Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice- Trailer Park Disaster

  I've already posted a review for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. I feel like I was pretty fair with the film. But now I want to rip into Warner Bros. for a minute. Batman V Superman was rated PG-13. I have no qualms with that nor can I argue about parents taking their kids to see this film, even if they are too young for it. I saw several kids under the age of 13 at the showing I went to today and if I had kids, I would probably be guilty of doing the same.

   But come on DC and Warner- use a little bit of common sense when it comes to the trailers add to the showing!

   The first movie trailer was for the newest Amityville Horror picture. Let me tell you folks; it scared the crap not just outta most of the kids in the theatre- it scared the hell outta me!  In the trailer you've got an SAWK (Scary Ass White Kid) roaming the halls of the haunted house, insects flying out of a girl's eyeballs, blood dripping walls, things jumping out of windows, walls, and mirrors, and normal looking people getting demon possessed and looking all scary.

   Now when it comes to the content of the Batman/Superman film, if there was something too violent or startling and you didn't like it, I really can't defend a person's choice to see this film with children under the recommended age of 13. If you think a live-action superhero movie is going to have the heroes fighting bad guys over an innocent round of Twister, you don't understand superheroes. But, that's not what I had trouble with- it was the choice of commercials before the first meeting of Batman and Superman!

  Know your frickin' audience, Warner Bros! If you are advertising toys, clothes, posters, and other goods towards kids, WB/DC, you've got to expect kids are going to see the thing. Do you really think parents are going to take them to see a slasher flick?  So let's use a little bit of better common sense in picking something a little less heart-stopping than the Amityville Horror when the Wonder Woman movie comes out next year, please!

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

Today I took my godson to see the highly anticipated Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. I've spent the last week staying away from spoilers and reviews, but it's been hard. I know that the critics have hated the movie while most fans loved it. That is, with the exception of some DC fans, who just hate it to no end and have even started an online petition to get director Zack Snyder banned from directing the Justice League film due out next Thanksgiving. 

   So what did this Madman think of Dawn of Justice?

   In terms of the cast, I thought it was great. Henry Cavill returns as the Man of Steel. He's okay as Superman but I love his Clark Kent. The same goes for the much maligned Ban Affleck. His Batman was pretty good but his Bruce Wayne was superb. Generally, the previous films get the Dark Knight right but give very little care to getting his billionaire alter-ego right. Not this time! Rounding out the DC trinity is Gal Gadot who appears as the first ever cinematic version of Wonder Woman. She was pretty kick-ass but since there's a bit of mystery about her yet to be determined until her solo feature comes out sometime next year, I wasn't 100% sold on her... YET!

    The role of Lois Lane, played by Amy Adams, whom I hated in Man of Steel was actually better this time around. So was Fishburne's Perry White. But the supporting characters that steal the show are Jeremy Irons and Jesse Eisenberg. 

   Jeremy Irons plays Batman's long-suffering faithful butler Alfred. He's a little gritty and a tad grumpy but he has good chemistry with Affleck. Jesse Eisenberg's character doesn't really work well with anyone. He's really bat-crap crazy and is obsessed with destroying Superman. His Lex Luthor is nothing like that in the comics or other films but as a loose canon type of character rebooted as a kind of evil Mark Zuckerberg- it kinda works.

   The plot of the film in a spoiler-free nutshell is that after the events of Man of Steel, the world is reeling from the total destruction of Metropolis at Superman and Zod's hands. Bruce Wayne is convinced that the Last Son of Krypton is poised to be the end of society and takes it upon himself to bring him down. Added to the mix is Lex Luthor who seeks to use the US government and a newly found glowing green rock as a means of taking down the Man of Tomorrow.

   That's really all I can say about the film without giving away some major spoilers. There are cameos galore and this film does act as an introduction piece for the Justice League films. But DC tries a little too hard to cram about 5 hours worth of film into 2.5!

   DC is behind Marvel when is comes to establishing their cinematic universe. But why does DC have to go the movie route? Their 'Arrowverse' shows are so good, whereas Gotham is wicked fun and Supergirl has that Otto Binder oddball charm. With the DC cinematic universe- something is missing.

   I read that it took Kevin Smith needed2 showings to discover that Dawn of Justice actually has heart. I don't have the money (or time) to go see this film again so soon. But, I would have to agree with Smith, that this film has heart. What is lacking is soul! 

