Fed up with Trilogies

[Prozerran]

After Spiderman 3 and X-Men 3, I have to say I am just about fed up with Hollywood's treatment of the Marvel Universe. Granted, these movies are entertaining, but I'm just not convinced they are what they could be.

Take X-men for example. In the first movie, the team is introduced and faced with the harsh reality that they have to go it alone with Prof X left in a coma. X2, same damn thing, only this time, Prof X is kidnapped. In the 3rd, Prof X dies a horrible death along with Cyclops and later, Jean Grey. The only person that dies in that whole saga is Jean Grey, but liberties are taken to kill the good professor and take care of scheduling conflicts for the actor playing Cyclops. Ugh... what a cluster fuck.

Spiderman was much better, though, and I was hopeful for the third movie to be just as excellent as S2. Unfortunately, what I watched was a script's desperate attempt to wrap things up in the Spidey universe. It's a damn shame the movie had less action and more droning moments of a love triangle, a break-up, a transformation (into a jerk), and Spidey's redemption when he (let me point out that he never knows in the movie that the bells will shake the venom symbiote from him, entirely different from the comic) goes to the bell tower. Then we get back into action with Eddie Brock's Venom and Sandman teaming up against Spidey. From here on, I'm realizing I'm getting about 7 or 8 abbreviated storylines in this 2 hr and 20 min movie. The only thing I can say about it is that had the credits started rolling at the sunset with the last two scenes coming in the middle and end of the credits, I would have at least seen hope for it.

The bottom line is, the trilogy treatment is getting old. You can't open a comic book universe, complicate its characters, and magically make everything reach resolution in three movies without facing enormous, unachievable obstacles in storyline. It doesn't work. It didn't work in X3, it didn't work in Spidey 3, and it won't work in Fantastic 4. If you're going to have actors commit to a comic storyline, you need them committed for more than 3 movies. There's no sense in trying to end something that doesn't otherwise end, especially a comic storyline where characters never really die.

Of course, Hollywood can make it all up to me if they create a Marvel Universe movie based around the Onslaught saga from X-Men or something equally inviting of all marvel characters. It better not be a trilogy. I'll break things in the theater if they make another damn trilogy out of a marvel comic book.

[IrishDutchman]

Spiderman was much better, though, and I was hopeful for the third movie to be just as excellent as S2.

0__o

Spiderman 2 sucked. Horribly. It sucked harder than a Rob Schneider movie. IMO. I'm not sure what the general consensus was, but no one I know liked it. =/

[dunchy]

0__o

Spiderman 2 sucked. Horribly. It sucked harder than a Rob Schneider movie.

According to box office figures, critics reviews and general fanfare, your wrong.

[IrishDutchman]

According to box office figures, critics reviews and general fanfare, your wrong.

Hmm. Odd. Box office figures don't say much about the quality of a movie though. I was also under the impression critics didn't really like it either. Well, don't wanna derail the thread, so I'll shut up about that. :]
-Edit: Haha, I just read the rotten tomatoes best comic book adaptions, guess who was nr. 1. :D It seems I am indeed the odd one out here.

The problem is that major corporations want to make money, not good movies. That's why they make sequel after sequel. They know tons of people are going to watch it anyway, even if they hear bad things about it.
Few producers have the balls to make a 4th though. i'm not sure why.
Only comic movie sequel I'm looking forward to is Sin City 2.

[GenocideAlive]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree. I seriously disliked the way that the X-men movies were going, and while I liked the first two Spiderman movies, i have as of yet to see the third. I'm scared. I'm already seeing The Adventures of Batman and Robin problems, where we already have way too many villians for a storyline.

The Venom symbiote is not a thing that "shares the limelight". The Venom character is based around an intense hatred of Spiderman, both from Jameson and the symbiote. It's a storyline in and of itself to do justice to the amount of hate that those two have for our hero. I cannot express the amount of distaste and shock that Topher Grace was chosen for this role, considering Brock has Olympic level strength, speed, and agility--all of which are boosted by the symbiote. Basically, Venom is Spiderman on steroids. He's stronger and way more durable; Spiderman simply retains an edge in agility and a huge differential in wit/brainpower.

That brings us to another element of the Venom character, his mental capacities. He's a survivor: extremely adaptive, streetwise, and tough--he can be dropped in the middle of anywhere and thrive. But the downside to all of that is that he's clinically insane; he has a psychopathic hatred for Spiderman and has a distorted, retconned view of the events leading up to his becoming Venom. He has become sadistic and a Spiderman schadenfreude. Now imagine the 130 lb. 6' Topher Grace from That 70s Show attempting to bully someone and ruin their life. Doesn't quite work, does it?

Don't even get me started on their forcing the completely unrelated character Sandman into the movie.

[TranquilNightElf]

Well, they've already said that they plan to make more movies on Spiderman and with four being announced and the enthusiastic comment from the Marvel Studios Producer, it looks like they're going to milk this cash cow.
His comments can be found here (http://www.slashfilm.com/article.php/20060824spiderman4-confirmed).

Of course they have every reason to do so, its making a ton of money, but Yeah I agree that if they are going to make so many movies, I doubt that you'll have the same "storyteller" telling each of them. Thus you will have movies where directors would want to wrap up their story, and get some closure.

That sure seems to have happened to S3. The whole thing was so convoluted by the end of it, it was almost unbelievable (this being a superhero movie notwithstanding).
I just hope S4 gets a better treatment and all.
It would be a real shame to see these interesting plot lines flushed down the toilet to make a quick buck

~TNE

[Thedutchjelle]

Imo trilogies kill orginality.. like..

