Happy New Year Big Fanboys and Fangirls!  The BFB crew are back once again to wrap up 2014’s comic book-related movie goodness and then turn our sights to 2015.  Before we begin, here are BFB’s reviews of 2014’s comic related films:

1. I, FRANKENSTEIN (no review, not screened for press)
   
2. ROBOCOP
3. 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE
4. NOAH (no review, not screened for press)
   
5. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
6. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
7. GODZILLA
8. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
9. TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION
10. DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
11. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
12. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
13. SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR
14. BIRDMAN
15. BIG HERO 6
16. THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES and here
    

Now that’s a lot of films!  Marvel Studios managed not one, but two spectacular additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER and the surprise hit of the year, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.  Fox wasn’t ready to sit against the ropes and let Marvel walk away with all the glory though.  X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is one of the best entries in the X-Men universe and one of the best films of the year.  This film had a lot that it needed to do to repair the many disjointed timelines, and for the most part I think it managed very well.  Even the initial outrage that Singer and Fox were trying to steal glory from this year’s AVENGERS sequel by putting Quicksilver in their film was quickly overlooked when they delivered what has to be one of the top 2 or 3 action sequences in the entire franchise.

Let’s see, what else happened…  Michael Bay directed another billion dollar hit for Paramount in TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION that apparently no one liked, and produced a less successful yet still divisive remake in the Jonathan Liebesman directed TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.  The film was not a runaway hit like the Transformers films have been, but there was enough box-office love that a sequel has already been green-lit.  Fan favorites Bebop and Rocksteady are already said to be included, with Casey Jones being worked in as well.

2014 also saw GODZILLA, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and the final HOBBIT film make their marks, all successful and all fairly well received by critics and audiences alike.  But that was not the case for all of the films last year.  The much delayed I, FRANKENSTEIN came and went while barely being noticed, and the two Frank Miller franchise sequels (300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE and SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR) that seemed to be way to late to the party got nothing but a cold reception by moviegoing audiences.  I think both films could have done without their sequels, but if they absolutely wanted to cash in on the success of the first two, they waited entirely too long.

For a film by Darren Aronofsky and featuring a controversial take on the Christian story of the flooding of the world, NOAH was surprisingly uneventful and just managed to exist, but that’s about it.  The same can be said about the remake of ROBOCOP.  The original was polarizing.  The 2014 version was fun but forgettable, and that seems to be a trend with recent remakes.  But thankfully, we had a lot that wasn’t forgettable.  Michael Keaton turned in an Oscar Worthy performance in the surprise art piece BIRDMAN (this film didn’t even make it into last year’s preview).  If you haven’t yet seen this one, you seriously owe it to yourself to watch it.

We saw our first Disney animation film based on a Marvel comics property, something that many of us have been clamoring for since the purchase of Marvel by the mouse, and BIG HERO 6 was just as fantastic as we all hoped it would be.  Seeing what they were able to do with such an obscure property gives you hope that they will continue to find inspiration in the pages of Marvel comics.  I for one would love to see a Power Pack movie done by Disney or Pixar.  Think about that one for a second and then start your letter writing campaign.

Finally, we come to THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2.  This is the film that I described to head honcho Mark Walters as the best on-screen Spider-Man in the worst Spider-Man film to date.  Andrew Garfield as Spidey was perfection, but the rest of the film just didn’t know what it was trying to do with itself.  It was corny in a bad way – disjointed, cramped and it felt extremely forced.  Couple that with the reports that a film that does over $700 million worldwide is looked at as a failure by the studio because of the enormous production costs and inflated marketing budget and you just have to wonder what they are doing over there at Sony.  Well, thanks to the unfortunate hacks, which we refuse to cover because it is still theft, we know a little about what their plans are and all we will say is that if you thought TASM2 was disjointed, that is nothing compared to the “all over the map” feeling you get from the leaked info from the studio.  What is not a secret is that Sony is having a Spidey Summit this month to try and figure out what to do with their only comic franchise.  Many are suspecting that there will be a partnership of sorts with Marvel Studios that will see Spider-Man make his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  If this is true, I can get behind that, but only as long as Marvel Studios has full creative control.  I’m sorry Sony for everything you have been going through and I wish you nothing but a successful turn-around, but when it comes to Spidey… I just don’t feel that you know what is best moving forward.

