 A surprise to no one, this title captivated me when I first saw a trailer, and I could tell it would be one of my favourites of 2025. This came from the combination of 1: someone taking another stab at the original source material for 'The Running Man' and having it make a little more sense than the Schwarzenegger film as far as an adaptation goes; 2: Glen Powell, who makes for a more unassuming action hero, and 3: my personal hero, Edgar Wright was behind the wheel on this project, and he's never made anything I haven't liked.
Now, before you go thinking that I'm casting shade at the 1987 Arnold classic action thriller that is 'The Running Man,' know that I love that movie just as much, but in its own way. Historically, it's one of the epitomized titles of Schwarzenegger's filmography, complete with high-octane action, a retro-futuristic style that gives off a lot of 80s charm, and a slew of one-liners from Arnold, like "I hope you leave enough room for my fist, because I'm going to ram it into your stomach and break your goddamn spine!" It's an undeniable classic in its own right, to be sure. Unfortunately, however, the '87 film lands in that Stephen King category of film that a few other classics (like 'The Shining') do, where King looks at it and asks, "What the hell did you do to my story?" Although films like these go down in cinematic history as classics, it doesn't change the fact that they mess with the original source material. In many ways, I tend to be in King's corner on this. For as much as I love 'The Shining,' after I finally read the book, which ends far, far differently, I got where he was really coming from. It's a love of other people's work combined with an understanding of how King might feel about excessive tampering. In the '25 version here, a futuristic United States has been taken over by The Network, a tyrannic television network that specializes in "get-rich-quick" reality TV and game shows, in which poverty-stricken citizens often volunteer themselves to star on in order to make ends meet, get their hands on some medicine, or whatever personal problem is plaguing them. This story focuses on a tough, "sick-of-it-all" man named Ben Richards (Powell) who needs money to help his loving wife, Sheila (Jayme Lawson), and his ill-stricken baby girl, Cathy (Alyssa/Sienna Benn). Like many others, Richards decides to try out for these shows. When trying out for these shows, one must run a gauntlet that tests both physical and mental prowess, and if one survives, they are selected for the show that best suits them. Richards does his best, but ends up on 'The Running Man,' which is hands-down the most dreaded show to end up on, as you're essentially doomed to death from the beginning. It involves survival from not only soldiers that the network deploys to hunt you down, but society itself, which can turn you in dead or alive for prizes, be it money or a lifetime supply of something. In a society where everyone is desperate to survive, people are bound to be a little more rabid. The nice thing about 'The Running Man' show, however, is that the longer you survive, the richer you get, and with his wife and sick daughter back home, Richards is determined to do what it takes to survive as long as he can, and hopefully make it through. While the plot is very similar to the '87 version, I can say with all honesty that this is by far the better adaptation, if you're looking for something that leans towards the book a little more. It's still not spot on, but that's also part of its beauty - Wright provides us with the necessary action fans of the '87 film will want in Schwarzenegger's wake. Again, I am essentially biased when it comes to my opinion on just about anything Edgar Wright has his name on, but speaking for myself, this is easily one of the most fun times I've had at the theatre this year. If it's not showing us some action, it's showing us some fun or humour, and the fast pace and slick editing make for a great roller-coaster ride. Some will no doubt stick to the '87 classic, and that's fine, but I still highly recommend giving this version a shot, if only because it's much, much closer to the story Stephen King originally intended. 5/5  While the 'Predator' movies have existed for quite some time now, it wasn't until I checked out 'Badlands' that I gave any real thought to any sort of background to the Predator species. I just lumped them in with the Xenomorphs of the 'Alien' series as another alien species without questions like "where do they come from?," "what makes a Predator a Predator?" or "what is the Predator species called?" Bearing in mind that this is the first of three Dan Trachtenberg 'Predator' titles I saw, it was all new to me with 'Badlands'.
