I’m obviously a lot older than I was in 1990 when the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was released. But I’m just as excited to see what a new Turtle movie would be like with today’s filmmakers and the new tech they have access to.
Earlier this week, I posted the top 10 Ninja Turtles Movie Quotes and quite coincidentally, the Turtles find themselves front and center around the net.
It seems that Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles, Wrath of the Titans) is in talks with Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes to helm a new film! I don’t normally post news stories on this blog but I couldn’t resist. Of all the remakes and reboots, this is the one I’ve wanted to see the most.
Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger have all led to this. A massive mission that needs the combined strengths of some of the greatest heroes we’ve ever seen on the big screen. That’s a lot of pressure to deliver. Since Marvel announced their grand scheme to create a unified series of movies that belong to the same universe, people have speculated on the potential of an Avengers movie.
What will be at stake? Which villain could possibly have a chance against these heroes? How can so many iconic characters exist on a single screen?
Recently, we were given our first glimpse at the team including our first look at Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk.
Click the image for a larger view.
It’s a beautiful way to introduce The Avengers that immediately brought one question to mind:
Will The Avengers be the greatest superhero movie of all time?
In order to answer that question, you have to consider the film(s) you consider to be the current champ. For me, the movie to beat is The Dark Knight, a near perfect movie that changed everything. The Dark Knight had a gripping story, a fascinating villain, a flawed hero and incredible action. In addition to the current champ, you should also consider movies The Avengers will be competing against: The Dark Knight Rises.
It’s Marvel vs DC. The Dark Knight vs The Avengers in a winner take all battle for our imaginations. Do The Avengers stand a chance? Honestly, I was inspired when I saw the image above. We don’t have to spend any time wondering about the origins of these heroes. We just get to see them in action against the greatest threat they’ve ever faced. What will that threat be? More on that below.
The real challenge for The Avengers movie is director Joss Whedon’s ability to balance everything. Each hero needs screen time and something to do. There really aren’t any supporting roles here. They are all stars in their own stories and nobody expects one or two to take a back seat now.
Will the first act be spent trying to tame the uncontrollable Hulk? What kind of dynamic will Nick Fury’s team develop? Will it be Captain America’s Avengers or Iron Man’s? How will Thor factor in? We’ve been waiting years for answers and now that information is beginning to arrive, I’m encouraged.
Personally, I can’t wait to see the new Hulk in action. If anything, he will be the best looking Hulk we’ve ever seen.
THE HULK
I think this poster says the most about the upcoming team up. The contrast between the Mark Ruffalo and his angry half is amazing. I think The Hulk will have a crucial role in the film, especially in the first act. Getting him on the team won’t be easy. I hope this will be the first time we REALLY get to see the Hulk go on a crazy rampage of destruction. It’s going to be beautiful.
Will Mark Ruffalo be able to step into Edward Norton’s shoes? I’m a massive Norton fan and loved his take on Bruce Banner. It’s a shame he won’t be involved but I think Ruffalo is a fine choice to take over. You can see it in his eyes on the poster. The Hulk weighs heavily on him and I think portraying that struggle will be essential in order for this movie to become legendary.
CAPTAIN AMERICA
Captain America’s personal journey interests me a great deal because it has to address his familiarity with ‘today’. (Being frozen for 70 years will do that.) Not only does he have to let go of the past but he must also adapt to today’s fast paced world.
I didn’t flip out for Captain America: The First Avenger. I suppose ‘flipping out’ would be a movie I would instantly want to see again. I’m sure I’ll watch Captain America again someday but I’m more interested in his role in The Avengers than his origin story. How will Captain America’s leadership skills clash with Tony Stark’s larger than life personality? I can’t wait to see his reaction watching Bruce Banner transform the first time. Will he be the one to inspire unity between the heroes?
THOR
I highly enjoyed Thor’s first big screen adventure. One of the hardest parts of assembling this team of heroes is integrating Thor’s mythology into the mix. Iron Man built his suite. Captain America and The Hulk are both products of science. As Thor so eloquently put it:
“Your ancestors called it magic, but you call it science. I come from a land where they are one and the same.”
Thor will play an integral role in this film not only because of his strength but because of his brother Loki. The stakes have to be enormous in order to justify all these incredible heroes joining forces. Loki instantly becomes a credible opponent with the cosmic cube in hand. What will he use it for? My guess is Thor will provide a lot of exposition and back story in the film.
IRON MAN
The first Iron Man is still my favorite Marvel film thus far. It was the perfect place to start building towards The Avengers. My only real complaint about Iron Man was the final battle. It felt extremely rushed and a weakened Stark made it a lackluster finale. Iron Man 2 was very disappointing. What makes these movies great is how they incorporate The Avengers but still allow for the heroes to have their own story. Iron Man 2 felt less like an Iron Man movie and more like a series of setups for The Avengers. (It also included a rushed ending)
I think The Avengers will be Iron Man’s playground. A chance for Tony Shark to truly show off what he is capable of. He is also the most well developed hero of the bunch so expect to see his personal journey take center stage at some point in the film. Not too mention the humor he will no doubt provide. Iron Man will play a big role in the film indeed but I’m looking forward to the action he’ll be a part of more than anything.
