Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Note: This review contains spoilers for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

While Batman: The Animated Series (Batman TAS) is one of the more highly-acclaimed Batman series, it was not my first introduction to the Dark Knight (that honor goes to The Batman (2004)), since I was literally too young to watch it when it was on. I have, however, since gone back and watched a select handful of episodes and found it to have earned its reputation. While I was also too young to see it in the theater when it came out, I had also seen Mask of the Phantasm, the first film based on the series, after hearing how good it was, though the untimely passing of Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy led me to give it another look in his honor. After a second viewing, I can see how one could argue that it’s one of the best Batman films, especially of the animated variety.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

Note: This review contains spoilers for The Flashpoint Paradox.

In the leadup to DC’s (in)famous New 52 reboot in 2011, a now famous The Flash storyline known as Flashpoint was ran, which featured a limited series with a number of tie-in comics that all explored an alternate timeline. This arc would later be adapted in 2013 as Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the first installment in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU). While I will admit to not caring too much about the movie when it first came out, I became more curious over time due to a combination of Reverse Flash memes based on it and watching the 2023 The Flash film, which also adapts the Flashpoint arc. After finally sitting down to watch it, by streaming it through Max, I liked it more than I thought I would, going so far as to find it a better Flash movie than the actual Flash movie.

Stubs - Batman Returns

 

Batman Returns (1992) Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken. Directed by Tim Burton. Screenplay by Daniel Waters Based upon characters appearing in magazines published by DC Comics Inc., and on comic book characters by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Produced by Denise Di Novi and Tim Burton USA Run time: 126 minutes. Color. Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Crime, Superhero, Christmas

You might think of Batman and Christmas but that’s what you have with Batman Returns, at least that’s how we’re counting this entry into the Batman cinematic universe. The setting at Christmastime in Gotham City more than qualifies this for our purposes. But can you have a Happy Holiday while watching the Dark Knight?

Injustice 2 Legendary Edition

After the success of 2013’s Injustice: Gods Among Us, NetherRealm set to work on the follow-up, Injustice 2, which released in 2017. Considering the track record with NetherRealm’s releases since Mortal Kombat (2011), I waited until the complete Legendary Edition in 2018 so that I could play without also buying all the DLC. However, it was only during the COVID-19 pandemic that I finally found time to play it. I don’t regret finally getting around to it, but the implementation of GaaS mechanics holds it back more than it should.

Stubs - Aquaman - Second Best Justice League Movie

Aquaman (2018) Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman Directed by James Wan. Screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall. Based on the DC comic Aquaman created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris. Produced by Peter Safran, Rob Cowan. Color USA Run Time: 143 minutes. Superhero, Action

Calling Aquaman the second best Justice League movie is sort of setting a low bar. With the exception of Wonder Woman (2017), the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has been a disappointment, to say the least. Wonder Woman changed that and even though it doesn't reach the same heights, Aquaman continues the trend of better films. Perhaps, like Bumblebee (2018), this franchise needs someone new behind the camera. Just as Transformers seems better without the original director, so do the Justice League films without theirs.

If you come looking for a lot of CGI and a lot of fighting, then you will not be disappointed. This film has both in spades. Some of them are very well done, such as the scenes done underwater, which is where much of the action takes place. As far as fighting goes you might be reminded of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), which is to say there's plenty.

Amber Heard plays Mera, Aquaman's (Jason Momoa) love interest in the film.

Jason Momoa is good in the lead role, one that he at least looks born to have played. Amber Heard is also good in the role of Mera, Aquaman's love interest as well as a warrior princess. I will admit to lower expectations for her performance, which she surpasses. I'm not familiar at all with the work of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, but he's Black Manta, one of the villains that Aquaman faces in the film and he will no doubt be in any sequels that are no doubt going to follow if this does as well at the box-office as it appears it will.

But as good as the special effects and acting might be, Aquaman is saddled with a rather convoluted backstory for a character most people only have a passing knowledge of in the first place. I'm not sure what if any of the origin story in this film has to do with what Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris, the character's creators, had in mind. Sometimes stories have to be made bigger for the film but they can also get overblown in the process. I think the latter is the case here. And I also had some story problems with how this film, a stand-alone story, fits in with the ongoing series. It should fit in better than it does.

Aquaman does show a sense of fun that the early DCEU lacked. The film's running time seems a little long, though I didn't really find myself checking my watch too often. If you haven't already given up on the Justice League, then Aquaman is about as good as it gets, unless of course, you've already seen Wonder Woman.

Stubs - Justice League

Justice League (2017) Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons. Directed by Zack Snyder. Screenplay by Chris Terrio, Joss Whedon. Based on Justice League by Gardner Fox. Produced by: Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Jon Berg, Geoff Johns. Run Time: 120 minutes. USA. Color. Superhero.

While the MCU sometimes feel like school, there are films like Thor: Ragnarok that seem to refresh the franchise and make it fun again to watch. The DCEU, however, doesn't know a good thing when it has it. After the high of Wonder Woman (2017), the franchise has reverted back to its dyspotian ways with Justice League, which plopped into cinemas a few weeks ago.

While the MCU did a pretty good job with building the Avengers brick by brick, the Justice League feels rushed, since half of the characters are relatively new to the cinematic franchise. We all know, all too well, the origin stories for Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) already received her film but the Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) are sort of thrust upon us in this film. Not that all of them are necessarily worthy of their own stand alone film, but a little more background with them might have been nice. No doubt they'll do them someday, it just would have been better to have developed them a little more before making them part of a team.

