Avenger's: Age of Ultron

Siize Punabantu

Avengers: Age of Ultron (AAU) was great to watch. It’s well-choreographed. It’s not easy to pull together a large team of super heroes, but it’s done seamlessly. Ultron himself is well portrayed. As much as he is a robot, he exhibits unique character and mannerisms. One flaw in the movie is not allowing Ultron to reach his ultimate form in Vision’s partially complete body, too much suspense had built up toward this result not to let this happen. Worst case scenarios and how to get out of them is why fiction was invented. Ultron should have been allowed for instance to reach the Vision form without the cape. He should then have thrashed the team. Preventing Ultron from doing this created a kind of anti-climax in the movie even before the climax had been reached. For instance when Vision stops his hurtling body instantly just before hitting the glass: this was scary awesome,  this scariness should have been frienemy Ultron's really, but sadly it anti-climaxed too soon by being given immediately to new team member Jarvis. How do you create such a threat, then make it non-threatening in a movie based on fiction? Its as if you were afraid to go there. Nah, this was a no, no guys and gals. All the while a cyber level conflict should have been raging between Jarvis and Ultron in the near complete body of Vision. This conflict could have been the only reason why Ultron failed to destroy the Avengers. At some point Jarvis would force Ultron out of the Vision form back into his old vibranium enhanced tin can body. This would allow Jarvis to complete transformation into Vision. The cape would then appear and he would gain the ability to wield Thor’s hammer. Its not too late to salvage this. A part of Ultron could still be lodged in Vision, take over Jarvis and wreak havoc on the Avengers from the inside out. It is only discovered when Vision fails to lift Thors hammer that he has in fact been taken over by Ultron. While the Avengers try to battle the indomitable Ultron Vision from the outside, Jarvis fights him from the inside until he re-asserts himself. Otherwise the story telling and action was very well executed. Thankfully Captain America’s suite was improved. It looked much better. Work needs to be done on Falcon's suite. C'mon, he can't be wearing the same baggy trouser and so on he had when he first appeared. These were good for an intro, but he's already been intro-ed, so why will he still be flying around in trousers? He needs a proper superhero outfit that wows us. And War Machine, how many movies is he going to war the same or similar looking iron suite? This needs to be changed up and spruced with a new colour scheme. There are sometimes decisions made in film that defy comprehension, for example, in Agents of Shield, the transformation of an exceptional beauty and actor who tirelessly works the screen like Ruth Negga into an outrageous human porcupine. What were you thinking? Personally I miss the old Ruth. Why did the transformation have to be so awful. Lets hope its a temporary phase and the hedgehog spikes will fall out evolving her into looking more like her old self.

What happens when creative direction at Marvel loses its way.

From the ending in AAU it seems we can expect more diversity in the next Avengers movies which is welcome. The buzz is in the mention of Wakanda! We can't wait for the Black Panther intro smackdown. I like it when there isn't very much for me to criticize about a movie as  it means it met most of the check boxes and was entertaining. It was nice to see the device that pulled Cap's shield back. Excellent work on Quicksilver. The expression of speed was stunning, especially when the gun is fired and the bullet placed back on the table. That was just sick. One aspect of speed that does not seem to be applied enough to the special effects for speedsters is the use of perspective. If the director can show the speedster at a far off distance using perspective, where even the audience buys in visually that he is very far away, then suddenly pulls the speedster in close to move or touch something right in front of the audience this would also be a very good way of portraying “speed” (especially in 3D). I have spoken before about how impressed I am with Masashi Kishimoto's series entitled Naruto, and if I may be permitted I would like to use his work to demonstrate what I mean by the use of perspective to demonstrate incredible speed.

Note the use of perspective and elevation in this shot. Sasuke
the figure in the distance confronts his old teamates Naruto and
Sakura shown close to the screen with their backs to us.

Note the camera perspective is now reversed showing Naruto and
Sakura far off while Sasuke is close with his back to us. Here
Masashi is carefully building the idea of elevation and
distance between the two teams in the audience's mind.

For good measure Masashi throws in a panoramic view
of the two groups allowing the audience to see and verify not only the
wide gap between them, but the significant height to
which Sasuke is elevated. These visuals are like a magician
setting up for a performance.

Now look at how distance is further imprinted on 

the audiences mind using perspective by slowly

drawing the camera away from Naruto and Sakura

until it rests with behind Sasuke.

Now note how Masashi masterfully fixates the audience on Sasuke

by briefly shrinking the background behind Sakura 

then Naruto as the they stare upward.All of this preparation

climaxes in the director's demonstration of speed.

Lets now piece together how Masashi has built up and

masterfully executed the demonstration of speed. 
And finally note how the accelerated movement of Sasuke ends
with a slomo of his hand on Naruto's shoulder. Again
an interesting mix of speed and slomo not just the use 
of either of the two, but a combination.

Observe how the panoramic view, then the close up, then return to panoramic view is used to "shotgun" Sasuke toward Naruto. A noteworthy technique. In an instant Sasuke is moved from the edge of the ridge to Naruto's side. Note how just before Sasuke leaps toward Naruto there is a dramatic hush in the background music. Also how Sasuke startles and gets past Sakura even before she can turn her head. Watch the slomo, how Sasuke's hair and tunic are made to settle gently as if it  is yet to catch up to his fast moving physical body. .All these minute elements are not there by chance, they are orchestrated painstakingly, layer by layer to express speed. This is important for a person authoring a speed sequence such as this. The author needs to understand and apply the fact that it is not just "A to B" speed in itself, speed is built of of many components or layers, some emotional (like Sakura's late reaction),  by which the director expresses it to amazing effect. If directors of action movies and sequences, especially of the superhero genre can tap into these techniques and learn from prodigies like Masashi what they can bring to live action on the big screen is nothing short of amazing.

Talking speedsters, the Flash....

