The Lex Factor: Three possible bald men

The following article was written by Kate Knight.

Man of Steel spoilers below. Be warned.

So, the new Superman film is out.  I’ve seen it.  I loved it.  It had some flaws, but they’re forgivable.   It’s a film that I’d be happy to pay to see again and you’d better believe I’ll be getting it when it comes out on DVD.  

To me, it’s a given that we’ll get another slice of the Man of Steel pie in two or three years time.  My question is, who’ll be the baddy? 

General Zod was an excellent introductory villain, but he ain’t coming back is he?  To coin a phrase from Blackadder which I think appropriately sums up his situation, ‘if not very nearly dead, then very actually dead’.   And whilst there is certainly some ambiguity as to the fate of the minions of Zod at the end of MoS, to bring them back for the next film risks turning a sequel into a remake of the first. 

No, to my mind, the next film needs a new baddy.  A big, bald, baddy.  The next film needs Lex Luther.

Luther is a great Superhero villain that everyone knows.   He’s the manipulative, intelligent, psychopathic thorn in Superman’s side.   He’d be perfect for the next MoS film.  The great thing about Luther is that there is a depth of character there, which would allow any actor who played him to explore different facets of his personality and also gives room for several interpretations.  

I want to see Luther in the next film, but who will play him?  Who will join greats such as Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey who’ve brought this villain to life? I even quite liked Michael Rosenbaum in Smallville, but we won’t go into that here)

Here are my top 3 picks for Luther:  

Matt Damon

Oscar winning actor, Matt Damon.   Team America may have rendered me unable to say his name without sounding slightly simple, but a bad actor he is not. 

I think Damon would be an excellent Luther.  Firstly, he’s about the right age for the role.  Luther is often portrayed as a peer of Superman in the comics and graphic novels (usually around 4-5 years older, but certainly a contemporary) so if we’re keeping Cavill we don’t want someone of Hackman or Spacey’s generation.  

I think back to Damon’s chilling performance in The Talented Mr Ripley and wonder, could he bring this to the Luther role too?  It’s cold and calculating.  Never quite what he seems.   I want a Luther, which explores different facets of his personality and is not one-dimensional.   We know that Damon brings a credibility and professionalism to the role.  I wonder though, would his performance be just a little sterile? 

If it’s going to be Damon, I want The Talented Mr Ripley Damon and not We Just Bought a Zoo Damon. 

Leonardo Di Caprio

He was my schoolgirl crush from when I was about 11 to 14.  When I hit 14 and he started to look like one of my uncles, the crush subsided, but my admiration for his acting ability continued. 

Di Caprio is one of those actors who has undertaken a breadth of work that is sometimes overlooked.  I mean, Man in the Iron Mask and Titanic aren’t great examples of his acting ability but certainly when you look at his performances in Blood Diamond and Django Unchained you see his ability to really bring a character to life. 

We’ve seen him do large scale, action films such as Titanic and Inception so we know he can take the pace and hold his own in those types of films.  We’ve also seen him take on mental illness and obsession in The Aviator and Shutter Island.   Luther is a sociopath and that needs to come across on screen too.

He’s my favourite American to play Luther.  I’d like to see him have a go at this one.  Question is, would he shave off that pretty head of hair?  Because if you want to be Luther the mantra is - it’s go bald or go home.

Benedict Cumberbatch  

This chap has got the potential to be one of greatest British Actors of our time.  That’s not overstating the case either.  I mean, seriously, did you see him in Into Darkness?  He acted the rest of the cast out of the room, and it wasn’t even a bad cast!

He’s relatively up and coming in the film world, having done quite a bit of television and mostly stage acting previously.  I haven’t yet been lucky enough to see him on stage, but I’m reliably informed that his performance as Frankenstein’s monster some years ago was incredible.   The first thing I ever saw him in was a one off TV programme called Hawking where he played Stephen Hawking back in 2004, and I remember thinking even then that he would be one to watch. 

