howitzer reminding you to keep your head down, because you're in The Line of Fire!  

Pacific Rim Review

The head of a Jaeger

Hey everybody! As always, I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! The other day, my dad and I went out to see one of my most anticipated movies of the summer, Guillermo Del Toro's sci-fi mech vs monster masterpiece Pacific Rim. With this awesome movie, Del Toro once again proves that he is indeed a friend of us nerds. This movie had monsters, mechs, and Ron Perlman. What more could any self-respecting nerd ask for? Anyway, let's get into some of the details of the movie.

Believe it or not, this movie is more than just fight scenes. It actually has a well thought-out story. The main story of the movie is that humanity has been at war with a monster race called the Kaiju for years.

One of the many beautiful Kaiju

 Early on in the war, mechs were developed called Jaegers (which are piloted by two people connected by a mental bridge), but now the monsters have adapted and are able to defeat Jaegers. The defeats are so devastating that the government decides to shut down the Jaeger program. this leads Marshal Stacker Pentecost, the head of the program (played by Idris Elba) to gather the remaining Jaegers for a final assault on the Kaiju. to do this, he recruits a washed up Jaeger pilot named Raleigh Becket (played by Charlie Hunnam).

 Becket resigned five years prior after the death of his co-pilot and brother Yancy. I won't give away the rest of the story, but needless to say, it's awesome. It could have gone a bit lighter on the exposition and some of the war movie cliches, but, all in all, it was a really solid story.

There are many great characters and actors in the film. Charlie Hunnam turns in a great performance as the washed-up but awesome Raleigh Becket. Idris Elba continues to prove his amazing skill as Stacker Pentecost.

Idris Elba as Stacker Pentecost

Rinko Kikuchi is both strong and smoking hot as Mako Mori, a rookie pilot and love interest for Becket.

Mako Mori is hot and awesome

Charlie Day and Burn Gorman are hysterical as the comic relief scientists. The two of them play off each other very nicely. Two other notable characters are veteran pilot Herc Hansen and his cocky son, Chuck (played by Max Martini and Robert Kazinsky respectively). Rounding out the main cast is Ron Perlman as Hannibal Chau, a gangster who named himself after, and I quote, his favorite historical figure and his second-favorite Szechuan restaurant in Brooklyn. All of these actors and characters are great fun. You really do get attached to them as the movie goes.

The effects and fight scenes are straight up awesome! Both the Jaegers and the Kaiju are awesome to look at. They move really well and that makes for some epic fights. The fights that occur outside of mechs are very well-done too. It really makes me wonder what Chris Nolan's excuse for crap fight scenes was when I see fight scenes like the ones in this movie.

All in all, the movie is awesome. There are some very cliche moments here or there, but the awesome fights and entertaining story do make up for them. All in all, Del Toro proved that he is still a nerd's best friend (Well, besides Joss Wheadon of course). If only he'd hurry up and make Hellboy 3. Anyway, Pacific Rim is a solid 8/10. It's definitely worth checking out. Until next time, this is Howitzer reminding you to keep your head down, because you're in The Line of Fire!  

Batman/Superman: World's Finest Ideas

Batman/Superman logo seen at SDCC  

Hey everybody! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! I'm sure many of you out there have been keeping your ears open for news from San Diego Comic Con, however, I'll repeat the announcement for those of you who haven't heard yet. Warner Bros. has announced that the Man of Steel sequel that was fast tracked is in fact a Batman/Superman team-up movie! Zach Snyder will be directing the film. Also returning are writer David S. Goyer and Superman himself, Henry Cavill. No titles, characters, plots, release dates, or possible actors for Batman have been announced, but what good would I be if I didn't have an opinion on all of those things. In a previous editorial, I discussed my choices for Batman. I'll also get the simple idea out of the way first; the title of this film needs to be Batman/Superman: World's Finest. Here are some other ideas I have for the movie though:

Story (mild spoilers for Man of Steel):

