You know the story by now. A nerdy, unassuming teenager gets bitten by a radioactive spider and develops super powers. They struggle with their place and identity, finally embracing the responsibility that comes with their powers, and work tirelessly to defend their city from threats both mundane and extraordinary. It’s a tale as old as time, or at least as old as comic books. Or is it?
Six years is a long time in many ways. For technology, it’s practically a century in terms of the innovations that can happen. For cinema, it’s almost as long sometimes, especially where a sequel is concerned. Wait too long, and you run the risk of the original losing relevancy.
Dario Argento’s original Suspiria from 1977 is widely and inarguably considered a classic of the horror genre, a lurid operetta of oversaturated color, creative death scenes, and nightmarish logic. It’s an unsettling waking dream that’s part personal impressionist painting, part universal fear.
40 years is a long time to wait for a proper sequel, especially for a film as iconic and genre-defining as John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher film Halloween. And when I say “proper”, I mean a sequel that respects the original, improves upon it organically, and doesn’t feel like a cheap cash grab with a recognizable name slapped on top.
Once upon a time, a major studio decided to make a superhero film. They based the film around a character who had been around for decades and had started as a villain but had since become an antihero. The character was part of another superhero’s universe and had already appeared in a film starring that hero, but the franchise was rebooted several times in the 10 or so years it took to get the character’s film made.
It’s probably not surprising that a superhero film about a character who can shrink himself to microscopic size focuses primarily on the small, day-to-day parts of life, but it’s refreshing all the same.
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Fanboys of the Universe celebrates the diversity and dedication of the LGBTQ fan community. Whether it’s science fiction, fantasy, gaming, collecting, films, books or TV, Fanboys of the Universe brings you the unique gay perspective on pop culture and the fun and philosophy of being a fan.