The Batman (2022)

8.5

In this, Batman (played by Robert Pattinson) pursues the elaborate serial killer The Riddler (Paul Dano) and must figure out why he's targeting his victims.

Director Matt Reeves definitely leaves an impression with this. The opening, introducing Gotham and Batman is just an excellently realized work of cinema. Visually, The Batman really captures the feel of being in a city with some excellent scenery ranging from dirty streets to the fancy but antiquated areas. Bruce Wayne's place in particular, is a fantastically busy neo-gothic looking affair. Also, Reeves really went out of his way to make the city look populated. Has some of the most crowded extras scenes I've seen in a while. Must've been quite an endeavor to put together.

This also has one of the most ambitious car chases put to screen. I've never seen a movie have a car chase in such congested, traditional city traffic. In fact, it feels a little too real like actual traffic accident situations and took me out of it a little. Also, this is the one scene where you question Batman's methods.

This has excellent lightning with a lot of good use of city lights. I can often be be annoyed by films that are too darkly shot, but this one always feels like the shadows are always in the right place, accentuating the scenes. 

Michael Giacchino's soundtrack really helps the film's mood; very sweeping and moving.

This film skips an origin story for or introduction to Batman. I think this might be the closest a live-action film has come to matching the feel of the comics (at least the more recent ones.) You just jump in with Batman, who's already been operating for two years and has already established a relationship with Lt. Gordon (Westworld's Jeffrey Wright). No live-action Batman film has ever focused on the detective side of the character as this. This is a straight-up mystery film mixed with a serial killer film and a crime film. 

The story, aided by the atmosphere of the piece, will keep your eyes glued. However, when you get down to it the film's basic concepts, the corruption and themed serial killer parts, aren't that original. Heck, the movie even reuses a couple plot points from the comics. This also repeats the idea from the first two Nolan films of Batman fighting against the established criminal underworld who have Gotham in their grip. Between this, the Nolan films, Gotham (the show if you're not familiar), and some of the animated films, including the recent The Long Halloween, I'm so tired of Batman stories reusing the same mob figures like Carmine Falcone (here played by John Turturro) and Sal Maroni. Do you realize that there have been two live-action movies with Carmine Falcone and none with the likes of such villains as Clayface, Mad Hatter, or Dr. Hugo Strange? If you ask someone for their top ten or five Batman villains, they're not going to say Carmine Falcone. Enough with the flipping Carmine Falcone and other mobsters stories, already!!! You're not paving any new ground!!!  

The movie didn't need to be three hours long. They could've easily cut down on the number of characters. Though I do like Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman and she has great chemistry with Batman, her subplot could've easily been cut.   

Understand that this is probably the darkest mainstream superhero movie put to screen. Things can get pretty unsettling, like even more unsettling than some of the Joker moments from The Dark Knight. (From a technical standpoint, I'm weirdly impressed with how they pulled this off with a PG-13 rating.)

Cast is great in this. Though you may argue that they make Batman a little too brooding and his Bruce Wayne appearance a little too emo, Pattinson does one of the best jobs of portraying a human Batman who is determined to do his all against terrible odds and is an empathetic man beneath his stolid persona. Wright is definitely one of the Best Gordons with THE best relationship with a Batman. He's kinda Batman's sidekick in this. Andy Serkis, who I don't think anyone suspected would be playing the role, is one of the best Alfred Pennyworths, though he doesn't get much screent ime. He's become so known for motion capture performances, it's nice to see how good a performer he is just by himself. 

Recommend. I wouldn't rank this as high as the Nolan trilogy or even Batman Returns. I felt those movies did a better job with plotting and characters. Also, the length, heavy tone, and the fact that the plot points aren't that original, hurts replay value. Still, this is a very strong, visually impressive, well-acted entry that does catch your attention.  

Hawkeye

8.5/10

In this new MCU show on Disney+, the retired-from-superheroing Clint Barton/Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner), on a trip to New York, has to go back into action when a shadow from his past resurfaces and ends up having to work with wannabe superhero Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), who's his biggest fan.

Of all the the MCU shows, this is the one that's just trying the most to just have fun (not to say there aren't serious parts, especially with Clint). This is a bit of a madcap program as Clint and Kate run into one big personality or out-of-control situation after the next as they keep sinking deeper and deeper into trouble. This takes place on Christmas, and the festive feel adds to the show.  Also, action's pretty good with some occasional memorable moments, though expect more street level hand-to-hand style combat than the other shows.

Admittedly Hawkeye is no one's favorite Avenger, but I'm glad he finally got a solo project. Clint's more of an every guy. What's interesting about him is he didn't go through a major life-changing event to cause him to want to become a hero. He's a soldier who sort of fell into it. Unlike a lot of the other Marvel superheroes, you really don't go into his back story and have to fill in the gaps, which I like. A lot is said about guy through actions and attitude alone. Renner does a great playing a job playing a man who's burned out and just tired of the costs of supeheroing. Plus, he's shouldering his own guilt not in a brooding Batman way, but in a more realistic manner.

The core of this show is definitely the relationship between the jaded, grumpy Clint and the optimistic, but unprepared Kate. Hailee does a great job selling the character. Though there have been plenty of Marvel superheroes who have to learn to be a hero really quickly, Kate feels a little different as she's clearly always wanted to be a hero and already has her skill set, she's just a bit vague on the details on how to do it. Also, I love the explanation of why out of all the Avengers, Hawkeye's her favorite. Excellent exposition scene.

Thing is, they do spend a little too much time on Clint and Kate. There are a lot of interesting characters in this, but most of them don't feel like they were fleshed out or given enough to do. The show suffers the same kind of issue Loki did in that it feels like they posed most of the mysteries early on and just dropped all the answers on us in the last couple episodes. What made Wandavision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier work was that they doled out plot points carefully throughout the shows. Here we get a LOT of Kate and Clint shenanigans that start to run together, and there could've been more variety in the plotting.

