Tuesday, March 11, 2008

A Chance For Salvation

I would speak of an unpleasant subject now; I would speak of the damned. To the geek, there is one below, a soul who has created acts of such depravity upon the screen, that he is truly and forever lost. Through his own acts, he has assured that no true geek shall ever again pay the price of admission to one of his films.

I speak, of course, of Joel Schumacher, architect of atrocity, responsible for that which was... Batman and Robin. For this unholy act, there can be no redemption.

Why then does the title tell of salvation? Because it is not for Schumacher that we've gathered to speak. His is merely a tale of caution. It is another, one who is fallen, though not beyond hope, who has brought us here. It is Brett Ratner, whose X-Men film brought down a dynasty, destroying a once bountiful franchise.

Ratner is hated for what he did, he is despised; outcast. But he is not yet damned.

Much of what went wrong in that film can be rightly laid at his feet, of this there can be little doubt. But there were others, as well. Others in hiding, whose incompetence has plagued the franchise since its very start. I speak of producers, and though their touch went largely unnoticed, they no doubt share the blame.

The producers, after driving away Bryan Singer, made Ratner a devil's bargain. He accepted, and we have all paid a price.

But now Ratner has a chance at redemption. Aintitcoolnews has reported that he is involved with Harbinger, a Defiant property from the 1990s. Certainly nowhere near the scope and power of X-Men, Harbinger has its fans, and it is a good property.

Tread carefully, Ratner. There is more at stake here than a film: I daresay your soul may hang in the balance. Look below you and gaze upon the fate of Schumacher's career: encased forever in ice in the deepest pits of Hell. Such is the fate of those who destroy our beloved comics.

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