The Battle for 2016

BY DARIAN SABLON AND NOAH CASTAGNA:

In 1978, Superman introduced the idea of mature superhero films to the casual audience, changing the film industry forever. The year 2000 started off the Golden Age of comic book films with X-Men, reminding the casual audience that superhero films could be great. And now, 16 years later,  it is looking to be another landmark year in the history of comic book cinema. With films like Deadpool, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America: Civil War, X-Men: Apocalypse, Suicide Squad, Gambit, and Doctor Strange, it’s become highly contested between comic book fans which film will come out on top. The two films that have accumulated the most hype so far are Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War, pitting two of the most prominent comic book companies, DC and Marvel Studios, against each other in an epic movie face-off.  The question of which one will be better is a topic of heated debate amongst comic fans, and two Cooper City High School students are taking a crack at it.

Batman V. Superman-Darian (March 25)

It is the movie that everyone has  been waiting for. The epic battle between two of the most famous superheroes of all time: Batman and Superman. A Batman v. Superman movie has been in talks for a very long time and after years of it just being a mere fantasy, it is finally coming to the big screen. But there is “competition” on the horizon and that is Captain America: Civil War. Now, let’s be honest here, you can not compete against two of the most famous heroes duking it out against each other. We’ve already seen Captain America and his famous friends on the big screen before, so this isn’t anything new. But the only time that Batman and Superman have been in the same screen together was back in the late 1990s in an animated series. And sure, Marvel has had a better movie run than DC has, but it hasn’t been perfect. For instance, we have Iron Man 2, a movie filler basically for The Avengers, or Thor: The Dark World, a movie that was filled with so much drama, I could have basically watched two hours of Days of Our Lives and it wouldn’t have made a difference. Not only that, but Marvel movies are slowly getting poorer and poorer in quality. They have been following a formula of movie making ( have a villain that goes crazy out of nowhere, make the hero question himself/herself on self-confidence but then believes in themselves and kills the villain). And it has worked so far, but this formula is getting very stale and is affecting the quality of the Marvel movies. DC gives an alternative to those who want more realistic and gritty movies, something that you can see in the Batman v Superman trailer.

On the topic of the trailers, let us be honest here, the Batman v. Superman trailer was absolutely EPIC and made comic book fans around the world scream with absolute joy. It had everything a comic book movie should have: action, references to the source material, and amazing costumes that look like they were taken right out of the comics themselves. What does Captain America: Civil War have? Nothing, absolutely nothing. And why may you ask? Well, it is plain and simple, they are scared. Another thing that Batman v Superman has something going for it is Zack Snyder as director and the incredible Christopher Nolan. Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan have both taken part in some of the best comic book movies: Watchmen and The Dark Knight Trilogy respectively. Another thing the movie has is Ben Affleck (Batman) and Henry Cavill (Superman). Both men are tremendous actors (Ben Affleck being an oscar-winning director and actor and although Henry Cavill has not been so fortunate, he has shown acting prowess in both Man of Steel and Man from U.N.C.L.E) and are both capable of bringing a sense of gravitas to the role. Which brings me to a particular point, both movies are about things that are of a large scale, one being about the faceoff between two of the most popular characters and the other about essentially the civil war between the heroes of that cinematic universe. But the questions is, which of the two will bring a movie that truly makes you feel the consequences. Marvel movies have been known to be really goofy and have no real consequence to them. But with the tone that Batman v. Superman is taking, you can see that there will be consequences with long-lasting effects. Oh, did I mention the fact that Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Cyborg will also be featured?  So not only do you have Batman and Superman, you have basically the entire Justice League taking part in the movie.

All-in-all, my vote is for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice for the simple reason that the facts surrounding it that we know about indicate it being a much better comic book movie. But in the end, it is up to the moviegoer, both casual and comic book fan to decide which of the two is the best.