But enough about 2014, let’s look at 2015.

In this article, I, Jim Cassidy, along with Bigfanboy.com head-honcho Mark Walters and frequent collaborator Devin Pike, will take a look at the comic book related movies that will (hopefully) entertain us in 2015.

IN ORDER BY RELEASE DATE:

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

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Release Date: Friday, February 13, 2015
MPAA: Not Yet Rated
Presentation: 2D
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Thriller, Action, Adventure
Screenwriters: Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman
Director: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine, Colin Firth and Taron Egerton.

Synopsis:  Based upon the acclaimed comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn (“Kick-Ass,” “X-Men: First Class”), “Kingsman: The Secret Service” tells the story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

Mark: The comic is great and I think the film will be a blast. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but the more I see from it the more excited I get. Matthew Vaughn hasn’t let me down yet, and this looks very similar in tone to the first KICK-ASS, which is a good thing. They screened it a few months back, and word is it’s crazy fun. The rumored insanely brutal and gory finale is what I’m looking forward to most. But come on, Colin Firth kicking ass? That alone is worth the price of admission.

Devin: The thing that sells me isn’t as much Vaughn’s signature style, or even Mister Darcy kicking some serious arse, but Samuel L. Jackson gleefully getting into Bond-esque super villain territory. I dug the Hell out of KICK-ASS (the sequel, less so, but still enjoyed it), and I expect nothing less than a full barrel of buttered popcorn for this one.

Jim: Honestly, at this point, I have complete faith in Vaughn when it comes to comic book films.  X-MEN: FIRST CLASS and KICK-ASS are two of my favorites so as soon as I heard that Vaughn turned down the chance to direct X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST to direct this, I was already hooked.  Knowing that he saw something in this that was intriguing enough to leave a sure thing peaks my interest.  I agree with you Devin, I’m looking forward to Jackson going over-the-top Bond-esque with his villain as well, and yes Mark, the rumored finale has my interest too… but what I’m honestly looking forward to the most is the cameo that has not been publicized very much (so don’t worry, I won’t ruin it for you here), but is straight from the books.  I’m just glad they were able to get it into the film.

Mark: Well Jimbo, I sort of spoiled that cameo already in one of my trailer posts for the film, but I’m just as excited about it.

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AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

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Release Date: May 1, 2015
MPAA:  Not Yet Rated
Presentation: 2D/3D
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure
Screenwriters: Joss Whedon
Director: Joss Whedon 

Starring: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Thomas Kretschmann, Jeremy Renner, Paul Bettany, Stellan Skarsgård, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Cobie Smulders, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, James Spader, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Andy Serkis.

Synopsis: Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure. Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.   

Mark: No reason to expect anything but greatness here. Whedon is back with the killer ensemble from the first film, and the trailer looks dark and sinister. I hope it’s THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK of the Marvel team trilogy. Spader as Ultron is an inspired choice, but I’m most curious about Paul Bettany as The Vision, as we’ve seen little-to-nothing on that character in the teasers. There’s also the question of who will die, as it’s been insinuated not all of The Avengers will make it. I can’t wait.

Devin: In Joss, I trust. The best way to tell how good this movie will be, is how little we really know about the thing. How will Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch fit in to the dynamic? Why does Stark have to don the Hulkbuster armor? Who is that other woman at the Avengers Tower soiree? We know just enough to know things go boom, and James Spader gets megalomaniacal. And that’s plenty for me.

Jim: Hulkbuster Armor?  Check.  The Vision?  Check.  James Spader as Ultron?  Check.  Joss Whedon back to helm the sequel to the highest grossing comic book movie ever?  Check!!  I have to agree with Mark on this one.  There is absolutely no reason not to expect greatness here and it is even magnified by the fact that THIS is the film he wanted to make when he took the gig for the first one.  We all see what he did with his “contract” film and now we get to see what he can do when he has had more time to prepare and plan.  To say I’m excited is an understatement.  GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY was my most anticipated film last year, and for 2015 this takes it, hands down.  I know we are less than 2 weeks away from the next trailer (January 12 during the NCAA Football Championships and right here on BFB), but I just can’t seem to calm myself enough.  I want to see Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in action.  I want to see more of Ultron.  I want to see Vision.  I want to know what will happen and how this will lead into CIVIL WAR.  And if we are being honest here, I can’t wait to see what sort of mid-credits stinger we get.  The last one we got in an AVENGERS movie was a little guy by the name of Thanos.  So, to sum it up, in Whedon I trust!