Alex Ross's depiction of Batman and Superman

In the end of Man of Steel, we see that Metropolis is in ruins. From this point, the story writes itself. Clark Kent begins investigating reports of vigilante activity in other American cities and discovers that two vigilantes, Batman and Arrow, have been active in Gotham and Starling City respectively for some time. Captain of industry Lex Luthor steps forward and places the blame for the destruction of Superman. He also enlists the help of billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne in the reconstruction of Metropolis. Bruce, however, does not trust Lex Luthor and is in fact in Metropolis to investigate Intergang and its ties to the crime families in Gotham as Batman. This brings Batman into contact with Superman. The two do not trust each other, however, they are united in their distrust of Lex Luthor. The two heroes discover that Luthor is in fact tied to Intergang. This leads to an all out war with Batman and Superman battling Intergang and the Gotham crime families. The end of this film should show Batman and Superman begin to recruit other heroes for a team to defend the world from dangers that are both domestic and alien. The story should show Batman and Superman go from uneasy allies to comrades who trust each other enough to reveal their secret identities. It should avoid having the two heroes battle each other and it should only briefly tell Batman's origin. I'm sick of origin movies.

Characters:

Deathstroke

As far as characters go, this movie should be chock full of DC characters. Bruce's trusty buttler Alfred Pennyworth is an absolute must for this movie. Gotham City Police Department Commissioner Jim Gordon (played by Bryan Cranston, please) should appear and be established as secretly pro Batman.

Bryan Cranston is perfect for Jim Gordon

 Lex Luthor is of course necessary if the plot is similar to the one I presented above. If Intergang is involved, then Bruno Mannheim (Head of Intergang) should be in the movie too.

Bruno Mannheim in Superman The Animated Series

 The Gotham crime bosses should be Rupert Thorne, Penguin and possibly Black Mask. Falcone and Maroni would be a little too repetitive seeing as how they were prominently featured in Christopher Nolan's series. When gangs are involved, so are hit men. This leads me to the conclusion that Deathstroke or David Cain should be in the movie on the Gotham families side. Intergang, being funded by Lex Luthor, should obtain pieces of Krypton known as Kryptonite and use it to make weapons and, for the climax of the film, Metallo.

The Kryptonite powered cyborg Metallo

An appearance from the original Red Hood would be welcome too. I'm not suggesting all these characters show up in the same movie, but maybe have Deathstroke and Metallo be the main villains with Luthor, Mannheim, Penguin and Thorne being the behind the scenes villains. These are just a few ideas though.

Batman/Bruce Wayne:

I've said this on here many times, but I'm gonna say it again. I want a Batman with at the very least one year of experience under the cowl. i'd honestly prefer three or four years. I want a Bruce Wayne who is 29 at the very youngest. again, I'd prefer him to be in his 30's. Batman should be a highly skilled martial artist (with cool fights this time, not suckish ones) and detective. I'd love to see a lot more detective work this time around. I also wanna see the classic gadgets and for the love of God, give Batman the classic grey and black color scheme! It can look awesome too!

It doesn't have to look cartoony

   This could be the greatest movie ever. I am literally about to lose my mind over this announcement. If you aren't excited about this movie, you suck. Until next time, this is Ryan Howitzer reminding you to keep your head down because you're in The Line of Fire!

Beware the Batman Premiere Review

Series logo

Hey everybody! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! This past weekend saw the debut episode of a very anticipated and controversial animated series, Beware the Batman , on Cartoon Network. Much like other mega fans of Batman, yours truly had many complaints about the announcements that were being made regarding the show. In particular, the lack of Robin and the lack of iconic villains bothered me. However, after watching the series premiere I can honestly say that the show is well cast, well written, and has a lot of potential. Lets start with the animation. It's 3D animation this time around, which is a source of much of the hate for this show. However, much like the Green Lantern animated series (which unfortunately ended along with Young Justice) the 3D style grew on me as the episode went on. The character designs are pretty good. Alfred is bigger and more muscular than he usually is, but that's not too much of a problem.

Alfred as he appears on the show

 Bruce looks like he usually does. The Batman model is a combination of the 30's style cowl with the longer ears and narrow eyes with the Chris Nolan style suit.

