Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Batman v Superman I believe is one of the most underrated comic book movies to date. A lot of people including me thought less of the film when it first was released in theatres. However as the film was being watched multiple times since then and with the release of the Ultimate Edition giving an extra 30 minutes to the film having a close total of 3 hours of footage, it has become a cult classic.
The film is now about 8 years old and better late than ever that I speak my mind on the film.
The way I see this movie is although its a sequel to Man of Steel, to me its more of a Batman movie. The Dark Knight is reacting with the belief that Superman, even knowing little about him, is a threat to humanity. All Bruce Wayne saw was a superpowered being in the middle of a destructive event in Metropolis known as Black Zero. People Bruce cared about was either injured or dead. This moment of his life is almost a reflection of witnessing the death of his parents where he was also helpless to stop the crime and their deaths.
The late Kevin Conroy said once (paraphrased) that Ben Affleck as Bruce and Batman of BvS is the closes version of a true, broken, intimidating and powerful Batman/Bruce there is.
Quote below
“I love seeing all the different takes. I think some of them get Bruce Wayne more than they get Batman, and some of them get Batman more than they get Bruce Wayne. I think Ben Affleck has probably gotten the best balance of the two. He's a really good Bruce Wayne and a really good Batman.”
I believe the reason why fans of DC such as myself seem to resonant with Batfleck, is because he is a very dark and brutal character who freely expresses himself as a hero. Bruce Wayne/Batman lives his life in the grey areas. And, I think most of us who live in the grey wish to express ourselves with the cards we are dealt and most of us see ourselves as the hero of our stories. Yes Batfleck did say in the movie that he is a criminal (I believe the script should have said Vigilante instead) to Gotham City, this is just a reactionary response to the way Gotham sees the Batman. If they called Batman a hero, he would see himself as such.
There are other fans of the DC universe that do connect with Superman, wanting and knowing they have the power to do what is right. Sometimes people reject those with power and some accept it. This either makes you feel a sense of accomplishment or depression not knowing what to do next. Superman went through this in the film, this made him human like us. I believe this is the fundamentals of why people connect with a God like character.
All the action sequences are great even though we wanted more of the fight between Batman v Superman. The standout fight sequence was the Batman warehouse brawl, he was using his gadgets the way you would think Batman would use them and the way he was throwing punches and kicks against Lex's thugs was brutal. I wish there was more of those kinds of fights in ZSJL, but the way I see it is that Batman has evolved from a dark dangerous character to a caring figure head of the JL.
Throughout BvS Batman uses guns and kills people. This is something that isn't canon to Batman in most comics and most iterations of the character. Most hardcore fans say that he should stick to his No Kill rule, but Zack Snyder challenged this by placing Batman into a situation where he needed to kill the bad guys. Some people took this to say that Zack doesn't understand the character or respect him, but I disagree. I think he loves the Dark Knight and wanted to have his version of the character carry a human drive to do what is necessary to beat a God like figure. Fans seem to forgot that Batman used a gun like contraption to kill Darkseid in one of Grant Morrison's comics. To be honest I don't see what the issue is, BvS Batman was killing human bad guys but in ZSJL he only killed Parademons. To me this is character development and Batman in BvS is just one version of the character, fans can dismiss it as the true version but should not get so uptight about a creation that isn't there's.
The ending of the film is a reference to the death of Superman, by the hands of Doomsday. This could have been a movie on its own, but I understand why this happened in the Snyderverse so quickly. WBs wanted to fast-track to a Justice League movie to catch up with the MCU. In my opinion this should never have happened because Zack is a great director, WBs should have trusted him with making MoS2 after MoS and should have taken their time with producing standalone DC character films that led up to the JL movie. I think the death of Superman should have happen in his third movie. If WBs didn't want to focus on standalone DC films before JL, they should have believed in Zack to complete his DC universe saga that consisted with MoS, BvS, JL1/2,3 and his input in the Ayer version of Suicide Squad. All WBs needed to do was take their time and not worry.
I liked Wonder Woman's inclusion in the movie but she should never have been in the film, or maybe just teased at the end to lead into her solo film. She was only brought into the movie to show fans that JL was coming but again it was too soon. Although I believe her introduction to the DC universe of films was rushed, Gal Gadot was great in the role and her character soundtrack was one of the greatest pieces of music I have ever head.
Initially I didn't think much of this film but have grown to love it and will forever want to rewatch this cult-classic.
The Batman (2022)
This movie in my opinion is the best DC Elseworlds project so far. What stood out to me in this film is the character of Batman, whenever he was on screen I was gravitated to what he was doing. Jumping ahead it would be great to see Timothée Chalamet in the sequel as Robin and see him act against Robert Pattinson. Another great thing about this Batman is the Batsuit it was unique compared to the other Batsuits in the previous movies. To mention specifics the Bat symbol on his chest can detach into a bat-knife, the bat-grapple extends from the forearm guard. The suit itself looks like something Bruce made himself from military grade parts that he scavenged for through discarded Wayne tech.
The music was great as well. The piece of the soundtrack that stood out the most was the theme that was playing when Batman made his first enterance in the subway. However great it was very similar to Darth Vader first enterance music from the Star Wars film: 'A New Hope' I think the enterance scene would have been perceived better if the music used was truly original.
The fight scenes in this film for me were second place compared to the fight scenes of Batman in BvS. Though no matter first or second place the action was brutal and for both movies you can feel the punches. The villain of the Batman was an interesting one being the Riddler, though I believe the character would have been a lot more menacing if he was maskless in the first scene we see him in. As we all know it was Paul Dano from the beginning. It would have been more interesting however if we never saw the Riddler's face, an unknown character from start to finish and what if he laid the groundwork for villains that would show up in later instalments. This is something that has happened before in other DC films though I don't believe has really paid off. The biggest example his Lex Luthor outing Batman's identity to Deathstroke at the end of ZSJL, though that became a moot point due to the restructuring of the DC films and TV properties.
Some people who have seen the Batman say that the third act was too grand and also they say a more personal ending between Batman and Riddler is a better option to complete the first movie. I'm about 50/50 with that, the grand ending for me is a hint to show how big the story can get in the sequel and Batman and Riddler did have that quiet and personal end in the movie when Riddler was placed in prison and Batman was talking to him on the other side of the glass. I also think that a grand end to the first film was needed as a personal ending would just make the movie a bit to quiet or boring, it needed a change of pace. If the Batman is set to be a trilogy I think the end of the third film should have a personal one simple and effective showing variety contrasting with the other two films before it.
A relationship in the movie that was effective to make me care would be the connection and trust between Gordon and Batman. Nothing much was needed to be said, they did their Detective work together for 2 years so far no sharing of personal information just clocked in and clocked out. Though in the sequel I think it would be best to introduce Barbara Gordon, even if she is just a baby setting the groundwork for the future stories between Batman and Barbara as Batgirl and eventually Oracle. There could even be a personal drive for Batman if he had to save a baby Barbara from the a villain(s). From what I have researched the villains would probably be Hush and Clayface. Sure this trilogy of movies is based around reality but it will need to get big at some point and introducing Clayface fits that development of the story, as he is able to shapeshift; this also gives the appearance of a grounded plot. The same goes for Hush as he can change his face. I think Clayface could bring that grand ending to the sequel and Hush could be the one to kidnap Barbara if the story calls for it.
If There will be a third movie a villain that was thrown around on the internet is Mr.Freeze. Most versions of the villain show him as having tech to create ice structures and freeze anything, to me he is a grand villain. Though they could make him into a quiet villain if they utilise his personal connection of love with his dying wife Nora. Maybe at the end of movie Batman shows Mr.Freeze Nora can't be saved but saves everyone else from Freeze's onslaught. This shows that Batman can't save everyone like he couldn't save his parents, giving an interesting end to the trilogy. Sure Batman could find a way to save Nora but it would be like the ending to Batman & Robin and I don't think Matt Reeves would want to do that.
The Flash (2023)
I have now seen the Flash movie twice and I must say purely from a film's point of view, not taking into account Ezra Miller's criminal acts; the movie was actually quite good. Its not the best superhero movie of all time but its not the worst either.
