#it was for the tv adaption and I was like ‘such a bold departure from the original source material!’

[thebeanestbad]

I swear to Christ I’m reading American gods right now and I took a break and opened Instagram where a TARGETED AD fucking SPOILED IT

[intergalactic-zoo]

"Come with us now on a far journey, a journey that takes us millions of miles from the Earth, where many years ago the planet Krypton burned like a green star in the endless heavens." Today this series makes its first foray off of the comic page and into the vast multimedia landscape of Superman adaptations. "The Adventures of Superman" followed shows like "The Lone Ranger" and "Dragnet" in making the leap from the radio to the television, and I'd venture to say that nowhere is that more apparent than in this first episode. Creative Team: Tommy Carr, Robert Maxwell, Whitney Ellsworth, George Reeves, Phyllis Coates, Jack Larson, John Hamilton, Herbert Rawlinson, Stuart Randall, Aline Towne, Frances Morris, Danni Sue Nolan, Tom Fadden, Robert Rockwell, and Jeffrey Silver. All-Star Summary: Doomed planet. Desperate scientist. Last hope. Courageous couple. 

Key Elements: The distant planet Krypton was home to an advanced civilization of supermen, at the peak of human perfection. The scientist Jor-El has been brought before a council to explain destructive events that have been happening around the planet. He reveals that the planet is doomed to explode in the near future. The Council dismisses his conclusions and warnings as the ravings of a madman, and scoff at his plan to use rockets to evacuate the population to the planet Earth.

Jor-El returns to his lab, where he adds fuel to his model rocket. He plans to test it, and if it arrives on Earth safely, he'll build one large enough to take himself, his wife Lara, and his infant son Kal-El to safety. But when the tremors grow stronger, Jor-El realizes that the planet is in its last moments. The model ship is large enough for one passenger; Jor-El tells Lara to go, but she refuses, saying if any of them are to survive, it should be their child. They put the baby in the rocket and launch it toward Earth, just before Krypton finally explodes. On Earth, Eben and Sarah Kent see a rocket crash as they are driving down a country road. Eben hears a baby crying inside the flaming ship and rescues it. Neither the child nor his blanket were burned by the fire. The rocket is destroyed, leaving no trace behind. The Kents decide to keep the baby and raise him as their own son, Clark. As Clark grows, he discovers that he has amazing powers that set him apart from other people, like super-strength, super-speed, and X-ray vision. Ma Kent tells him the story of how they found and rescued him. When Clark is 25 years old, his father dies of a sudden heart attack. Ma encourages him to leave town for Metropolis, and to use his amazing powers to help people. She even made him an indestructible costume out of the blankets he was wrapped in as a baby. He resolves to keep his identity secret by acting timid and wearing glasses. He takes a job at the Daily Planet, a great metropolitan newspaper, so that he'll be able to learn about emergencies quickly. He meets Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and Lois Lane, who is immediately suspicious of Clark.

And when emergencies occur, he's there to save the day—as Superman!

Interesting Deviations: Here, it's not the Science Council that hears Jor-El's predictions, but the governing council, meeting in the Temple of Wisdom. The Council specifically commissioned Jor-El's research in this version, which may not be an explicit departure from other origins, but certainly feels like one in spirit. Krypton's fate is due to its sun drawing the planet closer, which honestly feels more realistic than the usual exploding core. It makes sense for the described disasters like volcanoes and earthquakes to result from changes in tidal forces as Krypton's orbit decays and the sun's gravitational pull exerts a greater influence. How much of that was known in 1952, and how much was just good sci-fi guesswork, I can't say. I also can't say that an explosion is likely to result from this process either, but certainly being torn apart might. Talking with Lara, Jor-El notes that despite the clouds, there's been a strange glow in the west, and Lara complains about the oppressive heat, asking if it's due to the planet getting closer to the sun. Maybe it's just because it's black-and-white television, but I was immediately reminded of the "Twilight Zone" episode "Midnight Sun," except that aired nine years after this. One really interesting, minor variation between the different retellings is who Jor-El intends to send in the rocket. Occasionally it's Kal-El from the start, sometimes both Lara and Kal-El. Here, Jor-El initially suggests that Lara go alone, then that the rocket might be large enough for both her and Kal-El, but she refuses both times. "I'd be lost on a new world without you, Jor-El." The Kents here, as in the radio show's (lost, to my knowledge) second version of the origin and the Kirk Alyn serials, are Eben and Sarah. To my knowledge, these names never made the jump to the comics.

There's a lovely exchange here, where Sarah says "Eben! You can't do nothin', you'll get burned!" and Eben replies "Gotta do somethin'," before throwing dirt at the hatch to put out the fire. If I may read too far into things, Superman's parents in this segment illustrate the two most important aspects of his character: hope even in the bleakest situations, and using whatever power you have to do whatever good you can. The Kents discuss bringing the child to an orphanage, but decide that nobody would believe their story. Interestingly, this bears a lot of resemblance to how the story would go in the post-Crisis age. The classic image of Clark demonstrating his powers is lifting a heavy object—often a tractor or a couch—to retrieve a ball. It's interesting, then, that these early versions often go for the X-ray vision instead. The radio program's second version of the origin story has a part titled "Eben Kent Dies in a Fire," so his heart attack is likely a departure from that story. We see the name Smallville for the first time in this story at the bus depot. The name's been in the comics since at least 1949, but I'd be interested to know if it had shown up in the serials or radio show before this. Notably, despite "Smallville" being the setting of Superboy's adventures for at least a few years in the comics, there's no indication that Superboy existed in this continuity.

Clark is unable to get an interview with Perry the traditional way, so he tries slipping into Perry's office through the window, using a ledge outside the building. It's a bold move, but maybe not one that suits that whole "mild-mannered" demeanor. An emergency interrupts his impromptu interview—a blimp was unable to land, and now a man is hanging from its cable—and Perry sends Lois and Jimmy to cover it. Notably, he tells them to have a couple of photographers dispatched, which suggests that Jimmy hasn't taken that job yet. Superman's first rescue is the man who'd been dangling from the rope. In his interview, he says it was a "super-guy," but Clark had already beaten him to the punch with the headline.

Additional Commentary: The opening narration is taken verbatim from the first episode of the radio show, "The Baby from Krypton," and much of what happens on Krypton follows pretty close to the original radio script, including the presence of Ro-Zan and Jor-El's "solar calculations." 

Jor-El, played by Robert Rockwell, looks eerily like Norm Macdonald.

And Lara, Aline Towne, looks pretty sultry.

I think this shot is extremely interesting, given how clear it is that Lara is holding a sack rather than a baby. The blanket fell away to expose the sack as she moved, and she tries to cover it back up in a way that looks natural, but it's interesting to see that this didn't merit another take.

Take a look at that superdrool. When they cut away from this close-up shot, it becomes clear that the baby was probably never even on the Krypton set.

Rockwell and Towne really sell the desperation of the moment. The baby is not on-hand for the rocket crash scene, as a stunt-sack clearly fills in again. I suppose this was the era before high-definition TVs and pause buttons; if I were watching this on a 12-inch screen via antenna, I probably wouldn't notice the difference. Eventually they do transition to having the baby in the scene. When twelve-year-old Clark asks why he's different from the other boys, Sarah expresses that she was concerned that he was coming down with the measles. I guess it's nice that that's a relevant concern again. George Reeves looks very Elvis Presley here.

Angry, shouty Perry White here is pretty clearly a major inspiration for J. Jonah Jameson, and a nice illustration of how, once JJJ exists as the apotheosis of that archetype, Perry is left a little rudderless as a character.

The Rocket: A classic sci-fi rocket, but not much distinctive about it. And it ultimately falls apart like it's made of cardboard. Two exploding Kryptons.

[thevalkyriesonline]

Nine Worlds; One Valkyries Trip To London’s Inclusive Fan Convention

Conventions appeal to different fans for different reasons, whether it be comic con, a game expo, YouTube/Blogger convention or whatever the medium but one common factor in all of these conventions is the possibility to meet other like-minded fans! As well as hopefully getting the chance to meet your idols! 

There is a Con though that really thrives on fans, it is called Nine Worlds (London’s Inclusive Fan Culture Convention). A Con with a difference – the difference being it is made by fans for fans to meet other fans and just enjoy and celebrate their fandom in all it’s crazy geekiness.

It has been going since 2013 when it was first set up but I only heard about it last summer (2017) when I discovered that one talk held there was titled “It’s research! Or Why it is ok to play over 100 hours of Dragon Age when you really should be writing.” This, as a huge Dragon Age fan since discovering Inquisition, spoke to me on a level that none of my immediate friends understood or appreciated. Unfortunately I was unable to attend Nine Worlds in 2017, but the fact that there was a time and place to have such a discussion on such a unique fan-based topic inspired me to endeavor to attend in 2018. So as soon as the Early Bird Tickets became available I put my money where my heart wanted me to and I began to plan and save for a big solo adventure to London for Nine Worlds 2018.

I also made another bold and brave and foolish decision to sign up as a Content Provider for Nine Worlds 2018!

Why? – because why not? I have been a mega reader, hoarder and fan of all fiction featuring, adapting or retelling Norse Mythology for years and Nine Worlds provided me with the ideal and probably only platform where I could take the chance to share my enthusiasm and passion for the genre of Norse Fantasy. The Nine Worlds Team accepted my proposal, so, on top of saving for the hotel room on-site and booking train travel I also had to plan a lecture/talk – I was both really nervous and really excited! The months, weeks and days soon dwindled down to departure day and then I was off down to London for what I hoped would be a fun and busy weekend.

Now on to the fun bit – the various sessions and events and panel discussions! These were the ones I attended but over 50 were held each day of the convention so this is just a small sample of what fandom and genres were covered.

