While at JAFAX a few weeks ago, my friend, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, and I took a few minutes for me to read one of my entries in our Christian devotional for geeks and nerds, 42: Discoverintg Faith through Fandom.
Tag Archives: Marvel Studios
Why ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ is Underperforming
(Pardon me, True Believers, as I get back into the habit of blogging).
As I discussed a few weeks ago, the American kaiju fandom had a meltdown when the Rotten Tomatoes score was revealed for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. It slowly dropped to 40% over the film’s opening weekend. Meanwhile, the audience score remained high (it sits at 83% currently). Unfortunately, despite pushback from outspoken fans, the film has been underperforming at the box office, only making $49 million its opening weekend. There’s been a lot of talk as to why, but I don’t think it’s just one thing but many working in tandem, and unlike he did in Godzilla: Final Wars, Big G couldn’t defeat all of these opponents.
- Highly Competitive Movie Season
As much as I love Avengers: Endgame, it sucked the air out of the proverbial room. Every major studio tried to give the Disney/Marvel juggernaut at least a two-week breadth. Heck, if I remember correctly, KOTM’s release was pushed back a week or two to give the superhero epic as much space as possible. Unfortunately, KOTM still opened amidst stiff competition from other big franchises: Detective Pikachu, John Wick 3: Parabellum, Aladdin, and Dark Phoenix (making this the second time an American Godzilla film opened the week before an X-Men film). Given that Endgame dominated filmgoers’ time and money, they were less likely to go see something else that soon.
2. Ads Revealed Too Much
KOTM had an ad campaign almost as aggressive as a certain other American G-film. So aggressive, in fact, that Legendary/Warner Bros. gave too much away. It revealed things that should’ve been surprises, both in terms of plot and the kaiju fights. By contrast, the ad campaign for Godzilla in 2014 erred on the side of minimalism (much like the film itself). Warner Bros. could’ve learned something from that or the advertising for Endgame, which kept secrets from the audience. As it stands, some people probably felt like they’d seen the whole movie just from the trailers.
3. Niche Audience
Like it or not, kaiju films aren’t “mainstream.” The superhero genre managed to broaden its appeal, but kaiju have yet to do that. I don’t know why since there’s a lot of overlap with the two, but even in Japan, where the genre came into being, the same is true. Ultraman is more popular than Godzilla. Regardless, the kaiju fans turned out in droves to see KOTM, but their numbers don’t compare to the likes of Marvel fans.
4. Audience Doesn’t Know What It Wants
On a related note, the kaiju fanbase, at least in the States, can’t seem to agree on what a kaiju movie should be. From what I can tell, every Godzilla film from both sides of the Pacific has divided them since 2004. There were complaints that there was too much human story and not enough monsters in Godzilla (2014) and Shin Godzilla, but now the complaint with KOTM is there’s too much monster action. The same was said about Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). Yet if you ask a fan to name one of his favorite entries in the series, he’ll likely pick a Japanese film that had little monster screen time like Monster Zero. This division not only makes the films and the fans look bad, it confuses filmmakers and undermines box office. It’s possible those disappointed with Godzilla (2014) for those reasons stayed home even though the problem was rectified.
5. Long Gap between Films
While some moviegoers complain of superhero fatigue, one of the secrets to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s success is it usually releases two or three films a year. This maintains narrative momentum and brand recognition. Even individual series within the MCU often only have a two-year gap between entries. It’s been five years since Legendary’s Godzilla reboot. Yes, Kong: Skull Island came out in 2017, but it wasn’t marketed as part of the MonsterVerse. This stymied both recognition and momentum.
6. Critics’ Reviews…
While I previously wrote that review aggregate sites like Rotten Tomatoes have been given too much power, the fact remains that a film’s RT score can affect box office turnout. For better or worse, filmgoers will pay attention to the scores. It doesn’t always affect it, but it more often than not does.
7. …and the Fan Backlash
That being said, the fans attacking critics as hacks because of their negative reviews hasn’t boded well. While I can’t say for sure, many of their attempts to fight against the tide of bad reviews by saying, “It’s a Godzilla film! It’s supposed to be stupid!” isn’t making anyone interested in seeing KOTM. If anything, they should try talking about what they liked about the movie or try to explain how the critics are wrong. You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Sadly, the internet is flooded with vinegar.
