Movie Review - The Flash (2023 film)

I was really excited for a live-action Justice League movie on the big screen. I'd been hoping for one since I saw Superman II with Christopher Reeves in theaters. What we got a few years ago was hugely disappointing. So I almost didn't go see The Flash, but I'm glad I did.

The Flash is a 2023 science fiction, superhero, action movie. It is rated PG-13 and is appropriate for tweens and up.

Analysis

Story. The film is based on the Flashpoint mini-series in the comics, but takes it to a very different place. The filmmakers do a great job developing the Flash's character and setting up the stakes so the ending and choices people make feel impactful.

Action. There is a lot of great and fun action. The first 10 minutes of the film is the Justice League saving the city. THIS is the Justice League movie I've been wanting to see. And while the final battle was over the top, there were a lot of cool moments that looked like they were plucked straight out of a comic book.

Fan Service. This film is filled with gratuitous fan service from Michael Keaton returning as Batman to 3D cameos from George Reeves Superman and Christoper Reeves Superman to many, many more. It was fun to see them again on the big screen even though none of them were necessary.

Pacing. Unlike Spider-man: Across the Spiderverse, Super Mario Bros., and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, (three huge disappointments) I never got bored or looked at my watch once. I was completely engaged from start to finish.

Overall

After waiting decades to see the Justice League on the big screen, the Justice League movie we got a few years ago was hugely disappointing. So I almost didn't go see The Flash, but I'm glad I did. Unlike Spider-man: Across the Spiderverse, Super Mario Bros., and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, (three huge disappointments) I never got bored or looked at my watch once. I was completely engaged from start to finish. The film is based on the Flashpoint mini-series in the comics, but takes it to a very different place. The filmmakers do a great job developing the Flash's character and setting up the stakes so the ending and choices people make feel impactful. There is a lot of great and fun action. The first 10 minutes of the film is the Justice League saving the city. THIS is the Justice League movie I've been wanting to see. And while the final battle was over the top, there were a lot of cool moments that looked like they were plucked straight out of a comic book. This film is filled with gratuitous fan service from Michael Keaton returning as Batman to 3D cameos from George Reeves Superman and Christoper Reeves Superman to many, many more. It was fun to see them again on the big screen even though none of them were necessary. I highly recommend this movie and give it 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn. 

   

Movie Review - The Batman (2022 film)

There have been several Batman films that I've loved, a few I've liked, and some I didn't care for. The trailer made this movie look like it would fall into category 3, but all the positive hype convinced me to watch it anyway.

The Batman is a 2022 crime drama and mystery film. It is rated PG-13 for language, violence, and disturbing images. It is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Mystery. This movie has a really good mystery. The first 2.5 hours really hold your attention as it moves from one clue to the next with an interesting conclusion.

Sets & Architecture. The buildings and sets had a real artistic feel to them and added to the gothic feel. If only they had been better lit so we could have seen them better and enjoyed them more.

Music. There were several cues that hearkened back to Danny Elfman's score on Batman Returns that were really nice and added to the atmosphere and were the only parts that made the film feel like Batman.

The Bad

Not Batman. This was NOT a Batman film. The main character could have been called the Purple Giraffe and would have made as much sense. This film lacked the Batman costume and movements, the cool gadgets, cool vehicles, and bizarre villains. Batman was very generic and just walked around in his nondescript costume.

Pacing. This movie is paced like a miniseries on a streaming service like Netflix. It felt like a collection of individual episodes each with rising action and a climax instead of one cohesive unit.

Color. This movie was so dull looking with nothing but greys and browns. Blah.

Disappointing Ending. If this movie had ended 30 minutes sooner, it would have been really good. But unfortunately the movie continues with one epilogue after another that just make the movie disappointing. They add nothing to the overall story or characters.

Commissioner Gordon. This part was badly miscast and badly written. He was uninteresting and uninspiring. He isn't very smart and just does what Batman tells him to do. He can't figure out anything himself or take any initiative.

Overall

The Batman is a 2022 crime drama and mystery film. This movie has a really good mystery. The first 2.5 hours really hold your attention as it moves from one clue to the next with an interesting conclusion. This movie is paced like a miniseries on a streaming service like Netflix. It felt like a collection of individual episodes each with rising action and a climax instead of one cohesive unit. This was NOT a Batman film. The main character could have been called the Purple Giraffe and would have made as much sense. This film lacked the Batman costume and movements, the cool gadgets, cool vehicles, and bizarre villains. Batman was very generic and just walked around in his nondescript costume. Commissioner Gordon was badly miscast and badly written. He was uninteresting and uninspiring. He isn't very smart and just does what Batman tells him to do. He can't figure out anything himself or take any initiative.The buildings and sets had a real artistic feel to them and added to the gothic feel. If only they had been better lit so we could have seen them better and enjoyed them more. This movie was so dull looking with nothing but greys and browns. Blah. If this movie had ended 30 minutes sooner, it would have been really good. But unfortunately the movie continues with one epilogue after another that just make the movie disappointing. They add nothing to the overall story or characters. I give it 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn. 