The best part of the movie was the emotional core/relationship between Mother and Son; Nora and Barry, the lengths Barry would go to save his Mother from death and proving his father's innocence as he was accused of killing Nora. All of this was achievable because of Barry's ability to time travel. In addition to that core plot of the movie, the film has an important message, learning to let go of the past and not have that part of your life define your future. In the context of the movie Barry needs to let go of his past, the death of Nora. This lesson of letting go seems to have an interesting timing possibly indicating to the fans of DC to let go of the past: the DCEU, as of WBs restructuring of DC's Film division into the DCU. Though I don't believe us fans would ever truly learn to let go of Snyder's vision of the DC movies. Personally though after watching the latest DC films; The Flash, Shazam Fury of the Gods and Black Adam, I am looking forward to what is in store of DC's future.
When I watched the film for the first time the thing that bugged me the most is the quality of the CGI. Sometimes it was good having the Barry Allen double in the same scenes as our Barry and most of the time when seeing events unfold in the Speed Force is was poor; most people would describe it as PS2 cut scene quality. To be honest watching the movie the second time the quality of the CGI didn't phase me as much, knowing that the CGI quality was intentional according to the Director; as he explains the graphics were made that way due to being viewed through the point of view of Barry Allen. Although I accept that explanation to a degree I think many factors have affected the production and the finished product of the film. The movie has gone through a lot of changes, Directors, writers, scripts and not to mention the controversies surrounding Ezra Miller.
Other than the emotional core of the movie, the cameos were interesting too. The best ones were seeing George Clooney as Bruce Wayne at the end of the film and seeing Nicolas Cage as Superman in the Speed Force. If it was not for the changes that DC films are going through, its possible that we could have seen Clooney more as Bruce Wayne or Batman and Cage as Superman in a Kingdom Come movie. Those were my hopes. Maybe they could appear not in the main continuity of the films but in Elseworld projects.
The Cameo with Cage as Superman had him fight a Scorpion Alien creature. This got me thinking would we have seen this in the canceled Superman Lives film? I think its possible but with the quality of CGI back then I don't believe it would have been convincing. Maybe this is one of the reasons why that Superman movie was canceled.
There was more information released about Cage's cameo as Superman. He was actually in the super suit and filmed the cameo scene then he was edited to appear like computer generated graphic. Hearing about this now makes me again question why would the Director allow this to happen? its possible that if Cage's real face was really used in the cameo then it wouldn't match the quality of cameos that consisted of late actors like Christopher Reeve's and Adam West's as Superman and Batman.
The one thing that brought me and many other people to the theatre to see this movie was Keaton returning as Batman. Sure his ending in the movie might not be what people would approve of, but the rest of character's story and the screen time was good enough for me to want more of him. Even with the restructuring of DC films, the concept of the multiverse makes it possible that we might still be able to see his Batman return. I know the Batgirl film was scrapped but with the huge support of Keaton Batman fans and with the public knowledge that Keaton's Batman is in the film, I believe it will be released and I have a feeling that we will see him return in a live action Batman Beyond film. Before Keaton was cast in the Flash movie, I wanted to have Kevin Conroy as oldman Bruce Wayne in the live action Batman Beyond movie as he proved himself in the Crisis Crossover at CW and he voiced a version of that character in the animated Batman Beyond movie. Though since his passing RIP the second best choice is to have Keaton as oldman Bruce Wayne to Terry McGinnis. I don't really know who can play Terry however if Ezra Miller can play a more serious character as proven in the Flash film, then it could be him. Yes I know this presents an issue as Ezra is the Flash but if you factor the multiverse DC could recast Flash and with time people will eventually forgive Ezra to a degree and accept him to play a different DC character.
A character that didn't really shine in my opinion is Supergirl. Though there was enough story potential from her to warrant a return in the DCU moving forward. Even the actress has expressed interest in returning.
Even with it's problems the Flash movie was enjoyable.
Zack Snyder's Justice League 2021
This movie is amazing. It's not perfect but still a great achievement. Comparing this film to what was released in 2017: Joss Whedon's Justice League, it still follows similar beats of the main plot but the details and how the main plot develops in the Snyder Cut makes it a far more superior film.
When it was announced that Zack Snyder was releasing his version of the film, I was hoping that it was a completely different movie in comparison to the theatrical cut. However, ultimately I'm happy with what we as fans got on HBO Max. This film is 4 hours long and when I was watching it on the release date 18 March 2021, I decided to watch the film after work late at night and was only able to watch the first 2 hours before the day ended. This was fine, as the way the film was released on the streaming service: HBO Max; the 4-hour epic was split into chapters:
Part 1: Don't Count on it, Batman
Part 2: Age of Heroes
Part 3: Beloved Mother Beloved Son
Part 4: Change Machine
Part 5: All the King's Horses
Part 6: Something Darker
and Epilogue: A Father Twice Over
In addition, the film also has a Prologue that featured the death of Superman by Doomsday from BvS.
This meant fans can pause the film after finishing each Chapter and easily resume when they are ready to continue watching the film.
In the Theatrical Cut, we find out that the death of Superman caused the Mother Boxes to wake. In Zack Snyder's version of the movie the Boxes wake up for the same reason however, we are shown more detail that Superman's cry as he was dying sent a soundwave around the world that woke the Boxes.
Throughout these chapters, each of the Heroes: the Justice League, villains; Darkseid and Steppenwolf, and some of the supporting cast were given proper arcs compared to the Theatrical Cut.
Desaad and Granny Goodness who were in this film weren't in Joss Whedon's version of the movie and for some reason, Darkseid was cut too. It's possible that if Joss Whedon was going to direct a sequel to his version of the movie then he would have introduced those three characters.
In Zack's version of this film, Desaad was only in it to report to Darkseid of Steppenwolf's progress on retrieving the Mother Boxes. I have a feeling that we will see more of Desaad and Granny Goodness in the later Justice League movies, as Desaad only had a few scenes and Granny Goodness didn't speak at all. It would be great if we get a film that shows Granny Goodness training warriors on Apokolips. This would be a great way to make the character shine.
The Villain: Steppenwolf in the Snyder Cut was vastly improved compared to what Joss Whedon decided to do with him. His dialogue and appearance were changed. We were able to sympathize with him due to his backstory and when he was fighting the heroes of the movie there was tension in those sequences as we saw him as a formidable foe. Especially when he was fighting with the Amazonians trying and succeeding to get one of the Mother Boxes from them. Another thing that was great about this version of the character is that he didn't even call the Mother Boxes, "Mother" once compared to the Theatrical Version which I'm happy about as that was annoying to listen to every time I rewatched the 2017 version of the movie. The film didn't go into full detail on Steppenwolf's backstory, maybe in the future, we will get a DCEU prequel film that explains it in more detail.
In terms of Darkseid, he was sparingly used in the film. One of the stand out sequences was when Diana was giving Bruce a history lesson and at the same time we got to see a Flashback sequence; Uxas(Darkseid) and his army invading Earth trying to use the Mother Boxes to terraform the Earth to match Apokolips' terrain, turn Earth's population into Parademons and search for the Anti-Life Equation; with the Atlanteans, Amazonians, Humans, Old Gods and one Green Lantern fighting the invaders to save Earth.
Darkseid was ultimately defeated and retreated, similar to Steppenwolf in the Theatrical Cut. What doesn't make sense is that for some reason Darkseid/Uxas forgot about the location of Earth when conquering 100,000 worlds seeking the Anti-Life after he was defeated in battle, as a result of his wounds. Zack Snyder has responded on Twitter about this and he says;
"He almost died when he returned to apocalypse he was in a fight for power and much time passed before he was in position of power again and by then all who had been with him had been Slayed"
Maybe this will be further explained in a later Justice League sequel.
A better explanation I believe is that Darkseid is afraid of Earth's defenders and won't admit it.
What is Anti-Life? The Anti-Life Equation has the power to dominate the will of any sentient race. It derives its name from the fact that "if someone possesses absolute control over you—you're not really alive."
In the Theatrical Cut of this film, In the history lesson flashback sequence; It was Steppenwolf and his army invading Earth and the length of that sequence was reduced, as a result of WB wanting the film to be reduced from 4 hours to 2 hours. I'm glad we got to see Uxas/Darkseid in the history lesson the way it was originally intended. He did more in this film compared to what Thanos did in the first Avengers movie in the MCU. I can't wait to see more of Darkseid in the later Justice League movies if it gets green-lit.
