JUSTICE LEAGUE vs. Fanboys!
Comic geeks lose all sense of perspective and rally against a Justice League script that might not even be real. We take a look at those 14 pages and throw in our two pence.
UPDATED: So these 14 pages of the Justice League script that are floating about aren't real at all according to the good folks at the UGO Movie Blog. Patrick over at the site has the low-down on the real opening to the movie and it involves the Justice League at funeral (for who? I don't know, but I'd guess Barry Allen's Flash could hit the dirt and Wally West will take over).My stance is still the same in regards to this film, despite the fact the script extract isn't real - they need to keep make the film lighter and more in the style of the great blockbuster films of the 80s.Keep you eyes peeled on the UGO Movie Blog, they obviously know a bit more about this film than they're letting on so expect some juicy info down the road. The emergence of the Justice League movie as a viable summer 2009 tentpole is fascinating to the casual observer and seizure inducing to the hardcore fanboy. Ive been tracking the project with a close eye for a while and have ventured over to various message boards across the net to see whats being said about it I wish I hadnt. From being bombarded with headshots of women who, quite frankly, look like high-class hookers, to geeks formulating elaborate Watergate-level conspiracies about Tom Wellings alleged (read non) involvement in the picture, Ive almost had enough of the film already! The latest controversy involves a review of the alleged first 14 pages of the film at Moviehole and IESB. According to those two sites, its not very good at all. Back Row Chatter has also weighed in but they have reasons to believe the script is fake. Its difficult to get this kind of thing verified one way or the other so lets assume for a second that it is real, and Ill give my perspective on these 14 pages and the film as a whole. The supposed pre-title sequence to the Justice League movie (the equivalent to what happens in the 007 movies prior to the dancing naked ladies) sets a tone that is completely different to the already existing solo Superman and Batman movies (and Smallville, for that matter). The intro sequence (in parts done with a stylised, comic book aesthetic) is light, frothy and sets up the characters and world the movie will exist in. You know how the recent Batman and Superman films have been dark, sober and perhaps lacking a little bit of fun? Well Justice League is obviously going to be a counter to that; a four-quadrant movie that wants to take the audience on a thrill ride if youve ever seen any of Paul Dinis cartoons then that is exactly what youll get with George Millers Justice League. Its something in the vein of crowd-pleasers of 20 or 30 years ago such as Back to the Future and Raiders of the Lost Ark and contemporary blockbusters like Spider-Man and Pirates of the Caribbean. I read Justice League comics growing up and theres really nothing in this script that seems out of line with those stories. There is one line of dialogue, a quickfire 9/11 gag, that is pretty horrendous. Its the kind of thing youd expect to find in a jet-black satire like Fight Club or American Beauty, not in a movie like this. I dont know what its doing in here as tonally it seems way off, I hope it doesnt end up in the film. The reason I think net geeks have reacted so badly to this alleged script is because they dont realise who films like this are targeted at. Comic books, particularly superhero ones, are aimed at children. With things like the net and video games, kids now have other distractions and simply arent reading comics anymore. Hence superhero comic readers are gradually getting older, and perhaps wrongly think that comics should grow up with (and thus cater to) them. Its impossible to tell how this movie will shape up judging by such a small part of it. After all, based on the intro sequences to the last two Bond films, Die Another Day shouldve turned out to be better than Casino Royale. If Superman Returns was evidence of anything, its that dark and introspective superhero films arent guaranteed to be a success. In comic books these characters exist in many different continuities and stories, Im not sure what the harm is in taking that thinking over to feature films.