Batman as he appears on the show

My one complaint about the Batman look is that the grey is too dark. It looks entirely black and if you know my taste in Batman costumes, you know that I prefer the black and grey color scheme. The villain designs are decent despite the fact that they have very little in common with their comic book counterparts appearance wise. The batcave looks cool though and the city looks awesome too. The batmobile could use a little help though. The animated fight scenes look excellent though. In one scene Batman dislocates his shoulder and you can kinda see it go out of place (this is a kid's show, so they can't show too much). All in all, the animation and character design is pretty good. Also good is the voice acting. Anthony Ruivivar provides the voice of Batman and Bruce Wayne and does a really good job. I was upset when they cast him instead of somebody like Kevin Conroy or Bruce Greenwood, but he proved to be pretty good. JB Blanc's Alfred is more cockney and less posh, but would you really expect a guy who looks like a 1930's bruiser to talk with a proper accent? The other voice actors do a decent job, although the guy who voices Mr. Toad irritates me. Speaking of Mr. Toad, lets move on to the story and villains. The story is fairly basic. Bio terrorists kidnap wealthy industrialists who have harmed animals and threaten to kill them. Batman then saves the day. The story is done well, but it suffers from one slight problem. That problem is the villains. The story involves bio terrorists which is clearly a call for Poison Ivy. Instead, the writers, who insist on using D list villains for some strange reason, throw in Professor Pyg and Mr. Toad.

Pyg and Toad as seen on the show

 Mr. Toad was introduced as a minion of Professor Pyg in an issue of Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin and was later unceremoniously killed off. Professor Pyg is a serial killer whose name comes from the play Pygmalion. Much like the doctors in the play, Pyg turns women into "dolls" (mind controlled minions called Dolltrons). Pyg, however, mutilates and tortures them. While mutilation and torture can't be shown on kids shows (that didn't stop BTAS or Batman Beyond from showing it though) mind control can. If you're gonna use a villain, use them right. Don't just throw them in there to be "different" because that's just asinine. the problem I see with this show continuing to use D listers as the main villains is that they're going to be doing things that actually good villains like Joker, Riddler, and Two-Face would do, but instead of seeing these writer's awesome take on those villains, we see villains that Dick Grayson beat up while he was still 12.  All things considered, the show is off to a great start. It has cool visuals, good acting, and good writing. The only thing it needs is the classic villains that everybody knows and loves. I give the premiere of Beware the Batman a 7/10. Until next time, this is Howitzer saying keep your head down because you're in The Line of Fire!        

Punisher: Welcome Back To the Big Screen, Frank

Thomas Jane as Frank Castle/Punisher from the 2004 film The Punisher

Hello everybody! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! Today I'm posting about one of my absolute favorite characters in all of comics. If you hadn't already guessed from the title, we're talking about Frank Castle aka The Punisher. For those of you unfamiliar with Punisher, he was a Marine involved in the Special Forces. When he retired from the military, he got married and started a family. One day during a picnic, Frank and his family witness a killing performed by the Maggia crime syndicate. His family is killed, but he survived the attack and declared a one man war on crime. As I said in my Daredevil post yesterday, Disney/Marvel Studios recently reacquired the film rights to Punisher. As of yet, they have not put a Punisher film into production, but with his popularity and status as a cultural icon (thanks to his iconic skull shirt) I'm sure one will be put into production soon. This is not Frank's first outing on the big screen, though. There have actually been three previous Punisher films. The first one, The Punisher, was released in 1989 and starred none other than Dolph Lundgren as Frank Castle.

Notice the distinct lack of a skull on Dolph's shirt 

 The movie was more of a generic 80's gritty cop movie than a Punisher flick. In fact, Lundgren never wore the skull shirt in the movie. The second movie, also called The Punisher, was released in 2004. this is the best film in the Punisher's film history. It starred Thomas Jane as Frank Castle. It was a good film despite some flaws and some character issues with Frank (his family's murder wasn't a random act of violence, Frank being an alcoholic), but that couldn't save the movie from being a box office flop. This was largely due to the fact that by 2004 the R rated blockbuster was all but dead. Another film titled Punisher: War Zone was released in 2008. It sucked. It REALLY sucked. So how can Marvel Studios enhance the good things from the 2004 film and avoid the mistakes of War Zone? As usual in these editorials, I have a list.



