Bryce Zabel's MOVIE SMACKDOWN!

The Dark Knight (2008) -vs- The Godfather, Part II (1974)

Best Sequel EVER?

The Smackdown.  When "The Dark Knight" hit movie screens earlier this year, critics screamed that cinema history had just been made, that it was even better than the movie that spawned it and, just possibly, one of the best films ever released.  In 1974, the same thing happened.  "The Godfather, Part II" was not only seen as the best sequel ever but it stood up as a great film, winning the Oscar for Best Picture, like its predecessor from two years earlier. The test for these sequels is whether they managed to continue and expand upon the originals that came before them, by charting fresh new territory, raising the stakes and deepening the concepts.  Now is the perfect time for this true Smackdown of Champions since "The Dark Knight" has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray and "The Godfather, Part II" was recently released as part of the meticulously done Coppola restoration, also in both formats.  

Just like any film, sequels must justify their very existence to even be made. However, sequels also pull double duty, having to prove not just "why make it?" but also "why make more?" The answer, usually, is because new films make more money and, hopefully, establish a franchise for the studios that make them.  Sometimes, and these two films are prime examples, something else happens and the answer to "why make more?" is simply that there is more story to tell with characters that filmmakers and audiences just aren't done with. 

Which one of our two films is the Best Sequel Ever Made?  Is it the one starring Batman, the crime-fighter in The Dark Knight, or is it the one with Michael Corleone, the crime-lord in The Godfather, Part II?  Our battle is likely to be disastrous, brutal and raw -- like the films themselves.  Let's introduce the challenger...

Wanted (2008) -vs- Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)

Angie Get Your Gun

The Smackdown.  Angelina Jolie loves guns.  On top of knowing this, I have a sneaking suspicion that studios love Angelina Jolie with guns because most men do.  Who wouldn't want to see the gorgeous wife/mistress/girlfriend of Brad Pitt kick into high gear and kick ass while shaking her own?  So, while a million wives and girlfriends hold their lovers closer now that the "Wanted" DVD and Blu-ray is out, let's entertain these men's ultimate fantasy -- a movie smackdown where one Angelina Jolie with guns faces off with another Angelina Jolie with guns.  When such doppleganger femme fatales clash, who comes out on top?  When the smoke clears, will it be "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"'s Jane Smith or "Wanted"'s Fox that'll have women checking their boyfriends' internet histories to avoid becoming the next Jennifer Aniston?

The Challenger.  "Wanted" is an interesting case of comic book adaptations.  Michael Brandt and Dennis Haas adapted Mark Millar's graphic novel while MIllar was finishing the series.  The result was a screenplay that barely resembled the comic series, which focuses on a world where disgusting villains have massacred all superheroes and now move on to fighting one another. The film "Wanted" focuses on Wesley Gibbons (James McAvoy), a nerdy pushover recruited by Jolie's Fox to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Fraternity, a organization of ambiguously powered assassins who literally read the threads of fate to determine their targets.  This "Loom of Fate" allows the Fraternity to keep good and evil in check.  With Jolie's help, McAvoy must take out the man who killed his father, the notoriously ruthless Cross.  Highly flawed, Wanted is nevertheless an ultra-violent rookie film that'll thrill action buffs with its obligatory set pieces and bombastic stunts.  This movie is about action more than story; expect it and just enjoy McAvoy and Jolie tearing through bad guys in frenetic, stylized combat.

Hancock (2008) -vs- Superman: The Movie (1978)

Editor’s Note:  With this review, we welcome our first “international” SmackRef, Rodney Twelftree from Australia.  He’s got his own movie blog there, Fernby Films.  Anyway, we welcome his new voice to our mix and hope this is the first of many.  To all our new Australian readers who come aboard as a result, welcome to the Smack!

The Smackdown.  You'd be forgiven for thinking that Hollywood has forgotten how to make anything but superhero movies.  They come out as regularly as the comic books that spawned them once did for adolescent boys with ten cents burning a hole in their pockets.   The one that got it all started, of course, was "Superman: The Movie" -- starring Christopher Reeve.  Based on staying power, Superman is probably the greatest comic hero of all time and 1978's film version "Superman: The Movie" has become the gold standard in comic-to-film translations.  In the Richard Donner-directed film, the title character soared to new heights with state of the art effects (for the day), enormous budget, and a cavalcade of talent both in front of, and behind, the camera.  Its successful formula inspired so much competition that even the franchise re-boot, "Superman Returns," had trouble standing out from the pack when it came out.  So, it was inevitable that an anti-hero version would be made, as a way to cut through the superhero signal-to-noise ratio.  Enter a movie star super man to take on the challenge -- Will Smith.  He flies high (and low!) in the Peter Berg-directed flick, "Hancock."  Apparently, it's not easy being super, and Will suffers through his enormous power beset by alcoholism and depression.  Is "Superman: The Movie" dated and old and open to being kicked around by "Hancock" or is the man in tights still The Man?  Let's see if Will Smith can overcome the giant legacy of Christopher Reeve. 

