Justice Society World War II: I Think I Feel Asleep During This

Justice Society World War II

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

These days I am finding that a lot of the animated DC output is trapped in the meh zone, by that I mean it all just feels generic and samey, there is nothing to set one film apart from another. I used to love animated DC films when I was a kid, but recently I have been sorely disappointed, and this proves no exception.

None of the characters in this film felt likeable to me, and that is surprising considering that it is hard to make beloved superheroes unlikeable, yet they manage to find a way. The characters in this film range from boring and dull, to outright annoying.

The story feels uninspired also, are we not over the whole superheroes in history fad yet? Did Legends Of Tomorrow not entirely use up all the good ideas with the concept? Moreover, I felt myself getting so bored with this that my mind was starting to wander, and I was having a hard time paying attention.

Finally there are pacing issues galore here as well.

Overall, very meh, maybe if you were a DC diehard you might find something to enjoy here, but probably not.

Pros.

Matt Boomer is trying

Every scene with President Roosevelt

Cons.

The characters aren’t likeable

The premise is nothing we haven’t seen before

The animation feels samey

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The Lego Batman Movie: The Worst Batman

Written by Luke Barnes

The Lego Batman Movie is an animated, superhero, family film directed by Chris McKay. The plot sees Batman (Will Arnett), have to beat his greatest fear, personal intimacy, to beat the Joker’s (Zach Galifianakis) latest plan.

Personally, I don’t see why Batman was such a huge breakout character of the first Lego Movie, this character was deeply unlikeable there and it is only turned up here- to the Nth degree. I understand the point of his character in this film, and by extension the Lego Movie is that he is unlikeable and that he is working on himself to become better, but honestly it is not fun to watch. Arnett’s Batman quickly becomes irritating and as a result the film is a slog to get through.

Any comparison to the Lego Movie is deeply unfavourable for this film, as it really can’t compete. An example of what I am talking about, the Lego Movie has charm, and you care about the characters, this film has no charm at all, and the characters all come off as annoying.

Overall, I am glad the sequel to this film got cancelled.

Pros.

Michael Cera is trying as Robin

Cons.

Everything about Arnett’s Batman
It has no charm

The characters are annoying

It feels gimmicky

1/5

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Zack Snyder’s Justice League: The Day Is Finally Upon Us

Written by Luke Barnes

The Snydercut or as it is sometimes more formally known Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a superhero film directed by Zack Snyder, serving as a remastered cut of the 2017 Justice League film that Snyder had to step away from due to personal reasons. The plot focuses on the formation of the Justice League in an attempt to fight off the invading forces of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) and Darkseid (Ray Porter).

So as many of you know, I have thought for a long time that this film was going to be bad, or at the very least unnecessary. However, I can admit when I am wrong and am pleased to tell you this film is a vast improvement over what we got in cinemas 4 years ago: now I am not saying it is perfect, but I am saying it is a marked improvement, buckle up this is going to be a long one.

Firstly I want to address something that for me was a glaring issue with the film and that is the overly sexualised nature of the female characters. Sorry Snyder fans this is going to upset you, but there is a recurring theme in Snyder’s work of ogling women and that is very much here as well. Wonder Woman’s (Gal Gadot) skirt seems shorter, the Amazonians are basically just wearing fancy metal underwear in some cases with their midriff fully exposed, because that is wise in battle? Iris West (Keirsey Clemons)is included just as a plot device and a damsel to be saved by Barry (Ezra Miller), and of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the camera’s fascination with Gadot’s behind.

Though Cyborg (Ray Fisher), is given more to do, his look and crucially the CGI aspects of it are still quite a ways off and are distracting throughout the film, if they could remove the light in his forehead it would look infinitely better. The same can be said of Steppenwolf the other major CGI character who looks like he has come straight out of a videogame and is again distracting.

The film does benefit from better pacing with the 4 hour runtime allowing the film to feel grander and more epic. I feel that by stretching the film out more a lot of things that didn’t make sense the first time around through lack of context suddenly do, and the world as a whole feels better explored and created.

Oddly enough despite the sexualisation Snyder seems to understand Wonder Woman better than Patty Jenkins, and after watching this I think the reason the first Wonder Woman film was so good and the second was so bad was Snyder’s involvement. Snyder gives Wonder Woman a lot of good character work that makes her feel far more central to the narrative, and also far more interesting. Moreover, by redoing the bank scene and the Amazonian battle scene Snyder it able to make both more inspiring and appear better on screen; the shortening in the Whedon cut really hurt the film.

Similarly, Snyder finally seems to understand Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill), here as well, moving away from some of the edgy aspects of their characters from his previous films and giving us a more comics accurate portrayal.

I think the tone is much better here than it has been in a lot of the other DCEU films as there are moments of levity amongst an otherwise serious affair, but they aren’t treated like dumb cringey jokes like in the original version of Justice League here they feel far more natural to the characters and importantly work.

