Dangerous Ground

Iconic Star Wars actor Mark Hamill aka Luke Skywalker once said, ~I will say that comic books are not the easiest things to translate to film, number one. Even the most well meaning filmmakers find what's acceptable on the printed page is very difficult to bring to life.~ Without a doubt, bringing to life superheroes/villains from off the comic page of comic books and on to the big screen is considered to be a tremendous undertaking indeed. The combination of the right actor and the specific role along with the choice of director are key ingredients, so to speak, in either a potential blockbuster or an absolute flop at the box office. For it can most definitely be a hit or complete and utter miss type of situation to where the expectations can very well be high or low depending on the particular movie in question, especially with die hard fans who are deemed very passionate when it involves a beloved, as well favorite DC or Marvel character(s).

If you think about it, every movie regarding a specific comic book hero and/or villain has had their humble beginnings and though some have succeeded others didn't quite live up to the hype. As said before, there were particular super heroes that didn't quite live up to the hype from its humble beginnings in the early 70's and 80's like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America evident by fantastically awful movie clips on YouTube. However, Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk were seemingly brought to life by the following 3 actors who brilliantly portrayed the iconic characters: Nicholas Hammond, Lou Ferrigno, and the late Bill Bixby. Thinking about it further, it's the previous trio mentioned who truly embodied their now iconic pop culture superhero personas and I for one personally viewed them as the proverbial measuring stick for their future counterparts.

Oftentimes, the biggest critics in regards to comic book heroes/villains being brought to life in movies are the fans such as myself. The term "fanboy" describes males along with females(fangirls) who are obsessive about comic books and its heroic/villainous characters being created into live action movies. Unfortunately, we as fans can become overly obsessive and critical to the point where online outrage, disapproval, etc. runs rampant so much so it causes a civil war of sorts where a side must be chosen, especially involving the DC/Marvel universe. Of course, it can very well turn ugly more so on the DC side of the spectrum than the Marvel side because of how a percentage of fans believe particular movies like DC's Superman haven't lived up to their personal level. Hey, I think we can all agree Christopher Reeves will always and forever be the one true Superman.

Let me ask you this question when it comes to the so called civil war amongst comic book fans not everybody knows about, are you on the side of DC or Marvel? Essentially, there is a quintessential battle line of supremacy that has been laid out in the sand, in a manner of speaking, where you're either a fan of DC or Marvel? True, as much hate DC receives on a seemingly daily basis fans I believe will continue to flock to theaters and not to mention take part in the box office success such as the recent release of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. To be perfectly honest, fans with keyboards representing pitchforks at the read will always have something to grip about when it pertains to decisions made about the next DC or Marvel super hero/villain character a particular director is bold enough to helm. Hey, it's what being a fanboy or fangirl is all about unless you're a Loki like troll who enjoys starting trouble...but I digress.

In retrospect, I can't pick a side when it pertains to choosing either DC or Marvel. Why? You see, I'm a fan of both but for the most part Marvel has a slight edge with the success of Deadpool, the highly anticipated Captain America Civil: Civil War on May 6th, and a movie that is a combination of The Matrix and Inception every comic book fan is looking forward to seeing Dr. Strange. Now when it comes to Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, I enjoyed the movie because it was adapted from Frank Miller's dark and gritty comic book novel version of The Dark Knight Returns and I stated before Jesse Eisenberg's take on Lex Luther was considerably unique that it personally worked for me. Granted, some may not agree with me but that's okay. In the end, when you're a fan of DC and/or Marvel be prepared to metaphorically step on dangerous ground knowing full well what type of battle you're going to be embroiled in.