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Jupiter’s Legacy: Processing The Power that We Leave Behind

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JUPITER’S LEGACY (L-R) LESLIE BIBB as GRACE SAMPSON, JOSH DUHAMEL as SHELDON SAMPSON, and BEN DANIELS as WALTER SAMPSON in episode 2 of JUPITER’S LEGACY. Cr. STEVE WILKIE/NETFLIX © 2020

The legacies that heroes leave behind are supposed to inspire people and give them something to look up to. But what if your own parent was one of these heroes? Talented ex-marvel writer Mark Miller’s comic book series ‘Jupiter’s Legacy’ uses the superhero setting to dive into the topic of family dynasties and the scars that they can leave behind. 

Jupiter’s Legacy takes inspiration from DC’s Justice League with its characters, and appears to be Netflix’s answer to rival Amazon’s superhero show, ‘The Boys.’ Coming to Netflix this May 7, can this live action series compete in this already overcrowded and competitive market that’s filled with big names such as Marvel, the Arrowverse, DCEU, and Amazon?

JUPITER’S LEGACY Episode 101 of JUPITER’S LEGACY Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2021

In Jupiter’s Legacy, the driving force behind superhero group “The Union” is to uphold “the code” which they view as the core of what makes you a great hero (and a good person). The greatest hero is Sheldon (Josh Duhamel), aka the Utopian who stands by the believe that heroes don’t kill anyone no matter what, don’t govern politics, and try to save as many lives as possible. (Fairly standard superhero stuff, actually.) 

From the beginning of the first episode, there’s an obvious difference in ideology between the old guard and a new generation of heroes, including Sheldon’s son, Brandon (Andrew Horton). Expected to be a hero as great as his father, Brandon struggles with his own identity and feels the weight of the world on his shoulders as he’s pressured to take over his father’s position. In these moments, the show really portrays the impossible standard of being born into a family with such a high legacy to uphold. What’s more, Sheldon’s daughter, Chloe (Elena Kampouris) also has superpowers yet decides to go the opposite route, rejecting her family’s legacy and decides to party it up as a celebrity. (In this way, Chloe’s character draws a parallel between rich heiresses who have all the resources in the world but decide to rebel against all the family and societal expectations of their path in life.) 

JUPITER’S LEGACY (L-R) JOSH DUHAMEL as SHELDON SAMPSON in episode 3 of JUPITER’S LEGACY. Cr. MARNI GROSSMAN/NETFLIX © 2020

There’s also an interesting debate that takes place after Brandon watches his closest friends die at the hands of a villain. Tramautized by the event, Brandon ultimately decides to kill the villains in order to save his parents from becoming their next victims. Sick and tired of these villains, the public loves that Brandon kills them, which is strictly against the code of The Union. These events lead to The Union questioning whether their old ways still work anymore (and whether or not they ever did in the first place). These conversations are fascinating as they bring in strong points from both sides, such as the ideas that killing villains would prevent them from creating further death of innocents and whether it is doing more harm than good letting them live. On the other hand, the main counter argument is that nobody should be judge, jury, and executioner. To them, nobody should decide who lives and dies, especially those with so much power. This debate persists throughout the series and is incredibly relevant with today’s views on police brutality and how criminals are treated within the detention system. 

JUPITERÕS LEGACY (L to R) JOSH DUHAMEL as SHELDON SAMPSON and IRON ORCHID in episode 101 of JUPITERÕS LEGACY Cr. ADAM ROSE/NETFLIX © 2021

One of the things I most enjoyed about Jupiter’s Legacy was the fact that they took inspiration from the non-linear storytelling that made Arrow so enjoyable. By showing the origins of how The Union got their powers, what drove them and how that has shaped current character motivations and storyline the series fleshes out their characters well. A major concern that often takes place in superhero shows is that the action can get sloppy and, due to budget constraints, the scenes with powers look ridiculous. (Not to point fingers but Season One of Supergirl is a prime example of this.) No matter how good the writing is, laughably bad CGI and poorly choreographed fighting scenes can be detrimental to the immersiveness of any show.  Thankfully, Jupiter’s Legacy does not have that issue at all. Their effects and action scenes are done well and are comparable to movie level quality, which I find incredibly important in a superhero show in order to not to be taken out of the experience.

