Tag: DC Comics

Superman Returns (2006) | RETRO REVIEW

Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth in SUPERMAN RETURNS — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Bryan Singer — Screenplay by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris.

It seems crazy when you put it like this, but after Superman IV in 1987, we didn’t get to see the Man of Steel on the big screen until 19 years later. In that waiting period, several projects were tinkered with and abandoned, including a fifth Reeve-led Superman film, a Tim Burton-directed and Nicolas Cage-led film titled Superman Lives, and Superman: Flyby, which had people like J.J. Abrams, Brett Ratner, McQ, and various actors attached before it was eventually let go. But in 2006, we finally got a new big-screen Superman with X-Men director Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, which received a decent-enough critical reception despite the fact that Roger Ebert gave it a negative review. I’ve always been quite underwhelmed by the film, and I had hoped that my latest rewatch could change my stance on the film, but, unfortunately, I still think this film is a little bit of a dud.

Continue reading “Superman Returns (2006) | RETRO REVIEW” →

Christopher Reeve’s Superman Films | REVIEWS

Christopher Reeve as Superman in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE — PHOTO: Warner Bros. (Still image from trailer).

With a new film in theaters titled Superman, now feels like an appropriate time to take a closer look at the primary films that inspired it, namely the Christopher Reeve era of Superman films in the 1970s and 1980s. Below you’ll find reviews of both Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. But, as a special treat, I’ve also reviewed the 2006 Richard Donner cut of Superman II.

Continue reading “Christopher Reeve’s Superman Films | REVIEWS” →

Superman (2025) | REVIEW

Superman (David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) in SUPERMAN (2025) — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by James Gunn — Screenplay by James Gunn.

I can’t stress enough how significant it is that the first image of the new live-action Superman is of him lying defeated in the snow, in need of healing and a pick-me-up, and, importantly, bleeding out of his mouth due to all the fighting he has just been through. It is an immediate act of flipping the switch on the modern cinematic understanding of what and who Superman is. When Marvel Studios launched a cinematic universe at the same time that Christopher Nolan was making self-contained and critically lauded Batman films for DC, they gradually set in motion a trend that Warner Bros. was eager to imitate. The head honchos at the studio gave filmmaker Zack Snyder the keys to their comic book movie empire, and, with his epic but divisive Man of Steel, he gave us a Superman born of a gritty, slow-mo heavy universe wherein he was presented as an Alien with god-like powers that was often paired with Christ-like imagery. Snyder notably had a character ask the godlike alien with an ‘S’ on his chest: “Tell me, do you bleed?”

Continue reading “Superman (2025) | REVIEW” →

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024 – Documentary) | REVIEW

HCN991 SUPERMAN, Christopher Reeve, 1978. ©Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection

Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is likely to be remembered as one of the best documentaries of the year and, at the same time, also one of the most emotionally overwhelming. It is an incredibly moving portrait of the man who became synonymous with the Man of Steel and whose life was forever changed when he landed head-first on the ground after being thrown off a horse. Reeve’s story is well-known one: from a superhero superstar to a man paralyzed from the neck down forever fighting for improvements for people with disabilities, as well as the opportunity to walk again potentially. But this documentary takes you a step further.

Continue reading “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024 – Documentary) | REVIEW” →

The Penguin (2024) | REVIEW

Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti in THE PENGUIN — PHOTO; Macall Polay/HBO.

Created by Lauren LeFranc (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

There has been no shortage of superhero television or streaming shows in recent years. Following several years in which superhero shows were mostly CW series for DC Comics, Netflix’s Marvel universe, or ABC entries, we’ve been overwhelmed with a variety of different series with the rise of Netflix competitors. There are so many shows on Prime Video, Max, or, especially, Disney+ that can scratch that itch for you as a comic book fan, and, frankly, it’s been hit or miss for most audiences, with Prime Video’s The Boys easily being the biggest success with fans and critics alike. Now, however, the long-awaited The Batman spin-off series titled The Penguin has finished its run (or first season, in case it gets picked up for another season) on Max, and not only is it a great show, it may actually be the new gold standard for superhero series connected to big screen entertainment.

Continue reading “The Penguin (2024) | REVIEW” →

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) | REVIEW

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Todd Phillips — Screenplay by Scott Silver & Todd Phillips.

Only a select few films in recent years have had as much controversy surrounding their release, and yet still been celebrated by the industry, as Todd Phillips’ Joker, which was a massive box office success and earned its star, Joaquin Phoenix, an Oscar for his fully committed performance as the iconic DC Comics clown. When, however, Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, the long-awaited sequel, was released last week, it was without that same controversy, without that same concern, and without that same celebration in the industry, with critics, or audiences. Box office-wise, it landed with a thud, and fans of the original film have almost uniformly rejected the sequel. So, what gives? Well, let’s just say, it sometimes feels like Todd Phillips’ sequel is bending over backwards to distance itself from the people who championed the first film. Despite including some DC Comics references, it almost couldn’t be farther from fan service. It makes for a strange endeavor, but a very interesting film.