Because of all this, Warner Bros. considered delaying the release of Godzilla vs. Kong so they could “make an A+ movie.” There were several reasons why this might’ve happened, but that’s a topic for another blog (that I may or may not write).
In the end, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a good film that faced an uphill battle, and the hill just kept getting steeper.
What do you think? Are there other reasons KOTM underperformed? What are they?
Digression 18: Farewell, Stan Lee
“Digression 18: Farewell, Stan Lee”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand
It’s been over a month since comic book legend Stanley Lieber (aka Stan Lee) died. I recorded this video the week of his death, but I was unable to edit and post it until now. It’s appropriate since today would’ve been his 96th birthday. I share my memories of his many stories and characters, my experience of meeting him, and why he inspires me as a writer.
What are your memories of Stan? Leave them in the comments below.
A Moonlighting Ninjas Media Production
(c) 2018 Nathan Marchand
My (Spoiler-Free) Review of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
It’s been a while since I blogged, so I figured a review of the biggest nerd movie of 2018 would be a great way to get back into the swing of things.
To quote Buzz Lightyear, “To Infinity…and beyond!”
This is the best Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Ever. Of all time. (Well, for now, anyway). For the first time, I went into an MCU movie not sure what to expect, and after seeing it, I’m unsure what Marvel will do next because there’s a lot of things they could do. Even with my knowledge of the comics that inspired this film (The Infinity Gauntlet and, to much lesser extent, Infinity War), I’m not sure what will happen next. With Disney trying to finalize a deal to buy out 20th Century Fox, that means Marvel will reacquire the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four. The possibilities are endless!
I was concerned that Thanos wouldn’t be a villain worthy of a decade of build-up.
Boy, was I wrong.
He has eclipsed Loki as the best villain in the MCU. He’s altered from the comics, which is understandable given that what comic fans love about Thanos was developed for many comics over many years, and that’d be hard to condense into a film that’s already huge. Heck, he’d need his own movie to get there. He’s gone from a lovesick Eternal trying to win the affections of Mistress Death to a madman with a noble cause. There’s even some tenderness from him. Josh Brolin’s performance with the mo-cap is incredible. I never thought I was watching a special effect.
My sister described the film as “a bit ADD.” I can see why. At 2 ½ hours, it’s a long movie with 64 characters from 18 other films. Yet while it bounces back and forth between several groups of characters, I never felt like it shortchanged anyone or was moving too fast. Everyone gets a moment of awesomeness. The film masterfully juggles several tones, including traditional superhero, mythic, and space opera comedy. They all blend perfectly. I attribute this to the Russo Brothers and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who might be the best creative team in the MCU.
Without giving any spoilers, this is a film that will shock audiences. Even I was taken aback by the ending. I knew it had to happen, since I knew this was part one of a two-part story and I’ve read the comics, but it still surprised me with how boldly un-Hollywood-like it was. It didn’t affect me as much as Logan did, but that was a superhero film about finality. There isn’t nearly as much of that here.
I want to see this in IMAX. I bet it would look great. I don’t normally see movies more than once in a theatre, but this is one I’d gladly see again. That’s how much I love it.
My only problem with the film is it does and doesn’t stand alone. While it explains the many characters just enough to give context, you have to have seen a lot of the previous MCU films to understand it fully. The more you’ve seen, the more you’ll get out of it.
My opinion of this film may change with more viewings. Right now I’m just basking in the excitement.
To summarize: It’s one of the best superhero films ever made.
What’d you think of Avengers: Infinity War? Feel free to leave comments—including spoilers—below. I could talk about this film for hours and would love to include you all in the conversation.
But I Digress…, Episode 36: A Review of ‘Captain America: Civil War’
“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand
After a host of delays and problems filming this video, I’ve *finally* completed it–a month after the movie in question was released. Sorry.
Anyway, my buddy Sergio and I tackle what is arguably one of Marvel’s greatest films after some crazy (and schlocky) shenanigans.
