Theatrical Review: Justice League

Date: Sunday, November 26 2017

Location: Cinemark Theater at Stroud Mall

Time: 12pm

Party: 3 (my mom, aunt and myself)

 

Director: Zach Snyder (of 300 and Watchman fame. I know him as the writer/director of SuckerPunch. The rest of the world probably knows him for Batman vs. Superman)

Writers: Chris Terrio (of Argo and Batman vs. Superman fame), Zach Snyder and Joss Whedon (TRAITOR!)

Composer: Danny Elfman (it's been a while...)

 

Cast:

Batman- Ben Affleck

Superman- Henry Cavill

Wonder Woman- Gal Gadot

The Flash- Ezra Miller

Aquaman- Jason Momoa

Ray Fisher- Cyborg

Lois Lane- Amy Adams

Steppenwolf- Ciaran Hinds

 

Duration: 120 hours (+7 trailers)

 

 

Opening remarks

 

Well... it finally happened. I thought this movie would never happen cuz- cmon- you can’t get Superman and Batman together in one movie. They’re just too huge.

But yeah the movie happened. Trying to capitalize on the popularity of the Marvel universe of superhero movies. The question is- is DC so late to the party with this movie that nobody cares for these movies anymore. Wonder Woman got the pot brewing again but perhaps this movie is a step backwards- depending if critic reviews and box office totals matter to you.

It was a full but not satiated theater. We got good seats with no tall people in front of us and we were in middle of the action. Some time the crowd laughed and they actually applauded at the end. Not ravenously but out of respect for a job well done. Or at least they found it enjoyable.

Trailers

There were so many I had to write them down on my phone so I wouldn’t forget any.

Black Panther

Like all marvel movies the action and scenery is fantastic. As a movie though I’m not sure if it holds a lot of interest for me. I might wait for the critics to sound off on this one. (As much as I don’t trust them half the time they were my deciding vote about seeing Wonder Woman.)

The Commuter

I saw Liam Neeson and I’m like “oh no it’s not another Taken movie is it? That family needs to never leave their house again). But nope it’s another Liam Neeson thriller- this time Vera Farmiga seems to be the sociopath he needs to cooperate with and then defeat. (She’s such a good psycho- I know this for a fact). With her in this movie, just maybe, it won’t be another cliched effort from this guy.

Rampage

It’s kinda like Mighty Joe Young meets genetic engineering/alien artifacts meets King Kong. Dwayne Johnson (who has been freaking everywhere lately- at least he’s not John Goodman) is a man who has a friendship with an albino gorilla. Not only is this friendship tested when the gorilla finds some sort of technology in the jungle and mutates into a giant, but there are other hostile animals also infected and involved. Considering this is from the same people behind San Andreas, I’m not holding my breath.

Pacific Rim Uprising

To fight giant aliens invading a city apparently you need giant robots. I knew this movie was coming from the Microsoft Surface commercials. Although later in the trailer, I thought it might be Halo. Except I think that world was post apocalyptic and they weren't giant robots. Either way, another pass.

Tomb Raider

Heard about this one as well. Geesh Alicia Vankander won an Oscar and all of a sudden she’s everywhere. Brie Larson too but that’s another movie.

Do we really need to resurrect this franchise? I didn’t like it the right time but I also don’t care a lot for Angelina Jolie.

A Quiet Place

This movie looks creepy as hell. The trailer is shown with no dialogue and no sounds except music that builds until the end.

Supposedly real life husband and wife John Kraskowski and Emily Blunt and their family live in a cabin in the woods and can’t make a sound cuz if they do they’ll alert a terrifying creature. :shudder:

Deadpool 2

I almost forget all about this one LMAO.

Yeah it’s a funny teaser trailer where Deadpool does his best Bob Ross inspiration. Keep an eye on the painting and how it changes.

Then we get a major flurry of activity and footage I can’t make heads or tails of. Anyway- the only movie out of these I’m excited for.

Considering how few movies I’d seen this year (in theater and at home) I hadn’t been excited about many movies at all lately.

The Main Attraction

 

Yeah... there are different parties involved but like the Avengers movie, the earth is under attack from alien forces and superheroes need to come together. Except the villain is an ancient being from another dimension that dates back as far as the Amazons (like Wonder Woman) and Atlantans (like Aquaman). And instead of S.H.I.E.L.D. it’s Bruce Wayne getting everyone together.

Some participants (like Aquaman and newly created Cyborg) are unwilling at first but everyone eventually comes together.

And there’s also a plot about resurrecting Superman cuz they apparently can’t do this without him.

 

Good news first: Ezra Miller (who I know best as Patrick from “The peeks of being a wallflower”) is great as The Flash as the token young guy still getting to know his newfound super powers. He had some hilarious jokes and one scene where he ate a whole pizza pie. My aunt said he needs to eat a lot. Considering his powers it’s easy to see why.

