RELEASED: November 17th 2017 DIRECTED BY: Zach Snyder (& Joss Whedon) WRITTEN BY: Zach Snyder, Chris Terrio & Joss Whedon PRODUCED BY: Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Jon Berg & Geoff Johns STARRING: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Amy Adams, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Diane Lane & Ciarán Hinds
When Batman v Superman was announced, I was beyond excited. As we moved closer to the release date, I remained adamant that it would be THE superhero movie, regardless of what the critics had been saying; it had to be – the two most iconic characters in comic-books coming together for the first time in cinematic history.
And then I saw it, and it was garbage. Poorly conceived and poorly made; it was long, boring, depressing and worst of all, disappointing.
Fortunately, Justice League is everything that Batman v Superman isn’t. Where BvS was overlong, Justice League sits comfortably at just under two hours. Where BvS was boring, JL is full of action, excitement and adventure. Where BvS was depressing, JL is hopeful and overall, a lot of fun.
And although some critics may be dismissing the film as the mess they expected it to be, in my opinion, it’s risen above that, and as a result is far from disappointing.
Finally got round to re-watching and reviewing Wonder Woman so it can finally be retroactively fitted into my series of DCEU film reviews, completing the series. It’s about time!
RELEASED: June 2nd 2017 DIRECTED BY: Patty Jenkins WRITTEN BY: Allan Heinberg, Jason Fuchs & Zack Snyder PRODUCED BY: Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Deborah Snyder & Zack Snyder MUSIC BY: Rupert Gregson-Williams STARRING: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Elena Anaya, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ewen Brimmer, Eugene Brave Rock & Lucy Davis
Commonly known as the bright spot amongst the sea of messy, bleak superhero movies that make up the DCEU, Wonder Woman sees Diana retell the story of how she came to the world of man; meeting her first love Steve Trevor and becoming embroiled in World War I in her hunt for the Greek God of War, Ares – who she believes has corrupted humanity.
The result is a film that clearly fits within the set-up of the DCEU as we know it, but with numerous factors that make it stand out amongst the rest. Because while I love Man of Steel, I must admit that it can be bleak at times, and the two follow-up films, Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, are thoroughly depressing, in terms of content and quality, respectively. Wonder Woman, however, is a film that provides hope. It preaches about the power of love and presents an empowering lead character who grows and develops in a meaningful way that actually, unlike her peers *cough*Batman*cough*, makes sense.
This post was originally published on my now defunct site, New to Comics.
New to Comics is a segment where I look at various comic-books, explaining their background, reviewing them, and breaking them down for readers unfamiliar to the medium. The title is a reference to a former university project that I carried on as its own site for several years before laying it to rest.
I’ve got a rather busy week coming up so next week may be a bit quiet as I attend to other things and properly decide what property I’ll be looking at, but until then, we’re looking at what may be the most beautiful comic book we’ve covered so far. It’s The Longbow Hunters.
Published by: DC Comics Written by: Mike Grell Art by: Mike Grell Year: 1987 Pages: 160
SPOTLIGHT CHARACTER:
GREEN ARROW
Real Name: Oliver Jonas Queen Affiliation: The Justice League First Appearance:More Fun Comics #73 (1941)
As a child, Oliver Queen was fascinated by the exploits of the character Robin Hood and practised archery in the hopes of emulating his hero. Growing up to become a rich and reckless playboy, Oliver’s knack for archery came in handy when he found himself lost at sea and subsequently stranded on a desert island, with only his bow at hand. After a few years, Oliver had learnt to become self-reliant and not take things for granted as he used to; honing his archery skills to become a skilled hunter. Eventually returning to the western world, Oliver was a changed man, dabbling in politics, and using his skills to become the masked vigilante known as the Green Arrow. Very conscious of the man he used to be, the Green Arrow reinvented himself as an outspoken champion of social injustice.
RELEASED: August 5th 2016 DIRECTED BY: David Ayer WRITTEN BY: David Ayer PRODUCED BY: Charles Roven & Richard Suckle MUSIC BY: Steven Price STARRING: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Adam Beach, Karen Fukuhara, Cara Delevingne and Jared Leto
‘Where do we even go with this movie?’ is a question asked both right here in this review and also, most probably, some years ago by the people who made the film.