   

Blu-ray / DVD Review - Batman: Soul of the Dragon

I am a fan of Bronze Age comic books. So when I heard DC was planning and animated movie set in that era in the Bruce Timm style, I said to myself, "Self, you should watch that movie." And I did

Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a 2021 animated martial arts film. It is rated R for violence and is appropriate for tweens and up.

The Good

Vibe. This movie has a great vibe from the visuals to the music to the action to the pacing that really evokes 70s martial art films and 70s TV.

Characters. This film has a great variety of characters form 1970s DC comics that either haven't appears before on the screen or have had very small appearances. The cast of characters had great chemistry together and worked together well.

Art Direction. The look and feel of the characters, backgrounds, vehicles, and action was very nostalgic while still feeling current and not retro. The look was unique while hearkening to a familiar era.

The Bad

Corner Cutting. My biggest complaint is the filmmakers didn't explore this world as thoroughly as they could. The plot was pretty simple and straightforward which is perfect for lots of side trips to explore the world. And while there were a few along the way, they weren't as fully explored as I would have liked, and there weren't enough of them.

 

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I wish the filmmakers had gotten a little more excited about this project and had put a little more energy and heart into it.

Overall

Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a 2021 animated martial arts film. This movie has a great vibe from the visuals to the music to the action to the pacing that really evokes 70s martial art films and 70s TV. This film has a great variety of characters form 1970s DC comics that either haven't appears before on the screen or have had very small appearances. The cast of characters had great chemistry together and worked together well. My biggest complaint is the filmmakers didn't explore this world as thoroughly as they could. The plot was pretty simple and straightforward which is perfect for lots of side trips to explore the world. And while there were a few along the way, they weren't as fully explored as I would have liked, and there weren't enough of them. I wish the filmmakers had gotten a little more excited about this project and had put a little more energy and heart into it. Overall it's a very enjoyable film. I give it 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

 

Blu Ray / DVD Review - Batman: Death in the Family

I really enjoyed Batman: Under The Red Hood and wished they had spent more time on the Death in the Family part of the film. Well Christmas came early this year because that happened.

Batman: Death in the Family is a 2020 animated superhero film. It is rated R for violence and gore and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Concept. The concept is pretty clever. This is a choose-your-own-adventure style story where the story branches off and you can choose what happens. What I like about this is it really explores several of the what ifs which is really fun and opens up new story possibilities.

Stories. The storytelling was really strong and really engaging. This story went in a lot of different directions, many of them ending very differently.

The Bad

Corner Cutting. My biggest complaint is the filmmakers didn't go far enough. A lot of the footage was recycled from Batman: Under the Red Hood with the new footage at a much lower quality. Much of it was still frames or very limited animation with voice-over narration. While this wasn't necessarily bad and still provided a lot of entertainment, it was a sign of the whole approach to this. Many of the stories ended too soon not fully exploring the possibilities, and a few went in directions that were too similar instead of exploring a wider set of possibilities.

Additional Shorts. I like the characters they chose for the additional shorts, I just wish the filmmakers had chosen better stories to tell that weren't so dark and generic. I wish the stories better reflected the nature of the characters and what make them unique.

 

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I wish Warner Bros had put more money and resources into this project to fully realize it, because what they did do was really well done.

Overall

Batman: Death in the Family is a 2020 animated superhero film. The concept is pretty clever. This is a choose-your-own-adventure style story where the story branches off and you can choose what happens. What I like about this is it really explores several of the what ifs which is really fun and opens up new story possibilities. My biggest complaint is the filmmakers didn't go far enough. A lot of the footage was recycled from Batman: Under the Red Hood with the new footage at a much lower quality. Much of it was still frames or very limited animation with voice-over narration. While this wasn't necessarily bad and still provided a lot of entertainment, it was a sign of the whole approach to this. Many of the stories ended too soon not fully exploring the possibilities, and a few went in directions that were too similar instead of exploring a wider set of possibilities. I wish Warner Bros had put more money and resources into this project to fully realize it, because what they did do was really well done.  I give this film 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

    

 

Movie Review - Wonder Woman 1984

I've loved Wonder Woman for as long as I can remember. She is my favorite superhero. I loved the Lynda Carter TV series and never understood why Wonder Woman never had a theatrical film or animated series. Then Gal Gadot came onto the scene and started in an amazing movie and I thought, "Finally! Wonder Woman is getting the treatment she deserves. I can't wait for the next movie." Oh, how dreams can be so quickly dashed.