By the way, while we are on the topic of "speed", the television series the Flash has thus far proven interesting enough to tune into every week. The television series represents where this genre of series and movies should be going if they are to be sustainable in the future. The casting director has maintained a commendably diverse cast and the writers have integrated them seamlessly into a believable society with each individual cast member assigned a personal career or area of specialisation, and their own personal issues they deal with. There is critical inter-racial connectivity created between the hero Barry Allen and his love interest Iris West. This kind of story breaks stereo types and dissolves any elitist views about superheroes that tend to dog these franchises. The producers, directors, writers and team running the Flash deserve commendation. This is an area franchises like the Avengers, both the movie and the television series are clearly struggling with and failing at. Its over due in the movie. The series does try with May and Dr Garner, but it seems stitched together, while the roles of characters in Agents of Shield appear generally haphazard and all over the place. When you have a very high powered cast as is the case with the Avengers movie, these high profile actors will be too fearful about how crossing racial colour lines will affect their careers. However, this is an age where crossing back and forth across racial colour lines is indicative of our times and consequently expected of actors who are to be taken seriously. This generally means they are not very useful to the franchise's ability to truly penetrate the hearts and minds of a global audience. These racial colour lines have to be crossed back and forth by actors of substance in international undertakings such as these to sustain important buy in from the audience.

Such obvious, sheer lack of diversity and a top notch cast that can't cross racial  colour lines for "professional" reasons is an albatross around the neck of the Avengers franchise that will inevitably weaken its international appeal. A major failing on the part of the franchise and its owners.

Looking at the lack of diversity of this cast the chances of my sixth month old daughter ever becoming an Avenger is zero out of ten.

My little girl says Hi!: Avenger Material *wink*wink*

For Barry and Iris the best would be to have a serious relationship in the beginning to satisfy the audience after a build up toward it. It can even build up to where they relate like husband and wife, to the point where they are at the alter but due to some chaotic event the wedding ceremony never quite happens. As a result of this and the strain it causes, the relationship should eventually be allowed by the writers to decline into an off and on again relationship of two people who get together for a television season, but who for creative reasons of the series find they keep breaking up, seeing other people only to get back together again because there's a spark between them that keeps pulling them back. This allows both characters at various junctures to explore other love interests. Its a good way of keeping the audience going otherwise the series becomes boxed in. The concept of Mr and Mrs Allen is romantic, but creates complications for a long running series.

In Agents of Shield, the series let a key, believable character like Antoine Triplett (BJ Britt) go. This was very short sighted. The series should have fought to keep him, but something somewhere failed. What is really going on with the management team leading the Agents of Shield series? There are some very dodgy decisions being made in this series that may inevitably kill it if not addressed. Its better to cut down the cast size and get all the gears locked and working in the right places by streamlining character roles; right now the series is very untidy with way, way too many unnecessary characters, while the most useful are being let go or turned into porcupines.

Producers letting go of the right talent. BJ. Britt
indicative of  what's going wrong in the Agents's of shield management.

The writing for the Flash thus far is good, with the best episode surely being where Barry Allen, in an attempt to hold off a tsunami, experiences a time jump for the first time. Excellent writing and strategy there.. Well done. Its hard for the audience to follow what's going on and that uh-huh moment when the two timelines are understood was genius. You have to try to maintain this level.  Clearly, Barry and Iris will inevitably get together and Eddie Thawne may have some role to play with or as the reverse flash. Considering the rivalry between Eddie and Barry over Iris, this awkwardness generates plenty of juicy material for the writers to fashion into something that will keep audiences riveted.  The writers have to make certain the Barry and Iris equation continues to work by ensuring that she has a productive role and is not just a love interest appendage, a mistake made with Spiderman and Mary Jane.

Where there is room for improvement in the Flash is the CGI teams interpretation of speed. This team has to sit and brainstorm every week on ideas for how to stun the audience with Barry's prowess as a speedster. Barry flapping his arms to blow the air out of a burning apartment building is a neat idea, but the execution and CGI was really awful. It looked stupid. Find some other way of portraying this other than tornadoes around his arms. For example, Barry could simply hold his hands palms out, electricity crackles around them, momentary prints of his arms appear circling to show that though they look like they are standing still they are actually spinning really fast. Its called the "wagon wheel effect". You see this effect with the spokes of a wheel. The wheel looks like its standing still, but every now and again you catch a momentary glimpse of its spin. No need for the cloudy tornado look, ditch that. Instead haze the area like a mirage and show the wagon wheel effect like tiny lightning strikes around his static arms that show momentary imprints of arms spinning around the static arms (but these too should be standing still as they appear and disappear in different places in a circle around his static arms) , keep Barry's hands standing still pointed in the direction of the gust of air he's working up, but keep up the effects around them. Barry could also while doing this pull his arms back and snap them forward to create a cannon blast of air

Right now Barry's only expression of speed is lightening streaking across a street or in and out of places. You are not working hard enough. The producers and director need to take the CGI team on the Flash to task as they are letting the audience down for a series that otherwise is doing well. The CGI crew has to be challenged to think up and design at least one wow moment of speed creatively expressed that the audience has not seen before for every episode, even if its not applied, it is the minimum creative output the CGI team should be able to produce. Look at the example provided of Masashi's work. The portrayal of "speed" is a very layered process; its not always about just zooming from one place to another. There are camera angles, perspective, emotional reactions, changes or lulls in the score, physical reactions, the combination of fast movement and slomo and so on; right now you are not earning your keep on this series. Don't stop upping your game. How? For example you could revisit aerodynamics and Barry creating cones of compressed air whenever he breaks the sound barrier. Breaking the sound barrier in this way could signal to the audience how fast Barry is running. The visuals of the vapour cone spraying off his suite would be interesting. Cisco could have a small digital animated image of Barry on his view screen with a series of colour coded walls or columns. As Barry breaks through each speed barrier on the ground the animated image of Barry at the lab is shown breaking through the digital wall on to the next one. This could act as the "speedsterometer" that teaches the audience how to rate how fast Barry is going. There can be an upper limit to the series of walls Barry only wishes he could break through but isn't yet fast enough. You could also use the type of communication you hear between a jet pilot and the control tower. Barry could be heard telling Cisco and Catlin matter of factly, with a little radio crackle, I'm Going Supersonic , the blast of the cone would then be heard. At times the audience wouldn't even need to see Barry do this, simply from the conversation and sound effects they would learn to know what aspect of his ability he is accessing. What comes after supersonic, hypersonic - whatever, Cisco could make something up.  When we want to know how fast we are going we check the speedometer, also we change gear to move up to the next level of speed. It would be nice to create visual markers like this for the audience to see and say oh..Barry just went hypersonic there, and wow, that specific crackle of electricity that resulted in bright spray of electrons means he just changed gear and went up to eight times the speed of sound and so on. Watch this interesting video showing conical sonic booms that personify speed. There are so many ways the CGI team could play with and reinterpret the powerful physical outcomes of going fast.

