Post by Sgt. AWOLaLot on Jun 16, 2017 17:41:02 GMT -5
Super hero films have been a genre I've liked from a young age. I've never really been into the comics, nor do I have a loyalty to either Marvel or DC. This means that any comic book-based film can catch my interest. I've enjoyed pretty much all of the MCU films (some are weaker than others, but I don't consider any of them to be bad movies). The Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy holds a special place in my heart and I loved those movies growing up (even Spider-Man 3), and Danny Elfman's Main Titles remains my favorite super hero theme written so far. They are also part of the reason why I've got a thing for redheads (they're my Kryptonite... hehe). The Dark Knight Trilogy is a great achievement in film making. The Dark Knight Rises gets some hate (mostly for Bruce getting back to Gotham after the prison), but it's certainly not bad. As for the new DCEU, eh. I didn't like Suicide Squad. Man of Steel was... ok. I think Henry Cavill was a great choice for Superman and the modern effects were great, but I can't call it great. The trailers made it look like it was going to be something really special (and those are some of the best trailers I've ever seen), but the film just didn't provide that. Batman Vs. Superman is the film I just can't seem to hate; it's a mess but it's my mess. Went into the theater and came out wondering why people were treating it like an abomination. It has its flaws, but I wasn't offended by it. The internet is a funny place. You either have to love something or hate it. As for Wonder Woman, you can read my opinion on that below. Ok, enough of my super hero history. Here are the reviews. P.S. A review for Logan can be found in the thread of the same name.
Written February 17th, 2017: Spider-Man 2 (I think this is my second one)
"Time for another little movie review. Tonight I revisited an old favorite of mine to see how it holds up, and that movie is Spider-Man 2. (This one is going to be extra nerdy). Spiderman was my favorite super hero growing up (and still up there with Batman and Captain America) and the first two Raimi Spider-Man films were old favorites. The first one, while still a good movie, has effects that haven't aged gracefully. So how about 2?
Well you know what; it is still one of the best comic book films made. And that's not just nostalgia talking (well, mostly). It is legitimately a well made movie and I was happy to feel excitement when I saw it again. It's fun, exciting, romantic, heartfelt, and has a good villain (with an understandable motivation, something the current MCU could learn from...). Oh yeah, and it has one of the greatest super hero action scenes of all time: the train fight between Spiderman and Doc Oc. When compared to the solo MCU films (so excluding Avengers and Civil War), I'd easily rank it above both Thor films and Ironman 2, just above Doctor Strange and the first Captain America movie, and put it on par with Ironman 1 and Winter Soldier.
And that's actually one advantage these old Spiderman movies have. They were made in a time when a Spiderman movie could JUST be a Spiderman movie and not have to worry about trying in with a cinematic universe. That's not to say the MCU is a bad thing (I've said before, whoever is writing those scripts and mapping out the continuity deserve medals), but it's nice to see the story lines kept simpler.
Comparing it to Amazing Spiderman on the other hand... Sorry Andrew Garfield. You were great in Hacksaw Ridge, but you will never be my Spiderman. The Amazing Spiderman movies just don't have the heart the Raimi ones did (except for the romance, which is one thing I admit they did better), and just don't inspire me the way the old ones did. As of now, Tobey Macguire is still the better Spiderman (though I look forward to Tom Holland in Homecoming), and due to nostalgia he always will be for me. There. Nerd review over."
Written February 26th, 2017: X-Men Apocalypse (This is a short one)
"Since I can, I'm going to talk about another movie I watched on Friday. X-Men Apocalypse was the latest entry in the X-Men franchise and the third with the newer cast members (since First Class). I haven't seen a lot of the X-Men movies, but I saw the two before this one.
And Apocalypse was... all right. Not as good as the previous two though. It dragged a little bit and I just couldn't get into the main villain. His idea was to unleash the true power of all the mutants and rule the Earth while cleansing all the humans from it. It didn't come across as very interesting to me.
By far the most interesting character in the film is Magneto. He's gotten so much depth just in these three films alone and is certainly the most tragic out of the main characters. He is a very well done villain/anti-hero. Any scenes with Fassbender in them are great.
James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence are good in their parts as well, and McAvoy is becoming a favorite of mine.