1. Make a serious R rated movie

The Punisher is the grittiest and most grounded character in all of comics. His movie needs to be almost entirely devoid of humor. It also needs to have a very serious tone and a mature plot. the action needs to be down and dirty. No flash, no CGI. Also, blood and gore need to be seen in the movie. If they decide to go with Punisher's biggest enemy, Jigsaw, They need some seriously nasty practical effects.

Punisher villain Jigsaw

 This movie needs to be a film about crime and punishment.  It needs all the grit and grime and gore of a very serious R rated film. Punisher cannot and should not be toned down to PG-13.





2. Bring back Thomas Jane.

Thomas Jane's death stare

Thomas Jane was the perfect Punisher. He looked right. He talked right. He even walked right. He's very good at being intimidating in the quiet kinda way. He had that look in his eye of a man who had nothing to lose and would pull out all the stops to kill criminals. He's perfect for the role. I'm yet to see another actor as qualified as him.


3. Script by Garth Ennis or Greg Rucka

The two best writers in Punisher history are most definitely Greg Rucka and Garth Ennis. Both of them would bring a gritty, unique story to the big screen. Both of them have written for more than just comics and i think it wouldn't be a huge leap for either of them to write the screen play for a Punisher movie. I think both of them would be very enthusiastic about the project and would put in their very best work.

4. Tie in with Daredevil

Punisher and Daredevil don't get along very well

   Punisher and Daredevil have a very long history in comics. Daredevil sees Punisher as a thug while Punisher sees Daredevil as too weak to deal with the disease of crime. the two characters contrast each other brilliantly. Since they pretty much share the same rogues gallery, it would be very easy to see a movie featuring the two of them taking down the Maggia syndicate or even The Hand. A Daredevil/Punisher crossover film would be epic. It would also be a good examination of the long debate over lethal vs. non-lethal justice in comics. I see no way that htis film would be a bad thing.







If Marvel Studios will go gritty for just one film, they'll give us the best Punisher movie we've ever had. Until next time, this is Ryan Howitzer telling you to keep your head down because you're in The Line of Fire!

How to do Daredevil right.

The poster for Daredevil

Hey everybody! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! Many of you have probably noticed that this blog is sort of dominated by DC comics stuff. The truth is I'm more of a DC guy than Marvel, so that's probably gonna be a common thing here. That being said, I love Marvel too and I've really been enjoying their new Cinematic Universe. Recently, Disney/Marvel has reacquired the film rights to some of their characters. Among those characters are Daredevil, Punisher, Ghost Rider, and Blade. I'm especially excited about Daredevil and Punisher. I'll get to Punisher in a later post, so for now, let's focus on Daredevil. for those of you unfamiliar with Daredevil, he's a blind vigilante in the Marvel Universe. His real name is Matt Murdock. He was blinded by an accident where he was hit by a truck carrying toxic wastes. His blindness enhanced his other senses and gave him a sensory based radar. Shortly after the accident, his father, boxer Battling Jack Murdock, was killed by the Kingpin for refusing to throw a fight. Matt Murdock trained with a blind martial artist named Stick. Stick trained him to use his radar and taught him to be a fierce and skilled martial artist. Now grown, Matt Murdock is a criminal defense attorney by day and the vigilante Daredevil by night. Daredevil is a great character who is fully capable of carrying his own movie. Unfortunately, however, most mainstream audiences only know Daredevil from the horribly mishandled 2003 movie Daredevil, which starred Ben Affleck in the titular role. What will it take for Disney and Marvel to remove the horrible taste from our mouths? Well, as usual, I have a list of things.

1. Go dark

More scenes like this

Daredevil is a very brooding character who has had a very tragic life. He protects Hell's Kitchen, which is a very rough neighborhood in Manhattan. This movie has to be pretty dark to stay true to the character. We need lots of shadows and rainy scenes and less fights on playgrounds.