Overall, Jupiter’s Legacy is a very fun watch that is able to stand on its own. Though borrowing from the legacy of DC’s Justice League, Legacy dives into stories that viewers have not seen before revolving around superheroes which makes it worth recommending.

JUPITER’S LEGACY (L to R) TYLER MANE as BLACKSTAR, ANDREW HORTON as BRANDON SAMPSON, and TENIKA DAVIS as PETRA SMALL in episode 101 of JUPITER’S LEGACY. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2021

Jupiter’s Legacy is currently streaming on Netflix.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Reborn film finally does justice to the franchise

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You could forgive me if I doubted.

After years of hearing about the mythological ‘Snyder Cut’, there was simply no way that this film could meet expectations. After all, the original film was such a tepid piece of fodder that there was simply no way that a few tweaks or additional scenes could self-correct a franchise that had fallen so far off the rails. Now, with a refreshed budget and a new home on HBOMax, Zack Snyder’s Justice League has finally arrived. 

And I admit that I was stunned by the results.

The details of the Snyder Cut’s resurgence has been well-documented. Determined not to copy Marvel’s roadmap to success, DC chartered their own path that rushed the process. By the time that The Avengers came around, standalone films had charted a path that allowed audiences to connect with the characters before they attempted to work together. Falling behind in the box office, the release of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice gave DC the chance to try and regain some traction in the pop culture world. In their attempt to speed up the process, they threw their characters into films without any proper introductions. Whether they were attempting to ‘catch up’ to Marvel or simply afraid of being accused of ‘copying’ Disney’s juggernaut franchise, the result was a middling mess of confusion that left no time to create something special. 

After Joss Whedon’s cut of the Justice League failed to catch on with audiences, WB may have thought they were free of the franchise with a chance to reboot things once again. However, they underestimated their fans. After an unprecedented fan campaign that lasted three years and a hashtag (#ReleaseTheSnyderCut) that simply wouldn’t die, WB found themselves portrayed as the villains of a fiendish plot to suppress a director’s vision. Even so, they held firm to their comment that any other version for the film simply did not exist.

All that changed with the creation of HBOMax. Even if Snyder had been able to complete the film initially, there’s simply no way that the WB would have allowed a 4-hour cut to be released in theatres, especially for a franchise that had been viewed as flailing. Although, with the move to streaming, Snyder suddenly had the opportunity to lean in to his longer take on the film. All of a sudden, he had the time (and freedom) to tell the story his way. Given more space in the world of digital media, Snyder’s League feels less like a theatrical release and more like the first chapter of a mega mini-series event. At a time when binge-watching has taken over the ‘theatrical experience’, Zack Snyder’s Justice League leans into our current obsession with long-form storytelling, complete with ‘chapters’ marking breaks within the film. 

Most importantly though, what about the quality of the film itself? 

The truth is that it’s good. Very, very good. 

Shockingly good, really.

In the new cut, Zack Snyder’s Justice League picks up immediately following the events of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. After Superman’s (Henry Cavill) death, the world is left with a need for heroes. As such, Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) begin building a team of super-humans who will stand together against an ancient evil that is preparing to return and exact revenge on humanity. 

Although I have never considered myself a ‘Snyder-apologist’, one can’t help but recognize the quality of his epic saga. The ‘director’s cut’ is far from a new concept in our culture. Even so, the extent of these re-edits usually amounts to a few additional scenes or some updated special effects. In the case of the new League, Snyder offers an almost entirely different story with new subplots and expanded character beats.

In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to suggest that it improves on the original theatrical cut in virtually every way.

While Whedon’s original film attempted to ‘lighten’ the tone with more quips and less exposition, that vision never truly fit with the world that Snyder had already created. Marked by rushed character arcs that never satisfy and a bland villain, the original film rarely works. Nevertheless, with the move to HBOMax, Snyder’s version has the proper time to explore the stories of new characters without betraying the larger superhero story. Though this saga would obviously have benefited from prior stand-alone films, Snyder’s League does its very best to compensate by giving meaningful backstories to its new additions, especially Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. Once a side character with little relevance, Cyborg has suddenly become the film’s emotional core with an arc that has a significant impact on the outcome of the story.

