Category: Movies

When is good a disappointment? When DC’s greatest heroes clash without a good understanding of why. The reason why The Dark Knight would want to fight against the Red Caped Moralist is muddled and confusing. The Dark Knight had the three greatest superhero movies ever and the Superman franchise seemed to have rebounded from mediocrity. Instead a trajectory that was headed to where the Avengers had taken the Marvel movies, we were left wanting more. With a great trailer we hoped for potential greatness, but when the credits rolled we were left with an overhyped title, underdeveloped plot, and a disappointing movie.

The expectation of a movie titled Batman vs. Superman we would expect to see an important problem with two different reasonable solutions where the two Superhero’s would passionately disagree on the best way to resolve the problem, which would lead to a historic fight of Epic proportions. The important problem didn’t seem that important and the solutions didn’t seem that reasonable.

The movie’s plot didn’t form naturally, but seemed forced taking leaps from scene to scene. If the movie was a painting, it would look more like a connect the dots picture as opposed to a breathtaking work of art. The outline of what they wanted to happen was there, but the path didn’t flow. The heroes’ crimes didn’t merit the outrage towards one another. The puppeteer fueling the feud, Lex Luther, planned to pit the two against one another, but it was only plausible because the script said so. The plot didn’t convince me that these two superheroes needed to fight each other, nor had good reason to fight one another.

The most enjoyable part of the movie was the actual fight.  I was fearful that they would dumb down Superman’s powers to fight Batman, I didn’t feel they did.  Superman, obviously faster, quicker, stronger when at full strength dominated, but Batman having the tactical advantage when he was able to use Kryptonite. When Batman puts Superman through the roof you get the sense that Superman underestimates his foe. Why shouldn’t he? Batman is a mere mortal and Superman is the epitome of Super. Superman’s lack of respect for Batman is evidenced when he prevents Batman from fighting crime in Gotham. These scenes were the very best parts of the movie.

When down the road I am looking in Netflix for a superhero movie to watch, I will probably end up choosing one of the Christian Bale Batman’s or a Marvel movie. This is a disappointment, because if Christopher Nolan had made this movie I am sure that I would have bought this movie and watched it annually.

Here are some critics opinions.

Richard Roper from the Chicago Sun Times, writes:

Here’s what rocks. We all know Batman, even with all his fighting skills and his cool toys and his cunning, would be no match one-on-one against Superman. “Dawn of Justice” figures out a way to level the playing field and then some.

David Edelstein from vulture.com says:

But he never gets to the heart of that all-important civil liberties question, not because the question is unresolvable but because there can be no true endings in this superhero universe. The problem is that you can’t build a coherent myth out of fragments. You can only hope that the audience will be too jolted — and too turned on by the prospect of more jolts — to care.

I love comic books.  I love movies.  I love comic book movies.  So I am always excited to see a new comic book movie being released.  I don’t always love paying movie theatre prices and ususally wait for most movie’s to get to the cheap theatre before going to see them, except for comic book movies; I’m happy to pay full price to see them as soon as they come out.  Normally.  I’ve heard so many bad things about the new Fantastic Four movie that I waited til it made it to the dollar theatre before seeing it.  The fact that Fox had a review embargo in place until just before the movie was released is a sign that even they didn’t think the reviewers were going to be helping sell their movie.Josh Wilding fromComicBookMovie.com wrote this :

We weren’t expecting the first reviews for Fantastic Four until tomorrow, but a number of sites have broken embargo and dropped their verdicts on the reboot early. Simply put, they don’t have much nice to say about it! It’s worth bearing in mind that all but one of these come from the trades, and they always tend to be pretty harsh on superhero movies. However, these aren’t the same kind of mixed reviews we saw for Ant-Man last month; they’re extremely harsh, with only the cast really emerging unscathed. The direction, screenplay, and special effects unfortunately aren’t so lucky!

Once the reviewers were actually allowed to start spreading the word, it looks like Fox’s fears were well founded.  9% from Rotten Tomatoes , 1 1/2 stars from RogerEbert ( I always agreed more with Siskel than Ebert anyway).  I find myself disagreeing with most critic reviews but even the general audience found it pretty horrible.  2.6 out of 10 from Metacritic. 4.1 out of 10 from IMDB. I wasn’t very excited to see it when I went into the theatre and I was pretty much less excited when I walked out.  I think the beginning was OK.  The changes from the comics were OK for the most part.  Unfortunately, I always go into comic book movies knowing they are going to be changing things up. Although the Johnny Storm change was a disappointing and obvious pandering to diversity, I can live with that.  The lead up to their powers in the first part of the movie was acceptable save for the inclusion of Doom in it.  His character hurt that part of the story. After the machine was completed the movie just went down hill.  The time spent with the army was ridiculous, Reed running away and not contacting the rest, the father figure of the movie and his actions…all of it was terrible.  When they brought Doom back, it started getting worse, faster.  I am so glad I didn’t pay full price to see this movie.

