2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
Most current fans of Marvel comics and Howard the Duck itself first saw this charismatic hero in the 1986 film of the same name, directed by Willard Huyck. How was his screen debut?
Storyline
Film based on Marvel comics, Howard the Duck is about a character who has lived all his life on a planet inhabited by the same birds as himself. Having become a participant in experiments with teleportation, the hero finds himself in the cozy town of Cleveland, where he meets a young aspiring singer.
Howard protects Beverly from the attacks of local brawlers, and the girl invites the savior home. The traveler is very worried about his unplanned appearance on Earth and wants to understand the situation. Beverly soon introduces Howard to his scientist friend Phil. Having met with an unusual duck, the guy is in no hurry to help - he plans to thoroughly study the unexpected visitor and subsequently receive the Nobel Prize for his experiments. Until the earthlingsthey suspect that Howard is the one who can help them escape the impending evil.
Critic reaction to Marvel's Howard the Duck project
The picture was a failure. Surely this is not what representatives of Lucasfilm and Marvel were counting on. The film Howard the Duck received four Golden Raspberry awards, despite being nominated in eight categories. So, the film adaptation was named the worst film of the year, while having the worst script. Also, the visual effects and the central character himself were not without the Golden Raspberry. The Worst Supporting Actor nomination was given to Tim Robbins, and Willard Huyck nearly won the worst director of the year. The misadventures of Marvel's Howard the Duck didn't end there.
The creation of Lucasfilm was nominated for a dubious award as the worst film of the decade. The soundtrack to the tape was also criticized.
Facts
George Lucas spent about 2 million dollars on the costume of the key character. It is noteworthy that eight different actors wore this attire in the film.
The actresses in the group themselves sang the songs that sound according to the plot. Many years after filming, Lea Thompson admitted that the studio could not decide until the very end whether to leave her original voice in musical compositions or to duplicate it.
Howard the Duck first appeared in graphic novels in 1973, created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik. Only 13 years later the herowas presented on the screens.
The project turned out to be one of the biggest failures in the history of Marvel Comics film adaptations.
Movie actors
Let's take a closer look at the cast of the picture. Dr. Jenning, who was possessed by the Dark Lord, was portrayed by Jeffrey Duncan Jones, who is known to many for his role as Joseph II in Amadeus. The actor starred in films until 2001, and in 2003 he was accused of child molestation, which finally put an end to his career.
Lea Thompson, who took on the lead female role in the comic book adaptation, began her career in the 80s and Howard the Duck is one of her first films. Subsequently, the actress played in many television projects and has no plans to end her career.
Tim Robbins, who played young Professor Phil, was the most popular of the entire cast. He is still acting in successful films, and many viewers remember him for his roles in the famous films "The Shawshank Redemption", "Mystic River", "Nothing to Lose", "Mission to Mars", "War of the Worlds" and others.
The key character of the film adaptation was played by several obscure actors hiding behind the Howard the Duck costume, and voiced by Chip Zane.
Biography and abilities
Howard was born into a world inhabited exclusively by sentient anthropomorphic birds. According to the plot of the graphic novel, the hero was kidnapped from his home, after which he ended up in the Everglades. He reluctantly joined Korrak the Barbarian's group. After some time, the wanderer ended up in Cleveland, where hisa fateful meeting with a girl named Beverly. Unlike most other Marvel heroes, Howard does not possess any notable superhuman powers. Once he realized that he had some talents in magic, but did not develop them.
The Return of Howard the Duck
It would seem that after such a stunning fiasco of the film, we will not hear any mention of Howard the Duck from Marvel for a long time. Guardians of the Galaxy, led by director James Gunn, decided otherwise. As you know, projects based on Marvel comics are always accompanied by interesting scenes after the credits. Often such episodes serve as announcements for the next films in the series or reveal important details of the film shown, so fans are waiting for them with special trepidation. Guardians of the Galaxy was no exception, with fans hoping to see some key events after the credits.
It looks like the director decided to play a trick on the audience, and in one of the scenes he simply showed Howard the duck and the dog Cosmo, who appear in the abode of the Collector, grieving near his broken windows.
Building success
After the hero debuted in an updated image in the first part of the "Guardians of the Galaxy", many expected that the famous anthropomorphic duck would flash into the frame again, and it really happened. At the beginning of the second series, there is an episode when the Ravagers with Yondu end up in a brothel, and Howard can be seen flirting with women.
Marvel Howard the Duck Battles
Difficultfind someone who hasn't heard anything about the characters created by Marvel Studios. Many fans of Iron Man, Hulk, X-Men, Captain America, Black Widow, Spider-Man and other heroes have spent a lot of time in front of television screens, watching their adventures and battles.
However, for some fans of the MCU, this was not enough, and exciting games were released especially for them. Owners of iOS devices can not only take part in the battlefield as one of the characters, but also fight with one of them in the Battle of Champions. Howard the duck from "Marvel" is also present in the list of heroes of the game, and everyone has the opportunity to form their own team of fighters with his participation.
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