DC Comics vs. Marvel: Super Films or Super Flops?

Written by Cassiah Joski-Jethi

In the past ten years or so, Superhero films have exploded onto mainstream cinema. True, superhero films have been around years before the turn of the Millennium, but the recent rapid release of superhero flicks are unparalleled.  Even within the time span of ten years, Spiderman (2002) has already had a remake! But is the demand for superhero films justified in terms of film quality? Are they, excuse the phrase, super films or simply super flops? To best examine this, it is wise to look at the two producers of these super tales: DC Comics and Marvel.

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The World of Animation: Disney and Beyond

Written by Cassiah Joski-Jethi

Animation is one of the earliest film styles to gain precedence in the Western world, particularly with the emergence of Disney. The narrative structures of animation films have undergone a dramatic development over the past sixty years or so, begging the question, what role does animation films play in the modern day?

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The Dark Knight Rises: Preview

Written by Varun Raman, Tom Hancock

“The man who is just flesh and blood can be defeated… can be destroyed. Whereas a symbol can transcend the idea of just being one man.”

Christopher Nolan has made considerable effort to conceal the ending of The Dark Knight Rises – arguably the most anticipated film of our generation. Having omitted the ending from the script, he only informed his cast of it verbally. The theories postulated below are deducted from the story and themes of the preceding films and the upcoming film’s trailers. No inside information has been used.

If any of the film happens to be spoiled, we sincerely apologise.  But if we’re right, it will be a great end to an iconic trilogy. If we’re terribly wrong, we will happily take a punishment in the form of a barrage in the comments section of quotes from Joel Schumacher’s seminal shocker, Batman & Robin.

Based on the trajectory of the story from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight, it seems inevitable that the final instalment will see Batman make his final sacrifice and die a hero. In his place, people will rise to take the mantle, and the symbol will endure after Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale).

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Short Films: Showcase Your Ability

Written by Varun Raman, Tom Hancock

It’s a sad fact that many short films leave an audience feeling that they’ve wasted ten minutes of their time. Rather than displaying the talent that is out there, short films are often derivative, unambitious, inefficient and poorly executed. The source of this disappointment is usually the script. 

Short films are the perfect medium for screenwriters to start with. However, it’s often the wannabe director that launches a short film project, without possessing a fleshed-out idea. Often, their eagerness to add another credit to their resume overcomes the patience needed for a story to be effective.

Increasingly accessible and affordable equipment supported by easy-to-use and high-speed software appear to have invited a bedeviled haste to the entire production process. Equally, with many of these short films now being hosted online, audiences can start watching them with the click of a button and stop watching just as easily.

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Movie Originality: Creation Requires Influence

Written by Andrew Watson

Now that The Artist has bulldozed its way into Oscar glory, it would be quite a good idea to brace ourselves for the inevitable. Wagers, bets, or sweepstakes will be placed on the number of black and white (and/or silent) films that are suddenly shunted into development, akin to the retooling of almost every single action film once the Bourne Ultimatum appeared with shaky cams and occasionally incomprehensible sequences. Originality has long been considering a dying trait in the Hollywood system, becoming more and more lost to imitations, sequels, adaptations of books, adaptations of foreign films and the bizarre adaptation of board games. The question I find myself needing to ask is: Why aren’t we doing it more?

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