Wolverine also gets an appearance, and it was a great scene. And this might also be the most violent PG-13 super hero movie I've seen. I like that Fox let's the directors go a little farther, whereas Disney has to reel it in because, well, Disney.
So overall, I'd say it's good but kind of forgettable. Now hopefully I get the chance to see Logan."
Written May 4th 2017: The Dark Knight Returns. To explain the beginning, I had also shared a video of one of the fight scenes. In it Batman is fighting the leader of the Mutan Gang in a mudhole.
"I think I'll both upload this while also writing a review of what it's from. This is from a DC animated film called The Dark Knight Returns, based on the comic book of the same name written by Frank Miller. The comic books I think were released in a 4 part series, with there being two parts to the animated film.
The Dark Knight Returns is set in a future setting where most super heroes have agreed to retire and just live out there lives. However, Gotham being the city it is, falls back into violence and crime when a gang called the Mutant Gang starts causing havoc. So a 50 year old Bruce Wayne decides to come out of retirement.
Even though The Dark Knight Returns is animated, it is still one of the best Batman films I've seen. Despite the fact Bruce is older now, he is still able to instill fear upon his enemies and beat them to a pulp. The things Batman does best. He also takes on the help of a new, very young, female Robin; and even his old butler Alfred is still around to assist him.
Other characters that make an appearance include Harvey Dent (Two-Face), Superman, and the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker.
There were a lot of action scenes in this (and they are by far the most memorable moments), but there were some slower scenes to help balance the film. There are a few strange scenes where Bruce seems to be having visions where they show that even all these years later he can't shake his connection with bats, and still feels guilt over the death of his parents.
But again, the action scenes are where this movie shines (with one of the best ones below). They remind me why Batman is my favorite DC hero. His intelligence, resourcefulness, savagery, and skill are all on display here as he terrifies, evades, and outsmarts his opponents. Yeah Superman is pretty great with all his powers and his commitment to doing good. But the more dramatic, tortured nature of Batman is just so much more interesting. It's also much more satisfying when Batman gets his victory because he has to work to get it due to his mortality.
The three best action scenes are probably the fight below, a sequence where the Joker breaks free and goes nuts (with a chilling, meaningful ending) and a fight between Superman and Batman. Yes they fight in this movie, but it is much better than Batman vs. Superman. Everything from the setup to the advantages Batman had made a lot more sense than Snyder's film. And the fight itself is well worth the wait, with another great, meaningful ending.
The voice acting is quite good, particularly for Batman. This doesn't have Kevin Conroy or Mark Hamill, but the actors they got were still very good. The dialogue is also excellent. While I'm sure there are deviations from the comic, it makes me want to read Frank Miller's material. In fact, the fight below has one of my favorite new lines said by Batman, "You don't get it son! This isn't a mud hole... It's an operating table. And I'm the surgeon." How can you not like that line.
For Batman fans, I would certainly recommend hunting this down and watching it. The Dark Knight Returns is often referenced as one of the best Batman comic book stories, and this movie does it justice for sure. If you aren't a Batman/DC fan... Well, you might like it. It's one of those things though like Star Wars. If you've never liked it before, it's hard to predict if you'll like something new from the same universe."
Written June 12th, 2017: Wonder Woman
"Well, yesterday I finally saw Wonder Woman. I found it to be good. But there some things about it that kept me from loving it as much as other people have.
Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot (who I must say is a very lovely Israeli...), Chris Pine, Robin Wright, and Danny Huston. It tells the story of how Princess Diana grew up on an island made by Zeus, trained as a warrior, and would become involved with the conflicts of the world of men, which in this movie is the First World War.
The film actually opens in the modern day, and Diana gets a package from Bruce Wayne containing the old photo of her and her squad mates from World War I. The film then takes us back to Diana's younger days on the island full of Amazons, female warriors made by Zeus to kill Ares if he was to return. We are then introduced to Chris Pine's character (Steve Trevor) as he stumbles on the island after being shot down in a stolen German plane. Pine's character is an American spy who was tasked with getting information on a new deadly gas, even worse than regular mustard gas. One of the most interesting parts of this film were that we got two fish out of water stories. The first being with Pine's character on the island, the second being Diana in London seeing as she has never been exposed to the rest of the world. The dynamic between Gadot's and Pine's characters were definitely one of the best parts of the film. They both learn a lot from one another, and some of those lessons are hard for them to swallow.
