Thursday, November 22, 2007

MARTIAN MANHUNTER: The Motion Picture, Part 2 (2000)

Billy Drago as Malefic
Drago is one of those character actors you've probably seen in a dozen movies. You might know the face, but can't quite place it. That is unless you were one of the dozens of people who followed Fox's sci-fi western"The Adventures of Brisco County Jr", where he played the murderous John Bly. He's also made his fair share of B-movies, with the likes of Chuck Norris, Cynthia Rothrock, and others. Questionable pedigree aside, you can't find a better actor to play a slithery, sleazy, devious type like Malefic.

Armand Assante as Vandal Savage Okay, we want a guy who's vaguely foreign, middle-aged, and calmly evil as all hell. Assante can fill all three roles, plus he has experience in period pieces and genre roles. Who could ask for anything more?

FILM:
Judge Dredd
The Mambo Kings
Scandel

TELEVISION:
The Odyssey

Alec Baldwin in a cameo as Batman
Don't give me that Michael Keaton jive. Just because Kilmer and Clooney stank, everyone's gotten nostalgic for the robotic Batman of '89. Well, Alec has the dapper playboy down, but he's also done a great job at playing grim, obsessive types. Check out his sinister side in "Mercury Rising".

Billy Campbell in a cameo as Superman
Square-jawed, and mild-mannered, he's got the right look, voice, and attitude to make people forget Christopher Reeve. That's one tall order. but Bill can fill those shoes. Besides, he's got experience pretending to fly while suspended from wires. How many guys have that on their resumé?

FILMS:
The Rocketeer

TELEVISION:
Once & Again

Madeline Stowe in a cameo as Wonder Woman
Besides the great body and chisled features, Stowe can pull off the warrior side of Diana. She often plays strong and determined women, and I'd love for her to portray the amazing amazon. People keep telling me she's too old to play the part. You're looking at the picture...Does it say "too old" to you?

FILMS:
Revenge
The General's Daughter
The Two Jakes

Sam Neill as Maxwell Lord
He's got to be smooth and sophisticated, light-hearted yet slightly nefarious. Sam Neill has certainly proven his range over his twenty years in film. I'm also positive Adam Hughes used Neill as his model for Max when he drew Justice League America in the late 80's!

FILMS:
Dead Calm
Event Horizon
The Final Conflict: The Omen III
The Hunt for Red October Jurassic Park

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