Marvel vs. DC: Avengers vs. Justice League

With the soon to be arrival of the new Avengers movie, I found it only fitting to do a hero-off..if you will. Both the Avengers and the Justice league are composed of some of their comic book universes mightiest heroes. Now, I could go and limit myself to people who served in either group at the same time, but where would the fun be in that?  I’ve decided to judge both groups on a category based system. The Categories are Strength, Intelligence, Speed and agility, Weapons, and Magic.

Strength: While many may look at the Justice League at having this one in the bag because of Superman and Wonder Woman’s strength, they could possibly be wrong. Though the two are two of the strongest humanoid beings in the Justice League and the DC Universe, the Hulk is one of Marvel Comic’s strongest beings period. He’s pummeled gods, androids, and super-humans alike. Then you have Thor. As strong as the Hulk is, Thor is one of the only beings to have gone nearly to toe with the mean green machine. If the Hulk was out of this equation the fight would possibly go to the Justice League. Edge: Avengers

Intelligence: As important as strength is, it’s nothing without some intelligence behind it; and that’s something the Justice League has in spades. With brains like Batman (Who was smart enough to make a contingency plan in the event of the rest of the Justice League going rogue and trying to takeover the earth. Despite the fact that those contingency plans were stolen by agents of Vandal Savage and later used against the Justice League to nearly lead to their end.), the Martian Manhunter, and Superman… yes… Superman(he’s from an advanced alien civilization. He’s got to have some advanced alien intelligence.), the Justice League is doing very well, intelligence wise. On the other hand, the Avengers have minds like Tony Stark/Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Bruce Banner. Edge: Justice League

Speed and agility: Speed’s as important as any of the other categories here. No two people personify speed in the Justice League as much as Superman and the Flash. The Flash of course being the faster of the two. The quickest/fastest member of the Avengers would have to be Quicksilver. He is fast, very fast, but not faster than the Flash. Then there’s Thor, whose hammer allows him to fly at speeds faster than most fast superheroes can run. The Flash however is speed personified. He’s so fast that when he dies from going too fast he doesn’t go to heaven, hell, or purgatory, he becomes part of some sort of cosmic speed-force type thing. Edge: Justice League

Weapons : There’re a vast number of actual weapons that’re used by both groups here, but two of the most powerful among them is the power ring possessed by the Green Lantern of DC Comics and Mjolnir, the mighty hammer of Thor. While the Green Lantern’s power ring is powered by will itself and can create any construct its wearer can imagine, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir is forged of an indestructible or at least nearly indestructible star metal. A Green Lantern power ring can be broken or destroyed, though the later of the two would cause quite a large explosion….usually. On a basis of just how much power each weapon possesses though, one Green Lantern ring is enough to possibly destroy an entire fleet of starships… assuming its wearer’s will is strong enough. Mjolnir has the power to control storms and weather itself. That basically makes whatever planet the hammer is on into a weapon. That, and Mjolnir can absorb energy.  Edge: Avengers

Magic: While it’s not the most important thing for a team to have, it always helps to have at least one team member learned in the arcane arts. You know, in case that Harry Potter kid ever gets out of hand. There’s no doubt that the Justice League has its share of magic users… Doctor Fate, Zatanna, Etrigan, and Captain Marvel to name a few, but despite their number and their abilities, it’s the Avengers who boast a Norse god and the Sorcerer Supreme. The combined magics of Thor and Doctor Strange could rip open a whole in reality so large that nothing this side of the sun could survive. Now if we’re talking Rune King Thor… it would be even more epic. Not only is the sheer level of magical mastery larger on the side of the Avengers, but unlike the Justice League there is no one member of the Avengers who would take additional damage due to magic based attacks. That can however not be said of the Justice League…due to Superman’s “magic allergy”. Edge: Avengers

Bottom line: Any fight between those two groups would go down in history as the most epic of epic battles to ever be witnessed. Either side would face tremendous losses in a battle like this and some of our favorite superheroes would surely be lost to us. Unless they came back wearing Black Lantern power rings in some odd crossover. Winner: Avengers, Earth’s mightiest heroes.

Movie Making for Dummies

I’m sure that almost anyone who’s made a film knows the following keys to making a movie, but it seems like some in Hollywood have forgotten the basics. So for those of you who don’t know or may have forgotten, here’re my steps to making a movie.. you dummy. (Sorry for the insult, but this IS called “Movie Making for Dummies”. )

 

1)      Decide what kind of movie you’re going to make- Will it be a narrative film, documentary, or will it be a film that tells a true or fictitious story? If you want a narrative, decide if you want to write a story yourself, base it on a book or base it from a real life story. Either could work. Don’t confuse a documentary with a narrative. Narratives tell the story with characters and plots, so you can make a real life event into a narrative. Documentaries, on the other hand, provide behind the scenes footage of events or a person’s life, with real life people discussing these things, while providing information to the audience about a person or an event.

2)      Decide on your theme or plot and genre of your film- While TV shows about nothing may seem to work, movies about nothing will do the absolute opposite. Almost every story has a lot, be sure to be very descriptive about what the movie is…about. The more interested you are in the film, the more it will cross over to your audience.

2.5) Knowledge- Be sure you know what the hell you’re talking about. If you don’t know horror movies from the back of your hand, you probably shouldn’t be making a horror movie. Just like with writing.. sometimes it’s better to stick to what you know.

3)      Write a script- Without a script, there’s nothing for anyone to rehearse. Your script should detail every scene, the actions performed by the characters, the settings/locations, and when each scenes changes. The stage term for that would be blocking. If you’re unsure of how well your script reads, have someone else read through it for you. Sometimes it helps to have another persons opinion.

4)      Story-boarding- Plan the shots you want to make in the film. This will help the film go along a lot smoother.

5)      Cast & Crew- Without a cast of actors or people to speak in your documentary and a film crew, your film will go nowhere. Just because someone’s got a pretty face most certainly does not mean they should be in your movie or have the lead role. Substance over flash wins every time. Be sure the people you have in mind for your film are willing to work for whatever film budget you have. It’s also important to make sure everyone knows what they’re doing and knows what they’re supposed to do. And make sure everyone involved is properly paid and or accredited.

6)      Location, location, location- Location is key for any film. You can’t shoot a film about living in the city if it’s shot in the country, and visa-verse. If you can’t find the right location, create the sets you need.

7)      Equipment- Make sure you have equipment. Without it, your script, cast and all the above is pointless. Make sure all the equipment you’re using for your film is in working order. Useless equipment makes making a film rather difficult. Equipment needed for a film shoot: Video camera(s) and tripod(s), additional microphones, lighting equipment, and spare tapes/discs.

8)      Roll cameras, and…action- Now it’s time to make your film.

9)      Most important of all- Know your audience. The people who will watch your film are one of the most important elements of the film. Be sure not to pander to them. It’s true, some people love fan service, but just remember… fan service is fan service and pandering is just downright… irritating.