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Post by Brandon on Jan 16, 2014 18:58:31 GMT -5
I tell you guys, if you aren't already catching this show - it's good stuff!
I was hesitant at first. Smallville went on too long. How long is debatable but by the end I was unsure of a new CW show. And the first part of the first season was heavy on drama and a little slow. But by the end of season one it had picked up considerably,and season two hit the ground running and just keeps getting better, in my opinion. The action scenes have always been solid and inventive even. And now the DC lore is coming on strong and there are a whole slew of DC concepts characters in play.
What do you all think?
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Post by UltimateDC on Jan 16, 2014 20:02:20 GMT -5
I kind of got a blast out of Season 1, because it was the one of the DUMBEST THINGS I'D EVER SEEN. It's stunning in how much it wants to dump all over superheroes and yet ape Batman Begins as much as possible and it does neither. It was a hoot, but it also made me kind of sad.
Season Two has picked up the idea that maybe they should have their superhero show involve its main character acting like a superhero, and thus it has improved considerably. I'll be honest, despite the parade of disappointments Warner/DC has delivered thus far, I'm looking forward to the Flash spin-off. I'd like to see what it looks like when they take one of the sillier DC heroes and try to bring him onto the small screen, using the lessons they learned in Arrow.
So yeah, Arrow's pretty okay. It's not exactly rocking my socks off, but it could do worse.
-UDC
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Post by jayrow75 on Jan 17, 2014 2:35:21 GMT -5
Wow. First off, I need to throw out there that I almost completely disagree with everything UltimateDC said. That being said, I've been watching Arrow from the beginning and have enjoyed it from day one. Yes, when it started, he wasn't much of a typical 'hero'. But, it made sense given the backstory. This season has seen a dramatic increase in tempo and 'comic' concepts, and it works. This show is far from "one of the DUMBEST THINGS I'D EVER SEEN." I'm sorry, but, I take offense to hearing Flash referred to as "one of the sillier DC heroes." Super-speed always has been a fascinating concept and probably always will be, to me. I'll be honest, I've enjoyed every DC show they've put out, to some degree. From the goofy 1966 Batman, to late 70's-early 80's Wonder Woman, to the 90's Flash and more modern shows like Birds of Prey and Smallville. So, yeah, I guess I would watch pretty much anything DC throws our way. Looking forward to Gotham on Fox next season. Hoping we get Flash as well.
Jay
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Post by UltimateDC on Jan 17, 2014 3:06:20 GMT -5
I don't mean silly in a bad way. I love silly. Hell, I'm on a DC Comics fan-fiction board, silly is my life. Nor is silly necessarily a bad thing; part of the reason The Avengers succeeded as a movie is that it embraced the ridiculousness of its central premise (a tech wiz, a Norse god, and a WWII soldier walk into a bar...) And I love the Flash, I really do. But super-speed is not realistic. It's a work of fiction. That doesn't mean it's not cool or interesting, but it's something that the writing staff will have to go in with an open mind, because you can't apply the Arrow aesthetic to a Flash show. You can't have everyone standing around making their super-duper serious business face when your main character outruns bullets and punches dudes in parkas with freeze guns. You need to have the showrunners embrace fun to make the Flash work.
That's part of the reason I wasn't big on Arrow season 1: It didn't embrace the fun side of superheroes because it was too busy trying to look cool. Oliver Queen was intensely focused on the idea that he could solve the financial crisis by shooting arrows at rich people and that just doesn't work. I can't take it seriously. Then he goes after a series of uninteresting, ineffectual villains who are classic DC bad guys made boring by translation. "Hey, you know that dude Firefly? The one who has a jet pack and a flamethrower? Well what if we made him a dude with a gas can and some burn scars? That's edgy!"
I'm not knocking the realism aesthetic, I'm just saying it doesn't work here. The Chris Nolan Batman flicks made the realism work...to an extent, because it's still a story about a dude in a costume punching bad guys. So they made it grandiose and operatic and over-the-top. Arrow can't match those flicks because it's on a TV budget, which I get, but when it takes itself so damn seriously despite having bad guys like their hilariously lame reinterpretation of Count Vertigo, it creates a disconnect between what the characters are experiencing and what the audience is experiencing that just comes off as dumb to me.
If you like the show, that's great. More power to ya. I can see the appeal. But I'm someone who likes a certain allotment of fun in their superheroes that Arrow, in its first season, just refused itself. Season Two seems to be addressing that problem and it's better for it, and the reason I'm looking forward to the Flash is that being one of the more inherently out-there characters, the showrunners have more of a license to go bigger, go sillier, and indeed, have more fun.
