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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
2016 | Action, Sci-Fi
The Transformers of the superhero genre
It feels like eons ago that Batman v Superman was announced as a genuine movie. Way back in 2007 there was a poster that seemed to signify DC Comic’s plans in I am Legend, but fans just thought of it as a pipedream.

Now, in 2016, the moment has finally arrived. The marketing campaign has been relentless, the trailers have been criticised for showing far too much (which they have), and Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman was met with disdain rather than joy. So what is the finished product like?

Superman has now become a controversial figure after his climactic battle with General Zod, with Batman in particular being cautious of his true plans for Earth. After a new threat is created, Doomsday, they must put aside their differences to save the planet.

Following on directly from the events of Man of Steel, director Zak Snyder brings together DC Comics’ biggest superheroes in a film as loud as anything Michael Bay served up in the Transformers series.

Henry Cavill returns as the god from above with Ben Affleck taking over duties from Christian Bale as the Dark Knight. Both of them give great performances with Cavill in particular impressing. Affleck proves his doubters wrong and is more than a match for Bale, though his one facial expression wears thin over the course of the film.

Elsewhere, Jesse Eisenberg takes on the role of Lex Luthor in a portrayal reminiscent of Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka – eerily creepy and well-acted but just trying that little bit too hard. Amy Adams makes a welcome return as Lois Lane and gets much more screen time here than she did in Man of Steel.

However, the most praise has to go to Gal Gadot. Her exceptional characterisation of Wonder Woman is one of the movie’s highlights and it’s such a shame she takes a backseat to the two titular characters. It’s clear the filmmakers thought highly of her too, as she gets her own thundering theme tune whenever she appears.

Unfortunately, the plot is just too nondescript and completely incomprehensible at times, with Lex Luthor’s motives remaining unclear throughout the 150 minute running time. This proves increasingly hard to swallow as the film progresses and makes his villain feel less menacing than he should be.

Nevertheless, Batman v Superman is visually spectacular. Snyder bombards the audience with breath-taking set pieces, dispersing them well enough to ensure the plot only drags in a few areas, namely at the beginning – though the film’s flabby length is a sticking point; it simply doesn’t need to be nearly three hours long.

It may all sound pretty negative, but the exciting and beautifully filmed final act almost makes up for these shortcomings. We also get to see an emotional side to the genre, something that has been sorely lacking more recently with the constant quipping of the Marvel Universe.

Overall, Batman v Superman was never going to live up to the hype and in some ways it does fall short. The battle between Bat of Gotham and Son of Krypton is disappointingly brief and the story lacks any real weight, until the final 30 minutes. But it’s filmed in such a unique fashion and with such confidence; it’s quite possible you may not see anything like it in the genre again.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2016/03/27/the-transformers-of-the-superhero-genre-batman-v-superman-review/
  
Suicide Squad (2016)
Suicide Squad (2016)
2016 | Action
New installment to the DCverse (1 more)
Lot of action
Too many characters all fighting for the spotlight (0 more)
Too much too fast
I really wanted to like this movie but there was just too much going on and too much introduced too quick. I feel like this movie would have been a better movie a few years from now after a couple Standalone characters have had their movie. They tried to capitalize on the Batman v. Superman movie but ended up losing the point.
  
Wonder Woman (2017)
Wonder Woman (2017)
2017 | Action, Fantasy, War
Chris Pine (3 more)
Solid acting
Bomb Soundtrack
And Chris Pine.
Sometimes felt goofy/cheesy (0 more)
Finally DC's done it
This movie was such a breathe of fresh air for DC. I was genuinely surprised at how cohesive it felt. The last movie I watched "Batman Vs Superman", a lot of the time it felt like it took itself too seriously. Here, there are some good and funny comedic moments, its action packed and hits the right notes for myself, kids and a class ok
  
Batman Ninja (2018)
Batman Ninja (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Animation
Full review:


Batman Ninja is a visual delight. When it comes to the animation, this is frantic, incredible stuff and it's a treat to watch various sequences jump to life. Sadly, the story lets things down. Things start off well enough, but around the halfway mark it changes into a bizarre Power Rangers/Transformers hybrid that feels totally at odds with the tone that was set up before. Worth a watch, but don't expect magnificence.
  
40x40

David McK (3633 KP) rated Final Crisis in Books

Jan 28, 2019  
FC
Final Crisis
2
4.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
What. On. Earth. ?!?!?

I picked this one up out of curiosity as part of DC's ongoing hardbacked editions of famous(?) stories and, honestly? I wish I hadn't bothered.

The 'Final Crisis' was on ongoing series arc across several different properties - Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, etc - prior to the 'New 52' and - I have to say - is everything that would put average Joe off superhero comics in that I found the story to be convoluted, pretentious, and making next-to-no-sense-whatsoever.

Avoid.
  
Suicide Squad (2016)
Suicide Squad (2016)
2016 | Action
Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn (2 more)
Will Smith is Actually a Great Deadshot
The Two Seconds Batman is Involved
Weak Story (3 more)
Terrible Villain
PG-13 was an Underwhelming Choice
Most of the Characters are Forgettable
A Half-Assed Suicide (Squad) Attempt
After the success of Deadpool six months prior, an R-Rated anti-hero action movie that pushed the envelope, Suicide Squad just felt weak. The movie about DC's most famous rogues should have took a chance on an R rating as well. There's just something not quite right with these characters participating in a (mostly) family friendly romp. They fight black, faceless zombies, sort-of curse, and sometimes make lame jokes along the way. Along with that, there's too many characters crammed into the movie without any previous introduction or characterization. At the very least, Harley and the Joker should have been in an entire Batman movie before the Suicide Squad movie happened, if not Deadshot as well. Instead we get a miniature helping of Batman versus these foes in the early minutes of the movie, and then this ragtag group of baddies is thrown together to fight an evil bigger than themselves without much in the way of good storytelling. It's sad, really, because these characters are compelling in their own right. If DC really wants to have a cohesive movie universe, they need to slow down and build the movie versions of these characters before slapping them all together and expecting people to care. That, or at least give these awesome anti-heroes an equally awesome antagonist to square off with; the Enchantress is just lame.
  
The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade
The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade
Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, John Romita JR (art) | 2016 | Comics & Graphic Novels
2
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
So, this was supposed to be how Robin was killed and Batman retired, all leading up to the events of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. Except... we don't see -any- of that. What we're given is half a story, one that stops just short of delivering what it was supposed to - Robin may or may not be killed, and we see nothing of Batman's reaction to this. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars is because JRJr's art saves the day for this pointless book.