The DCEU always seems to be in a rush to catch up. There was no Batman film this time around, but Batman did kill Superman, for reasons that escape me now, in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). As has been pointed out by others, its hard to see how given Superman's powers, like a heat ray, that Batman would have stood a chance, but in what feels like the equivalent to a cinematic dive, it wasn't in the cards for Superman on that night.

Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Batman (Ben Affleck) and Flash (Ezra Miller).

Now, without the Man of Steel, Batman must hurriedly, though the film seems to move at a slow pace during this section, build a team to protect Earth from a horn-wearing villain with an Oedipal complex. Backed by large flying insect-like creatures, which remind me of the Flying Monkeys in The Wizard of Oz, Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) comes to, what else, destroy Earth with Mother Boxes that have been left here for apparently that purpose. (There seems to be a never-ending cinematic line of things buried on Earth just waiting to destroy it.) So once again, we need super heroes to keep the planet from an Apocalyptic event, so it can get back to its simple dyspotian ways.

Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) flank Wonder Woman.

But the missing ingredient in the league is Superman and they manage to bring him back from the dead so that he can save the day. In reality, he is really the only superhero they need in Justice League, in much the same way Dr. Manhattan was the all-powerful Watchman. The Comedian is nice, but you only really need Manhattan in a pinch.

While Cavill certainly looks the part of Superman, I'm not really sure what I think about Affleck as the Caped Crusader. He's never seemed quite right in the role, too big of a star in a way. As far as the others go, I would follow Gadot anywhere. She's sexy, smart and strong as Wonder Woman and hopefully there is a stand-alone sequel in her future. Momoa is certainly muscular with a James Dean demeanor, Miller provides much needed humor as the weakest superhero and Fisher is passable as Cyborg; his role is harder to judge seeing as he's half-man/half-machine.

Speaking of sequels, this one makes sure to set one up. I'm not a big fan of the casting of the villains in this franchise. Jared Leto was an awful choice for The Joker in Suicide Squad (2016). I hope if there is ever a crossover with Batman that the character is played by someone else. I would say the same for Lex Luthor, but that die has been cast. Jesse Eisenberg, if you stayed for the post-credits scene, is returning in the role. Despite how disappointed you might feel at the end of the film, the Justice League will return.

I would recommend the film only if you're a real die-hard fan of the DCEU. For the casual viewer, this is not the best film in the franchise. Instead, I would recommend watching Wonder Woman if you haven't seen it already and again if you have.

Wonder Woman - Finally the DCEU Gets One Right

Wonder Woman (2017) Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Elena Anaya Directed by Patty Jenkins. Screenplay by Allan Heinberg. Based on Wonder Woman by William Moulton Marston, Produced by Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Richard Suckle. Color. Run Time: 141 USA Action, Fantasy

After three rather clunky films to open the DC Extended Universe, Warner Bros. finally gets one right. The new Wonder Woman is easily the best film so far, as DC tries desparately to play catch up to the more successful MCU.

A lot of credit for the success of the film has to do with the direction, the highly touted first time a woman, Patty Jenkins, has directed a Super Hero film, but it is also to do as well with the story. Unlike the previous outings this one has real humor and for the first time a believable romance, between Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) and Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). (I know Superman has Lois Lane, but there is zip on-screen chemistry between Henry Cavill and Amy Adams).

Chris Pine as Steve Trevor and Gal Gadot (Diane Prince) seem to have some real onscreen chemistry.

Gal Gadot, a former Miss Israel, her home country, was easily the best thing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) in her brief appearance and is more than capable of carrying this movie and hopefully a series of films to follow. Statuesque Gadot is both pretty and strong, prerequisites for an Amazonian hero.

Chris Pine, perhaps best known for his turns as Captain Kirk in the Star Trek reboots, shows that he, too, can act. He's not quite the self-assured Kirk character, but he does have a good screen presence and makes a good partner for Gadot's Wonder Woman. There are other well-known actors in supporting roles, like Robin Wright as General Antiope, Danny Huston as General Erich Ludendorff and David Thewlis as Sir Patrick Morgan, all of whom are good as well. The only main player without any real presence is Elena Anaya as Doctor Isabel Maru and I don't know if that's on purpose or not.

Wonder Woman is an Amazonian with real skills as a fighter.

Like most first films in a series and their ubiquitous reboots, this is an origin story; and like most origin stories it makes changes from what you might know about the character. While the Amazon part of her story seems to ring true, her original appearance was during World War II in All Star Comics #8 in October 1941. Like all super heroes of the day, she originally fought Nazis. In this film, she is first introduced to our world during World War I. Not sure why they couldn't have written a story that took place during WWII, but the story they have works best in the lesser known of the World Wars. It also leaves 100 years of a gap should they ever want to go back and fill it, but something tells me they won't. And if the war action scenes remind you a little bit of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) , set in WWII, you're not alone.

Patty Jenkins is arguably a real good director, leaving out her gender, but she hasn't directed a feature since Monster (2003), another film with a strong female lead. While you can't direct chemistry, I do think the romance side of the story plays as well as it does because of her choices as a director. At the same time, the action sequences also work very well. Jenkins is already on board for the inevitable sequel, so that gives me hope.