Superman wasn't in the film much as he died in BvS so there wasn't much character development for him. Though what was great about this hero is that Henry Cavill who plays him didn't have a CGI upper lip to hide his mustache that Henry had in the 2017 Justice League movie. Henry had to keep his mustache in the 2017 movie when returning for reshoots when Joss Whedon took over production because Henry was acting as a villain with a mustache in the Mission Impossible: Fallout movie that was still in production around the same time.
Apparently, the Director of Fallout said if the Justice League Producers paid three million dollars then Henry can shave the mustache. They didn't want to pay that and opted to remove it themselves using CGI, which as we know was a bad move. The three million if JL Producers paid was going to be used for the VFX team of Fallout to place a CGI mustache on Cavill for their movie if Henry was allowed to shave for the 2017 JL reshoots.
Another great thing about this Superman is that we finally see him in the iconic black suit. In the comics, Superman wears a black suit after he was resurrected to help him absorb sunlight more efficiently to recover from his wounds inflicted by Doomsday.
It's not explained upfront in the movie why Superman needs the black suit, though it is shown to us that Superman in the black suit flies into Space to absorb sunlight to recover to full strength from his interaction with Doomsday in BvS.
In the Snyder Cut Superman before he recovered fully absorbing sunlight, fought the Justice League as he had temporary amnesia and he practically defeated them. This is weird because if he needed sunlight to recover his strength how was he able to defeat the Justice League? Maybe you could say that Superman even at his weakest is still formidable. And he needed to be fully powered to defeat Steppenwolf.
Even though Superman wasn't in this film much, Zack Snyder has said that Superman is to be upfront and center as a villain in JL 2 controlled by Darkseid with the Anti-life Equation after Darkseid kills Lois causing Superman to lose the will to live to make him more susceptible to Anti-life.
Wonder Woman/Diana's character development is an interesting one. In her first movie, she is not afraid to kill the bad guys in WW1. In her second movie, she doesn't kill, in the 80s and now in ZSJL she is back at killing bad guys. This might be jarring for some viewers, though for me it doesn't really matter, for me all three films are unique and enjoyable.
The reason why her character development could be seen as inconsistent is that there was a lack of overall vision for the stories of the Justice League, as Zack Snyder stepped away from DC films after the death of his daughter. Zack, however, was an executive producer on WW84, but Patty Jenkins was given total control over the movie, and to me it's possible that Zack didn't want to cause any friction between him and Patty during the production of the movie, causing the inconsistencies with the star character of the film.
Sure Zack could have re-written the script for his vision of the Justice League movie to make sense of Diana's character development from Wonder Woman 84, but he wasn't getting paid for his contributions and fans wanted Zack's original vision of the film to be released. However, if he did make this change, fans would have been upset as the storyline: Diana's no-kill rule would have been brought over from Wonder Woman 84 a poorly received film by most fans.
What is strange about Wonder Woman killing the bad guys in ZSJL is that she seems to be applauded for it, however when it comes to Batman killing the bad guys the police try to stop him and when Superman appears to go rogue, the public, police and the military go against him. It's possible in later Wonder Woman movies the heroine killing the bad guys will be addressed.
Batman/Bruce Wayne was great in this film compared to JL 2017. I know I said in my JL 2017 review that Batman turning from a serious character into a lighter-toned character, making jokes and quips were character development but looking back on it now that shift was out of place and I'm glad we got the Snyder Cut that showed Batman's proper character development from who initially operated on reason and now operates on faith believing that Superman is not the enemy but a hero who can the save the world and because of this newfound faith Batman founded the Justice League.
This belief that Batman had, was in JL 2017 however it is more apparent in the Snyder Cut as it wasn't paired with jokes and quips. There are some moments with Batman/Bruce Wayne that were in the 2017 version of the movie that I wished was kept in the Snyder Cut: when Bruce was explaining to Alfred that Superman was more human than himself and when he was giving Flash advice on how to be a hero. Maybe scenes like this will be featured in future DC movies, possibly in the future Flash film, where Bruce and Barry's relationship will be explored.
The Flash is another character who received a revamped character development in ZSJL compared to the 2017 version of the movie. In ZSJL Barry Allen the Flash was given more to do and was not treated as the butt end of a joke compared to the Theatrical Version of the film. He is not afraid to save people and fight for the people. Even though this film did not outright set up a solo Flash movie, it has been confirmed that characters such as Ben Affleck's Batman, Iris West, and Barry's Father: Henry Allen who were all present in ZSJL will be in the Flash Solo movie. And even though Iris West did not do much in ZSJL, the fact that she was present makes me intrigued to see more of her and her interactions with Barry in the Solo Flash movie.
In terms of character development for Aquaman nothing, much changed for him compared to the 2017 movie. However, he is slightly more of a sympathetic character caring for others. Though he does have a grudge for the Atlanteans which is understandable because King Orvax ordered the execution of Aquaman's mother to the Trench, which we find out that in the Aquaman movie she is alive and has been surviving at the Hidden Sea in the Centre of the Earth.
What is cool about the Atlanteans is that when they are not speaking in air bubbles underwater they communicate like dolphins, this is a cool touch to the lore of the characters but wasn't used in the Aquaman movie. This is one of the examples that indicate that this Justice League movie is an Elseworlds property. Warnermedia owns DC films and soon Discovery will merge with Warnermedia in 2022. If this deal actually happens then its possible JL2 and JL3 will be made to complete Zack Snyder's vision of the Justice League films and it's possible that there could be more DC films set in the Snyderverse parallel to the DCEU and eventually, the universe will merge possibly after the Flash Solo movie.
In the 2017 version of JL, Cyborg had no real character development, Joss Whedon decided to cut almost all the scenes and sequences that made him a real character. This is however is opposite in the Snyder Cut and Zack Snyder has said publicly that Cyborg is the heart and soul of the film. And without him and the aid of the Justice League, they wouldn't have been able to defeat Steppenwolf and apparently destroy the Mother Boxes to save the world.
Regarding the destruction of the Mother Boxes, this is strange as well as in the events of the Knightmare sequence near the end of the film it was made clear that a Mother Box was still operational. I hope the filmmakers explain this possible plot hole. It could be that when Batman and the JL of the Knightmare sequence keep resetting the timeline, one of the Mother Boxes was able to survive from being destroyed.
In this film, Cyborg was given a backstory involving the death of his mother and Cyborg/Victor sustaining injuries from a car accident. Although I didn't feel the emotional weight of this scene, I'm sure other fans felt it. before the car accident, we see Victor and his mother at one of Victor's football games and his father wasn't present as he was busy at work. Because of this sequence, we can understand better Victor's hatred of his father as he was never there for his son. And by the end of the film with Silas his father sacrificing himself to help Victor save the world, this gives weight to Cyborg's story throughout the film.
Silas Stone is a character that died in this movie and played a pivotal role in helping the JL save the world from Steppenwolf. I don't like it when characters die in movies and TV shows, but maybe if there will be a Cyborg movie there might be Flashbacks that would feature Silas as he was a great character in the Snyder Cut and the 2017 version of JL. What was a great touch to this film involving Silas was the Epilogue: A Father Twice Over, where there was a voice-over from Silas saying how proud he was of Victor his son, and saying to Victor continue to be a hero.
A character however that fans have an issue with was Lois Lane. In the Snyder Cut, she didn't do much as she was grieving over Clark's death, and in MoS and BvS even though she did more in those films she was the damsel in distress. Maybe in JL2 and 3, she will have a bigger role and for me even though Lois didn't do much in this film the character progression was needed and fit the film's development. It would be nice to see her and her child's interactions in the next movies, as it was shown that she was pregnant in ZSJL. People and fans have speculated that She and Clark will have a daughter who will become Supergirl in the new Flash movie, this would be cool but I'm hoping the child will become the new Batman that Zack Snyder envisioned at the end of the JL series of films.
One of my favorite sequences in the movie is the Knightmare sequence, as it sets up a sequel that might not happen because of a dispute between Zack Snyder and WB. Maybe Netflix or HBO Max can produce a sequel to this movie. Another reason why this sequence is great is that it's the first time we see Batman and Joker officially meet and have a conversation. They were in the Suicide Squad movie together though they never spoke to one another.