Listen to the tunnel effect or receding echo of the roar of the jet engine. this can be

combined with crackling lightening currently being used for the Flash. 

Also observe the sound discharge of the sonic boom and fizzing cone

all these speak to speed and can be adopted to express speed in the Flash. 

Creating some drama and the right higher pitched audio effect as you change into the next level of ability is useful for speedsters especially when you have two speedsters racing. The audience would observe "speed changes" like gear changes as each speedster moves ahead until the most gifted one takes the lead.  You could also show close ups of the electricity around the speedster and show its actually made up of miniscule glowing beads of light that flow over him like a spray of water over a surfer. As the speedster changes direction the electrical beads flow in the opposite direction around him like a spray or shower of millions of glowing beads of water following the body's curvature before it sprays out like a jet stream as he heads in a specific direction. This may dramatically demonstrate a conscious control of the "speed force" especially if the beads are shown in slomo flowing over the suite/body's contours then burst out in high speed like a spray or burst of energy that solidifies into the more common electrical crackle observed from a distance around Barry. This wave of electrical beads could be used for slomo changes in direction when Barry is mentally in the "speed zone", ducking a punch etc so concentrated that no one will ever catch him. Use the colour of lightening to determine how fast the speedster is going. Create fictional barriers that the speedster must break through (a change in gear) to access a new level of super speed with an electronic  higher pitch in the sound effect for each upward shift. Each consecutive barrier broken should have a different visual electrical effect pattern that evolves into a new electrical colour denoting higher level of acceleration.

One day when Barry is trying to run faster on the tread mill make him stop in the middle of a run and say something like "I am trying to run as fast as my physical body can take me, but there's a limit to what my body can do. If I'm going to run faster its my mind not my body that will take me to the next level of speed." Introduce base and drums and a rap tune, like Kendrick and Taylor's Bad Blood.  Then show Barry start to concentrate, focus inward while standing still on the tread mill. Show his fists clenching in that iconic Goku pose. Make it possible for Barry to begin to "rev" his electrical speed particles while standing still. That is, if he concentrates he can charge himself up to 4 times the speed of sound while he is standing still. As he revs up his power levels create force effects that would normally occur when he is running from stage to stage or level to level. See Dragonball-Z when the Super Sayians charge up to different levels. If Barry did this standing still, it means when he took off it would be immediately at the speed he has charged up to while standing still. This would help explain how he accesses the "speed force". It gives the CGI more depth. For example in slomo if he begins to charge like this the audience knows he's not just moving fast but altering his energy levels as he moves. If he is pinned down by a villain, can't move and begins to power up the audience will understand how he is able to break free. In other words speed is not just about how fast he can move his limbs on the tread mill, but also how much energy "his mind" or will can summon or draw in standing still that becomes immediately injected or discharged as a higher level of speed when he takes off. This technique could be his own that makes his style different from the reverse flash. For instance when Barry encounters the revere flash instead of chasing after him immediately like a rookie, Barry would instead stand and watch the reverse flash take off  zig-zagging around streets with Barry watching him calmly. Cisco and Catlin would be yelling at him to run or he'll lose the guy. Barry ignores them and keeps looking into the distance as the reverse flash gets away, meanwhile he is charging up, to one level, then the next and just as it looks like the reverse will get away with Cisco and Catlin despondent he injects all the energy he's summoned into speed and literally spooks the reverse as almost in one lunge, he catches up to him (Catlin and Cisco cheer wildly for effect ofcourse). This shows a growth in his skill.

Saiyan power ups like Goku's could be adapted for the Flash

as new means of accessing the Speed-Force.

Akira Toriyama's Dragoballz has a loyal worldwide following and fan base. When I talk about Dragonbal-Z I am referring very specifically to the child Goku, Piccolo, Ginyu Force, Vegeta, Frieza, Cooler, Andriod, Buu, Cell, Bojack, Wrath of the Dragion and Brolly Sagas that I have seen and can vouch for, no more no less. Dragonballz if transformed into a live action movie has the potential to be one of the biggest movie franchises with the potential to eclipse Transformers, Avengers and Star Wars combined if producers and the director captured it on the big screen in all its gritty and intricate glory. But it would require the right director, a Peter Jackson of LOR or JJ Abrams and the same kind of seriousness and resources given to similar translations from animation or book to live action. Getting the special effects right would be critical. Dragonballz needs a director who can build the fantasy's dreamscape, translate the characters from the animation to the big screen and gritty no holds barred combat using CGI to bring to life what the fans (me included) have seen in the animation. DBZ is a high octane action and science-fiction anime, but very importantly it is also a complex drama about power, its use and misuse, as sophisticated as the conflicts between the royal houses of Game of Thrones. It is Game of Thrones [without the explicit stuff] in a sci-fi package. To not capture Akira Toriyama's creation as a blockbuster on the big screen is really a crime. Just one aspect of DBZ, its fighting style and surreal universe was captured in The Matrix.. The Matrix Trilogy and its never seen before CGI enhanced combative action, to the trained eye, is really just nothing more than a reworking of DBZ action. Look at how massive a hit The Matrix was. The Wachowski brothers really just took DBZ modified it, successfully transferred the animated action into an unbelievable big screen experience and called it the Matrix. But there will only be one DBZ story that the fans have been waiting an inordinately long time to see a large studio and director with the vision and credentials to take on. 

