"Wonder Woman" Movie Review

    The DCEU has had a rough time with critics and audiences as a whole since it’s conception with “Man of Steel”.  While I very much enjoy the films of the DCEU and I think critics have been too hard on them compared to the films of Marvel, it’s clear these films are very polarizing and not everyone’s cup of tea.  It seems like the first exception to this came in the form of “Wonder Woman”.

    The adaptation of the popular comic book takes place in World War I as opposed to World War II as often depicted in the comic book character’s origin.  When an American pilot happens to crash off the shores of Themyscira, an island consisting of only women, Princess Diana rescues the young man named Steve Trevor and learns of the troubles going on outside of their island.  After being told to stay out of man’s conflicts, Diana decides she must do something and goes with Steve to help put an end to the war.  Diana ends up becoming the superhero Wonder Woman and kicks a lot of butt along the way.

    I know you are all wondering what my thoughts on the film were, or at least I humor myself thinking you do, and it’s probably what you would guess.  I really enjoyed the movie and felt it showcased a female led superhero movie in a positive and progressive way unlike other attempts before while still being entertaining.  “Elektra” and “Catwoman” weren’t exactly game changers.  Although the MCU has managed to stay one step ahead of DC for the most part on the movie front, “Wonder Woman” is the rare win and manages to beat their “Captain Marvel” movie out the gates in wonderful fashion.

    The film stars Gal Gadot reprising her role of Wonder Woman from “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and she makes her mark on the role.  While Gadot isn’t the first person to play Wonder Woman and she certainly won’t be the last, she manages to take the role down a more serious route than the likes of Lynda Carter.  Chris Pine manages to be among one of the bright spots of the film.  As Steve Trevor, Pine carries many of the film’s more emotional scenes and his arc manages to pull at the heart strings by the end.  The rest of the supporting cast also shine through most of their scenes.

    “Wonder Woman” is beautifully shot and many scenes will remain iconic for years to come.  It’s almost hard to believe the film wasn’t shot during World War I at times because it is so captivating and realistic.  The score for the film is also captivating and serves as a great companion piece to the cinematography.

    With all the praise I have given this film, I will say that I wish the film had a stronger villain.  The villain of the film is revealed to be that of Ares, the God of War.  Ares in the comic book is Wonder Woman’s main arch nemesis but comes off a bit weak in the film as opposed to a serious threat.

    Being the fourth film in the DCEU, “Wonder Woman” certainly proves to be a bit of a course correction and proves DC could be a serious rival to Marvel given some time.  With a strong female lead and a solid story, “Wonder Woman” is an absolute wonder!

Grade: A-

"Man of Steel" Movie Review

    I remember seeing the first trailer for “Man of Steel” attached to “The Dark Knight Rises” and the preview sent chills down my spine.  I am a huge Superman fan and seeing the names Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan attached to the project brought me much hope and delight.  When the film came out, I remember thinking Warner Bros and DC had a hit on their hands because it had everything the critics complained about “Superman Returns” lacking, namely a fresh more realistic take and more action.  I was extremely surprised at the time to see the same critics also panning “Man of Steel” for delivering exactly what they wanted.  After the dust settled, “Superman Returns” ended up getting better critical reviews than “Man of Steel”, although “Man of Steel” did manage to do slightly better at the box office.

    “Man of Steel” proved to also be just as divisive among fans.  It seems like some people wanted a more classic take on the character while others were extremely happy with the vision Zack Snyder had for the film.  I very much enjoyed both “Superman Returns” and “Man of Steel” but after awhile, it became more and more clear that Bryan Singer wasn’t going to be allowed to make a sequel to “Superman Returns”.  The studio wanted a reboot and they hired Zack Snyder, hot off of “300” and “Watchmen”, to direct the film while “The Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan would act as a sort of figurehead to the film.

    The film tells the story of Kal-El/Clark Kent and his journey to becoming Superman once again.  The film opens on Krypton with Jor-El sending his son Kal-El to Earth in order to escape the planet’s destruction.  As Kal-El is sent into space, General Zod’s rebellion on Krypton is stopped with the help of Jor-El and General Zod is sent to The Phantom Zone.  When Kal-El arrives on Earth, he is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent who name him Clark.  Clark Kent grows up with amazing powers and soon realizes he is more than a typical man, he is a Superman!  Just as Clark starts to feel comfortable with new powers, General Zod arrives on Earth having escaped the Phantom Zone with one goal, start a New Krypton on top of the ashes of the Earth.  Only Superman can stop him!