Session One – LARP (Live Action Role Play). Speakers; Penny Jackson, Adam Dinwoodie, Mx RA Madgwick and Haplocke Spence

As I am attending my first ever LARP event, set in the world of Dragon Age in November this was a must for me! The panel was made up of experienced and new-ish LARP players and they gave a great insight into how LARP’ing works, the various types and systems involved, clothing and equipment, rules for both play and player protection and more.

Session Two – The Only Toilet in Thedas. Speakers; Sarah Gordon, Phil Dyson, Angela Cleland

Now who couldn’t resist that title? Especially when you are a Dragon age fan. This panel discussion was the most interesting because it covered not just the world of games but also of books, TV and Film. It made me realize how much in Fantasy the practical matters of hygiene from toilets to sewers to bathing are just not address yet in Sci-Fi it’s more visible. The panel discussed whether it was a taboo or simply a matter of too much detail on a very personal and private matter – for instance do you want to know how long the hero, heroine, villain or indeed any character takes on the toilet? If they wash their hands or not? – but then again social, religious and cultural practices exist even within the bathroom and so perhaps it should be represented more?

Session Three – Know Thy Enemy. Speakers; Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jeanette Ng, Ms Anna Stephens

This was a panel debate all about the nature and representation of Villains. I found it fascinating to discuss Villains and their nature, one panel member made the very good point on how it is wrong to see the Villain as the champion of Chaos and the Hero of Order for it is in fact the other way around. In many scenarios across all mediums it is the Villain that has established some type of order whether through politics, society, culturally or religious or just geographically or financially but it is the Hero who emerges to disrupt that form of order and thus bring about chaos. This made me instantly think of Katniss in the Hunger Games, she is rebelling against the ruling society and its cultural practice of the Games and thus brings war to the capital city and thus chaos. Another issue discussed was whether the viewer/reader must be sympathetic towards Villains. The panel debated hard on this topic and in the end agreed that sympathy isn’t necessary for a Villain to be a true villain or a good villain but what is necessary is that the viewer/reader gets a sense of the Villain’s journey to their villainy – they must see where, how and why the character has become the Villain, whether for good or bad, and so enjoy the Villain’s redemption or come-uppance by the hero.

Session Four – D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) for Young People. Speaker; Elizabeth Prais

In my day job as a college Librarian I had recently learned of a lunch-time Dungeons and Dragons group being set up by a teacher after some students expressed an interest. So, I was eager to learn more tips and tricks to either host such a group in the Library or pass on to my colleague. The lady who hosted this session hailed from America and was very open about how she ran her local residential D&D group for her daughter and some local children. She gave some great recommendations and advice on timing, kit, planning, preparation and how to adjust and adapt the large and complex set of rules for a younger more impatient audience.

Session Five – Philosophy and Mass Effect. Speaker; Michael Duxbury, Emily Marlow

Now this was the first session I wasn’t entirely clued up on as I myself am still stuck half way through playing Mass Effect 2 by Bioware so a lot of the moral/ethical dilemmas they talked about I hadn’t actually experienced yet, or I couldn’t remember what I chose in the ones I was familiar with. Yet it was interesting and food for thought on how the scenarios were portrayed, and the fixed set of options provided resulted in the moral and ethics becoming such a personal dilemma for players. It wasn’t always a case of choosing the lesser of two evils but how the player and indeed the character depending on their Renegade to Hero balance would pick. Some panel members and indeed people in the audience felt that more choices would improve and increase the dilemma levels instead of just A or B. The panel also discussed how often, at least amongst themselves, they would pick based on the benefit or not long term, not the short term and play with a view of working towards achieving success or a goal.

Session Six – Beyond Marvel and DC – What comics you should be reading. Speakers; Angie Wenham, Stephen Lacey, Kate Barton, Ram V

The panel mentioned a great many titles, artists, apps and webcomics that they recommended as alternatives to Marvel/DC and then invited the audience to contribute. I recommended Nimona* by Noelle Stevenson  and I Hate Fairy Land by Skottie Young.

* Interested in Nimona? Check out our review! 

I Hate FairyLand

Nimona

Session Seven – Disney Sing-A-Long

This was the true highlight for me as an eternal child thanks to the magic of Disney. I wasn’t the only adult in the room, it was a very popular event and there were children of all ages and their parents and even a few Disney cosplayers too. We were all able to sing-a-long via screen projecting the words, or handouts or follow a link online. A whole range of songs was sung and Frozen ‘Let It Go’ proved to be a major popular one with a member of Con Staff leading a friendly stage invasion and then everyone proudly showed off all the right moves to the lyrics. I honestly was in tears with joy as some of the most powerful songs were sung by young and old alike.

The final event I will review was the FABULOUS MMORPG SHOW. Speaker; Misha Anker, Paul Flannery

Which was a blend of audience power and D&D – we basically had the Game Master who set up a story, invited some members of the audience to join him on stage and fill in character sheets but they had to be as unconventional as possible and then he would invite the audience to provide character names, objects, powers etc. to the story narrative and the players would roll a giant D20 (20-sided dice) to determine the outcome. This was a whole lot of fun and silliness and the story involved a Bee with a Human Leg, a Swarm of Wasps and a Wizard whose greatest spell was making Jam, they had to find the Cheese Board for the Duck of Doom! You had to be there to believe the story and it was amazingly resolved within the 1 hour and a half session.

Norse Fantasy, My own presentation! 

Was scheduled bright and early on a Saturday morning the night after the first big disco (alas Becky did not go dancing due to a very painful wisdom tooth spoiling things) and yet the room quickly filled up much to my delight. Despite not having the colorful presentation I spent hours on, due to not having my own laptop to plug into the screen, I was still able to explain, explore and introduce so many of my favourite authors and titles to a new audience. Some of the audience also proved to be fellow fans of many of them and a good number took photographs of my favourite title list to go away with to look at later and thanked me for the session, which was an awesome feeling. I was even complimented on my choice of t-shirt for the session – my own Valkyrie t-shirt from Redbubble. It says, “Valkyrie of Odin – Midgard Original – Since 793”. If you are interested in my presentation, I am planning on doing a written version of it for the Valkyries Blog so stay tuned!

Last but not least was the fab mini Geek Market that was on all weekend and as it was also my birthday, I indulged myself in another t-shirt from Genki Gear, some D&D themed tea, tea strainer and mug, two new bookmarks, some funky acrylic necklaces featuring a book and a fox in a bin, some super cute little clay keyrings of Flynn Rider, Thor and Pizza and of course BOOKS! Each attendee got a surprise free book in their bag, but I got two based on libraries and books, The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman and Bookworm by Christopher Nuttall – expect a review on here once I have got around to enjoying them.

Now the managing team have recently stepped down to consult with attendees and invite new members, as they are reviewing their constitution to try and make it more inclusive and representative of those who attend. Although from what I witnessed their inclusive and equality practices were out of this world compared to other cons I’ve been too. I do hope the new organizers can continue what has already been established and continue to make improvements where they feel it is needed. I for one enjoyed it all – despite my wisdom tooth being a very literal pain throughout – for I definitely would attend again.

Did you attend Nine Worlds? What did you think? What was your favourite presentation?

  Purchasing through our amazon affiliate links earns us a small commission at no extra cost to yourself! Any commission earned goes to keeping the Valks in coffee!

A Valkyrie at Nineworlds! @london_geekfest #nineworlds Nine Worlds; One Valkyries Trip To London's Inclusive Fan Convention Conventions appeal to different fans for different reasons, whether it be comic con, a game expo, YouTube/Blogger convention or whatever the medium but one common factor in all of these conventions is the possibility to meet other like-minded fans!

[aion-rsa]

Zack Snyder’s Justice League: DC Comics and DCEU Easter Eggs Guide

https://ift.tt/30U8leH

This article contains Zack Snyder’s Justice League spoilers. We have a (relatively) spoiler free review here. 

Well, they finally released the Snyder Cut! Zack Snyder’s Justice League is now out in the world (and streaming on HBO Max) and it’s four hours of the director’s undiluted, controversial take on the DC Universe. It’s even more packed with DC history than the “official” theatrical release, if you can believe that, and it builds out the world of the DCEU in some new and unexpected ways.

There’s no shortage of DC Comics Easter eggs in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and even nods to DC movies of the past. It’s a six course meal of a movie that DC superhero fans should savor, because we’re unlikely to ever see anything like this again.

We’ve tried to find all the DC references and lore in the film. Here’s what we’ve got so far.

The Story

While the Justice League have been around since 1960 (they first appeared in Brave and the Bold #28) the broad strokes of this movie are based on 2011’s Justice League: Origin (which was adapted as the animated movie, Justice League: War), the comic book story that revamped the team’s initial team-up for a new generation. The villain of the comic was Darkseid not Steppenwolf, but the Parademon hordes, the Mother Boxes, and the tying of Cyborg’s origin to Fourth World technology all come straight out of this story.

Steppenwolf DID show up in a contemporary story as well, though. A visually-similar version of the character appeared in DC’s Earth-2, which indicated that Darkseid’s attack on Earth was one that spanned the multiverse, and his lieutenant Steppenwolf ravaged a different Earth, killing its greatest heroes in the process. So that’s two big comics influences out of the way here.

Throughout this movie, Steppenwolf keeps on trying to bring about “the unity” with the three Mother Boxes, but as far as I know, that has no correlation to anything in the comics. If anything, Steppenwolf’s quest and the movie’s backstory has more in common with the Lord of the Rings saga than anything Jack Kirby did, with magical tech being distributed across the different races of the world to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.

Aquaman

Of all the characters in this film, Aquaman seems to bear the most of Zack Snyder’s stamp. It’s incredibly visible just in his eyes, which were “humanized” considerably by the time he appeared in his solo movie.

Snyder’s original vision for Aquaman was clearly something a little grittier than the gleaming underwater fantasy that James Wan brought us. The eerie “hymn” that the women of the village sing to mark Arthur’s departure is a haunting reminder of how these characters are seen in this world.