Truth be told, I wasn't sure what to expect with this, considering its Canadian PG rating. To me, this was kind of like what it would have meant for 'Deadpool' if it ended up being rated PG, considering the Predator I'm used to is a horrific icon who skins his victims and hangs them from trees. Luckily, however, that baddassery of the Predator is surprisingly still alive and well here, and its lore is expanded upon, complete with the Predator's species name: the Yautja, which writers Patrick Aison and the aforementioned Trachtenberg clearly did some homework on, considering the term comes from 1994 expanded universe lore. This particular story focuses on a Yautja named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), who is considered weak and seemingly unworthy to take his place among his clan. In order for a Yautja to prove their worth, they must go on a hunt, claim a trophy, and bring it back. Dek, knowing how he's seen by others, decides to go after an apex predator located on planet Genna (known as the "death planet") called the Kalisk, which is a creature feared even by Dek's father, Njohrr (Reuben de Jong, but voiced by Schuster-Koloamatangi), guaranteeing him a high rank among his clan. When Dek arrives on Genna, he finds himself faced with a living planet where everything is out to kill him, from creeping vines to razor grass to giant creatures, but he remains determined to find his trophy. Although the Yautja are meant to hunt alone, he stumbles upon a Weyland-Yutani android (hello 'Alien' tie-in) whom he reluctantly teams up with, named Thia (Elle Fanning), whose entire crew was wiped out by the Kalisk while on a mission to study the flora and fauna of the planet; androids being necessary to face the dangers of the planet. As the film unfolds, Dek and Thia teach each other about deeper aspects of their lives, and it often results in some pretty humorous material, with Dek being the stubborn, blood-lusting Yautja he is. Still, in a bit where Thia teaches Dek about the nature of wolves, I have to say, it felt pretty fitting. Meanwhile, a real threat looms over them in the form of Weyland-Yutani, which recovers and repairs another android named Tessa (also Fanning), who will stop at nothing to retrieve her sister and complete the unfinished mission, ultimately seeing Dek as a threat and something new for them to study. Although I feel like some of the more old-school 'Predator' fans, such as myself, might find this a little jarring compared to what they're used to, I still saw a lot of quality in this movie. I enjoyed seeing the Yautja develop here, as the film provides a bit of background without being the whole movie. At its core, it is still a 'Predator' movie set on another planet, involving a great hunt. To those wondering about that PG rating, it still has its fair share of blood and gore, but when the violence doesn't spill red, human blood, one can get away with a lighter rating. Everything that gets wounded here is either an android or some sort of creature. What makes me appreciate the film even further is the complete lack of the human element. Although the androids still convey human emotion, the fact that this takes place in a world where the Predator we all know and love can take on bigger, badder things than human beings is a sigh of relief, considering they're supposed to represent the ultimate hunters. With a strong imagination behind much of the flora and fauna of planet Genna, I really have to credit this for much of its creativity. I wasn't sure how I felt at first, but the more I think about it, the more it grows on me as I realize the Predator's universe tends to be pretty unexplored. 4/5  Over the years, we have seen Keanu Reeves seemingly become a better and better person while embracing the stiff acting for which he is known. Keanu has a charm about him that can be compared to Nicolas Cage or Christopher Walken, in that we know their acting as a particular stereotype, and the more they lean into it, the more we love their material. Here, in 'Good Fortune', Keanu goes all the way with it, and he alone pretty much makes the movie worth watching. It's a role you know he's having a blast doing.
The film conceptually comes from the mind of Aziz Ansari, who, over the years, has grown on me and strikes me as someone I should pay closer attention to, as everything I've seen him do, be it stand-up, voice acting, or playing a bit part, has a good dose of entertainment value to it, at least from my perspective. After thoroughly enjoying this as not just a solid comedy but also a decent lesson in appreciating the smaller pleasures of life, I look forward to seeing what else Ansari might have under his hat in his creative filmmaking. In this film, Ansari plays Arj, a down-on-his-luck individual who juggles odd jobs while working part-time in a hardware store. He lives in his car, aspires to be a documentarian, and can't seem to catch a break. Eventually, however, he begins dating his coworker, Elena (Keke Palmer), and, while working on a task for a wealthy guy named Jeff (Seth Rogen), gets hired as his assistant. All the while, an angel named Gabriel (Reeves) keeps an eye on him, hoping to find a lost soul to save, which would, in turn, give him a better purpose as a guardian angel than his usual routine of saving texting drivers. When things take a turn for Arj, however, Gabriel intervenes, presuming he has hit rock bottom, in the hopes of proving his worth to the supervising angel, Martha (Sandra Oh). In his attempt, I won't spoil much, but he doesn't exactly manage to steer him in the right direction. In one last desperate attempt, however, Gabriel tries to show him that being wealthy won't solve any of his personal problems, so he swaps Arj's life with Jeff's. While Arj adapts quite comfortably to his swanky new lifestyle, Jeff gets stuck with the life struggles he isn't used to. As the film unfolds and things seem to get better for Arj, they get worse for not just Jeff but also Gabriel. In an almost hilariously obvious take, Arj fully embraces his new rich-man lifestyle and repeatedly shows that the phrase "money can't buy happiness" is a