Film Nerd Squads #1 - Wizards

Teams, factions, squads, groups, shared universes etc. are now becoming huge money spinners for film studios. Marvel took the first giant leap with the release of The Avengers, expanding their own cinematic universe, taking the once bankrupt comic book company to a thriving multi billion pound pioneering studio. Warner Bros and DC Comics have taken their first steps into creating a universe for their well known beloved characters with the release of Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice nearly 2 weeks away, setting up a The Justice League film due for release towards the end of 2017. So I had an idea. Why not create my own fantasy squads of film characters for a bit of a laugh. No serious film critic rabble, this is purely for fun. Lets see I can form a team that could potentially work well together using their strengths, covering any weaknesses hindering other members, picking a wide variety of well known iconic characters as well as more obscure ones, creating one awesome group of crime fighting world saviours. There will be a a couple rules to make things harder as follows:

• A team consists of 6 characters with one leader

• Using one character from each film/franchise/shared universe that they appear in e.g. I'm not allowed to pick Hulk, Iron Man or Captain America in the same team.

• Using one portrayal of a character e.g. I can't pick Christian Bale's Batman and Michael Keaton's Batman in the same squad

Choosing a squad of wizards was rather difficult when the time came to drafting up a team. I could have easily picked 3-4 characters from the Harry Potter franchise but as per the rules I could only choose one from the series. Options were limited! Below is my squad of wizards, attempting to blend youth with experience, their different skills and weird and wonderful personalities.

Here are my picks:

Gandalf (LOTR and Hobbit franchise) - Leader

An obvious first pick for the squad, Gandalf is one of the most natural leaders in novel and film history. A protector of the free folk of Middle-Earth, Gandalf shows endless acts of courage and shares his wisdom with Frodo Baggins' fellowship, aiding with the destruction of the one ring. He even goes as far as to sacrifice himself by killing the Balrog, a evil demon of the ancient world so that his friends could flee to safety. Gandalf is like having a Grandad guiding you through the good times and the bad. He appears to be a complete nutcase, setting off fireworks for the kids and smoking weed with his mate Biblo in The Shire but in reality he's a true warrior of men. In the films, he does not use many magical powers but for the leadership skills and having a dictionary brain full of knowledge, Gandalf is the undisputed number one for the leader role.    

Tim the Enchanter - Monty Python and the Holy Grail

The squad's comic relief and resident pyromanic, Tim the Enchanter's skills are unique. A wizard who appears clumsy yet has a useful ability to conjure fireballs from out of the blue could be handy in a difficult situation. There's always room in my squad for a John Cleese voiced Scottish wizard wearing a rams head. And look at that beard and them wacky curly eyebrows, what bad guy wouldn't fear that in a dark alley at 3am in the morning. A definite pick.

Harry Potter

The most famous wizard in pop culture, Harry Potter was inevitably going to be in squad. And for good reason. I didn't want the squad to be all stereotypical wizards, old blokes with birdnest beards and hair greasy enough to fill a McDonalds fryer. Harry's rough childhood and his constant battle against the odds, defying all challenges thrown at him make for a true underdog. He moves on that broomstick like a flea and expertly puzzle solves Dumbledore's unnecessary riddles (why the old bugger insists giving him clues hence not explaining to Harry the actual truth I'll never know!). A quick learner, Harry tends to be good at everything the first time he tries activities, an uncanny comparison to that annoying kid at school always excelling while you're struggling to put on the best interested face. Harry, you're in the team.

Lo-Pan - Big Trouble in Little China

I'd love to choose a proper villain in the wizards squad and ideally I wanted to pick either Saruman or Voldermort. But I've found a great alternative. Lo-Pan still creeps the sh*t out of me. Just look at that face. Arnold Schwarzenegger wouldn't bother to take this guy on. Lo-Pan has peculiar motives in life. His life goal is to marry a woman with green eyes to regain his human form then sacrifice her to his emperor, as a result returning from beyond the grave and attempting to conquer the universe.... Creep. Just who I want in my squad, another weirdo. On a side note if you've not seen Big Trouble in Little China it's a superb 80's John Carpenter film, please watch it if you haven't :)

Merlin - Excalibur (1981)

There have been a number of different Merlin characters in films over the years. I've chosen a unique, younger portrayal who can kick some ass. In Excalibur, Merlin is more of a warrior of men than a bumbling wizard yet he can he still possesses the ability to charm dragons and mythical beasts. He is much more cunning than the Merlin in Disney's King Arthur adaptation The Sword in the Stone, proving to more than match the powers of Morgana (Dame Helen Mirren no less). Another little fact about Excalibur, "particular set of skills" man Liam Neeson is in this film too!

The High Aldwin - Willow

Not because he's particularly powerful nor useful, The High Aldwin face in this picture looks like me on a night out trying to concentrate on a conversation that goes straight in one ear and out the other. In all seriousness, the little wizard has the potential to see magic in ordinary people and gives encouragement to those with low confidence. How great is that! Definitely an attribute that could be useful to the squad.




So there you have it. Over to you, who would you pick in your save the world wizard squad? I've tried to mix a variety of different characters and I will try to do the same in following blog posts. Who would you pick instead. Would you choose Dumbledore over Harry Potter? Comment in the section below, comment on the Facebook page or tweet me :)


Facebook: Dan Middleton Reviews

Twitter:  @DanMiddletonFR

Email: danmiddletonreviews@gmail.com