Overall, highly recommended. I'd say this is the weakest of the four live-action Marvel shows, but that's just compared to the others. This is definitely a fun romp with some good Clint beats and more entertaining than a lot of other shows out there.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

10/10

(NOTE: I'm not including any spoilers per se. I will be talking about stuff that's already in the trailer. However, if you haven't seen the trailer, I won't deny that this may be one of those films where it may be beneficial if you watched it completely clean. Also, I will be briefly mentioning the outcome of the last Spider-Man movie if you don't want to know about it.)

In this, Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland), wants the world to forget he's Spider-Man. He turns to Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to make everyone forget. The spell goes wrong and a transdimensional crisis occurs.

Wonderful script. Very creative, surprisingly heartfelt and dramatic (this is definitely the darkest of the MCU SM trilogy), while successfully blending in the comedy without taking away from the serious aspects. If you felt the Tom Holland SM strayed too far from the traditional concept of the hero struggling in a world against him, this is more of a return to form. (Though, I understand if you didn't want that and felt the concept overused). The ending hits home, I mean man oh man does it leave an impression. However, it might not be the ending everyone wanted.

Running at two hours and twenty-eight minutes, the length does raise its head during the last act. However, I can't decide what should've been cut. That's how good all the material is. Also, there are some plot points and character choices that don't make complete sense if you stop to think about them.

Excellent character work. Director Jon Watts and the script does an excellent job with even minor cast members. (The world feels really populated.) Parker, MJ (Zendaya), and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) are the perfect trio in this. (The latter two are utilized a lot more in this than the last two films.) They work so well off of each other and each brings something to the table. The more knowledgeable Dr. Strange works really with the more inexperienced, younger Peter Parker. (It's also just fun in general seeing the main three dealing with the world of magic in general.)

The idea to bring in the Spider-Man villains from the last two SP franchises was an idea of genius. (We would think this movie would feel repetitive given that Into the Spider-Verse did the multiverse not too long ago, but this feels surprisingly fresh.) First, we finally get to see the Sinister Six brought to screen. (Well, it's five here. Good enough for me; there's already a lot of characters in this, anyway. To be honest, they didn't need Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church) and the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) in this.) Second, we get the privilege of seeing the talented Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Foxx act alongside each other. The writers realized the weak points of Foxx's Electro from Amazing Spider-Man 2, who was a fairly  cliched nerdy guy who goes bad trope, and managed to strengthen the character's dialogue. The creators of this realized that the majority of SP villains started as good people who had something horrible happen to them, and they use this fact to bring something important to the table. 

The effects look great with the usual MCU budget. Action scenes are really well done. The fact that there are so many villains with so many different powers leads to a lot of impressive moments. 

Highly recommended. Definitely the best of the Holland trilogy, one of the best Spider-Man movies in general, and the best MCU movie of the year. This is just one of those films that pull you in and are highly entertaining.

Eternals

10/10

In this movie, the titular Eternals are immortal beings who have lived on Earth for centuries. The group, who have been scattered, reunite when their old enemies the people-eating Deviants return.  

The buzz about this film is that it was going to be different for a Marvel film and go for more of an epic feel. I'm very pleased to say that this met my expectations and really did feel different. Don't get me wrong this is still an MCU movie; it's got jokes and CGI fighting. However, it tweaks the formula a little.  There is a lot less fighting and a lot more focus on story and characters and their interactions. I know I've seen complaints about the length and pacing, but it was never an issue for me. I thought everything was done and revealed at a steady stride. I liked everything I learned as the movie goes on. It's got a large cast, but the movie makes the wise choice of not having everyone immediately meet at once, giving more time to let characters breathe. 

I give this movie credit for doing a few things you don't usually see in Marvel films. This is one of their entries that takes itself more seriously. A lot of thought is given than expected. We get the usual big fight, but it has more of an oomph than your traditional MCU finale.

The special effects in this are pretty good. Some great cosmic creature and sci-fi design. I wasn't initially sold by the Deviants' design in the commercials, looked like basic green CGI creatures, but there is a surprising amount of detail to them. No Deviant is alike and I appreciate the variety. 

Strong cast and group of characters. For 10 Eternals, all the characters' are fairly well developed, some more than others, but even the less prominent ones have distinctive traits. My favorite Eternals are probably Kumail Nanjiani's Kingo, the most humorous member of the group, and the technology-oriented Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), who has one of the more interesting life paths. Game of Thrones' Kit Harrington has only a small part as the boyfriend of Eternal Cersei (Gemma Chan), but he shines as a more human element and generally likable guy. 

 Highly recommended. I know I might be a bit vague, but I don't want to spoil anything. This is a really entertaining superhero/god-like being epic. Definitely the best of the Marvel phase 4 films so far.

Venom: Let There be Carnage

7.5/10 

In this sequel, the alien symbiote Venom and his host Eddie Brock (both played by Tom Hardy) have to go up against the deadly symbiote Carnage and his host and serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson).

The first film felt like an older pre-Dark Knight/the MCU superhero movie> this also feels like it was made before the golden age of these films, but it feels like a movie that was made closer to that period. Let There be Carnage manages to avoid the flaws of its predecessor, such as a poorly written villain. This is a leaner, quicker-paced film. 

The filmmakers realized that what everyone liked about the last film was the comic back-and-forth between Eddie and Venom. It can be pretty entertaining; the symbiote can be so delightfully weird. However, the movie spends waaaaayyyy too much time on them. They don't even do much fighting in this (really, just in the final act.) It's just a lot of them arguing with each other. This seems to be at the expense of other characters. I like the character of Brock's ex Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) in these films, but she's given so little to do here. Also, they lean a little heavily on Brock getting in trouble with everyone.

BUT, all the scenes with the villains are loads of fun. Harrelson really pulls off the psychotic, and strangely interesting killer really well. He nails the body language. The most underrated character in this may be Naomie Harris' Frances Barrison/Shriek, Kasady's equally crazed lover. (The trailers really didn't pay her much attention.) Harris does the best character work in this. She and Harrelson have excellent chemistry as the crazed Bonnie and Clyde types. (I haven't seen Stone Cold Killers, so I can't say how similar Harrelson is to his character in that.) Also, I love their clothes in this.