farce. Meanwhile, Jeff and Gabriel are made to endure struggle and frustration; Jeff with actually having to work hard to try to get himself out of his situation; Gabriel with his constant demotions, as Martha keeps catching him making the problem worse, and intercepting the job of a real lost soul saviour, Azrael (Stephen McKinley Henderson). There's a lot I like about this movie, and it's not just about who is in it and their roles. I like how the whole problem becomes threefold, and even affects the angel who wanted nothing more than to help in the first place, to prove his worth. The film also does a good job of showing Jeff the things hes taken for granted in his life, which leans more towards the 'It's a Wonderful Life' lessons, but balances it unfairly with Arj acting like he just hit the lottery, and just showing that yes, of course anyone is gonna be happier with their riches and being able to do anything they want at any time (to a degree) because of it. What really makes the film work, however, is that when it's all said and done, there's still a lot of heart to the story after all the fun. It does end on a positive, respectable note, and could become a new go-to for my more gloomy days, when I need this life to remind me of its little pleasures and not to take them for granted. I recommend this to those of us who are big fans of Keanu Reeves' acting style and to anyone looking for a bit of positivity. It's a solid execution of a relatable comedy that will probably leave you with the "warm & fuzzies." 4/5  This whole 'Tron' franchise is something I find pretty cool conceptually, but, much like I felt with the last film (which was fifteen years ago now), the execution of it all doesn't do a whole hell of a lot to fuel my interest. In that sense, 'Tron' reminds me of 'The Matrix', where, ultimately, the first one was the only one I truly understood and enjoyed; the extension of its universe seems to get jumbled and confusing. Likewise, the series' animated presentations are probably the best the series has done since its original film.
For a slight recap from last time, the original 'Tron' film shows arcade owner Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) get digitized into a computer, discovering a digital world run by the Master Control Program (whom 'South Park' fans will most assuredly recognize as Moses), which itself is run by Flynn's nemesis, Ed Dillinger (David Warner). The film is a good-versus-evil fight from within the system, as Flynn becomes a freedom fighter for other programs, all of which boil down to the symbolism of the dangers posed by future technology. Things expand in 'Legacy,' however, with the help of his own creations, "Tron" (Bruce Boxleitner) of the first film and Clu (also Bridges), Flynn creates his own "Grid." However, through, let's say, a "glitch" in Clu's programming, Clu aims to make the "Perfect System," and, as with so much artificial intelligence in films, this turns into the "need" to eliminate humankind with our "imperfections." Spoiler alert, Clu's bested by a trio that includes Flynn, his son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) and a program named Quorra (Olivia Wilde), whom Sam escapes the Grid with, which is what gives 'Ares' here its fuel to become a thing. Set in real time, this takes place a full fifteen years after its predecessor, and in cse you're wondering, we really don't find out what ever happens to Sam and Quorra, save for Sam taking over his father's company, but the technology is more of what the primary focus is here as opposed to what could be considered a heartfelt sci-fi/fantasy story. This story involves a race between rival companies, ENCOM, led by Eve Kim (Greta Lee), and Dillinger Systems, led by Ed Dillinger's grandson, Julian (Evan Peters) helped by his Mom, Elisabeth (Gillian Anderson), as they try to figure out the technology to bring digital constructs into the real world. Dillinger seems to be ahead of the game, as he creates Ares (Jared Leto), whom he brings out to the real world, introducing him to shareholders as the perfect soldier (once again bringing the age old weapons scheme into play), but there's a problem; after just 29 minutes of life on Earth, he falls to pieces in the literal sense, and Dillinger has to try again. The Holy Grail between each company is what's referred to as the "Permanence Code." Long story short, ENCOM finds it first, Dillinger finds out, and sends Ares to infiltrate ENCOM's grid to retrieve it. With Ares' advanced features, however, he becomes self-aware. He can analyze things like empathy, reasoning, and again, as so many of these stories tend to go, what it means to be "human," and before he knows it, he's wondering if he's on the right side of things. Making things more complicated is the loyal-to-Dillinger Athena (Jodie Turner-Smith), who proves to be just about as skilled as Ares and, like Clu, takes her commands perhaps a little too seriously. Once again, much like 'Legacy,' it's a wild ride of visual candy, but one isn't hit with the substance so much as the style. It's my humble opinion, but this isn't unlike the previous 'Tron' films. Aside from being stylistic in a massive way between their visuals and dedicated musicians for their soundtracks ('Legacy' featuring Daft Punk and 'Ares' featuring Nine Inch Nails), there's not a whole lot about any of them that suck me in enough to need to see the film time and time again, truly. I think the best way to describe these is that they fall into that "carnival ride" category, where they can be a fun time, but when it's all said and done, you're ready to go on a different ride. 3/5  There tends to be a fair share of names that are attached to movies that are bound to get my attention enough to be a sort of "Golden Ticket" to something that's, at the very least, objectively "good." One of those names is Leonardo DiCaprio, who, while perhaps seen as more of a teenage heartthrob back in the day, has since grown into a chameleon of an actor and can play anything from suave and intelligent to what he delivers here, as he portrays a far-left extremist who also happens to be a reclusive paranoid stoner.