A bad review of the most recent Fantastic Four movie is not really what I wanted to write about.  I want to pose the question of why have all the Fantastic Four movies been so bad?  The first two were not as bad as this most recent one, but they were not very good either.  It isn’t necessarily the acting that is so bad, although there are some bad actors, I think the script is much more of the problem.  But the real problem that has plagued these movies is…Doom!  Doom is the central bad guy and they handle him in such a poor way it destroys the whole film.  Dr. Doom is such a well developed villian that it is criminal that whoever is writing these scripts can’t translate that to the movies.  There is a ton of reference material for him beyond the comic books themselves so there is really no excuse for having such poor representation of him in films.  Even the Dr. Doom of the Super Hero Squad is a better character than any in the movies.

A well written Dr. Doom would necessitate the FF to be better written than they have been up to this point or they would never stand a chance of believably defeating him.  Besides which, if someone could write Dr. Doom true to his character, the FF would be a piece of cake, he is far more complicated than the rest of them combined.

I end with a plea to Fox, “Three strikes and you are out!  I know that making comic book movies are like printing money, but you have screwed the FF up so badly it doesn’t look like it works for you.  Pass the FF rights back to Marvel for a cut of the action and you’ll be making more than what you’ve done with the three you have failed with so far.  Also…what is with bringing Galactus into the picture in such a pathetic way?  You don’t bring out the big guy the second movie in the series and then kill him off, he is what drives the whole franchise if you do it right…. But that is the point, you aren’t doing it right.  Let Marvel take their turn.”

Dirk Libbey for Cinemablend.com:

By the end of Steel much of Metropolis is destroyed and, we assume, thousands of innocent civilians are dead…It turns out that the battle does have consequences, as it will be the driving force behind Batman’s desire to take down Superman in the upcoming sequel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The article gives insight into why Batman and Superman would be at odds.  Also, deals with the controversial ending of Man of Steel. Worth reading full article.

The Batman vs. Superman trailer was released at Comic Con and here are some reactions.Chum Opan, for The Verge:

“Warner Bros. had a tough act to follow after yesterday’s Star Wars display, but Zack Snyder and company delivered.”

Connor Behrans, for unleashthefanboy.com writes:

“What also makes the trailer worthwhile is the way it slaps detractors in the face. After Man of Steel, there was this backlash over the mayhem and destruction featured in the third act with many saying it was left field, unwarranted, and served no purpose to the plot. In the new trailer we are shown that Zack Snyder and the writer, Chris Terrio, have found a fantastic way to connect the destruction to the emergence of many superheros, the main one being Batman.”

Sreeju Sudhakaran notes for Bollywoodlife.com:

“The first teaser of Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice met with divisive reactions. Cynics, like me, felt it was too dark and exposition-laden. However, the new trailer that was showcased recently at the San Diego Comic-con has managed to shut up morons like me. This is DEFINITELY one of the best trailers to be released this year.

The new trailer gives equal importance to both Henry Cavill’s Superman and Ben Affleck‘s Batman, with Gal Gadot making her first appearance as Wonder Woman.”

Chicago Tribune writer Luis Gomez wrote:

“The trailer is a significant improvement on the one released in April and, at least for this Batman nerd, a sigh of relief. The first trailer was a little too heavy on director Zack Snyder’s trademark green screen scenery. And as much as I like dark films, the first trailer was too dark and depressing. The new trailer has more fun action, more nods to the DC comic books (Did I point out the awesome Joker reference? I did, didn’t I?) and memorable scenes to geek out about, including Batman and Superman standing on the batmobile having a staredown.

I can finally say what I have yet to say since this film went into production: I’m excited for “Batman v Superman.”

The Detractors, from Forbes, first Erik KainErik Kain:

So far, at least, the film still strikes me as an odd project. It’s not “clicking” for me yet, and seems a little incoherent. The more expanded Comic-Con trailer, which shows off a lot more of the story and Bruce Wayne’s motivations for going after Superman, doesn’t help reassure me at all.”