As for Carnage itself, the movie really does the Venom's greatest enemy justice. His savagery and the versatility of his powers are really captured here. I mean he may be one of the best "monsters" in a superhero movie. If you're worried about the fact that the final villain of the last movie was also a symbiote, you don't need to worry about  rehashing. Carnage leaves far more of an impression. This is directed by Andy Serkis, best known for his long history of motion caption acting, and he appears to bring a real sense of movement. Carnage is a very flexible, fluid being, and the movie plays around with what he can do as much as it can. Heck, all the cinematography choices in this are really good. Harrelson and Harris's first scene together is truly something. 

The fact that this movie is about a serial killer should give you a heads up that this leans toward the dark. It's PG-13, but pushes the envelope as far as it can. If you haven't seen the first film, understand that Venom is an antihero. The film can feel didactic as it both shows him trying to be a hero while also doing some indefensible stuff.

Recommended. Definitely better than the first but still far from perfect. The back-and-forth bits can be trying. However, it's worth it for the villain scenes and the fights. They are really worth watching.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

9/10

In this film, Shang-Chi (played by Simiu Lu from the Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience) is an unambitious fellow working as a valet with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina). However, Shang-Chi's past comes to haunt him as he is pursued by the criminal organization The Ten Rings to which he has ties.

This film proves once again that the MCU is going to do just fine after the shakeup of Endgame. This is even a stronger entry than Black Widow. It's not one of those Marvel films that tries to switch up the tone a little. It is just a good ol' fashioned action-packed audience-pleaser. If you're a little tired of the Marvel formula, I'd like to say in defense of this movie that it is really well executed.

Some of the fight choreography is really impressive, especially the bus scene. And yeah we have the traditional big budget battle at the end that the MCU is also known for, but it's a very impressive final battle.

There are a lot of Chinese mythical creatures in this. I really appreciate the amount of detail and color that went toward them. However, it's clear the creatures are computer animated as the amount of detail is a little at the expense of realistic quality.  

The story in this has a different feel about it. It really is based around the main character's personal life and how it relates to his journey even more than the likes of Black Widow or Thor. The whole general backstory is really well thought out (especially when it comes to using the Mandarin/Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) without wandering into the general area of the Yellow Peril/Fu Manchu stereotype that the comics character originally was.) 

The script is one of the more humorous Marvel films and has two jokes that are just laugh-out-loud funny.

Though this movie makes good use of comprehensive flashbacks spread throughout to build the story, there are a lot of them and some could find them exhausting. I felt that the character of Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) wasn't always properly utilized in the last act. She needed more interaction between characters and it felt like her backstory didn't get a resolution in a way that would've felt natural. If you saw the character Death Dealer (Andy Le) in the trailers and thought he looked neat, be forewarned that he's basically Boba Fett, cool design but sadly underutilized. Plus, comics fans might be disappointed that they've significantly limited the abilities of the Mandarin's rings, which originally each had their own unique power.

Simiu makes for a likable lead. Think of Shang-Chi as kind of a goofy average Joe like Ant Man, except he's more sensible and a chill dude. However, it's Awkwafina who really steals the show. She's funny and entertaining, but she never feels like she's forced in and works well with the more serious moments of the film. Leung makes a good antagonist, one of the most sympathetic and sorta fleshed out villains in the MCU. 

Highly recommended, just an all-around entertaining movie.

The Suicide Squad

 

9.5/10

In this sorta sequel/sorta reboot to 2016's Suicide Squad (yeah, I don't know why they didn't just use a subtitle to differentiate the two,) stone cold government operative Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis), sends Task Force X, a black ops team comprised mostly of arrested supervillains, to the island nation of Corto Maltese in order to take out a dangerous project it possesses.

This was just excellent viewing. It's directed and written by James Gunn, who did the Guardians of the Galaxy, and it really has that magic touch he had there but in an R-rated format. What unfolds is just a well-told tale that combines dark humor and quirky characters who become surprisingly relatable for a bunch of crooks. Really, this feels like a love letter to DC Comics' B- through C-list villains, basically characters you'd never think would make the live action theatrical films. Of all the MCU directors/screenwriters, Gunn probably played the most fast and loose when it came to consistency with characters' comics origins. He does this again to perhaps better affect, as he takes characters that don't have a fan base, so he can change their history or other aspects in order to create more moving backstories or interesting characteristics.     

Gunn definitely improves upon the first Suicide Squad movie. (Yeah, yeah, I know that one suffered from heavy studio interference and a director's cut would most likely be stronger, but director David Ayer is a victim of his constrictive "make it about the streets" wheelhouse and stuff like gangster Joker and stereotypically black Killer Croc are on him). This movie is probably a relief to fans of the original comics. None of that "the team is created to take down a Superman-level threat when a lot of them aren't capable of that" plot hole. The team's going back to it's original purpose: doing secret "suicide missions" where the government can't officially be. Infiltrating a Latin American country is exactly the kind of storyline I expected and wanted. This movie does a better job of keeping you guessing as to who'll live or die (a staple of the comic). Also, this movie features Amanda Waller's support crew, a staple of Ostrander's seminal run. They add a little bit of humor and more of a human element to contrast with Waller's cold approach.     

This movie also doesn't make you care that a couple elements are recycled from the last film: a certain villain type and the fact that the mercenary Bloodsport (Idris Elba) has a daughter, just like the mercenary Deadshot in the last film. I excuse the whole daughter reuse thing because it's done a lot better here and Elba does a greater job than Will Smith, and that's not a knock to Will Smith, he was good in the last one. (Also, in regards to the redo, the grapevine is that the role was originally written for Deadshot, but Smith was unavailable and they decided not to recast the character in case Smith returned for a future project.) 

The Suicide Squad definitely earns it's R rating. Action and violence fans will appreciate the extents Gunn goes to. However, he also knows less is more, it's paced pretty well, never feeling like overkill. 