In addition, the most notable change comes through a more fully realized villain in Steppenwolf. Whereas Whedon trimmed the brute’s story down to almost nothing, Snyder’s new footage offers a meaningful role to the character. Instead of a standard ‘big bad’ who’s forgettable (at best), the new League highlights his motivation and relationship to the larger impending force of nature in Darkseid. As a result, not only does Steppenwolf become more interesting to the viewer but his actions simply make more sense. (What’s more, new special effects give the character a much more menacing look, a factor that was lacking in the original cut.) 

Of course, it’s also important to know that the film ends on an enormous cliff-hanger. Originally conceived to be the first of three films, League operates in grand strokes but never fully concludes. (For the record, Snyder has currently stated he has no intention of returning to the world.)

What’s more, despite its overall quality, this League will not likely win any new converts from those who struggle to connect with Snyder’s vision. Although it goes without saying that this a vastly improved version of the film, all the Snyder-isms that will cause derision remain front and centre. Off-putting to some for his showmanship, there’s little question that his visual polish drives his work. Featuring a litany of stylized effects, slow-motion action and dark, gritty story-telling, League is Snyder is at his free-wheeling best yet he will still likely alienate viewers who are looking for something more along the lines of Marvel’s lighter, more humorous tone.

However, these vast differences are all very intentional. Whereas Marvel has taken a much more scientific or ‘human-centred’ approach to their content, Snyder’s vision for the DC Universe has always included viewing these heroes as modern gods. Though Marvel seems to create heroes on par with mankind, Snyder views characters like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as super beings who have been sent as examples to inspire humanity to greatness. (One need not look further than the giant monument to Superman to see that this is true.) There’s a deep admiration for his characters within Snyder’s work that hints at the spiritual longings of a culture looking for heroes. As such, his vision for the League meets every superhuman act with a grand crescendo. Bursts of electricity, clangs of metal and a bombastic soundtrack give the film an epic scale that highlights his vision. To Snyder, the DC Universe is an example of our modern mythology and, as such, he is unapologetic in his reverence for the material.

With the release of his ambitious superhero opus, Snyder truly does come out as the winner here. With grandiose storytelling and vastly improved character arcs, Zack Snyder’s Justice League shows what the director can do when given the time (and money) to bring his vision to life. As a result, this reborn League certainly feels like the unexpectedly epic conclusion that this chapter of the DCEU (and Snyder himself) needed.

That is, until #RestoreTheSnyderVerse takes effect.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is available to stream on HBOMax on Thursday, March 18th, 2021..

Incredibles 2: Together We Rise

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It’s been a while.

The goal of a film critic is to encourage people to go and see high quality movies while steering people away from titles that aren’t very good. To do this, the critic watches a film, then dissects it like an expert surgeon, analyzing it for plot holes, characterization, quality of CGI, music selection, theme, and at least a hundred additional items.  With so many variables, a film can receive vastly different reviews depending on the reviewer.  And to make things even more interesting, theater-goers may feel differently than the critic when the credits roll.

In the case of director Brad Bird’s latest film Incredibles 2, I believe the two groups will agree the film is a fantastic way to spend a couple hours in an air-conditioned theater.  Whether I2 holds up to fourteen years of waiting will depend on your personal perspective.

If you recall, the end of The Incredibles found the Parr family—burly Bob (Craig T Nelson), Stretch-Armstrong-like Helen (Holly Hunter), teenager Violet (Sarah Vowell), lightning-fast Dash (Huck Milner), and baby Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile)—preparing to take on a burrowing villain called the Underminer.  In Incredibles 2, we finally get to see how the battle turns out.

It’s not pretty. At least half the town is destroyed, including cars, freeway overpasses, buildings, and at least one character’s emotional stability. As a result, the Supers are forced underground yet again (and the Parr family into living out of a hotel room). But there may be some hope in the form of Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk), a multi-billionaire who has been fascinated with superheroes his entire life (even singing their theme songs). He meets Bob, Helen, and Frozone (Samuel L Jackson) in order to reveal a plan to get Supers back on the good side of the general public. But in a surprise to Bob, Winston wants Helen to be the face of positive public perception, leaving him to stay home and take care of the kids.

Helen Parr (AKA Elastigirl) meets some new Supers.