While I went into the film with little expectations, having already been burned three times by the DCEU, I came away really liking the film and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in super hero films. And if you're like me, wary of the DCEU, help has finally arrived.

Batman: Assault on Arkham - A Better Suicide Squad

Last year, Warner Bros. released Suicide Squad, the third film in the DCEU. While Suicide Squad had promise, it failed to fully connect with its audience due to its odd pacing, overabundance of underdeveloped characters and poorly written script. Two years prior, DC and Warner Bros. released a direct-to-video animated film also based on the Suicide Squad, but this time set within the Batman: Arkham universe. Though its existence is perhaps not as widely known, it does manage to handle the concept of the team much better.

After Batman (Kevin Conroy) rescues Riddler (Matthew Gray Gubler) from a black ops assassination and returns him to Arkham Asylum, Amanda Waller (C. C. H. Pounder) invokes Priority Ultraviolet, which involves capturing and gathering a group of villains for the Suicide Squad. Said group is composed of Black Spider (Giancarlo Esposito), Captain Boomerang (Greg Ellis), Deadshot (Neal McDonough), Harley Quinn (Hynden Walch), KGBeast (Nolan North), Killer Frost (Jennifer Hale) and King Shark (John DiMaggio). Their mission is to break into Arkham Asylum and recover a thumbdrive hidden in Riddler’s cane, as the drive contains information about the Suicide Squad that Riddler acquired while employed by Waller and intended to make public. To keep the group in line, Waller has implanted nano-bombs within their necks, which KGBeast unwittingly demonstrates. At the same time the Suicide Squad set out on their mission, Batman is searching Gotham for the location of a dirty bomb planted by Joker (Troy Baker).

The Suicide Squad (Left to Right): Captain Boomerang (Greg Ellis),
Killer Frost (Jennifer Hale), King Shark (John DiMaggio), Deadshot (Neal McDonough),
Black Spider (Giancarlo Esposito) and Harley Quinn (Hynden Walch).

The plot, though simple, is executed well and does a good job at tying its two main threads together and balancing its core cast of villains. There is enough screentime for each Suicide Squad member, apart from KGBeast, to get a sense of who they are and how they interact with each other, even for the lesser-known characters. For example, there is sense of a budding romance between Killer Frost and King Shark as well as a competitive rivalry between Deadshot and Captain Boomerang. Naturally the 76-minute runtime doesn’t allow for any one of the characters to be fully fleshed out (especially KGBeast, Black Spider and Amanda Waller) and the audience is expected to already be familiar with characters and relationships as presented within the Batman: Arkham universe. Still, the story is at least accessible for the uninitiated.

The animation is also done very well and is faithful to the style of the Batman: Arkham games, including the more muted color palette. While the designs of the characters are very distinct from one another, Deadshot and Black Spider have somewhat similar designs when unmasked. Befitting its PG-13 rating, the movie also doesn’t shy away from hints at nudity, mainly with Harley Quinn and Killer Frost, or use of swearing. On that note, the voice acting is also pretty good, particularly the performances of Kevin Conroy and Troy Baker, the latter of whom does a convincing Mark Hamill impression.

Batman: Assault on Arkham is pretty good overall. Although the plot is simple, it does a good job of highlighting the characters and giving the audience an idea of who some of the more lesser-knowns are. The action does a good job of portraying each character’s abilities and the animation stays true to the style of the Batman: Arkham Universe. If you’re a fan of the Batman: Arkham games, then this is a worthy entry to watch. If you’re a fan of the Suicide Squad but found the 2016 DCEU film lacking, then consider viewing Assault on Arkham.

Review Hub - DC Extended Universe

In 2011, DC Comics and Warner Bros. attempted to start their own Cinematic Universe to compete with Marvel, using Green Lantern as a springboard. Reception was less than impressive, and so this movie can be considered more of a false start. In 2013, Man of Steel was released, which was intended to launch a trilogy of Dark Knight Trilogy-esque Superman films. However, following the movie's success, it was instead decided that Man of Steel would be used as a starting point for what was later coined the DC Extended Universe, nixing the two Superman sequels in favor of a crossover with Batman. Though Man of Steel and Batman v Superman were released 3 years apart, things seem to have finally picked up steam after the release of the latter.

Below is a link to every review for each movie set within the DC Extended Universe including its false start, listed in order of release (links to Second Opinions and alternate cuts are listed next to the main review in parentheses). For the sake of brevity, the logos for each movie are displayed in lieu of posters to allow for future expansion. As we continue to follow this universe, review links will be added over time once we (re)view any future films.

Update (6/2/2017): Added Wonder Woman

Update (12/12/2017): Added Justice League

Update (12/16/2018): Added Aquaman

Update (4/6/2019): Added Shazam!

Update (12/28/2020): Added Wonder Woman 1984

Update (4/4/2021): Added Zack Snyder's Justice League

Update (8/8/2021): Added The Suicide Squad

Update (3/19/2023): Added Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Update (6/18/2023): Added The Flash

False Start

Green Lantern

DC Extended Universe

  

  

  

Man of Steel (Second Opinion)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Suicide Squad

Wonder Woman

Justice League (Snyder Cut)

Aquaman

Shazam!