Visually this whole thing looks good with one playfully dark scene that will particularly stick in your mind. Costumes and appearances fit the comics while working well in live action. (I'm especially impressed they managed to make Peacemaker's costume, a design that screams "I was created in the sixties and am not practical, work.) Harley has her best outfits in this. 

The movie does a remarkably fantastic job of juggling a huge cast, letting all the characters have a chance to shine. Though, there are two parts in this that felt like a scene got cut, but they're minor situations and not dealbreakers. 

Really great cast. Unfortunately, there isn't enough time to go into all the characters here. Gotta say the Peacemaker (John Cena), a soldier who kills A LOT in the name of peace, is my favorite of the new faces. Harley Quinn's scenes and Robbie's performance is/are the best to date. If you're afraid of the character being overused, it isn't yet. I know a lot of people are loving King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), sort of the Groot of this film, but personally, I think he may be the weakest element. I know he's fun, but what with his limited vocabulary and goals, I find him the least interesting and he takes up time that could've been better used elsewhere.

Highly recommended, unless you're just not a fan of R-rated movies or antiheroes in general. Gunn brings two hours and twelve minutes of just well-crafted cinema. If you didn't like the first one, you should still give this a shot.

Loki- Season 1

Note: Contains a reference that may be considered a vague sorta spoiler if you haven't seen Avengers Endgame.

9/10

In Loki on Disney+, the events of Avengers Endgame have resulted in a separate timeline. This one's Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) is arrested by the TVA, time cops, for going against the timeline and finds himself recruited to fight a bigger foe.

This is a wondrously weird and creative show. Tt has kind of a Terry Gilliam feel to it. Loki finds himself running into several fantastical and intriguing situations and concepts. It's also kinda like WandaVision in that there are many mysteries and twists and turns. 

Although time authorities have been done before, the TVA manages to carve its own space. Admittedly, there are blatant comparisons to the time organization from The Umbrella Academy, especially since they both have anachronistic designs and dress codes. Still I think the two organizations do enough differently that the similarities aren't a deal killer.

Be forewarned that I didn't find the last episode as satisfying as I'd like. I didn't dislike it, but I feel there was room for improvement.

Unsurprisingly, this show titled Loki is mainly about Loki. The character has always been fun, but he always had to play second fiddle. Here the character gets to shine, and this turns out to be an incredibly strong character piece as the show goes into what makes Loki tick and his personal journey. I think we all know Loki has issues and damage, but I'm surprised how much introspection and pathos is in this. It's also kinda fun to see Loki, who's been selfish and usually pursuing his own goals and not having a lot of time to interact with people, thrown into other people's plans and conflicts and seeing him try to adapt to these situations. (Basically if you're tired of people falling for his tricks ALL the time, you'll be pleased with the change of pace here.) Hiddleston's performance has always been what made the character popular, and man does he really nail the character here but in a new way.

However, I think the show spends too much time on the title character than it really needs. You can only see Loki do Loki stuff and say Loki things for so long. The cast is smaller than WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which admittedly allows the story to be more focused, but I think the supporting characters could've had more to do. Loki's intelligence and strength does seem to vary drastically based on the situation. The show also has a nasty habit of putting Loki through the wringer, throwing heavy thing after heavy thing onto him, and it gets exhausting.

Going back to the characters, we've got some great casting. Owen Wilson is in this as TVA investigator Mobius and he brings a nice chain of pace from what he usually does. The character is a smart, level-headed, and nice guy, plus a solid foil for Loki. Mobius kind of serves as an audience surrogate, knowing all of Loki's tricks and exactly what makes him tick. The two of them got a good odd couple buddy cop thing going on.  

The show looks great. Of the recent MCU shows, this is the most theatrical looking. The show really outdid itself with all the different places Loki visits. The design for the TVA headquarters is really, really impressive (especially the exterior). Though, the low lighting and monotone color scheme of the place does get on my nerves a little. The costume design is also really good, again being pretty diverse.

Highly recommended. I did prefer Wandavision and F&tWS. The show doesn't feel quiiiiite as solidly put together and like I said it tries a little too hard to be dramatic. Could've lightened things up a little. Still, compared to a lot of the shows out there there, it's surpasses a lot of them. Very entertaining.

Black Widow

 

8.5/10

In Black Widow's first feature film, which takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, the titular superhero spy (played by Scarlett Johansson), ends up dealing with her tragic past as she goes up against the organization that trained her.  

This is definitely the darkest Marvel movie, even more so than Infinity War.  Think of this like the franchise's version of a modern James Bond film. Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff has a compelling backstory and personal journey in this. Although we get the traditional action-packed finale to a Marvel film, I appreciated that the emphasis still remained with story. That having been said, I do think that too much emphasis was put on Black Widow's past personal experience with her allies. I would have liked to seen more explanation of how the Black Widow program operated. Also, this movie does a good job of successfully filling in elements of BW's backstory hinted in the past without feeling crammed in or being disappointing (like with how the reveal of how Nick Fury lost his eye).

Johansson again does a confident, cool performance as her character. What's fresh is Florence Pugh's performance as Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), another member of the Black Widow program whose got a past with Natasha. She's the funny one in comparison to the straighter Natasha, and has most of the best lines. 

Speaking of Natasha's humorousness, though she's fun, I admit her more jovial attitude doesn't line up with her tragic backstory of being trained as a soldier since her childhood. The character of Alexei/the Red Guardian, though Stranger Things' David Harbour does well in the role, is supposed to be a comedy relief and redemptive character, but it's hard to forgive him based on his past actions. Based on the man he started as, I think the script could've done more to make him remorseful. 

The main villain Dreykov (Rey Winstone) isn't the most stand out antagonist in the MCU, but he's not underwritten like some of weaker ones such as Thor the Dark World's Maliketh. Dreykov has the honor of being Marvel's single most hate-able villain. A lot of villains in the MCU you can understand where they're coming from, though you can't condone their actions, but this villain is just refreshingly horrible.