The reason I like Cumberbatch for this role is that we know he is versatile and has the ability to pull out elements of a character’s personality that perhaps another actor may not have considered.  He makes the role his own and he is more than capable of holding his own against actors who are household names.   Just look at Tinker Tailor.  

Whilst Into Darkness is arguably his first mainstream film breakthrough, it won’t be his last.  I think he’s the type of actor that will seek out roles that challenge him physically and mentally – Luther would do that.  He’s not one-dimensional and there’s a history there that an actor of quality could sink their teeth into. 

Plus, I reckon he’d shave his head.

So those are my picks.  Hollywood very rarely listens to me when it comes to making films but who knows!   I’d say it was a fair bet we’ll see Luther in the next MoS film, but will see Damon, Di Caprio or Cumberbatch? – we shall have to wait and see! 

Man of Steel

Superman has always been my number two comic book hero, and in all honesty will probably always occupy that spot behind Batman. In terms of films, Superman has largely lagged behind Batman, only really offering two great additions to the genre (Superman The Movie and Superman 2), but with Man of Steel, the creative team behind The Dark Knight trilogy and Zack Snyder aim to help the first ever superhero to close that gap and take his place at the top table.

In Man of Steel, we follow Clark Kent from his birth on Krypton amidst a military coup, his journey through space, his formative years in Smallville and his search across the globe to find out who his biological parents and he was sent to Earth. Meanwhile, the events of Krypton, which I won’t spoil, ultimately leads General Zod to Earth in search of Kal El.

It’s a big role to fill in the eyes of both the general public and the more hardcore fan, but Henry Cavill has taken on the role of Superman (although he is only referred to as this once in the whole film, and apologetically at that) and truly making it his own, by taking the core elements of the character and updating it for the current time. One of the most original aspects of the portrayal, as well as the way the character is written, is his loneliness and growing isolation with the people of earth. This is something that wasn’t touched upon by any of the previous films, but is a key part the of best Superman stories (Kingdom Come by Mark Waid is a key text for the subject). But the journey through the film that Clark/Kal takes is the one of the most enjoyable and rich origin stories ever put to film.

Although, not all of Clarks character arc falls on the very strong shoulders of Cavill. Cooper Timberline and Dylan Sprayberry are the two young actors (who play a 9 and 13 year old Kal El) who have some major scenes that really shape the viewers opinions on Clark and are instrumental in gaining their sympathies and support.

Both have a key scene with one of the Kent’s, Timberline has a scene with Diane Lane, some of which was seen in the trailers, where she has to talk him down after some of his powers suddenly manifest themselves and he begins hearing everyone’s voices. Sprayberry spends more time with Costner’s Jonathan Kent, including a scene that features the infamous “maybe” line. It’s in these scenes that we see the difficult upbringing and childhood that Clark had, as he fought against his powers and his parents tried to keep them a secret to keep him safe.

The structure Man of Steel follows a similar structure to Batman Begins, with the first half cutting back and forth between three of four timelines, introducing a number of plot threads, which then breaks into the single driving events of the second half. This last half and everything that is at stake all comes as a result of the various triumphs and tragedies that have led Clark Kent to this point.

With all comic book films, a lot of responsibility lies on the shoulders of the villain. No matter how good your hero is, if he has no one struggle with or test him, then there is no tension or true stakes. Luckily for Man of Steel, Michael Shannon is on his best form, not only is he threatening and dangerous, but in a warped way his reasoning is completely understandable. He is the hero of his own story. His sole purpose is to protect Krypton and he is willing and capable of doing anything to make that happen. Shannon goes from calm and methodical, to crazed and emotional effortlessly, more remarkably, none of these transitions feel forced, but give us a fully rounded, almost sympathetic villain.

It’s no surprise that the story starts on Krypton, the original Superman did and so it feels only natural that the next version of his origin should once again begin there. That, apart from the destruction and Kal El being sent into space, is where the similarities end.

This sequence is amazing; it condenses so much history and social structure into ten or fifteen minutes, along with several action sequences that will leave you wanting more. This is down to the interplay between Crowe and Shannon, as well as Ayelet Zurer (Lara Lor Van, Kal El’s mother), which hints at a long and interesting relationship, twisted by differing ethics and morals, but united by a common understanding of Krypton’s fate.

