The comic-book genre continues to maintain its audience popularity and 2020 brought some new additions to the table. Unfortunately, not every film that was in the calendar has been released due to the coronavirus pandemic, so this is a much smaller year in terms of volume. Three films made it to release. Here, I rank these films in order of my personal preference.
In a surprise move, DC had the biggest year releasing two of its films. Birds of Prey was lucky to release in February just before the pandemic hit and was interesting in that it represents a more adult take on the genre with an all female cast. Wonder Woman 1984 was scheduled for early June but found itself getting delayed and ultimately recieved a hybrid release in select open cinemas and video-on-demand in December.
Marvel were meant to release two films this year – Black Widow and The Eternals but neither were released and have moved to the 2021 slate. Black Widow was meant to release in May but Disney have been reluctant to move it to their Disney+ channel and are trying to hold out for a theatrical release.
In their Sony slate, Marvel were also meant to release Morbius and Venom 2 this year that continue the universe set up by Venom but both have also been moved to 2021.
In what is perhaps a surprise move, the final X-Men film (well more of a spin-off that was meant to release back in 2018!), The New Mutants, had a quiet release in Summer once cinemas reopened but had next to no marketing. It has been clear since its strained release that Disney-Fox lacked confidence in the product and in the vein of Fantastic Four, tried to dump it on screens so that it had a theatrical release and be rid of it.
Overall, I would argue that the three films in this small list here are all good and there isn’t a great deal between them, especially the top two films in this list. Let’s get started!
3) Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey is an interesting addition to the DCEU in that it functions as a distanced sequel to Suicide Squad in that it follows Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and some of the ramifications following the events in that film but functions as a standalone piece otherwise. Directed by Cathy Yan, this is an interesting and original entry into the comic-book genre that hits more than it misses. Yan implores the use of unreliable narration and dials up the violence to earn the film a 15 rating, following the success of more adult entries such as Deadpool and Logan. It’s also an all female team directed with a feminist agenda which is also refreshing. The film is very ramshackle in its construction for its first two acts and there are some sequences that diverge from the main plot which just don’t work, alongside some poor musical choices. However, the film finds its footing in the final act once the team are assembled and there is a carnival-esque quality to their camrarderie. Birds of Prey is an interesting film that I’m glad exists and I would be happy to watch future installments but this film does run into its fair share of issues.
2) Wonder Woman 1984
Overall, Wonder Woman 1984 is a risky sequel that retains the first film’s quality in developing its characters and uses action sparingly in its long run time. I can understand the mixed reception to some of the film’s themes but I got on board with the narrative and was thoroughly entertained from when the film finds its footing about 20 minutes in right through to the end. Yes, it has its problems with some of the narrative choices and the depiction of Cheetah but director Patty Jenkins poses enough thought-provoking questions and develops her characters very well to make the film worthwhile. It is always better for a sequel to take risks in order to develop a film series rather than just rehash the same beats and for that, you have to appreciate the ambition of Wonder Woman 1984, even if said risks don’t always pay off. It will be very interesting to see where Wonder Woman and the supporting characters are taken next in future DCEU films. (My full review here)
And the best comic-book film of 2020 is…
1) The New Mutants
A choice that I’m sure will spark controversy! Although Wonder Woman 1984 is perhaps a slightly more consistent film, The New Mutants surprised me in that it is a far better film than it has any right to be or as the delays would suggest. The notion of director Josh Boone melding a comic-book film with the horror genre is an interesting decision and whilst the film isn’t particularly scary, there are some unsettling images of some of the team’s greatest fears. The smaller scale works wonders for the film, with Boone successfully establishing and developing its close-knit characters. By the time the film reaches the third act, all of the characters make compelling cases to really care for them. Unfortunately, The New Mutants commits the classic comic-film sin with its last 15 mins as it descends into a bit of a CGI-fest but it’s relatively short-lived. It does undo the sense of intrigue somewhat but it needs to integrate into the genre somehow, I suppose. Despite the ambitions for The New Mutants to start a new series, this standalone film is a valiant effort in its final form and is worth watching for viewers of the series. (My full review here)
What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments or tweet @TheFilmMeister
The Film Meister 