This is a Marvel film, so there are the traditional big action set pieces, including a couple grand visuals. They have that traditional Marvel feel, but don't do enough to differentiate from other films in the franchise. The editing during the action also feels too quick. On t.he plus side, the hand-to-hand fighting fairs better than the other action parts. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this. The story definitely kept my interest, and it was definitely nice to finally see a movie go into Natasha's past. However, I admit that the plot set up might not work for everyone.

Justice Society: World War II

6/10

In this film, the Flash (voiced by Matt Bomer) accidentally runs so fast that he ends up back in time in World War II where he encounters the Justice Society. 

JSWWII starts off promising enough. The JS members all have their personal stories, a few interesting things are thrown at us, and you get that old school war-era comics feel.   

Unfortunately, come the halfway point the whole thing becomes lackluster. The conclusion to the characters' arcs, though having weight feel a bit by the numbers, and you realize that they just do a lot of talking. Plus, everyone feels like they're going through the motions of the animated DC film formula.

The film loses the focus on the Nazi threat and the WWII theme that movie is supposed to be about. We end up with a villain that is terribly underwhelming and with hints at a background of his that is never actually revealed. 

The lack of originality to the ending really gets to me. Not one but two elements from the finales of two early 2010 DC animated films appear here and feel almost stolen. 

It doesn't help that since this movie takes place in the Forties, the movie resurrects a long forgotten plot point from the original forties' Wonder Woman run: Steve Trevor (Chris Diamantopoulos) constantly trying to get WW (Castle's Stana Katic) to marry him. This element doesn't age well. They give Trevor a better reason for this here than in the forties, but it still feels unhealthy. Also, out of the old forgotten plot elements, why bring back that one? I mean classic Wonder Women comics had the Amazons riding kangaroos. I want to see kangaroo riding, gosh darn it! (In fairness, there's a lot worse they could go with. The Wonder Woman comics don't age well. Practically every issue of William Moulton Marston's original run involved bondage and that is not an exaggeration.)

I have no complaints with the visuals. This uses the same rotoscope-esque animation style in Superman: Man of Tomorrow and it still looks pretty slick and good, especially for a made-for-DVD/streaming film. The credits go with a retro look that I liked.

Overall, I wouldn't say this movie is bad, but it ends up being forgettable. It doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from the many other animated DC works.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

10/10

In Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, Sam Wilson/the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) go up against the terrorist organization the Flagsmashers. Out of the first three Marvel shows with trailers, the other two being WandaVision and Loki, this couldn't stand out as much compared to the more creative and unexpected paths the other two were taking. It seemed to be the most traditional of the Marvel shows. Well, the show's come out now, and it's definitely proved itself.

This may not be as original as Wandavision, but I think FatWS was the better scripted show. It really manages to keep the spyesque, political intrigue-light feel of the last two Captain America films. The show manages to incorporate heavy themes that include racism, PSTD, and sociological/political elements smoothly into the superhero world of Marvel.  

The six-episode run times gives the characters more room to breathe than in the films resulting in a character piece with a nuanced, three-dimensional cast. None of the villains are straight up evil-for-the-sake-of-evil and you get where they're coming from.    

You just get a great bunch of faces in this. Sam Wilson really is the successor to Steve Rogers/Captain America as the hero who's trying to do good for the sake of good. He realizes more than Steve that the world isn't perfect and has some compelling struggles. Still, he is the voice of reason and legitimately tries to talk things over with his opponents. Stan also does a great job as a brooding Bucky trying to recover from his horrible past.     

This show brings the first live action appearance of John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who for a short period of time during the 80's was the bad boy/antihero Captain America. Walker's the competition to Sam and Bucky in taking down the threat, and he's one of the more intriguing parts of the show. He's a very complex fellow and a wild card.  

Flagsmasher was the Captain America villain I've wanted to see adapted the most. Having the villains' motivation be pro-globalism, anti-nationalism, is a unique motive. Their leader Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) works, oozing self-righteousness.  

The aforementioned characters are all good, but it's Daniel Bruhl as Zemo who steals the show. I feel that he was one of the best villains in the Marvel movies, but didn't get as much credit as he deserved, probably due to his plan in Winter Soldier being too complex and the large cast relegating him mostly to just enacting his plan. But, I'm glad to see that this show has gotten him quite a bit of buzz online. We're given more time to know Zemo, and he proves himself to be quite charming and a conversationalist. He remains the smartest guy in the room, you're left anticipating what his next move will be.

The one thing I don't love is that this is Sharon Carter's third appearance, and she still hasn't been given enough time to reach her full potential. Her actress Emily VanCamp was also filming her show The Resident at the same time as this, so it's understandable that they couldn't use her as much, and we're lucky they were filming in the same area and the two shows were able to work things out at all. I just find the character's MCU adaptation disappointing. In the comics, she's Captain America's main love interest and one of the more prominent characters. However, the films were too busy to squeeze her in more (early attempts were made to include her in Infinity War, but she got cut) and Peggy Carter resonated more as a love interest with the fans. She does get more to do here, but I guess it's just not what I wanted. 

The show looks great. Like Wandavision, it is almost film quality. There are some impressive and at times creative fight scenes. Costume design works, too. They finally adapt Zemo's classic purple comics mask, and it works pretty well.

I highly recommend Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It's just really good.

Thunder Force

7/10

Thunder Force on Netflix takes place in a world where cosmic rays have given people superpowers, but only those with sociopathic tendencies, resulting in a world of supervillains known as Miscreants. Through a series of events, regular gal Lydia Berman (played by Melissa McCarthy) ends up being accidentally injected with a superhero strength formula created by her genius former high school friend Emily Stanton (Octavia Spencer). The two become superheroes in order to thwart the Miscreant menace. On the whole, I enjoyed myself, but the film isn't perfect.

On the plus side, the world and basic plot work well enough. There are some pretty good jokes in this, including a few laugh out loud ones.

As is often the case, the villains are more fun than the leads. Hands down, the best character in this is Jason Bateman's The Crab, the charismatic, level-headed one. He steals every scene he's in and the actor, who usually plays the straight man, seems to be down for anything and having the time of his life. Guardians of the Galaxy's Pom Klementieff is also good as the psychotic Laser.