Cyborg was the reluctant participant, nearly into his transformation and we get a good back story how he was a promising athlete and tragedy befell him. But as a result everyone he knew but his father believe he’s dead.

There’s also a funny running joke (not that kind of running- although the flash is involved) how he keeps trying to fist bump Cyborg but the timing is never right.

Wonder Woman is maybe the glue holding everything together. Not just the group but the whole movie. She still feels like a breath of fresh air. Not as naive as she was in her origin movie (clearly a lot has happened between those events and her cameo in Batman vs Superman- which I still haven’t seen but maybe should to fill some gaps for myself) but yeah, Gal Gadot is great.

Of course I’ll keep with the avengers comparisons and maybe it’s cuz they’re both female but she kinda occupies the same field as Black Widow. But I like Wonder Woman more right now- I’m still kinda mad that they put her and hulk together as a possible romantic pairing just cuz the avengers apparently HAVE to have one. (No, it doesn’t...)

 

Then Aquaman gets involved cuz the villain paid him a visit in his home world as well... my compliments to the writers on this... I was so terrified when this villain visited his world and wonder woman’s that their entire families would be massacred cuz that’s what the cliche is. They didn’t. And I am so grateful cuz that just would have been painful. Especially after falling for the Amazons in the Wonder Woman movie. Not to mention they are bad asses and if they were all killed, it totally would have taken that away.

There, the compliments end. And I hate to say it but the issue lies with Ben affleck playing Batman. It just feels like nobody can play that role anymore. One too many recasts. (At least the kid from Gotham is still nailing a young Bruce Wayne- although not liking the destructive teenager story arc this current season has).

And I don’t really care for Ben affleck that much. Argo was maybe the one exception even though it was a long ass movie that had too many low boring points.

So it looks to me like Ben Affleck is getting this group together not Bruce Wayne and he made one comment how the aliens are going to affect climate change and ocean levels will raise. (Of course he says this to Aquaman and he doesn’t mind that... he adds that waters will also boil). Ugh! You and Leo, just shut the hell up! Do your jobs as actors and leave the politics out of it.

Also he goes toe to toe with Wonder Woman about how they respond to grief of lost loved ones and he said she couldn’t lecture him cuz she didn’t get over hers for years. Yeah, dude, but she eventually did. You haven’t and you’re insensitive to the fact she can’t bring hers back.

Once Superman is back in the mix, not as much screen time but maybe that’s why I thought he was good. Although it is kinda pitiful that the justice league can’t do this without him. The avengers have a demi God in Thor but he doesn’t contribute nearly as much as Captain America does and he isn’t as strong as him or Superman (although he is pretty strong- since he goes through punching bags pretty quickly).

But yeah all the action in the finale is great and it’s really cool how something the villain says throughout the movie winds up being his undoing.

It’s only a 2 hour movie but it felt like it took SO long to get there.

And as interesting as some of these character arcs are, I really don’t care enough about any of them to feel invested. That’s kinda what summed this all up for me.

Grade: B

# 73. Batman Forever (1995)

Code-name: Riddler

Director: Joel Schumacher
Type: Superhero, Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama

Notable Nominations:
OSCAR- Best Sound Editing
OSCAR- Best Sound
OSCAR- Best Cinematography
Golden Globe- Best Original Song- "Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me" by U2
Grammy- Best Instrumental Composition written for Movie/TV- Elliot Goldenthal

Cast:
Bruce Wayne/Batman- Val Kilmer
Dick Grayson/Robin- Chris O'Donnell
Alfred Pennyworth- Michael Gough
Dr. Chase Meridian- Nicole Kidman
Harvey Dent/Two-Face- Tommy Lee Jones
Edward Nigma/The Riddler- Jim Carrey
Sugar- Drew Barrymore
Spice- Debi Mazar
Commissioner Gordon- Pat Hingle

Write-up: 

Once upon a time, in the mid-90's, Jim Carrey was my favorite actor. Probably the first I singled out by name as a person whose films I gravitated towards. 
Apparently WB had the same idea because after the success of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," they tapped him to play the part of The Riddler.
Seriously, Jim Carrey was never funnier than he was in this point in time, between Ace Ventura and "The Mask." And since then, he hadn't captured that essence. Whenever he went into dramatic territory, I haven't been quite as impressed (with the exception of "The Truman Show," which we saw in 10th grade in reference to Plato's "The Cave"... interesting movie).

And it was for this reason I didn't warm up to the original Batman (ala Tim Burton) right away. I enjoyed this movie because it was insanely funny with a lot of great quotes (Jim Carrey won that department hands down).

I also liked it because how they portrayed Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer). He was seeing a therapist (Nicole Kidman), with whom he delved into his past in an attempt to accept the tragedy of it. At the tender age of 10-11-12, I don't know why this intrigued me so much, but I ate it up.