Wonder Woman 1984 is a 2020 live-action action superhero film. It is rated PG-13 for violence and intensity and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Gal Godat. GalGodat is excellent in this film. She perfectly embodies Wonder Woman just as well as Lynda Carter. She is flawless in this.

80s Nostalgia. This film feels like the Lynda Carter series was brought back as an 80s TV movie of the week. I really enjoyed that.

Concept. The concept is similar to that of the short story The Monkey's Paw. Characters in the film find a magic wishing stone, and it grants wishes but at the price of taking what you value most. This is pretty original for a film and offers so many great directions to go. It's too bad the filmmakers didn't do that.

The Bad

Story. While the concept was great, the story was really weak. The director did not choose to explore any really clever or interesting story possibilities but decided to go with the obvious and tired nuclear war, Armageddon, blah, blah, blah.

Execution. This movie was not well filmed, the dialogue was stilted and forced, the acting was over the top, the message wasn't clear but was still shoved down the audiences throat in a very heavy-handed manner. The action scenes were slow motion on wires that defied the laws of physics so none of them looked cool or were engaging.

 

What I Would Like To Have Seen

I wish someone else had written the story and screen play. Patty Jenkins can direct, but she can't come up with interesting stories.

Overall

Wonder Woman 1984 is a 2020 live-action action superhero film. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen all the best parts, all the actions scenes, and almost all of the jokes. GalGodat is excellent in this film. She perfectly embodies Wonder Woman just as well as Lynda Carter. She is flawless in this. This film feels like the Lynda Carter series was brought back as an 80s TV movie of the week. The concept is similar to that of the short story The Monkey's Paw. Characters in the film find a magic wishing stone, and it grants wishes but at the price of taking what you value most. This is pretty original for a film and offers so many great directions to go. It's too bad the filmmakers didn't do that. I really enjoyed that. While the concept was great, the story was really weak. The director did not choose to explore any really clever or interesting story possibilities but decided to go with the obvious and tired nuclear war, Armageddon, blah, blah, blah. This movie was not well filmed, the dialogue was stilted and forced, the acting was over the top, the message wasn't clear but was still shoved down the audiences throat in a very heavy-handed manner. The action scenes were slow motion on wires that defied the laws of physics so none of them looked cool or were engaging. I wish someone else had written the story and screen play. Patty Jenkins can direct, but she can't come up with interesting stories. I give this film 3 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

    

 

Blu-ray Review - Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I'm a huge Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan, but the idea of them crossing over with DC or Marvel characters never seemed like a good idea. The first comic book mini-series this film is based on was pretty disappointing. But Amazon had the rental on sale, so I thought, "What the hay?"

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 2019 direct-to-video action superhero film featuring the DC Comics hero Batman (created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger) and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird). It is rated PG-13 for language and violence and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Story and Pacing. This movie had a solid story that made sense, wasn't contrived, and moved logically from one scene to the next. The pacing was deliberate and slow enough to develop the story but fast enough to never become boring.

Animation and Art Direction. While this wasn't my favorite look for the characters, it worked really well for the story and the movie.

Action. The fights were so fun and so well done showcasing so many characters and most of their abilities and unique traits. It was fun to see Batman and Shredder so evenly matched and such a long struggle to fight each other without a quick resolution.

Titles. The titles were gorgeous with black and white cityscapes and colored characters in front. The end credits with famous comic book covers recreated with Batman and the Turtles were also very clever.

Fan Nods. There were a lot of easter eggs and nods to the fans as well as references to previous incarnations both in film and print of the characters that really made the world rich.

Voice Acting. All the voice casting choices were new, but they felt classic.

The Bad

Violence and Swearing. I get this movie is meant to appeal to an older audience, but the action and sophistication of the story would have done that. The extreme violence and cussing actually detracted from the film.

Science of Ooze/Mutagen. The fact that the ooze works instantaneously and can only be cured within a short window makes absolutely no sense. Everything else was well thought out and well considered. The major McGuffin of the story not being well considered was kind of strange.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the Batmobile had been a cooler design.

Overall

Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the best animated films I've ever scene. The story is solid and well considered, the action is fast and fierce and showcases each character's unique abilities, the voice casting sounded classic, and the titles were gorgeous. Even though this film was targeted to an older audience, the amount of violence and harsh language detracted feeling contrived and forced. I give this film 4.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

TV Show Review - Swamp Thing (2019 DC Universe) Episodes 1 and 2

I've never been a big fan of Swamp Thing, so when I heard he was the star of a new TV series, I was a little disappointed. But Titans and Doom Patrol were really good, so I decided to give it a chance. 