The Challenger. Imagine if you took a hero like Superman, gave him a drinking problem, and the attitude of a Tarantino film. Essentially, that's "Hancock". Boozy, lazy, self indulgent and often, just plain rude, Hancock is the kind of superhero you definitely do not want coming to save you from a burning skyscraper. Problematic rescues involving massive property damage have tarnished his reputation as a decent hero, and instead, the city of Los Angeles is seeking reparations for the damage he has caused in apprehending criminals or saving people. Yep, Hancock's all about angst, an angry god-like man beset with the emotional growth of a pineapple. Throw in a young, not-quite-successful public relations guru in Ray (Jason Bateman), and the sparks will surely fly. Especially when Hancock gets his eyes around Ray's wife, played with toothy relish by Charlize Theron: you just know it's gonna get messy.

Hellboy II (2008) -vs- Hancock (2008)

Editor's Note:  November 11 marks the release of "Hellboy II" on DVD and Blu-ray, including a special three disc edition.

The Smackdown.  It really is the height of narcissism.  Give a guy powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men and he can still manage to cop a bad attitude.  And while neither Hulk nor Iron Man can really be accused of harboring sunny dispositions, the leading men of 'tude in the summer of 2008 were a couple of anti-heroes on the extreme grouchy side:  Hellboy and Hancock.  Which one of these charm school drop-outs made bad look good?  That's the Smack and, believe me, this battle is not for the thin-skinned. 

The Challenger. Into the ring strides "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" with Ron Perlman reprising his devilish character from the Dark Horse comic. The original (like the sequel) directed and co-written by Guillermo Del Toro is a fish out of water story, and so is "Hellboy II."  A superhero's work is never done and Hellboy feels unappreciated. Maybe that's why he a little touchy. He's readily spotted on the street and can't catch a break. Most folks openly question Hellboy's motives. The main story in "Hellboy II" comes into play because a prince of the underworld (Nuada, Luke Goss) wants to take over topside. He unleashes a hungry batch of tooth fairies while stealing a portion of a golden crown. The full crown will allow the wearer to activate an army of mechanical warriors. There are complications: Abe the Fishman has a thing for the villain's sister, Princess Nuala (Anna Walton); the irritating Tom Manning (Jeffery Tambor) has a new cohort in Johann Kraus at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense; Hellboy is having relationship problems with his combustible girlfriend, Liz Sherman (Selma Blair). All these elements come together to prove several points: Saving the earth is messy; those creatures you saw in your dreams are real, and the road to love (the inter-species type) is never smooth.

The Incredible Hulk (2008) -vs- Hulk (2003)

The Smackdown.  HULK SMASH!  I'm sorry, but I had to; it's just such a funny, quirky comic book phrase.  It's not often you get a Smackdown as clean as this one either where a project has been re-cast, re-conceived and the first director has been sent packing.  When you consider that The Incredible Hulk is the franchise follow-up to Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk, you have to take into mind that it's the new Marvel Studios steering the cinematic wheel.  Its recent Iron Man proved a ridiculously profitable and critical hit but, quite frankly, I shuddered at the thought of a second motion picture tackling this heroic green figure after the first installment created such a controversial cinematic history (gamma Hulk poodles anyone?).  I can see the halls of Marvel Studios one or two weeks ago, brimming with newly starched suits and promiscuous congratulations over Iron Man's $530 million plus heist.  Now, a bunch of execs sit around a table -- bleary-eyed, ties loose, coffee cups empty, cell phones nearby -- hoping their new Hulk shares more than the color green with a one dollar bill.   So while those overpaid studio execs worry over that, let's have a Hulk-sized SMACKDOWN between Ang Lee's Hulk and Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk.  May the best conflicted angst-ridden monster win.

The Challenger.  The Hulk returns rebooted under the directorial guidance of Transporter director Louis Leterrier off a script originally penned by Zak Penn and rewritten by Edward Norton.  In The Incredible Hulk, Norton plays Stan Lee's classic Bruce Banner, a simple scientist whose brilliance leads to a tragic lab accident.  Now a fugitive from a military general who wishes to make him a weapon, Banner longs for a cure to his monstrous alter-ego and the forced isolation it demands.  Like Stan Lee's original Hulk, The Incredible Hulk focuses on Banner's struggle to contain this monstrous Neanderthal lurking inside him.  In fact, it's the film's petrol, blasting through Bourne-style chase scenes and WWF-style mutant throwdowns.  But like the green beast himself, Letterrier's film loses a bit of its humanity when it goes "Hulk."  Coupled with somewhat awkward pacing, the film may leave audiences like Bruce Banner after a "hulk-out": scratching your head asking where the hell am I and what the hell just happened?  Comparing the shooting script to the finished film, there are a plethora of scenes missing -- mostly character-oriented -- that would've better balanced the film.  Banner's therapy session with his lover's new boyfriend and Banner's attempted suicide are among them.  On top of this, some of the dialogue -- no matter how good the actor, or how green -- just can't be pulled off.