As Aquaman returns to Atlantis, we see a familiar octopus. Could this be Topo, comic book octopus sidekick to Arthur and famed for his drum solo skills in the Aquaman movie? I’d like to think it is.

Willem Dafoe’s Vulko is here, looking a little different and perhaps a bit less kindly than he did in Wan’s film. Interestingly, he refers to Arthur as “the king who would be man,” an inversion on “the man who would be king,” and a shot at Arthur for not taking his rightful place as heir to the throne of Atlantis. For his part, Arthur’s refusal on the grounds that the Atlanteans are a “brutal, petty, superstitious people” also hints at broader visions Snyder had for the character.

Read more

Comics

Aquaman: Complete DC Comics Easter Eggs and DCEU Reference Guide

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

Aquaman 2: James Wan Promises More Serious Tone, New Worlds

By David Crow

It’s interesting to note that Mera and other Atlanteans speak with English accents here, where they didn’t in the Aquaman movie. It’s a proud tradition of making alien races speak with an English accent, one perhaps most famous in superhero movies thanks to virtually the entire population of Krypton in Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie.

Similarly, Atlanteans don’t speak underwater here as they do in the James Wan film, instead creating bubbles of air in which to communicate like land-dwellers. It’s pretty cool.

The song that plays when Arthur vanishes into the waves is Nick Cave’s “There is a Kingdom,” and its lyrics are pretty much as on-the-nose as you might expect. 

Aquaman spearing two Parademons with his trident reminds me of this moment from Justice League: Origin, as well…

Is Aquaman the first person to call Bruce “Batman” in the DCEU? In Batman v Superman it was all “the Bat” this and “the Gotham Bat” that.

Speaking of Batman…

Batman

When we first see Bruce Wayne searching for the mysterious Arthur Curry, he’s riding a jet black horse, which is very similar to the steed he rode in some famous pages of Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley’s classic and influential The Dark Knight Returns, a work which has considerable influence on how Batman was portrayed here and in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

If you look closely you can see a 201 area code on Bruce Wayne’s business card, which further confirms that Gotham City is on the New Jersey side of the river that separates it from Metropolis.

This movie, like Batman v Superman before it, reminds us that we’re dealing with a Batman who has been active for 20 years. It’s yet another reminder of the influence of The Dark Knight Returns on the DCEU vision for Batman, depicting him as a much older, more experienced crimefighter.

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate how good Jeremy Irons is as Alfred Pennyworth. His line about “someone who broods in a cave” is classic Alfred shade (as is the moment later on when he is totally micromanaging how Diana makes tea). See also: Bruce’s joke about how he works for Alfred.

Bruce tells Alfred that he “made a promise to him [Superman] on his grave.” As we well know with Bruce and his parents, when he swears on someone’s grave, it’s a promise he takes very seriously.

Read more

Comics

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Complete DC Comics Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

By Mike Cecchini

TV

The Batman Animated Series You Never Saw

By Mike Cecchini

We meet Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Crispus Allen very briefly in Gotham PD HQ talking to JK Simmons’ excellent Jim Gordon. Detective Crispus Allen was a Batman supporting character who played a significant role in the excellent Gotham Central series. While we don’t get any hint of his future here, Allen went on to become the human host of the Spectre after he was murdered by a corrupt colleague.

Barry asks Bruce incredulously, “you have a satellite?” to which Bruce calmly responds, “I have six.” It feels very much like something Grant Morrison’s Batman would say (he even owns a flying saucer), but it ALSO hints at the fact that for many years, the Justice League operated out of a satellite HQ. Perhaps Bruce would consider moving the team up there in future installments.

During the big battle at the end, there’s a terrific shot of Batman that mirrors his first appearance in Detective Comics #27.

There’s a pretty clear shot of the Bat-tank that is a very direct nod to a panel from Dark Knight Returns.

Cyborg

It seems like all the flashbacks to Vic Stone’s pre-Cyborg college days take place in 2015, so it’s after the events of Man of Steel, but he has only been “Cyborg” for a relatively brief period here.

Thanks to the backstory in this version of the film, we learn that Vic is already a genius level intellect. Although in the comics it was because Drs Silas and Elinore Stone were already experimenting on their son long before the accident that forced them to turn him into Cyborg.

Interestingly, the origin story here is neither the classic comics origin nor the New 52 version (surprising, since so much of this film feels inspired by the New 52 Justice League: Origin story). There, it was either an accident with interdimensional energy or the opening of a Mother Box/Boom Tube which virtually destroyed Victor’s body and caused the creation of Cyborg.

What is the Dean of GCU’s name? It looks like it might be “Dean Stanton” which would be a lovely tribute to actor Harry Dean Stanton (but there’s no DC Comics connection here in that case).

You may note that the scoreboard for Gotham City University was built by Wayne Enterprises.

It’s probably a coincidence, but Cyborg financially helps out a “Linda S. Reed.” In the comics Linda Reed was a short-lived Green Arrow character who (along with her twin sister Ramona) went by the uninspiring name of “Girl Archer.”

Since Vic Stone has traditionally been a Teen Titans character, and he and Barry are by far the youngest members of the League, it makes sense that they would bond. Especially since this version of Barry Allen has more in common with the comic book version of Wally West than anything else, and Wally was a member of the Titans with Vic.

The Flash

When we first meet Barry Allen he is late to a job interview. This isn’t just a play on “oh, the fastest man alive is actually really slow” or something, Barry’s habitual lateness was baked into the character in his very first appearance back in Showcase #4. Similarly, even his predecessor, Jay Garrick was known for this not terribly charming trait, too.

Interestingly, Barry’s persona in the DCEU feels much more in common with the Wally West of the DC Animated Universe. He’s the less experienced hero, a kind of point-of-view character, and generally younger and funnier than his teammates. But the more specific Wally reference is his need to consume tremendous quantities of calories to keep going (his “snack hole” crack), something that was unique to Wally among Flashes (but which was also utilized when John Wesley Shipp played Barry on the 1990 The Flash TV series).

That’s Billy Crudup as Henry Allen in jail (who sadly won’t be reprising his role in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash movie) The whole “hands on the glass” thing was done quite a bit between the TV versions of these characters, played by Grant Gustin and the great John Wesley Shipp. Henry’s line to Barry that he should “make your own future” would seem to foreshadow the events of Flashpoint, as well.

But there’s one other similarity to the TV show worth pointing out…

Henry is rocking the Jay Garrick look with the grey hair at the temples thing. With certain developments on The Flash TV series, this could also be an indicator of how things will be handled in the DCEU. I wrote lots more about Jay Garrick, one of my favorite characters, right here.

Barry notes to Bruce that he is fluent in “gorilla sign language,” which could come in handy down the road should he encounter a race of superintelligent gorillas who have started their own civilization or something like that. 

Is Barry wearing a “Black Freighter” t-shirt? As in the pirate story that is woven through the Watchmen comics? You don’t need me to remind you that Zack Snyder also directed a Watchmen movie, right?

If you look at Barry’s desk, there’s a photo of Nikola Tesla there, which makes sense given Flash’s whole aesthetic.

One fun thing about Barry’s personal HQ: If you look carefully on one of the TVs, you can spot that he’s a Rick and Morty fan, and a particular season two episode, which involves a chemically-enhanced Summer and Rick beating the crap out of unsavory types like Nazis, is playing in the background.

It’s interesting to note that Barry is only now just on the path to becoming a police scientist, rather than already having been driven to do so. It’s almost like his time with the Justice League inspires him to do more with his professional life, as well.

Read more

TV

The Flash TV Episode We Almost Saw

By Mike Cecchini

TV

Stargirl Season 2 Will Put The Flash in the JSA Where He Belongs

By Mike Cecchini

It’s interesting that the Barry Allen of the DCEU is Jewish, if only because we’ve never had any hint of Flash’s faith (or lack thereof) in the comics or on the TV show. The closest Barry Allen has to any kind of religious or ethnic identity has always been “midwestern.” Brian Cronin at CBR thinks this could be a reference to a throwaway line from a late ’80s DC story, but I don’t necessarily think that’s considered canon. I’m open to corrections, though!

Iris West

We see the first meeting between Barry Allen and Iris West here. I don’t know the exact make and model of the vintage convertible that Iris is driving (if anyone does, please give us a shout in the comments or on Twitter), but it feels like it COULD be from the year 1956, when Showcase #4 was published. Similarly, the excellent and underrated The Flash TV series from the 1990s used to populate the streets of its version of Central City with vintage cars to give it a “timeless” feel.

Speaking of Showcase #4, the fact that hot dogs are among the things kind of hovering in midair thanks to Barry moving at super speed is another nod to the character’s first appearance, when one of Barry’s first super speed acts was to catch a spilled tray of food in a diner in mid-air before the waitress knew what had happened.

What’s the brand of fast food the truck driver is eating? I can’t quite make it out. It would be cool if it was a Big Belly Burger with a Soder Cola, but I think it might just be something lame like “Burger Shop.” Help me out, folks!

The truck that nearly kills Iris is for a company called Gard’ner Fox, a reference to classic Flash writer/co-creator Gardener Fox.

You can see a newspaper box for The Central City Tribune, which hints at the fact that Iris West is a journalist in the comics.

Superman

Martha’s dog’s name is Rusty, which I THINK is a reference to a briefly glimpsed pooch in Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie. But I can’t fully confirm that as of this writing.

Lois Lane’s depression and loneliness is soundtracked, appropriately enough, to “Distant Sky” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Mr. Snyder seems to love the work of Nick Cave), which features lyrics like “They told us our gods would outlive us,” but there’s lots here that mirrors the journey of these heroes in the film.

The Daily Planet’s slogan in the DCEU is “reporting on the planet, daily” which seems a little on-the-nose to me, but whatever. It’s had several in the comics, but in Richard Donner’s Superman it was “Metropolis’ Greatest Newspaper.”