Captain America: Civil War-Noah (May 6)

In 2008, Marvel Studios released the surprise phenomenon that was Iron Man. In 2012, Marvel Studios culminated all of their previous Phase 1 film characters together into one film, The Avengers, doing something never seen before in comic book cinema. The year 2014 brought forth some of the strongest Marvel Studios showings since Iron Man in 2008: Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. Meanwhile, DC Studios had released the atrocious Green Lantern and the polarizing Man of Steel. Marvel Studios has produced some of the greatest superhero films to date, from as early as 2008 to as late as 2014, so it should come as no surprise that Captain America: Civil War will be the superior film in its battle with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. While the latter is finally bringing two of the most iconic characters of all time together, the former is associated with a tried and true formula that never fails to produce fun, engaging films.

Anthony and Joe Russo, directors of comedic television such as Community and Arrested Development, wowed the world with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. A character that seemed ridiculous in 2012 now seemed captivating in his own right, and Captain America instantly became a favorite amongst fans of Marvel and fans of superhero films entirely. The Russo brothers brought the depth and intrigue of the comic books and translated it flawlessly into a filmgoing experience, an area where DC directors have failed on countless occasions, such as Zack Snyder on Man of Steel. The mere fact that they are helming another Captain America film is enough to guarantee quality, however they are also adapting one of the most infamous comic arcs – Civil War. While most consider the writing to be shaky and believe Mark Millar didn’t handle quite a few of the characters accurately, the premise itself is intriguing enough to attract buzz, and rightfully so. Fans have speculated a Civil War adaptation for years now, and it couldn’t be helmed by a better directing duo.

Batman v. Superman, however, is being helmed by Zack Snyder, director of such films as Sucker Punch (2011) and 300: Rise of an Empire (2014). Snyder is notorious for strong visuals and lackluster stories and characterization, which was incredibly apparent in Man of Steel, the launching pad of the DC Cinematic Universe. Unlike Iron Man, which exceeded all expectations, Man of Steel floundered critically, polarizing die hard fans and casual audience members alike. With this in mind, it is hard to immediately assume the film will be great, as Snyder, unlike the Russo brothers, has yet to churn out a solid superhero film. Speaking to the talent on Batman V. Superman, it is hard to ignore the stellar cast- Ben Affleck, Jeremy Irons, Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, and Henry Cavill are all set to appear in the film- yet there is still one incredibly questionable casting decision: Gal Gadot. Gadot, who has appeared in the Fast & Furious films and on the pages of fashion magazines as an underwear model, is set to play Wonder Woman, arguably the most iconic female comic book character in existence. Gadot has yet to prove herself as an actress on screen, and the fact that a fashion model is slated to finally bring about the representation women have been needing in comic book cinema for years is less than settling.

When looking at the talent on Civil War, a large portion of the cast have already proven their acting capabilities within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Several actors are making their superhero debut in Civil War, including award-winning actors Daniel Bruhl and Chadwick Boseman, as well as Sherlock star Martin Freeman, and Tom Holland. While Tom Holland is a relative newcomer to the industry (he appeared in The Impossible and is set to appear in The Heart of the Sea later this year), he has shown far more potential as an actor than Gadot has, even with seven films under her belt.  Holland’s character is of extreme importance to the outcome of Civil War, as he is premiering as the third incarnation of a live action Peter Parker, and most notably the youngest, boasting his age of 18 as compared to Tobey Maguire (25 at the time of Spider-Man) and Andrew Garfield (29 at the time of The Amazing Spider-Man).

Some fans claim that Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice will be superior to Captain America: Civil War solely based on the fact that Batman and Superman, two of the most iconic superheroes of all time, will finally appear in live action together onscreen, and that must be acknowledged. However, Captain America: Civil War will be bringing arguably the most iconic Marvel character, Spider-Man, to life alongside the likes of Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Falcon, far more comic book heroes than Batman v. Superman can boast. Alongside Spider-Man, T’challa, the Wakandan Prince and holder of the title Black Panther, will be debuting, becoming the first major hero to provide superhero representation for the African-American community in the past 10 years.

Overall, Captain America: Civil War has far more going for it than Batman v. Superman ever could, with a solid directing duo, cast, and story to propel the Marvel Cinematic Universe even further and become the staple superhero film of 2016.

2016 is looking to be a monumental year for comic book cinema, for both the casual audience and the hardcore comic book movie fans. Whether you’re siding with DC or Marvel, you can not argue that this will be a year of superhero films to remember.