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Harley as Heroine: Rewriting Suicide Squad (2016)

I have something to confess: I enjoyed Suicide Squad. I can’t defend it in any way, but I had a good time watching it. I own the film, I’ve seen it a few times since, and it doesn’t improve on repeat viewings, but I still like all the characters, despite how poorly they were drawn. It’s a fancy dress party of a film with little characterisation beyond costuming, but despite its lack of structure, character motivations or compelling villains, I have a little place in my heart for this tumultuous team-up.

But this is how I would have done it…

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Fixing Fiction: Rewriting the Hobbit trilogy (2012-2014)

I really enjoyed ‘An Unexpected Journey’ when it first came out, even ranking it among my beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, as the franchise went on – and on and on – it became increasingly clear that cracks were beginning to show in a once-promising prequel. There’s still a lot to like about the films; the acting’s good, there’s some nice moments scattered throughout, but there are too many mistakes and missteps that point to wasted potential. After much thought, here are 5 things I’d have changed about the Hobbit prequel trilogy… Read more

Posted on by thelawlass

Basil (1998): Not the Great Mouse Detective; or Great, for that Matter

Taking a break from my Marvel Doubles blog series (as I’m still catching up on Luke Cage/ Iron Fist and collecting my thoughts on Punisher/ Daredevil), I just had to vent about this rather odd film I watched last night which features 1990’s-era Christian Slater and Jared Leto fighting against each other – and homoerotic subtext – in a twee love triangle that descends disturbingly quickly into disfigurement. No, really.

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The Devil’s Reject: Looking Back at Daredevil (2003)

How does 2003 Ben Affleck vehicle Daredevil hold up 14 years later? When compared to Netflix’s take on the same titular defender, not very well at all. In fairness, it’s probably among the least rubbish comic book movies of the early 00’s, which also gave us Ang Lee’s Hulk, Halle Berry’s Catwoman and Jennifer Garner’s Daredevil spin-off Elektra, but it’s no X2 or Hellboy which came out around the same time. Still, it was a little slice of nostalgic nonsense that I enjoyed in a post-modern ironic kind of way whilst remarking on 2003’s questionable fashion and music choices. So here, in all its grungy glory, is 2003’s Daredevil…

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The League of Extraordinary Missteps: LXG Revisited

This was one of my favourite films growing up. I know, I know – I’ve read countless articles detailing all the ways in which the 2003 adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (hereafter LXG, for brevity’s sake) messed up Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal source material. The film was apparently such a nightmare to make, it ended the careers of its director Stephen Norrington and star Sean Connery in one fell swoop. Re-watching it now, 14 years after the fact, the flaws stand out as clear as day. But I can’t help loving this strange, beleaguered blip in the comic book movie landscape, and here’s why…

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