This is an actual scene in the movie. I'm not kidding

We need violent criminals getting beaten to a pulp by a man dressed up like a demon. I know Marvel's usual shtick with their movies is a lighter tone with plenty of humor, but Daredevil needs to get dark. Besides, it'll give the movies some variety.




2. Make the villains interesting

Bullseye the way he's supposed to be

 One thing that hurt the 2003 movie was that the villains were boring. The big bad in Daredevil's rogues gallery is The crime lord known as The Kingpin. Kingpin in the head of the Maggia crime family. He's ruthless, clever, and brutal. He's also not afraid to engage in fisticuffs with his enemies. The version on display in the movie, however, was dull and uninspired.

He looks like a kid playing gangster

 Michael Clarke Duncan is a great actor, but his Kingpin was just a generic crime boss. There was nothing interesting about him. He didn't have that ruthless edge that Kingpin should have. The other villain in the movie was Bullseye, an assassin who's run-ins with Daredevil are frequent. Collin Farrell played Bullseye and turned in a truly strange performance with an equally strange costume. Rather than Bullseye's usual look (seen above), the movie went with a bald man in a long coat that had crosshairs tattooed on his forehead.

Is he wearing an alligator skin coat and leather pants? 

Both villains were boring and very different from their comic book personas. For the next go around, the filmmakers need to give the villains interesting personalities and motivations. Bullseye's "I never miss" thing got old after awhile. Especially after he kept missing. Kingpin needs to be more brutal and ruthless. The writer of the next film should look at past gangsters and develop Kingpin from them as well as the comics. Michael Clarke Duncan was pretty much a cartoon gangster with his white suit and cigar.

3. Stylish martial arts

Daredevil's chosen weapon is the billy club

Learn from Christopher Nolan's mistakes here. Daredevil and Batman are both excellent martial artists. Both of them need to be doing awesome high-flying kicks and such. Get a really good escrima choreographer for Daredevil so that his billy club fighting is awesome. Somebody like Tony Jaa would make an excellent choreographer for a Daredevil film.

With those things, I'm sure we'll have an excellent Daredevil film from Disney/Marvel. Until next time, this is Howitzer saying keep your head down, because you're in The Line of Fire!    

Man of Steel Review

Hey everybody! I'm Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! Before I get to the review, let me give some background here. Growing up, I loved Superman. every little boy dreams of flying and being super strong and I was no different. I watched the movies with Christopher Reeve and the 90's cartoon series which is, in my opinion, the most faithful adaptation of Superman. To this day I love Superman and see him as the ultimate symbol of truth, justice and hope in pop culture. I've suffered through the painful agony of the overly long and dramatic Smallville. I watched the boring and dull deadbeat dad version of Superman in the atrocious Superman Returns. But now, after many years of suffering and waiting, I have reached the end of the Superman purgatory. I have reached the paradise that is Man of Steel.

Henry Cavill as Superman

Man of Steel is an amazing Superman movie. In fact, it's the Superman movie we've always wanted. This movie features Superman actually using his powers and throwing punches. He isn't just flying around and asking "Who am I?" He isn't stalking his old girlfriends. He is learning to be a hero and use his powers for good. The Superman on display here is a very young and inexperienced hero. He's still learning the limits of his powers and how to control them. We also see that he has a good heart and he wants to help people and give them hope. He's the perfect balance of the two Superman extremes that we see in most modern comics. He's not the angry god running around vaporizing people because he can't control his temper, but he's no flower child either. This is a Superman who will protect Earth and its population at all costs. Henry Cavill (pictured above) gives a wonderful performance as Superman. He's very humble and warm, but he will fight if he has to. He has that perfect Superman voice that has just the right balance of authority and warmth. He gives the best performance of Superman since Reeve. 