Wonder Woman 1984

The Suicide Squad

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The Flash

Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad (2016) Starring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood,  Cara Delevingne. Directed by David Ayer, Screenplay by David Ayer. Based on Characters from DC Comics. Produced by Charles Roven and Richard Suckle. Color. USA Run Time: 123 minutes. Fantasy, Adventure, Action

In their effort to create a Marvel-style Cinematic Universe, Warner Bros has been slowly, though not as successfully, making a series of films based on their DC properties. So far the films have been overly dark, long and humorless: Man of Steel (2013) and its follow up, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which debuted earlier this year. Now, the pace quickens with a second release, Suicide Squad.

To no one's surprise, Suicide Squad is dark and long but here's the surprise, it does have some humor. And it has what will count as an all-star cast, led by Will Smith (Deadshot), Jared Leto (The Joker), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang) and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc) with an appearance by both The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). It's really too bad that all this acting talent isn't enough.

In a post-Superman world (remember he died in Batman v Superman), the U.S. government does not turn to other superheroes for protection. Instead, it allows a group of ultra-criminals and metahumans to be assembled to protect the country against what will no doubt be the next near-apocalyptic attack. Think Dirty Dozen (1967) with a few bad eggs missing. How convenient is it that soon after this group of misfits is formed the need arises. Never has the government been so prepared for an emergency.

Of course, some of our heroes are less super-powered and more really good at shooting (Deadshot), robbing (Captain Boomerang), climbing (Slipknot: Adam Beach) and overall mayhem (all the others). The only one who might be described as true metahuman would be El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), who has the devil's gift for fire.

Leading this "army" is Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), a Special-Ops Army Ranger-type who reports to Amanda Waller, the organizer for this squad. She keeps them in line with a small explosive implanted in their necks that she can remotely detonate should any of her charges get out of line, run or harm Flag. Flag has a stake in the game as well, since his lover, Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne), is inhabited by the spirit of the Enchantress, a witch who wants to take over the world and kill all those humans who don't worship her. Waller has, until now, been keeping her in line by controlling the witch's heart, but the Enchantress figures out a loophole around that, by summoning her long-dead brother, Incubus (Alain Chanoine).

If that's not enough characters to keep track of, there is one more, Katana (Karen Fukuhara), a martial arts expert within whom's swords the souls of those she's killed reside. She's a late addition to the Squad and one of Flag's protectors and there to keep the Suicide Squad in line.

Jai Courtney (Boomerang), Karen Fukuhara (Katana), Jay Hernandez (El Diablo),
Will Smith (Deadshot), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag) and Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn)
are less than half of the cast and characters in Suicide Squad.

But wait, put away your checkbook because we have even more cast and characters. The Joker also plays a minor, but fly-in-the-ointment-type of a role in the proceedings. I would like to report that Leto is good in the role, but I would be lying. His Joker pales by comparison to Heath Ledger's or Cesar Romero's or Mark Hamil's renditions. I would put him just ahead of Jack Nicholson's chew-the-scenery take on the role. No doubt his second billing is due to reputation and has little to do with this performance.

Jared Leto doesn't really shine as Joker.

Character overload doesn't really allow for much character development, though we are given some background on the main three or four and sketches of the rest. Not enough to make us really care about them too much and almost enough to humanize them.

The two real leads, Smith and Robbie, get the majority of screen time and deservedly so, as they are the two most interesting characters on screen. Davis shows there's even more to her than we've seen before on film as she seems to be playing against expectations. But the acting accolades sort of stop there. The others, either through script or character, are limited to fairly minor roles and the odd line here and there.

Smith as Deadshot and Robbie as Harley Quinn are the
 most interesting of the many characters in Suicide Squad.

Like its two predecessors, Suicide Squad suffers from a protracted second act and is too long at two-plus hours. The story sort of sags in the middle when it should be ramping up for the big climax that's to come. More than that and I might give away too much of the plot for anyone who hasn't yet seen it and judging by its opening weekend numbers there might be a handful who haven't seen it.

The big question is whether or not Suicide Squad will save the DC movie universe. I'm not really sure it needs saving at this point. While the overall numbers for the first two installments might not have reached the rarified heights the studio had wanted, they seem game to let this run its course for now. Whether or not future installments will crash it or not remain to be seen. The one constant with DC films is that they will be rebooted at some time in the future. So far the most successful incarnation, Chris Nolan's Batman Trilogy, ran its course rather quickly and has no relationship to the current run.

As a film, Suicide Squad is not as bad as the critics would have led you to believe, nor is it as good as the opening weekend would suggest. Flawed, to say the least, the film is sometimes hard to follow, but still watchable. Not as much fun as an installment of the MCU, but an improvement for the DCEU. Hopefully, it will only get better from here. Hopefully.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - What the?

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot Directed by Zack Snyder. Screenplay by Chris Terrio David S. Goyer. Based on Characters published by DC Comics Produced by Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder. Color. USA. 151 minutes. Action, Fantasy.

Sometimes you go to movies because you want to keep up. In that case, you hope for the best as you settle into your theater seat with your overpriced bag of popcorn and your overpriced drink. But nothing can prepare you for the disappointment that is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Overlong, it clocks in at just over two and a half hours; slow, you will find yourself looking at your watch fairly often and the biggest sin of all, disappointing on so many levels when it comes to story and character. Like bad porn, the film has no social redeeming qualities. While I don't want to go too much into the plot, I wasn't too far off when I speculated in my review of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse; in this case substitute Darkseid with a CGI Doomsday.

In the best of worlds, you should leave a superhero film, especially one trying to launch a franchise, in this case, the DC Extended Universe, feeling upbeat and wanting more. This is not the case with Batman v Superman, which leaves the viewer feeling that the time they've spent has been a colossal waste.