NICK FURY, HAWKEYE & THE BLACK WIDOW
Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing Nick Fury longer than 5 or 6 minutes per movie. As the leader of S.H.E.I.L.D & The Avengers Initiative, he certainly must have a good reason for working as hard as he does. I want to know more! The same can be said for The Black Widow and Hawkeye. It’s unfortunate that they will no doubt take a back seat to the big four but it will still be interesting to discover their places in the story.
The Villain. Loki?
Loki has long been rumored to be the force The Avengers will go up against. Not much is known about his role in the film but many sources believe he will use the cosmic cube to summon The Skrulls. A powerful alien race. Other rumors suggest that Thanos will play a small role as well. (Some even suggest that the movie will feature both theories.)
One thing is certain, the stakes will have to be enormous. Something extremely evil and destructive is on it’s way to our world… I can’t wait to find out what it is.
THE STAGE IS SET
We’ve now seen all the elements separately. It’s time for all the work to pay off. It’s time for everything to come together in one massive movie event. At some point, we will get our first glimpse of all of the heroes on screen at the same time. I think that will be a huge moment in cinema history. Never before has a studio spent so much time and effort (and money) to put together this type of movie.
The Marvel Universe is about to collide and we’ve spent years wondering about the possibilities. For me, the anticipation alone is going to make the coming months crawl.
Will The Avengers deliver on incredible promises Marvel’s films have made? Will it be the greatest superhero movie of all time? The battle between Batman & The Avengers is going to be absolutely fantastic to witness not too mention the return of Spider-Man.
The summer movie season pretty much starts in March now but to me June is still the official start of my favorite time of year. There is a movie I’m desperate to see each and every week for the next few months and I’m literally shaking with anticipation. I love summer movies! With all due respect to Fast Five and Thor, the season begins with X-Men: First Class today.
Super 8, Green Lantern, Cars 2, Transformers Dark of the Moon, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows Part II, Captain America: The First Avenger, Cowboys & Aliens, Rise of The Planet of the Apes… But don’t forget about movies like 30 Minutes or Less, Crazy Stupid Love, Friends With Benefits, Horrible Bosses, Mr. Popper’s Penguins & Bad Teacher.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if each of these movies wowed and entertained? Some movies aren’t made for everybody but I’m looking forward to seeing as many as possible. The lineup of BIG summer releases is amazing this summer. Bring on the battles, fights, explosions and chases. I’m ready for the comedy, action, suspense and thrills.
It’s time for the Summer movie season!
Will they all deliver? 2011 won’t be a ‘no flop’ year but wouldn’t it be awesome if it was?
Which movies do you think will fall short? I’m talking critically here NOT commercially.
XTRA | Back in March, I ranked all the movies I was excited to see. I’m really looking forward to revisiting this list once the summer is over!
I’ve always been a fan of alien invasion movies so it should come as no surprise that I absolutely adored Independence Day. Like many fans of the film, I’ve always been curious about another ID4.
On the other hand, I’m also quite content with one movie so I won’t be devastated if we never get to see:
Independence Day 2
WHAT IS ID4 2 ABOUT?
For years it seems, there have been rumors about a sequel and even a trilogy. Yet there has never really been anything beyond a few comments here and there. It’s safe to assume that a new Independence Day would not be cheap so the project(s) will be challenging to get off the ground. Especially when you factor in box office superstar Will Smith.
I don’t want to get into logistics though. Until it officially happens, I’m more interested in where the filmmakers will go with the story.
INDEPENDENCE DAY 2: THE BASICS
Returning Humans
Regardless of how they continue the franchise, there are a few key elements that HAVE to be included. Obviously, the most important element is Will Smith. A close second would be director Roland Emmerich and perhaps co-writer Dean Devlin. Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum should be expected to appear at some point as well. You can also expect to see supporting characters such as like Judd Hirsch, Robert Loggia, Vivica A. Fox and Margaret Colin too.
I believe I speak for many fans that there is no need to bring back James Rebhorn’s aggravating Albert Nimzicki. I also think that the Casse family’s storyline is wrapped up and would probably get left behind. Unless Russell Casse’s sons grow up to become fighter pilots, alien obsessed investigators or politicians.
Aliens
Cast aside, everyone will be curious about the invaders and their ships-o-death. Will we see more building crushing beams of light? It all depends on the story they choose to tell.
THE 10 YEARS LATER APPROACH
Lets assume the cast does reunite. Everyone is older now so do you automatically set the film 10-15 years after the events of the first movie? If that’s the case, I’d be interested to see how they portray the world. With so many major cities destroyed the sequel could focus on how humanity picked up the pieces and moved on. Would they try to make things the way they were or would this post invasion world represent an evolution of our species.
Think about it. Would the U.S Capitol remain in Washington D.C? Would they rebuild the white house or design something new? Apply this to pretty much every city and landmark on the planet. There are so many options and interesting ideas.