Michael Shannon as General Zod

The story is an excellent blend of origin and super hero action. It starts with the final days of Krypton and gives us the most in-depth look at Superman's home world we've ever seen. It also introduces us to the villain of the film, General Zod. It then transitions to Earth and gives us a very deep and emotional look at Clark's youth in Smallville. It shows him travel around the world to form an opinion of the human race. Around the half way point of the movie, Clark finds an old Kryptonian exploration ship where he learns from his father Jor-El about his home world. He's given his suit and he begins to learn to use his powers. After this sequence, the conflict comes about. General Zod has come to Earth to rebuild Krypton and Superman must stop him. This all culminates in a very epic climax that features lots and lots of destruction, action, and awesome Zack Snyder special effects. 

Russel Crowe as Jor-El

Now lets move on to the other characters. Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner are both brilliant in their roles as Jor-El and Jonathan Kent respectively. Michael Shannon gives a great performance as General Zod. Zod is also given a very compelling and twisted motivation that I dare not spoil for any of you who haven't seen the movie. Amy Adams does a decent job as Lois Lane.

Amy Adams as Lois Lane

The one criticism I have of her is that she didn't bring anything new to the role as Lois Lane. If you're looking for a brand new take on Lois, you'll be disappointed, but if you just want to see traditional, tough Lois Lane, Amy Adams does just fine. The other characters are good as well. Laurence Fishburne is a very good Perry White. The military characters are heroic and interesting. Emil Hamilton is a great character too. Martha Kent and Lara are both excellent mother characters and are played very well. Faora is a very compelling villain as well. All in all, the movie is very well cast and has many great characters.

In spite of what you may have heard from the critics, Man of Steel is a very good movie with great action, acting, characters, and special effects. It's also chock full of references to everything from Wayne Enterprises and Lexcorp to Aquaman.  If I have one criticism for this movie, it's that the destruction and action go a little over the top. I know Zach Snyder loves his CGI, but do we really need to show Metropolis get half destroyed? All in all, it's a great movie and it will be a great launch pad into the DC Cinematic Universe. I give it a 9/10. Until next time, keep your head down because you're in The Line of Fire! 

Green Lantern Take 2

All the Lantern Corps heavy hitters fighting. Think of how epic this could be!

Hey everybody, you're in The Line of Fire! As I said in my last post, Man of Steel has opened up the door for an expanded DC Cinematic Universe. My last post talked exclusively about Batman, but let's focus on another key member of the Justice League, Green Lantern. GL, much like Batman and Superman, has been handled poorly in the past. Unless somebody out there found or invented the flashy thing from Men in Black, I'm pretty sure everybody remembers the cheesy and goofy big screen debut of Green Lantern back in 2011. I don't know about everyone else, but I personally don't want to see that kind of crap ever again. It's not like everything was working against them either. They had the guy who directed The Mask of Zorro, Casino Royal and Goleneye in the directors chair. They had an all-star cast with Mark Strong, Ryan Reynolds, Michael Clarke Duncan and even Geoffrey Rush. So what were the problems? Well, the script was stupid. Plain and simple. If your story sucks, your movie probably will suck too. So what does it take to make a good Green Lantern movie? Well, it takes these things:

1. A Good Villain

Sinestro done the right way.

Parallax is a complicated villain for a first outing. I know that the studio wanted yellow energy to be introduced so that Sinestro could try to harness it, but what they ended up with was the DCCU equivalent of the Galactus cloud from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. There are so many better options for a villain. Why not the Manhunters? Why not have Hal Jordan save the Earth from the Manhunters trying to break their treaty with the Guardians? Why not the Red Lantern Corps?

Those guys would look awesome on screen

Have the Guardians explain that just like Hal's willpower drew the ring to him, another human's rage can draw the red light to him? Better yet, why not go with Sinestro? He has a widows peak and a mustache. His name sounds like the word sinister. We all know he's not gonna be a good guy for very long. Explain that to defeat Parallax, Sinestro forged a yellow power ring, but his power drove him crazy and he killed Abin Sur. Green Lantern has no shortage of villains. Don't go with the giant space bug.