    At the time it seemed like a wise decision to launch the DC Extended Universe with it’s oldest flagship character, the last son of Krypton himself, Superman.  I think making General Zod the main antagonist of the film was wise due to his ties to Krypton.

    As far as casting goes, this remake took a cue from the Richard Donner “Superman” movies and cast Hollywood heavyweights around a lesser known lead.  Henry Cavill steps into the role which Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh had played before him.  Cavill was a fan favorite for the role and was almost cast years before when McG was still set to helm what would become “Superman Returns”.  Cavill is a capable Superman but can be wooden at times as Clark Kent.  Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play Jonathan and Martha Kent with the weight you would expect from two iconic performers.  Michael Shannon plays a creepier and more menacing version of General Zod than seen before.  Still, I have to say I personally prefer Terence Stamp’s quiet nobility as the evil Zod in the original Donner films.  Amy Adams doesn’t hurt the film as Lois Lane but doesn’t vastly enhance it either.  Rounding out the main cast is Russell Crowe as Jor-El and Crowe is one of my favorite performers in this movie.

    Now, aside from the visuals, one of the most memorable aspects of the Superman movies was always John Williams fantastic score.  Everyone and their mother knows the main Superman theme so when I found out that Snyder wasn’t using the theme, I was a little angry.  Imagine my surprise when I hear the theme Hans Zimmer delivers and I really love that score as well.

    Looking back, I personally feel like “Man of Steel” was a fantastic start to the DCEU that hit a snag when all the critics decided to unfairly dump on it.  It told a solo Superman story well while including Easter eggs setting up future movies and characters without being in your face.  I guess every film is truly subjective though, with this film continuing to divide critics and the fan base.  Count me as someone who was all aboard for future DC films.

Grade: A-

Superhero Movie Showdown Round 5

    Hello again readers!  These are the results from the latest superhero challenge!  I wanted to also give you a quick update on what is going on here on my blog.  I will be posting a review on the classic “Neighbors” film which starred Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd soon.  (The Blu-ray for that review was generously provided by the good folks at Mill Creek Entertainment).  I plan to post my 2018 Movie Reviews in April after seeing as many of the 2018 releases as possible.  Let me know in the comments if you would like me to write something in particular.  Thank you for your support!

"Superman Returns" Movie Review

    After Christopher Reeve was tragically left paralyzed following a horse riding mishap, it seemed like Warner Bros. could only remake a film version of Superman.  Indeed, plans for a remake were in various stages for a number of years at Warner Bros. with everyone from Tim Burton to McG to J.J. Abrams attached at various stages of development.  It wasn’t until Bryan Singer took the director’s chair that things finally started seeing progress.  Singer was fresh off of two highly successful X-Men films and sought to reintroduce Superman to the world.

    “Superman Returns” follows the events of the first two Superman films while ignoring what transpired in the last two Reeve Superman films.  Erasing only two films from continuity while still acting as a sequel to the first two films proved to be a confusing and needlessly confusing move.

    The plot was simple enough, acting as a character piece with some romance and a little action sprinkled in.  Superman had left the Earth before the events of this film to search for any remaining life from Krypton.  Upon returning to Earth, Superman has to find his place in a world that has moved on without him.  While trying to find purpose, Superman must stop a new real estate scam from Lex Luther that could kill numerous people.

    “Superman Returns” serves as Singer’s love letter to the Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve Superman films.  Unfortunately, the Donner Superman films balanced the humor, action, and romance better.  Donner’s Superman film was set up into a three act play with act one taking place on Krypton, act two taking place in Smallville, while the final act takes place in Metropolis.  Singer’s Superman film is a little more all over the place.  It is also about thirty minutes too long which definitely effects it’s pacing.

    Now, this isn’t to say the film is bad, it is still a pretty darn good movie.  It’s just it could have been a masterpiece with a few tweaks.  The easiest move for the movie would have been to add a few more action pieces.  The few action scenes that Singer filmed will leave you dropping your jaw.  The airplane rescue scene is beyond amazing.

    As far as the cast goes, Brandon Routh makes for a fantastic Superman.  He really embodies the big blue boy scout of the comics.  I would say that I personally preferred the performance of Routh over Henry Cavill.  Kate Bosworth added little as Lois Lane and makes you long for Margot Kidder.  Now, for the elephant in the room, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.  If you can divorce yourself from all the gossip and all the terrible allegations surrounding Kevin Spacey, I thought his performance was fantastic.  Out of all the actors to have played Lex Luthor on the big screen, Spacey is my favorite.  The film also uses archive footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El.  Seeing Brando once again added a sense of continuity to the film.

