Finding Dory Review

Finding Dory
Director: Andrew Stanton
Cast Headliners: Ellen Degeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill
Original Release Date : June 17th, 2016

 One might ponder to think, what is about the original Finding Nemo film by Pixar that warranted a sequel? It was no Toy Story level of potential or excellence; it was just a simple story about some fish. But no, Finding Dory proves to be a sequel that is definitely worthy of following on from the first. Sure it offers more of the same, but it reminds that the more of the same is the great visuals, emotion, characters, and laughs Pixar does at their best.

                The nice thing CGI animation is that a sequel can pick up very shortly after the events of the previous film. But it stands alone for the most part on its own, main heroes and a couple cameos aside. The premise is good for this film since Dory the blue tang fish (Ellen DeGeneres) had an amnesiac personality that led to then, and still does in several here, humorous moments. This film takes this implication for her to find her parents Charlie(Eugene Levy) and Jenny(Diane Keaton) who she lost long ago. She gives chase across the ocean to retrace her life, and in turn Marlin(Albert Brooks, nicely reprising his role from the first in a bit of a reduced but still central part) and son Nemo( logically, a replaced young newcomer Hayden Rolence) chase after her.

                It’s a story that’s very much the same idea as the first film. There’s a beautiful, colorful ocean with a variety of fish old and new. There are moments of feelings, jokes especially with the great chemistry between Dory and Marlin once again, there’s some slight adventure.  The film too ultimately has a place to break into in the Marine Life Institute , which offers its own challenges and great new characters.

                The specifics must been seen firsthand in this solid plotline, but Dory has a lead to a large aquarium and medical center for fish in California and must break in. This leads to the dentist office from the first film on a much larger and more exciting scale. She is assisted by a great character, Hank the octopus(Ed O’Neill).  Hank and Dory’s scenes are some of the best of the movie, with them becoming good friends as the infiltration mission goes on. Likewise Marlin and Nemo meet animals such as Fluke(Idris Elba) and Rudder(Dominic West), a pair of seals and their bird Becky, and others in more humorous bit roles such as Bailey(Ty Burrell) the beluga who can’t echolocate and Destiny(Kaitlin Olson) the near-sighted whale shark.  Old or new, large or small the characters are brimming with personality and there’s a nice sweethearted message about accepting one’s shortcomings and respecting other’s for theirs.

                The one attempt to be perhaps different from the first is through very frequent flashbacks to Dory’s past. These make sense in parts but are perhaps overused here and there when more exciting stuff is happening in the present.  But the core plot line, if familiar, is fun to watch and the emotional moments are just as impactful as ever. It picks up on a good premise, and offers a animated adventure worthy of existing within the same. 8.67 out of 10

Warcraft Review

Warcraft
Director: Duncan Jones
Cast Headliners: Travis Fimmel, Toby Kebbel, Paula Patton, Daniel Wu, Ben Foster
Original Release Date : June 10th, 2016

                The Warcraft franchise could be argued to be one of the most iconic video game series of all time, helping to define and popularize both the RTS and MMO genres. Its extremely dense and rich colorful world of orcs, elves, dragons, magic, and more could be said to be ripe for a film take. Finally after almost a decade of development and iterations, the movie version is here. And while it is on the upper end of the scale of video game adaptations, it falls victim to those common traits as well. However to a game fan, it’s surreally awesome to see key locations brought to life while also offering some cheesy fantasy fun to newcomers as well. It’s an ambitious undertaking to tackle this franchise, and it gets many things right and wrong.

                Perhaps what sets it apart from most game films is that the story here is largely directly cribbed from the 1994 video game Warcraft: Orcs & Humans with some fleshed out perspectives, retcons, and changes giving a modern look at the “First War” event in the game’s lore from two decades ago. While it is not the most exciting and unique heights of the saga (no cosmic space spirits or pandas here), it is a straightforward base that offers a solid starting point for a film franchise and to newcomers.  The movie, unlike some in the fantasy genre, gives the perspective of two very different factions.