Helen, in her Elastigirl outfit, immediately has to deal with a runaway monorail in New Urbem that showcases her talents as well as the new motorcycle Winston’s sister and uber-talented Evelyn (Catherine Keener) designed.  Her success leads to more Supers coming out of hiding, including Void (Sophia Bush), a superfan of Helen’s who creates interdimensional portals out of thin air. But there’s a more sinister villain than the Underminer on the loose—one that always seems to be a step ahead of Helen.  The Screenslaver hypnotizes people who are looking at video screens into obeying their commands, threatening to destroy Supers once and for all.  Helen thinks she’s got the villain figured out—but is sorely incorrect.

Meanwhile, Bob struggles mightily to be an effective full-time dad. Dash can’t figure out his math homework; Violet is an emotional mess regarding a boy; and Jack-Jack keeps Bob up at all hours while harboring multiple superpowers that are beginning to manifest themselves.  It all exhausts Bob, leaving him gruff and unshaven, and in one of the craziest scenes in the film, asleep while Jack-Jack combats his new arch enemy—a territorial raccoon.  Thankfully, the kids intervene in the form of Frozone and a diminutive yet pugnacious fashion designer named Edna Mode (Brad Bird himself).

In order to defeat the Screenslaver, it’s going to take more than Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl.  As a result, the final portion of the film is an action-packed spectacle I won’t spoil for you.  When the credits rolled, the crowd applauded and cheered loudly.

In the end, I felt Incredibles 2 was just as good as the original film.  Michael Giacchino’s score delivered the right amount of gravitas while keeping pace with the action onscreen. All the actors did well with their roles, but I’ll single out Vowell for her emotional portrayal of an uncertain, surly, yet teenage Violet who needed some form of support from her parental unit.  Animation has always been one of Pixar’s hallmarks, and Incredibles 2 is no exception.  They’ve come a long way in fourteen years with gradation, shading, water effects, and sense of speed.

“We’re all in this together.”

As for the film itself, Dash seemed to fall to the wayside on a few occasions and was a bit one-note with his performance.  Jack-Jack stole each scene he was in, but was surprisingly tame in the final sequences.  But when he and Edna were on the screen together, it was absolutely electric.  I wanted more.  The Screenslaver was a worthy villain and provided caution for each of us about devoting our lives to video screens—be they televisions, tablets, phones, or computers.  Another line that struck me was when Evelyn said, “People will trade quality for ease every time.”  Perhaps we all need to up our standards in our daily activities and not settle for second best when something better is available.

The focus of Incredibles 2, despite the superhero title, remains the family.  In many ways, I saw in the Parrs a microcosm of my own family.  Not everything in life goes the way we would like it to (and often doesn’t).  We struggle, we run away, we argue, we lose hope, but we always fall back on each other when the day is over. And in that, the Bible reminds us to “encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception” (Hebrews 3:13 HCSB).  The world can be a very evil place, so we must make sure we’re not falling captive to the issues around us while making a difference for good wherever we go. Together we rise; apart we fall.

That’s something all film critics can agree with.

Incredibles 2 – Family Bonds

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Incredibles 2 continues the story of the Parr family from The Incredibles. While it is ostensibly a superhero story, at its heart this is a film about family and especially about parenting as children go through all the changes of growing up.

As in the original, superheroes are still illegal, but with the supervillain The Underminer on the loose, the family of superheroes goes into action—rather heavy-handedly, creating a mess of the city and being relocated. Forced to live in a motel, the family tries to think about what the future will hold for them. The parents, Bob, aka Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), and Helen, aka Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), know that one of them will need to get a job to support the family. Meanwhile, their middle school aged daughter Violet (Sarah Vowell) is attracted to a boy at school, son Dash (Huckleberry Milner) struggles with his homework, and toddler Jack-Jack is a handful just in himself.

But Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and their friend Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) get an offer from industrialist siblings Winston and Evelyn Deavor (Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener). They want to improve the world’s opinion of superheroes and make them legal again. Their plan is to use Elastigirl to stop some crimes (she does far less damage in the process that Mr. Incredible or Frozone). So Helen goes off to the big city while Bob stays home with the kids.

It turns out that Bob is a stereotypical incompetent father. He tries, but he can’t grasp new math, has no idea how to help Violet with the boys, and Jack-Jack is impossible to get down for the night. Plus, Jack-Jack now is manifesting his own superpowers—a wide array of powers.