I think this film is improved by being a Snyder film and from having his sensibilities applied to the project, I think his trademark use of slow motion is often used to great effect especially with the Flash stuff. I also feel like this film could be viewed as somewhat of a spiritual successor to Watchmen,also directed by Snyder, and think it would make for an interesting double bill.

Ezra Miller’s flash does still stand out for all the wrong reasons, and I do hope in future films they tone down the character and his awkwardness as it does become cringe at times, but not as much as in the previous version. Likewise, I also found the amount of problematic people cast in this film off putting as you have Miller (who choke slammed a fan allegedly), Amber Heard (who is the internet boogeyman) and Jared Leto (look it up), all rubbing shoulders with each other in a troublesome trifactor. Though I will give Snyder the benefit of the doubt the incidents involving two of them didn’t come out until it was too late to change it, but it is a shame.

The score by Junkie XL is terrific and really does bring the film together, with the music really adding a lot to the fight scenes in particular; with the new motif they have for Wonder Woman probably being my favourite.

Sadly, there is a large amount of product placement in this film that really does cheapen the film to an extent, admittedly only brief sections feel almost like adverts within the film.

The things added that have made this film R rated are a mixed bag, the blood does add to the intensity of the battle scenes, though the swearing really adds nothing and on the whole the film does not need to be R rated.

Moreover, the reach around line from Joker, is creepy and needless and should have been left out of the film.

Finally, I just want to talk about some of the stuff from the end of the film. Batman’s attempted self-sacrifice does still feel needless though it is handled better here, and the Nightmare section feels forced in at the end for no real reason. With the nightmare section it is clearly Snyder setting up for another film that he does deserve but most likely won’t get. Furthermore, the film does not really neatly address the Flashes’ warning from the previous film, and there are a number of other outstanding questions left to be answered as well.

Overall, a moment of triumph for the DCEU, something far better than the recent offerings (BOP and WW84), though sadly let down by sexual objectification, poor CGI and product placement.

Pros.

Solid world building

Good character work

The battle scenes are far more intense

A lot of the scenes flow better with more context which is allowed for with the longer run time

Cons.

The sexualisation and using of women as a plot device

The reach around line

The poor CGI

The product placement

3.5/5

Batman Soul Of The Dragon: Batman Outstays His Welcome

Batman Soul Of The Dragon is an animated superhero film directed by Simon Liu. The plot looks back to Bruce Wayne’s (David Giuntoli), days in training, when he was learning all of his martial arts prowess that would serve him well as the Dark Knight. We see that the mystic institution that Wayne was training at holds a terrible secret, a portal to hell (and or an evil other dimension), that a cult wants to opening.

This didn’t really feel like a Batman film, it felt like an animated martial arts movie and that is a good or bad statement depending on which of those you would rather watch. Personally, I went into it hoping for some top tier Batman content and was disappointed, this was not what I was expecting, and Batman was not really the main focus, rather it was Richard Dragon (Mark Dacascos), a figure from Wayne’s past.

However that is not to say it was bad either. I enjoyed the martial arts elements and the supernatural mysticism, I thought both were done well and really added to the project as a whole. The fight scenes were particularly impressive, and I am glad they did not censor the violence in anyway, it added a nice visceral edge to it.
I also thought the ending, which I won’t spoil here, was quite gutsy as it ended on a cliff hanger rather than neatly wrapping everything up.

Overall, I think there is a lot of good here, I think that it should have been its own standalone animated film that didn’t include Batman, it was strong enough to stand on its own. By having the Batman name front and centre it takes away from what the film is, as you go in with certain expectations that aren’t met, which is a shame as it is good otherwise.

Pros.

The ending

The fight scenes

Nice gory violence

The mysticism

Cons.

Batman should not be involved

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Batman Vs Superman: A Vague Similarity In Mother’s Name Prevents Brutal Death

Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice is a DC comics-based superhero film directed by Zack Snyder and serving as a sequel to Snyder’s previous Man Of Steel film. The plot sees Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavil), butt heads as both fear the other.

So, despite what some would have you believe I actually like the films of the DCEU. I will say that they and this film specifically suffer from a problem of not understanding the characters, this can be seen with Batman as a mass murderer and Superman as some sort of alien Jesus. However, if you ignore comics accuracy or how we normally see these character portrayed there is still quite a lot of good stuff here.

I thought this film did a great job of introducing Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), I thought that she was easily the highlight of the film and the scenes with her in were terrific. I thought the best thing about this film is the world that Snyder seems to be building, I enjoyed seeing teases to past adventures and former glories. Though I do think at times it was a little on the nose, like when they find a laptop with all the other members of the Justice League’s symbols on I cringed hard, and it is clear they are trying to rush things.