                The orcs (imagine Lord of the Rings’s equivalent mixed with the Hulk from Marvel) are shown in semi-sympathetic light as they invade from their dying world to the human dimension of Azeroth.  There’s noble orcs like Chieftan Durotan(Toby Kebbel) and his wife Draka(Anna Galvin), the conflicted  and awesomely named Ogrim Doomhammer(Robert Kazinsky), and the pure vile evil of war leader Blackhand(Clancy Brown) and the primary antagonist in the warlock Gul’dan(Daniel Wu). All of the orcs are portrayed through motion capture needed for their frames, and their effects and characterization are some of the film’s best aspect. Drawn right out of the game and compelling in their own right, their scenes are intense and barbarically fun. Kebbel as Durotan is a cool sort of progratonist with a motivation that creates empathy for his rebellious reasoning. Most great from the orc side of all is Daniel Wu, who gives Gul’dan a fearsome vile demeanor right from the cd-rom and brings an orc to life to seem real. On their own, they feel like and rival the best of Blizzard Entertainment’s original video game cinematics.

                The film uses an extreme amount of CGI effects, which perhaps makes sense with the source material. But while it makes sense for orcs and other creatures, and the at times beautiful vistas/locales(created 100% right from the World of Warcraft MMO in some cases, which to a fan is the one of the film’s best aspects recreating its vibe) it can be  cheesily jarring when mixed with the film’s weaker aspect, the humans. It ranges from neat to weird to see live actors with CGI medieval armor or riding fake horses alongside real ones.

                That’s not to mention the human characters and actors are mostly lame. The “hero” of the overall film is the knight Anduin Lothar(Travis Fimmel). He gives an ok look into the film and an very slight emotional connection with his son Callen(Burkely Duffield). But he has a weird performance that ranges from extra unlikeable jerk, awkward forced romance nearly Anakin Skywalker tier with half orc Garona(Paula Patton), or lackluster “humorous” moments with mage Khadgar(Ben Schnetzer).  He is not a hero one cheers too much for, nor many of the other humans in the kingdom of Stormwind. Patton’s Garona has some unconvincing makeup clashing with her orc peers and an even worse mediocre performance. Schnetzer’s Khadgar throws a cool spell or two but does not incite laughter. King Llane(Dominic Cooper) and queen Lady Taria(Ruth Negga)  semi-lacklusterly are there to speak exposition text and move scenes along. It’s ironic that these live actors have less impact than CGI creations.  One standout human, interestingly a bit of the magical counterpart to the Orc’s Gul’dan, is the Guardian wizard Medivh, played with game perfect larger than lifeness by Ben Foster who could have used more screentime.

                The director Duncan Jones has never really quite something as visually ambitious and epic scale as this film. He trades in his previous twisting storylines from other works for a mostly straightforward tale setting up decent action. The live and CGI mix becomes more digestable in the battle sequences which is a credit to him but becomes apparent when things slow down. But the thing about game movies is they may always have cheese, coming from a arguably different source of enjoyment than movies. He did what he could and while some pacing and effects mixing are hazy , when it’s good its decent, especially for a fan. But also to his credit, the elements are used as to not be( but almost just barely) overwhelming to an outsider.

                It’s far from a perfect fantasy, game, or overall movie. But that was always going to be the case adapting this huge and varied world. For life fans it will deliver that “feeling” that’s been wanted if making some lore changes and not bringing that same goodness of orcs to all aspects. To an outsider, it’s hyper fantasy to a level even beyond Tolkein may take some effort to swallow but the action and most visuals will excite. Hopefully a potential sequel can learn some things and go to cooler places, and while its doubtful this is the one to kick off the wanted games to movies trend, for what it is Warcraft delivers on the most important aspects it should if not without some moderate missteps. 7.75 out of 10

X-Men: Apocalypse Review

X-Men: Apocalypse
Director: Bryan Singer
Cast Headliners: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Evan Peters, Tye Sheridan, Oscar Isaac, many many others.
Original Release Date : May 27th, 2016

 By the ninth installment of a franchise, one might be suspect of its quality. But in the case of X-Men: Apocalypse there still manages to be some mutant surprise. This film follows the “past” timeline first started in 2011 with X-Men: First Class, taking the fight to the 1980s and introducing a powerful new foe from the classic comics. Sounds like a lot to process, and well it attempts to do it mostly with grace however for every greatness there are perhaps a slight thud or fault as well.

