So many people are hung up on the DC characters when it comes to the new wave look and the idea that it’s starting to gain ground that we tend to forget, sometimes on purpose, just what came before. Jessica Chastain as Poison Ivy would, from this picture, pose as a darkly vibrant character that would be easily welcomed with open arms by many fans, though it would surely discount the performance put in by Uma Thurman. Let’s be honest, Thurman was over the top and ridiculous in a movie that was just as ridiculous if not more so. But in attempting to adapt to the role she kind of made the character a mockery, just as Clooney and O’Donnell did for Batman and Robin. But trying to find someone for the role of a figure like Poison Ivy is something that kind of begs the question of who can be found that can be dulled down a bit when needed and completely glamorous when the part calls for it?
There are those of course who want everything to conform to the comic books, and in some cases this seems like it would be wise since some of the outfits have been anything but impressive. In terms of the DC women though the TV shows seem to have been doing a far better job than the movies, though many might allow Harley Quinn’s garb to simply go by the wayside since Margot Robbie kind of nailed the character perfectly. In terms of Wonder Woman the outfit couldn’t have been any more perfect since despite being impractical for modern warfare it still makes use of the original costume and gives it a bit more functionality, meaning that it doesn’t give her the look of being about to spill out of her top and it does allow her freedom of movement. Poison Ivy is a different matter altogether however.
Poison Ivy is a character that’s never worn armor, never had to, and has relied heavily on seduction and the ability to taint the minds of her enemies with her many different charms. That’s why an outfit for this character is so perfect being skimpy and revealing, because it’s a part of the character and not simply due to the male adolescent fantasy. Well, maybe a little bit. After all her whole M.O. is that she can poison a person with her kiss and is able to call upon nature in a most destructive and very seductive manner. In essence she’s a Mother Earth character, but with a very wicked and, in some cases, anti-human side that would rather see the world returned to the natural state it came from. While this picture would argue that Chastain is of course one of the most popular choices, there have been others on the block that might work just as well.
But in choosing a character for one of DC’s films it also has to be said that one has to take into account if these people can actually pull the character off. After all, there have been a few duds in the list of DC movies that have come about, without revealing any obvious names. When it comes to the female characters it seems that some films have gotten it right and others have been floundering, especially when it comes to those that have anything to do with Batman. You can argue all day that Michelle Pfieffer nailed Catwoman to a tee in Batman Returns, but some people still think that Anne Hathaway did a great job while some think that she basically phoned in the role and didn’t really do much other than look pretty in a skin-tight suit while giving Batman no end of trouble.
What people have to realize is that the comics aren’t going to be so easily translated into live action since the dimensions, the abilities, and the overall look of the characters has to be able to conform to what the film can actually do. For instance, not everything you see in the comics is going to make it into the movie since not everything is as functional as it might otherwise seem. Take for instance Bane’s early appearance when he still had tubes feeding into his body. How functional is that? It was shown in Batman and Robin that all it took was someone kicking the tube free and Bane was helpless. That’s why Tom Hardy’s Bane was so much better since it took getting up close and personal to knock his mask askew to really hurt him. And in Poison Ivy’s case, Uma Thurman was a failed experiment largely because she still had to rely on props, whereas the actual character is simply deadly without needing any special dust to help her out. It’d be fun to see Chastain as Poison Ivy after seeing this picture, but in 2021 we’ll either see the character or we won’t.
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