Scott Mendelson also from Forbes argues:

“…that this would have been a much better opening salvo in terms of marketing for the film, but I think even with this expanded look at Batman Vs. Superman I’m left mostly scratching my head.”

There is good reason as to why a majority of criticism talking about this trailer is positive.  The trailer is exceptional.  If a trailers purpose is to ensure you pay money to watch a movie, and to let others know about your excitement, this trailer is a success.  Enjoyed watching Batman put Superman through a roof and to see Batman’s new suit…basically DC’s version of Iron Man.  I Can’t wait.

Furious 7 is having a ton of success among critics and fans alike.  It is outperforming the previous movies and is getting set to have the 9th biggest opening of all time.  I went to the movie Thursday and had a great time, but  it seems not everyone liked it.

Chris Sawin, Houston Movie Examiner isn’t a fan of the movie, his scathing review,

“This franchise has always been about being outrageous or just flat out stupid and “Furious 7” somehow manages to out-dumb the six ridiculous films that came before it.”

“…Furious 7 thrives on attempting to make the impossible plausible. It is louder and crazier than the previous films, but crazy in a sense that is borderline mentally ill. Its brainless and senseless action is almost as offensive as its terrible jabs at humor. This sequel is without a doubt the most obnoxious film to hit theaters this year, but is guaranteed to make an unbelievably excessive amount of money due to its sleak, sexy, destructive, and action packed packaging.”

Currently at 82% on rotten tomatoes Wesley Morris from Grantland said,

“…physics are to the Fast & Furious movies what term limits are to dictators: something to be flouted. That transfer is but one of the dozen or so incidents in this movie that drop your jaw, steal your breath, and make you want to say “I do.”

You can spend a lifetime watching movies and see very little that approximates the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the stunt work in these films.

Does it strain plausibility that Letty could hold off the high-octane arm-and-leg work of Ronda Rousey and that Brian could go forearm-to-forearm with Tony Jaa twice and live to tell? It does, indeed. But that’s just part of the magic.”

Molly Eichel, Inquirer staff writer, described her experience,

“In Furious 7, the seventh film in the mega-popular car-racing, international-action series, the complications come in the form of plot. But as soon as we might begin to question how little sense it makes, we’re treated to an opulent party, epic hand-to-hand combat between two women in full-length ball gowns, and a car that flies through the air.

Furious 7 is layered in such a way that there’s actually quite a bit going on, but these plot points are really just excuses to set up the next action set pieces.”

Fast 7 is an entertaining movie start to finish.  It has amazed me the overall acceptance of this movie among main stream America and the world.  The super cars, the one-liners ,and the mind blowing action scenes are the reasons why I loved the first Fast and Furious and the reason that I love the last installment.  I am just surprised that most critics are able to put the movie in proper context.  They seemed to overlook the choppy storyline and overboard action scenes and enjoy the Furious 7 experience.

“I don’t have friends, I got family”, says Dom Toretto in the film.  The history and chemistry of the franchise let’s the screenplay push this theme and make it believable.  The most entertaining parts are when they are playing off one another.  This gives the film more than just action, but some heart.  Which brings us to the tribute given to Paul Walker.

Molly Eichel

“We don’t show up exclusively for the fast cars and explosions (of which there are many), either. As reiterated over (and over and over) again by each character, the Fast & Furious series is as much about family as it is about cars. And Furious 7 marks the end for one its family members: Paul Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013 while filming was still going on.

Walker gets a farewell worthy of the series: overwrought, overly long, and exactly what we want.”

Wesley Morris

“Who would have thought that a series addicted to the high of movement could also summon a solemnity that leaves you moved?”

Even Chris Sawin wrote

“…the way that Walker and his character Brian O’Conner are honored in the film is both a blessing and a curse for the film. The final sequence in the film is the perfect way of sending off the character and is emotionally satisfying in every way. Even speaking as someone who isn’t a fan of the franchise, it’s incredibly sentimental.”

Many people wondered how Paul Walker’s death would impact the movie and how the filmmakers would deal with it.  I think most agree that they did a fantastic job dealing with the tragedy.  They were able to portray their own personal feelings of Paul the person, through their characters in the movie, it was fitting, emotional and genuine.  None of us would prefer a Fast & Furious without Paul Walker, but because we don’t have a choice this was a perfect goodbye.