The MRFH Revue 2008 – Drew!

2008… it’s been an interesting year, to say the least. I’ll leave it to my fellow Mutants to talk about all the dying, instead veering toward the other end of the spectrum with the following advice: if you or your wife are planning on becoming pregnant, make sure the third trimester/due date are in the fall, winter, or early spring. I can’t stress that enough. I was lucky… through nearly the entire summer blockbuster season, my wife was feeling comparatively good and didn’t mind a quick jaunt to the theater. But once that due date starts being measured in days and weeks rather than months, you’d best lay in the Netflix subscription, my friends, because your ass? Not going anywhere.

Speaking of which, what a summer it was, eh? For a comic junkie like me, it would be hard to imagine a better year than 2008. It’s strange to say so in a year with nary a Spider-Man or X-Men film to be found, but what can I say – it was the year of the lesser knowns. I don’t think anyone was expecting much out of Iron Man, but it kicked off the season and completely blew us out of the water… and with its sneaky post-credits scene, whet our appetites for more. The Incredible Hulk followed soon after, and while not quite as universally lauded, still managed to impress most of us and keep the ball rolling. Next we hopped a train to Indietown with Wanted and Hellboy II, both based on more esoteric properties that nonetheless managed to impress critics and attract audiences.

But of course, the 900 lb. juggernaut of the summer was The Dark Knight, which crushed both critical expectations and box office records wherever it roamed. Which was everywhere. Chalk it up to a good story with engaging characters or credit Heath Ledger’s unfortunate passing, but any way you slice it, Batman and co. were unquestionably THE movie to see this year. But proving that karma is more than what ran over my dogma, the tail end of ‘08 restored universal balance with Frank Miller’s interpretation of The Spirit, showing that a talented writer adapting a legendarily acclaimed comic can create a film almost universally derided. I haven’t seen it yet myself, but the previews sure didn’t impress. We’ll see.

Which brings us to 2009 and Watchmen, arguably trumping even The Dark Knight in terms of most anticipated comic movies. Long thought unfilmable due to its incredibly dense story laden with symbolism, director Zack Snyder has decided to have a go at it; we’ll all find out if he succeeded on 03/06/09. (Not a coincidence… one of the story’s repeating motifs is a doomsday clock ticking towards midnight.)

Aside from Watchmen, it’s poised to be a quieter year for comic fans, with no Bat, Super, or Spider-films on the horizon. However, Hugh Jackman will reprise his most famous role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, bringing back Sabretooth and introducing popular-in-the-90s character Gambit and the merc with a mouth, Deadpool. I’m not sure how cool a Wolverine movie can be that features the Blob and Beak, but time will tell. The real test, of course, will be to see if it can keep the Marvel train rolling. Right now fanboys are salivating over the foreshadowing in Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk of an Avengers movie, but 2011 is a long way off… they’re going to have to really impress with Thor in 2010 if they want to keep the momentum rolling. And on the indie front, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, based on a highly popular (and excellent) series of graphic novels, is tentatively scheduled for 2009 release with Michael Cera starring.

So there you have it. Between comic films galore and, oh, creating new life, 2008 will go down as a memorable year for me, and I hope yours was just as enjoyable. Can 2009 possibly top it? Who knows… but with an upgraded format and two brand spanking new Mutants, we’re up to the challenge of telling you which movies kick ass and which of them suck it. Here’s to another great year!