Another great sequence in the movie was when Barry reverses time when the JL failed to aid Cyborg to link with the Mother Boxes to stop them unifying to alter Earth's terrain and create Parademons. The music was great and the effects of when Barry reversed time was great too, easily one of the best moments in comic book movie history. I'm intrigued to find out if the time travel effects will be the same in this movie and the Flash Solo movie or the Filmmakers of the Solo film will improve them.
The music was kind of hit and miss at first. The more I've seen the film I realized Zack just wanted an unfiltered vision of his movie to be released. Maybe if there was a perfect 3-hour version of this film in the theatres then the music choices would have been more refined. I must say though In my JL 2017 review the music in that film was great.
In conclusion, everything about the Snyder Cut is great; the action, the story, and the acting, and I love the fact It's 4 hours long. The only thing that I would complain about is the music choices, some are not so great and some are perfect.
Episode 1 was a great start to season 3. And I think season 3 might be the best season of Titans yet. If what happened in season 3 happened in season 2 and the entire season 3 was a flashback with Deathstroke messing with the Titans, then I think the series as a trilogy so far would have been amazing.
The season starts off with the death of Jason Todd by the hands of the Joker and similarly to season 1 you don't really see the Joker in his full glory.
I was hoping to see more of him in season 3 but its understandable that WB placed an restriction on the use of Joker at HBO Max, possibly due to the fact that Joker will be in the Joker movie sequel that will start production in 2023 and the character might be used in future JL movies.
In the comics I believe when the Joker killed Jason, Batman never took his revenge. In the Titans series after the death of Jason, Bruce beats the Joker to death with a crow bar, the same weapon Joker used on Jason. I think the choice that Bruce made to kill Joker is an interesting one. This humanizes Bruce to the point where he tried to commit suicide and I think if he never made the choice to kill Joker, he might have been slightly disrespected by fans.
What I like about this season is the use of music. It reflected the fun tone of the the animated Teen titans TV show from Cartoon Network.
This season introduces Tim Drake and Barbara Gordon. Barbara was a larger part of the season as Commissioner Gordon not as Batgirl and Tim played a larger role near the end of the season. The way the season ended it looks like Tim will be a important part of season 4 as the new Robin trained by Dick.
In terms of Barbara; her backstory with the Joker, it was changed from the comics. In the source material the Joker broke her back, but in the TV series' adaptation the Joker took her leg.
I have seen behind the scenes training of the actress who plays Barbara and even disabled for real she seems a very capable fighter and that's amazing. It would also be amazing to see her in later seasons of the series.
It was recently announced that a Gotham Knights pilot was green lit at CW and this is based off a video game and features Batgirl/Barbara Gordon. It would have been nice to see Batgirl in Titans but if not seeing her in a CW series is the next best thing. Maybe the actress who plays Barbara from Titans can crossover to Gotham Knights in a flashforward, which is really cool to think about, even better if it happens.
What was also great about Barbara Gordon is her tension, problem and issue with Bruce Wayne/Batman. She blames Bruce for her current predicament and the death of her father, if her father never got involved with Batman then there is a chance he would never have become a target of Mr. Freeze. This could be a hint to the official debut of Mr.Freeze in season 4, fingers crossed.
What was missing in the first 2 seasons of Titans is the fact they were never really working as a proper team, excluding the flashbacks in season 2. Its nice to see this changed in season 3.
Hawk and Dove were sadly not in the first episode of season 3. Their absence I believe was a hint foreshadowing future events where Hawk dies and Dove leaves to Paris after Hawk's death. I'm glad the DC has started implementing the multiverse concept and maybe because of this Hawk from another Earth or time can be introduce in later seasons of Titans, or have the same actor appear in other DC shows.
I hope in season 4 there are flashback sequences with the use of Warren Christie from the Arrowverse as younger Bruce Wayne/Batman. I would like this to happen because it would be a waste if Warren Christie doesn't reprise his role, as it was short lived from the Batwoman series.
Knowing that Jason becomes Red Hood, I kind of wish that DC used another actor; because the current actor to me even though he is great in the part in terms of his acting skills, he seems shorter than what I would expect the character to be in comparison to the comics.
Jericho and Rose Wilson from season 2 were missing this time around. They might make a return in season 4 and we might find out that Deathstroke might still be alive If he has the same healing factor as his daughter; because in the comics Deathstroke has a healing factor. Also he was so good as a villain in season 2. It would be a shame to not see him return.
As you may know, I prefer Deathstroke from Titans as a villain more than the same character from Arrow, because the character in Titans was done better; more menacing and more of the a threat. The character in Arrow was great as Oliver's best friend.
Now that the multiverse is playing a big part in DC TV; the Deathstrokes from Titans and Arrow could be on screen together fighting each other, with Manu's version of the character protecting the Titans or the heroes of the Arrowverse.
With characters dead in Titans, it might be worth bringing the characters back as Black Lanterns or Zombies adapted from the DC's DCease comic book series.
There is a moment in the series where *Hank joins the police force, which brought a sense of comedy. This is a nice change of pace in the series as we usually see Hank abusing drugs other than being a superhero, which is slightly depressing and dark. His drug abuse was a result of him being a target of child abuse. These dark and depressing undertones were also apparent in his relationship with Dawn despite it being cheerful and loving at times. Obviously their love life couldn't be balanced with their crime fighting career, as Hank kept blaming himself for so much pain they brought when trying to save people going out every night as Hawk with Dove.
"be a better Batman" Bruce said to Dick in first episode of this season.
This is a great line in Titans and its important because it might be foreshadowing the event where Dick actually becomes Batman and foreshadows the possible death of Bruce Wayne. The death of Bruce Wayne was teased this season when he was about to commit suicide after the death of Jason, and Donna saves Bruce when she came back from the dead.
If Titans doesn't use Warren Christie has a younger Bruce Wayne, then just have the current actor Iain Glen team up with the Titans as Batman. Or even have him team up with members of the Justice League, I'm sure fans who cheer if either those two moments happen.
I found out recently that the Peacemaker series used Justice League characters from the DCEU at the end of the first season. Wouldn't it be cool to see them in later seasons of Titans factoring the multiverse?
Dick and Barbara get back together, but it only seems like for this season and I think during season 4 Dick and Starfire will continue their relationship. It would have been great to see Dick and Barbara stay together past season 3 but maybe scheduling conflicts prevented the actress who plays Barbara from continuing to stay with the series, or simply her contract ends when season 3 finished production.
It was nice to see dream sequences and flashbacks of Dick and Barbara together other than in present day, a call back to the comics and the animated medium of the Batman series. I'm sure in some ways this was fan service as maybe fans have been asking to see them to be together in the Titans series.
When I heard that Barbara was going to be in season 3 I was hoping to see her not in a wheelchair and in the Batsuit. We did get to see her walking in a flashback/dream sequence, however she wasn't in a Batsuit, maybe the reason was the budget or because of the Gotham Knights series that was greenlit to feature Batgirl. Maybe Titans could feature Cyborg in later seasons to create tech that can make Babara walk again.
Jason adopts the name Red Hood, as we all know from the comics; Red Hood was the previous alter ego of the Joker. This is interesting, as Red Hood in the Gotham TV Show was like a Robin Hood character taking from the rich and giving to the poor. I don't know the full history of Joker as Red Hood in the comics, however in the Animated DC movie Killing Joke, we see the origins of the man he was before becoming the clown prince of crime. He was a victim of a poor monetary life style and adopted the Red Hood persona to better is situation, he was not necessarily a bad guy until he fell into the vat of chemicals. If you compare this origin of the Joker to Jason becoming Red Hood in the TV show, they are trying to both find Justice for being wronged. One is just trying to get by and Jason being a victim of murder is doing is best to rid Gotham City of criminals; by trying to be the head of organized crime, something Batman failed to do.