On the negative side, for there are also a lot of lousy jokes in this. This is directed and written by McCarthy's husband Ben Falcone. As I've noticed in the unfunny opening of their The Boss and which has been the general criticism of their other films, the couple working with each other results in the inability to make the tough calls and a lack of restraint. A lot of the bad jokes suffer from no editing and being stretched too long. Some of them may've been funny if they'd been one and done. Luckily, the worse stuff happens during Lydia's training/exposition period. It's choppy waters for a while, but the sailing is pretty clear once it's over. 

This film can be frustrating at points, but I felt the good parts out-weighted the bad. It's worth taking a chance on.

Wandavision

10/10

In Wandavision, former Avengers Wanda Maximoff/the Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and the Vision (Paul Bettany) move to a small idyllic town  to live in anonymity. But something is very off. The world is operating according to rules of sitcoms throughout the years, including black-and-white episodes and laugh tracks. Also if you saw the end of Avengers: Endgame, there is another large glaring question about this whole situation.

I absolutely loved the show. After the tremendous finale to all the films in the Infinity Stones saga and some main actors exiting, I was afraid that Marvel could've exhausted itself or not know where to go next. Wandavision completely proves me wrong. It is a unique and creative combination of sitcoms and The Twilight Zone. On one hand we get some really spot-on odes to several nostalgic comedies, right down to the styles, sets, filming techniques, and aspect ratios. On the other hand, we get the next big "mystery box" show as we're slowly introduced to what is going on. This is the first MCU to actually go scary (main MCU not the TV branch like Hellstrom). It also givea Inifnity War/Endgame a run for their money for darkest entry. However, the show never quite violates the general audience feel that the Marvel films are known for.    

As weird as the show gets, it never loses the human touch and is actually one of the more emotional entries in the MCU. It's nice to get time to fully focus on Wanda and Vision. They've really only been in a handful of films in which they were never the leads. Yet, the characters were strong enough that you quickly began to root for them. Now they finally get their due. This is primarily Olsen's movie as Wanda, and she absolutely kills it in what is an Emmy-nomination-worthy performance. She nails all the nuances of each acting style of each era absolutely and the emotional segments. Bettany also gives a great performance, though do to a lot of this having him act like a TV dad, he doesn't have as many times to be as eloquent as he has been in the films. (Though when he does, he's wonderful.) Best new face award goes to Katherine Hahn as Wanda's neighbor Agnes. In fact, this show just has a great supporting and recurring cast overall. There are a few faces I'd like to talk about, but I don't want to spoil anything if you haven't heard about them.

I've already mentioned how the show went to lengths to recreate the sitcom feel, but even the non-sitcom stuff looks great. Like The Mandalorian, this show has a large budget and almost looks film quality. Each sitcom includes its own theme song written by Frozen's Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, all which do a wonderful job of fitting their respective time periods. Also, we get a good ending theme and credits, which is a nice surprise in an era where they don't get much love.

Now, some viewers may have trouble with the first few episodes if antiquated television pacing isn't your thing. But rest assured, the show focuses more on the reveals and less on sticking to format as the show moves on. Surprisingly, prime fodder for nineties sitcoms, like Full House or Family Matters, aren't used. Also due to the large number of faces in this, some of the characters don't get enough time as you like. Also, I think that one or two characters' screentime may have been cut due to possible scheduling conflicts or not wanting to take health risks after production was paused due to COVID, which is definitely unsatisfying.

I highly recommend this, especially if you're a Marvel fan.

Flora & Ulysses

 

8/10

Flora & Ulysses, currently on Disney+ and based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, is about Flora (played by Matilda Lawler), a young girl dealing with her parents' separation, who meets Ulysses, a squirrel with abilities who she is convinced is a superhero.

This is a pretty entertaining, funny, and innovative kids' film. It does a little something new with both superhero and animal films.    

The cast and characters, both primary and supporting, all do really well. Lawler may have a future ahead of her, because she is a pretty good child actor. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, as Flora's new friend William, delivers some of the funniest lines. On the adult front, Parks and Recreation/Sonic the Hedgehog's Ben Schwartz plays Flora's father. Given that he usually plays more energetic, over-the-top characters, it was a nice change of pace seeing him play a more grounded, likable average Joe. Community's Danny Pudi plays an animal control guy hellbent on catching Ulysses. Thought Pudi does recycle the same over-confidant character he's played in Powerless and Mythic Quest, he plays it well and makes a fine foil.

Some kids and maybe adults may lose attention with this. They should like the parts with Ulysses and the other scenes that are just trying to have fun, but the more serious parts dealing with the parents' separation and the characters' personal struggles slows things down. I'm sorry but this movie is about a super-powered squirrel. That's all we're here for.

Also, the lighting in here is surprisingly not as brightly shot as most children's films. Though in fairness, the shoot may have been very overcast.

Despite the pacing issues, I do recommend this. Kids should like Ulysses and the hijinks, and the movie is distinctive enough to be a decent watch for parents.

We can be Heroes

 

8/10

We can be Heroes is the newest kids film from Robert Rodriguez and a spin-off to his 2005 entry The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D. (One of the main characters is SB and LG's daughter Guppy (played by Vivien Lyra Blair)). In it, the world's biggest superheroes are captured by aliens and their children, most of which have powers of their own, go to rescue them. I felt this was good for what it is.

Rodriguez is known for his very specific style of kids film. He's doing these specifically for children (I hear he's gotten ideas and input from his own kids) with no worries about "real world rules" or adding stuff for adults. They're mostly just goofy fun. Sometimes I think these movies work, like Spy Kids and SK 4-D, and sometimes the plots are so thin that they don't, like SK 2 & 3-D. I'm happy to say that this is one that works. It's got a tight and clear and story that knows where it is going and what it is trying to say. In fact, I think it's much better than Sharkboy and Lava Girl, which threw too many things at the fan.

