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Science-Fiction Weekly – Star Wars: Episode VIII, Rebels, Thor: Ragnarok
This week's editorial is starting on a strange note, but I feel it's something we all need to discuss. I'm beginning to think movie director Zack Snyder has homed in on my childhood and wants to destroy everything that I loved. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is one of the worst movies I have ever watched. I'm not exaggerating here. I struggled to get through it, and wondered how a film could miss the mark by such a wide degree, especially given we're in the golden age of awesome superhero films. Warner Bros. recently released an image from Snyder's forthcoming Justice League film, and it looks great from this pulled-out angle.
Seeing all of these characters together in a big-budget film is something I never thought would happen (anything with Aquaman is a long shot, after all). Now let's see what happens when we zoom in on The Flash...
WHAT. THE. F---... Seriously, what in the blazes is going on with this costume design? Are those wires all over his body? It looks like a pile of random parts I'd expect to see at Watto's junkyard. We often joke about video game characters being overly designed with trinkets and scars all over their bodies, but this is just madness. Stop, Zack. Please for the love of all that is nerdy, stop!
Why not update this costume? I still think it looks great.
Or better yet, bring this character (actor, costume, lore, and all) over to the cinematic universe. The CW is doing great things with the DC properties. Tying the two universes together would have been a great way to get the films back on track. Arrow and The Flash are both excellent shows (disclaimer: I haven't watched Supergirl or Legends of Tomorrow yet).
Now let's talk about something that is actually doing well. Star Wars Rebels continues to improve with each passing season, and the latest trailer makes the second part of season three look ridiculously awesome. I won't ruin the surprises for you, but I'm guessing an episode that shows what the Rebels characters were doing during the events of Rogue One and A New Hope isn't too far off. I hope the show goes there, and doesn't end right before either movie. Seeing the Ghost and Chopper in Rogue One makes me think the timelines will intersect. If not, revealing some of the characters are alive and well is a huge spoiler for the end of the series. Check out the trailer below, but avoid viewing it if you aren't caught up on the most recent episodes. Spoilers abound.
And if you enjoyed that, Lucasfilm released a small clip from from the next episode titled Warhead. I always love seeing new droid types, and this episode looks like it focuses intently on introducing a new robotic being into the Star Wars universe.
If you were one of the people who wasn't bothered by Rogue One not having an opening text crawl, how do you explain Episode VIII getting one? Lucasfilm hasn't said the movie will have it yet, but has said before that the opening crawl is for the numbered entries in the series. Episode VIII's director, Rian Johnson, confirmed with USA Today that Rey and Luke's confrontation at the end of The Force Awakens would be the beginning point of his film. "I don’t want to skip ahead two years. I want to see the very next moment of what happens," Johnson said. He also pointed out the obvious; the film will focus intently on Rey learning the ways of the Force. So that begs the question: Will the opening text be a recap of The Force Awakens? Will it shed light on different developments occurring at the same time? Or will it simply say "Luke stared intently at Rey...."
The final bit of news I have for you is for Thor: Rangarok, which opens in theaters on November 3. I know we're all eagerly anticipating the release of a trailer (likely attached to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), but Marvel did give us something just as good: a plot synopsis to ponder. It confirms Hulk is in the film, but in a way you likely wouldn't expect. Here's the plot outline from Marvel:
"Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok – the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization – at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger – the Incredible Hulk!”
It sounds like Marvel is combining the comic series for Ragnarok and Planet Hulk into one film. That sounds like a bit of a mess, but a fun one that puts war and combat front and center.
Let me know what you think of the news from this week's column. I have an exclusive look at new content from Dreadnought in line for next week's editorial. I'm also hoping to see a few new science-fiction titles during Nintendo's Switch event on Thursday. See you in seven days.
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