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ANT-MAN

Official Website – None Yet

Release Date: July 17, 2015
MPAA: Not Yet Rated
Presentation: 2D/3D
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure
Screenwriters: Adam McKay, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari
Director: Peyton Reed

Starring: Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, Martin Donovan, Wood Harris, John Slattery, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Gregg Turkington, Abby Ryder Fortson, David Dastmalchian, T.I.

Synopsis: The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. 

Mark: It’s had a rocky start, taking years to get going, losing Edgar Wright as director… I think many have sort have given up on it already, but something tells me it could be a big surprise. I like the casting of Paul Rudd, and Michael Douglas in a comic book film is pretty awesome. Ant-Man is one of those characters that probably shouldn’t work as a movie, but we all felt the same way about GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY in the beginning.

Devin: Last year, I was crowing about GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, and how they had me at James Gunn. ANT-MAN had me at Edgar Wright, and I’ll always have that little pang in the back of my skull that will think that, regardless of how well they execute this film, it would have been so much better with him still at the helm. Still, when it comes to comic movies, Make Mine Marvel.

Jim: Devin, I will agree with you that I was a little upset about the loss of Edgar Wright, but the more I read about the break-up, especially from interviews with Evangeline Lilly, the more I feel secure that Wright and Marvel made the right decision to split.  ANT-MAN has definitely been the pride and joy of Edgar, who started on the script before IRON MAN even hit theaters.  Since then, the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the direction has surely changed.  Kevin Feige and team have released their movie plans through 2019 and are said to have an outline all the way through 2028.  With that sort of universe building and planning, there are certain beats that have to be hit in each film.  It sounds like Wright’s script was going to have to change more than he was willing to, and no one wants to see a director sacrifice their vision for a studio (look at SPIDER-MAN 3 with Sam Raimi and Sony).  While we would all love to see what Wright would have done, if his vision was going to be too jarring to the world that is already there, I think we all would have maybe felt that (while a good film) it would feel disjointed from the rest of the universe.  I know a lot of people have been worried about Peyton Reed, who has primarily done comedy in the past, but after the Russo Brothers I no longer use that as a measuring stick.  I am going to be honest, I am very excited for this film.  From the very first time I heard about ANT-MAN possibly coming to the big screen, I immediately envisioned a scene of him surrounded by goons, the camera slowly spinning in a circle and Ant-Man himself shrinking and growing as he fights off these guys.  That visual possibility alone was enough to sell me, but then tell me it is going to be a heist movie?  With Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd?  Oh, I’m in.  I was looking forward to the new AGENT CARTER TV series next week, but now, there is no way I’m going to miss it as we will get our first trailer for this one. 

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THE FANTASTIC FOUR

Official Website – None Yet

Release Date: August 7, 2015
MPAA: Not Yet Rated
Presentation: 2D
Studio:  20th Century Fox
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure
Screenwriters:  Simon Kinberg, Michael Green, Seth Grahame-Smith, Jeremy Slater
Director: Josh Trank

Starring: Jamie Bell, Tim Blake Nelson, Kate Mara, Toby Kebbell, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Reg E. Cathey.

Synopsis:  “The Fantastic Four,” a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

Mark: It doesn’t bode well that we’ve seen nothing from the film so far. Nothing. Not one photo (outside of a Twitter selfie taken by the cast out of costume), no video, no concept art… nothing. The movie has been done for several months now! It’s also a shame that Marvel and Fox aren’t getting along, meaning Marvel won’t be supporting this film. It’s hard to think that a Fantastic Four movie might be a flop, but this has a lot going against it. It’s difficult to say more without seeing something (anything!) from the production.