Lois Lane can draw a similar response as Catwoman from some viewers, you either get the character and her interpretation, or you actively rebel against it, finding them clichéd as they try to force a strong woman into a male dominated narrative. With Amy Adams performance, we don’t get any of the irritating or helpless heroine that at times has plagued the character.

But instead we get a strong, independent journalist who you could see travelling the globe, searching out stories and chasing down this one of a guardian angel. In future films, this role and relationship with Clark is going to grow and could easily become one of the strengths of the series.

Man of Steel is huge, in fact that is a bit of an understatement, it’s an epic that spans not only our planet, but also other planets and another dimension. One of the criticisms of Superman Returns was that there wasn’t enough action, which is a fair criticism of that film, Man of Steel doesn’t make that mistake, it goes big, real big. The battle of Smallville is probably the highlight as we finally get to see Kal El’s powers in full force on screen. Buildings are torn apart, trains thrown through the air and fighter jets brought down left and right. Although, this seems to be a bit much for some people, who have found the level of action and violence in points to be too much, skewing the other way in terms of action content. It seems that some people can’t be satisfied.

This film is as much about Clark and his life going forward, as it is the story of his parents, all four of them. Of the three that Clark meets and talks to, they all pull him in different directions, offering their guidance and viewpoints, but never telling Clark what to do. They let him decide what he wants to, to aspire to be whatever he wants to.

Russell Crowes Jor El is so different from Marlon Brando’s that they almost feel like different characters; the only thing they share is their love for their son and the willingness to do anything to keep him safe. This Jor El is as physically capable as he is mentally, equally adept at arguing his case with Zod and the Kryptonian council, as he is fighting off anyone who stands between him and his sons safety. Another great part of this version is that we get to spend a lot of time with him, I won’t say how, but it’s in a similar way to the crystals from the previous films. It would be fair to say that Crowe almost steals the show.

Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent may seem like one of those obvious bits of casting, and maybe it was, but it pays off for Snyder, as Jonathan becomes the voice of reason as well as the heart of film, who above all wants Clark to be safe. I could go on about this performance, but watch the ‘Tornado’ sequence, a largely dialogue free scene, that shows Jonathan Kent at his most important and Costner at his best.

The easiest way I can sum up this film is in two quick comments, firstly I am going to go and see this film again as soon as I can and secondly, GO AND SEE THIS FILM NOW. This film will sit along side The Dark Knight Trilogy, and hopefully spawn sequels of a similar quality, in spite of an apparent craving for a Justice League film.

Believe in Superman, he is definitely back to his best.

Star Trek Into Darkness

This review is a little late, but I’ve been a little busy in the last two weeks. I’ll keep this one brief, as Into Darkness has been out for over three weeks now, and its theatrical run will be coming to an end soon.

The first in JJ Abrams rebooted Star Trek  series did what not a lot of people thought you could do. Make a Trek film for this generation, but that also honoured the original series and its ideas, and breathed life into a franchise that had grown stale in the previous decade. The challenge with Into Darkness was to carry on this idea, but to go bigger (as all sequels tend to demand), with more spectacle and to continue to bring us more of the crew that was the undoubted strongest part of the first film.

The plot of Into Darkness, is a relatively straight forward one, as this review will be spoiler free I will keep it brief, a former Star Fleet officer John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) shows up and blows up a building, and generally causes a bit of havoc, which prompts Kirk (Chris Pine) to request to go after him, even though where he has fled to, is a planet they can’t go. See no spoilers.

There are a few twists and turns along way, probably less than in the first film, but this certainly helps the film as it allows us more time with our two leads, Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto) as well as giving Harrison a good amount of time to become a very credible threat.

The most interesting part of the film is the Kirk and Spock relationship, which manages to juggle brotherly aspects first, mixed with ethical and moral ideals unique to each character, all done with quick and snappy dialogue that doesn’t bog down or hold the pace of the film back.

