Batman v Superman [Spoiler Free Review]

Some of the thoughts in this review were presented on Twitter right after I got out of the theater (@umbralwalker). They've been collected, updated, and expanded here, including a few observations that I've untangled from the emotional weave of my post-BvS confusion. There is one minor spoiler that I point out ahead of time, everything else is a discussion about the film as a film. For a spoiler-full review and in-depth discussion, keep an eye out for the IndieApocalypse podcast recording this week and likely dropping next week. You can find our pre-release comics-in-media episode here.

Zack Snyder has a strange way of making me feel very little as I come out of his movies. I never take the emotional ride he seems to want to provide. Man of Steel (MOS) was fine, for example. It had seeds of interesting bits wrapped in jerky pacing, emotionless scene transitions, and strange plot choices. It was so “fine” that it was irrelevant to me, actually. This one, though…

To TL;DR, it was better than MOS; which I felt was "fine" so take that as it is. But the story is far more complicated than "did I like it" or "did I feel like it was a hot mess".

Bizarrely complicated.

Real Time Review: Supergirl Pilot

In case you’ve never read one of my Real Time Reviews, it’s where I watch a show and write down my immediate impressions. I will sometimes pause the show if there is something particular I need to reflect on, but I typically wait until “commercial” breaks to do so. For some shows, there are long pauses because I’m so caught up in it I’m more interested in watching than writing. If there is a lot of exposition, it’s likely the show didn’t click with me because I’m happy to pause and reflect on my gut reactions.

Interested in superhero movies and TV? The fantastic Crysstal Hubbard (director of the upcoming fan film Supergirl: Unburdened) and I take over the IndieApocalypse podcast and don't hold back.

From the IndieApocalypse site:

"We discuss both Marvel and DC and pull out some deep cuts in film, comics and animation. Crysstal and Rich steal the show and we are now more educated on comics than ever before."

Arrow, Season 3

With the second episode of season 3, I'm giving Arrow its first official Strike.

You can read about my early relationship with Arrow here. Season 2 continued to be excellent and finished very strong, but it also started to make its main weakness very clear. Laurel (played by actress, Katie Cassidy).

Real Time Review: The Flash

In case you don't want spoilers for the show, I put a spoiler-free summary of my RTR at the beginning. If you've seen the show, or don't care about spoilers, feel free to read past the TL;DR summary for my moment-to-moment reactions.

The Flash premier is everything I wanted it to be and the ending pushed it over the top. The acting is solid, though not spectacular. The effects were brilliant. They focused on all the aspects of Barry I love (intelligence, criminal investigator, caring, heroic) and wove the Flash elements, like his suit, into the overall story in a way that made sense. Though I said the acting wasn't spectacular, there were two moments in the episode where I teared up. Though I'm known for my emotional reactions to movies and TV shows, tearing up only happens when the writers have done their jobs well.

TL;DR:

I heartily recommend The Flash to comic and non-comic fans, and can't wait to see more.

Real Time Review: Gotham

I was not excited about Gotham, the new police procedural from Fox set in Batman's famous city, at least not until the excellent trailer they aired 3-4 weeks before the Pilot. The show intends to give us insight into Jim Gordon's early career before Bruce Wayne becomes an adult. I decided to review this one as my impressions were fresh.

Young Justice on Netflix

Finally, one of the best animated superhero shows of all time makes it to Netflix. Looks like they only have Season 1 for the moment, but don't wait for them to post Season 2. Start now!

Curious why so many are excited about this, check out my review, commonly found at the top of Popular Posts to the right.

Justice League Double Feature

DC Animation recently released a double feature in their line of highly acclaimed animated films, Justice League: War and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.

WARNING: Similar to the brilliant and highly recommended, Batman: Under the Red Hood, these films are for adults only. Parents should watch them before deciding if they're appropriate for their children.

The classic origin of the Justice League of America (JLA Vol 1, #9) brought Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Batman and Martian Manhunter together to fight an invasion by aliens called the Appelliax (reference to this origin is made in the several episodes of the animated series Young Justice). The most recent revision of the DC universe, called The New 52, tweaks this story so that the invading force is from the hellish planet Apokolips, Martian Manhunter has been replaced by the pre-52 Teen Titan, Cyborg (aka: Victor Stone), and Shazam (aka: Captain Marvel/Billy Batson) is added to the line up. JL: War is the animated story of this new origin.