Adding a little more draw to the film is director Paul Thomas Anderson, who has his own slightly more realistic, if a bit wacky, storytelling style, conjuring up some real classics like 'Boogie Nights,' 'Inherent Vice' and 'There Will Be Blood' to name a few. Here, he gives us a few more of his famously complex characters and gives the otherwise rather serious story a dark, comedic spin. The viewer isn't gonna be slapping their knees or anything. Still, the film isn't without a few much-needed moments to lighten things up, generally revolving around DiCaprio's performance. In this film, we hit the ground running as "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun (DiCaprio) meets up with the French 75, a far-left revolutionary group which includes Pat's lover, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). I'm still trying to work out how much of that is her real name, and how much is a nickname. Regardless, the group embarks on a mission to rescue immigrants from the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, CA. During the mission, Perfidia finds commanding officer Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) and, noticing how creepily he looks at her, sexually humiliates him, which he seems to have a bit of a fetish for. Once Perfidia detains Lockjaw, she and Pat escape after a job well done, and continue their acts of revolutionary terrorism, all while keeping an amorous sex life. On one such mission, Lockjaw catches Perfidia planting a bomb, agreeing only to release her for sexual favours. Perfidia soon ends up with a baby that Pat takes on as their daughter. Still, Perfidia's not finished fighting her war, and abandons them both, only to end up in witness protection while Pat and the baby, Charlene, take on aliases Bob and Willa Ferguson as they go off the grid to hide from authorities. Sixteen years pass, Lockjaw manages to move up the rankings to Colonel, and he gets invited to join the extreme far right secret society, The Christmas Adventurers Club, which is full of white supremicists who insist that their members steer clear of interracial relationships, which prompts Lockjaw to seek out Willa, who could be his daughter, in an effort to cover up his past. A distress signal is soon sent out to other members of the French 75, including Bob, who quickly realizes that authorities are after his daughter, whom he means to intercept with the help of his "Sensei" (Benicio Del Toro) before something extreme occurs. Everyone is good in this; it's a testament to Anderson's directorial skills. For as much as DiCaprio carries the film, though, I'd be hard-pressed not to point out Penn's performance as the villain here just the same. Penn plays a pathetic, sleazy creep so incredibly well that I'd say he makes my list of most memorable movie villains for the year. I must also mention the surprise performance of Regina Hall, who plays Deandra, there to help Willa hide from those after her. I know her best as the over-the-top Brenda in the 'Scary Movie' series, and here, she really manages to show her acting chops. At the end of the day, this is a political thriller with doses of comedy that tackles real-world issues, and it has been seen as "bold" for addressing some of the subject matter. I can basically agree with everything positive that the film has going for it, and on top of that, I tend not to enjoy political thrillers. This movie did things in a way that made it easier for me to empathize with the characters than I usually do, and it helps that the film goes to certain extremes to keep my attention. Speaking as a fan, I wouldn't say it's a favourite DiCaprio title, but it's certainly worth a sit-through if you have nearly 3 hours to kill. 4/5  Let's kick this review off with a quick recap of the first film, which will probably involve some spoilers, so if you haven't watched it yet, get on that. It comes as the highest of recommendations from yours truly, featuring good old Saul Goodman as a John Wick-type, complete with pulse-pounding action, incredible fight scenes, and that touch of humour that only Bob Odenkirk can provide. When all was said and done, it gave me the solid 5/5 rating I needed while we were all hiding from Covid (March 2021).