The first act and last act are where this relationship is probably seen and emphasised the boast, as its where there individual morals and outlooks on life and their profession are in the spotlight the most, and offers up a few interesting questions about the way they act, and what the other one would have done in a similar situation. The opening rescue mission of the film offers the purest look at the characters views and behaviour patterns, that will go on to be so crucial in the finale.

The only section of the film that could have used some streamlining, was the early Star Fleet section, as regards to the captaincy of the Enterprise. It is convoluted and could have easily been simplified to instead focus on Kirk and his relationships with both Spock and Pike, who is somewhat of father figure to him.

One of the biggest mysteries of the film, prior to release, was who Benedict Cumberbatch would be playing, and I won’t give away anything other than what I already have. What wasn’t going to be a mystery was just how awesome he was going to be, he steals or owns, depending on how you look at it, each scene he is in. Worse than that, he makes it look effortless, knowing exactly when to go big and when to dial it down to a terrifying, single softly spoken word. Specifically referring to his first line to Kirk of “Captain?”. Into Darkness is worth the price of admission for Cumberbatch alone.

It’s a sad day when you realise that the dull and clunky Iron Man 3, has made much more than Into Darkness, and this is coming from someone who isn’t loyal to the Star Trek franchise. So I urge you all to go and change that.

Boldy go where you haven’t been before, basically the cinema to see Star Trek Into Darkness.

The Place Beyond The Pines

I saw this film on the same day as Iron Man 3 and to put it very briefly, I enjoyed this film much more. Maybe it was that this was the first film I saw that day, or could have been the scale, story and ambition that this film had in abundance. It was by no means perfect, but as everyone says “no film is perfect”.

Pines is the second film from director and co-writer Derek Cianfrance, who gave us the bruising Blue Valentine in 2010. In this film we are given a generational story about fathers and sons, manhood and coming of age that underlines every action and plot point in the film. As with Valentine, Cianfrance has attracted an impressive cast that really helps to bring depth to every character, even those whose lives we only meet briefly.

Spoilers below.

One of the films biggest talking points and most ambitious elements is its structure. Arguably the film could be interpreted as having two, three or even four parts. This is down to two similarly substantial changes in each of the two time periods, which dramatically change the events and nature of the characters and the narrative.

To explain, the film is broken into two time periods, separated by a fifteen year time jump that occurs around two thirds of the way through the film. In the first part we follow, first Ryan Gosling’s Luke, a motorcycle stunt driver who takes to robbing banks to support his one year old son.  We then transition to Bradley Cooper’s Avery, a police officer who chases Luke down.

What makes Pines so interesting is that the two leading men only have one extended sequence together, other than that they spend no time together on camera.

Following the jump forward we meet each man’s son.  They both go to the same school and become friends. It is a coincidence, but by this point the film has earned that and it is never emphasised, it is down to luck, in much the same way that their fathers met.

As for the structure, the film is driven in its individual parts by the male leads of that chapter. Gosling is the first we meet, so it seems only right that we start there. Gosling gives one of his better performances, but it still feels forced and at times over acted as he tries to make this character come across as believable. It’s hard to say where it doesn’t feel right, or comes across as natural, there just seems to be a feeling that it isn’t completely working. He is light years better than he was in Drive, but not quite on the level of Half Nelson.

Quite simply, this is one of, if not the best performances I have ever seen Bradley Cooper give and tops off a great year for him with this and Silver Linings Playbook. The film picks up whenever he is on screen, as he deals with the press and police force following his heroics in his meeting with Luke.  Corruption is all around him as he tries to make sense of it and find a way out, one that benefits him. In the space of forty minutes, we see Cooper manage to drive this character through his arc and evolve before our eyes. It is undoubtedly his character and actions that anchor and centre the film. A lesser performance would have caused the films third act pay off to fall flat and all of its stakes to fade.

Finally the two sons are played by Dane DeHaan (Luke’s son) and Emory Cohen (Avery’s son), some people have argued that this section is the film’s strongest section and has the most interesting characters. Maybe this is true because we get to see the consequences and conclusion to everything that has come before with their fathers, as well as the end of the own story.