But after Trevor delivers his information, the film becomes very similar to Captain America: The First Avenger. Trevor recruits a ragtag squad to go in and take out the gas making facility (much like Steve Rodger's squad to take out the Hydra bases), they head into battle lead by a character trying to prove themselves, and have a final showdown at the main base. This isn't necessarily a negative thing, but the similarities are certainly present.
The No Man's Land scene was pretty good. I also liked the build up, because it really shows how little Diana knows. She sees a civilian in the Allied trench line and is wondering why they don't go to save the German-occupied town. The problem is because it isn't that simple for normal men. The war has been deadlocked in trench warfare since 1915 (this is in 1918), and crossing No Man's Land is next to impossible with machine guns everywhere. But since Diana is born from a god and has a bullet proof shield, she is able to do it.
There are some other pretty good scenes as well, like after the first battle we get some more touching and emotional scenes. Then there's the climax, which... Well, the way the villains play out here was good and unexpected. But there were some weird directing choices made. And I think that is why I just didn't LOVE this movie.
The cinematography and color was good, and Wonder Woman is certainly the brightest DCEU film thus far (both in tone and literal lighting). But what I didn't like is how much the slow motion was used. In the beginning when we got to see the Amazons training and fighting off some Germans, it was pretty cool. But by the time we got to the No Man's Land scene and especially in the climax, it started to come across as a little cheesy. It reminded me of the scene in Suicide Squad when one character throws the explosives and Deadshot has to shoot it. It's supposed to be epic and emotional... And I'm watching it and not able to take it seriously. :/ It made the flow and pacing of the action sequences just feel, well, off. Uneven. And it's funny I mention this when in my last review I mentioned how annoying a lot of quick cuts in actions scenes were. But after seeing both and thinking about it, I'll take the quick cuts of Civil War over the awkward slow motion of Suicide Squad/Wonder Woman.
So in the end, I did like this movie. Many people are saying it's the best DCEU film so far. And technically, it is... It's weird though. I'd rather watch Batman Vs. Superman again over this one, even though it is technically worse from a storyline perspective. And I think that's another underlying reason for my lack of love. I am a sucker for good drama, seriousness, broodiness, and darkness. Having fun and levity in movies is a must, don't get me wrong, but those darker characteristics are more engaging to me. Heck, one of my favorite elements from Batman Vs. Superman that people hated was seeing people question Superman and seeing him struggle with that. The scene where he stands in the court room after the bomb goes off is one of my favorite scenes. I'm sure Wonder Woman will be compared to the likes of movies such as The Dark Knight Trilogy, Logan, Spider-man 2, or Ironman since it's "the best DCEU film so far." But at least to me, I'll take all the previous mentioned films over Wonder Woman. It's a good movie and I'm glad to see it made, but I wouldn't put it in the top tier of super hero films."
Written February 17th, 2017: Spider-Man 2 (I think this is my second one)
"Time for another little movie review. Tonight I revisited an old favorite of mine to see how it holds up, and that movie is Spider-Man 2. (This one is going to be extra nerdy). Spiderman was my favorite super hero growing up (and still up there with Batman and Captain America) and the first two Raimi Spider-Man films were old favorites. The first one, while still a good movie, has effects that haven't aged gracefully. So how about 2?
Well you know what; it is still one of the best comic book films made. And that's not just nostalgia talking (well, mostly). It is legitimately a well made movie and I was happy to feel excitement when I saw it again. It's fun, exciting, romantic, heartfelt, and has a good villain (with an understandable motivation, something the current MCU could learn from...). Oh yeah, and it has one of the greatest super hero action scenes of all time: the train fight between Spiderman and Doc Oc. When compared to the solo MCU films (so excluding Avengers and Civil War), I'd easily rank it above both Thor films and Ironman 2, just above Doctor Strange and the first Captain America movie, and put it on par with Ironman 1 and Winter Soldier.
And that's actually one advantage these old Spiderman movies have. They were made in a time when a Spiderman movie could JUST be a Spiderman movie and not have to worry about trying in with a cinematic universe. That's not to say the MCU is a bad thing (I've said before, whoever is writing those scripts and mapping out the continuity deserve medals), but it's nice to see the story lines kept simpler.