Helen is busy doing battle with The Screenslaver, a villain who uses screen (TV, computer, whatever) to hypnotize people and have them do his will. She feels bad that she isn’t with her family, but relishes the opportunity so show off her skills. It’s not unlike the juggling of priorities that many parents experience. But when The Screenslaver gets the upper hand, Bob and the kids head off to save the day and the world (mostly it’s the kids, including Jack-Jack, that get their parents out of hot water).

What is charming about the Incredibles films is that they give us a chance to see superheroes who aren’t sullen loners, but rather people with happy family lives—happy even when the going is hard. The film, I think, allows parents to be reminded that the job they do matters.  As the diminutive designer to the superheroes Edna Mode (Brad Bird) says, “Done properly, parenting is a heroic task.” As Bob mopes about being left out while Helen is fighting crime, this is a reminder of what the really hard job is. Parents aren’t gifted with super strength and powers—only with the love they have for their children. With that, parents face years of problems but also years of joy.

For the Parrs, a family where everyone has special powers, what really ties them together is not being strong, fast, elastic, invisible, or having lasers shooting out of their eyes. The connection they have is really the bond that can exist in the families of all those who go to watch the movie together.

Let me also put in a word here for Bao, the short directed by Domee Shi (the first woman to direct a Pixar film), playing along with Incredibles 2. It is a delightful story of a woman whose handmade dumpling comes to life. We watch as she and the dumpling go through the years. The dumpling passes through all the phases of childhood and into being a young adult. It is hard for the woman to let go of her baby dumpling, but in the end, we see just how wonderful it is to see your child grow into an adult.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Marvel’s Jessica Jones Blu-ray: Heroic Pain Tolerance?

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NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: Krysten Ritter filming "Jessica Jones" on March 10, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

Daredevil was epic.

That is, the Netflix one, not the star-crossed Ben Affleck/Jennifer Garner one. [Editor’s note: it’s better than people think, but still.]

When Marvel announced that it’s second series on Netflix would focus on little-known female superhero Jessica Jones, I wondered if they had been drinking their own Kool-aid. Sure, Guardians of the Galaxy was a surprise hit, and Paul Rudd didn’t shrink expectations as Ant-Man. But what were they going to do with a woman who was most famous for being Luke Cage’s girlfriend? And seriously, Kristen Ritter? A dramedy maybe, but a brawn-flexing She-Hulk without the green?

I was skeptical.

But by the end of the first episode, I was wildly impressed, majorly engaged, and … scared out of my mind.

While Daredevil focused on the external problems that Matt Murdock experiences as a lawyer by day and a masked–and blind–vigilante by night, Jessica Jones finds Ritter’s heroine struggling internally, mentally and emotionally. While the backstory unfolds over thirteen episodes, it’s sufficient to say that Jones has been raped in every way by Kilgrave (David Tennant, Doctor Who), whose powers of mind control are like nothing I’ve ever seen in television.

Having escaped Kilgrave’s control temporarily, Jones seeks help (begrudgingly) from her childhood best friend, Trish Walker (Rachel Taylor), whose mother exhibited a different sort of mind control as a child. She also falls into a relationship with Cage (Mike Colter), who has his own relationship to Kilgrave’s mind control – and also possesses a unique set of physical abilities. She’s begrudging of a lot – like human companionship, common courtesy, and social niceties – but she also cares for the addict down the hall (Eka Darville), even if she can’t be troubled to fix the broken window in her Alias Detective Agency office/apartment. She is however gainfully employed by Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Ann Moss, deliciously cutthroat) to investigate various cases that require Jones’ skills and subtlety.

jessicajoneskilgrave

Then, the effect of Kilgrave rises up at the end of the pilot when an innocent girl aptly named Hope (Erin Moriarty) is forced to commit an inexplicable crime. Like Drive or A History of Violence (or the opening episode of The Following), the violence of Jessica Jones is so shocking and sudden that it is periodically breathtaking. It’s the psychosis of Kilgrave that links all of the separate acts together, bringing a series of unrelated events together under one heading – his obsession with getting Jones back.