Scarecrow was used as a Hannibal Lecter/informant type of character for a short while which the creators should have kept for the whole of the 3rd season but didn't. If they did; It would have presented a interesting and lasting villain and hero dynamic between Scarecrow and Nightwing that they could refer back to in later seasons. The creators could use this type of story telling technique with another villain maybe: Two-Face in later seasons. Something similar was approached in a deleted scene of the latest Batman movie with Joker as the informant. I think either properties: Titans or Batman would benefit greatly if they commited to using one of the Rogue's Gallery villains as an informant type of character for an extended period. Regarding the Batman sequels they could use Riddler as the informant. And, for the Titans series maybe Scarecrow will make a return in season 5 to become a long term informant, this would be neat.
For season 3, the setting became Gotham City. This was cool to make each episode engaging and familiar at the same time. The first 2 seasons were set in San Francisco, which is great to have a different and new feel of the DC Universe on TV. HBO Max I'm sure dodged a bullet by setting season 3 in Gotham City, as I'm sure fans would have eventually complained if Gotham City was never visited in the Titans series. In my opinion, season 1 and 2 should have been set in Gotham City to get fans hooked immediately, then transition the characters and stories to San Francisco for season 3. If fans have a positive reaction to the change in setting away from Gotham City, then have season 4 and future seasons set in San Francisco. Its possible that the creators believed that a Red Hood/ Jason Todd story could only be set in Gotham but I think they could have taken the risk to have his character transformation in a different city.
Blackfire's role in season 3 is an interesting one, from her relationship with her sister Starfire to her love life with her boyfriend: Superboy. In season 3 we learn slightly more about how Blackfire became a villainous character and was misunderstood: her parents tried to kill her to hopefully draw Starfire back to Tamaran and become Queen, but Blackfire killed them instead, became Queen and was hated by her people. As we know in season 2 Starfire was ordered by her sister to return home but she refused, this hinted that a conflict between the two characters was going to happened in season 3 and I think we were all thinking Blackfire was going to be a major villain in that season.
However in her introduction in season 3 she was a helpless victim in a power damping cage made by the US Government. She escapes with with help of Starfire and Beastboy and eventually Blackfire asks her sister that they both return home and become co-Queens, to hopefully calm the people of Tamaran. As you can now tell this development is a complete 180 to what we thought we were getting from Blackfire in season 3. Thinking about it now I think season 3 should have had one main villain in Blackfire and then the creators could have had Red Hood and Scarecrow as the main villains in **season 4. This way we would have expected what we thought we were getting for season 3 judging from the ending of season 2: Blackfire as a villain and then she could have turned into an ally in season 4 to help fight Red Hood and Scarecrow. In many ways Blackfire's character development was rushed and my rough thought re-write would have started to remedy that.
Blackfire's powers is an interesting plotline in this season of Titans, as apparently the powers that Starfire possessed was actually originally her sister's. And, a witch swapped their powers because their parents wanted Starfire to be Queen of Tamaran when she was old enough to take the title, only royalty have the ability of pyrokinesis. I am not sure if this happened in the comics, if so great, if not even better as its something different and new for both Tamaranians; Starfire and Blackfire. Could it be possible that Starfire dies in the future and her sister takes her place in the Titans? After Starfire gives birth to her's and Dick's Daughter, as Dick saw a dark skinned little girl calling him daddy in a vision of some sort; when he was exposed to the Lazarus Pit. I believe, I assume rightly that the little girl in Dick's vision is Starfire's and his daughter because Starfire is also dark skinned and Dick and Starfire have been romantically involved.
Surely this little girl's mother could be someone else but I doubt that, as I don't think Dick would be in a relationship with someone who wouldn't be either Starfire or Barbara. In the comics these 2 women I believe were the only love interest for Nightwing. In the TV show Barbara was out of the picture at the end of season 3 and Dawn doesn't count as I don't think she would fall in love with Dick after the death of her boyfriend: Hank.
Blackfire at the end of the season is going home to Tamaran, but I wouldn't be surprised if she makes a return to help the Titans and I think and hope that we will see her on Tamaran eventually possibly in season 5, that would be so great. I'm sure this will happen as we have been in Gotham, San Fransisco, Themyscira and also the After-Life. So why not have Tamaran as a location.
Superboy and Blackfire's relationship was great for what it was, not as indepth as Hank and Dawn's relationship but an interesting replacement of the love relationship in the series. I read that Lex Luthor will be in season 4 of Titans and I wouldn't be surprise if Lex somehow captures Blackfire before she returns to Tamaran and uses her to get to Superboy. This would give Superboy and Blackfire's relationship a new turn in the series and give alot of tension throughout season 4, like in season 3 where Jason placed a bomb on Hank's heart and had Dawn ultimately kill Hank by accident.
There is a character called Molly who is a close friend of Jason, there wasn't much story given to Molly and I expected that there was going to be a deep love connection between the two. However I guess that story was too obvious and the writers opted not to make them in love. It's possible that she and Jason could make a return in season 5 and they might be together by then. This would be great to see because I think Jason needs a love interest that can calm his demeanor and hopefully put him on a true hero's path.
Jason did become a hero only for a short while when he decided to work with Dick to takedown Scarecrow, as he regretted killing one of his Titans family: Hank. The one thing that I hope the writers don't do is kill off Molly because I really don't want to see Jason as a villain again. I know for high certainty that if Jason loses Molly, he will become a villain again. It's best not to overstay the welcome of Jason's villainous character development, as it will get stale. The interesting thing is that Jason is a full fledged hero in the Gotham Knights storyline in the videogames and possibly in the new CW TV series. So maybe If the writers decide to bring back Jason in later seasons of Titans and if the reception of Jason as a hero goes well in the Gotham Knight game; and the possible feature of the character in the TV show of the same name. Then the Titans writers might most likely make Jason a hero permanent.
Molly calls Jason, J in a Flashback scene. I'm not sure if this is an intentional reference to Harley Quinn calling Joker Mr. J or not; however either way its a nice nod to Joker.
Leslie Thompkins is featured in this season as a Psychiatrist to Batman/Bruce Wayne. Not only does she have history with Bruce in this series but with Jonathan Crane too. I'm not sure if this is the case in the comics but giving history between these three character and their growing connection to Jason Todd in the show, it is a great way to emphasize Jason's breaking/changing psyche into Red Hood. Bruce mentally broke Jason, Leslie tried to heal Jason and Crane rebuilt him into Red Hood.
There was a sequence where Dick was able to deduce a killer's weapon of choice, skills and identity from audio evidence. This is a really cool skill that Dick has. Something I hope we can see more of in later seasons. To be honest this is something that I don't think we have ever seen from Bruce Wayne/Batman. This shows that Dick is a better Detective than the Dark Knight.
Apparently Crisis on Infinite Earths might be a huge movie event for the DCEU and what if Crane from Titans was featured in that movie and his work on a fear cure could save the multiverse from Darkseid or the Antimonitor? This would be so big and such a game changer for both the DCTV shows and the DCEU. Sure Marvel has done TV show movie crossovers but I believe that my idea of Crane in Crisis could beat whatever Marvel produces.
In this season of Titans we get to see more of the Tamarian tech in a form of Blackfire's suit. This I thought was cool and for me anyways prompts the idea that we will get to see more Tamarian tech in future seasons, possibly coinciding with the return of Blackfire.
This season introduces Tim Drake the third Robin from the comics. He is not Robin yet in the TV show but wants to be and he finally gets to be part of the team as a trainee at the end of the season. I'm sure we will see more of him struggle trained by Dick and it looks like there might be a romance between Tim and Raven judging from BTS photos. Thus there will be most likely a love triangle between Tim, Raven and Beast Boy, as there is a established and growing connection between Beast Boy and Raven.
Not only will Tim be trained in the arts of combat but I'm sure Dick will improve Tim's detective skills, which we have seen in the third season that stunted Dick.
After killing Hank, Jason would eventually regret doing so. I think that this was a mistake of Jason regretting his actions and instead I think this regain of sanity should have happened in the middle of season 4. I say this because I would have liked to see more of Jason as a villain, as he was more compelling than Scarecrow. Also we have seen Scarecrow done before in the Gotham TV and the Dark Knight Trilogy, I think as fans we deserve something new.
One of the things that this season did great was humanizing Crane but it would have been more effective if the character wasn't overly used in other televised series. One way the season humanized him was when he had nervous breakdown after breaking into the Batcave and hearing a dossier about him from Bruce Wayne; saying he was a victim of abuse and he is not a very effective brutally direct villain.