This is one of those films that stupid determination drives forward. Even though everything else in the film tells you it's the wrong thing to do. It is clear to everyone that Superman (Henry Cavill) is not the right target for his anger, but Batman (Ben Affleck,) does not and he proceeds with a dogged determination that is not admirable.

Batman (Ben Affleck) is wrong when he decides Superman
(Henry Cavill) is a villain, but he can't see it.

Worse yet, the villain of the piece, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), comes off as an annoying millennial who never gets the comeuppance he so badly deserves. Again he is an all-knowing psychopath like the Joker from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008). And like those trilogy of films and Man of Steel (2013), this film is also dark, overly so.

Lex Luthor is as annoying as he is evil, if not more so.

Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) almost feels like an add-on for the sake of launching her own film, which will also be directed by Patty Jenkins, coming in 2017. Her introduction is almost welcomed relief, but she comes in too late to save the film.

More Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) might have helped.

Batman v Superman is chock full of conveniences that it would otherwise fail without. Not only are Gotham City and Metropolis both in the film, but they are conveniently close together, only separated by a river. (Makes you wonder where Superman was when Gotham was being occupied in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)). Alfred (Jeremy Irons) is no longer merely a clever butler, but more of a sidekick skilled with whatever talent is necessary at the moment. The fact that this Batman does not gel well with Nolan's trilogy and seems more in line with the pigheaded sadistic version Frank Miller conceived should say bad things are afoot.

Convoluted and boring are not a good combination for any media and are certainly not here. If you're nothing more than a casual viewer of DC Superhero films, then go see this at a matinee if you insist on going; save your money for hopefully better films to come.

Batman: Arkham Origins

As I have previously established, I am a fan of Batman. I am currently reading Scott Snyder’s take on him in DC’s why-is-it-still-called-the New 52, which I really like reading, and I’ve seen a few movies about the character. While not all of his movies have really been that great, his more recent games are. Rocksteady’s Arkham games, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, have been hugely successful by defying all conventions and being licensed Batman games that are actually good, helped by the fact that the entire dev team clearly put a lot of care into the story and gameplay and showing their love for the Dark Knight. Following Arkham City, which I consider to be a perfect video game, I was pleased to learn that there would another entry called Arkham Origins. To my surprise however, I found out that it would not be Rocksteady handling the latest game, but rather WB Montréal, the people who ported the previous game to the Wii U. I knew that Arkham City would be a really tough act to follow from the get-go, but knowing that a different developer would be handling the game made me a little nervous about how it would turn out. While Arkham Origins came out in October, it wasn’t until I received it as a Christmas present, and did some other stuff, that I was able to get my hands on it. Having played the game for a few days now, I’d say that WB Montréal is very competent, but the end result is not without its own share of problems.

Befitting the title, Arkham Origins is a prequel to Arkham Asylum, though at an unspecified point in time (all we know regarding this is that Batman’s been around for about two years). On Christmas Eve, Batman intervenes at a breakout in Blackgate Prison instigated by Black Mask. After prevailing against Killer Croc, the caped crusader discovers that not only has Black Mask placed a $50 million bounty on his head, but eight of the world’s deadliest assassins have gathered in Gotham to try and collect it. At the same time, some of the GCPD’s corrupt cops want to claim the reward themselves. Now Batman must learn why Black Mask wants him dead, defeat the assassins and prove himself as a hero that Gotham can trust. Not far into his investigation however, he also finds out about a mysterious new criminal named “the Joker” and tries to figure out how he fits into the equation.

The eight assassins after Batman's bounty. Only six are plot-relevant.

While Paul Dini has no involvement with the writing this time, the story is actually very well-written. It follows a nice arc for Batman, showing him in a somewhat harsher light as someone who wants to work alone, but as the game goes on he learns the value of teamwork and being able to depend on others for help when he needs it most. There are some moments that show him in a more vulnerable state, as in more human, which is fine because these moments are a good source of his character growth. Black Mask, from what I can tell, is also portrayed well and is a very competent villain, though eventually the spotlight is given completely to the Joker, who is very much a true monster. His antics are very in-character and finding out his past before and with Batman, at least in the context of the Arkhamverse, was very interesting and fleshed out his character a little more.

Despite my praise though, there are a couple of things which stand out. There are a couple of continuity errors that go against what was established in Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, the most noticeable one being how Joker and Harley Quinn first met, or even in the Arkham Unhinged comics, that being the first encounter between Batman and Black Mask. I was able to let these go for the sake of this game’s plot, but in the long run I find it bad that WB Montréal couldn’t take the time to go through the other games or the comics and try to stick closely with the canon that was already there. There is also at least one plot point mentioned that never really goes anywhere, though the one that immediately comes to mind is the fact that Calendar Man is set free at the beginning of the game but there is no special story revolving around him, which would actually have been quite interesting.

Black Mask (center) is a formidable adversary.