When the Motherbox generates the image of Superman flying, it’s a classic Superman pose this is. This is a really cool shot, and looks like a Curt Swan/Murphy Anderson drawing of the Man of Steel come to life.

During the return to the Kryptonian ship that served as the de facto Fortress of Solitude in Man of Steel (and which gives Supes his black costume here), we can spot the open pod that launched so many fan theories in 2013. A possibly no-longer-canon Man of Steel prequel comic that was nonetheless written by David Goyer implied that it was Kara Zor-El who was in that pod, and who has roamed the DCEU undiscovered thus far.

You can hear moments of Hans Zimmer’s truly excellent Man of Steel score at key Superman moments throughout the film, too.

Clark Kent was buried in a conservative dark blue business suit, with a red tie, and black shoes. That is the exact outfit that the comic book version of Clark Kent wore in virtually every single comic book appearance from roughly 1938 until 1986. Henry Cavill’s Clark was a little more fashionable in life, but not in death.

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When Superman wakes up, well, it’s not pretty. This scene serves two purposes, though. For one thing, it demonstrates how he is more powerful than the entire team combined, lest anyone think that Superman is lame. But his disorientation and raw fury are a slight nod to how in the comics and cartoons, at several points, Superman has been manipulated by Darkseid. While that doesn’t quite happen here, the role of Fourth World technology in his resurrection feels like it’s not a coincidence.

Clark “returning” to himself in the field in front of his Smallville home and being greeted by Martha Kent feels like an inversion of Clark leaving home in Superman: The Movie and bidding his mother farewell. He’s wearing a similar flannel shirt in both scenes, too.

As Clark completes his journey and “returns” to being Superman, complete with the cool new costume (more on that in a second), we hear the voices of BOTH his fathers, both Jor-El and Jonathan Kent. It’s yet another nod to Richard Donner’s Superman, when Kal-El was guided by the voice and spirit of his Kryptonian father when he first wore the suit. And, of course, his takeoff here mirrors his first flight in Man of Steel, completing his “rebirth.”

The black and silver Superman suit was a fixture of Reign of the Supermen, the story that brought the recently deceased Man of Steel back to life. In the comics, it was a kind of regeneration suit, meant to help harness solar radiation for Superman’s cells. It’s not clear if it is meant to serve that purpose here, since (as we see when he kicks the entire League’s ass) he was already at full physical (if not mental) power upon his resurrection. It’s been done several times in live action too, but it has never looked as good as it does here.

Amusing detail about the Kent Farm being foreclosed on…there’s already some awful suburban McMansion built right across the road.

Marc McClure who played Jimmy Olsen in the Donner Superman films played an Iron Heights prison guard in the theatrical cut of the film, but here he is the cop guarding the Superman memorial in Metropolis.

And the final true shot we see of Superman in the film, with Clark Kent becoming aware of trouble and doing the classic “shirt rip” is another iconic moment from throughout the character’s history, although it’s never better than it is in Superman: The Movie right before the big helicopter rescue. It’s worth noting that in the theatrical cut, Supes was back in the red and blue, while here he has chosen to stay in the black and silver.

Wonder Woman

One of the big takeaways from Wonder Woman’s intro sequence is that even mundane villains in the DCEU are cool, stylish, dangerous, and they don’t think small. These guys are the face of a mysterious organization who want to “turn back the clock” but I have yet to find a suitable DC Comics parallel to them.

Of course, the statue we see Wonder Woman standing on is Justice herself.

Diana’s white dress while she’s working on restoring the statue feels vaguely reminiscent of her “mod years” in the late 1960s, where she briefly ditched her primary colored costume to fight in something a little more practical.

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Wonder Woman wearing an appropriately stylish black getup when visiting Bruce in the cave kind of reminds me of Wonder Girl Donna Troy’s star-spangled black outfit that she wore for a little while…but that’s probably just a coincidence.

Diana tells Bruce that she “once knew a man who would have loved to fly it” regarding Bruce’s flying troop transport for the League. She is, of course, referring to Steve Trevor, but this line takes on a little bit of extra weight after we see Steve flying more modern aircraft in Wonder Woman 1984.

At one point in the film, Diana hints that Atlantis and Themyscira had been at war at one point in the past. This has been teased in the comics several times and came to a head in the Flashpoint comics.

There’s a cool moment when Steppenwolf tells Wonder Woman that she has “the blood of the old gods” in her veins. When Jack Kirby created the New Gods and the Fourth World, he was still working for Marvel. The original plan was for the Asgard of Marvel’s Thor comics to undergo a Ragnarok, everyone would die, and in its place would be these New Gods. Obviously that didn’t happen, and the concepts ended up at DC. But that one line, tying Diana’s Greek mythology roots directly to the cosmic New Gods of the DCEU, is surprisingly in keeping with Kirby’s original intention.

Ryan Choi

We get another hero snuck into the mix in this movie, in the form of STAR Labs’ Ryan Choi (played by Zheng Kai). While he doesn’t suit up in this film, Choi was the inheritor of Ray Palmer’s mantle as the shrinking superhero, the Atom.

By the end of the film, Choi is given the title of head of nanotechnology for STAR Labs, further setting up his future as a hero.

Green Lantern

While no Green Lantern remains alive for long in this film, there are plenty of references to the Green Lantern Corps throughout…

Steppenwolf promises that there are “no protectors, no Lanterns, no Kryptonian” guarding Earth this time, which is pretty self-explanatory.

This member of the Green Lantern Corps we see fall in battle during the flashback sequence is Yalan Gur, a character who has only made a handful of appearances in the comics. Gur was indeed the Green Lantern of space sector 2814 (that includes Earth) around the time this battle would have taken place. In the comics, Gur was corrupted by his own power and turned on the humans of Earth, but he clearly didn’t get that chance in the movie, as he was killed by Darkseid in the flashback.

During the vision of the future where Darkseid has gained control of the Anti-Life Equation, another dead Green Lantern can be spotted amongst the rubble of a ruined city. That would be of Green Lantern Corps drill sergeant and fan favorite, Kilowog. This is Kilowog’s second live action appearance, if you count 2011’s not great Green Lantern movie with Ryan Reynolds.

Darkseid

Steppenwolf tells the Amazons that he “has come to enlighten you to The Great Darkness.” The Great Darkness is more than just a reference to Darkseid himself and his entire philosophy, but is also a reference to what is perhaps the ultimate Legion of Super-Heroes story, The Great Darkness Saga, by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen, which saw a long dormant Darkseid return to life to terrorize the galaxy a thousand years from now.

When Darkseid strikes the surface of the Earth with his axe, it creates the kind of hellish firepits that his homeworld of Apokalips is famous for.

Darkseid taking on the literal “old gods” of Earth including Zeus, Ares, Apollo, and Poseidon is a fun contrast with the fact that he is part of DC’s “New Gods” mythology.

Darkseid is searching for the Anti-Life Equation, which we wrote more about here.

During Darkseid’s “vision” of the universe once he has obtained the Anti-Life Equation, we can see Superman holding a charred corpse, which is presumably the body of Lois Lane. This apparently sets him up for corruption by Darkseid, and helps bring about the “Knightmare” vision from Batman v Superman, which is once again glimpsed at the end of this film.

The third figure we see on Apokalips with Darkseid and Desaad appears to be Granny Goodness, the chief of the armies of Apokalips (and the one who trained/traumatized DC heroes Mister Miracle and Big Barda).

Parademons

The weird insectoid drones making everyone’s lives miserable are Parademons, the foot soldiers of the planet Apokolips, a hellish world which lives in opposition to New Genesis, the home of the New Gods and Forever People. All of this great stuff was created by the brilliant Jack Kirby, by the way. Steppenwolf (more on him in a minute) and the Parademons are trying to collect three Mother Boxes left on Earth.

What is a Mother Box?

The Mother Box is the unifying piece of technology of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World epic. Think of a Mother Box as an alien smartphone that can do anything from heal the injured to teleport you across time and space. It’s pretty cool hearing their trademark “ping. ping. ping.” sound for real.

Mother Boxes are often used to call down Boom Tubes, the preferred method of transport of the New Gods and their friends and foes. We see them deployed quite a bit throughout this movie, obviously. Super Powers fans of the 1980s may remember that on Super Friends: Galactic Guardians, boom tubes were referred to as star gates.

It’s POSSIBLE that the knights burying the Mother Box are meant to be King Arthur and his crew, while the one with the horns could be Sir Bors. They relatively recently appeared in Demon Knights, but they were best in Seven Soldiers of Victory, where the Knights of the Round Table fought an invasion from evil Faeries and lost, only to have Sir Ystina, the Shining Knight, help save the world in the present day. Honestly, that sounds like it would be pretty up Zack Snyder’s alley too, now that we think about it.

Mother Box is cataloged as “unknown object 61982” after it has been discovered in the modern world. So far, I haven’t been able to find any DC Comics or DCEU significance to that number.

DeSaad

DeSaad is Darkseid’s chief advisor and torturer-in-chief (hence the name). Like all the other cool Fourth World stuff in this movie, he was created solely by the legendary Jack Kirby. He first appeared in Forever People #2 in 1971.

It’s kind of cool that the nameless “Motherbox priestesses” kind of look like DeSaad, too.

Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf is the first Jack Kirby creation to show up in a DC superhero movie (for comparison, nearly the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe owes its entire existence to Jack Kirby). They don’t really give us much to go on with Steppenwolf in this flick, but to be fair, he wasn’t one of Kirby’s most inspired creations and it’s not like he has the longest comic book history. In the comics, Steppenwolf was Darkseid’s uncle, and responsible for the war between Apokolips and New Genesis, but here he appears to be his nephew instead.

In a lot of ways, particularly his appearance, this version of Steppenwolf seems to owe more to his appearance in DC’s New 52 version of the Earth-2 comics than he does any of Kirby’s vision.

The weird little spider-y device that Steppenwolf uses to get information on people looks a lot like Starro, the first villain that the Justice League ever fought in the comics, right down to the way it attaches to people’s faces.