The kid heroes work better than the SB & LG characters as well. They all have clear personalities and fun powers. (My favorite was the "big diva musical performance" lover A Cappella (Lotus Blossom)). Though there are eleven of them, their screentime and characterization is balanced surprisingly well. I mean, there's no deep character development; this isn't one of those type of films. The kid actors all did a good job. Blair, the youngest, does feel like she's reading lines from a cue card but she's pretty good with the nonverbal stuff. 

I meant it when I said this was a spin-off and not a sequel to SB & LG. Sharkboy (JJ Dashnaw replacing Taylor Lautner) and Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley) aren't in this very much as are the rest of the parents. (Yeah, I don't know why they don't rename themselves Sharkman and Lavawoman. I mean they're still in their twenties but sooner or later the names won't match the appearances). The characters aren't given much room to breathe, but all the actors are having fun. There are a couple of refreshingly surprising known names here that I won't spoil if you don't know yet. 

Overall, this isn't high art, but it serves its purpose: entertaining kids. Both my nephews really liked this and watched it more than once. If you generally like Rodriguez's kids films or like some but not all of them then this is worth taking a chance. If you straight up get nothing from these than, yeah there's nothing to change your mind here. The director's staying the course. 

Wonder Woman 1984

 

8/10

Wonder Woman 1984, which surprise, surprise takes place in '84, has Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot), finds herself miraculously reunited with the love of her life Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). But, what caused this and other people's wishes to be granted? The answer will propel WW on a mission to save the world. I had a fun time with this. 

The reception online has been VERY bipolar. I can understand those who had issues. The outfit WW wears in this is really shoehorned in, the villain The Cheetah (played by SNL's/Bridesmaids' Kristen Wiig) is given a great beginning and build up but a lousy conclusion and final battle (see more on that later), the manner with which Steve comes back is "problematic" and raises icky questions, there are, perhaps, one too many wishes which stretch out this two hour, thirty-one minute film, and the lighter-hearted and, at times, goofier tone does not match with that of the previous film. 

That all having been said, I came in expecting to be entertained and this delivered. I know I'm not the first person online to make this comparison, but it feels a lot like the original Superman quadrilogy/Supergirl movie. Wonder Woman 1984 is lighthearted, even more so than some Marvel movies. It's trying to just be a pleasurable viewing experience without a focus on a kill count and emphasis on the hero actually saving people.

The wishes gone wrong idea isn't new (mostly relegated to horror), but you've got to admit that they haven't done it in the superhero format. Though the movie does lean a little too heavy on the concept, I do admire the various ways the film takes advantage of the wishes and how out of control some of them get. Antagonist Maxwell Lord (The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal) actually does some really smart things with them that you haven't seen before.

A strength of this is the four main characters. Gal Gadot once again does a great job as Diana and continues to cement the character as the more passionate superhero. Pine again works well off her. However, I missed the more serious earnestness he had in the last film. Here, he's fed more jokes. 

Cheetah's backstory of a scientist who's disrespected and put upon by society has been done several times already and feels pretty obvious. However, her descent into evil is executed really well and Wiig does a very good job. But, like I said, there wasn't enough payoff. Her full supervillain form didn't jive with me design-wise. The computer graphics weren't the best and the final battle has her move so quickly that you barely get to make her out. Pascal is fun as the main villain Lord. His trajectory is the opposite of Cheetah's. He starts off small but gets more interesting as the story progresses. He's also a change of pace as he's more of an amoral business-guy type who's just trying to grab what he can get unlike someone actively evil. (Admittedly fans of that "big" dark Wonder Woman storyline with ML might be disappointed with how light they went with him here.)

The movie looks nice; it's definitely the most colorful and brightly shot of the DCEU films. The music is excellent.

Overall, the first Wonder Woman movie is definitely the superior film. However, I personally don't think WW84 is a fail. It provides a different viewing experience than other superhero films and is a good time-filler.

Superman: Man of Tomorrow

7/10

Superman: Man of Tomorrow is about Clark Kent/Superman (voiced by Glee/American Crime Story season 2's Darren Criss), brand new in Metropolis and trying to figure out whether he should reveal his abilities to the world. I found this to be one of DC's better animated movies.

Yeah, this isn't the first Superman origin story ever told or him feeling like an outsider and trying to find his place in the world, but to its credit, this is the first time I've seen it done as feature animation. The script does a decent job of exploring the character of Clark and his fears of the world distrusting an outsider. In fact, this includes one of the best gosh-darn-likable Clark's. Heck, this includes some of the better depictions of Lois Lane (Percy Jackson's Alexandra Daddario), Ma and Pa Kent (Bellamy Young and Scrubs/The Middle's Neil Flynn), Lex Luthor (Stare Trek/Heroes' Zachary Quinto), and other Superman/DC characters. 

There are reasons I didn't rate this higher. Not every story decision worked for me. Some things seemed to happen just because the writer wanted them to happen regardless of whether they were natural. Superman has a big speech in this that is supposed to be persuasive but comes off as schmaltzy. Also, the movie felt a little too tragic and morbid with the villain Parasite (Agent of Shield's Brett Dalton). His depressing, dark storyline seemed to be at odds with the more hopeful, upbeat feel of Superman's.   

The whole things looks great. I felt that a lot of DC animated character designs, especially recently, have been so-so. Here, some sort of new process is used giving the characters a more rotoscope-type appearance. They just feel a little more detailed than a lot of character designs today. Although I miss the old-school original humanoid appearance of the Parasite and haven't been a big fan of the comics making him look more like a parasitic creature these days, I admit that this particular monstrous design is pretty good, especially his weird feet.   

Overall, I think any DC animation or Superman fan will like this.

New Mutants

8/10

New Mutants, based on the X-Men related comic book series, is about a group of teen mutants being held in a facility until they properly learn to control their powers. Suspicious events commence. This movie was supposed to come out in 2018 before Dark Phoenix and has been held back till now. (The switch to Disney from Fox probably was responsible for some of the stalling on how to handle this.) Now that it's finally come out I'm surprised at the delay. I mean, I could see the executives giving this little advertising or moving it to a weak box office month, but they didn't need to wait this long. Overall, I rather liked the movie.