Cohen as AJ, gives a flamboyant, arrogant performance that fits with his cocky snide character who you at first like, but quickly start to dislike and then ultimately downright dis-guard. DeHaan as Jason is a much subtler subdued character, playing a working class down trodden young man who seems to find life a struggle, despite the home he comes from, where his stepfather has done everything he can bring Jason up properly, something his father could have never done.

It may have been given an odd release date, post awards and next to one of the summers biggest releases, but this is one film that shouldn’t be missed and definitely experienced on a big screen.

Iron Man 3

No. No. No. No. No. 

This was pretty much my reaction upon the credits rolling at the end of this film, it was a film that didn’t deliver and seemed more interested in clever one liners and jokes than telling any kind of interesting story.

Spoilers beyond this point!

Iron Man 3, is the first film after last years mammoth release The Avengers which brought together it’ four main heroes and few secondary ones (where they were during the events of this film is an issue, don’t let fan boys tell you it isn’t) and made around $1.5bn. It’s also, obviously, the third in the Iron Man series. A franchise that after a great opening instalment, failed to deliver or evolve in its sequel Iron Man 2, which became more of a two hour commercial for the rest of Marvels Cinematic Universe. So there was a real need for this franchise to get back to it’s earlier form.

Let’s start with the good parts of Iron Man 3, Robert Downey Jr is superbly entertaining as usual, delivering numerous one liners that pepper the script with perfect precision both in terms of timing and the tone needed to carry them off. He makes the best of a somewhat sloppy central arc, adding much more to it through his look and physical state than the dead on dialogue that he has to deliver.

It’s going to be hard for Marvel to find a replacement for Downey Jr, if he decides enough is enough with this character and series, and judging by the weariness that seems to be on show with the series as a whole, that day may not be far off.

Bin Kingsley and Guy Pearce give solid if somewhat standard performances as the villain, its seems as though like Mickey Rourke in the previous film, they weren’t given enough time to really capitalize or fully build there characters. Which is a shame, considering how charismatic Pearce is, and how superb Kingsley is as the Mandarin. Pearce’s few scenes with Paltrow are some of the most sinister of all the Marvels films, it’s a shame we weren’t given more of it.

Unfortunately that is pretty much where the good ends, yes the effects are good, but that is never something that a film of this size should ever hang its appeal on. The overall plot of the film is muddled, we have Tony trying to solve a mystery and Rhodes hunting down the Mandarin, or if two scenes can really be construed as a hunt. A lot of time is given to character moments with Tony, but its most definitely at the expense of the film, jokes are strong in the short term, but not when they restrict the pace or drive of the main narrative. As opposed to it being an action film with some comedy, it ends up as a comedy with action set pieces once in a while.

The set pieces in themselves are relatively low key and passive, maybe with the exception of the CGI filled finale that sprawls through a port, aided by the convenience of multiple suits to sustain the little tension there was . The best set piece is set in a small Tennessee town, where Tony doesn’t have any of his technology and must out think the people chasing him. In fact, this is probably the best action sequence in which Iron Man has finished, it actually has a sense of peril and tangibility that all the others didn’t.

Major Spoilers from here on!

I am no Iron Man enthusiast, I’ll admit this now in case these are true and accurate interpretations of these characters.

Now we get to the two biggest problems I had with the film, the first was the grand plan, or even the motivation for the main villain Killian (Pearce) had, as it seemed to involve getting revenge on the President for some ship sinking and spilling oil everywhere, but no “fat cats” facing a day in court. This is revealed within the last 20 minutes, but no reference to this event has been made to the ship or incident in the previous 110 minutes. I’m not if this is some kind of reference to do with the BP disaster a few years ago, but if it is, it’s a very poor one and should have probably been left out.

The twists, there are two of them, let’s get to the more conventional and the one that didn’t kill the film. Killian has been developing the extremis program, something that helps in limb restoration and basically promotes people to have almost superhuman abilities, regarding strength and regeneration. The president I assume is against it, as one of his cabinet appears to be in league with Killian, because what is either his daughter or granddaughter is missing a limb. So he is obviously pro-extremis.