Martian Manhunter

We get our first long-promised revelation of Martian Manhunter in the film, who, as it turns out, had been masquerading as Harry Lennix’s General Swanwick the entire time.

Martian Manhunter finally revealing himself to Bruce at the end kind of completes Bruce’s journey from vaguely fascist xenophobe in Batman v Superman to someone far more heroic.

Martian Manhunter says he has “gone by many names” but doesn’t mention any of them. It doesn’t make sense why he wouldn’t have introduced himself as J’onn J’onnz (his Martian name). Other names he has gone by include Detective John Jones (not in the movies), and as we’ve seen in this very film, General Swanwick.

While we don’t get to see Martian Manhunter officially join the Justice League here, his presence in the film kind of completes the “unite the seven” tease that dates back to Batman v Superman. Martian Manhunter has always been depicted as a founding member of the team, both in comics and in the excellent Justice League animated series.

Deathstroke

We get a LITTLE more of Joe Manganiello’s Slade Wilson in this movie than we did in the theatrical cut…

In the theatrical version, Lex had summoned Deathstroke in order to start assembling a Legion of Doom-esque team of supervillains. But here it’s to give him Batman’s true identity. Apparently this would have helped set Deathstroke up as the villain of the Ben Affleck-led Batman solo movie, which would have featured Deathstroke dismantling Bruce Wayne’s life, Daredevil: Born Again style.

We see Deathstroke again during the epilogue where Slade (who is more of an antihero in the comics) has joined Batman’s ragtag group of freedom fighters against Darkseid and the forces of Apokalips.

Speaking of that epilogue…

Joker

No, your eyes do not deceive you, that is indeed Jared Leto returning as the Joker, marking his first appearance in the role since his controversial turn as the character in the Suicide Squad movie.

So…it appears that the “Knightmare” sequence in Batman v Superman wasn’t a vision of this movie after all, but rather for the Justice League 2 we’ll never see. And it’s up to Jared Leto’s Joker of all characters to explain this to us once and for all.

It seems that in a not-too-distant future, Darkseid’s armies have indeed come to Earth, and he is either in search of or has claimed the Anti-Life Equation, having murdered Lois Lane, turned Superman to evil (god, why does Zack Snyder love this idea so much), leaving a ragtag group of heroes and villains to try and set things right.

The death of Lois Lane at the hands of a villain turning Superman into a maniac feels quite a bit like the storyline of the Injustice video game.

Joker makes several allusions to having murdered Robin, which in the comics would be Jason Todd, although Snyder has hinted before that the dead Robin in question was actually Dick Grayson (hence, no Nightwing in the DCEU).

The notion of Batman and Joker teaming up in any capacity isn’t one with a whole lot of weight in the comics, but them coming together in a post-apocalyptic landscape with Joker acting as a kind of truth-teller for Batman is faintly reminiscent of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman: Last Knight on Earth.

Joker’s hints that Batman needs to die in order to set things right are reminiscent of Grant Morrison’s superb Final Crisis.

Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor’s escape from Arkham Asylum (side note, it has always rubbed me the wrong way that they keep Lex at Arkham…that isn’t where you put Lex Luthor) with a fakeout vaguely reminds me of how he escaped from prison in Superman II, which involved using a hologram to fake out the guard. The guard’s response to “Lex” not doing what he’s supposed to here is similar, too.

When we finally see Lex for real, it’s on the yacht, and his loud outfit is more than a little bit reminiscent of how Gene Hackman’s Luthor dressed as Lex in the Superman movies of the 1970s and 1980s.

Miscellaneous Stuff

Bruce returns to the ruins of Wayne Manor which he intends to convert into a headquarters for the newly formed Justice League. But placing a roundtable in a mansion has a little bit more of a Justice Society of America vibe to it…but that’s just a coincidence. However, we’ll be meeting the Justice Society in the upcoming Black Adam movie.

There’s a headline in The Daily Planet that says “Security Bank of Manhattan Sets New Architect.” No, this isn’t a John Stewart Green Lantern reference. Instead, it’s a nod from Snyder to the character of Howard Roark, the protagonist of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, a favorite of the director’s and a project he once hoped to adapt into film. In that book, Roark is an architect who is commissioned to work on the “Security Bank of Manhattan.” Draw your own conclusions about Snyder’s love for this book and Rand’s work, however.

That isn’t the only Ayn Rand reference in the film, either. The fishing boat that Aquaman rescues is called the Cortlandt, a reference to a housing development in The Fountainhead.

The place where Lois gets her coffee is “Fred and Ginger Coffee” as in Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Also, if you look really closely in the window of the coffee shop as she leaves, there’s a man at a table wearing a vest. I’m not 100% sure, but I THINK this is Zack Snyder giving himself a Hitchcock-esque cameo in the film.

The STAR Labs janitor who goes missing/gets eaten by Parademons is apparently named Howie Jensen. Whenever there’s a janitor in a top secret area working with alien tech in the DC Universe, my mind immediately goes to Superman villain, the Parasite. The most famous version of the Parasite was Rudy Jones, a STAR Labs janitor who ended up wallowing in some toxic waste (perhaps coincidentally because Darkseid manipulated him into it). Anyway, this isn’t Rudy Jones, so it can’t be the Parasite right? Well…mostly. There was a previous Parasite names Raymond Jensen…which seems to be our poor, doomed, pal Howie’s name in this. 

When Bruce leaves Barry’s lair to drive to the Central City Airport, there’s an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention billboard that says “You are not alone,” a nod to the work Snyder has done to help raise awareness for their cause. You can learn more about them here.

 During Darkseid’s vision of the future he wants, there’s a ruined Hall of Justice, the Justice League headquarters first made famous on the Super Friends cartoon and which, in more recent years, has become a fixture of the comics.

The pregnancy test in Lois’ nightstand is named, we kid you not, Force Majeure.

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Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

The post Zack Snyder’s Justice League: DC Comics and DCEU Easter Eggs Guide appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[yeonchi]

Kisekae Insights #3: Series Overview (Classic, New and 50th Anniversary Series)

For an imaginary project developed over at least a decade, there’s an ungodly number of series and episodes in it compared to the actual BBC Doctor Who. Even with Doctor Who alone, 17 series were broadcast over six years with 12 being broadcast over the space of three years. Let’s take a deep look into each series.

For the purposes of this project, my main focus is on the Fifth Doctor’s episodes, but I will talk briefly about the other four Doctors as well. In case you haven’t been following this series, everything I talk about will be in the context of this project. I’m bolding it because I don’t want to have to keep explaining this when asked.

Before the Fifth

1999 to 2007 was the classic era of this project’s Doctor Who, with episodes being 25 minutes long until November 2005; following that, they would be 45 minutes long (exceptions aside). Sometimes, we would have one episode per week, maybe two or even four.

The First Doctor had 190 episodes broadcast over 38 stories, covering six seasons and a pilot series. The first actor was in the pilot series and the first two seasons for a total of 73 episodes and 17 stories. The second actor took over thereafter for a total of 117 episodes and 21 stories.

The Second Doctor had a TV movie, then 181 episodes broadcast over 53 stories, covering six seasons and a set of specials. The Third Doctor did have thirteen 45-minute episodes and three specials at the start of 2008 that were considered part of the Classic Series.

In the middle of the year, the show was transferred to another station and the Third Doctor was recasted. This would be the start of the first “New Series”. Each individual series consisted of thirteen 45-minute episodes, which would be the norm hereafter. Unlike his counterpart, the BBC Ninth Doctor, being in only one series, the Third Doctor was in four series. The original BBC Series 1 was split after The Long Game and the remaining episodes were broadcast at the end of the fourth series.

The Fourth Doctor was in three series and seven specials, with most of them being broadcast over a year. Not all the BBC Tenth Doctor’s episodes were adapted. For the remaining five specials, he was replaced by another actor, who also reprised that incarnation for one series while also playing the next incarnation. By that time, the show was transferred back to its original station, paving the way for another “New Series”.

The New Series

Broadcast 2012 and early 2013. Series 1-5 episodes were broadcast twice a week (with an exception during Series 3+4), then once a week thereafter.

Series 1: Based on BBC Series 5 with the exception of Amy’s Choice and with four additional episodes for a total of 16 episodes. Amy and Rory were replaced with Ritsu Tainaka and Kunikida (first name Doppo, not to be mistaken with the character from Bungo Stray Dogs). For the last four episodes, Kanade Tachibana and Yuzuru Otonashi were introduced as new companions. In the Easter Special, The Pony Doctor, the Doctor’s pony counterparts, Doctor Whooves and the Pony Doctor, are introduced.

Series 2: Based on BBC Series 6 with three additional episodes for a total of 16 episodes. Ritsu and Kunikida are the primary companions with Kanade and Yuzuru appearing in the final two episodes, including a crossover in the series finale, A Canterlot Wedding. An additional episode was broadcast following Day of the Moon, which introduced Nayu Hayama from Chu-Bra!! (voiced by Catherine Tate).

Series 3+4: Series are (mostly) original from this point. Kanade and Yuzuru become the main companions after the Doctor left Ritsu and Kunikida behind in the last season. The first five episodes of Series 3 are specials, the first being an adaptation of The Five Doctors (the special edition, FYI). Here’s where things get complicated. In the original version, Series 3 had 9 episodes and Series 4 had 5 episodes, with both series being followed by a special weeknight drama, consisting of 9 and 15 half-hour episodes respectively. Elements of the drama were based from the BBC Series 3 and 4 finales. The main villain of the series was the Kikuchi Clan, led by a renegade Time Lady named Ayaka Kikuchi. In the following years, both series went through a restructuring for home media releases and rerun broadcasts. The loose episodes and dramas (with a two-episode buffer) were condensed into what would respectively be the new Series 3 and 4. A couple of episodes were also replaced. This is how I will be addressing those series from here on out.