The film begins with an exhilarating action opening in ancient Egypt, a fresh tonal departure for this series, as the titular ancient mutant enemy En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) transfers his essence into a new host. He is sealed deep underneath Cairo and the film fast forwards to the 80s after the events of the new timeline seen in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

In the time since we last saw them the mutant heroes and less so heroic ones are scattered across the globe in different places in their lives. Magneto/Erik(Michael Fassbender) leads a new peaceful life under an assumed name with his new family in Poland. Professor X/Charles(James McAvoy) leads his mutant academy with Beast/Hank(Nicholas Hoult). Mystique/Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) roams the world in search of mutants to help after becoming a matyr in the events of DOFP.  This only begins to cover the tip of the iceberg of characters, like with many films in this franchise.

But while something like the recent Captain America: Civil War shows how to balance a large cast well, this film suffers in part due to a tremendously long buildup time. Layers upon layers of sideplots reach towards a far too simple conclusion. Diversions to include characters such as Stryker(Josh Helman) and Wolverine/Logan(An awesomely brief Hugh Jackman) are ultimately questionable to increase the runtime and cast count. 

Director Bryan Singer does a mostly solid job from a visual cinematic if not pacing standpoint, and handles the 1980s ambience well with musical, costume, and pop culture points that align with the fun inflections seen in First Class and DOFP’s respective decades.  The action can be at times sweet, if perhaps a bit too sparse, and the visual effects have moments of occasional cheese.

                There are the standout elements that are quite amazing. There’s Fassbender’s Magneto. As always, his arc is filled with emotional conflict and intense drama. It’s great to see how this character has evolved over the loose trilogy of this time period. Quicksilver/Peter(Evan Peters) once again has an absolutely amazing hilarious scene(the film has perhaps an increased amount of humor than usual, often through this character and McAvoy’s Professor) that almost makes the price of admission worth alone with his high speed craziness.

 Lawrence gives a surprisingly fresh turn as Mystique if not the best of her career, offering a moral center of the deeper themes . Nightcrawler/Kurt(Kodi Smit-McPhee) is back as a young version of the blue teleporting demon, offering humorous exchanges with his young squad of a re-introduced Jean Grey(a alright Sophie Turner, very much like Sansa Stark and little more) and  Cyclops/Scott(Tye Sheridan, sort of the lead young person).  As mentioned there are so many characters, and people like Storm/Ororo(Alexandra Shipp), Jubilee(Lana Condor), Angel(Ben Hardy), and Psylocke(Olivia Munn) do little for the plot aside from fan service mention/minion work.

For having the film named after him, Isaac’s Apocalypse is…alright. His makeup is slightgly cheesy, and his booming monster voice ranges from menacing and monstrous to laughable. But when it comes time to be powerful and menacing, there are some cool parts and it is interesting to see a larger threat bringing together mutants. For once, a threat worthy of the name in power abilities. However the use of Isaac is questionable, having none of the charisma of his turns in Ex-Machina or Star Wars though continuing their trend of being an acting chameleon.
                It takes a long time to buildup and has little action on the way but its finale is action packed. It offers a lot of X-men comics lore and shoutouts but loses some characters in its journey. However, while it is not the best film in the franchise, it still offers good turns in Magneto, Professor X, Quicksilver and the like and does a solid job at the 1980s to make it worth going through for a fan if not with some slight reservations beforehand. But it is reccomendable to previous fans fsho and far from a  major disaster, make sure to catch up however!  7.9 out of 10

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Review

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Director: Nicolas Stoller
Cast Headliners : Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Chloe Grace Moretz
Original Release Date : May 20th, 2016

                Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is a movie that sets about to do what it appears to be and little else. In this sequel to the first Neighbors film from 2014, Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) Radner find themselves needing to keep their act together with a house sale and new baby on the way. They find themselves in a loose alliance with their old rival fratboy Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) after his life goes through some flips to confront the wild new sorority Kappa Nu led by Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz), Beth (Kiersey Clemons), and Nora (Beanie Feldstein) who have moved next door. Cue thin plot premise for ranging amount of gags and jokes ahead.