-UDC
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Post by Brandon on Jan 17, 2014 19:51:26 GMT -5
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Post by UltimateDC on Jan 18, 2014 17:17:21 GMT -5
Oh yeah. Remember how in Season One, Oliver tried to give Huntress the "killing is bad and wrong" speech to make him look better for killing bad guys but instead it just made him look like a hypocrite? That happened.
I don't like it when superheroes kill so flippantly like this.
-UDC
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Post by HoM on Jan 18, 2014 17:25:03 GMT -5
Oh yeah. Remember how in Season One, Oliver tried to give Huntress the "killing is bad and wrong" speech to make him look better for killing bad guys but instead it just made him look like a hypocrite? That happened. I don't like it when superheroes kill so flippantly like this. -UDC I like the character arc Ollie's undertaking. Believing that the best way to save the city by murder, that not actually solving anything, then the season one finale changing everything for him and him spending season two trying so damn hard not to cross the line. And Stephen Amell's performance is BRILLIANT. The complete and utter control over his body language is fascinating. HE NEVER MOVES HIS ARMS. Such an interesting little character quirk that makes perfect sense considering everything he's been through. |
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Post by Brandon on Jan 23, 2014 22:52:51 GMT -5
It was cool seeing some Deathstroke action this week. Not sure where they are going with Roy, but he's been a junkie and a clone so super powers seems like a positive step comparatively.
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Post by Brandon on Jan 23, 2014 22:53:50 GMT -5
You guys have any interest in the announced Gotham and Constantine shows?
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Post by UltimateDC on Jan 24, 2014 0:53:25 GMT -5
You guys have any interest in the announced Gotham and Constantine shows? Well, my bar for DC stuff tends to be pretty low. With that in mind... Gotham: A solid maybe on this one. A police procedural in the DCU would work and Gordon is probably my favorite character in Gotham (except maybe Alfred), but at the same time the timeline sets this pre-Year One, so there probably wouldn't be any supervillains, just the GCPD busting the mob. Then wer'e just watching a normal cop show with brand-name characters. Still, I'll see what happens with this. Constantine: Never been big into Hellblazer. I don't dislike the character and I've read some fun stories with him, but I never really followed that series. Still, this is a good set-up for a monster-of-the-week show. If they get Constantine right (make him, y'know, BRITISH), showcase some interesting monsters, get a good supporting cast, they could something really fun. And if they play up Constantine's bisexuality, this show will explode on tumblr. Now with regards to Arrow... I'm cautiously optimistic about what they're doing with Roy. I'm a big fan of the character, so it's disappointing to me that he's been such a douchebag on the show so far. Giving him superpowers makes for a good way to get into the Arrow's good graces, so maybe him learning to be a superhero will make him more likeable. Deathstroke is cool so far. Not much else to say. -UDC |
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Post by Brandon on Jan 24, 2014 17:43:52 GMT -5
Didn't they come back and say Gotham would heavily feature a young teen Bruce Wayne? I remember some Gotham High jokes floating around.
If they go a little more supernatural Sting (as Moore intended) and a little less Keanu for Constantine my interest level will be high enough to give it a shot. I'm wondering if they'll be organized and forward thinking enough to tie it into the DCU Dark movie Guillermo is working on.
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Post by Brandon on Jan 31, 2014 22:35:34 GMT -5
Sooo.... a "squad"?
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Post by UltimateDC on Jan 31, 2014 22:57:17 GMT -5
Yeah, that might be fun. Bronze Tiger is one of the few villains they've gotten right on this show, so I'd like to see more of him. Also, this episode reminded me how disappointing skinny Amanda Waller really is.
I kinda feel bad about saying it, but drunk Laurel is a lot more fun than regular Laurel.
Moira's attempt at a political career is pretty laughable. Like, it's obviously a dumbass idea on its face no matter what argument you use, but it's gonna be downright hilarious if an accused terrorist wins a mayoral election in a major American city.
-UDC
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Post by Brandon on Feb 1, 2014 12:30:00 GMT -5
Bronze Tiger has been cool and I would love to see a Suicide Squad. Heck, I'd love to see a Squad series. I don't really care if Waller is skinny or big anymore than I cared that they turned Nick Fury into Sam Jackson. If the character works I don't care. I'm also hoping for a Grundy ep sooner than later.
Laurel has been such a flat character. She is the Lana Lang of this show. I really hope that with a certain person's influence on her life she finds new purpose. I'd love to see her as part of the Birds of Pretty support team. I know I'm skipping ahead there, and that Huntress hasn't met Black Canary yet, but you just know that's where they are going.
Dunno what is up with Moira yet. I am a bit disappointed in the Blood part of the storyline. But whatever. I'm enjoying the rest of it.
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