This is one of the more unique takes on superheroes, being a combination of teen drama and horror. The strongest part is the characters, all managing to be distinct with a good cast playing them. 

The movie looks great. The film has this polished look to everything. It's greyness sets the bleak tone but isn't shot too darkly. The facility this movie mostly takes place in is appropriately creepy looking. It has this sterile, decrepit look while the building exteriors and grounds are pretty grand. The traditional big fight at the end is also definitely different from most films of this type by having some really unique visuals.

However, I can see other people not liking this as much as me. A lot of this movie is just people talking. It could've been shorter. In fact, the pacing may prevent me from watching this again soon.

It's a little hard to believe that the facility is run by only person. Given the powers and raw emotions of the teen mutants, you'd expect there'd be more people there in case things go awry or at least for basic building maintenance or  medical or technical support. Also, the character Ilyana's powers feel vaguely defined. 

I don't know if I can recommend this to everyone (especially if you're not a fan of teen drama, there is a lot of that in this.) However, director/co-writer Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) had a clear distinct vision and I admire the effort.

Doom Patrol- Season 2

9/10

Season 2 continues the exploits of the Doom Patrol as they deal with more weird villains and personal issues as well as the unbridled power of new young member Dorothey Spinner (Abigail Shapiro). I continue to love this show!     

Doom Patrol continues to amaze, remaining one of the most creative shows currently out there. One of the things I like best about this is how the writers will make changes to the already out-there characters and ideas that always manage to knock it out of the park.  

Dorothy continues the show's history of sculpting tragic, multifaceted tragic characters. Though the show has stories for all the characters, her story is the main backstory. (I'm keeping things vague because it is an interesting tale.) Shapiro, who is actually twenty with  cleidocranial dysostosis allowing her to play younger, does a really good job playing as an eleven-year old. Unlike last season, we get Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton) full time here. Dalton has always been a great actor, but this may be the performance of his career. Caulder is such a complex, fascinating character, and Dalton nails every emotion. The other Doom Patrol members and their actors remain strong. I still love Brendan Frasier as the voice of Robotman/Cliff Steele doing the perfect delivery for the character's comical and uncensored reactions to the sheer insanity going on around him. 

Despite my praise, I liked the first season a little better than this due to the characters arcs having some issues. The first season perfectly balanced the light and the dark. This season felt at times like it was trying a little too hard to put the characters through the emotional ringer. Don't get me wrong, there is some pretty good material. (The show still does a better job of juggling light and dark than Titans or Stargirl ever did.) However, I worry that the show may eventually go down the Once Upon a Time path and rely too much on flashbacks and having to invent more and more past trauma. Cliff and Larry's issues that weren't resolved and carried over from last season worked well. However, Rita's issues were wrapped up and her new doubts this season feel created in the name of having every character have drama. It doesn't help that Cliff is written a little too dumb sometimes and Rita (April Bowlby) too over-the-top comical.       

A couple things to bare in mind: COVID hit before the last episode was fully filmed, so expect a cliffhanger to what was supposed to be a self-contained story. Though villains are picked from throughout the comic's various run, emphasis is still put on the Morrison years. If you were waiting to see any of the Doom Patrol's five-or-so quirky major rogues from its original run, you'll still be disappointed. 

The show is still a great visual feat, though I think the budget was cut a little so don't expect exactly the quality of last season. (The main threat looks like it could've been more polished.) I'm still impressed how they manage to visually adapt some of the fantastic characters from the comics. They actually chose to tackle the helmet of Dr. Tyme, one of the goofiest and weirdest appearances in comic book history, and got it to work.  

Overall, I really, really, really recommend this. My criticisms were in comparison to the first season. It's still more original and better written than most of the shows out there. 

Stargirl- Season 1

6/10

Stargirl, on DCUniverse and the CW, is about teen Courtney Whitmore (played Brec Bassinger) who finds out her new stepfather Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) used to be the sidekick to superhero Starman (Joel McHale). She ends up becoming the new owner of the hero's Cosmic Staff. The show really fluctuates from pretty darn good to painfully frustrating.

I'll go with the pros first. Stargirl is an homage to silver age comics, often evoking a sort of modern retro feel. The writers are willing to go a little more high concept out there than other superhero fare. The show is jampacked with Justice Society and Injustice Society members providing a wide range of distinct characters. Heck, they even include the Gambler (Eric Goins), probably one of the least used ISA villains in comics and media these days. 

The cast is all good. Bassinger does a convincing job with the character's optimism and earnestness. Though the best one in this is Wilson. His Pat is completely believable as someone who would've been a 40's-style sidekick with an "awe-shucks" kindness and desire to do the right thing.  

The budget isn't shabby, featuring some pretty good fights and CGI creations. (Though it seems to go only so far, and there is a fair amount of talking in the middle.) The Americana-style town this takes place in looks pretty good.

Now for the problems. The superhero stuff is really good, but the teen drama parts are sooooo cookie-cutter and basic. I mean really, really basic; one of the most uninspiring I've ever seen. The teen dialogue sounds very "TV" and not natural at all. Including the worse "mean girl" dialogue I've ever heard. Also, this mines parent-issue tropes way, way too much. It's depressing and frequently too obvious. I mean why are bad parents all the rage these days. I mean if you had lousy ones, I understand it is nice knowing your not alone in the world, but there is just so much of this these days. It feels like a crutch now. The tone in general can be pretty bipolar.

Although I liked Stargirl in this, there are several moments, where she can be maddeningly thickheaded, especially one dogged assumption she makes based on very little evidence. I mean she's a teen, and teens do dumb things, but as mentioned the dialogue doesn't feel natural in the slightest. The villains also do some stuff that cross the line between practical evil and forced evil-for-the-sake-of-evil.

The worse stuff happens in the middle. the beginning and end are pretty darn good.  

This is hard decide to recommend or not. I rotated between loving and hating Stargirl. I will still be watching, because I hope to see more of the good stuff and there's the hope for improvement.