   One reason I love the DCTV programs is that they take me away from the troubles of this screwed up world. With crumbling buildings, terrorist attacks, untrustworthy leaders, and a film-long debate over the roles of God and Man- Dawn Of Justice felt like I was watching the evening news! I thought Marvel was supposed to be the more realistic comics universe...

   Another thing missing from this film is a sense of humor. I love that the DCTV shows can laugh at themselves. Once Batman and Superman were able to start cracking wise I felt like things finally fell into place during the last 45 minutes.

   So, what does the future hold for me and the 'Snyder-verse' as these DC films are referred to? I'm pumped for next year's Wonder Woman. What teasing was done for that film in BVS was awesome! Justice League? I can't give up on my favorite superhero team! I've been a DC person ever since I started reading my dad's old Jimmy Olsens and Lois Lanes when I was 3 or 4. Yes- this film isn't my dad's DC but it's also not something that's unfamiliar to me either. I think like with this film, it's going to take time for everything to finally achieve synergy! 

   And yes- It's worth the wait!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10. 

The Road to Batman V Superman!

 

 The movie event of the year is just days upon us. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is almost in theatres nationwide. I'm penciled in to see it with my godson a week from Easter Sunday. Until then, join me as I review some of the adventures of the Dark Knight, the Man of Steel, and maybe even an Amazonian Princess.

First Up: Batman: Earth One, Volume 1! Enjoy! 

Every Super Hero Movie Through 2020- A Retort

According to a Hit Fix  article linked through yahoo, Marvel, DC, and the Star Wars franchise has released their movie release schedules for the next 5 years. It's been described by Donna Dickens as "terrifying." I would have to say that the only thing scary about the article was her speculations of the super hero film industry.
  First of all, I want to point out that Star Wars isn't a super hero film franchise. Yes, Jedi and Sith can do amazing things like make you look for other droids instead of the ones you're supposed to be looking for. However, they are not super heroes. Dickens says she added it as a 'bonus.' I think she  was needing to pad her very thin article.
  Now let's look at the remaining list, Dickens has 29 or 30 other films listed. Most of things I knew of like next year's Avengers sequel, the Fantastic Four reboot, Ant-Man?! Come on, that things been delayed so many times, I will only believe it when it comes on of DVD and even then, I'll have to watch it to make sure Marvel didn't trick me with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
   One surprise was that Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has been moved to 2016. I really thought that was coming out next year at about the same time as Avengers 2. but I checked and it comes out May of '16. So, the author of the article got that right.
   Other than listing about 5 or 6 other films with definite titles and release dates, it's at this point that I really take point with Donna Dickens summary of the next five years. listing a release date as "????" with the title "Unknown Female Driven Spider-man Movie" does nothing to make me afraid of the current state of super hero films. Doesn't this woman know that movie studios always pad their schedules in order to make things look more appealing to potential and current investors? Unless Sony is planning on an Aunt May feature film, I don't think Dickens should be freaking out to much.
  Most of the film of 2017-2020 are cited as "Unknown." That doesn't mean that studios will actually release those films. It's just their plan and like all plans they don't always come together, unless you're the A-Team and then you love when that happens!
  I can see two camps reading this article: those who think super hero movies are going to kill comic books and those who are thrilled to death with the prospect that the unknown Marvel movie is 2018 will be a Deadpool movie!  For both sides, I say 'calm down!' Even Dickens admits that there is too many unknowns to know for sure what the next 5 years of theatre releases is even going to look like.
    I recently read some Stan's Soapbox's from 1992 or 93. You wouldn't believe how excited Stan Lee was that James Cameron was going to write, direct, and produce the live-action Spider-man film due in 1995. Wait, you don't remember that? That's because things changed- Cameron couldn't decide on a super villain and the studio Marvel gave the rights to ran out of time and lost all privileges to make the Spidey movie. Plus, a little known movie about a titanic ship wreck attracted James Cameron away from the world of super heroes.
  So until you know for sure the 5 questions a reporter must answer "Who, what, when, where, and Why?" take everything Ms. Dickens says with a grain of salt. Oh, and one more thing- anytime you read an article and the writer complains that they had to make a" make a freakin' outline. An outline!", beware and stop reading. The outline is the most important tool any writer or reporter should use in order to clearly state their hypothesis. To bemoan the fact that you've got a great gig that means you have to make an outline says to me that you don't really care about what you're reporting about and might even have some serious questions about your career choice. Some of us would kill for a chance to be a paid published columnist.
   To paraphrase an oft used proverb " if you don't like what's coming to theatres go do something else."