                Like the first film, and much of the other work Rogen gets himself involved in, the movie leans towards extreme, crude , edgy, and grossout oftentimes. This can lead to some very funny scenes, especially when involving Rogen’s Mac, Byrne’s Kelly, or the multiple allegiances (it gets a bit messy) of Efron’s Teddy.  Another decently standout member is Ike Barinholtz as their friend Jimmy, seen most memorably in a clown outfit when they attempt to go undercover at a tailgate.   The rest of the supporting cast goes through only brief, sometimes humorous sometimes dumb appearances, such as the original frat boys of Pete(Dave Franco), Scoonie(Christopher Mintz Plasse) and Garf(Jerrod Carmichael) or Officer Watkins(Hannibal Buress) who amount to momentary cameos for fans, that being a loose word for this “franchise.” 

                A large emphasis and perspective is of course placed on the titular sorority  and Shelb/Beth/Nora. Moretz is a ok lead, attempting perhaps to cash in on the shock of seeing her innocent appearance do edgy things from her time in the Kick-Ass movies but it can only go so far before coming off as slightly annoying. Likewise with Clemons and Feldstein (younger sister of actor Jonah Hill, obviously inspired by his past work), who don’t have the best material to work with.  But there are some occasions in the insanity where they are alright.

                The movie moves at a perhaps too fast inane pace, like the first, and also like that goes for a lot of physical gags including some variations on the airbags. But perhaps it’s a stronger plotline here tying it all together that makes for an improved sequel.  There are even specks of deeper  slightly dramatic stuff going on here handled better than the first film. The movie offers lots of edgy “boys vs girls, young vs old” comedic warfare with some crude writing and dumb ideas at times but its target audience should get just about what they want through a alright way to kill some hours and laugh.  7.3 out of 10

Captain America: Civil War Review

Captain America: Civil War
Director: The Russo Brothers
Cast Headliners : Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Sebastian Stan, Daniel Bruhl, many more...
Original Release Date : May 6th, 2016

  Captain America "3": Civil War is a high level of monumental achievement for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the superhero film genre as a whole. Based upon the iconic comic arc Civil War, it has the ever harder job of tying into all of the past entries of the MCU franchise and bringing them to new and exciting places and people. Especially as this one feels like the culmination of most of the core themes and plots to date while also offering most of a new beginning, but as any observer knows its far from the end. But it marks a climax of sorts for two key members of its team, and on the way some mostly incredible stuff happens.

The franchise has become even harder to walk into fresh (though the great spectacle and hero mish mash here will entertain anyone) and this is even truer after its key tie into Avengers 2: Age of Ultron which is nearly a must view before this. The movie picks up with the current Avengers squad of super soldier Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), winged suit wearing Falcon/Sam Wilson(Anthony Mackie), mage Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff(Elizabeth Olsen), and super spy Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff(Scarlett Johansson) on a mission to stop mercenaries led by Cap 2's fearsome armored traitor Crossbones/Brock Rumlow(Frank Grillo, in a menacing but logically too brief appearance). The frenetic action craft of directors Anthony and Joe Russo is quickly evident, with both sweet maneuvers and doses of witty humor. The mission is completed but not without causalities, setting the world over a line which leads to the spiraling down of the titular Civil War showdown.

A great meta real world element of these movies, and others of their like (ahem DC, handeld better here...well the film in mostly every way but that's another conversation) is how the action scenes take a destructive toll on wherever they are. These real world critiques lead to the core central plot and driving themes of this film, which is done great and makes it interesting. After a haunting encounter, armor using staple Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robery Downey Jr) acts on the will of Secretary of State Ross(William Hurt) to enact the Sokovia Accords which will put the Avengers, and all superheroes in the world, under government control. Naturally, this deeply divides the team, at first morally and due to other events violently as well.

The movie, as can be seen, is filled with a mind numbingly amount of characters, a record for any in this genre. Not only does it include everyone seen in the past 2 Avengers crossover films, but even some of those are given more than just cameo appearances and new people are introduced as well. However in the sea of great actors and actresses those that shine do indeed. It's ironic that Robert Downey Jr has previously been the comic relief but here is one of the film's most quality, nuanced and dramatic characters through Tony. Tony stark certainly has some jokes lurking around but its surprising that so much of his past and makeup of his soul are explored. This makes sense with the core “versus” theme, and while he at times seems even..villiarnous from a sense one will feel confliceted who they cheer for. And of course to rival him, the movie is called Captain America for a reason. While it features nearly the whole Marvel universe to date, it very much places the perspective on him and his quest to find Winter Soldier/Bucky(Sebastian Stan) again which is what aids in leading to conflict. Through this all, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers brings his usual greatness, if not a new bar, with his charisma, coolness, and heroic moralness. The exchanges between him and Stark, whether verbal or in fists, are fantastic, and its especially great to see him really reconnect with Stan's turn as Bucky that wasn't seen as much in the first two core Cap films.