While I’m at it, I might as well talk about the character selection. The game establishes that there are eight assassins within Gotham, although a few of them are only accessible through side quests (more on that later). As the game mentions, the assassins are Killer Croc, Deathstroke, Firefly, Copperhead, Deadshot, Electrocutioner, Shiva and Bane. Other villains in the game include Penguin, The Riddler (as Enigma), Bird and Anarky. Thanks to having played the previous Arkham Games and seeing quite a bit of The Batman when it first aired, as well as passing knowledge of Beware the Batman, I was able to identify some of the villains (at least those who weren’t already heavily in the public eye). However, I must say that some of the ones chosen are quite obscure (to me), since I had absolutely no idea who Copperhead, Electrocutioner, Bird or Anarky were before now. Maybe it’s my fault for not watching Justice League or reading any pre-New 52 Batman comics, but I get the feeling that WB Montréal scraped the bottom of the barrel for new villains to face. On top of that, the boss fights are kind of a mixed bag, with some being really fun (Firefly, Deathstroke) or just plain ridiculous in the setup (Deadshot).

Deadshot does sniper work with his wrists (?!) and
feels a compulsive need to ricochet his shots.

The gameplay of Arkham Origins is largely the same as Arkham City, which isn’t too surprising considering that WB Montréal developed Arkham City: Armored Edition. There is a strong sense of familiarity because of this, which isn’t bad all things considered since I like the gameplay of Arkham City, but at the same time I can’t help but feel like it isn’t as polished. Combat doesn’t feel as strong and the gadgets that are at Batman’s disposal are essentially slightly weaker versions of what he had in Arkham City. The Freeze Blast and Freeze Cluster, for instance, are both replaced with the weaker Glue Grenade, and the Remote Grapple, while very useful in Predator situations, doesn’t have as many viable places to use it as the Line Launcher. I understand that this would make sense in the context of the game’s placement as a prequel, so Batman isn’t as strong, but a game should still be polished to the fullest anyway and the combat generally wasn’t as fun or tight as its predecessors. Despite this shortcoming, Free Flow combat is still fun enough that you feel like a badass and the Shock Gloves from Arkham City: Armored Edition help with that feeling a lot.

Gotham City is still very impressively detailed, though there was a huge sense of Déjà vu from the fact that about half of the map in Arkham Origins is Arkham City but presented at a different point in time. This makes sense due to the nature of the previous game and if anything Gotham is now bigger than ever by being able to explore the other half, opening up new possibilities for side quests. While I liked being able to explore the city again however, I did find it a little less fun to go through this time around, which isn’t really a good sign, although this is mitigated somewhat by the integration of a Fast Travel system involving the Batplane. I hope that the inevitable next game either takes the story to a new location or makes going through Gotham feel fun again.

Since I’ve mentioned it a couple of times already, I think I should talk about the sidequests. These make a return from Arkham City, though naturally they are a bit different. A running one involves thwarting Enigma and by collecting his extortion data and taking out his radar networks to access his HQ and stop him from exposing the darkest secrets about Gotham’s citizens. Another involves finding out the perpetrators of certain murders through an awesome new mechanic where you reconstruct a crime scene gradually and scan the evidence that you find over time by doing so. Overall, the sidequests are a bit fun, though I’ll admit I haven’t played all of them since I have idea how to trigger events which lead to certain assassins and at least one path was severely glitched anyway, which is a shame because otherwise I would have really tried to do everything barring the Enigma stuff.

Reconstructing a crime scene is actually pretty cool.

A lot of praise I might give the game however is overshadowed somewhat by the number of big glitches still in even after extensive patching. I’ve had situations where enemies clip through walls after I knock them out and a time when the Triangle button absolutely would not work, necessitating quitting the game and reloading. The biggest glitch of all however was when I tried a side mission to track down the character Bird and the first mission would not execute properly. After beating the game I tried it again and it failed to go off at all, meaning that I’ll now have to start all over again just to try that one mission. At that point I felt like I had played enough to write this review.

This game is so glitchy that they removed this awesome Worst Nightmare
skin from the game, which they even waited until SDCC to announce!

The visuals are easily among the game’s strong points. Everything is magnificently detailed and the stylized look of everyone and everything still looks good the third time around. I also liked the costume designs of the characters, since they pretty much fit the overall tone and setting of the story. However, there are a couple of snags. There is sometimes quite a bit of texture loading, more than was present in Arkham City, which was a bit distracting when it did happen and did nothing but elicit a laugh from me (I also laughed hard at some of the funnier glitches). Also, there is a point in the game where the fire is frighteningly low-res, which is enough to take you out of the immersion and try and figure out just why it was so difficult for WB Montréal to program fire in an otherwise detail-oriented game.

Apart from the great sound effects in the game, I should also mention the voice acting. Everyone is good in their roles and I have no real complaints, but two voices in particular that need addressing are the roles of Batman and Joker. Rather than Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, the respective roles are played by Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker. Both are very competent at what they do and I respect their decision to try and emulate their predecessors, just sounding younger in the process. This, to me, helps the characters sound believably younger, as they have a continuity to uphold, but I think that even if another great Arkham game was made and they couldn’t get Kevin Conroy again, these voice actors could still work as incredible substitutes. Heck, even if they got Kevin Conroy back, they should still keep Troy Baker on standby because of his uncanny ability to channel Mark Hamill in his depiction of Joker; unless you knew beforehand that Hamill retired the role and Baker took over, the difference is nearly indistinguishable and I love the voice even more for accomplishing that.

Troy Baker does an excellent job voicing Joker.