What about the remnants of the alien’s ships? Are they landmarks now? After 10 years, did we learn enough about their technology to build a solid defense if they ever returned? Reinforcements could have been waiting in space just in case they were defeated.
Speaking of which, could they return? In the first film, President Whitmore very clearly states that the mother ship contained their entire civilization.
“They’re like locusts. They’re moving from planet to planet. Their whole civilization. After they’ve consumed every natural resource they move on… And we’re next.”
So if their entire civilization is destroyed, would the sequel focus on another fleet of ships arriving? I find it hard to believe that a species would feel so invincible that they would risk extinction by gathering their population in one place. There are more of them out there. There’s a home planet.
Or… Maybe an entirely new alien race will invade. The original aliens could have been harvesters for a more powerful race bent on revenge. Personally, I wouldn’t want to see that. I like the idea of an epic struggle spread across 3 movies with the original aliens.
Bring on Round 2! I’m sure they will return with better network security and firewalls though.
If the first Independence Day was an aerial battle than why not change things up and show us the inevitable ground war? Let’s say the ships went down. Wouldn’t the surviving aliens bust out of the wreckage and continue to fight?
That’s the first thing I thought when I saw Battle: Los Angeles. What if Battle: LA was actually Independence Day 2? You could show all kinds of ground battles while humanity tries to pick up the pieces after the initial attack. I think that would be pretty cool. Right in the middle, you reveal another ship that was hiding behind the moon. Reinforcements have arrived. The struggle continues.
XTRA | Check out TNT’s upcoming series Falling Skies. Sweet.
THE VISUAL EFFECTS
I can’t imagine what Independence Day would be like if it was made today. With technology advancing so quickly, what would those awesome action sequences look like now? That’s one of the main reasons why I’d pay to see a sequel to Independence Day. ID4 2 3D? Bigger battles, more aliens, ridiculous explosions and a whole lot more fun.
What do you think Independence Day 2 would be about?
Stop reading now if you aren’t entertained by giant robots kicking the crap out of each other… You can stay if you hated Transformers 2 because everybody hated that movie.
This year, we will be treated to not one but TWO giant robot movies. Transformers Dark of the Moon and Real Steel. Even though I thought Transformers Revenge of the Fallen was a complete disaster, the third installment is still one of my most anticipated movie of the summer. There are other movies that are close but I happen to love Michael Bay action movies and his new film looks like a blast.
Some people may not like the Transformers franchise (or Michael Bay) at all but I love big summer movies like this. You would think I’d be a little more excited about Real Steel but I’m not completely sold yet.
So many boxing movies are among the most successful sports films ever made. 2010 gave us yet another Academy Award winning boxing film in The Fighter. Something tells me Real Steel won’t be winning any Oscars but it could still be entertaining.
Boxing may be the most decorated sport on the big screen but if there is a second place it’s baseball. Let’s get some robots on a diamond shall we?
Remember Base Wars for NES?
Base Wars is an old school baseball game where you play with a team of supercharged Cyborgs with guns. In this baseball game, you aren’t out if you’re tagged. You fight for the base and it was a blast.
My favorite baseball game growing up was Baseball Simulator 1000 but Base Wars is a close second. How can you resist beating the hell out of your friends just to be safe a second? Even pitching a ball right down the middle only to curve it at the last second was sweet.
Having complete control over the ball like that got annoying so we instituted a rule that one pitch per at bat had to be down the middle. You just never knew which one. Failing to comply with this rule meant you had to lose the next battle. Tough cost as your robots took damage throughout the game.
Could they make a Base Wars movie? I think it would be very similar to Real Steel so you would have to avoid that. I like the idea of making a Base Wars movie set in a world that’s become too technologically obsessed and forgotten the purity of things like Baseball.
My Base Wars movie would mix The Sandlot and Field of Dreams together and have the whole thing revolve around our history as a species.
Movies like this tend to assume that people stopped watching humans play in favor of huge Gladiator Robots. I think Major League Baseball would remain. It has to!
Here is how I would do it.
MLB struggles in the ratings so they decide to add Base Wars to the seventh inning stretch of each game. I would have the film center on a family with three generations. A grandfather who played a few pro seasons, his son who is currently a major league manager and former player and his son who is a gifted engineer.
The movie would be about our emotional attachment to the game AND about the evolution of our planet’s technology. Also there would be HUGE robot battles and a ton of baseball.
I just wouldn’t want the movie to be set in the future where baseball is dead. That’s not a movie I want to see. There would be nothing but bitter old men rejecting the game. I think the integration of robots is enough while still preserving what makes the game of baseball great. Of course, there still needs to be some high stakes and conflicts but I haven’t developed the entire story yet.
Will we ever see a Base Wars movie? Probably not but if this video is any evidence, we may see the real thing someday.
I’d name the robots after famous movies. Johnny 5, Optimus, HAL etc…
PS: How have we not had a remake of Base Wars yet?! Get on it people!
. Like many fans of the film, I’ve always been curious about another ID4.
