One weak spot in the studio's superhero filmography has been the absence of hit films about female superheroes. Huntress and Vixen did well financially, but weren't well received, while Crimson Fox was the least successful DC Comics Universe project until Firestorm came along. Now though we have had the hit of Wonder Woman - a big hit, not just for a female hero - and will be getting Supergirl at season's end. I don't know of many more big-time female heroes that could be in the pipeline at the studio, but it will be interesting to see if this starts a bit of a trend.
2. Wonder Woman
2. Wonder Woman
Unlike the Gadot/Jenkins films, this Wonder Woman does not shy away from the fantasy elements of the title. We don't have Ares hiding out as a meek Brit and a villain who isn't actually a supervillain but a regular evil German or a real estate/energy mogul. No, in this one we have an ancient sorceress with a grudge, which is a lot more fun. Plus the filmmakers absolutely nailed the casting of Alexandra Daddario as Wonder Woman. Really, they nailed the casting of nearly every role.
1. The Void
The Void is easily Jimmy Ellis' best solo writing effort. But let's face it, the film is almost entirely dependent on the lead role working, which is where Josh Brolin comes in. He absolutely nailed the lead role in this one. He's charismatic enough to make the audience care about him, but has the right amount of world-weariness to make the character feel real and not annoying. As if that wasn't enough, Jeff Nichols was a smart choice to direct the drama of this one.
3. Season Box Office
1. The Void
The Void is easily Jimmy Ellis' best solo writing effort. But let's face it, the film is almost entirely dependent on the lead role working, which is where Josh Brolin comes in. He absolutely nailed the lead role in this one. He's charismatic enough to make the audience care about him, but has the right amount of world-weariness to make the character feel real and not annoying. As if that wasn't enough, Jeff Nichols was a smart choice to direct the drama of this one.
This round definitely started to turn things around with two hit films, but the overall box office of the season so far has been frighteningly anemic. And I'm not sure the rest of the season has enough obvious hits to make up the ground the first half of the season lost. I'm sure Phil Dolan is crossing his fingers that the remaining DC/Marvel projects make buckets of cash.
2. Gigantor
I could not tell who exactly this one was made for. Was it for kids who've never heard of Gigantor, or older anime fans? It falls into that same bizarre area as another Wachowski joint, Speed Racer, that never fully appealed to either potential segment of the audience. Too strange and colorful for the older fans, too cheesy for younger modern audiences. More than anything, this one probably should have stuck with animation - where that inherent cheese factor is less distracting and more fun - rather than shooting for live-action.
1. Award Races
Usually a few serious award contenders emerge by this point, but outside of Josh Brolin in The Void and maybe the stars of Pontiac, I don't think anyone is necessarily a lock in any category.
2. Gigantor
I could not tell who exactly this one was made for. Was it for kids who've never heard of Gigantor, or older anime fans? It falls into that same bizarre area as another Wachowski joint, Speed Racer, that never fully appealed to either potential segment of the audience. Too strange and colorful for the older fans, too cheesy for younger modern audiences. More than anything, this one probably should have stuck with animation - where that inherent cheese factor is less distracting and more fun - rather than shooting for live-action.
1. Award Races
Usually a few serious award contenders emerge by this point, but outside of Josh Brolin in The Void and maybe the stars of Pontiac, I don't think anyone is necessarily a lock in any category.
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