Devin: I think the less we hear about this film, the better off we’ll be – for a different reason than AGE OF ULTRON. We already have so much baggage from the Tim Story films (which I still kind of liked), and even the Roger Corman attempt. Why is the Fantastic Four so hard to crack? It’s not like it’s Wonder Woman or anything. For those who don’t get that joke: I’m still giggling over Space Merle and a dancing twig in a flower pot. If GUARDIANS and ANT-MAN can work, why not the Four?

Jim: Devin, I think the problem is not that the FF are so hard to crack, it is that there doesn’t seem to be a trust with what has made them so popular over the years.  While there has not been any “official” photos released, we have seen a mock-up for the new Thing (which actually looks GREAT) and a visual shot for Dr. Doom (which looks horrible), as well as much of the cast releasing different tidbits of information.  There is so much that is apparently being changed from the source material that at some point you have to stop and ask, “why even call it Fantastic Four?”  I’m all for updating and modernizing, but to have so little faith in a proven concept worries me.  I know that the Tim Story films were not super-mega blockbusters, but they managed to capture the spirit of the comics, even if the result was fantastic (see what I did there).  In my opinion, that doesn’t mean go the other way and drive for a grounded approach.  It means fix your cast, get a different director and most of all, get a strong script.  As of right now I am not interested in seeing this one, and that’s a shame because I think the cast is talented (even if I feel almost all of them are miscast), I think the director shows a lot of promise, especially after CHRONICLE, and Simon Kinberg and FOX just got off a brilliant film in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, but to be honest, no leaked bits of information, actor interviews or official synopsis has sounded the least bit interesting to me.  Maybe things will change once we start to see something, but this one is going to be a hard sale and as of now, I am definitely in the camp of wishing that the rights would revert back to Marvel proper.

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STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

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Release Date: December 18, 2015
MPAA:  Not Yet Rated
Presentation: 2D/3D
Studio:  Walt Disney Pictures, Lucasfilm
Genre:  Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure
Screenwriters: J.J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan
Director: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Harrison Ford, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Max von Sydow, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Lupita Nyong’o, Crystal Clarke, Pip Anderson, Christina Chong, Miltos Yerolemou .

Synopsis: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will be set 30 years after the events of “Return of the Jedi.” 

Mark: Very excited, mostly because George Lucas handed the franchise over to others, but mainly the idea of seeing the cinematic heroes I grew up with back on the big screen. I know, I know, it’s about the kids in this one, but the idea of having Luke, Han and Leia back in a new Star Wars story in theaters is mind-blowing. I think J.J. Abrams will do a good job, and I’m intrigued by the rest of the cast – loved John Boyega in ATTACK THE BLOCK, and Oscar Isaac is always good. What can I say, it’s thrilling to even think about it.

Devin: First: If you haven’t seen that money shot of the Millennium Falcon over the desert in a theater, log off this screen and go find it. Someone with Abrams’ visual sense driving this thing gave me chills before we saw any footage from it, and that teaser on Black Friday just cemented it. Gimme. GIMME.

Jim: Well, on to my first.  Am I the only one that noticed a severe lack of stars in the first STAR WARS teaser?  And no, I’m not talking about Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford or Carrie Fisher, I’m talking specifically about the celestial bodies.  For a movie about a war amongst the stars, I think something is lacking.  Ok, but my bad attempt at humor aside, what is not to like about what we have already seen?  The visuals looks amazing and as a teaser, the trailer did what it needed to do and that was get us excited.  I love that J.J. Abrams has taken over the franchise (Sorry George, you lost the passion) at least for the first film and throw in Lawrence Kasdan (writer of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI) as one of the writers of the new film and I am even more sold.  It will be interesting to see what exactly the story will be, who the villains are and what surprises are in store for us.  There has been many fan theories as of late, but according to Oscar Isaac, none of them have even come close to the truth.  You don’t see a big budget film like this maintaining its secrecy as well as they have, but there’s a part of me that hopes they can keep it up for another year.  I’d love to be utterly clueless to the story before I walk into theaters on December 18, 2015 – and that says a lot, because I am normally one who wants to know everything before going in.

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