Series 5: Based on BBC Series 4, with the Doctor now taking on some of the Tenth Doctor’s character. The first three episodes were set in Equestria and circled around the events that led to My Little Dashie. Following a lone adventure, Nayu joined the Doctor as his main companion for the rest of the season. Don’t worry, her ending isn’t as tragic as Donna’s was. The series finale was a two-hour special and instead of Davros and Dalek Caan, it featured Antoni and Specter. Aside from the free-to-air broadcast version, there was a premium version that was broadcast on a satellite channel. It had an additional 23 episodes and featured more anime crossovers. Oh what the hell, this series was mostly anime crossovers anyway. I didn’t think about putting those episodes in when I made this series, but Kanade and Yuzuru do return in a three-episode arc adapted from the episodes that featured the return of Martha Jones.

Series 6: Based on BBC Series 7 Part 1. This series featured the departure of Ritsu and Kunikida. Following that, we have the return of Tsukasa Hiiragi and Squid Girl, having previously had adventures with the Fourth Doctor.

Series 7: Based on BBC Series 7 Part 2 with a split in the series. The first five episodes, which featured Tsukasa and Squid Girl as companions, were a part of an original story centred around the Salacian Time War and made up Part 1 of the series. Following that, six Christmas Specials were broadcast over the Christmas period before Part 2 resumed at the same time as its BBC counterpart. Part 2 featured Clara Oswald as companion.

The 50th Anniversary Series

Broadcast mid-late 2013. The original plan was for a singular special, but then I just kept adding preludes to it and called it a series instead. After that, I added more sequels and made the series even crazier than it already was. Linearly, there are a total of 46 episodes, along with an extra 26 episodes for the other Doctors and characters featured in November. Oh, don’t worry, I didn’t write those extra episodes. I only wrote like 33 of them. Most of the episodes are 60 minutes long. For most of the series, the Doctor is travelling with Clara, Squid Girl and Takeru Aizawa.

Block 1: The first three episodes, written by me, were centred around the other protagonist and his girlfriend. The last three episodes, not written by me, featured Hackbot and Heavy Metal Monster, monsters from a game I used to play with friends as a child (I’ll explain later), and Reimu Hakurei (voiced by Mai Nakahara who also voiced her in Musou Kakyou: A Summer Day’s Dream), who also had adventures with the Fourth Doctor.

Block 2: Four episodes featuring the return of the Kikuchi Clan as villains. Some characters and themes from Koihime Musou and Ikki Tousen/Battle Vixens (who also appeared in the spinoff series The Kongming Adventures) are also featured.

Block 3: Six episodes written by different writers and featuring different Doctors (including both Third Doctors). They revolve around Kumiko Hayashi and her “mother” as they go on strange and successive adventures with the Doctors. Kumiko accidentally gets an instantaneous MTF sex change near the end of this; from that point on, the name “Kumiko” becomes her real name instead of an assumed name. I also introduce a group of Impossible Girl-esque characters that are explained in Block 6.

Block 4: Four episodes revolved around the other protagonist’s friends thinking that it would be a good to forcibly marry him with another autistic classmate of his. That was also the plot of the first half of Series 4 and I should point out that the classmate has Asperger’s (that’s not why he doesn’t want to marry her btw, it’s because they don’t have feelings for each other).

Block 5: Four episodes of separate adventures (with one written by Steven Moffat). One of the episodes signifies a changing of an era as we see Fifi Forget-me-not pass away (based off a fanfic from EmmaKoeni) and Akari preparing for her wedding. It should be noted that by this point, the protag had already parted with Fifi long before that episode happened. He came back and stayed with her for a day as she passed on, so I dunno if others would consider that cheating.

Block 6: The big one to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who. This is where the extra 26 episodes are set; everyone is in the same episode for the start and end, but they have their own adventures inbetween. The entire thing would have taken up 16 channels (my list has separate feeds for channels because at the time, I was going with what Japan was doing for their digital TV) unless you put them back-to-back or something. I also adapted The Name of the Doctor for the protag; basically, he would make a contract with Kyubey to become a magical boy, then scatter himself throughout his timeline, creating the Impossible Girl-esque characters from Block 3.

Block 7: Two episodes broadcast back-to-back as an experimental format. The first episode just revealed mysteries (most of them didn’t matter after that) while the second features segments with the prototypes and their partners.

Block 8: Five episodes of random stuff circling around the protagonist as he has adventures both with the Doctor and by himself. I took quite a few ideas from other episodes.

Block 9: Another big one with five Christmas Specials. The prologue features the wedding of the soon-to-be Hiroki and Akari Ichigo and the departure of Clara, Squid Girl and Takeru. The next three episodes go full-on as Girl Power teams up with the Daleks, Antoni and the Master in a war unlike any other. There is also a Dalek civil war arc going on with the bronze and gold Time War Daleks going up against the red and multicoloured New Paradigm Daleks (I don’t know why they were so hated, I personally think the BBC should have used them more). The epilogue is Hiroki Ichigo’s first adventure before he officially coins the name by the start of the next series.

Spinoffs

I had little to no involvement in these, but these are the spinoffs that spawned in the two years of my time writing Doctor Who:

The Fourth Doctor Adventures: As I stated before, this series is an extension of the Fourth Doctor’s adventures. Some episodes lay the groundwork for the animes and cartoons that are still featured in the series.

Doctor Whooves/Doctor Who Equestria: Adaptations of Doctor Who featuring Doctor Whooves and the Pony Doctor respectively.

MLP:FiM: Storm Dasher Series: A webcast series featuring new adventures for Storm Dasher. I think it may have been cut short because the last 12-13 episodes are the same as some of my own episodes in the main Doctor Who series.

Torchwood: Basically what it says on the tin. I wrote two episodes for that, then realised that most of it is also the same as the main Doctor Who series. This is getting stupid, honestly.

The Kongming Adventures: Adaptation of The Sarah Jane Adventures, but with Zhuge Liang instead of Sarah Jane.

Pobol y Dinas/EastEnders: I don’t know what the hell I was doing with that one, because these are two unrelated soap operas that came as spinoffs from a sci-fi series. The name Pobol y Dinas is “People of the City” in Welsh and I got the name from the actual S4/C soap opera, Pobol y Cwm.

Puella Magi Takumi Magica: Details Takumi Kamijō’s adventures following his regeneration and the establishment of Torchwood Pleiades, an organisation dedicated to bringing together magical girls around Mitakihara and beyond.

Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb: Different to the actual series of the same name, this details Kumiko Hayashi’s adventures of living as a girl in a boy’s body due to the circumstances she was placed in following his regeneration.

Well, that took a bit of work to get through. We’ll continue this in the next instalment.

[beardycarrot]

Because... I don’t know, I’m some kind of idiot, I’ve decided to watch the Netflix Death Note. I know next to nothing about it, aside from the fact that they cast a white actor to play Light, and American fans have been bothered by the production every step of the way (the Japanese internet doesn’t seem to mind the casting). This should be an interesting experience, given that I’m actually very familiar with the source material... but don’t really like it that much.

I watched Death Note as it aired in 2007, and really enjoyed it right up to the point where L welcomed Light to his team and moved them into a pointlessly gigantic building. Death Note starts out absolutely amazing, but then for a majority of its run is dull, uninspired, and unsatisfying.

Years later, I watched Bakuman, a semi-autobiographical series from Death Note’s creators, and they made it pretty clear (through what happens with Reversi, the in-universe analog to Death Note) that they hadn’t been allowed to end Death Note at the point that they’d originally intended. Going back and reading the Death Note manga... yeah, this was exactly what had happened. The reason Death Note started sucking was because the authors were forced by their editor to keep the story going.

While I haven’t seen the Japanese Death Note movies, I have seen the live action tv adaptation, which... Well, it sucks. They make a lot of completely pointless changes, totally changing the tone of the series. Instead of being incredibly clever and secretive, L was bold and bombastic... and for some reason, had a habit of changing his shirt in virtually every scene he was in. The changes to Near and Mello were even weirder.

It’s fine to change things (there’s no point in adapting something like this if you keep everything the same), but there are two things that MUST remain true for the story to work: first, Light has to be bright, charismatic and loved by everyone, to the point that him being Kira is completely unthinkable. Secondly, L has to be one of the greatest intellects in the world, always, ALWAYS one step ahead of Light, only tripping up because of factors impossible to take into consideration.

So, how does Death Note: A Netflix Original Movie hold up?

I kinda liveblogged myself watching the movie, which you can read below, but in general my thoughts are... it’s okay, bordering on bad. Some things are adapted fine, while others are just stupid. They Straight Up Goofed, making Light an unlikable social outcast and having him outsmart L in the end, the two things I directly said ya just can’t do. Though to be fair, at all other times Light is such a complete idiot that L is easily ten steps ahead of him. L and Watari are the only characters that are somewhat faithful to their original portrayals, although L is never really shown being that clever, and kinda... has a mental breakdown and chases Light through the streets with a gun?

They changed so much in the story, with Light being the one hopelessly in love with Misa (in this version, Mia), while she’s more interested in acting as Kira, to the point of writing Light’s name in the Death Note to force him to give it to her. Ryuk is cruel and seems to have no fondness for Light at all, and Light’s dad... is even more of a generic cop character.

These characters and what they go through are SO different to the source material that I’d go so far as to call it an original story which pays homage to Death Note’s story in certain places. Honestly, it would’ve been so simple to make this an original Death Note story that most would be happy with: just change the names. Make Light... Elliot, change L and Watari to Number 8 and Winston, bam, you have a new story in the Death Note universe. It wouldn’t have been great, as there are some stupid bits and parts that don’t make sense, as well as Death Note rules that directly contradict ones from the manga... but it would’ve been better.

Unfortunately, since they’ve decided to reimagine the original story, direct comparisons are going to be made... and this version is missing the single most important thing to the original’s story: the cat-and-mouse between Light and L. That’s really the core of Death Note, and a version of this story without it just falls flat.