The returning cast all has their moments of the Russo's great balanced use of writing and action usage. Situations like the mysterious android Vision(Paul Bettany) getting used to off duty life or Hawkeye(Jeremy Renner) meeting new people on the field of battle cause laughs. War Machine/
Rhodey” (Don Cheadle) and Sharon Carter(Emily VanCamp) and the surprise of Everett Ross(The Hobbit's Martin Freeman)'s more minor turns drive the plot forward. Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow and more all play their solid parts. It never feels like anyone is forgotten even when minor, for humor or coolness, which is great. Immense praise as well to the villain Zemo(Daniel Bruhl), who has slight charisma but heaps of menace and vengeance that places him among-st the MCU's best and most be seen firsthand to see why.

Then there's the utmost newcomers, which is another awesome highlight of the film. Technically he was first the main star in 2015's film of the same name but praise must be given to Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd). He carries tons of the films funniest lines, and his action scenes rival and surpass the inventiveness seen in his solo film with some surprising uses of his abilities. Rudd brings his charm and humor to every film he is in, and its great to see him really meet most of these heroes (Falcon aside...) for the first time. Another main character who is almost as core to the plot as Stark/Rogers is Black Panther/T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), a leader and catlike supersuit using warrior from the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Boseman's Black Panther has some awesome new abilities and he brings a suave, menacing, mysterious new presence to this world that has some key parts in this and leaves one extremely excited for more appearances in sequels and his solo film.

The most important newcomer of all, perhaps not in a story sense as he is relatively minor, but in a dream come true (last seen owned by Sony Pictures even when MCU was running) is the new reboot of... Spider-man/Peter Parker(Tom Holland)!!. Parker's role in the plot is surprisingly more than a mere cameo, but less than a key player. But he has some incredible action additions. The best part of him is he fits in so naturally and feels right. Holland brings the best aspects of both Tobey Macguire an Andrew Garfield, being funny and sincere in and out of the costume. It's exciting to finally see him where he belongs , and there is a very bright future for him in more films as wel.

The Russos take on the Marvel universe is very disctinct by new. This movie very much feels like Avengers through a Cap2: Winter Soldier lense. There's the tight frenetic aciton, the drama, the snappy humor. But also in some parts, such as the amazing awesome that is the huge airport battle containing every superhero in the film at once, it is something new for them with its craaaaazyness. Sequences like these make it seem not just like a comic to life but surpass Whedon and make it seem like a special event comic come to life with its scale. While when its amazing, its great, the movie is brought down a bit by the fact that this is not Avengers 1 anymore, this is the 14^th installment in the universe and even when its being amazing it can never quite be as fresh. But with future installments and even more additions maybe it can be even more of the same it can potentially be even better.

Overall, due to including nearly every hero and side character to date (sorry Hulk and Thor, see you in 2017) it is very much a Marvel dream come true. Seeing the heroes fight, seeing additions like Black Panther and Spider-man, seeing how well all the drama and humor is balanced. There's even some stuff from the actual comics recreated on screen. But while it is a lot of the same, it is handeld with a near complete great directorial effort by the Russos. It's the end of a long road of building tension and consequences, but also, it provides a strong sign for the rest of their “Phase Three” of films ahead. That's going to be a hard , and anticipated, bar to top. 9.55 out of 10  

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Review

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast Headliners : Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams
Original Release Date : March 25th, 2016

  Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is an interesting situation. It's one part a “Man of Steel 2”, following up on that 2013 Superman reboot. Yet also, after the end of the “Nolan trilogy” of Batman film's in 2012, it serves as a reboot of Batman for a new film generation. Lastly, it serves as the first major mixing of DC aspects together in their live action “extended universe” to set up a film franchise for years ahead (ala Marvel.) How does it do....? A wide variety of results, from the great , the muddled, the ugly. But it can't be called un-ambitious.