2. More Lanterns

Green Lantern John Stewart

This movie promised us that various Lanterns from the comics would be present in the film. Aside from a few cameos from Tomar-Re and Kilowog as well as a particularly useless Sinestro, there was nothing but a sweeping shot showing us a bunch of people on a planet wearing green. There are so many great characters to explore. Show more of Kilowog. Show us Abin Sur's son. Introduce us to the other human lanterns as well. Introduce us to the brash and hotheaded Guy Gardner.

Guy Gardner Green Lantern

Show us the tough, disciplined Marine in John Stewart (pictured above). Show the artistic brilliance and creativity of Kyle Rayner.

Kyle Rayner Green Lantern

 Show us the other lantern corps too. I want to see the anger and rage of the Reds. I want to see the Yellows using fear as a weapon. Show the hopeful Blues and loving Star Sapphires. Show the avarice and greed of the Oranges. Don't stop with Hal. There is so much more to explore.








3. Treat Green Lantern like a Space Opera

Look at all those alien races. That's just in the Green Lantern Corps. 

If Man of Steel is the sci-fi action movie in the DCCU, then Green Lantern should be the sci-fi adventure. Give it the Star Trek treatment. Showcase sprawling alien worlds. Have battles in the depths of space. Show the Corps saving alien races as well as the humans. Green Lantern is very much DC's space opera. Make the next one more of an adventure through space that shows off all the planets in the DC universe. Forget Hal's love life. We don't need to spend half the movie on it.

4. Take the Story Seriously

Not cool Warner Bros. Not cool

This is supposed to be an epic story about a cosmic police force fighting to protect the innocent of the galaxy. This isn't a comedy or a parody. It's ok to have comic relief, but don't try to make the movie funny. No Hot Wheels track product placement. When you don't take the story seriously, it hurts the movie. The goal shouldn't be to make a funny summer blockbuster that will get kids to buy toys. The goal should be to make an epic sci-fi adventure and on top of that, a good movie that will connect back to the Justice League.

If those four things will be put into the next attempt at a Green Lantern movie, I guarantee it will be a better film. Until next time, keep your heads down because you're in The Line of Fire!            

The Batman movie we deserve

Hey everybody. I'm back and, once again, you're in the line of fire! With the recent release of Man of Steel (review forthcoming), DC has finally made a movie that will be a suitable starting point for an expanded DC cinematic universe (or DCCU as I'll be calling it now). With that, hopefully, we'll be seeing Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern (done correctly with a script that doesn't suck...more on that in another post), Aquaman and even Martian Manhunter come to the big screen. With these characters will have to come a new version of my all time favorite super hero, Batman. I have spent many hours and many conversations speculating over what's next for the Caped Crusader and how it should be carried out. Here are the things that I think would make the next big screen outing for the Dark Knight the best Batman film of all time:

1. Do not do another origin story.

The first issue of the Year One storyline

In 1987, we got our first look at the early career of Batman with Frank Miller's excellent mini-series Batman: Year One. It's not 1987 anymore. Year One has been around for 26 years. Batman Begins, which came out in 2005, was largely an adaptation of Year One. Year One has its own animated adaptation which is pretty much lifted panel for panel out of the comics. Scott Snyder is spending the entire summer on a mini-series called Zero Year which is his own version of Batman's early career.

Zero Year logo

 To cap it all off, Warner Bros. Montreal is releasing the video game Batman: Arkham Origins, which is, you guessed it, a video game about Batman's early career.

Screen shot from Batman: Arkham Origins

We have 5 different versions of the origin story here. All of them are pretty recent and mainstream. Don't spend another movie retreading the same old ground. If you don't know the origin story of one of the biggest pop culture icons in history, here it is: When he was eight, Bruce Wayne saw his parents get killed in a random act of street crime. When he got older, he left home to travel the world and train himself to become the ultimate crime fighter. He came home, dressed up in a bat costume and now beats up criminals while maintaining the persona of a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist (Tony Stark can suck it). There it is. I summed it up in 3 sentences. Now no more origin stories. We already know it and haven't forgotten any of it. So don't make it again.



2. Have Bruce be well into his career as Batman.

This goes along with the last point. The cool thing about Tim Burton's Batman movies is that when the first movie starts, Batman is at least 3 years into his career.