Swamp Thing is an 10-episode DC Universe series based on characters appearing in DC Comics created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. It is rated TV-MA for language, violence, and gore and is appropriate for older teens and up.

The Good

Casting. Everyone in this (minus the swamp witch) is an excellent casting choice. They fit the characters well, their acting is top notch, and they make you feel for them.

Story. The story is so tight and so strong. It grips you from the first second and doesn't let you go for a minute. Somehow the filmmakers are able to create a relationship between the two main characters so strong and so natural in less than 50 minutes that when the male lead dies (which you knew he was going to since that is the premise of the whole story) you are still shocked and horrified crying "NOOOO!!!!".

Pacing. The story is paced just right. It never drags, but there is plenty of dramatic pausing.

Art Direction. The visuals are gorgeous. I feel like I am in the swamp. Some of the cgi looks a little fake, but there are enough practical effects that the overall look holds up well.

The Bad

Ummm.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

All thirteen original episodes produced.

Overall

Swamp Thing (2019 DC Universe) Episodes 1 and 2 are pure perfection. The casting couldn't be better, the acting is top notch, the visuals are truly creepy, and the story is so tight and strong. I can't believe the filmmakers were able to create a relationship between the two main characters so strong and so natural in less than 50 minutes that when the male lead died (which you knew he was going to since that is the premise of the whole story) you were still shocked and horrified crying "NOOOO!!!!". I can't wait to see the rest of this series. I give this show 5 out of 5 remotes.

      

Movie Review - Shazam! (2019 Film, The REAL Captain Marvel)

I've been a Captain Marvel (the original one, not the joke Marvel put out) fan since I first saw the Filmation cartoon. In college I discovered the 1940 movie serials and golden age comic books and fell in love with the character all over again.

Shazam! is a 2019 live action superhero family film. It is rated PG-13 for a few disturbing scenes and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Humor. This movie is first and foremost a comedy. There are so many jokes, and they are all so funny. Yet they don't dominate the movie and take away from the story or the action, which is nice.

Uniqueness. This movie is not a thinly-veiled Superman movie, but is uniquely Captain Marvel and could only work form him. I really appreciate that.

Story. The story was solid. It was well paced, and there was sufficient character development.

Casting. The filmmakers cast the perfect people for Billy Batson, Captain Marvel, Freddy, and Mary. They were all very likable, had great chemistry, and had the spirit of the characters in the comic.

Nods. This movie made so many nods to other superhero movies, superheroes in general, and the current comic book movie craze. All were well thought out and felt fresh.

Credits. The end credits was so clever and really captured the fun of the classic Captain Marvel comic books.

The Bad

Black Face. This movie unfortunately followed the same racist trend of putting a character in blackface. It was completely unnecessary, and the character they cast was kind of ridiculous with his overacting.

Bumbling. Most of the movie is spent with Captain Marvel trying to figure out his powers and acting like a bratty kid. A little of that was cool and added to the story, but it was over done and became kind of annoying.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish Captain Marvel had been a little more competent and taken his role a little more seriously sooner than he did. The bumbling got old quickly.

Overall

The Shazam! film is as much fun as the golden age comic. The jokes were hilarious and plentiful. The casting of the main characters couldn't have been better, nor could their performances. The nods to other superheroes and superhero films were so well thought out and clever. The movie was unique and really played to the strengths of the character. The only real negative was too much time was spent on Captain Marvel trying to take his job seriously. I give this film 4.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

Movie Review - Aquaman

I'm not a huge fan of Aquaman, nor did I enjoy him in Justice League. But the

Aquaman is a 2018 superhero action film based on the comic by DC Comics. It is rated PG-13 for mild violence and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Visuals. The film looked really nice with great environments and awesome costumes.

Action. There was a lot of great action. This is an action movie first and foremost. It looked better rendered than a video game, but the movements were very video game-like.

Music. Both the soundtrack and the songs were really nice and different than what you normally hear in any film, especially superhero films.

Black Manta is Evil. I like the fact that Black Manta was not misunderstood, not a tragic figure, not a cartoon villain, but an evil bad guy who does things because he is bad and his wickedness punishes him.

The Bad

Story. The story was pretty thin. It was your typical action film with "twists" that weren't surprising and over the top dramatic reveals.

Black Manta is a Thug. Black Manta was basically an unlikeable thug. Where they've set him up to be in the next film, they needed to make him more interesting.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish this film had had a stronger story.

Overall

Aquaman is an entertaining action flick. It have beautiful settings and amazing costumes. The story is thin, predictable, and mostly an excuse for all the many action scenes. The music was very different than you're used to hearing in films today, but very good. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.