One can tell from the get go that this is certainly another take on this universe through the lense of Zack Snyder. It's expected on any Batman reboot checklist that his origin is shown, and of course it is here with the murder of his parents as seen so often before in other media. This immediately shows the slightly surreal, comic book panel (this film with a very large The Dark Knight Returns influence) take on the world Snyder deploys through extra dramatic music(But great, courtesy of Han Zimmer. Effective when orchestral, taking some adjusting to when techno and metal are used in later action sequences) and slow motion larger than life imagery of Bruce and the bats. The movie makes an effective use of the criticism against the ending of Man of Steel, by showing first hand the older Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck)'s reaction to the carnage caused by that film's ending and his distrust of Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) because of this.

A primary shining aspect of the film is this take on Batman. Ben “Battfleck” gives a wonderful performance both in and out of costume. Within it, he offers a fierce demeanor right from the comic pages and feels like a natural for it. In his civilian persona, he even more shows his combination of anger, sorrow, and determination to take down his enemies. It must be noted that this is the most cynical and mean Batman shown on screen to date, surpassing even a few comic iterations. He can be extra fearsome and is even willing to let a few casualities happen on the way. But it works through Affleck's performance and fits , for better or worse, within the dark iteration Snyder has crafted. The film does a good job with its scenes and delivering concerning Batman's motivation for doing what he wants to do. The only other true element from this side of the coin is iconic butler Alfred (Jeremy Irons), and he offers a great , humorous , sarcasting take on the character that meshes well with Battfleck. It makes one perhaps wish for a film focusing more on these two without the clutter that is around for much of the rest of BvS but when they do appear they are solid. As the above is about as much “reboot” as the movie gives for Batman's slice of the world.

The other main chunk of the film comes from Superman's perspective in leading up to the titular fight. Cavill once again is a solid take on the character, offering the requisite charisma when need be and expanding to a range of anger, coolness, or whatever else comes up. The movie explores more of the deeper themes from Man of Steel at length, and while some are good the point is hammered home just a bit too slightly. However throughout it, the scenes actually featuring him himself are good, despite being lost occasionally in the tapestry of it all.

While its titular leads are solid, its the third person who takes up the most screen-time that is also one of its major sore thumbs. Iconic business mogul Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is what ties the hero together acts as its primary villainous force. He is, to say the least, a very weak villain. While Eisenberg is capable of bringing the menace at times with evil doing, most of his appearances are taken up by failed attempts at humor. Or perhaps its when he attempts to come off as “unhinged” mentally but just frustrates the viewer. Now although (long hair or not) is not an accurate portrayal of the comic character, it doesn't matter since he comes off less as a villian and more as a waste of time.

The rest of the supporting cast is... alright. From here come the few specks of minuscule humor in what is a otherwise very dour film. There's Superman's love Lois Lane (Amy Adams) getting a lot of focus carrying on from her Man of Steel attributes. There's her and Clark's editor Perry White (Laurence Fishbourne) bringing some wise quips but little else. Much the same is to misc characters like Martha Kent (Diane Lane), memories of Jonathan Kent(Kevin Costner) , Mercy Graves (Tao Okamoto) , Wallace Keefe(Scoot McNairy) acting as minor plot advancers. Everyone is decent but nothing strikes out remarkably but doesn't detract too much either. There's a lot going on and a lot to cover in its role which makes sense. Even Zod( Michael Shannon) shows up in some way, perhaps connected to that CGI . Thing known as “Doomsday.”

While the film has a mostly compelling Batman vs Superman central arc, it also acts to bring in the larger DC Comics universe through easter eggs and moreso. Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), known more to many as Wonder Woman has a level of involvement here. However it is very brief both as civilian and hero. Gadot has some slight charisma and mystique to her, and later perhaps fighting bravado which is welcome to see, but the film does not give enough time with her to give an incredible confidence in her leading her own film. However, she is a cool presence that's great to finally have on-screen in this modern cinematic age. The other Justice League and DCU influences are.... interesting, perhaps could have been handled better but do work in settting up the larger saga ahead very slightly. A dedicated fan will be delighted, and a more newcomer or outsider will be perhaps confused a bit. But this was the film that needed to do them, and those may be fleshed out in the many sequels ahead.