I thought the Doomsday fight was a fun way to end the film, even if it did just boil down to an explosion of CGI and I thought the decision to kill Superman so early on in the franchise was a gutsy move. The one thing that bothered me was when Batman was visited by a future version of the Flash (Ezra Miller), with a warning about Superman. The scene stood out for all the wrong reasons, chief among them how cheap it looked, it also made little sense even in Snyder’s remastered ultimate edition.

I also liked Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor; it was a fun take on the character.

Overall, if you ignore how the film butchers the identities of its titular characters there is a lot of dumb fun to be had.

Pros.

Bold choices made

Introducing Wonder Woman

A rich world to explore

Cons.

It does not understand Batman or Superman

The future Flash scene bugged me

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wonder Woman 1984: Consent Issues And Rape Threats

Wonder Woman 1984 is a DC superhero film directed by Patty Jenkins.

Yikes. How can a film go from a first entry I gave 5/5 to this. There are so many issues with this film I don’t even know where to begin.

To start on a slightly positive note, Gal Gadot is still a lot of fun as Diana/ Wonder Woman. She brings just the right level or heart and badassery to the role, which makes for a great watch. Likewise, Pedro Pascal is an entertaining villain, and though hammy and scenery chewing manages to have quite a few good moments, that help an otherwise deeply troubled film.

My central issue with this film and the one that almost made me stop watching it is the consent issue. When Diana’s lost love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) comes back from the dead he is in the body of someone else, this other person does not know Diane or Trevor and yet this body is used by Trevor to have sex with Diana which raises all sorts of iffy moral questions; who thought this was a tasteful idea in a family film no less. Adding to that I don’t understand why recent DCEU films have been so keen on including the threat of rape, these films are supposed to be aimed at a wide audience including kids. At least in Birds Of Prey, it had an older market in mind, here we see Kristen Wiig’s character threatened with sexual assault, why? To show she is weak? Think about the message that sends.

Another issue I had with this film is just how in love with the 1980s it is. When I first started seeing 80s nostalgia it was fun and charming, but this film manages to push it over the line and make it feel gimmicky and annoying. There are moments when the film could have the charm of a Chris Columbus film but then it has to go and overdo it.

Additionally, this film seems to be the most radical departure from Zack Snyder’s bleak and oppressive DCEU films and the most blatant in its attempt to copy the MCU. However, even this it manages to get badly wrong. This film takes the annoying humour from the MCU and stretches it out for 2 and a half hours, (an unreasonably long about of time), not only is a lot of this humour in no way funny, but it also removes any tension from the film; for the 1^st hour and a half literally nothing happens.

Finally, Kristen Wiig is badly miscast. Her character is a cliché inside of a stereotype and it is clear from the off where it is going to end. In that vein, you would think the film would make more of an effort to give her Cheetah a moment to shine, but no she is quickly defeat within 5 minutes; we can’t have any threat or tension now can we.

Also the film looks oddly cheap throughout which does not make sense considering its budget.

Overall, this film somehow manages to be worse that Birds of Prey and reignites all my fears for the DCEU, please if anyone over at Star Wars is reading this remove Patty Jenkins now before she ruins the next film.

Pros.

Gadot and Pascal

Cons.

The consent issue

It looks cheap

There is no action

Kristen Wiig is miscast, and her character does not have a minute to shine

Why is there a rape threat in a family film?

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Suicide Squad: ‘What Is This Some Kind Of Suicide Squad’: Solid Foundations With A Rancid Coat Of Paint

Suicide Squad is a superhero action film directed by David Ayer, as part of the DC Cinematic Universe. The plot follows a group of DC comics baddies who get bombs placed in their necks and are then forced to do the bidding of military spook Amanda Waller (Viola Davis).

Yeah this is going to be a controversial one.

I enjoyed this film, yes I know that isn’t the popular opinion and yeah there are a hell of a lot of issues with this film, we will get into that, but personally I found more good than bad here.

I enjoyed the ensemble; I thought the whole group had a great repour and back and forth. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Will Smith’s Deadshot are the obvious standouts, but the wider supporting cast was still good, hell even Jai Courtney had his moments. I personally feel that Robbie’s Harley works better in an ensemble rather than as centre stage, as then she gets a bit grating.

The wider universe stuff this film tries to do, and the things it tries to set up are impressive and I appreciated the world building, but the issue with it was that they tried to do too much, making the film feel overstuffed. Because of all it had going on, a lot of the interesting side characters got pushed to the side.

My main issue with this film was the design of the Joker (Jared Leto), he looked awful and Leto felt like bad casting. I’m not going to get into because people will be like oh if you saw him in the Ayer cut he would be so much better, no he wouldn’t, he would still be the tool with the toothy smile tattooed on his hand.