What is Dragonball-Z about and why does it have such a huge fan base? DBZ is not a comedy. It is an arguably complex emotive fictional Saga about technologically advanced alien races to whom combat, power, rage and getting stronger is the moral lifeblood of their existential philosophy. The most powerful being, no less, is the ruler of the universe. If a director cannot realistically understand this and bring the passion, the rage in battle and centrality of power in this existential society then he or she cannot capture this tale. These alien races breathe, cry, laugh, feel despair, humiliation, honour, fear,feel forlorn, love, courage and hate and most importantly rage about their place in the echelon of all things combative. Unless you can rage, even if it is a silent rage, you cannot become stronger. This rage is brought to a tranquil earth where the ultimate goal is peace, love, family, getting good results at school and nailing a decent job. A Saiyan’s rage is like the incredible hulk except instead of turning green they start to glow and burn without catching fire. Earth is therefore totally unprepared for the arrival of the Saiyans and other alien races; not even at the emotional level. They must be protected from this unforgiving and unrelenting code by a race of Saiyans who arrived before their debut on earth, namely Goku and the green Namekian Piccolo. A Saiyan or alien battle is unlike any combat a human being has ever witnessed on earth because they must power up by dialling up their emotions to access incredible powers and utilise them with genius whilst assessing the strengths and weakness of their adversaries as they brawl. Consequently these battles are emotive, loud filled with yelling, grunts, gritted teeth, powering up and smouldering levels of passion and all out fury directed at squeezing every drop of agility, speed and energy that can be summoned – or you will lose. The average human cannot understand a Saiyan's rage; it is often incomprehensible, infatigable and ultimately almost furiously undefeatable. A Saiyan’s rage can bring him or her back from near death and the brink of devastating defeat. It is a rage that is infamous in the universe as it allows them to become stronger and stronger with no upper limit to where their power will reach which uploads them into the indomitable fiery Super Saiyan state and this is what makes Saiyans particularly dangerous, even the ones earth has tamed and made more docile like Goku, Gohan and Trunks.  When Saiyans battle it as if the very foundations of the earth tremble with their rage. It is a fantastic romantic tale about two approaches to life, self-esteem and the soul; that of alien rage being the highest law brought to the fore by Vegeta against that of  human morality being the greatest ideal defended by Goku. Which will, will prevail? Vegeta's very gradual and believable transformation from evil he believes is good to the goodness that is humanity by Goku and the people  he initially intends to destroy on earth  until he switches sides is the underlying, gut wrenching  score of this tale that appeals to the audience's heart.  There is a lot of soul searching as Goku must distinguish between rage and hate in order to access his inner power without corrupting his soul. He must deftly go against the gentler principles he has been raised on and awaken his violent Saiyan rage without succumbing to hate and its more carnal nature to defend  the earth and those whom he loves, while Vegeta, the Royal Prince of Saiyans must face the psychological and emotional conflict of facing an adversary whom he deems lesser than himself, but who at every turn rises to the challenge to beat down combatants considered far more powerful. Vegeta eventually believes he must skirt the lower valley’s of his rage and dip into the unpalatable depths of hate he may not be able to escape from to face his nemesis. Eventually through Majin-bu Vegeta succumbs to this hate and is only able to break free because not even hate can contain a Saiyan's indomitable rage. When these two worlds clash the cities are laid waste, stadiums are broken, the earth trembles, mountains fall and valleys are formed. So devastating is the collision Shenron the Dragon keeper of the Dragonballs must exist and be sought to restore the chaos and devastation or no one survives- hence the title Dragonball-z. In the right hands this is a larger than life, surreal, fantastic tale for the big screen that will make someone wildly wealthy, should it succeed at the box office it is a merchandisers dream.

Watch this trailer...

I came across this fan made live action DBZ and edited it a little. With the right support 
, improved acting and embellishments this trailer is at a level almost good enough for television. Even at this level the energy in this trailer shows that DBZ in the right hands is potentially unrivaled high end blockbuster material just waiting to spawn the next George Lucas. 
(Kudos to the makers of the fan-trailer, see the full trailer here)

When I sent one of my best friends in Johannesburg this edited fan-made DBZ trailer, his response summed it up, his reply after he watched it was simply No Way! This is the best fan-made piece we have seen so far. It still needs a lot of  professional support at many levels, but what it captures really well is the DBZ rage, desperation, confrontation and power during battle that makes this franchise riveting. That final scene with Goku powering up the Kamehameha wave to counter Vegeta's blast is just incredible, amazing; it looks real; it is almost photo-realistic. Which is what the DBZ audience has been dying quietly to see. Simply amazing. Whoever did the CGI for that scene knew exactly what they needed to do - pure talent. To see the anime characters and the forces they wield come to life so realistically, there are just no words, I concur - No Way! I can't wait to show this trailer to my sons when they are home from school for the mid term break. They will be astounded. No one seems to quite understand how big a deal DBZ is. It really is a very big deal, that needs to come to the big screen in a big way with the support of a Hollywood studio that has the resources and experience to do it justice. This realistic trailer was done on a shoe-string budget with limited resources, but for the fans, to see this story that has captured our hearts and minds told with such passion, decent use of CGI and the flesh and blood anime characters we've been waiting for is beyond awesome.Right now there is no other similar franchise I and many would like to see come to the big screen than this.   

Back to the Flash....

In the Flash specific sound effects and musical score for certain speeds and speed changes are essential and would also dramaticise the upward changes in speed that thrust the speedster forward ever faster. The CGI team should also consider at times unusually stretching the physical visual surroundings around the speedster the way a rubber band would stretch and snap back into place as the speedster takes off. This "elasticity" of physical surroundings pulling and snapping into place, for example when a corner is turned, could be how the speedsters "sees" the world when navigating through it at high speed. Instead of running toward a place, to the speedsters it would at times look more like they are pulling that place toward themselves, it stretches, then visually snaps in place and they are there or past it.

The Flash: Barry and Iris, a formula that works thus far.

An area of audible progress in both AAU and FF7 is the carefully placed and thought out tit-bits of dialogue inserted during battles. The best analogy one can give about this is the all time champ Muhammad Ali, look at how he taunted his opponents, the rhymes he made up about how he was gonna give them a hiding. Inspired by the Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight my two teenage sons recently stumbled upon some of Ali's lip and banter on YouTube. They came to me smiling, laughing and all excited about it. This is the kind of excitement dialogue can bring between characters. It is a special skill, which if writers can tap into will drive superhero battles to a whole new dimension of not just brawn and wit but lip. That was well done. It shows that the franchises are spending more time on the story and writers who are ultimately the foundation upon which the special effects, action and romance is built.Scrimp on the foundation, or be lazy about the writing and the whole franchise will come down. The banter around Cap about "language" was a good way of forcing him to become less of a stick in the mud. It made him more real and more likable.

The Hulk thus far...

Another challenge that Avengers faces is in the CGI quality of the Hulk. Am I the only who can tell the Hulk looks like a cartoon inserted with live action? The character, writing, director and role of the Hulk in AAU are really doing well to revive this superhero. A very good job is being done by giving the Hulk a much wider emotional range. The shot of him in the cockpit looking forlorn as the quinjet flies into the blue after he turns off the view-screen is an indication of an important shift as it shows maturity from the writers expressed through the Hulk's more sophisticated persona. This demonstrates the writer's enhanced their understanding of who and what the big guy is. He may be a ball of green, angry volatile energy, however, even within this intense anger that makes him the Hulk he should still be able to feel fear, loneliness, jealousy, affection, intelligence, humour, naughtiness, haughtiness etc all with an edge that is gained by the chance he could lose it and pound friend or foe into the ground on whim. The downside is that the CGI showing the green giant is not keeping up, its either cheap or substandard. To be honest the television series with Lou Ferrigno trumps the last two Hulk movies and the newer Avengers movies. Why? Because you can see Lou Ferrigno is real bone, flesh and blood when he's punching through walls or when the camera is up close and personal. In the more recent movies the audience has to suspend its belief that its watching a green cartoon inserted in the movie to play the Hulk. This aspect of the movie has to be revisited, really. Get a real muscle man and use the CGI and/or special prosthetics to alter his face so that it looks like Mark Ruffalo, alter his muscles a little to make them more menacing, tint his skin a believable green like they did for Zoe Saldana to present Gomora, then use the method they had in Lord of the Rings to upsize him, but keep him real - do Stan Lee's creation justice. This is like audiences going to the Hobbit and the CGI used for Smaug is from the 1978 Puff the Magic Dragon movie. Most audiences will shrug their shoulders and say, well - maybe this is as good as Marvel Comics can get  for the Hulk, but surely it can't be. Granted, the CGI cartoonish Hulk could suddenly display amazing athleticism, make those incredible Hulk jumps in a very realistic way, but there's no reason why a flesh and bone Hulk can't be made to display such athleticism, anger, power and enhanced agility. If DC Comics can do such a great job with the flying and superhuman feats of a flesh and bone Superman, there's no reason Marvel can't do a mind blowing job with a flesh and bone Hulk that quite literally blows audiences away. This "realness: is critical to placing the Hulk franchise back in pole position. Creating a real human-like CGI is extremely difficult coz we see people everyday and our eyes are trained to tell the difference between real and faux. Look at how hard it is to do real "humans" using examples like Gollum in LOR or the Navari in Avatar. You are going to have to outclass this level of CGI to thoroughly convince a modern day audience. Fortunately there are already potential Hulks right at your doorstep in the shape of professional body builders; why re-invent the wheel or travel to CGI Mars to look for one? The cheapest way to do this is use a real muscle man so you can do candid closeups of the skin, veins, sweat,  pecs, hands, cheeks, eyes and so on, then maybe use CGI for long distance shots. When the Hulk is hit by heavy duty machine gun fire, as is often the case, and the ability to take close ups of bullets bouncing of Hulk's impervious skin leaving momentary dimple-like impressions is just one of the camera shots that would make the audience gasp in amazement if the Hulk were real. By ensuring that his size is larger than anything humanly possible the flesh and bone Hulk will also inspire even greater awe than the CGI version, as the audience will wonder how Marvel were able to make him so big. This size issue is something that was not possible during the 1977-1982 Bill Bixby era since the technology was not readily available. Today its a whole different ball game, the technology is available and can be used to increase a flesh and bone Hulk of larger than life physical size to stunning effect.

Sorry big guy, you're not convincingly real enough yet.

The Hulk looking like a sophisticated cartoon insert in the Avengers and other Hulk movies is lame and this has only survived as a result of the love fans have for this character. To the fans who read these comics he's real, so live up to our expectations. As long as this CGI aspect of the Hulk remains substandard and uncreative, fails to look like genuine flesh and bone it will fail at the box office. It may do well with a good script and a great director but will inevitably fizzle out. The audience wants to know they are seeing a real Hulk, not play along with poor CGI by pretending they are, if they have to do this they won't fill those theater seats for long. The best gift you can give this patient and forgiving audience is a real, flesh and blood Hulk the next time you bring this big guy back. Surprise them, shock them by giving them what they want to see but didn't believe was possible. Ditch the current CGI. Introduce the new flesh and blood CGI enhanced Hulk with close ups where the audience can see real green skin, glide the camera over real hair, real abs, biceps and triceps then suddenly a real but slightly augmented face and let Hulk roar full on at the audience. When the audience, upon just seeing this real, flesh and blood, re-worked Hulk cheer enthusiastically, then you'll understand what they've been missing. 

Spotting the right Talent...

If a director were looking for a believable actor for a super hero type role, one person I think would be able to carry this off well is Lance Gross from the television series Crisis. It takes much more than just mundane good looks and physique to play a believable big screen action figure or superhero in the DC and Marvel franchises. Casting directors here is some talent you are not seeing. I think Lance has a very strong believable screen presence, subtle but wide emotional range, able to convey intelligence with the right levels of intensity that are a prerequisite for action movies or superhero roles. This is talent a director and producers can cash in on. Best to snap him up before somebody else realises this and does. Under the right direction Lance has the screen presence that is straight up leading man blockbuster material, but he hasn't had the opportunity to star in the right big budget action roles that will show case his screen presence. Let him carry the movie as the action movie leading man as making him the supporting actor is not appropriate for someone at his level even though it may not be apparent yet.  From what I have observed he has the ability carry the leading role in high octane action/thriller based blockbusters and I would place his believability factor and screen presence on par with all time legends who rank among the best of the best like Denzel Washington. This kind of "it" factor is very difficult to find in the acting profession, many have talent but lack that "it" factor. Its the "it" factor that can be observed in an actor like Angelina Jolie. These are box-office level talents directors can tap into and should care not miss. I don't think it can be taught in acting school. Best to pull him into an action or superhero franchise while you can still afford him. A diamond in the rough of this kind is certainly what a director should be looking for when discerning a potential but recognized talent that would provide a good return on investment at the box-office. This would be money well spent. Its a good business decision.

Lance Gross. What an action/superhero director should be
 looking for: Bankable talent, blockbuster material. 

Batman Vs Superman - the Trailer...

On the superhero front, many people seem excited about the new Batman Vs Superman movie trailer that came out recently. I wasn't. Well, I was until I saw the red "false god" graffiti. This is the wrong direction. The trailer gives the impression that the direction in the movie is toward a man (the Bat) going up against and looking up at a floating rain soaked "god" (Superman). Don't misunderstand me, the visuals of Superman floating above Batman and the kid in the trailer are fantastic; the narrative and interpretation of what's happening is what the writer and director need to be careful about. Stop throwing around the term "god" so carelessly. This mistake was made in AAU as well. This reference is a potential flashpoint in conservative environments that could significantly hurt these franchises if they ever erupt into a social or religious backlash. Its safer to stay clear of this reference. Its not a risk worth taking and exposing the Studios or owners of these franchises to. Why tarnish or spoil a good thing so needlessly? Superman himself does not see himself as the “god” the writers are trying to portray him as, this makes what the writers are doing a misrepresentation, in fact it’s quite the opposite of what Clark wants, he wants to blend in and pass himself off as just another human being; this inherent conflict in the trailer befuddles the entire ambiance and gist of the story and the movie its trying to make. We already know Superman is extraordinary from the visuals and what he can do, he's already up there with Zeus, to then try to market him as deity-like using the vandalised statue is like putting sugar in the tank of a Bugatti because you think the sweetness or carbs will make it run faster. Its like a gifted dancer out of tune with excellent music. The vandalised statue of Superman shows that its not only  the populace who misunderstands him, but the writers too. To call him a false god on the statue as we see in the trailer is tricky, because he should not have been revered as a "god" by the writers in the first place. Its like telling someone earnestly, I really don't mind that zit on your face. The intention is noble but mentioning it is the mistake in itself as it only makes it more obvious and more awkward. Avoid the references to the word "god"and find a more neutral term that means the same thing like superman, oh wait, he's already called that!Why can't the writer be more down to earth and clued in by having the statue vandalised in blood red by the word "ALIEN" used in a derogatory way against Superman. This is smarter. It highlights the evils of racism, discrimination and xenophobia that cast the Franchise and Studio in a better light. Superman could represent those hard working, honest immigrants who come from far off as economic migrants on foot, by road, planes and on boats (look at the recent boats capsizing off the Libyan coast). They arrive the same way Superman arrived on his tiny vessel to escape strife and death. They work hard and contribute to economies the way Superman saves people, but are rarely appreciated, are often despised and victimized (look at the xenophobia in South Africa). Look at how, after so many years of civil rights successes in the United States people of colour still experience diverse forms of police brutality that have recently unnecessarily taken lives. This is far more relevant an approach than the bourgeois notion of deifying Superman, cleverly using a negation of his deity to mean an affirmation of it.The director could consequently use Superman's exposure to discrimination of this kind to educate people on why its wrong and evil and end the movie with a positive international feel good rhythm and message that makes the entire audience rally behind this superhero. The "god" direction seen in the trailer is not well thought out; it seems over-indulgent an attempt to turn the cinema goers into "worshipers" rather than an audience.  This approach is filled with too much hot air, is pointless and irresponsible. The writers and the director need to take some to time rethink this, to see deeper into it and see what more relevant a message Superman can give the world today. The Studio as a parent should step in. There are some toys you know shouldn't be in the play pen and that the kids shouldn't be playing with coz they could hurt themselves and everyone else.

ALIEN GO HOME: Why can't you use Superman to tackle a real worldwide problem like discrimination.
Use Superman to bring people together.

A better angle for this story is to focus on Batman investigating Superman to find out his true identity. Remember one of the most endearing introductions of Christopher Reeves as Superman is when Reeves goes out of his way to rescue people by catching a bullet and having cars bash into him without having to don the cape. He's faking being human and visibly loving it because he wants to fit in. Its only when the task becomes demanding that he dons the cape and becomes a little more grim. The more Superman wants to be Clark Kent the harder Batman pushes back to show he is in fact Superman. In Superman, Man of Steel the writers are good but, don't really seem to understand Superman. This can be discerned in the way they portray Clark Kent for instance when he saves people on the collapsing rig. Clark is trying to hold the rig up like Hercules, but this is not a Clark move or pose, its a Superman pose so why are you mixing up the roles?  It is therefore a misrepresentation of the superhero. All of Clark's heroic use of super power should be shrouded in an attempt by him to hide the fact that he is Superman. For instance if a beam was falling on someone, in the chaos Clark would position himself momentarily over the person, deflect it then roll across the floor in agony, then open one eye to look around to see if everything is o.k. A lady walks into an elevator pushing a pram with twins in it, Clark is there and playfully sticks his tongue out at one of the babies who startles him by cheekily sticking her tongue out back at him. Some kids and a few adults enter. Someone presses a button and the elevator starts to go down, but at some point the ropes or some mechanism fails and it hurtles downward. Clark begins to yell and scream like everyone else as they are thrown about. Clearly the elevator will hit the ground and shatter into a million pieces killing all its passengers. In the middle of his own exaggerated hysteria Clark's palm is seen pressing up against the elevator's ceiling. Just before impact its downward hurtle is held back by Clark and it it comes to the ground gently, there's a ding and the doors open. The crowd inside stumbles out traumatized, gasping, some barfing others stumbling over. Clark staggers hysterically about with them as they pile out (the audience knows Clark would not have been injured by this incident, is responsible for saving everyone and are thinking so why is Clark acting like the rest of the panicked and distressed passengers? - but this is exactly what the writers and director want the audience to feel). But then suddenly as the people gather round, Clark steps confidently into the crowd, straightens his tie and glasses and walks on confidently with a playful smirk on his lips caught by the camera just before he disappears into the gathering throng of people. Meanwhile the camera cuts back and the audience sees the mother and her babies and the other passengers and are thankful they survived. The audience is relieved that Clark just happened to be on that elevator that day. This kind of selflessness, humour and rescue portrayed by Clark whilst pretending to be just another casualty or victim without the heroic camera visuals, is Superman; its his signature method. It draws in the cinema audience towards him endearingly. It sets the stage for when he dons the cape and is now visualised by camera angles as the Zeus-like hero. Clark dons the cape reluctantly, when he has no option but to fly, when you've pushed him too far or he wants to show you he now means business. He will hold off the transformation as long as he can and when he does switch from Clark to Superman, if the audience doesn't cheer, feel a "switch" has been flipped,sense the awe or feel a surge of bravado then both the director and writers aren't fully aware of how to present this hero. Its a relationship in some ways similar to Banner and the Hulk, and the reluctance to enter one state or the other. The heroic visuals should be reserved for when he dons the cape, but it should never be forgotten that this is one of the most powerful superheroes whose pet peeve is that he wants to be like a normal human being, the way the Kents raised him. He'll take many punches, but one punch too many and you'll get the big guy, the one with a cape, who can fly and will be methodical in showing you he means business. Superman should be one the biggest superhero franchises, but delay in writers and directors visualising and delivering this Superman to the cinema audiences is what thus far is preventing the commercial success of this enterprise.

He just wants to fit in and play football like the other kids, but has to sometimes settle for being the water boy; he just wants to go an a picnic with his girl, but has to rescue the boy about to be consumed by the harvester: Superman is often getting in Clarke's way and vice versa. This is taken to an extreme when Chris Reeves actually has his super powers removed, remember he gets punched and beat up in a diner, bleeds and for the first time realises the importance of his powers. He gets them back, but this doesn't stop him from maintaining the persona of a super, who revels in being the reporter next door at the Daily Planet. In Man of Steel, the inner Clark-Superman relationship is almost non existent in this context, its weak showing that the writers simply don't fully comprehend  the hero. This inner struggle is raised to the point where the Superman of Chris Reeves splits into two, how then can you not see how important this ingredient is for creating a living Superman on the big screen. He is essentially a walking, talking contradiction: like a billionaire  who wants to laugh, play and roll with the common folk. Watch some episodes of Undercover Boss and The Secret Millionaire - if you understand these undercover people are who Superman is you will never fail to make him a money making, blockbuster machine at the box office. Look at the tears of joy and emotions evoked when staff discover the undercover person is actually the CEO or  is actually a millionaire who can and does transform the life of someone hard up. This is the emotion Superman is supposed to evoke in the audience through his inner contradiction.  Ofcourse Superman cannot reveal who he is to those he saves but  this revelation is in full view of the audience and the emotion is left to the audience who know the truth about him to revel in, just as we saw with the lives he saved in the elevator ride. Clark longs to fit in with "normal", so ideally he tries to be everybody's friend, he tries to get his two cents in on any topic and conversation sometimes to the annoyance of those talking, he enthusiastically tries activities some of which he may clearly not be good at or that make him look a little awkward, he tries to tell jokes which sometimes make everyone laugh but often just leave everyone(except the audience) perplexed: the audience can see that he's intelligent, smart funny and likable, but sometimes trying too hard [to fit in] gets in his way. The director has to present this expertly on the screen in order to build the Superman persona correctly and well balanced. He is a genius who wants to crack jokes and share a beer with normals, the CEO who likes to dress smart casual and hang out with the staff, the play-maker or MVP who doesn't want to take credit for but share the team's success, the superhero who will go out of his way to be just another vulnerable person in the crowd yet have the unique ability of saving them or solving their problems - this is uniquely Superman. If the writers lose this silver thread of what and who Superman is they will never regain the magic that was brought to the part by the writers who first introduced Reeves as Superman to the world and created an unforgettable blockbuster. The inner Clark-Superman relationship is almost non existent in these movies, the brush-strokes are careless.  Clark is just Superman and Superman is just Clark with a little "tormented soul" thrown in; this is way too weak showing that they simply don't fully comprehend  the hero. This inner struggle is raised to the point where the Superman of Chris Reeves splits into two, how then can you not see how important this ingredient is to creating a living Superman on the big screen today? The owners of the franchise have to step in to correct it or they will inevitably lose  this important superhero asset and suffer financial losses. Superman looks deceptively simple to write, but his is a complex character and this complexity is in the Clark and Superman matrix, his understanding of himself. However, if you look at both Superman Returns and Superman, Man of Steel this complexity almost completely escapes the writers or is incorrectly portrayed; its as though Clark and Superman are the same person: this a fundamental mistake. As a result they can't quite get the psychology of Superman the audience wants to see. Henry Cavill is doing a pretty good job, but the writers need to step up to build and portray this superhero character correctly.

In the media Bruce Wayne could for instance be seen and heard in an interview bragging about how close he is to revealing who Superman really is and where he is hiding in plain sight, much to Clarke's visible annoyance. The more Superman tries to hide his identity and cover it up, the harder Batman investigates and uncovers until the evidence becomes overwhelming. It then becomes an all out brawl that distracts them from some other nemesis. Batman should never be gullible enough to view Superman as a “god” that he wants to prove a mortal can take down or "make bleed." Batman is a bit of cynic and doesn't believe in these kinds of “gods” in the first place - that's just the kind of guy he is, but he sees Superman as someone (a super-human) lying about his identity. For instance, in the apparent confrontation shown in the trailer Batman asks Superman, as he floats above, "Do you bleed? ...You will"  Ok. Cool. But, Superman is not afraid of bleeding. He's more afraid of losing what he cherishes the most - a normal life. If the audience understands Superman, then the most threatening thing Batman would say to Superman in full Supe gear cape n all is not "Do you bleed". No, instead the most inimical thing the Bat would say to floating Supe [very cynically] is "Clark Kent...the flying man."  to which a startled Superman quickly composing himself would reply a little menacingly "I'm sorry..Kent...is not here, right now." the Bat replies, "Maybe he'll show up with a little persuasion." [Batman clenches fists and the battle fins on his arms fan out threateningly]. Superman comes down and the ground shakes as he lands. As his feet touch the ground Supe says "Why don't I bring things down to your level." [Superman is hinting that revealing his true identity is underhanded and that his superhuman ability greatly overshadows Batman's weak/mortal human stature]. Batman doesn't flinch, the lens over his eyes flicker and begin to glow magenta blue, he says to Superman, "Tell me....Clark Kent......Do you bleed?...You will." [by continuing to call Superman CKent Batman is needling Superman and not backing down from the ensuing conflict, by saying do you bleed?... he is saying I know you are some kind of superhuman, but I have my methods.] To which Superman replies. "Rodents....making big promises....don't scare me." [and so on..]

Its only when the Bat scratches the surface too deeply that he realises what he is really up against; he has woken a sleeping lion from Krypton. At this point it’s proven by Bruce (between the two of them) that Clark Kent is Superman.  If the Bat goes public,it  will deny Superman what he craves most: the anonymity that would allow him to at least try to lead a semi-normal life as a mild mannered reporter who moonlights as a Superman (not a "god" the movie is trying to portray - way too cheesy). This potential loss of the opportunity for normalcy in Metropolis makes Supe absolutely furious, and an all out, no holds barred battle ensues between the two. It then becomes a battle between a mortal and an immortal,  a battle of not just brawn but  wits and lip during which they best each other. In the end all is well as through the course of the brawl they reluctantly gain respect for each other, Batman keeps Clark Kent’s identity secret and this gesture is what helps later build their friendship. However, it is not realised until the very end. Change the current angle of this movie or it may not do as well as you hope.

While we're on the topic of trailers - the Star Wars 7 trailer....

Talking about trailers, there is a need to say something about the Star Wars 7 (SW7) trailer. The red light saber that looks like a sword or cross that there has been a lot of hoopla about, there's nothing wrong with it. Its best to keep it. Its been talked about because the audience is simply stupendously excited about the coming movie and the fact that it will have members of the original cast. I've already talked extensively about SW7, but remain convinced that for it to succeed a new supernatural element has to be introduced to upset the current status quo of the Jedi and the Sith. These two groups are so over involved in one another they need a third gifted supernatural force to walk in, upset the balance, and to show the audience we live in a vast universe, don't get too comfortable. The same with the Rebels and the Empire. The franchise needs to move into an unkown part of the galaxy and introduce a new formidable nation of humans to challenge or rival these two,

Keep the new Light Saber!  Don't keep taking us down the same old worn paths. Star Wars 7: J.J. Abrams, we wait.......with baited breath.

What shot Star Wars to fame was the novelty, the portrayal of space in an authentic way we had never seen before. This novelty shot the trajectory upward. Ever since then its been a rehash of the same stuff. This means it has been on a downward trend ever since. It was more of the same, except it was more glamourised - downward. The new light saber is a case in point, some people loved it others hated, but guess what everyone was reveling in it. Look at the impact it had on the audience when the second trailer was released. The impact was incredible. This is what director J.J Abrams should ideally be tapping into. No matter how good a story you tell if its same-o - downward.

It would be great for instance to see the Sith and the Jedi come up against a new group that uses the force based on magic that not only perplexes but astounds them. At first they are traumatised and afraid of it as they don't understand how it works or what it is. By the way don't explain it to the audience how they perform these magical feats, (for example, the inability to die and ability to come back whole even after being mortally wounded, the ability to temporarily block Sith and Jedi access to their comforting connection to the force that leaves them in despair and mental like junkies forced to fight without power, the ability to appear and disappear very creepily like ghosts, and to summon strange beasts to help them during battle by making markings on the ground smacking them with a palm like a switch that conjures the animal into battle for a specific purpose such as attack, shield, defence or escape) the audience should also remain perplexed until the next instalment so that there's a lot of talk after the movie about how these strange feats were accomplished by these new "people". Don't spoil it by explaining it away too soon coz its uncomfortable. Give the audience plenty of time to speculate and jabber like they did over the new light saber. In fact make it necessary for separate quests into space by the Jedi and Sith to investigate what this new group are doing. The Jedi can find a new yoda-like figure that has to teach them a new way of fighting and harnessing the force to be able to fight what they are up against, while the Sith go somewhere to undergo a new severe type of training to withstand the new foe.  Their training should improve them but not yield full results in this instalment but the next one. It can show the Sith and Jedi you may think you are all that, but check this new element out. The audience needs to be jilted this way, don't let it get too comfortable in those movie theatre seats, switch it up. New territory needs to be entered. Smack the audience oops up side the head with something substantive they have never seen before whether they like it or not and the trajectory for Star Wars 7 is upward, coddle them with the same old stuff and they may like it but the trajectory will be downward and inevitably into oblivion.