The film, in usual Snyder style, takes a very long time to be set up. The first 2/3's or so are devoid of most action and tension. This makes it a slightly different film from other blockbusters in the market today. Though once it gets going, it is very much worth it. The action spectacle, from the central final hero showdown to other action elements that come into play, are pretty stellar to see. The movie pushes past reality into frenetic scenes right from the comic books, and then some. If one has enjoyed Snyder's action in the past this pushes the envelope to some crazy stuff. That makes the mistakes with the villians and the occasional plot progression slowdown mostly worth it. The tension and payoff will get one excited to finally see a wider DC universe rolling when the time delivers.

Batman vs Superman is far from perfect. The movie's surreal tone and action may cause some ire with those who have a very specific want from these characters. There are some performances lame (Luthor..) to forgettable. There is a lot of buildup and a slight overabundance of the melodramatic deeper themes present. But though, despite some of Snyder's choices, he delivers a action packed thrill ride of DC mixing when result appears that will make dreams override cinematic construction quality. 8.71 out of 10

Video Game Review: Batman : Arkham Knight

 (spoilers) Overallll..... I loved it, wonderful game. The visuals are amazzzzzzzzzing, like seriously one of the best looking of the PS4 generation and I'm glad they were able to squeeze so much out of it not possible before. The ground combat was as sweet as ever, polished to a near perfect smooth height with little new additions besides some tricks to use but otherwise I relied on my same favorites. Especially hype were the few moments when there was team up moments with Robin and Nightwing etc. Same with the stealth predator gameplay, which was as intense as ever with some excellent set pieces and even in the side content. The teaming up with Robin was especially awesome in the one and only stealth room with him in Panessa Studios, hnnnggg that whole section (Dat joker song too). But the thing is, while all of this was the franchises' best, there was a little less than there should ahve been.

But moreso, there was a big elephant in the room many noticed. Or rather a elephant sized vehicle. While the batmobile finally being in was a awesome idea and looks cool, it's fun to drive and do things in short burst race an combat. But the game adds soooooo many random tank combat arenas , throughout th whole dang story, it gets old but one bears it as part of the package , And like a Cobra tank is fun to fight the first time, but not the last. And grrrr that Arkham Knight tank boss fight.... and its always faster to glide

These things are only a moderate big negative on a otherwise amazing game. Gamewide, incredible voice acting and moments from batman's nearly entire universe friend and villian. The main arc was pretty epic and Jason Todd encounters , especially later (dat red hood boss fight) were intense and feels. Wish there was a bit more with him post-reveal, but it worked. Scarecrow was a interesting foe. These both were heightened greatly however by the prescence of Joker. omg, bravo mark hammil. I didnt really know just how much he'd be in it before playing, and he is... and gets into some scary, funny, deep stuff in Batman's mind for a great central struggle at those moments. Weirdly, it was like the two were working together....woah. This game had joker at his joker-ist of the whole series, and he wasnt even technically alive!

While the main plot had those highlights, the villian-focused side quests had some great gameplay and plot stuff too. Whether it was penguin's arenas, two-faces bank robberies, the pyg boss fight, or others those were great. less so for hush, but its not a perfect game. But this game is packed with content and truly became open world that the series was inching torwards.

Of course with these, I also play DLC. and focused on the core. There's the solid (ps4 only scarecrow nightmare's offering the boss fight and tripping out that never realy happened in the main game), eh (the harley and red hood "episodes"), and the... great. he most wanted missions for mr.freeze, ras al ghul, killer croc, and mad hatter rivaled their City appearances and realy should have been part of the main game, bringing their storys to close, but short and so sweet.

Oh, the post game ending unlock requirements again....broken grrr, very specific amounts needed and messed up so had to youtube it...still powerful..

At the end of the day, it wasnt a perfect end. But its shiny, fun conten packed, epic....if not as what it could have been as it shoulda been. But a fine ending, and when its good, its quite great. 9.3 out of 10.

Arkham City > Arkham Knight > Arkham Asylum > Arkham Origins, all good times. lets see what hardcore batman games and rocksteady do next someday....