Batman: Arkham Origins is a great game and a strong entry in the Arkhamverse, though not quite as good as the Rocksteady titles. It has a very good story and the gameplay is still good, though the combat is a little less polished and more time could have been spent ironing out the texture problems and numerous bugs. I would recommend this game to existing fans of the Arkham games so that they can form their own opinion about the voice acting and change of studio, but for new fans I would say that there are two routes ahead of you. If you want the experience in chronological order, begin with Arkham Origins. If you want the highest quality Batman games around, begin with Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.

RED 2

As part of the 2013 Summer of Reboots and Sequels, one movie to be released recently is not only a comic book movie, but also a sequel, to the 2010 movie RED, this one simply titled RED 2. While I really enjoy the original RED (it's one of my favorite comic book movies ever), in fact finding it better than the original comic book of the same name, I wasn't sure what to think of the announcement of a sequel to the movie. Knowing how sequels are usually not quite as good as the original, save for rare exceptions like Spider-Man 2, I was afraid that RED 2 was not going to be as awesome or funny as the original (A Good Day to Die Hard probably left a bad taste in my mouth). Fortunately, upon seeing the sequel, my fears have been alleviated.

While shopping at a Costco, Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) and his girlfriend Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) run into Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), who believes he is being followed. While Sarah shows excitement over seeing some more action, Frank doesn't believe Marvin and tries to avoid him; as Marvin drives away from the Costco, his car soon explodes. After attending Marvin's funeral, where Frank believes he is faking his death (apparently he does this a lot), trouble finds Frank once again as he is taken for interrogation. Meanwhile, a man named Jack Horton (Neal McDonough) is trying to get to Moses, with the intent of not only killing him, but also getting information out of him regarding a secret project called Nightshade.

The story serves as a nice continuation of the first RED movie and is actually pretty well-written. New characters are introduced well and returning characters have consistent characterization. There are also a few plot twists within the movie, but they feel like genuine surprises and feel rather natural, rather than seeming to come out of nowhere like other twist-laden films. While the story is very definitely nothing like the comic on which it is based, they managed to take the heavy (good) changes made in the original and run with them down a nice path. And since sequels tend to want to feel bigger, the story sees the gang traveling to different locales during their mission. One of these locations happens to be Moscow, just like in another recent Bruce Willis feature, but with the way things happen in RED 2, I couldn't help but think that this is how that other movie should have been written the whole time.

One thing the original RED was good about was its humor. Thankfully, RED 2 sees a return of its predecessor's brand of humor, having consistently great timing with its jokes to boot. Like the first film, this is probably one of the only movies I have ever laughed the hardest at, and despite certain jokes already being in the trailer, I found them to be much funnier in context. The jokes hit more often than miss, and their delivery helps keep a consistent atmosphere with the first that feels more fun, rather than taking itself wholly seriously the entire time.

Helen Mirren returns as the entertaining Victoria Winslow from the original RED.

Like with the first RED, RED 2 was, I think, cast really well. It's nice to see actors that return from the first movie reprise their original roles, while newer actors do a good job playing their parts. One role that I think deserves mention, based on him getting poster billing and playing a semi-major role, is Lee Byung-hun as Han Jo-Bae, a man who is hired to kill Frank Moses over the course of the movie. Having seen him in both G.I. Joe movies (so far?), while I'm not one of his major fans, I do think he was a good choice for the character he plays in this movie. As for the music, while it does its job well in setting up the tone of a scene, it's not especially memorable, though it is a little more memorable than most others. Also, although I don't normally talk about this, I do think its sort of a nice touch that the protagonists are often seen wearing outfits that contain at least some sort of hint of red in them, since it's a subtle way of tying into the film's title.

One last thing I think should be brought up is the opening animation and scene transitions. The film opens on listing some of the major credits, all the while showing scenes from the original comic in a motion comic style in homage to the source material. Unlike other motion comics I have seen, however, this one feels like its more alive and I applaud the animation team that managed to pull off something of good quality that only lasts for a few moments. Then there's the scene transitions; whereas the first one pulled off some great transitions in the style of postcards, the sequel pauses the last scene in a comic book style before transitioning to an opening shot of the next major country the characters visit. While it does take you out of the story flow a little bit, I still enjoyed the way these transitions were pulled off.

RED 2 is a very enjoyable unnecessary sequel to a great comic book movie, in fact being at least on par with the original RED (which one is better may be up for debate). This is a great recommendation for people looking for a good action flick this summer that doesn't take itself too seriously, although you might want to watch the original RED first in order to get more familiar with the characters. Fans of the original RED will definitely have a good time watching this movie and may end up laughing hard in their seats. If a third RED movie is ever made, I hope they keep doing what they've been doing with the other two, because whatever they're doing, it seems to be working.

And as far as DC offerings so far this summer, RED 2 is much more enjoyable than Man of Steel.

Batman: Arkham Unhinged #3 (Comic)

Early last month, I took a look at the second issue of the Arkham Unhinged tie-in material for the outstanding Batman: Arkham City. While it managed to be a pretty good follow-up to the first issue, its art could have been better, since the odd penciling and inking proved to be distracting. This issue, which is very self-contained compared with the previous one, not only shows how well Derek Fridolfs can write Batman characters, but the art is also a better step in the right direction.

Before I truly begin, I want to say that I am aware of the length of time it is taking me to review the Arkham Unhinged issues. The thing is, I'd like to review them quicker, but at the same time I have other things going on and plenty of other reviews planned, be they video games or otherwise. At this point, it's the best I can do based on how I've prioritized things (the DmC comic in fact was reviewed before this because it was a collection of a completed comic, which has higher priority for review than a comic still being published).

