The Curse of Three
There has never been a good third entry in a superhero film franchise. EVER. This is quite an amazing accomplishment. Actual comic books successfully go on for decades upon decades, but the films based on them can't even make it to "Part 3" without crumbling apart. Examples:
Superman III (Issues: Richard Pryor; Richard Lester; a villainous super-computer; a scene where Richard Pryor skis off a skyscraper and survives HOW EXACTLY?)
Batman Forever (Issues: Joel Schumacher; an obsession with neon lighting; "Holy rusted metal, Batman!"; hammy villains.)
Blade: Trinity (Issues: David Goyer; Ryan Reynolds; Jessica Biel; Where's Blade? Shouldn't he have something to do in this movie?)
X-Men: The Last Stand (Issues: Goodbye Bryan Singer, hello Brett Ratner!; Far, far too many mutants; Two classic X-Men storylines mashed together into one giant mess.)
Spider-Man 3 (Issues: Too many villains; Studio interference.)
Gazing upon this list is like gazing upon the very essence of disappointment itself. Something always goes horribly awry once you get to the third entry in a superhero franchise, and I think the issue is usually (Spider-Man 3 aside) a change in directors. There's no consistency of vision in these films, but merely a greedy studio trying desperately to appeal to the masses. Richard Pryor is popular? Toss him into a Superman movie! We have dozens of unused X-Men lying about? Smash them all into the same story, it'll work just fine!
If there's one man who can break this decades-long cycle of failure, it's Christopher Nolan. The Dark Knight and Inception made so much money that Warner Bros well let him do absolutely anything he wants with his third entry in the Batman franchise, and Nolan has proven he can churn out masterpieces in his sleep. The recent announcement that Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway have joined the cast only adds to my excitement.
And yet, I'm still frightened. THE CURSE. It's powerful, you guys! It has taken down Spider-Man, the X-Men, Blade, Superman, and even Batman himself. Is anyone powerful enough to break it, or does some sort of exorcist need to be called in? We'll find out on July 20, 2012, and until then I remain cautiously optimistic.