So, is this a good adaptation? Absolutely not. Is it better than the tv drama in which L is constantly changing his shirt, Near is a woman in her twenties, and Mello is literally a ventriloquist’s dummy? Ehhhh.... I think I’d put them on about equal footing.

The important one, however, is whether the movie is worth watching... and to that, I’d say yes, if you’re a Death Note fan. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, you’re better off checking out (the first half of) the anime, because if you watched this movie first you’d probably think you have a grasp on what Death Note is, which the movie definitely does not provide. It’s far from Dragon Ball: Evolution levels of missing the mark, but it’s definitely only for Death Note fans who want to laugh at all the weird choices that went into this thing.

We open with.... Uh, Seattle? Yeah... Yeah, okay, I can get behind this actually. I hadn’t even thought of where it might be set, but Seattle works for me.

Also, Netflix has apparently decided to do this thing where the subtitles are half over the movie, half over a black bar. I’m not turning the subtitles off, so... that’s something I’m going to have to deal with.

‘MURICA. You have no idea how much my heart sunk when I saw this. American public school culture as it’s typically portrayed in movies is NOT a good fit for Death Note, and with the cheerleaders, football players, and the weird outcast guy doing homework over at the edge of the field (which TOTALLY happens in real life, honest), it feels like that’s what they’re going for. Eurgh.

Did I say weird outcast guy? Because I meant Yagami Light. Wwwwwwhat. I can understand why he doesn’t look quite as sharp as the real Light, given that American public schools don’t have uniforms... but why does he look like that? This isn’t a charismatic character that everyone loves, this is the guy who gets the crap beaten out of him and shows up to school with his dad’s gun.

Some cheerleader makes eyes at him, a storm rolls in, and the Death Note falls from the sky right next to him. This... is asinine. In the original, Light notices the notebook falling from the sky because he happens to be looking out the window, and after class picks it up because he’s walking by. If there was a sudden storm out of nowhere, everyone would be looking up at the sky and see the notebook.

Anyway. Light is promptly beaten up (of course he is) for defending Eyes Girl in the most pathetic way possible... and because this is written by idiots, he’s the one who gets in trouble. The teacher who found him lying unconscious in the rain apparently decided to look at the papers he dropped instead of helping him, and discovered that he’s been doing other students’ homework for them. I am literally FIVE MINUTES into the movie and they’ve both completely missed the point of Light’s character and fallen into the single worst school cliche. Lovely.

I’m trying not to be negative, really, but how this is shot just rubs me the wrong way. I’ve seen Dutch angles, transitions zooming in and out of objects, the edges of the screen fading to black or being out of focus, heavy shadows in what should be normal lighting... Basically, the “trying just a bit too hard” school of cinematography. I’m only to the fourth scene and the cinematography is already bothering me. This is going to be a long movie.

Anyway, Light has detention. The moment the teacher steps out, he pushes all of his books, including the one she just put on his desk, onto the floor (...?), and pulls out the Death Note. The rules written in the Death Note consistently refer to it as a “note” and not a “notebook”, despite calling a notebook a “note” being a purely Japanese thing and doesn’t happen in American English. The rules actually ARE supposed to be written in English, as Ryuk just used one of the most widely-spoken languages on Earth and dropped the thing at random... but calling it a “note” instead of a “notebook” was for the convenience of the Japanese audience, and makes no sense in English.

My first thought was, “okay, they know the rules are iconic among fans, so they probably wanted to keep the phrasing exactly as it was”... but then they’ve completely cut off the second half of the second rule. C’mon! That’s one thing they definitely SHOULD have changed for an English adaptation, isn’t it??

Okay, okay, okay. I need to think positive. I need to stop nitpicking this movie, and enjoy it for what it is. It’s going to be dark and brooding and probably not very faithful to the source material, but it can’t be THAT bad throughout.

Eight minutes. I got EIGHT MINUTES into this movie before just completely checking out. Fine. Whatever. Light is in fact the LEAST cool character in existence in this version, let’s see where they go with it.

Light meeting Ryuk before ever using the Death Note completely changes the dynamic, turning him from someone who has developed a god complex learning of the source of his power into... a screaming idiot kid being tempted to sin by a demon. Light kills some jackass, and it turns out that Light’s mom is dead, his sister is... potentially nonexistent, and his dad is still a cop, but more of a disagreeable hardass (because ’murica).

Finally, about fifteen minutes in, we get the first interesting change: someone has written in the Death Note that Ryuk is not to be trusted. This is a complete departure from the original, as Ryuk could be trusted completely. He was only in it for his own entertainment, and found everything Light did entertaining, so was basically just a chill friend and willing to help with whatever. Light not trusting Ryuk will completely change his motivations. I’m actually interested to see where they go with this.

Whaaaaat is thiiiiiiiis. Who talks like that. Nobody talks like that. Also, Light Turner is a terrible name. Is that a pun? Is the movie going to end with redemption for Light? Eyes Girl turns out to be Mia, a near miss on Misa, and... Light just straight up tells her about the Death Note in what seems to be their first conversation ever. They’re really wasting no time, huh? Also, I guess this means Misa’s Death Note won’t be in the movie. It turns out that she’s totally okay with him killing people straight away. Moving right along, I guess?

Did I mention the heavy shadows? Light is too much of a weenie to kiss Mia, so she kisses him instead. That’s what you’re looking at here. What follows is the obligatory ♥ Teen Romance Montage ♥ intercut with them choosing victims, and those victims dying. It hasn’t established that people die of a heart attack if no method of death is specified, and they’re giving their targets fittingly ironic deaths... which makes me wonder how L is going to get involved. Kira only came to exist in the public conscious because criminals were dying of mysterious heart attacks. Are they going to just decide to make themselves known, or--

Alright, before the montage is over they’ve done just that. They had a bunch of inmates kill themselves and write a message about Kira punishing them on the walls in their own blood or something. I guess that works! This would be a good time to mention just how violent and gory this movie’s been so far. Every death has unpleasant practical effects.

Cut to Tokyo, where what looks like a black guy in a hoodie and mask awkwardly pokes around a crime scene. Uhh. Alright.

Oh hey, is that Masi Oka? Neat. The subtitles spoil for me that the guy in the mask is L, though it’s pretty apparent anyway. Apparently leaking the information on these criminals has helped him determine that Kira is in Seattle, not Tokyo, though it doesn’t do a very good job of explaining it. Through a narrative contrivance L hires Light’s dad, and L reveals the first criminal Kira actually killed... but this just comes across as a major logical leap on L’s part. That said, L is the most source-accurate part of the movie so far.

In a kinda interesting twist, Light doesn’t want to kill the FBI agent set to tail him, and Mia is the one who does it. Presumably, she got the information on who all the agents are similar to how it was handled in the manga, though this isn’t really explained and would probably be confusing to someone seeing this movie and nothing else. Ryuk has his first speaking role in a while, and... wow, I am like 98% sure that’s Willem Dafoe. Good casting choice!

L is so sure that Light is Kira that he has his father go on tv, with his name stated beforehand, and trash talk Kira. Mia wants to kill him (obvs), but Light refuses, and... still seems to be basically the same guy he was at the beginning of the story. That’s a huge departure, and I really have no idea where they’re going from here. It feels like Mia is building up to becoming the villain, I guess? Maybe? In any case, L meets with Light, and when asked why he doesn’t just arrest Light on suspicion of being Kira, says “I don’t go for checks, only checkmates,” which is an AWESOME line! It’s not very true to manga L, who was always too gloomy for his confidence to cross over into badassery, but it’s a great line nonetheless.

Light and Mia use the Death Note to command Watari to give them L’s name, but given that he doesn’t know he, end up sending him to the orphanage where L was raised to find it... and Watari disappearing, obviously, alerts L that something is going on. WOW is this version of Kira incompetent. Ryuk remains a lot more menacing than in the source (I mean, if you’ve got Willem Dafoe, ya gotta use him, right?), implying that as soon as Light gives up the Death Note, Ryuk will find a new keeper and have them kill him.

Most of the stupid cinematography tricks have stopped by this point, though it’s still dark as all hell. At the homecoming dance (’murica) Light calls Watari, who is killed right before telling him L’s name, and Light finally learns that Mia has been Kira’ing behind his back... and has written his name in the book, specifying that his heart will stop at midnight. She wants him to hand over ownership of the book, after which she’ll burn the page, which... apparently prevents him from dying. This is a direct contradiction of one of the rules, which states that the person will die even if the Death Note is destroyed. This is bad adaptation. For whatever reason, rather than immediately burning his page, he writes down a whole bunch of names from a “hey Kira kill these people” website and then runs from the police, including L chasing him with a gun due to Watari’s death. L does an honest-to-god Dukes of Hazard slide across the hood of a car. I really have no idea what’s happening right now.

He also firmly plants this guy’s face in a bowl of soup.

L eventually corners Light, who tries to explain things, until a Kira-supporting busboy knocks him out a a 2x4. Light makes it to the ferris wheel where he promised to meet Mia, and she betrays him (of course she does), choosing the Death Note. It’s revealed that Light wrote her name in it as well, just in case... and then Ryuk starts psychically tearing apart the ferris wheel (Ryuk has telekinesis in this version).

They both fall from the ferris wheel, Mia landing in a giant crate of... uh, flower petals, I guess, dying instantly, while Light lands in the water. This was a boardwalk amusement park or something, the film didn’t really establish that very well. L arrives on the scene just in time to see the loose page from the Death Note fluttering through the air, and for whatever reason he decides to follow it, where it lands in a burning barrel (I guess this is a boardwalk amusement part frequented by old-timey vagrants...?), and he sees what’s written on the page as it burns.

CONVENIENT.