Overall, I can see why it gets so much hate, but I enjoyed it and think it had potential.

Pros.

Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Smith’s Deadshot

The World Building

The team ensemble and the way the film handled the ‘death’ of El Diablo (Jay Hernandez)

Cons.

There is too much going on

Jared Leto should have never been cast

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Deathstroke, Knights And Dragons: The Real Dark Knight Of The DC Universe

Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons is an animated film set within the DC animated universe. The plot tells the story of Slade Wilson (Michael Chiklis), the world’s best mercenary who is targeted by the villainous organisation HIVE. They take Slade’s son hostage and he has to get him back.

This was a very cool unexpected release, the animation style of this is pitch perfect. I loved the very obvious anime influence and the way the character looked and moved, I thought quite a few of the action scenes were beautifully done and looked very impressive.

I enjoyed the dive into Slade and who he is, with a focus on his family and the effect his work has on them. It was nice seeing him in more of an antihero role rather than as a villain as he normally appears, I think the character has a lot of potential and I would like to see his character get the live action treatment in the DCEU.

My only issue with the film is that the narrative repeats itself, it does this as Slade’s son is taken twice and he has to save him twice within the same film. I understand why it’s done to show his character growth and how he changed his approach the second time around, but I personally thought it would have worked better if the two hostage scenes had happened across two separate films.

Overall, this is one of the best DC Animated films I have seen in a long time, it is cool and badass, and just fun to watch.

Pros.

Showing Slade’s heroic side

The action scenes

The anime influence

The ending, teasing more to come.

Cons.

The narrative repetition

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Batman, Assault On Arkham: Fear The BAT

Batman: Assault On Arkham is an animated superhero film directed by Jay Oliva and Ethan Spaulding. The plot follows the infamous Task Force X/ or as they’re otherwise known The Suicide Squad as they lead an Amanda Waller directed raid on Arkham Asylum in an effort to retrieve an object of immense value from within its walls.

I have been meaning to watching this film for some time, I really like the DC animated movie universe, and this is yet another jewel in it. Though I liked it, this film is what the DCEU Suicide Squad movie should have been. An adult and gritty take on the Batman rouges gallery that isn’t constantly trying to get you to care about and root for its leads. This film knows that the members of the Suicide Squad are villains and treats them as such.

I like the lethality this film has towards its characters, it reminds me of the comic books, people die in the Suicide Squad all the time hence the name; so I appreciate that this film doesn’t pull any punches in that regard. I also enjoyed the Batman fight scene, I thought it was very Arkham esque; I later learned that this film was in the same universe as the Arkham games and that made sense.

Overall, I liked the tone and approach of this film. I also enjoyed the animation, I thought it was very easy on the eye and wasn’t too over the top. I would gladly watch another film set in this universe as I think there are more stories to be told and more characters to explore. That might be my only real issue with the film the characters were not flushed out at all.

Pros.

The animation.

The tone.

The fight with Batman.

The violence overall.

Cons.

The character feel very one note.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke.

Shazam: Big 2.0

Shazam is a superhero film directed by David F. Sandberg, it is the 7^th instalment in the DCEU. The plot follows Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a young foster kid who has spent most of his life trying to find his biological mum after she abandoned him at a fair. One day an old wizard calls upon Billy to take up the mantel of Shazam (Zachery Levi), and stop the evil that the 7 Deadly Sins have bought into the world, as well as defeat evil scientist Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong).

Of all the DC Comics heroes Shazam is probably the one that I am the least familiar with, as such it was neat to learn his origin story. I think the story choice of having Billy be a foster kid that constantly runs away from foster homes to look for his mum, who he believes is the only family he needs, only to have it turn out that his mum deliberately abandoned him is an inspired choice. This choice was surprisingly dark for a family film and I appreciated that. What’s more this gave the moment when Billy finally excepts his foster family far more emotional weight.

As anyone who has ever seen Chuck can tell you Zachery Levi might be the most charming man on the planet, he was great in the Thor films though he only had a small part and he is terrific here in a larger superhero role. He perfectly captures the Big mentality, being a kid’s brain in the body of a grown man, as he plays the character with a healthy does of innocence and naivety. When his big hero moment finally comes it feels earned.

Furthermore, Mark Strong does a great turn as the villain, his character is threatening and menacing and dominates the screen every time he appears. Strong proves once again that he is one of the most versatile actors currently working. The boardroom scene is one of my favourites of last year, you will know why when you watch it.

I think this might be the most underrated and perhaps the best DCEU film. The emotional stakes are pitch perfect, Zachery Levi is magnificent, and the film isn’t afraid to get dark, which it does several times to great effect.

Pros.

Zachery Levi.

The darkness.

The humour.

The emotional stakes.

The wider universe.

Cons.

None, I have seen this several times and it holds up each watch.

5/5

Reviewed by Luke