While the show is ripe with violence, there’s little actual physical violence between Kilgrave and Jones. Instead, the focus is left via the camera on Ritter’s face, on the way that she wrestles with the emotional and mental scars left by Kilgrave’s violation. This is the reality of internal manipulation, as the show depicts a violence that goes beyond the physical scarring of abuse. While mental and emotional abuse may not leave signs of their trauma, Jessica Jones shows how dangerous the actual impact can be on the life and soul of the victim. Instead of externally showing the struggle for Jones (which is still exampled throughout the series by the people Kilgrave hurts to get to her), the camera puts an emphasis on Ritter’s ability to display a core, internal pain.

jessicajonescage

Jessica Jones is unique, not just because it has a female heroine (frankly, both Supergirl and Agent Carter were already there) but because it takes a superhero motif and uses it to highlight the silent battle of those in recovery from traumatic mental or emotional abuse. Instead of painting it easily one way or another, it shows that Jones’ outlets like alcohol and sex ease the pain temporarily, but don’t end the problem; at the same time, positive influences like Walker and Cage help, but Jones must make decisions on her own that will lead to closure.

One of the most striking things to me about the series was the ongoing dialogue between Jones and Kilgrave. Kilgrave’s obsession has caused Jones much pain by the time the series winds down; in fact, you might say that she’s lost everything except for her physical life. But in a pivotal scene, Jones lashes out verbally that he has caused all of this (which is true in one regard), but Kilgrave pushes back that Jones chose how she would respond.

Well, isn’t that the kicker?

While we are often beaten by life, emotionally, physically, or mentally, by things outside of our control. But how we respond is the choice we make – what we do with our pain is our way of asserting who we are and what we’re made of. For Jessica Jones, the debate is over whether or not she is a (super)hero or merely a pawn. For her own desires to be in control, to maintain her own identity and individuality, she realizes that she can’t achieve that by hiding who or what she is, or hiding what has been done to her. To achieve success, to regain her life, Jones will be forced to embrace her pain, her community, and her responsibility – it’s a well-told superhero motif, but this time, the experience of growth is more than skin deep.

College of William & Mary’s Ashley Miller on Superheroes, Stories, & Success

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millerWhat happens when you gather the minds behind films like L.A. Confidential, Thelma & Louise, Groundhog Day, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Silence of the Lambs, In the Name of the Father, and Apollo 13? You get a stunning set of interviews about what it means to tell stories, change culture, and create new ways of thinking.

Ashley Miller, a College of William & Mary alum who has written X-Men: First Class and Thor, can claim some credit in the new generation of superhero films. In the new book by the Austin Film Festival, On Story – Screenwriters and Filmmakers on Their Iconic Films, editors Barbara Morgan and Maya Perez collect an A-list group of filmmakers to compare notes and share from their experience. In between the release of the book and 2017’s Power Rangers, ScreenFish connected with Miller to talk about the new book, loving superheroes, and telling stories.

Miller, an English major at W&M, said that he was potentially better off because the school didn’t have a screenwriting program. “I studied renaissance lit in school,” he shared. “I was always a writer, ever since I was tiny. I love to tell stories and wrote them down. Honestly, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I grew up. It took me awhile even after college.”

“I was out in the world a solid six years before I came out to LA. That particular education at W&M was great prep because it honed my creative skills and honed my analytical skills. I discover reasons every day for why those skills are important. It’s just that my story is not the usual trip through USC or UCLA.”

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Now, Miller is one of the leading voices in supehero-related storytelling. Joining Michael Green, Nicole Perlman, and Álvaro Rodríg, Miller’s thoughts on superhero films were included in the chapter, “I am Groot.” Our conversation turned to the importance of those heroic stories, both on the printed page and the silver screen. I asked Miller why the superhero films were finally having a relevant response in general audiences everywhere, and when the tide changed.

“I think superheroes would’ve spoken to anyone who would have bothered to open the page and consider what they were looking at. I think the barrier is sometimes the perception of the medium,” Miller mused. “Part of why they weren’t translated to film was generational; some of it was cost and risk. It was nearly unachievable as a task of production. It wasn’t until the Batman films became successful that they permeated the general populace. With the exception of Batman & Robin, the films were pretty good on their own.”

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Miller’s knowledge about the stories in various forms became abundantly obvious as his answers included not only anecdotal historical evidence but also pop culture geek nostalgia.