The story of this issue, "Ruffled Feathers", deals this time with The Joker and The Penguin, more specifically their relations from the latter's point of view via narration (this is despite Joker being prominent on the cover). Basically, a deal conducted by The Penguin for supplies has gone awry, thanks to Joker's intervention. After scolding his remaining henchmen, Penguin decides to explain how his "no clowns" policy came into being. The execution of the plot in this manner creates a pattern that is obviously influenced by the book originally being in three digital parts, but it works well for separating the story into a good beginning, middle and end coupled with an effective framing device. What motivation is revealed for the aforementioned "no clowns" policy actually makes sense, since it's revealed that it has to do with Joker publicly humiliating Penguin, as Oswald Cobblepot, at the Iceberg Lounge. Based on how Penguin explains this, I can understand the animosity toward Joker and its influence on his actions. I'm not quite sure what to think of the last third of the book, since I'm not sure when during the game that could have happened, but it does end the story on an interesting note that seems to be there only to cement this animosity. Overall, the writing proves to continue being good.

Thankfully, the art is also up to par. This time, however, there are two pencilers, Simon Coleby and Bruno Redondo, whose art styles seem to better match the tone of the Arkhamverse than last issue. Gabe Eltaeb's coloring is also good, with darker colors to compliment the atmosphere nicely. The only chink in the art this time, I'd say, is the inking. I can't tell who of the three inkers, Coleby along with Santi Casas and Cliff Rathburn, did which section, but there's an odd bit of over-inking that seems to emphasize the circle around the eyes a little much, as well as making Penguin look just a little older than necessary (yeah, he's old, but come on). Still, I like the art better and I hope that this quality, with a little tweaking, persists in future issues.

Arkham Unhinged thus far hasn't been able to legitimately disappoint me in these rereads. The writing continues to be strong and the art has only gotten better (though it did hit a low last time, so it's more noticeable). The inking is a little off, but otherwise everything comes together well to create a Penguin-centirc issue that is worth reading to understand what's going through his mind during Arkham City.

Second Opinion - Man of Steel - Bland of Steel

I'm not one to call myself a Superman expert, but I do have some history with the man of steel. The only other Superman movie I've seen is Superman Returns, though not out of choice, but otherwise my experience with the last son of Krypton comes from various bits of animation, the first handful of issues of the Superman, Action Comics, and Justice League books from DC's New 52 relaunch, and the recent Injustice: Gods Among Us. That being said, I wasn't sure whether I would ever see the latest relaunch, Man of Steel, because, like with The Amazing Spider-Man, the ads made it seem like they were going to turn the character into something more akin to Batman, but I decided I may as well see it to be up to date. Now that I've seen it, I can say that, for a movie trying to retell Superman's origin story, it seems to have a lot of holes in it.

As stated in the introduction, the plot of Man of Steel is yet another re-tread of Superman's origin story, but with a twist. As the planet Krypton is in danger of exploding, Jor-El (Russel Crowe) and his wife Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer) have their son, Kal-El, and decide to launch him inside a pod to another planet so that the Kryptonian race can go on. However, General Zod (Michael Shannon) tries to put a stop to those plans, killing Jor-El in the process, but is too late as Lara launches the pod; as a result, Zod and his followers are launched to the Phantom Zone for 300 cycles as punishment for their crime (though why they would bother with this in the midst of planet-wide extinction is unclear). Years later, an older Kal-El, aka Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), is struggling with keeping his powers a secret as General Zod makes his way to Earth.

While the story is somewhat easy to follow, it has...problems. Like The Amazing Spider-Man, there are a lot of holes in the tale Man of Steel is trying to tell, though explaining any of them would require a lot of white text. One thing I can say is that, similarly to The Social Network, everyone comes across as a jerk, mainly towards Clark Kent in particular. As seen in trailers, a young Clark saves a bus from sinking, but everyone, including his father (Kevin Costner), treats it like it's a bad thing, as if Clark should have let everyone inside the bus just drown. There's plenty of situations that are also like this, most, if not all, of which are more likely to make you scratch your head rather than just go along with them. This movie also includes a number of twists, none of which make any sort of sense (again, this would require a good chunk of spoiler tags). There are some laughs here and there, but they alone are not enough to salvage this story.

If I thought this movie was better written, something is wrong.

That said, the acting was pretty decent, with special mention to Michael Shannon for his rather hammy performance as General Zod. For what it is, the actors do a good job with their characters, though that doesn't mean the characters themselves are exactly likable. As for the special effects, I found them to be really well done, especially when it came to the eye lasers and Kryptonian technology (though whether some of it is well thought out in-universe is another story). Still, for the most part it didn't seem like effects for the sake of effects. While Danny Elfman did a good job on the score, it's one of those soundtracks where, while it gets the mood right on-screen, it isn't really all that memorable.

In conclusion, Man of Steel is more like it's made of balsa wood: It has some good points, but otherwise it falls apart rather quickly. Fans that have far more experience with the Superman character are more likely to get something out of this, though I doubt they would get that much enjoyment out of it either. For everyone else, it's at least something to watch until Thor: The Dark World comes out. Though the movie is rated PG-13, it may be best to avoid bringing in small children, as the story deals with some heavy concepts that may require a bit of explaining from an adult. If DC really is planning to use this movie to start their own Marvel Studios-like cinematic universe, it's not exactly off to a great start.