A red rose served as a "trigger," a reminder of that event, ultimately leading to his decision to become Batman. It also resulted in the theme "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal, which plays in the ending credits.
Why that wasn't the song nominated for those awards, I have no idea. I don't remember the one by U2 at all. It resonates with me for the same reasons the psychological aspect of Bruce Wayne did... what reason is, I'm not quite sure. It just does.

Supposing you were to analyze the movie from a psychological standpoint, it's rather interesting when you think about the comparisons that could be drawn between Bruce Wayne and Edward Nigma. One is tortured by his past, but because of it, made a decision to raise above and serve mankind to prevent the repetition. The other eventually dissolves in the face of psychosis.

Aside from that, my favorite part of the movie were the riddles and how they were eventually solved... almost like my daily word puzzle where you unscramble words and using circled letters from those words, you answer the main question- often times a REALLY bad pun, but it's fun...

if u look at the numbers on my face, u won't find 13 any place
rip 1 off and scratch my head, what once was red is black instead
[had to look up the rest I don't remember as well]
we're 5 little items of an everyday sort, you'll find us all at a tennis court

...and the other one is something to effect of...
8 go forward, never back, to defend the king from foe's attack

even more interesting is that the solution is about what the answers to the riddles are, it's about the numbers in each riddle...
eventually they figure out to the identity of The Riddler...

His backstory was that he worked for Wayne Industries, came up with the idea for "The Box," and was told that it "raised too many questions"... and a result, he wants revenge on Bruce Wayne for denying his invention.
After seeing Two-Face make quick work of the Flying Graysons at the circus, he offers his services to become his partner as well as his ingenius idea. 

To my recollection, "The Box" is an hourglass-shaped device that goes on all the TV's, projects 3D images, but also ensnares the brainwaves of the people watching... oh, the evils of television, lol
The grand scheme of it is to find out Batman's secret identity, which they eventually do. 

Meanwhile, we have Robin's storyline. Dick Grayson wants nothing more than to get revenge on Two-Face. Bruce Wayne tries to talk him out of it, but to no avail. His childhood continues to haunt him, but in the process, he gets close with Dr. Meridian.
In essence, all the actors give great performances- the first time I saw all of them and every now and then, I catch some of their other work. If there are any shortcomings, it's that Dick Grayson is very two-dimensional and gets a little repetitive in his desire for revenge (although nowhere near as bad as he is in the sequel).

Let's Talk: The Batman Franchise

This also happens to be my first ever superhero film.
It would be ages before I went from fan to fangirl, but I always look at this film beaming with nostalgia because it sticks with me, no matter how much time elapses between viewing. 
Such is my age of innocence.

As for the rest of the movies and the brand itself:

• When it comes to the way I perceive Batman and the adjoining cast, I go to the little I'd seen of the animated series. Bruce Wayne isn't explained quite as much as in the films, but primarily, my impression of the character of The Joker draws from there.

• Batman (1989) is the best conceived version of the brand in live-action form. In recent years, I've come to revel in Tim Burton's imagining of it... and the fact Prince wrote the soundtrack helped immensely in convincing me to give it another chance- leading me to feel as I do about the film.

• I really did not like "Batman Returns"... I only saw it once and it was before I had that change of heart about the original... just didn't do it for me.

• You'd think George Clooney would be a great Bruce Wayne, but "Batman & Robin" suffered for more than simply that. At first glance, I thought it was so-so.  Bane's origin sequence kinda freaked me out, something I never looked forward to rewatching. But after seeing Nostalgia Critic rip it apart, I kinda came to realize just what a collosal disaster it was.

• I had not seen "Batman Begins" since seeing "The Dark Knight"... it's been years, so I don't remember much about it. At the time, I think I accepted it better as a reimagining of a franchise

• just as often as I have movies I applaud that others hate, there are universally-loved movies I believe to be SEVERELY overrated... that describes my opinon of "The Dark Knight" in a nutshell. 
• The short version: I found it LONG and drawn out; I hate Christian Bale's phony Batman voice; Katie Holmes> Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel; Two-Face was introduced in the last 20 minutes, only to get killed off; The Joker (Heath Ledger), while not my personal view of the character, was the only thing I found good about the movie...
• ...don't get me started on the Oscars cuz that's an entry onto itself...

• saw "The Dark Knight Rises" a week ago... while it was LONG (Christopher Nolan, would editing it down by 10-20 minutes kill you? seriously?), I liked it more than "The Dark Knight" by quite a bit. The story was well-done, it felt like it had nice resonance, given the state the world is in right now... but it would probably could have been done as a movie without the Batman franchise attached... 
• considering my previous discussion, I think I pinpointed what I liked about it... it explored the character of Bruce Wayne without the suit for a good part of the movie... and it's a nice bonus that it eliminates screentime with the phony Batman voice... I gotta ask: what is the point of keeping the phony pretense when you're talking to people who KNOW who you are? :-P