It's been a little over two years since I last wrote in this blog. The last thing I wrote about here was the ill-fated Suicide Squad, a movie that was a mess from start to finish. This post isn't about that, however. It's about something much more fascinating: VENOM!
I've been reading comics since I was little and Venom was always one of my favorites. Co-created by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, Venom was introduced as one of Spider-Man's greatest nemeses in the late 1980's in The Amazing Spider-Man #300. He was almost literally a shadow version of Spider-Man since the symbiote used to be bonded to Peter Parker and thus was able to evade his spider sense, a trait that made him even more dangerous.
Venom's appearance in 2007's Spider-Man 3 marked his big screen debut. It was a mixed bag to say the least. His look had some echoes of the original design, but was pretty much seen as a misfire all around. It's more evident when you know that director Sam Raimi didn't have any plans to include Venom in the first place, but was forced into it and that shows. Spider-Man 3 had many other issues besides Venom, but it was one of the most glaring.
Fast forward to 2018 and Sony's forthcoming Venom looks like it will finally correct that wrong and do the character justice. Whether the movie itself will be any good or not remains to be seen. On the design front at least, they've done a solid job thus far. Venom's face is pitch perfect and truly looks like the comic book come to life.
This version of the character is physically imposing and looks much more intimidating than the previous film version. It's not a perfect design as he's missing the hallmark white spider symbol on his chest, but given that this version of the character does not yet have any connection to Spider-Man, that's understandable. Everything else looks to be good to this point. And being played by one of the best actors in the business, Tom Hardy, means Sony has high hopes for this movie.
Venom is said to be loosely based on the Lethal Protector mini-series, which was significant as it was Venom's first series as the lead character. In Lethal Protector, Venom goes up against five other symbiotes, one of which is named Riot. At the time of this writing, the only other symbiote to be shown is Riot, although there will likely be two others shown at some point (including a possible appearance by Carnage).
I think the movie has a lot of potential, but I will remain cautiously optimistic until it's out in the wild.
I just returned from watching Suicide Squad a little bit ago. Admittedly, it wasn't a movie that was high on my list. That said, I will say it was a very enjoyable movie. It was better than Batman vs Superman. Think about that for a moment. A movie filled with characters that are largely unknown to the general public is more fun to watch than a movie with 3 of the biggest superheroes in the world.
Yeah, that's what I thought, too. Suicide Squad isn't a perfect movie by any stretch, but I'll get to that in a little bit. First off, Margot Robbie is great as Harley Quinn. She fits the character to a T. Next to Will Smith's Deadshot, she is one of the cores of the movie. Though I've never been fond of her costume design for this film, it works (keep your eyes open and you will see her original costume briefly at a certain point).
Will Smith is also fine as Deadshot, though his backstory doesn't come across as heartfelt as I think the director intended. It feels forced and inauthentic. He displays his trademark sense of wit and humor throughout the movie, but it comes across as tonally opposite to what the movie is aiming for.
One of the biggest question marks coming into the movie was Jared Leto's Joker. To me, he didn't really stand out much in comparison to other actors who've played the role, but that may be due to the fact that he's barely in the movie. In fact, they could've cut all of his scenes and the story wouldn't have been materially changed at all. I know that Joker is always tied to Harley Quinn's origin, but there were other ways to establish that without needing to have Joker physically there. The only 2 scenes of his that really contributed anything were the flashback that establishes Harley Quinn as his queen and the bit *SPOILER* at the end where he breaks Harley out of Belle Reve (which would've worked better as a post credits tease than a part of the main movie).
Suicide Squad spends most of its screen time on Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and Amanda Waller. Most of the other members of the titular squad have very little presence or even need to be there. Boomerang, Slipknot, and Killer Croc all could've been cut from the script and very little would've changed. After this year's Civil War, which showed how to deftly handle a huge ensemble cast, Suicide Squad feels like another example where more is not better.
Though Suicide Squad has its problems (the soundtrack is very hit and miss), it is a fun movie overall and definitely worth watching at least once.
Arrow season 4 has finally come to a close. As someone who became a fan after watching through the first season on Netflix just before the start of season 2, I have to say this show continues to disappoint me. Although season 4 was better than season 3, it wasn't by much.
One of the highlights was the incorrigible Damien Darhk as played by Neal McDonough. Darhk was a presence that's been sorely lacking since Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in season 2. Every time he was on the screen, Darhk brought a gravitas to the show that for all of its gloominess and Gotham-lite demeanor often fails to have real stakes. Darhk's often playful demeanor is always laced with the knowledge that he could just as easily kill you as he could shake your hand. After the disappointingly bland Ra's al Ghul in season 3, Darhk was a welcome presence.