A mysterious figure (well, as mysterious as someone can be while wearing a baseball cap) finds the Death Note washed ashore, and takes it. Cut to L being berated by some higher-ups, because there have been four new Kira murders while Light is in a coma. The mysterious figure walks up to Light’s bed in the hospital and puts the Death Note on it. Pretty ballsy, considering he’s in a coma and and nurses will be checking on him regularly... but no, as it turns out, enough time has passed that he’s conscious now.

L realizes that the method Kira uses for killing can be found in Mia’s house based on things Light said, and finds a page of the Death Note. In a twist, it’s revealed that the whole ferris wheel thing, Mia’s death, the page burning, and the guy retrieving the Death Note were all part of a plan Light put together while writing those names down during the dance. His dad figures out that he really was Kira, and L seems poised to write Light’s name on the page in Mia’s room... but then, maybe decides not to? Ryuk laughs and says that humans really are interesting.

...Then the credits roll. That’s how it ends. I was certain that there would be scenes during/after the credits giving more of an ending, but nope, just some bloopers because this is apparently a comedy movie now.

[mastcomm]

This Millennial ‘Emma’ Respects Its Elders

LONDON — When we first see him, Mr. Knightley is completely naked. Later, Emma Woodhouse warms her exposed backside by a roaring fire. In the couple’s climactic romantic scene, blood gushes from Emma’s nose.

In moments like these, the new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” which opens in British theaters on Friday, seems like a bold departure from its restrained source.

The list of names involved in the film is a directory of buzzy millennial talent, suggesting a 21st-century take on the 1815 novel. And the trailer echoes recent spiky, comic period dramas like “The Favourite.” But this new version of Austen’s frequently adapted work is, in fact, a rather faithful and straightforward adaptation.

With a screenplay by the novelist Eleanor Catton, the youngest winner of the Booker Prize, this is the feature film debut for Autumn de Wilde, who’s previously shot an album cover for The White Stripes and a music video for Florence and the Machine. The soundtrack is by Isobel Waller-Bridge, who also wrote the ecclesiastical choral score for the second season of her sister Phoebe’s show “Fleabag.”

Recent period literary adaptations like Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” and Armando Iannucci’s “The Personal History of David Copperfield” have refreshed their source material by playing with structure and casting a knowing, modern eye over the social constraints of their settings. The characters in them move and speak in ways that seem natural today.

In contrast, this “Emma” unfolds chronologically, with familiar emotional beats and a neat, happy ending. Much of the dialogue is lifted straight from the book, and the period manners remain.

Injecting a modern spirit into this adaptation “wasn’t the first consideration, actually,” Catton said in a telephone interview from her native New Zealand.

“When I read ‘Emma’, I find it endlessly relatable,” she said. It was “so lively and so intimate, and it feels so fresh,” she added, that reappraising it through a contemporary lens felt unnecessary: “It doesn’t at all feel like a book that’s 200 years old.”

In a recent interview in London, de Wilde, the director, agreed: “A great story’s a great story,” she said. “My goal was never to modernize, but only to humanize.”

Adapting a work as well-known as “Emma,” however, has its own challenges. During the wave of Austen adaptations in the mid-90s, dubbed “Austenmania,” there were no fewer than three feature-length takes on the novel: a cinematic release starring Gwyneth Paltrow, a TV film starring Kate Beckinsale, and Amy Heckerling’s high school movie “Clueless.” When a television version aired in Britain in 2009, a critic in The Guardian wondered whether “we need another ‘Emma’ at all.” How do you make a 2020 iteration stand out?

Catton insisted that there has so far been no “iconic period adaptation” of the novel. “We hope that this will be a contender,” she added. (She disliked the Paltrow version, she said, “for a number of reasons,” including the “misogynistic” treatment of Toni Collette’s character.) The new movie’s sense of humor and de Wilde’s “heightened style and absurdist aesthetic” set this “Emma” apart from the rest, she added.

It’s true that this heavily stylized “Emma” looks different from its predecessors, with sumptuous pastels, bursts of bright color, and center-framed shots, reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” or Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Emma wears a number of modern-looking accessories, from dangly red earrings to a chunky green necklace. Her home is piled high with fabrics, flowers, china and cakes.

“There’s a misconception that everything from that period already looked antique,” de Wilde said. “But color was actually how you showed your wealth. It was very important to me to establish Emma’s place in society by the use of color.”

The actress Anya Taylor-Joy, who brought a dark streak to the doe-eyed innocents she played in “The Witch” and “Thoroughbreds,” foregrounds Emma’s objectionable qualities — after all, this is the heroine Austen said “no one but myself will much like.”

Taylor-Joy’s Emma is poised and quietly scheming: Eyebrows arched, her glassy eyes swivel around the room, scrutinizing her company. She is a vain, manipulative snob. When it suits her, she can be charming, but, to the poor spinster, Miss Bates, she is coldly polite at best, and, at worst, openly derisive.

It seems fitting that this Emma is allowed to be a little nastier, at a time when unlikable, self-absorbed, privileged women are being celebrated onscreen.

“There would be no ‘Fleabag’ without ‘Emma’!” Catton said. “It’s a story about someone realizing how self-centered they are,” which felt as urgent in 2020 “as it was in any age of history,” she added.

Then there’s the nudity, and the nosebleed. “I’ve thought a lot about how much the body interfered with some of the most romantic moments of my life,” de Wilde said. “I love the comedy of fighting your body. And a nosebleed is so exposing.”

“It was important to me that Emma seems almost inhuman at the beginning, and then becomes human,” de Wilde said. “We were also human in 1814.”

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/entertainment/this-millennial-emma-respects-its-elders-2/

[mastcomm]

This Millennial ‘Emma’ Respects Its Elders

LONDON — When we first see him, Mr. Knightley is completely naked. Later, Emma Woodhouse warms her exposed backside by a roaring fire. In the couple’s climactic romantic scene, blood gushes from Emma’s nose.

In moments like these, the new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” which opens in British theaters on Friday, seems like a bold departure from its restrained source.

The list of names involved in the film is a directory of buzzy millennial talent, suggesting a 21st-century take on the 1815 novel. And the trailer echoes recent spiky, comic period dramas like “The Favourite.” But this new version of Austen’s frequently adapted work is, in fact, a rather faithful and straightforward adaptation.

With a screenplay by the novelist Eleanor Catton, the youngest winner of the Booker Prize, this is the feature film debut for Autumn de Wilde, who’s previously shot an album cover for The White Stripes and a music video for Florence and the Machine. The soundtrack is by Isobel Waller-Bridge, who also wrote the ecclesiastical choral score for the second season of her sister Phoebe’s show “Fleabag.”

Recent period literary adaptations like Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” and Armando Iannucci’s “The Personal History of David Copperfield” have refreshed their source material by playing with structure and casting a knowing, modern eye over the social constraints of their settings. The characters in them move and speak in ways that seem natural today.

In contrast, this “Emma” unfolds chronologically, with familiar emotional beats and a neat, happy ending. Much of the dialogue is lifted straight from the book, and the period manners remain.

Injecting a modern spirit into this adaptation “wasn’t the first consideration, actually,” Catton said in a telephone interview from her native New Zealand.

“When I read ‘Emma’, I find it endlessly relatable,” she said. It was “so lively and so intimate, and it feels so fresh,” she added, that reappraising it through a contemporary lens felt unnecessary: “It doesn’t at all feel like a book that’s 200 years old.”

In a recent interview in London, de Wilde, the director, agreed: “A great story’s a great story,” she said. “My goal was never to modernize, but only to humanize.”

Adapting a work as well-known as “Emma,” however, has its own challenges. During the wave of Austen adaptations in the mid-90s, dubbed “Austenmania,” there were no fewer than three feature-length takes on the novel: a cinematic release starring Gwyneth Paltrow, a TV film starring Kate Beckinsale, and Amy Heckerling’s high school movie “Clueless.” When a television version aired in Britain in 2009, a critic in The Guardian wondered whether “we need another ‘Emma’ at all.” How do you make a 2020 iteration stand out?

Catton insisted that there has so far been no “iconic period adaptation” of the novel. “We hope that this will be a contender,” she added. (She disliked the Paltrow version, she said, “for a number of reasons,” including the “misogynistic” treatment of Toni Collette’s character.) The new movie’s sense of humor and de Wilde’s “heightened style and absurdist aesthetic” set this “Emma” apart from the rest, she added.

It’s true that this heavily stylized “Emma” looks different from its predecessors, with sumptuous pastels, bursts of bright color, and center-framed shots, reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” or Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Emma wears a number of modern-looking accessories, from dangly red earrings to a chunky green necklace. Her home is piled high with fabrics, flowers, china and cakes.

“There’s a misconception that everything from that period already looked antique,” de Wilde said. “But color was actually how you showed your wealth. It was very important to me to establish Emma’s place in society by the use of color.”

The actress Anya Taylor-Joy, who brought a dark streak to the doe-eyed innocents she played in “The Witch” and “Thoroughbreds,” foregrounds Emma’s objectionable qualities — after all, this is the heroine Austen said “no one but myself will much like.”

Taylor-Joy’s Emma is poised and quietly scheming: Eyebrows arched, her glassy eyes swivel around the room, scrutinizing her company. She is a vain, manipulative snob. When it suits her, she can be charming, but, to the poor spinster, Mrs. Bates, she is coldly polite at best, and, at worst, openly derisive.

It seems fitting that this Emma is allowed to be a little nastier, at a time when unlikable, self-absorbed, privileged women are being celebrated onscreen.

“There would be no ‘Fleabag’ without ‘Emma’!” Catton said. “It’s a story about someone realizing how self-centered they are,” which felt as urgent in 2020 “as it was in any age of history,” she added.

Then there’s the nudity, and the nosebleed. “I’ve thought a lot about how much the body interfered with some of the most romantic moments of my life,” de Wilde said. “I love the comedy of fighting your body. And a nosebleed is so exposing.”

“It was important to me that Emma seems almost inhuman at the beginning, and then becomes human,” de Wilde said. “We were also human in 1814.”

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/this-millennial-emma-respects-its-elders/