This second twist, although I think occurs just before the above one completely killed the film for me, taking any momentum from that particular storyline and character. It involves the reveal of the Mandarin being nothing more than an English actor playing a role, the reasoning for it is fairly solid that Killian gives, but the actual reveal is played for laughs and yes RDJ and Kingsley are very good, but the Mandarin was shaping up to be an interesting villain. But instead he is jettisoned along with what could have been an interesting dynamic between him and Killian. Oh well, a cheap laugh is better than an interesting character.

Spoilers end.

Shane Black is a great writer and director and if you want to see him and RDJ on top form, go and buy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, it’s so much better than Iron Man 3, more exciting, amusing and with one of RDJ’s best performances.

If this is how Marvel are launching Phase Two, then bar Thor: The Dark World, you can count me out of the rest of this. They are creating a brand of their own within the comic book genre, one of mediocrity and no ambition (Thor excluded).

Honestly, give it a miss, the man of iron is dulled and boring, we need a Man of Steel.

Top Five Films of 2012....and a bit.

I’m a little late to the game with end of year lists, I’m personally going from the beginning of 2012 up to and including that was released or eligible for this years Oscars, so it’s more like a 15 month period. But anyway, enough with the build up, let’s get straight to it.

5. The Master

Easily the most difficult of films to get into, or even get a hold of. Paul Thomas Anderson’s most recent film takes to post World War Two America as we follow navy veteran Freddie Quell, played disturbingly well by Joaquin Phoenix as he searches for something. The search is either to improve himself and his situation, or to simply continue to find better and better places to get drunk and have sex. Whether Freddie wants to change is one of the biggest questions in the film.

The Master, is one of Andersons shortest films, although the first viewing can be quite gruelling as there isn’t a lot of plot to drive the film forward, instead it focuses on the three main characters of Quell, Lancaster Dodd, or The Master (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and his wife Peggy (Amy Adams). However, on subsequent viewings the film does “speed up” and is much more rewarding as it allows you to really focus on these characters.

It isn’t as perfect as There Will Be Blood, but then again few films will ever reach that bench mark again. Instead, The Master offers a personal look into beliefs and the power religion holds over people, as well as asking just how much people want to change against how much they can actually change. You may struggle with it, but it’s a film not be missed.

4. Looper

Arguably one of the biggest hits outside of the obvious comic book fare we had at the cinemas this summer. Rian Johnson’s excellent third film and possibly his best so far, reunited him with Joseph Gordon Levitt from Brick and once again they found and gave us an interesting and complicated protagonist.

Looper, for me follows in the tradition of the last few years where we get a big, accessible and intelligent science fiction film that really strikes a cord with the audience, in previous years it’s been Source Code (2011), Inception (2010), Moon (2009), although budgets may vary for all, it was that they all brought big ideas and themes to this resurgent genre.

The film begins quickly and gives our protagonist an obvious goal, to kill his future self and get his life back. But it’s when Looper changes from what everyone is expecting that it really kicks into high gear. As we are given Old Joe’s full story and reason for coming back as well as what he plans to do. Whether you can see a justification for what he does is a very individual thing. But by giving us conflicting protagonists, the film asks us to choose what it is the more valuable to us ,as well as why we are supporting this character over the other.

3. Zero Dark Thirty

If you can get past the endless controversy that surrounds this film, you are in for a tense and morally ambiguous film. We all know it ends generally, but here it’s about the characters who spent near enough a decade searching for one man. Bigelow and Boal do an amazing job of holding your attention as these operatives discuss names, places and histories at such speed that it would be quite easy for the audience to get lost. But because of their own skill and that of the actors, not once did I feel lost or behind on what was happening.

Chastain’s central character of Maya is one of the most interesting protagonists in last five years. We watch her evolve from being somewhat timid at the start of the film during her first interrogation, to a borderline obsessive by the time of the raid on Abbottabad.