Because watching it, it’s pretty clear that there’s been a lot of disagreements over what Suicide Squad should be, and as a result, a lot of differing opinions over what Suicide Squad is.
Suicide Squad follows the exploits of Task Force X; a unit of super-villains created by government agent Amanda Waller to protect the world in light of Superman’s passing at the end of Batman v Superman. However, before Waller’s pet-project can kick off, one of its members, the Enchantress, turns out to be too much to handle, and with the help of her demonic brother, begins wreaking havoc in Midway City. Now it’s up to the ‘Suicide Squad’ to bring down the rogue gone rogue.
Returning to the Marvel side of things, we’re hitting another classic story. Fans of Netflix’s Daredevil TV series will want to check this out, as it’s set to be the basis for season three. It’s Daredevil: Born Again.
Published by:Marvel Comics Written by: Frank Miller Art by: Jack Kirby Year: 1986 Pages: 170
Real Name: Mathew Michael Murdock Affiliation: The Defenders First Appearance: Daredevil #1 (April 1964)
Even in the early years, Matt Murdock was on the path to becoming an upstanding member of society. His father, Jonathan Murdock – a boxer – was adamant that Matt wouldn’t follow in his footsteps, and pushed him towards a better job, forcing Matthew to study as hard as he could so he could transcend their lowly lifestyle. However, after saving a blind man from a careening truck full of radioactive waste, Matt himself was blinded will his other senses grew exponentially. This was the start of a long list of tragedies in Matt’s life, as his father was later murdered for refusing to throw a fight. Now alone, Matt strove to commemorate Jonathan by becoming a lawyer, while also honing his fighting skills under the tutelage of another blind warrior named Stick. Becoming the masked vigilante known as Daredevil, Matt would fight for justice in the courts by day, while avenging those who the system failed at night.
RELEASED: March 25th 2016 DIRECTED BY: Zack Snyder WRITTEN BY: Chris Terrio & David S. Goyer PRODUCED BY: Charles Roven & Deborah Snyder MUSIC BY: Hans Zimmer & Junkie XL STARRING: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Gal Gadot, Laurence Fishburne & Holly Hunter
What if Batman was real?
A figure so traumatised by a childhood event that he dresses up as a devilish creature and administers his own brand of ‘justice’ to those he feels deserves it. He would be brutal, unrelenting and focused; he would have a complete disregard for the lives of those he pursues.
This is definitely the case in this milestone superhero movie epic. Batman takes down criminals with a brutality akin to his fighting style in the Arkham games; his fight choreography is both beautiful and harsh. It works well, until the film gets to its titular battle, at which point all that brutality is focused on Superman. At which point you’re once again reminded just what you’re watching: Something unpleasant.
This post was originally published on my now defunct site, New to Comics.
New to Comics is a segment where I look at various comic-books, explaining their background, reviewing them, and breaking them down for readers unfamiliar to the medium. The title is an reference to a former university project that I carried on as its own site for several years before laying it to rest.
I was originally intending to do a ‘Batman’ week some time ago, but I was going on holiday for a little while, and opted to take a brief break from the comic book front. Now, we’re getting back into it with the most current story we’ve looked at so far – so current, in fact, that it only finished two days ago!
Published by: DC Comics Written by: Tom King Art by: Mikel Janín Year: 2018 Pages: 87
SPOTLIGHT CHARACTER:
BATMAN
Real Name: Bruce Thomas Wayne Affiliation:The Justice League First Appearance: Detective Comics #27 (March 1939)
As a child, Bruce Wayne wanted for nothing – the son of some of the wealthiest and most respected people in Gotham City, Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce was, in essence, heir to the throne of Gotham. But all that changed when Bruce’s parents were gunned down in front of him, instilling in him a deep hatred for criminals that would hang over his entire life. Committing himself to becoming skilled in multiple disciplines such as combat and detective work, Bruce used the wealth and resources of the company he inherited from his father to become the vigilante known as the Batman. A figure of fear, Bruce now wages a war against crime with his trusty Batmobile and high-tech armoury of weapons, assisted by his loyal butler and father-figure Alfred, police commissioner Jim Gordon and his extended ‘Bat-family’ of sidekicks like Robin.
BATMAN
