Batman V. Superman, Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Civil War, Who Wins?

by Josh

Over the course of the next year, we have a lot of good, “geeky” movies coming out. Even prior to next Summer, we have 3 “big ones” coming out. These big names include Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Batman V. Superman and Captain America: Civil War. All three of these are filling my hype-meter to its max. I am curious what you, dear readers, are anticipating the most. Check out my thoughts, our poll, and a giveaway after the jump!

Here is a poll to cast your vote, and I would love to see your comments below to make your case!

But because I have thought about this much, and wanted to voice my own opinion, you can see what I thought below. Maybe you will agree, maybe you will disagree. I would love to hear either way in the comments!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

This December will be a historic day for the Star Wars fans. December 18th will mark the release of the 7th Star Wars film, which also hopes to shake off the disappointment that the prequels left in a lot of people’s mouths, including my own. While I have not been a hard-core Star Wars fan myself, the buzz that has been created around this movie has even gotten to my soul. After seeing the trailer streamed for Star Wars Celebration, then seeing it several times while attending the event, then seeing it about a half a dozen times before various other movies in theaters, there is no doubt how much Star Wars has infected our society. Star Wars is one of those conversation starters, and it is surprising to know how many fans the movie has, along with how many types of people are fans. For example: I was wearing a Star Wars shirt at Home Depot, and this woman, who in my own estimation, I would have never pegged to be a Star Wars fan, made a comment about it. Considering it has been 10 years since the last Star Wars movie, and 32 years since a “good” one has been released, J.J. Abrams has a lot riding on his shoulders, and millions of fans chomping at the bit to see the movie. J.J. has kept a tight-lip on the movie as well, which only makes the anticipation even higher. News has trickled out about various characters though, which has not really satiated fans, but only made them rabid for more. Many people “in the know” project that Star Wars will easily shatter The Hobbit‘s record of $84.6 million for opening weekend in December, and surpass it by a long shot. I guess it all really boils down to one thing in the end: how does one not get chills when you hear the opening fanfare of the Star Wars theme? If you want to get chills again, or for the first time, check out the trailer here for Star Wars: The Force Awakens:

Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Let’s get one thing out of the way–Dawn of Justice is not a great “subtitle” for this movie. But hearing the words “Batman Versus Superman” gets me a little giddy when I think about it. How long have we waited for a movie like this? Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns (which is a direct inspiration for this film) gave us a peek into what this movie could be. I remember watching the Will Smith movie I Am Legend and seeing a fake movie poster in it advertising a Batman and Superman movie, which made me want to see this really bad. It is basically almost every comic nerd’s dream–to see the two most famous comic book characters go at it with each other. I remember sitting in SDCC’s Hall H on Saturday in 2013 during the Warner Bros. panel, hoping and praying that the movie would be announced. To my delight, Zack Snyder and Henry Lennix (General Swanwick in Man of Steel) came out and announced the film. Since 2013 I have been scraping up every tidbit I can find out about Batman V. Superman. Then, this past SDCC, we got the mother lode–the first Batman V. Superman trailer dropped. My jaw was on the floor. The trailer was the best trailer I have seen in a very long time. At this point, Batman V. Superman went from probably my most anticipated film to absolutely, without-a-doubt my most anticipated film coming out within the next year. While other movies like Star Wars, Captain America: Civil War, Deadpool, and X-Men: Apocalypse all look amazing, the trailer and concept for Batman V. Superman sucked me right in. Some naysayers have expressed a lot of concern over Zack Snyder’s and WB’s direction with the DCCU (DC Cinematic Universe), describing it as too gritty. Many people also disliked Man of Steel, as critically it seemed to be a very polarizing film. For me, I find the more “realistic” and “gritty” feel a refreshing take, and I am a big lover of Man of Steel (check out my review of the movie here). All that I can say now, is that March 25th, 2016 is going to be like Christmas for me. I am really hoping that this movie delivers on what the trailer shows. While there were a lot of negative people discounting Ben Affleck as Batman, I think this trailer quieted even most of the harshest critics. When you see Ben Affleck in this trailer, you don’t see Affleck. You see Bruce Wayne. Add to that the tension culminating in the trailer, it is hard to see how this film COULD be bad! Even for those who dislike Man of Steel because of the excessive destruction of Metropolis, this movie is looking to right those wrongs with Batman, which is the perfect story to follow up Man of Steel with. If you haven’t seen this trailer, where have you been? In any case, I think whether you are seeing it for the first time, or hundredth time, another round won’t hurt, so here it is below:

Captain America: Civil War

There is no denying the success Marvel Studios has had with its movie franchise. Over the course of the past 7 years, starting with Iron Man, Kevin Feige has been building up to this universe that now encompasses close to a dozen superheroes. It all seemed to culminate into the amazing Avengers, but it only kept going from there, with an even bigger world, which introduced characters such as Ant-Man and Falcon, characters most people probably had no idea who they were prior to these movies. I am tremendously excited for every Marvel movie coming out. The slate ahead looks amazing for Marvel. I would have to say of these three films though, Civil War is probably my least anticipated one. I don’t want to take too much away from my excitement though, because if I were to give it a number rating, it would still be an 8-8.5 out of ten, compared to the 9 for Star Wars and 9.5 for Batman V. Superman, but there are a couple reasons why this movie is a little lower on the radar for me. The first, and probably biggest reason for me is that Avengers: Age of Ultron was a bit lackluster for me. It is hard to pinpoint why, but you can see some of my ramblings about it in our movie review here. But I think part of the reason is the movie universe is getting so big for Marvel, that character development is being sacrificed at the cost of the big spectacle. But Ant-Man (review here!) certainly had a return to form for me, so maybe this hesitation is a little unfounded. Especially looking back to how amazing Captain America: Winter Solder was (again, another review here). My second minor hesitation has to do with the footage we saw at D23 Expo. I think that if this is truly going to be a “civil war,” these characters have to have it out for each other. In what appears to be a major fight scene between the two good factions, it seemed a little too jovial to me. Black Widow cracks a joke at Hawkeye in the middle of them duking it out, which really felt out of place if they are such opposite sides of an issue that it comes to blows. I would like this film to take a more serious tone, as if you are pitting “brother” against “brother” essentially, the tone should be more somber. Even with these reservations, my excitement level remains extremely high. The other scenes we saw in the footage at D23 looked great. The opening scene with Captain America throwing down with Crossbones was a lot of fun. Seeing Falcon and Black Widow at work was also great. Seeing a bunch of tidbits flash through the teaser was great too–Winter Soldier and Black Panther, despite having small scenes, were very exciting to see. This film is turning out to have more heroes in it than either Avengers movie, which should be thrilling to watch. Unfortunately, there is not footage out there for Civil War yet. Hopefully we get something soon.

Final Thoughts

Despite Batman V. Superman being the movie I am looking forward to the most, all three of these films are shaping up to make December 2015 through May 2016 look like the “golden age” for geeky movies. I really want to know what you think though, so let me know in the comments below!

Giveaway

While we’re waiting for these upcoming much anticipated movies, we’ve decided to host a giveaway! One lucky reader will win all three of the following prizes:

• Ant-Man T-shirt (Size: Adult Medium)
• Revell SnapTite Star Wars Snowspeeder Kit
• Batman Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure

Enter by using the Rafflecopter entry form below. You can earn one entry just by voting in our poll at the top of this page! There are also options to earn additional entries, such as following us on social media, tweeting about the giveaway, etc. Plus, there are ways to earn entries daily, so you can keep coming back and racking up those entries! The giveaway ends Friday, October 2 at 11:00pm PT. Apologies to our international friends, but this giveaway is open only to U.S. residents, age 18 and over. a Rafflecopter giveaway