Now, does the film justify Torture or the various methods that have been used by intelligence agencies? Not at all in my opinion, as one crucial piece of evidence is found without the use of torture. The big controversy comes from the fact that film states that torture took place in the first place. Given the people that it’s likely screenwriter Mark Boal spoke to, it’s seem fair to say that it did happen, maybe not like this, but that it certainly did happen. That accusation for some is more serious than the methods used.

2. Once Upon A Time In Anatolia

This may be a bit of cheat due to the date of release, but as it was released in 2012, it qualifies for this list. Nuri Blige Ceylan’s beautiful Turkish crime film is as mesmeric as it is visually stunning. Taking place in the Turkish countryside mostly, as a group of officials go out with a killer to find the body of the man he murdered.

As straight forward as the basic plot sounds, it is more about the men who have come out to search for the body, as the killer struggles to remember where the body is and they spend more time out in hills, they begin to talk about the histories and what made the into the men they are.

As mentioned before, the greatest part of the film are it’s visuals. We are often treated these elegantly framed and photographed long shots of the countryside as the cars move along the winding roads. As it has been mentioned before by various critics, these shots resemble moving paintings (for all the clumsiness of that expression) which reminds me of Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon.

This is personally complex, choosing it’s characters over its plot as its main focus and apart from a kind of twist towards the end, has the films stakes relate to the characters. To everyone else, what is it at stake is just the finding the body and getting back, but for the more senior members of the group, it is about, pride, reputation, the secrets of their past and the cost of telling the truth.

1. The Dark Knight Rises

This choice may not come as a surprise to many, in fact it may have been more of a surprise if it hadn’t made the top spot. Was it as immediately satisfying as The Dark Knight? Maybe not for everyone and it divide some peoples opinion, but that was no doubt down to it being a conclusion and people do hate having stories ended for them.

Like it’s predecessor, Rises aimed big, using contemporary fears and concerns and used them to colour it’s story, commentaries on it’s political leanings were expected, but maybe not as ridiculous as some that emerged. It also pushed it’s scope even further, breaking the narrative up into, two or three different storylines for the majority of it’s middle and asking the viewer to keep up, something that big budget blockbusters don’t, instead preferring to spoon feed audiences their basic plots.

Despite the numerous plots and characters present within the film, this and the rest of the trilogy were all about telling one mans story, Bruce Wayne’s. We saw him return from sacrificing years of his life, to be chased, beaten and driven to his lowest point and rebuild himself, leading to a stirring and tense climax that left me open mouthed for remaining five minutes of the film. We were given the scene between Gordon and Batman that we had waited three films for as well as the most relief and joy inspiring almost shot that any film of this kind has ever delivered.

All in all we were given a more than fitting finale to one of the most well loved and entertaining trilogies of the last few decades, easily standing alongside the sprawling Lord of the Rings. With his next incarnation, I can only hope that they manage to reach these heights once again.

Worlds Finest?

Earlier this week a story broke regarding Warner Bros and their hopes for a Justice League film. Initially, with the throwing out of Will Beall’s script, that the project was dead, how wrong we could be, as El Mayimbe from website Latino Review broke news that the project was still alive, but looked a little different, it was no longer the full Justice League but instead a World’s Finest film (Superman and Batman). The obvious casting of Henry Cavill as Superman had long been accepted in any version of this project, but when the name of who would be picking up the Cowl came out, that was the big news. Christian Bale was returning and if rumours were true, Christopher Nolan and David S Goyer were coming back with him.

By the sounds of it, the cast would feature Bale as Bruce/Batman, Cavill as Clark/Superman and I imagine some sort of composite of the cast from the previous films, plus some new faces. I wouldn’t bet against a certain bald man turning up during this film. Behind the camera is where it sounds the most promising, early indications are that Zack Snyder will take the directors chair, with David Goyer writing the script and Christopher Nolan producing, although with Goyer and Nolan’s track record of working together, I’m sure we will see them both working on the story.