In this season Tim gets shot and dies. This was an interesting way for us to be introduced to the Afterlife as we see Tim in that plain of existence with Donna and Hank. Fortunately Tim and Donna were able to come back to life, however Hank stayed behind. It was clear that the actor who plays Hank didn't have his character resurrected as the actor had another acting gig.
The funny thing though is that in his past interviews he was an adamant supporter of Titans saying it was better than whatever Marvel produced. This is true for only some aspects of Titans though, more so for season 3. However Marvel and the MCU have had years to develop their stories and characters. And, Titans is relatively new to the superhero genre. The great thing for Titans and DC is that the MCU are slipping in producing intriguing Marvel TV shows. I believe DC with Titans are climbing to the top and it looks like Warner Brothers Discovery taking over production of the DC properties will have DC at the top in no time.
However sadly it was announced at 2022 San Diego Comic Con that the Snyderverse is over, though this was said prior to the announcment of ZSJL so this news of the end of the Snyderverse might be a fake out.
With Oliver Queen dead in the Arrowverse becoming the Spectre and made a return in the latest Arrowverse comic crossover. Could we see him in the Afterlife on Titans if the series revisits that place? That would be so trippy.
Its seems like the Lazarus Pit in Titans doesn't turn the user crazy. This is something that is different from the Arrow TV series. Who knows maybe in Titans the Pit will slowly turn the users crazy and if this is true then the Titans will have a big challenge on their hands. As almost the entire population of Gotham was dosed with the Pit to heal them of Cranes Toxins.
Near the end of the season Nightwing gets shot in the neck by a civilian who became a supporter of Red Hood. Although this is a sad moment were Nightwing eventually dies but then gets resurrected by the Pit, its kind of funny that when Dick suits up his head and neck is the only thing exposed to harm. This I believe is a reference to a running gag where the bad guys don't seem to aim for exposed mouth area of Batman's cowl.
When Beast Boy describes how it feels like when he shapeshifts into animals, he says its like dying. This is interesting because if he actually dies and is reborn, could this mean when he turns he develops different sets of memories? Would there be a plot where his powers get out of control and could he become a potential villain of half a season? This would be a great way to showcase the full range of Gar's powers, as it seems like he is still in his rookie stage.
In the last episode of season 3, Jason works with the Titans to bring down Crane. Although this is a cliche: the bad guy works with the good guys to take out the big bad; I think it worked for the end of this season. As in the comics Red Hood becomes and hero and I wouldn't be surprised if he return in season 5 to help the Titans again.
ARGUS had a minor but important role in this season and Donna was asked to join them. I wouldn't be that surprised if the ARGUS interior would be an additional set in season 4. And, we might get to see Roy Harper this time around. I have a feeling that the exterior of ARGUS will be mostly constructed from CGI. I believe that using an existing building for both interior and exterior shots would be too expensive.
Because the pit has been a major factor in the 3rd season, there is a high possibility that Ra's will be a future villain possibly in season 5; as it was announced that Brother Blood will be the villain in season 4.
In conclusion season 3 of Titans was the best yet and I believe the following seasons will get better and better.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) review
My opinion of this movie is that it was great. Some fans of the DCEU thought it wasn't as there was a lot of downtime. However, I thought it was needed for character development certainly for the villains of the film; Max Lord and Cheetah.
It would have been greater if there were more action sequences. I'm guessing there will be more in the third installment of the franchise.
At the start of the movie Max Lord was slightly weird for one scene, but the more the character developed he became a more intriguing villain. What was slightly generic of the character was that he wanted to be a powerful figure. However, the way he went about gaining that power was interesting. He was able to seek out the Dreamstone that granted him the wish to become the Dreamstone. This allowed him to grant peoples' wishes and in return gets something back that would benefit him. And, something is taken from the person who made the wish.
Not only did the Dreamstone grant Max Lord his wish, but did the same for Barbara Minerva and Wonder Woman/Diana Prince. At the beginning of the film, Barbara was a shy and introverted character and wishes to be something more than she is. This corrupted her and she became an enemy of Wonder Woman. She finds out that Wonder Woman wanted to stop Max and if she succeeds with her plan then Barbara loses her wish. So Barbara does her best to protect him.
What was cool about Barbara played by Kristen Wiig was her acting from shy introvert to being confident and attractive after she made her wish. Showing how good of an actress she is.
Diana made a wish that she wanted Steve Trevor to come back to life. However, he came back in the form of a stranger. This was slightly weird as to everyone/characters in the film they see the stranger's face. Diana however eventually learns to see Steve. Chris Pine portrays Steve Trevor in both Wonder Woman movies, except for when Steve meets Diana for the first time in a long time and for when the character looks at his reflection; in this movie. In those two instances, he is portrayed by Kristoffer Polaha. Steve Trevor come back this way to create some form of comedy throughout the film.
The comedy that I thought worked was produced when Steve was the fish out of water in 1984, similarly to Diana in the first movie that was set in World War 1.
There's is a moment in the film where Wonder Woman learns how to fly. I was hoping this happened in the first movie, but I'm still glad it happened anyway, better late than never. Some people have said that in this movie, there wasn't a No Man's Land scene like in the first film. However, I believe the first flight sequence in this movie is the equivalent.
Another cool thing was the debut of the Invisible Jet. It wasn't in the movie for long. It might be in later team-up movies like Justice League Part 2 with characters like Aquaman, Flash and Batman. However, it might not be in anymore Wonder Woman solo movies as Diana can now fly, unless she partners with heroes who can't fly and who don't have a plane/jet of their own.
Max Lord near the end of the movie grants Barbara a second wish and he turns her into Cheetah. This leads into a heroine vs villain fight between Wonder Woman and Cheetah that I thought was well-executed in terms of the choreography, but I think it should have been filmed during the daytime to be near perfect. However, it was shot near night to possibly hide the poor use of CGI.
In conclusion, even though there was a lot of downtime and less action in this movie, there was great character development that I'm sure will pay off in later DCEU movies.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
This movie was great and I think it's the first DCEU movie to incorporate a non-linear plot. Before I saw the movie, I was a bit worried that the non-linear story development might be a bit jarring, but I was wrong. One issue that I had with the film was that the voice-over of Harley, it was a bit too much, it was almost throughout the entire movie; however, it was needed for the structure of the film as it's Harley’s story to tell. Another thing that I found slightly disappointing was the end credit scene, it was like a small joke that Harley was telling. I was hoping that the end credit scene would feature the Green Arrow because the Black Canary was prominent in the movie. Speaking on Black Canary I think that she was one of the coolest and strongest characters in the film played by Jurnee Smollett-Bell, she was also able to sing in the movie; which is something that the Black Canary does in the comics. One of the greatest parts of the film was when Black Canary used her Canary cry. It gave me the chills and it looks like it's more powerful than the one featured in CW’s Arrow. I hope there is a Birds of Prey sequel where we get to see more of Black Canary’s powers. The weakest character is Renee Montoya played by Rosie Perez. I don't think that the actress did a bad job, it's just because her character was a cliche cop who got suspended then joined the good fight with Harley. Lastly, the action sequences were amazing, the stunt choreographers were the same people who worked on the John Wick movies; which gave the action sequences a unique and gripping feel. In conclusion, the film was a great installment to the DCEU and now I’m hoping for a Green Arrow movie.
Justice League (2017)
Even though some people don’t like this movie because it wasn’t as big as the first Avengers film, I have grown to love it. The theme song/music for the ensemble of heroes and theme songs/music for the individual heroes: for example; Batman and Superman, are the best parts of the movie. Additionally the film's character interactions between all the Justice League members were great. Cyborg could be the villain for future Justice League movies, as it hinted that Cyborg is continuously evolving. However, I hope that Flashpoint Paradox will be a future Justice League/Flash movie.
One thing that people disliked about Justice League is Batman, he was such a badass in BvS, and in JL he is a softer character. I liked his character development because it shows that Bruce Wayne has changed as a person. I agree with fans that Batman was used as comedic relief at times throughout the film. I wished that didn’t happen, but it shows that JL is a lighter film compared to BvS.