Additional Music Credit: “There was a Hole Here” by The Wingless
My more timely text review: http://www.examiner.com/review/civil-war-is-marvel-s-best-film-yet
Did you enjoy the film? What are your thoughts on it?
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Daredevil and Writing Christian Characters
A few weeks ago, Marvel Comics released the 13-episode series Daredevil on Netflix. My longtime readers won’t be surprised when I say that it was this show–the first of five that Marvel is releasing exclusively to the streaming service–that made me finally sign up for Netflix. I’ve made it no secret that I love superheroes, comic books, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
(If you’d like to read my official review of the series, go to my Examiner page here).
One of the things I find most interesting about Daredevil is he is one of only a few Christian superheroes that I know of (Nightcrawler from X-Men is another). He’s Catholic, to be specific. I was curious to see how his faith would be handled in this series since Hollywood has a track record for presenting Christians as hypocrites, loons, or both. I thought they might gloss over his faith, at best.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that his faith was an integral part of his character. He unabashedly identifies himself as Catholic, even saying that it’s what keeps him going most of the time. But most importantly, his faith isn’t simplified. In fact, it makes him a complicated character. Conversely, he’s not the squeaky-clean, nigh-perfect Christian character usually presented in faith-based movies.
(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!)
Matt has endured much tragedy. He was blinded as a boy after shoving a man out the way of a truck, which then accidentally dumped chemicals on him. His father, a mediocre boxer, was murdered by mobsters because he refused to throw a fight. He spent the next several years in a Catholic orphanage dealing with his radar-like super-senses (a “gift” of the chemical bath) until he was trained to fight by a skilled but amoral blind old man, who eventually abandoned him. Is it any wonder he adopted the faith of the orphanage? He needed it to go on. It spurred him to become a lawyer so he could help clean up Hell’s Kitchen.
But Matt quickly learned the limitations of the law. He told the story of hearing a man in the next-door apartment sexually molesting his eight-year-old daughter. Because of his super-senses, he was the only one who knew about it. The mother didn’t believe it, and, as he said, the father was “smart” and managed to convince Child Protective Services he was innocent. So, one night, having gotten sick of it, he put on a mask, tracked the father down, and beat him up, threatening to make the next one worse if he ever touched his daughter again. “I could sleep better after that,” he said.
This was his first night as a vigilante, which by definition is someone who operates outside the law to enforce some form of justice. It goes counter to what Matt normally would stand for as a lawyer. Yet it doesn’t. As Matt states in a courtroom speech, the law concerns itself with facts and not necessarily truth. It can only act based on the evidence that is presented. Plus, as Matt learns while trying to take down his archenemy Wilson Fisk (aka Kingpin), cops and judges can be bought or bullied to offer criminals protection. This brought Matt to a crossroads. The only way to stop Fisk seemed to be killing him, but as he confessed to his priest, such an act would damn his soul. This was only one of the many spiritual struggles he had concerning the morality of the often brutal tactics he used to enforce his vigilante justice.
What was brilliant about it was it all seemed realistic and believable. I’ve heard of many people in real life who’ve wrestled with huge moral issues (though, admittedly, they weren’t costumes vigilantes…so far as I know…). At one point Matt was willing to risk damning his soul if it meant saving his city. Ultimately, he found another way, but it may not be the perfect solution (that’ll be revealed in season 2). This struggle is presented with great respect. The show’s creators remember that religion is a large part of many people’s lives. It shouldn’t be mocked or ignored. (I also admit that putting characters in moral dilemmas is something I enjoy and used to do a lot in my own stories).
On the other hand, Matt would probably be criticized by many Christians (and perhaps fellow Catholics) because he isn’t perfect. Besides his questions of morality, he has (small?) vices like swearing and possibly pre-marital sex (it’s never shown and details aren’t offered, so the audience is left to decide). Yet at no point did I question the authenticity of his faith. It reminded me that things like cussing don’t always mean a religious person has a weak or superficial faith. Legalism never helps anyone.
What do you think? Did you see the series? How should Christian characters be written in fiction?