“Marvel and DC were hanging on by a thread as comic book companies fifteen years ago, having rough times. The comic book readership goes up and down; these things move in cycles. But if you walked down the street wearing an Iron Man t-shirt fifteen years ago, even ten years ago, no one knew who Iron Man was. Iron Man! So walking around with a Thor t-shirt was even more unheard of. [The transition to movies] needs several billion dollars worth of marketing to get people past that in perception, to understand what they were about, so people can understand how these stories matter.”

When, I asked, did Miller think the change came? Was it Burton’s Batman, Nolan’s Batman, or something earlier?

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“Superman the Movie was a transcendental moment in film in terms of film’s relationships with comic books,” Miller proposed. “It took another twenty years, maybe less, if you look at the mini-boom in the 1990s, that showed people that comic book characters could be taken seriously. Even though it’s campy in some moments toward the end of the film, by the time you get there, you are so in with Clark Kent, and you believe that a man could fly. That’s the bar they had to meet. I think Tim Burton’s Batman raised it again to show people what these stories could mean.”

“The next watershed was Bryan Singer’s X-Men films and Sam Raimi’s Spiderman, which made Marvel’s last decade possible. It made FOX’s success with X-Men possible,” Miller continued. With growing enthusiasm, he remembered, “Fox wasn’t convinced it was going to be a hit. People believed in it but didn’t know what the audiences would do with it. I’d put those films together as the things that have redefined what people think of superhero movies.”

powerrangers


As our time came to a close, I asked Miller what we might expect from his next film, Power Rangers, which is expected in 2017. As I write this, I have two boys at home who are hoping that the film will be made for them.

“Ideally, the finished film is aimed at a wide audience,” Miller explained. “We have saying, that we’re aiming for a “4Q” film, the four quadrants or the bullseye. It’s the kind of film the studio prefers to hit when it’s spending $150 million! I would hope that you, and both of your sons, would enjoy the film, but on different levels.”

Miller clearly knows his stuff, as do the host of other filmmakers in On Story – Screenwriters and Filmmakers on Their Iconic Films, available now.

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Captain America: Civil War – Whom to Follow

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Before the screening I attended of Captain America: Civil War, the screen was filled with a message encouraging people to take part in the social media strategy of the film by tweeting either #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan to designate which side they favor. Welcome to the political edition of the Marvel Universe. I’ll save my vote until later.

The film is built around a division within the ranks of the Avengers. After an Avenger mission in Lagos, Nigeria creates severe collateral damage, the governments of the world reach an agreement by which the Avengers will come under the authority and control of a U.N.-like body. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) supports the proposal as a step to keep the Avengers working for the good. Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) thinks that the Avengers’ work is too important to allow for government interference. The others tend to fall behind one or the other of these leaders.

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When the accord is due to be signed, a bomb goes off near the site, killing several. It appears to be the work of The Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers childhood friend Bucky Barns. Captain America sets out to keep Bucky from being killed by those sent to capture him, putting himself on the wrong side of the law. Soon the Avengers are divided into two camps (with a couple of notable non-Avenger additions from the Marvel Universe), one seeking to save and exonerate Bucky, and one determined to bring him to justice. In the meantime, a new superhero, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), an African prince (now king) whose father was killed in the blast, operates in neither camp, but is seeking to bring his own form of justice to the man who killed his father. In time this leads to a battle royal as the two teams face off, eventually to a showdown between Captain America and Iron Man to save Bucky.

So the first political issue is whether government oversight is a good thing or a hindrance. The Avengers have done some serious damage in their attempts to save the world from whatever menace they have been facing. As a group of people with enhanced powers, they are something of a global superpower in themselves. How are they to be held accountable for all that collateral damage that accompanies their fight for the right? But if a government power is involved, won’t that reduce their effectiveness; maybe even prevent them from doing what needs to be done? Iron Man thinks that the team has to be held accountable and that government is necessary for that to happen. Captain America thinks that the government will only get in the way. How do you vote on that issue? TeamCap or TeamIronMan?