'Nobody' featured a frustrated workaday family man named Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) whose home is invaded one day. As he tries to keep calm after the break-in, he reaches his boiling point, which exposes his past as a skilled assassin, and inadvertently triggers a war with the Russian mob. As he works his way up the mob ladder, kicking ass and taking names, he eventually finds himself indebted to a man who calls himself "The Barber" (Colin Salmon) and gets forced to do odd, dangerous jobs for him, utilizing his skills, to pay off his debt. That's where this chapter picks up. After everything that has happened and the trouble Hutch has caused, his family have grown distant. Things open up almost the same way as in the first film, showing his day-to-day life, padded with assignments from The Barber. One day, as his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen) is leaving the house, Hutch promises to take the family, which also includes his feisty son, Brady (Gage Munroe), who's like his Dad in many ways; his daughter, Sammy (Paisley Cadorath), who's pretty straight-laced; and his Dad, David (Christopher Lloyd) who was probably the best side character in the first film, on a vacation to his favourite childhood spot, Plummerville. When Hutch tells the Barber that he's taking a break from his assignments in an effort to regain some ground with his family, the Barber reluctantly agrees to it, but makes sure to remind him that trouble tends to follow him wherever he goes, family or not. Just as the family vacation is starting to work out, Brady has a confrontation with a kid named Max (Lucius Hoyos), which ultimately triggers the ire of both Max's Dad, Wyatt (John Ortiz), who asks for the family to leave, and the town's crooked sheriff, Abel (Colin Hanks), who represents the trouble that the Barber forewarned Hutch about. As things escalate with Hutch's refusal to cooperate, it's not long until he finds himself having to find some help against a sadistic crime kingpin named Lendina (Sharon Stone), who tends to take joy in her handywork, runs the town of Plummerville, and is aiming to be Hutch's ultimate downfall. So this one, much as it follows a 'John Wick' type of formula, acts as a bit more of a survival movie than a revenge movie. It is almost as good as its predecessor, with my criticisms being very few and far between. I also have a bias towards this type of high-octane action that dabbles in comedy, so one may take my praise with a grain of salt. The only honest criticisms I have about the movie—and again, take these extremely lightly—some may find it repetitive, especially given how the film opens and ends. On top of that, the family involvement may be a bit much for people, especially when Sammy gets pushed way into the background as someone helpless when she ought to be just as badass as the rest of the household. I also think that for some, Lendina is going to be pretty over-the-top, but I do enjoy how much fun Stone had with her villainous role. I find 'Nobody 2' almost parallel to the original film. I had as much fun here as I did with the first film, and if you're anything like me and just like these kinds of movies by default, you'll enjoy it as much as I did. However, some are bound to see it as "more of the same," and not quite up to snuff with the original. I also feel fatigue with similar films, or even with whatever they may have in common with superhero films (at least as far as the fighting and action go). I recommend watching anything like this when you need to relax after a terrible day, and you'll get more out of it. 4/5  For quite some time now, it seems there hasn't been a whole lot of reflection on those original three 'Naked Gun' movies. They have since aged for various reasons I've already mentioned ad nauseam in my respective reviews for the original trilogy; therefore, we won't go into it here. But it feels safe to say that the spoofy satire that movies like the 'Naked Gun' series officially got worn out by people like Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, whose filmographies frankly speak for themselves.
Suddenly, the random casting idea for Liam Neeson to play some version of Frank Drebin of Police Squad (in this case, Frank's son, continuing the story and providing a soft reboot of the series). Speaking for myself, I was thrilled by the idea, primarily based on his cameo appearance in 'Ted 2,' which showed that he's far more than just an awesome gun-toting action hero. The other side of it is that people forget Leslie Nielsen was also a serious dramatic actor before his spoof days, so there was something very fitting about the whole situation. The film opens with the scene we've all seen from the trailer by now, featuring Frank Drebin Jr. disguised as a little girl, who puts a stop to a bank robbery. He single-handedly takes them down, but his renegade ways get him reassigned by his Chief, Davis (CCH Pounder), as he's become a legal liability. Here, we see that we're dealing with the next generation of Police Squad when Drebin Jr. and others pay homage to their fathers' plaques on the wall in another one of the trailers' great gags when it gets to, as he's actually credited, "Not Nordberg Jr." (Moses Jones). In the meantime, as it turns out, the whole bank robbery was a distraction for the real criminals to break into a safe deposit box and steal the P.L.O.T. ("Primordial Law of Toughness") Device, which the wealthy Richard Cane (Danny Huston) plans to use to reduce the general population to barbaric creatures. At the same time, he and his fellow billionaires remain safe in a prepared bunker. Without getting into it too much, it's the typical "solve the case, stop the criminal" deal that these tend to be, complete with a mysterious love interest in Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson). Pamela Anderson is known chiefly within my