This year may well be remembered in the annals of film as the year of "The Matrix" (as some in the film biz have suggested) if "The Matrix Reloaded" turns out to be the big hit that many anticipate it to be. But 2003 could very well end up being remembered more appropriately as something else, and that is: "The Year of the Marvel Superhero".
Don't laugh! Fueled by the phenomenal success of "Spider-man", some of the biggest movies this year will be based on classic Marvel comic book heroes. One of these has already been released and I've seen it. I'll give a brief review of it later in this article, but first let's discuss the other two big "comic book" movies coming out this year in the spring.
On May 2nd, the eagerly anticipated sequel to 2000's hit movie "X-Men" will be coming to a theatre near you. "X2" is on a much bigger budget than its predecessor and everything about it is...well, bigger! According to Patrick Stewart (who will be reprising his role of Professor Xavier), the sequel will make the first film look like nothing more than a launch pad for this one! Most of the cast of the first film are back in "X2", as well as some new characters. I, along with many others, expect it to be a big success at the Box Office, probably one of the top hits of 2003....But we'll see.
On June 20th, the last day of spring, the film that could turn out to be one of the top 5 blockbusters of the year, "Hulk" is to be "unleashed" in theatres across North America (a few weeks later on the other side of the pond, I imagine). This is THE film that I'm waiting for this year---even more so than the third "Lord of the Rings" installment. Yes, as a child, before I started to like girls, I could be found reading the occasional comic book. *L* And one of my favorites happened to be "The Incredible Hulk". Therefore it holds sentimental value for me.
And I still vividly remember watching the T.V. show as a 7 year old kid, fascinated by the ability of Dr. Banner to turn into a raging green monster when he was ticked off and destroying everything in sight! I'm not the only one waiting for this one: Millions of people around the world are waiting! Will it be a good film? Well, we'll have to wait a few more months to find out. The director is Ang Lee, who also directed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", a critical and financial success. And the groundbreaking special effects are to be supplied by the renowned Industrial Light and Magic. I'd say both those things are good indicators!
And as for the third of these movies based on a classic Marvel comic book coming out this year, which was released on February 14th...I saw "Daredevil" and liked a lot. Having read, like, ONE "Daredevil" comic as a child, I was only familiar with the basic premise---a blind superhero with his four other senses heightened in a superhuman way. I was pleasantly surprised as I watched the movie to see an engaging storyline unfolding before my eyes, good acting, interesting characters, and some well-done special effects. And this one's already a hit at the box office!
Until next time, peeps!
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