Darhk and his henchmen (referred to as Ghosts) started off the season strong, but soon became the regular type of cannon fodder that Arrow is known for (they're highly trained operatives that constantly resort to fist fights despite always having military-grade assault rifles and other weapons on them). This was no more jarring than during the season finale when a small army of Ghosts backs up Darhk in his battle against Oliver and a mob of angry citizens. The Ghosts could have and should have mowed them down.
Arrow's biggest problem is its narrative consistency. The Darhk storyline was the strongest of them, but it often took a backseat to other less compelling tales (Thea's bloodlust, Alex, the island flashbacks, the heavy handed Felicity/Oliver romance, the resolution of the tombstone reveal, the ridiculous nuclear missile hacking). Less of a mess than season 3, but still not cohesive enough to be memorable.
The whole angle with the tombstone was poorly executed and not well thought out. Laurel being the one who died did not carry any narrative weight with it because she hadn't been really important or meaningful to the show since season 1. The one who would've had the most impact being killed was Felicity. Despite being a fan favorite, her being killed in Darhk's conquest would've been the shockwave that rippled through Arrow. Instead, it came across as more of a whimper.
I know Arrow can be great, but it often struggles with finding its own footing. Season 4 ended with no hints of what's to come for season 5, so I really hope the writers dig into Green Arrow's history and bring some really compelling stuff out because as it stands it isn't looking so great.
It wasn't all doom and gloom, though. We got one solid episode with this guy, even though it was one and done.
Darth Talon has been quite popular ever since her debut in the Star Wars: Legacy comic book series a number of years ago. I've drawn her only 3 times over the years with this marking number 3. Her tattoos are always a chore to do, but they ultimately help sell the final image.
Batman vs Superman ended up being such a colossal mess and it's such a shame because it could've been the movie to establish WB/DC as major players in the cinematic universe genre, a spot which Marvel has owned for almost a decade now. However, it ended up playing more as an expensive example of what not to do.
The theatrical cut of the film clocks in at a hefty 2 hours 33 minutes. It's about the length of what one expects from big budget movies these days. The time isn't its biggest problem. The biggest problem with Batman vs Superman is that it bastardized all the key characters, was poorly edited and overstuffed with subplots that really shouldn't have made it past the conceptual stage.
Supposedly, there will be an extended cut of the film that clocks in at 3 hours on the home video release (and rumored to be a possible theatrical release, too), but I don't see how adding in another 30 minutes would help a story that is already overstuffed with filler (what was the point of the bullet subplot?).
The worst sin in Batman vs Superman is that it shits all over the characterization of its 2 leads. Batman is just a meathead on a violent crusade, not the World's Greatest Detective. His beef with Superman is ultimately resolved because they have mothers with the same name and not because they realize they're the only true checks on each other.
Superman is moping, pitiful and glum, a complete 180 from where he was at the end of Man of Steel and with no real reason within the story for him to be so. The public is worried about what threats he may pose given his God-like abilities, but they also built him a freakin' statue!
The movie is visually stylish and Wonder Woman (played in her limited screen time by Gal Gadot) is in many ways the only redeeming aspect of this movie. Batman vs Superman will make money and it will ultimately be a huge box office hit, but I and many others can't help but feel stung at what could've been and what ultimately is.
Venom's appearance in 2007's Spider-Man 3 marked his big screen debut. It was a mixed bag to say the least. His look had some echoes of the original design, but was pretty much seen as a misfire all around. It's more evident when you know that director Sam Raimi didn't have any plans to include Venom in the first place, but was forced into it and that shows. Spider-Man 3 had many other issues besides Venom, but it was one of the most glaring.
Fast forward to 2018 and Sony's forthcoming Venom looks like it will finally correct that wrong and do the character justice. Whether the movie itself will be any good or not remains to be seen. On the design front at least, they've done a solid job thus far. Venom's face is pitch perfect and truly looks like the comic book come to life.
This version of the character is physically imposing and looks much more intimidating than the previous film version. It's not a perfect design as he's missing the hallmark white spider symbol on his chest, but given that this version of the character does not yet have any connection to Spider-Man, that's understandable. Everything else looks to be good to this point. And being played by one of the best actors in the business, Tom Hardy, means Sony has high hopes for this movie.
Venom is said to be loosely based on the Lethal Protector mini-series, which was significant as it was Venom's first series as the lead character. In Lethal Protector, Venom goes up against five other symbiotes, one of which is named Riot. At the time of this writing, the only other symbiote to be shown is Riot, although there will likely be two others shown at some point (including a possible appearance by Carnage). 