Comparing it to Amazing Spiderman on the other hand... Sorry Andrew Garfield. You were great in Hacksaw Ridge, but you will never be my Spiderman. The Amazing Spiderman movies just don't have the heart the Raimi ones did (except for the romance, which is one thing I admit they did better), and just don't inspire me the way the old ones did. As of now, Tobey Macguire is still the better Spiderman (though I look forward to Tom Holland in Homecoming), and due to nostalgia he always will be for me. There. Nerd review over."
Written February 26th, 2017: X-Men Apocalypse (This is a short one)
"Since I can, I'm going to talk about another movie I watched on Friday. X-Men Apocalypse was the latest entry in the X-Men franchise and the third with the newer cast members (since First Class). I haven't seen a lot of the X-Men movies, but I saw the two before this one.
And Apocalypse was... all right. Not as good as the previous two though. It dragged a little bit and I just couldn't get into the main villain. His idea was to unleash the true power of all the mutants and rule the Earth while cleansing all the humans from it. It didn't come across as very interesting to me.
By far the most interesting character in the film is Magneto. He's gotten so much depth just in these three films alone and is certainly the most tragic out of the main characters. He is a very well done villain/anti-hero. Any scenes with Fassbender in them are great.
James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence are good in their parts as well, and McAvoy is becoming a favorite of mine.
Wolverine also gets an appearance, and it was a great scene. And this might also be the most violent PG-13 super hero movie I've seen. I like that Fox let's the directors go a little farther, whereas Disney has to reel it in because, well, Disney.
So overall, I'd say it's good but kind of forgettable. Now hopefully I get the chance to see Logan."
Written May 4th 2017: The Dark Knight Returns. To explain the beginning, I had also shared a video of one of the fight scenes. In it Batman is fighting the leader of the Mutan Gang in a mudhole.
"I think I'll both upload this while also writing a review of what it's from. This is from a DC animated film called The Dark Knight Returns, based on the comic book of the same name written by Frank Miller. The comic books I think were released in a 4 part series, with there being two parts to the animated film.
The Dark Knight Returns is set in a future setting where most super heroes have agreed to retire and just live out there lives. However, Gotham being the city it is, falls back into violence and crime when a gang called the Mutant Gang starts causing havoc. So a 50 year old Bruce Wayne decides to come out of retirement.
Even though The Dark Knight Returns is animated, it is still one of the best Batman films I've seen. Despite the fact Bruce is older now, he is still able to instill fear upon his enemies and beat them to a pulp. The things Batman does best. He also takes on the help of a new, very young, female Robin; and even his old butler Alfred is still around to assist him.
Other characters that make an appearance include Harvey Dent (Two-Face), Superman, and the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker.
There were a lot of action scenes in this (and they are by far the most memorable moments), but there were some slower scenes to help balance the film. There are a few strange scenes where Bruce seems to be having visions where they show that even all these years later he can't shake his connection with bats, and still feels guilt over the death of his parents.
But again, the action scenes are where this movie shines (with one of the best ones below). They remind me why Batman is my favorite DC hero. His intelligence, resourcefulness, savagery, and skill are all on display here as he terrifies, evades, and outsmarts his opponents. Yeah Superman is pretty great with all his powers and his commitment to doing good. But the more dramatic, tortured nature of Batman is just so much more interesting. It's also much more satisfying when Batman gets his victory because he has to work to get it due to his mortality.
The three best action scenes are probably the fight below, a sequence where the Joker breaks free and goes nuts (with a chilling, meaningful ending) and a fight between Superman and Batman. Yes they fight in this movie, but it is much better than Batman vs. Superman. Everything from the setup to the advantages Batman had made a lot more sense than Snyder's film. And the fight itself is well worth the wait, with another great, meaningful ending.
The voice acting is quite good, particularly for Batman. This doesn't have Kevin Conroy or Mark Hamill, but the actors they got were still very good. The dialogue is also excellent. While I'm sure there are deviations from the comic, it makes me want to read Frank Miller's material. In fact, the fight below has one of my favorite new lines said by Batman, "You don't get it son! This isn't a mud hole... It's an operating table. And I'm the surgeon." How can you not like that line.