I hope that JL 2 will follow through with what happened in the after credit scene. On the topic of comedy, Barry Allen, the Flash was used as comedic relief as well. I hope that this develops in the Flash movie releasing in 2022. The Flash being comedic relief in the film, in my opinion, is like Jesse Eisenberg being Lex, fitting. The Lex in JL was better than the Lex that was given in BvS, as he was acting less weird.
The one thing that I thought was slightly weird was the resurrection of Superman. I was hoping to see Superman in the Black Suit, but that wasn’t the case. There was an image from the Snyder Cut of Clark in a casket with Flash pushing him and the Black Superman Suit looming over them. This indicates that the Black Suit will be featured in that movie and maybe Superman will wear that suit. I hope this movie will be released as an Elseworlds film, possibly in the next 2 years. In conclusion, even with flaws, the Justice League movie was a great team up film.
Joker (2019)
Joker was a great movie. I know that usually, the Joker is the villain in DC movies. However, even though he is the start of chaos and kills people; he is made and seen as the hero and the 1 percenters of Gotham City are the villains.
I was slightly worried about this movie because usually, fans prefer the Joker to not have a backstory. After seeing the movie I was glad the filmmakers created a world where the Joker came from; to possibly build a universe of movies and characters: it was announced that there might be a standalone Lex Luthor movie like this one. I hope that this movie will connect with the new Batman movie coming soon and possibly the DCEU. There was a famous death scene at the end of the movie that makes universe building possible.
Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker was in every scene and sequence of the movie. It was shown from his perspective. This filmmaking and story making choice was needed to build character development and stress that this movie was about the Joker and no one else.
Once that Arthur Fleck puts on makeup and becomes the Joker, I couldn’t help think of Heath Ledger’s Joker. It might just be me but there were some scenes where Joaquin Phoenix was acting like Heath Ledger’s Joker. I am not penalising Joaquin Phoenix, I think that acting choice might have been a coincidence. Or, it might have been deliberate to honor Heath Ledger; as he and Joaquin Phoenix were friends.
This movie was given an R-rating, however, in some countries, this movie wasn’t completely R-rated. Some places showing the movie allowed you to see it if you were 17 and above or even 15 and above. If you are allowed to see this movie, you should because it touches on important topics like politics and mental illness; which is something that everyone needs to understand about society.
Overall this movie was a great origin story. I hope it somehow connects to other DC movies and the DCEU.
Titans season 1 (2018) review
Rachel/Raven meets Dick, she finds Dick by the use of her powers. So far comparing season 1’s premiere episode to the first episode of season 2, season 1 is better; better story and better acting. The events that unfold in the premiere episode of season 2 which was around 10 minutes of footage should have happened at the end of season 1 concluding Trigon’s story.
This season explores not only Raven’s story but also Dick’s story. About the death of his parents and how he copes living without them. Raven's family: Mother has also died, which is something Both Dick and Raven have in common and this brings them together to find family in each other. This is a sweet sentiment that is then developed further as the series unfolds.
Raven’s story also revolves around a secret organisation that wants her to release Trigon and he is her true parent. I think if there were glimpse of him throughout season 1 establishing his power and presence then I think this season would have been better, one of the best of the series.
Dick’s story starts in Detroit a place that he decided to go to after leaving Bruce Wayne behind in Gotham. There is a lot of gruesome deaths and injuries throughout season 1, wherever the Titans go. When I first heard this from the internet I wasn't so keen about it, but after seeing season 1, I was all for it.
This amount of violence is not present in the first episode of season 2; maybe DC Universe wants to go a little bit lighter with the tone of season 2 to possibly widen their target audience. This however I believe is a mistake, as being a kid friendly show to gain more views most of the time backfires. An examples this which is not a TV show but a DC movie property: Batman & Robin.
There is a cool fight scene in the first episode of season 1 involving Dick as Robin and thugs dealing drugs, it’s this scene that sets the tone of season 1 with the now-iconic line “F Batman”. That is an answer Robin givens to one of the thug's question: “Where’s Batman”: this is interesting as it shows that Robin is not a big threat like Batman, but he proves the thugs wrong. As you now know, Dick has unresolved issues with Bruce Wayne, that will be set straight in season 2.
I don’t think that Dick’s story will serve well if he hated Bruce Wayne and Batman throughout the entirety of the Titans series, It would be nice to see Batman and the Titans team up to fight future threats.
What’s quite cool and interesting is the aggression of Dick, which is similar to Thomas Wayne as Batman. I wouldn’t be surprised if Thomas Wayne makes an appearance, maybe in season 3, if the creators feature in the multiverse theory. Titans has set a violent nature throughout season 1, which again I believe is the highlight of this DC adaptation and I don't think I'm the only one wanting more.
The music choice is quite lively for a dark-toned series, hopefully, they’ll have that in season 2.
Not only is Dick and Raven a central part of season 1, but Starfire too. When you first meet her she doesn’t know who she is and it's quite cool watching her figure out that exact question and how she plays a bigger role in the main plot of the series.
Fans have complained about Starfire’s hair and the way she dresses, but I see it as character development; we will see the full-fledged Starfire in season 2. Also Starfire’s powers are slightly different from the comics. In the TV series, she can generate fire; maybe in season 2, she will learn to focus her powers to generate green lasers.
You don’t see Beast Boy, Gar until the end of the first episode of season 1, but he plays a bigger throughout the rest of the season as he should and more throughout season 2, as he is a main character.
In addition to not seeing much of Beast Boy in the first episode of season 1, he can only transform into a Tiger; but he will learn to transform into more animals in season 2. Overall I enjoyed the dark tone of season 1 and can’t wait to see it evolve in season 2.
Titans season 2 episode 1: Trigon (with slight spoilers)
There is nothing much to say about the first episode of season 2. The best things that happened were in the last 10 minutes of the episode: featuring Slade Wilson and Bruce Wayne. When the episode introduces Slade there was nothing but a mystery as to why Slade went back to his man cave full of guns and his suit ready to take on the Titans. I think episode 2 will explore the relationship between Slade and the Titans. Reports have surfaced on Facebook saying that Titans season 2 will have more Bruce Wayne than Batman and I think that this is a good idea because we have seen Batman before in all kinds of media and none of them has focused on Bruce Wayne, except for one movie I can think of: The Dark Knight Rises.
The only shocking and most interesting thing that happened in the episode besides Slade and Bruce, was when Trigon seemingly killed Raven/Rachel; as he ripped her heart out but somehow she survived; does this mean she is immortal? And will this develop in the main plot throughout the series? What was slightly disappointing was the fact that Rachel killed or trapped Trigon somewhere in one move using her powers. I was hoping that there was going to be a big fight between the Titans and Trigon; a bit like Marvel’s Endgame fight sequence, between the Avengers, Thanos, and his army. I understand that a TV show's budget for a fight sequence would probably be not as big as a movies' fight sequence, but I would have thought DC Universe would have tried harder to please their fans.
A cool thing that happened at the end of the episode was when Dick showed some of the Titans the Titans Tower after The team separated. There was also a nice Flashback scene of the old Titans team suiting up when Gar was exploring the Titans Tower.
In the first 30-40 minutes of the episode we see Trigon creating separate realities for the Titans when they came to save Rachel and Gar. Their realities were representations of the deepest darkest aspects of their desires. For example; Dick killing Batman and Jason killing Dick. They were placed in these realities so they would succumb to their darkness. So Trigon would control them and gets ready to destroy Earth. You may find that plot of the episode interesting. We are all entitled to our own opinions. Though I didn't enjoy it much, even though it sounded and looked really cool, as I was hoping for an all out fight sequence between the good guys and the bad guy. However, Titans episode 1 season 2 did set up the main plot for the rest of season 2 and I’m pumped for it.
Batman: Hush (2019) with spoilers
This animated movie focuses on the relationship between Batman and Catwoman and Batman and Hush. It looks like the Riddler is the main villain, which is different from the comics and some fans are upset about that. In addition to changes, Bane replaced Killer Croc in a fight with Batman at the start of the movie.