I'm Batman, and I know what I'm doing

 I don't want the Batman who's tripping over his cape and trying to find out who he is. I want Batman already in his niche and already has an arsenal of working and reliable gadgets. I want a Batman who's taken down entire crime syndicates and has made so much noise that people are actually believing he exists. Heck, I want him to be getting more and more brutal and less and less human. Why? Because it leads to the next thing that needs to be in this new Batman movie.



3. Robin

Tim Drake as Robin. Doesn't he just look awesome?  

"Robin is a total fag!" "Robin sucks!" "Robin is a Hit-Girl ripoff!" "Chris O'Donnell sucks!" I know what you people are thinking. Let me go ahead and say that all of you are WRONG! The only correct statement above is that Chris O'Donnell sucks. Yea, he was the worst thing to ever happen to Robin (including getting brutally beaten by Joker and the insufferable Damian Wayne).

Chris O'Donnell as the worst adaptation of Robin ever

 However, Robin is way different from this. Robin is there to keep Batman human. He's the one light in the gloom of Batman's life. If handled right, Robin can be a spectacular character. His last big screen appearance was the atrocious Batman and Robin in 1997 (JGL doesn't count). We need Robin back. We need Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake.

Dick Grayson as the hero Nightwing

All 3 of them need to be present in this new Batman franchise. They all have great potential for their own franchises too. How awesome would a Nightwing movie be?  Or how about a Titans movie? Red Hood?

Jason Todd as the anti-hero Red Hood

 Robin holds a lot of untapped potential. He doesn't have to be campy either. Have you seen Young Justice? That's a great version of Robin. How about the new web series Grayson: Earth One? That's a pretty grim version of Dick Grayson. Just give us more Robin.


4. Fully embrace the fantasy.

Is this really too much to ask for?

This is a movie about a billionaire who dresses up like a bat, jumps off rooftops, and beats criminals with his fists. Why on earth would you be preoccupied with realism? Why try to make a crime drama that just happens to feature Batman? Go for broke! Have Mr. Freeze in a cryogenic suit with a freeze gun. Have Poison Ivy control plants and have a mind control kiss. Have Killer Croc be a giant crocodile man. Screw realism and go crazy. This is going to be in a shared universe with a man from another planet who can fly and a guy who can break the sound barrier while running. Even if you want it all to be explainable, Superman had his own pseudo-science to explain his powers. If super hero movies are good at anything, it's making up pseudo-science to explain away all the fantasy.

5. Grey and black costume.

Doesn't that look awesome? 

If the New 52 comics and the Arkham games can prove anything, it's that the good old grey and black suit doesn't have to look like spandex. you can do a grey and black costume that still looks like armor. Just don't keep doing batsuits that are all black. batman needs the black, grey and yellow. Monochromatic costumes on heroes are BORING. Why does superman get two colors, but Batman doesn't?


6. Recast Joker and don't try to duplicate Heath Ledger.

Yes, he was brilliant, but he's not the only person who can touch Joker

A lot of people think that Joker shouldn't be done again because Heath Ledger can't be topped. Heath Ledger gave an amazing performance. His death was tragic. However, his Joker is not the definitive Joker. His Joker is vastly different from the comic book Joker. Don't try to beat Heath Ledger. Try to be different from him. Make a Joker that thinks killing people is funny. Make a Joker who has lots of tricks and devices. Don't retread old ground. Go a completely different route.


7. Stylish martial arts

Batman should take down multiple attackers at once!

Batman spent a lot of time training with various martial artists, but in Nolan's movies, we see him fight like a thug. Why? Why bother with the ninjas if you never show him kick any higher than his waistline? In the next movie, get Batman a better choreographer and have him throw more kicks and fight multiple enemies at once. Have him throw kicks and chops and hammer fists. Have him break bones and do Akido. Give the fights more spice!  

If the new movies follow those guide lines, we could have the best Batman movie ever. Until next time, This is the Howitzer saying keep your head down, because you're in the line of fire!