Then comes the idea of how we know what is right in a given situation. For Captain America, his loyalty to his friend Bucky transcends even the possibility that he has resumed his role as Winter Soldier. Even if Bucky is responsible for the attack, is he truly responsible or is it a matter of mind control? Should he be summarily done away with in the name of justice and vengeance? For Iron Man, it is just a matter of capturing (or killing if need be) the person who has done this. It’s not his job to wade through the facts beyond what seems obvious to all the world. Does loyalty to a friend (Cap) take precedence over loyalty to what all the world sees as justice (Iron Man)?

And then there is the whole issue of personality. Don’t we often pick our leaders based on some sort of personality cult? Let’s face it, Tony Stark is a bit arrogant, but he still believes in doing what is right (and if it turns a profit, all the better). Steve Rogers comes across as the incarnation of virtue. Yet, as the story plays out, it is Rogers who becomes the criminal and Stark who serves as the sheriff of superherodom. Which side of the law do you want to be on? Vote accordingly.

While I call this the political edition of the Marvel Universe, I do not mean that this is some sort of parody of the current election cycle. However, it is not hard to use this as a lens to consider how it is we pick sides in the election. Worse, we may even be willing to be combative, even with friends, over our visions of the world and those who we think should lead us.

Actually, I’m not willing to cast my vote for either Captain America or Iron Man. Both of them are utterly convinced of the righteousness of their cause. That makes it almost impossible for them to find common ground, but even worse, it makes it impossible for them to find any transformation for their character. Repentance is outside their vocabulary. Without some sense of flexibility, they are doomed to end up in those battles that make up much of the film. In short, neither of them really grows in the course of the film.

Beyond that, I don’t think either of them is the person who best represents the options that need to be considered in the film—nor even the most interesting characters. There are two minor characters that really drew me to them. I understand that this is a superhero blockbuster that uses broad strokes (sometimes too broad) to tell the story. But within that there should be room from some subtle looks at character growth and to give us people we can truly connect with because in spite of their superpowers they are like us.

The first of these characters is Wanda/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). She is consumed with guilt over what happened in Lagos. She is conflicted over the use of her powers. Her vulnerability as a character grows out of seeing the damage that can be done even with the best of intentions. As the Avengers discuss whether to agree to the new proposal, she is pretty much paralyzed by grief. She never really chooses a side, she is just brought in to one of them. Yet in the process, she begins to discover that her power is not her enemy. It would have been nice to know just how that happened.

They key character for me in the film was Black Panther. He has vowed vengeance on the man who killed his father, and like the two main characters he is convinced of the righteousness of his mission. But he is reflective enough to see the problems that come along with vengeance and can be transformed—and even repent of the course he set out on. This is the character who has the most growth and transformation in the story, but we see far too little of it. (The good news is that Black Panther will be getting his own franchise in the future.) So for me, when it comes to #TeamCap and #TeamIronMan, I say a curse on both your houses. Put me down for #TeamPanther.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Sanjay’s Super Team: Pixar gets religion

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I love a good short, and Sanjay’s Super Team (which plays before The Good Dinosaur) is excellent. With no dialogue and only a few minutes long, Sanjay’s Super Team teaches us lessons of faith and passing on traditions to new generations.

As young Sanjay plays with his action figures and watches a superhero cartoon on TV, his father comes to the family altar to meditate. Inside the altar are three Hindu deities: a male, a female, and a monkey. A brief battle over TV volume leads to Sanjay being brought over to share in the meditation time. But soon he becomes bored with meditation and his imagination takes over. What if the lamp in the altar went out and a demon appeared? What if the deities came to life and battled with the demon? What if Sanjay had to take part in the battle as well? Soon, Sanjay begins to understand these gods as a new kind of superhero. In the end, Sanjay and his father have new things they can talk about.

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While gods and superheroes may have a great deal in common (especially in childlike faith), what makes this short film work is that Sanjay finds a new way to understand very ancient traditions. It is easy to think of gods (and this is true of Christian understandings as well) as distant and irrelevant. Often children are dragged to religion when they would much rather be watching superheroes on TV. Yet if God or gods become something they learn to relate to, it opens up the possibility of deeper faith and deeper relationships with the people around them.

At the end of the film there are a couple of photographs, one with director Sanjay Patel and his father when Sanjay was a child, the second with the two of them now that Sanjay is an adult. I take this film as a kind of thanks to a father who offered his son a chance to find his own way into faith.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios