Only way I'd go see it is if they cast Angelina Jolie or Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman. Not gonna happen.
~(no)rave! --- In [email protected], "B. Smith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > American female action/superhero movies have sucked but they are > quite successful in Asia. If they do an American Wonder Woman with > the verve and energy of something like The Heroic Trio it could be a > hit. > > I know it goes against the grain but I think the new treatment of > Wonder Woman may be the way to go. Make it a kicka$$ action film but > flesh Diana's character out. As someone else said, set it in an > alternate WWII with all sorts of uber retrofuturist Nazi-tech, big > action setpieces and the like and you'll have a hit. > > --- In [email protected], "ravenadal" <ravenadal@> wrote: > > > > Female Superhero movies suffer the same fate as black science > fiction > > movies (white people don't want to see them and BLACK people don't > > want to see them): men don't want to see them and WOMEN don't want > to > > see them. > > > > "Catwoman" is still the top-grossing female superhero movie ($82 > > million) and nobody considers that a success. > > > > Elektra: $56 million > > > > Aeon Flux: $52 million > > > > Ultraviolet: $31 million > > > > Female superhero movies - ain't no money in them. > > > > ~(no)rave! > > > > --- In [email protected], "Tracey de Morsella (formerly > > Tracey L. Minor)" <tdlists@> wrote: > > > > > > Action Or Angst? What Do We Want In Our Superheroes? > > > COMMENTARY: Can 'Wonder Woman' succeed purely as action hero? > > > > > > By ROBIN BROWNFIELD > > > Source: SyFy Portal > > > Feb-04-2007 > > > > > > When Joss Whedon announced almost two years after signing on to > > write > > > and direct a "Wonder Woman" movie that he was no longer attached > to > > the > > > project, the air of shock around the Internet was almost palpable. > > > > > > Around the same time, David S. Goyer, who wrote the story and co- > > wrote > > > the screenplay for "Batman Begins," was told his vision for the > > movie > > > "The Flash" was not what Warner Bros. producers wanted, and the > > movie > > > has been shelved for now. > > > > > > The story behind the "Wonder Woman" movie, it seems, is that > Warner > > > Bros. has purchased a speculative script from newcomers Matthew > > Jennison > > > and Brent Strickland, and is ready to bring them on board to > > replace Whedon. > > > > > > All this leads to the question, "What do people want out of a > > superhero > > > movie? An escapist action romp or fully fleshed-out characters > > facing > > > the most painful decisions of their lives?" > > > > > > While it is uncertain what Whedon has done with "Wonder Woman," > it > > seems > > > Joel Silver and company want an action-oriented story set against > > the > > > backdrop of World War II -- the time period when Wonder Woman > > comics > > > debuted. Whedon's vision places Princess Diana in the present > day. > > Based > > > on his previous works ("Buffy the Vampire > > Slayer," "Angel," "Firefly," > > > "Serenity"), one can safely assume that his Wonder Woman would be > a > > > fully fleshed out character, complete with goddess-like strength, > > and > > > human foibles. She would most likely be surrounded by fully > > developed > > > supporting characters, and the story that unwinds would largely > > grow out > > > from and be advanced by the characters themselves. > > > > > > We could also count on sharp, engaging dialogue where every word > is > > > measured and infused with meaning. > > > > > > A synopsis of the Jennison/Strickland script has been posted on > the > > > Internet. It is filled with highly charged action, it appears to > > move > > > quickly, and is balanced with sharp contrasts between scenes. It > > looks > > > like it could be exciting, but because there is no dialogue, and > > the > > > focus is strictly on the action in the movie, it makes me fear > that > > > there will be little in the way of actual character development. > > There > > > also is no indicator as to whether the two can write dialogue > well. > > It's > > > possible that they can, but in the end, what I read is the basis > > for a > > > largely formulaic movie with lots of loud sounds, flashy visuals > > and > > > action. I donât see the groundwork laid for creating characters > > people > > > in the audience can identify with. > > > > > > People need to be able to identify with the characters in a > movie. > > They > > > have to be able to feel with the characters and understand why it > > is > > > they do what they do. The X-Men and Spider-Man movies have been > the > > best > > > of any in the genre. X-Men movies have been analogous to the > > struggles > > > with racism and homophobia. In both X-Men and Spider-Man, people > > can > > > identify with the characters' perpetually feeling like outsiders. > > Each > > > has unique qualities that allow them to do amazing things, and > yet, > > > people in general and/or in their immediate surroundings, rarely, > > if > > > ever, recognize and appreciate this. > > > > > > Most real people can identify with this scenario. How many of us > > have > > > proven time and time again that we are unique, intelligent and > > superbly > > > talented people whose accomplishments go largely unnoticed by > many > > or > > > most of the people around us? It is the same kind of scenario > that > > makes > > > "Buffy" so popular. We now see the same happening with characters > > in the > > > TV show "Heroes." > > > > > > It was Peter Parker's angst that drew me to Spider-Man comics as > a > > kid. > > > I often skipped over the action parts of the stories just to > catch > > what > > > was happening in Peter's world. I still remember Duo Damsel > > heartbroken > > > because she was in love with Superboy, but knew he was destined > to > > end > > > up with someone else. Things like that got to me as a child, and > > they > > > still get to me as an adult. > > > > > > Wonder Woman often struggled with being a powerful woman who was > > rarely > > > appreciated for it in a man's world. Angst is what makes these > > heroes > > > accessible to an audience. Going through the human experience > even > > if > > > one is not quite human, or is super-human, endears these > characters > > to us. > > > > > > While it's possible to have a hero who doesn't feel like an > > outsider or > > > a freak, how that translates into their personality can be > > problematic. > > > If they are always self-sacrificing, righteous and true, they can > > end up > > > being downright boring. Then again, someone who doesn't suffer > > rarely > > > understands the plight of others who are suffering, and usually > > isn't > > > heroic. Someone like that is likely to come off as arrogant > and/or > > > self-obsessed, and uses their power for personal gain. I'm not > sure > > I > > > want to know people who are drawn to this kind of "hero." I might > > end up > > > being the next person they get all self-righteous and true on. > > > > > > People simply can't identify with an action figure. An action > > figure may > > > present an amusing visual and aural experience, but so does a > > musical > > > mobile hanging over a crib. Both are forgettable once they're out > > of > > > sight. A fully realized human being makes for much longer-lasting > > > "relationship" between the character and the audience than Action > > > Jackson ever can. How many people talk as passionately -- and for > > years > > > on end -- about Lara Croft as they do about Buffy or River Tam? > > > > > > Then there is the issue of the setting for the movies. Wonder > Woman > > has > > > gone through many eras. She hasn't always been stuck in WWII, as > > > Superman hasn't always been stuck in the 1930s. In the early > 1970s, > > > Wonder Woman had been revamped to fit the times. Steve Trevor was > > > killed, she lost her powers, traded in her bathing suit for a > > > mini-dress, and learned martial arts from some old guy named I- > > ching. > > > While that probably wasnât the best version of Wonder Woman, it > > kept her > > > in the present. > > > > > > Since then, WW has been reinvented several more times, keeping > her > > in > > > the present. All the Superman and Batman movies are in the > present > > (or > > > future). Why must Wonder Woman be stuck back in WWII? > > > > > > My favorite DC-based movie last year was "V for Vendetta," which > > while > > > it wasn't a superhero movie, was the kind of movie I prefer to > > shell out > > > money to see. I donât make a whole lot, and I have a lot of > kids > > to > > > feed, so I can't often waste money on something that is a purely > > > escapist formula movie. Most of the superhero/graphic novel > movies - > > > > > regardless of their origins - are lackluster at > best. "Daredevil," > > > "Electra," "Catwoman," "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," > > and "Sin > > > City" were all substitutes for Sominex. > > > > > > Unfortunately, superhero movie producers have grandiose > > expectations, > > > but usually resort to mediocre stories and big special effects or > > > âartfulâ facades to pass their production off as marketable. > > âSuperman > > > Returns,â while somewhat better than previously mentioned > movies, > > still > > > suffered the fate of presenting a formulaic plot with some bad > > casting > > > choices (that was NOT Lois Lane), and uneven acting. Hell, > Brandon > > Routh > > > barely got to do anything beyond his Christopher Reeve-as-Clark > > Kent > > > impression. While Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris > > tried > > > to infuse some humanity and allusions to Supes being Christ-like > > into > > > the story, the actual plot was simply a rehash of old plots with > > Lex > > > Luthor abusing different pieces of real estate. > > > > > > There are passably good comic book hero movies out there > > ("Hellboy," and > > > even "Fantastic Four" to some extent) that take the action > formula > > and > > > make it interesting and entertaining. For far too many, though, > the > > > formula starts to become rancid after too long. I had been > looking > > > forward to something fresh and different in Joss Whedon's "Wonder > > > Woman." I had hoped it would be the one movie about a female > > superhero > > > that wasn't abysmal. I can still hope for this. Jennison and > > Strickland > > > may turn out to be great writers. Still, Iâm not going to put > > much faith > > > in the judgment of movie studio moguls. They have been wrong many > > times > > > before. > > > > > > Robin Brownfield is a staff writer for SyFy Portal, writing out > of > > New > > > Jersey. She can be reached at rbrownfield@ > > > > > >
