Hear that? That’s the bell signaling the next round in the online boxing match between DC and Marvel movie fans.
The 2017 Oscar nominations were announced Tuesday and everyone was scrambling to see which films were in the running to be 2016’s top cinematic dog (with plenty of fingers crossed for a rumoured Deadpool nomination). The nominations wound up looking pretty much like everyone expected, with few surprises and a handful of disappointments (no Deadpool, unfortunately). It was the usual reception for the Academy of Motion Picture’s annual list and now everyone will spend the next month debating who should win and getting into fights on the Internet with complete strangers over matters of pure opinion.
But the most interesting nominations always come out the day before. That’s when the nominations for the Razzies-the movie industry’s anti Oscars-are revealed. The Razzies are an annual guilty pleasure for Cinephiles, a who’s who of disappointments and a buffet of bad. It’s an opportunity to smugly point at a particular film and say I knew that was a steaming pile of suck. But the Razzies are also one of Hollywood’s biggest flash points of fan indignation and outrage, their nominations sparking just as much or more online slapfests than the actual Oscar nods.
And this year won’t be any different as the Razzie lightning rod has found a new host; Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
While BvS isn’t up for the most Razzies (Zoolander 2 is 2016’s most dishonoured film, beating out the spandex duo’s eight nominations with nine of its own), the fact that it is so heavily represented among the worst of the worst is bound to spark Everest sized amounts of online rage and indignation.
BvS was one of 2016’s most polarizing movies, with moviegoers divided between those who hated it with vomit flavoured passion and those who thought it was an unparalleled cinematic achievement deserving of worship. Critics savaged it yet it still wound up being on of the year’s highest grossing films. The criticism it got in the media fostered an angry and defiant attitude among its more passionate fans who responded to the smallest slight with name-calling and tantrums.
And the Razzies will add a tsunami of gasoline to the online forest fire that is the constant fight between Marvel movie fans and DC ones. If you ever want to see what a waste of time physically looks like, stop by the comments section of any YouTube video dealing with any comic book movie and you’ll see the inevitable (and stupid) fan boy brawls break out between the two sides.
Did you like Captain America: Civil War (which looks like it will outmuscle Star Wars: Rogue One as the highest grossing international movie released in 2016)? Give it five seconds before a DC fan calls you a sheep brainwashed by Disney. Say something positive about a DC movie and count the ticks on your watch before a Marvel fan pounces on you, labelling you a sellout whose obviously been paid by Warner Bros. to say anything good about any of their films. (Having said all that though, fans of DC’s cinematic universe seem to suffer from a nasty inferiority complex, making them snarkier and more combative).
Now Marvel fans have a giant bullet in their chamber and most can’t wait to fire it at the nearest DC film fan. Here’s hoping that either June’s Wonder Woman or July’s Spiderman reboot will be the film that brings everyone together. And then we can all buy some land in Iraq.
BvS’s Razzie nominations include Worst Film, Worst Director (Zack Snyder), two Worst Actor nods (one for both Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck), Worst Supporting Actor (Jesse Eisenberg for his eye ruining portrayal of Lex Luthor), Worst on Screen Combo for Affleck and Cavill, Worst Screenplay and Worst Sequel/Remake/Rip Off. Not wanting to be left out, Suicide Squad’s Jared Leto captured a nomination for Worst Supporting Actor for his performance as the Joker.
Gods of Egypt and Independence Day Resurgence each landed five nominations and the Razzies displayed their signature tongue-in-cheek style when making nominations for the Worst On Screen Combo. Not only do Affleck and Cavill find themselves in the running for that particular award, but so do Any Two Gods from Gods of Egypt, Johnny Depp and his Vibrantly Vomitous Costume from Alice Through The Looking Glass, The Entire Cast of Once Respected Actors from Collateral Beauty and Tyler Perry and That Same Old Worn Out Wig from Boo! A Madea Halloween.
The 37th Annual Razzies Awards take place February 25th and you can see the full list of nominations here. The Academy Awards will be held February 26th.
Image: Warner Brothers Pictures