With Bale and Nolan returning and Batman being involved, it seems as though it will be their Bruce Wayne that is returning to the screen , bringing back their version of the character, whose arc was so perfectly tied up at the end of The Dark Knight Rises. Essentially what we are getting here is both a sequel to TDKR and a sequel to Man of Steel.

As The Dark Knight Trilogy was brought to an end and most of it’s storylines concluded, bringing back this world, which admittedly looks similar  (at least in the trailers) to the world ofMan of Steel, means opening up these characters lives once again and following them through some new ordeal.

The main problem is that you have to essentially bring Bruce, as well as Selina, out of retirement in a certain way that doesn’t compromise the end of their story. As for how this could be done, I have no idea and thankfully that responsibility is not on my shoulders.

The other big issue, which the first would ultimately be tied to, is what happened to John Blake after he gets into the cave. Any continuation of this world has to deal with what became of him, as it promised so much possibility as to what kind of person he would become. In World’s Finest, we will need some sort of answer to this question, maybe he has failed, maybe he needs help, or maybe the threat doesn’t affect Gotham City.

Also, the belief that both Bruce and Batman are dead could be a problem, but one that would be fixed relatively easily. Especially considering that it’s easier to bring back Batman, than it is to bring Bruce back in the eyes of the world. We’ve also seen Bruce sneak around the world in each of the three films with and without his vast resources. Bringing back the Batman, would probably only add to his legendary status.

Finally, you would have the fallout from Bruce’s three surrogate fathers (or rather father and two uncles) in Alfred, Gordon and Fox. All of which would have something to say, all would be on different places on the happy and angry scale. In terms of character moments, these possible confrontations increase the potential for Bruce’s arc in this film. Although it could risk retreading some ground covered in The Dark Knight Rises.

As this speculation is all before most of the world has seen Man of Steel, it’s hard to judge what affect Worlds Finest will have on it. The biggest is that it could take the place of a potential sequel, or at least slow down production/release of one. But if the character arcs are carried across into Worlds Finest, then this obstacle may not be as big as we think it is. for example, Iron Man 3 seems to be attempting this, but in reverse, with the events of The Avengers affecting it’s story/characters in some way.

Most of the arguments against doing this come down to either personal preference in not wanting DC and WB to cram all their characters into film, or not wanting to damage The Dark Knight Trilogy. Both of which are valid concerns, THE trilogy was ended so that this world and it’s characters wouldn’t be run into ground like it was in the previous incarnation with no development on your main characters and a revolving door of villains.

Others would say that some characters are best kept away from the more fantastical characters, such as Batman and pretty much the rest of the Justice League. As it doesn’t suit Batman to have him meeting with these guys or interacting with them, he is at his most successful in a relatively realistic world, where he and his villains stand out all the more. There could be a risk of dwarfing or undermining his ability when you so closely put him next to Superman and eventually Wonder Woman, Flash, etc.

How do you pick a villain that caters to both characters and this new world, without going for the uninspired idea of simply picking a villain from each characters rogues gallery and putting them together. Yes (insert comma) there are ways it could work, but it would require more original thinking than going for each characters biggest or most prominent villain.

For the fans we get to spend more time with characters we have come to love and care for, this applies mainly to the Batman side of things. Anyone who doesn’t want more of Bale’s Bruce, Caine’s Alfred, Gordon, Selina, Fox or Blake are kidding themselves and at the moment it is the most exciting part of this project. Getting to spend more time with these characters. Given the cast of Man of Steel, I’m sure it will be exactly the same for those characters, but on a bigger more expansive canvas.

The biggest is obviously that we get to see Batman and Superman on screen together for the first time and see them clash, maybe not physically, but definitely in terms of their ideals and methods. Who is the scarier for a criminal, a god who by merely being there frightens you into submission? Or a man who is going to stop you, by any means necessary and undoubtedly painfully?

A film could almost be made without a villain, as their differences and similarities are so noticeable. As with all fictional characters, they have certain key relationships with other characters in their world (Batman has Alfred, Gordon, Joker. Superman has Lois, Jimmy, Lex Luthor), but in this case, their relationship with each other is so strong and important that it is more of the most vital