When the first Pirates of the carribean came out, i liked it. But now they're making the third version already. I saw the second one and it wasn't as funny anymore.

Same with movies like Shrek and Ice age. They did it to much.

[Darmago]

We've got two more trilogy enders this month... and there are going to be like 6 spider-man movies.

[own3d0406]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av6fWfmugds

[Battlecruiser]

Agreed. Saw the Spiderman 3 movie two days ago. It was long and horrible. I was interested for about 30 seconds out of that entire movie, and the scene I'm talking about, without getting too specific, is the end fight scene. What I'm wondering is why they put in so many storylines and compressed the story so much in Spiderman 3 if they are going to make Spiderman 4? Why couldn't they split it up? Now I'm probably not going to watch Spiderman 4 unless the reviews say it was as good as the first one. Also, Genocide brings up a good point about Venom. I was also wondering the same thing during the movie. Since the symbiote is said to enhance the powers of the host, why is Venom so strong when Brock has no powers whatsoever.

The part where the sandman falls into the hole with the sand and spinning machine before he becomes the sandman was so fake. Also Tobey Maguire crying may just be the funniest facial expression ever.

[Prozerran]

Don't even get me started on their forcing the completely unrelated character Sandman into the movie.
I recommend you see this movie while intoxicated. You're liable to find Sandman's presence grotesquely inaccurate and some of the worst storyboard plotting you've probably ever seen. What you've already said about Venom is absolutely right on. Topher Grace was a familiar face, and he didn't really 'look' scrawny in the movie because of camera angles. Still, it never was explained where Eddie Brock came from or his relations to Peter Parker in high school and college. No one will otherwise know what we know from the comic books about Venom, and that's sad.

Treatment like this is similarly so with Phoenix. You don't even know the original Phoenix acted as an ally to the X-Men before she became seduced by human sensations. No one hears that in the movie, and it's a pivotal reason why Jean Grey (really a clone, Jean actually lies at the bottom of Hudson Bay in a cocoon created by the Phoenix to let her heal from the radiation) destroys herself in the end. Which is something else to point out. Jean Grey was not THAT dangerous as a child. This "level" of mutant potential nonsense was just that - nonsense.

Even here in this example though, we know exactly what went wrong. First, establishing phoenix as a universal threat is key, so ending the third movie with her flying away into space to go feed on a star and destroy an entire solar system (like she did in the dark phoenix saga) would have GUARANTEED a fourth movie, more money, and a better ending to the storyline as they battle between saving her against destroying her. Then you begin the fourth film with her actually doing the horrific act and returning to earth. Then, continue ending your story. At least give your characters the time to truly reveal themselves though. I was literally on the edge of my seat until Wolverine walks up to her and kills her. At that point, I said, "This is Shit!" Ugh... I hate trilogies now.

[Yoda]

Wolverine's character was completely massacred in the 3rd X-Men movie. I mean, compare his reaction to Jean Gray dying at the end of the Second movie to Xavier. Realistically, who should he have been more "upset" over?

This was possibly the most out-of-character and embarassing "finale" I've ever heard:

Phoenix: You would die for them!?
Wolverine: (Gasping in pain). No! Not for them. (Pause) For you.
Phoenix: (Horrified look)
Wolverine: For you!
Phoenix: Save me!!
Wolverine: I love you!!
(Stab)

The problem with Hollywood is that they are far more interested in making money than they are at producing a decent movie. An excellent original is almost always followed by an inferior sequel. At least Peter Jackson managed to not do this; and George Lucas made ESB and ROTS good "enough."

Examples include Shrek (I'm not even going to bother seeing the 3rd one), POTC, X-Men, Every single Disney sequel (although I haven't watched any excluding Toy Story 2), The Matrix, Spiderman, Jaws, etc

Spiderman 2 had some good character development, but it was horribly boring in the middle. I didn't watch it in the cinema, but I rented the DVD and ended up skipping scenes.

[Leosam096]

I was really dissapointed in Spider-Man 3. Also the times whenever Peter Parker turned Panic! at the Disco. I watched it a second time and began to dislike it even more.
The extra actors in the movie... come out of nowhere and start small talks. I thought it was full of corn and fruits. :( Especially the part when an elderly man suddenly walks beside Peter Parker and says, "You know what? I think one man 'can' make a difference." Then he adds one of the most irritating things ever said in a week, "Enough said." Then he abandons Parker.

I'm not all negative in this movie. I giggled in some parts like when Peter Parker goes into a French restaurant and waits for Mary Jane. Alot of lessons learned also. Our life is full of choices.

[TranquilNightElf]

The extra actors in the movie... come out of nowhere and start small talks. I thought it was full of corn and fruits. :( Especially the part when an elderly man suddenly walks beside Peter Parker and says, "You know what? I think one man 'can' make a difference." Then he adds one of the most irritating things ever said in a week, "Enough said." Then he abandons Parker.



Er, you do know that was Stan Lee ?, creator of Spiderman and more. It was just a cameo, and was passable..

~TNE

[GenocideAlive]

lol. Leosam doesn't get the in-jokes with Stan Lee. Xd

[Leosam096]

Yes, I know, he was also the man in Spider-man 2 who pulls the woman out of falling rubble. That cameo in the 3rd movie didn't only annoy me so much, but made me laugh so hard in the cinema house because it "was so sudden and coming out of nowhere". Two times actually.