This movie seems to feature a lot of Batman’s Rogues Gallery, which is pretty awesome and I guess this is how you make a Batman movie with more than one villain. I assume the new Batman movie directed by Matt Reeves will be like a live-action version of this movie. The fight animations are great. I don’t seem to understand why fans are hating this movie. Not only is the movie featuring the Rogues but also most of the Bat-Family. There was a bit of almost swearing and blood; it seems like this movie could have been R-rated, it might have been better if it was so.
The creators of the movie decided to take the design of Amanda Waller from the New 52 comics. I think this is cool because not often do you see this new design for the character in animations and movies, except for Amanda Waller in CW’s Arrow and the DCEU. The DCEU might undergo a drastic change because of the failures of some of its movies. This means they might re-cast Amanda Waller so it might not be Viola Davis anymore.
There is a cool use of drones in the movie, which I think is a first in DC animated movies. Batman has to travel to Metropolis for reason that concerns the plot of the movie, I think this is pretty awesome because it's like a call back to the Batman and Superman animated crossover. Lex Luthor was featured in the movie as well, his animation seems a bit weird might be the drawn nose and forehead that throws me off.
Poison Ivy plays an important part in the movie. There is a sequence of Superman being controlled by Poison Ivy and told to fight Batman, I think this was done as a callback to the many fights between Batman and Superman in the animated shows and a call back to BvS. There was another call back to the first Superman movie, where Lois is saved by Superman falling from the top of the Daily Planet. Even though we have seen it before it was a relief that Superman saves Lois, as you never know what could happen; the creators of the movie might decide to kill Lois. It has been revealed that Zack Snyder wanted to kill Lois in the Justice League movie by the hand of Darkseid, so we can’t predict what might happen nowhere days.
What was pretty neat was the comedic relief from Nightwing, this has been done before in related animated properties but recently Nightwing has been the serious character. Additionally, the animators have changed Batman's, Bruce Wayne's physical appearance compared to the other Batman movies in the same animated universe. I am glad that the creators have made that change because the other animations seem a bit off. I wonder why the creators didn’t make that change sooner. I am hoping that the Riddler will be the main villain in Matt Reeves’ Batman movie and maybe Batman: Hush is a taste of what’s to come. Overall this movie was great despite what fans have said.
Aquaman 2018 - Slight spoilers
Aquaman 2018 - Slight spoilers
Aquaman 2018 - Slight spoilers
Aquaman is my favourite DCEU movie that DC has made so far. The reason being the movie is lighter and has more laughs than movies like MoS and BvS. To buy Aquaman related products click here. In addition, the action is amazing and doesn’t stop from start to finish. My three favourite action sequences are at the start of the movie involving Aquaman’s mother, in the middle of the movie when Black Manta confronts Aquaman, and the ending when Aquaman gets his new trident.
The villain of the movie being Ocean Master is regarded as the DCEU’s best villain in 2018, because of his connection to Aquaman and his motives as he tries to clean the oceans after Humanity stopped treating them with respect. The director of the movie is James Wan he is known for directing Horror movies and he was given a chance to direct Aquaman because of the success of his previous movies and maybe because he had an interesting vision for an Aquaman movie, which shows. Another cool scene/sequence in the movie that shows James Wan Horror genre background is when the movie introduces the Trench people, who are animalistic Atlantians who branched away from Atlantis when it sank to the bottom of the ocean. Overall the movie was a fun time that never took itself seriously and I can’t wait to see Aquaman 2.
Swamp Thing season 1 (2019)
Aquaman 2018 - Slight spoilers
Aquaman 2018 - Slight spoilers
Swamp Thing sadly was cut from 13 to 10 episodes then was cancelled altogether. Only releasing one season on the DC Universe streaming service. However, that doesn’t mean it was a bad series. It was cancelled because of budgetary reasons and because DC/Warner Brothers wanted to reevaluate their DC Universe streaming service; as it wasn’t performing to standards they set and wasn’t receiving the numbers of subscribers they thought they would get. James Wan the director of Aquaman was an executive producer of the series and with his help, Swamp Thing was able to deliver a Horror feel to each episode, especially the first half of the series. The only complaint that I have is some of the scary action scenes were shot in the dark, it would have been better if those scenes were shot in the day time and it might have been scarier if that happened.
My favourite character is Alec Holland who becomes Swamp Thing, he had a unique charisma about him. Even with the series being cancelled it didn’t stop the creators from setting up villains for the second season, one of them being Jason Woodrue, and stay after the credits of the very last episode for a post-credit scene. A usual complaint that I have with most series is that it would be serialized, in other words, each episode has one-off stories or villains. Swamp Thing was like that but I was happy with what they made and I guess if they were allowed their 13 episodes, 2 more seasons, and didn’t have to do reshoots; then their series might have turned out differently. It was announced near the cancellation of the series that CW or HBO made revive Swamp Thing, I hope they do and I hope they will do the same for Constantine because it would be cool to see them crossover. Overall Swamp Thing was a great Horror genre series that should never have been cancelled.
Shazam 2019
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman Forever (1995)
Shazam was a movie that I think was a step in the right direction for the DCEU, even though it had some foul words and dark themes; it wasn’t BvS or MoS. The best parts of the movie were the characters of Freddy and Billy. Their relationship was great to see on screen. Freddy was the humorous one with a touching emotional side explored later in the movie and Billy was the reckless straight to the point kind of character. When Billy turns into Shazam played by Zachary Levi, I thought the portrayal was good except it wasn’t believable that Billy as Shazam would be acting too child-like because of everything he has been through, in and out of Foster Homes and trying to find his biological mother.
For me, Billy as Shazam became a great character near the end of the movie when he stopped acting like a child and started acting like a superhero. In addition to the hero of the movie, the villain was great too. He might be one of the best DCEU villains so far: Dr. Sivana. He was great because as an audience member you understood his backstory. Why he started doing the things he did.
You might think that him having the same powers as Shazam and more: able to summon the Seven Deadly Sins, which was given to him by those demonic creatures is slightly generic. However I think the filmmakers did a great job at establishing Dr. Sivana as a more powerful character with his encounters with Shazam, as he has more control over his abilities. So the fight scenes didn’t seem boring.
Also what makes their battles intriguing to watch even though they have the same powers, is that they have different weaknesses. For Shazam its saying the word "Shazam" that switches his form from his adult self to Billy or vice versa and Dr. Sivana weaknesses is if you take the Eye of Sin from his right eye or if the Seven Deadly Sins leave his body after he summons them. In conclusion, the movie was a great step up with great characters and action.
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman Forever was a movie that I enjoyed when I was younger. I think even now it still lives up to be a pretty good Batman movie. All thanks to Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The only downside to the film was the riddles that seemed slightly easy to solve but still play a big part in the plot. This is the same thought I had with the latest Batman movie: The Batman directed my Matt Reeves. It would have been great for both Batman Forever and the Batman if the riddles were more complex, possibly creating a situation where Batman would have to defeat the Riddler at the end of a second movie. I know that The Batman was 3 hours long but who wouldn't like more Batman.
Another issue that didn't really bother me in Batman Forever that only seemed to be apparent in the sequel: Batman & Robin was the nipples on the Batsuit and Robin suit. This didn't bother me much because it kind of showed that Batman and Robin were not afraid of the bad guys as they appeared to have no armour against their weapons. I guess you could say they became more intimidating to the criminals. However to most fans and casual viewers this either looked silly or borderline pornographic, as there were close up shots of both Batman and Robins' suits; as they were suiting up showing not only the Bat nipples but the crotch area and butts.
I think the villains being Two-Face and the Riddler were good; humorous and slightly dark. However, the characters could have been portrayed better. I remembered watching a review on Youtube saying the acting choice to play Two-Face and Riddler seemed to be like the Joker, to achieve characters who were funny and over the top. This however sacrificed connections to accurate depictions of Two-Face and Riddler from the source material. This I agree with; but the direction of the film was trying to attract a wider target audience compared to the direction of the Tim Burton Batman movies; that were a lot darker attracting a more mature audience. So Joel Schumacher the Director of Batman Forever was looking for actors who could portray lighter, more comedic and eccentric bad guy characters and settled with Tommy Lee Jones to play Two Face and Jim Carrey to play Riddler who fit the bill.
My favourite villain in the movie: Batman Forever has to be the Riddler, he was unique and eccentric.
Overall, even though the movie had issues it still was a great Batman movie.