Continue reading “Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) | REVIEW” →

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) | REVIEW

Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry in James Wan’s AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM — PHOTO: WARNER BROS. PICTURES (Still image from trailers).

Directed by James Wan — Screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.

Once upon a time, the kickstarting of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) felt like such a big deal. Warner Bros. was going to do what Marvel did and actually have a connected cinematic superhero universe and it was going to be this prestige project with the first film, titled Man of Steel, echoing a kind of director-led importance that was supposed to follow in the footsteps of Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy. I think, however, that it is fair to say that it never got off on the right foot. Their Superman-universe opener was met with a mixed critical reception and fans criticized certain choices that they felt were against the core tenets of the beloved iconic character. In the next years, the DCEU was never fully embraced despite certain successes along the way (e.g. Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman) in large part due to several films that missed the mark in one way or another (e.g. David Ayer’s Suicide Squad). Online toxicity, director idolization, and mild-at-best reception followed, and now the universe is being fully rebooted by James Gunn. Before that could happen though, they had to release a couple of ‘lame duck’ films that they already had in the can but which everyone knew mattered not. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the last one of those, and, unfortunately, the DCEU went out with a whimper. 

Continue reading “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) | REVIEW” →

The Flash (2023) | REVIEW

Ezra Miller as ‘younger alternate reality Barry Allen’ and Sasha Calle as ‘Supergirl’ in THE FLASH — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by Andy Muschietti (IT: Chapters One and Two) — Screenplay by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey) — Story by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, and Joby Harold.

Few films have had as storied and controversial pre-release periods as that of Andy Muschietti’s The Flash. A live-action solo film about DC’s speedster has supposedly been on the drawing board since the 1980s, back when no one had even thought to consider multiverse movies or toxic fandoms. Over the years, the idea changed shape multiple times (and went through multiple filmmakers’ hands) from solo film to team-up film to guest appearance and back to solo film within the Zack Snyder-orchestrated DC Extended Universe (DCEU), as one of the follow-ups to Snyder’s Man of Steel. While we waited for this film to materialize, The CW’s shared TV-DC Universe, the Arrowverse, came and went with Grant Gustin portraying The Flash in a nine-season-long series of the same name, which just ended this year (and which, notably, featured an appearance from Ezra Miller — the actor chosen by Warner Bros. to play the speedster on the big screen).

Continue reading “The Flash (2023) | REVIEW” →

REVIEW: Black Adam (2022)

Dwayne Johnson is BLACK ADAM — PHOTO: Warner Bros.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise) — Screenplay by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani.

Does anyone really know what Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Comics are doing with their immensely popular comic book characters on the big screen? Half the time it sounds like they want to copy what Disney and Marvel are doing, and the other half it sounds like they want to do a little bit of everything. That latter suggestion is unfocused but it is also a little bit exciting that they are prepared to do anything. That we can get a deeply gritty Halloween-set Batman film and a more brightly colored tongue-in-cheek superhero comedy for all ages in Shazam! with DC Comics is good fun, but I’m not sure fans, general audiences, or the higher-ups are on the same page. Some fans want a patient build-up in the vein of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some want a return to Nolan-esque grittiness, and others are desperate for Zack Snyder’s vision for the DC universe to live on. Time will tell if they can have it all, but, in trying to appeal to the most amount of people, Jaume Collet-Serra’s underdeveloped Black Adam raises some eyebrows, as it feels very much like a film that has been tinkered with by higher-ups so much over the years that it has gone stale, which is a shame since Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson has been waiting for 15 years to make his mark as the titular antihero.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Black Adam (2022)” →

First ‘Batgirl’ then ‘scripted content’: Warner Bros. Discovery’s recent decision-making is worrying

Photo: Chris Yarzab / Flickr

In recent days, it was revealed that the Warner Bros. Discovery merger had already had a huge impact on upcoming releases and the extremely popular streaming service HBO Max, arguably the service with the best content library. First, it was revealed that the upcoming Batgirl film, which had finished production, had been canceled. It was no longer to be released in theaters or on HBO Max. Then, we found out that the Scoob! sequel, an animated film due to be released later this year, had also been thrown away entirely.

Continue reading “First ‘Batgirl’ then ‘scripted content’: Warner Bros. Discovery’s recent decision-making is worrying” →