    Speaking of elephants in the room, Bryan Singer did an amazing job directing this film.  Yes, there are flaws and the film needed some of the filler trimmed, but the visuals are incredible and the character study of Superman was an interesting approach.

    It’s a shame that “Superman Returns” didn’t receive a sequel because it could be argued that this film was as good or better than the Zack Snyder remake “Man of Steel”.  The film isn’t perfect but deserves to be seen by true comic book fans.

Grade: B+

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” Movie Review

    I don’t think I am the only person to have been extremely excited for seeing “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”.  We were all excited to see a “Man of Steel” sequel, a new Batman film, an adaptation of Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns”, and a prelude film to “Justice League” all rolled into one film and it actually looked liked it would work.  Then the final trailer was released and it became clear that “The Death of Superman” storyline was also going to be included.  That seemed like it might be too much.  It turns out, it was too much.  Which isn’t to say the movie was terrible.  In fact, it was better than it had any right to be.  It is just sad that after watching the movie, you knew there was a masterpiece in there somewhere with a few tweaks and changes.

    “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” starts off extremely strong, showing the destruction of Metropolis during the events of “Man of Steel” from Bruce Wayne’s point of view.  It is extremely effective showing how helpless a regular person would feel watching two super humans slog it out.  It showed the human cost of the destruction which was a complaint a lot of people had in regards to “Man of Steel”.  Nothing that follows this scene is quite as effective as that opening scene.

    Director Zack Snyder made many interesting casting choices for the film and I believe for the most part, they paid off.  Returning star Henry Cavill fits the Superman suit perfectly although he doesn’t completely fill the boots left by the great Christopher Reeve.  I would actually make the argument that Brandon Routh brought a little more of the spirit of his comic book counterpart in "Superman Returns" than Cavill brings to the role in this film.  That being said, Henry Cavill does seem to be growing into the role and he seems more comfortable and confident than he did in "Man of Steel" (which fits the character development of the films perfectly).  Most importantly, Cavill looks like Superman, which is extremely important to such an iconic character.  Amy Adams also returns but isn't given a lot to do which is a shame because she is a very gifted performer.

    Among the many new additions to the cast is Ben Affleck, who shines as the DCEU's new caped crusader, Batman.  Ben Affleck had some big boots to fill himself.  Christian Bale had just come off the highly popular Dark Knight trilogy and it was hard to picture someone else in the role.  Affleck was the perfect choice and played off of Cavill well.  Part of what makes Affleck's performance so great is the fact that he plays both Bruce Wayne and Batman so well.  It's not easier basically playing two different characters yet he pulled it off.  Also joining the cast to great success was Gal Gadot.  Though she wasn't in the film long, her performance as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman was a highlight and made me excited to see her in "Wonder Woman" and "Justice League".
    Now, I will discuss a casting choice which didn't completely work, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.  Let me start by saying I did not hate his portrayal but I also felt like a different interpretation of the character would have fit the film better.  For the tone of that film, I pictured someone more like the "Superman: The Animated Series" Lex Luthor.  I didn't hate the casting choice but I think another actor would have brought something more interesting to the role.
    I can't talk about the film without going into it's script.  The DCEU decided to go in a darker and more adult direction with this film.  I didn't mind this vision but a lot of fans feel like the character of Superman should be in a lighter film because the character is a beacon of hope.   I don't think the character has to be in a lighter film for him to work but a lot of people disagree and it is important to note that for this review.  I am just one person with one opinion.  The main problem with the script is that it was stuffed way too full.  I love the characters of Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and Doomsday; but they are a lot to cram into a film which is basically acting as "Man of Steel 2".  It just made an already full film overly complex and hard to follow the villain's motivations.
    On a final note, I can't talk about the film without ignoring the "Martha" scene which is now a popular meme and was laughed at when the film was released.  I am in the minority here but I actually liked the concept of the scene.  I like the idea of Superman and Batman boding over something as simple as their shared love of their mother.  That being said, the idea should not have been explored as a way to end a fight scene.  I think that was the main problem with the idea.  If someone is ready to kill you and ignores a ton of other good reasons to spare you, a shared mother's name likely isn't going to do the trick.  I did like the idea of the scene though and I wish it was explored differently.
    I guess it depends on how you want to look at films in general.  There is plenty to love with this film and it is easy to gloss over the negative aspects.  It is also easy to nitpick all the things wrong with the movie and let it sour your overall experience.  I am not one of the people and I very much enjoyed the film even being aware of it's failings.  I just hope it is remembered in a more positive light in the future.  Only time, or possibly someone with x-ray vision, will tell.

Grade: B