I’ve got your dark-and-edgy right here

Image by PopCultureGeek.com via Flickr

I was planning on getting this site up and running back in July, but a lot of things got in the way… So, a lot of stuff I was planning on talking about got talked about by other folks first. Oh, well…

Warner Bros. film group President Jeff Robinov proved once again that Hollywood doesn’t know a damn thing about telling stories anymore when, in response to Green Lantern‘s under-performance, he said, “To go forward we need to make it a little edgier and darker with more emphasis on action…. And we have to find a way to balance the time the movie spends in space versus on Earth.”

Uh, no. It’s a story about a guy who gets a magic ring that can make whatever he wants. Why would you want to make that story dark and edgy? Not every superhero needs to be like Batman. If anything, Green Lantern on the screen needs to be much more fun and whimsical. The lamest part of the movie was when Hal Jordan got pouty and whiny about having a magic friggin’ ring. And, gee, it’s Ryan Reynolds: why couldn’t he have joked around and had more fun with the role? Is there a good movie in all of the deleted scenes and outtakes?

I know at this point there isn’t much left to say about Green Lantern, especially after Greg Rucka’s epic takedown of Hollywood, but it’s not a bad film, just not great. I’d probably show this one to kids right after the first two Superman films.

And, speaking of Superman – this is the first official photo Warner executives thought we should see of the new Superman film:

Seriously?

The greatest superhero – the embodiment of truth and justice – the ultimate symbol of good – is being served up like this?

I get that this is just one photo, and we have no idea what the finished movie will look like, but come on. Some Warners suit, probably Robinov, chose this photo because he wants to convince himself that he’s right: that Dark And Edgy is What We Want.

Hey, Warners. This kind of crap is the reason Marvel’s kicking your asses all over the place. Get the right creative people to do the work, and then get the hell out of the way. The Batman movies aren’t successful because they’re Dark And Edgy; it’s because they’re in the hands of a talented storyteller who understands the material and brings out the best in it. Go make some Harry Potter extended-cut Blu-Rays or something, and leave the talented people alone.

Can superhero movies be better? Hell, yes. Do they have to be “edgier and darker”? Hell, no.

Related articles

• ‘Green Lantern 2′ Will Be Edgy & Dark; ‘The Flash’ Script is ‘Solid’ (screenrant.com)
• Warners: ‘Green Lantern 2′ will be edgier; Flash has solid script (herocomplex.latimes.com)
• Expect ‘Green Lantern 2′ to Be Darker and Edgier Than the First (slashfilm.com)
• Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov Talks GREEN LANTERN 2; Doesn’t Understand Why GREEN LANTERN Failed (collider.com)