generation as a sort of primary sex symbol, who tended to be all looks, little substance, mainly due to her often being directed to be a bimbo of some kind. Recently, she has really been coming into her own, and her hilarious performance here is more proof of it. Her chemistry with Neeson is just as strong, if not stronger, than Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley in the originals. It's great to see Pam finally move beyond the ditzy blonde trend and flex those acting muscles. She'll give you some solid laughs here. My only slight criticism is that I wish some of the side characters played a bit more of a role, like "Not Nordberg." Having said that, however, it's hard to criticize something I came to expecting to be pleasantly stupid. I got what I came for and then some. Akiva Schaffer and his team behind this really dug in. They did their homework, bringing back some of the better gags we remember so fondly, and even going so far as to bring elements in from the original 'Police Squad' TV series. It's remarkable to say this about something recent that delves into our nostalgia, but everything about this feels right for what it's supposed to be. While it pays homage to the original material, it remains its own entity. The dad jokes and silly gags are abundant, some new, some old, but good. My favourite bit is the running gag about being constantly handed a cup of coffee. Hell, it doesn't even delve into raunchy or violent repetition humour, which seems to be what drives these types of movies these days. It's very clear to anyone who watches this that the filmmakers were fans of all of the original material. 4/5  While I'd probably never claim Superman to be among my all-time favourite superheroes, he does still tend to be a character for whom I have the ideal version in my head. Superman should be a full-on hero, going out of his way to rescue creatures great and small, protect Metropolis and the rest of the world, and not become a dark, brooding DC character, as Batman has already perfected it, and we don't need another. With that said, however, don't worry; I get it. The DCEU has its fan base, but it's not altogether for me.
The best 'Superman' movies to date, in my opinion, are the 1978 original and its 1980 follow-up. But for my particular tastes, and this is a bold statement, but this reboot has swiftly become my favourite of the bunch. Still, not everyone is gonna come out of this loving it. It must be noted that this is very much a product of James Gunn, so you will get the same vibes you got with the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' movies, or 'The Suicide Squad' if you're more of a DC person, and there is no "Smallville" feeling to it. This is a fresh take on the character, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing it's not another origin story. We are introduced to a world where Metahumans are a known entity, and Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) is already an established superhero. His latest feat was to face off against the nation of Boravia, which attempted to invade Jarhanpur, a neighbouring country. Superman threatens the Boravian president, Vasil Ghurkos (Zlatko Buric), that if he doesn't back off, Superman will return. This sets up a solid split for the audience, as while we love to see Superman take on a political bully, things just aren't that cut and dry, as wonderfully illustrated by the Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) interview scene, as seen in this trailer. The film opens with a brief recap of Superman's origin story, presented subtly without resorting to a flashback or similar device. But altogether, we get the Fortress of Solitude, how Superman heals using the power of the sun, we're introduced to his awesome dog, Krypto, and it's even established that this is a very sci-fi setting, as it's shown Superman has some robot helpers, who include the voice talents of Alan Tudyk, Michael Rooker, and Pom Klementieff among others. I must give credit to the opening for providing us with so much without simply repeating what we already know. Before we know it, Superman heads back to a fight he was just bested at for the first time against the "Hammer of Boravia," a metahuman controlled by the genius Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who aims to take Superman out of the picture, allowing Boravia to invade, which Luthor has his reasons for wanting. However, Luthor's real motivations for stopping Superman are based on hatred and resentment for Superman's stardom. But it's not all so black and white. There are more profound questions that come into play, part of which includes Superman's apparent true purpose here on Earth—the hero questioning just who he is. The film even manages to bring in other heroes, including Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), all of whom are well-utilized and do not detract from the movie being a 'Superman' film. I also feel that I should bring John and Martha Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell, respectively) into this - John is still alive in this, which immediately tells us that it's still very early in Superman's career. Both are pretty great, often coming off as stereotypical "old folks," but the film still allows for a very heartfelt scene between John and Clark. There's so much more I could write about, like a great use of special effects, doing subtle things never thought of before (like seeing Superman fly through varying weather), the fact that Hoult completely steals the show with his villainous performance, that feeling of a comic book come to life rather than some unnecessary dark take on things, and so much more. There were moments when I was watching it with a huge smile on my face, as I was finally getting a version of Superman I wanted to see. I cannot wait to see what Gunn does with the rest of this universe. 5/5 |
RSS Feed