For Batman fans, I would certainly recommend hunting this down and watching it. The Dark Knight Returns is often referenced as one of the best Batman comic book stories, and this movie does it justice for sure. If you aren't a Batman/DC fan... Well, you might like it. It's one of those things though like Star Wars. If you've never liked it before, it's hard to predict if you'll like something new from the same universe."
Written June 12th, 2017: Wonder Woman
"Well, yesterday I finally saw Wonder Woman. I found it to be good. But there some things about it that kept me from loving it as much as other people have.
Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot (who I must say is a very lovely Israeli...), Chris Pine, Robin Wright, and Danny Huston. It tells the story of how Princess Diana grew up on an island made by Zeus, trained as a warrior, and would become involved with the conflicts of the world of men, which in this movie is the First World War.
The film actually opens in the modern day, and Diana gets a package from Bruce Wayne containing the old photo of her and her squad mates from World War I. The film then takes us back to Diana's younger days on the island full of Amazons, female warriors made by Zeus to kill Ares if he was to return. We are then introduced to Chris Pine's character (Steve Trevor) as he stumbles on the island after being shot down in a stolen German plane. Pine's character is an American spy who was tasked with getting information on a new deadly gas, even worse than regular mustard gas. One of the most interesting parts of this film were that we got two fish out of water stories. The first being with Pine's character on the island, the second being Diana in London seeing as she has never been exposed to the rest of the world. The dynamic between Gadot's and Pine's characters were definitely one of the best parts of the film. They both learn a lot from one another, and some of those lessons are hard for them to swallow.
But after Trevor delivers his information, the film becomes very similar to Captain America: The First Avenger. Trevor recruits a ragtag squad to go in and take out the gas making facility (much like Steve Rodger's squad to take out the Hydra bases), they head into battle lead by a character trying to prove themselves, and have a final showdown at the main base. This isn't necessarily a negative thing, but the similarities are certainly present.
The No Man's Land scene was pretty good. I also liked the build up, because it really shows how little Diana knows. She sees a civilian in the Allied trench line and is wondering why they don't go to save the German-occupied town. The problem is because it isn't that simple for normal men. The war has been deadlocked in trench warfare since 1915 (this is in 1918), and crossing No Man's Land is next to impossible with machine guns everywhere. But since Diana is born from a god and has a bullet proof shield, she is able to do it.
There are some other pretty good scenes as well, like after the first battle we get some more touching and emotional scenes. Then there's the climax, which... Well, the way the villains play out here was good and unexpected. But there were some weird directing choices made. And I think that is why I just didn't LOVE this movie.
The cinematography and color was good, and Wonder Woman is certainly the brightest DCEU film thus far (both in tone and literal lighting). But what I didn't like is how much the slow motion was used. In the beginning when we got to see the Amazons training and fighting off some Germans, it was pretty cool. But by the time we got to the No Man's Land scene and especially in the climax, it started to come across as a little cheesy. It reminded me of the scene in Suicide Squad when one character throws the explosives and Deadshot has to shoot it. It's supposed to be epic and emotional... And I'm watching it and not able to take it seriously. :/ It made the flow and pacing of the action sequences just feel, well, off. Uneven. And it's funny I mention this when in my last review I mentioned how annoying a lot of quick cuts in actions scenes were. But after seeing both and thinking about it, I'll take the quick cuts of Civil War over the awkward slow motion of Suicide Squad/Wonder Woman.
So in the end, I did like this movie. Many people are saying it's the best DCEU film so far. And technically, it is... It's weird though. I'd rather watch Batman Vs. Superman again over this one, even though it is technically worse from a storyline perspective. And I think that's another underlying reason for my lack of love. I am a sucker for good drama, seriousness, broodiness, and darkness. Having fun and levity in movies is a must, don't get me wrong, but those darker characteristics are more engaging to me. Heck, one of my favorite elements from Batman Vs. Superman that people hated was seeing people question Superman and seeing him struggle with that. The scene where he stands in the court room after the bomb goes off is one of my favorite scenes. I'm sure Wonder Woman will be compared to the likes of movies such as The Dark Knight Trilogy, Logan, Spider-man 2, or Ironman since it's "the best DCEU film so far." But at least to me, I'll take all the previous mentioned films over Wonder Woman. It's a good movie and I'm glad to see it made, but I wouldn't put it in the top tier of super hero films."