Movie Review - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot, Callan Mulvey, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Michael Shannon, and more.

Directed by: Zack Snyder Written by: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer Based on characters created by: Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and William Moulton Marston Cinematography by: Larry Fong Music by: Junkie XL and Hans Zummer

Premise: A year and a half after the events revealing Superman to the world, there are those still trying to decide what threat this all powerful alien is to Earth. As an incident in the Arab nations suddenly brings a dark cloud over Superman's reputation, Bruce Wayne starts to believe it might be time to do something about him sooner rather than later. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Ben Affleck does a great job as an older, less trusting Batman. Henry Cavill reprises his role as the man of steel, making it look easy. Jeremy Irons brought some lovely acerbic spice to the role of Alfred. Gal Gadot was fun as Diana Prince, letting out a little of her inner Selina Kyle (Catwoman). :P Jesse Eisenberg was interesting as Lex, though the character was written a little bit too manic and psycho, giving him shades of the Joker.  Amy Adams did more lovely work as Lois Lane - showing what makes her such a great reporter and friend. Holly Hunter was a hoot as Senator Finch. And though uncredited, it was lovely to see Papa Winchester (Jeffrey Dean morgan) as Thomas Wayne.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Tons of special effects fill the film. (I know - DUH!) :P  We get cool lab tech, new Batman toys, and destruction galore.

The recreation of Superman's battle with Zod but done from the perspective of a frantic Bruce Wayne on the ground was some lovely work. 

The battle clash between Batman and Supes was very well done and gratifying. (Even though I did want to smack them both in the back of the head.) :P

The short video clip files for the origin of Cyborg (as they move the movie franchise towards the Justice League) are totally awesome!

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: Before the film started, they showed a short video where the filmmakers ask the audience to please not spoil it for anyone else by revealing secrets, plot twists, etc. Not sure what they were thinking would be all that surprising to give away (I had a good idea where all this was going and why just from the previews!), but I will attempt to not do any spoilers.

Anyone who's ever read Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns miniseries will know where a lot of the material is coming from or have seen it explored before to some extent elsewhere. (Frank Miller was given credit for contributing in the film's credits - yay!) All people and beings can feel helpless, regardless of how much money or power they hold - something both DC Comic lines have played with for years. Interestingly, they included several offshoots from other miniseries/standalone graphic novels with regards to alternate timelines/realities for Batman and Superman. That was rather fun - but also a little confusing. 

One thing I must point out though - Batman does NOT kill. While they did a decent job working up why he'd change his usual MO to get rid of Superman, they did nothing to show why he's suddenly killing human criminals. Guess you can't have big explosions to light up the screen without killing, so killing happened. Boo!

I found it odd too how they imbued Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor with traits from Catwoman and Joker. These two characters are plenty fascinating on their own without needing to be tweaked. And Lex might be insane, but he's more sociopathic than psycho. And making something without a way to control it? Lex? Doubtful! (We also get a complete Batman origin replay, but nothing for Supes, which seemed odd?)

The only true flaw I found, however, was in one of the most important driving pieces of the plot itself - the altercation in the desert! People there died from bullets, so how the heck does that translate into Superman killing people? If the mercenaries had come back later and altered the scene, it would have been nice for the congressional hearings to have mentioned what was found to make it look like Superman committed unnecessary slaughter - otherwise, it makes no sense at all! 

But, if you ignore that, the rest works for the most part. Those who know the comics and characters well, I doubt will be that surprised by the progression of events.  

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: A ton of stunts fill the film from one end to the other. CGI was thrown into the mix as well but is very well integrated with the real sets and fights. You'll grunt and hurt for them. :P

The hand-to-hand fight in the warehouse was awesome! (Even though Bats does not do guns, ya'll! (Still looked awesome though.))

5) Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Lovely cinematography work by Larry Fong. Seeing Wayne manor in ruins was creepy. Tons of overhead shots or panned back shots to really bring home the scope of the battles. And nice closeups in the middle of the chaos too.

Conclusion: Batman v Superman (Shouldn't that be vs. ? Guy in the pre-film thing said 'v' instead of 'versus' too - what was up with that?) is a fun ride full of things to think about as well as tons of action. Pay close attention to the closing scene! No extra bits during or after the credits.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again)

Movie Review - Argo

Argo

Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé, Kyle Chandler, Chris Messina, Zeljiko Ivanek, and more.

Directed by: Ben Affleck Screenplay by: Chris Terrio Based on the Book by: Tony Mendez Also Based on an Article by: Joshuah Bearman Cinematography by: Rodrigo Pietro Original Music by: Alexandre Desplat

Premise: Six members of the American Embassy in Iran escaped the embassy when it was overrun in 1979. Given shelter at the home of the Canadian Ambassador, it's only a matter of time before someone figures out they're not supposed to be there. As the hostage situation in the American Embassy escalates, the US calls in Tony Mendez of the CIA to help the State Department come up with a way to get the six out of the country without getting caught or be used to aggravate an already volatile situation. (Rated R)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: On this type of film the whole cast has to be good to weave a tale which will mesmerize the audience, and the cast was good. Alan Arkan and John Goodman tried very hard to steal the show as the two Hollywood types Ben Affleck goes to for help after getting the idea on how to get the six stranded embassy members out. Once they truly get going to set up what they need, the three of them will come up with a phrase you won't soon forget. When it comes up at the end and you feel the tug on your heart, you'll know for sure they have you.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The following may not seem like special effects, but since I think they served the same purpose, I placed them here. The film used two things to instantly transport the viewers to the 70's. First, they used the Warner Brothers logo being used in 1979 rather than the latest modern version. Second, they used the same kind of film lenses as were the 'norm' in 1979, giving the entire movie a visual feel of that period. Combine both of these with the historical film clips, recreated scenes from photographs, as well as the clothing, and the hairstyles of the period, and you'll truly feel like you're back in 1979.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: I was a teenager when the events depicted in "Argo" occurred, so there was an odd sense of deja vu as I watched different parts of the film. Clips from different news stories at the time of the events helped solidify the concept that all this actually happened.

The story gets a quick introduction to set the historical context for the audience, but is told in a series of drawings as you'd see on a film studio's story board, connecting it from the very beginning to the idea of film and telling tales. The story then broadens and relates events from different viewpoints rather than just a one sided view of what happened.

Moments of tension were well developed, even when you expect them. It was a nice surprise when one of the people who proved most difficult during the ordeal, in the end was actually responsible for the end success of their escape.

4) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The film had many excellent shots of locations in Istanbul as well as recreated buildings and facades of what places looked like at the time of the incident. The first panned shot of the American Embassy truly drove home the difficult situation we'd stumbled upon as you're shown the crowded street at the embassy gates as well as up and down the street in both directions. The gorgeous window spanning shots of the mountains and the city proved an amazing contrast as the agent sits in his Sheraton hotel room battling internally as he gambles with the lives of the six people in his care.

One sequence, which was fabulous as well as poignant, was the crisscrossing of visual and audio between the party in Hollywood to try to legitimize the "Argo" project and escalating events in Iran. Another was the first view of Hollywood, showing the sad state at the time of the iconic letters in the hills before they were saved by donations and restored back to life.

5) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: With the old logo and old lenses lending to the creation of a 70's feel for the film, as well as the stock footage of the news of the day, the final touches to take the audience back to the past came from the costuming and the makeup departments. The clothing, the hairstyles, the huge eyeglasses, literally 'screamed' it was the 70's. Add in the vintage vehicles and the recreated locations, and we were easily transplanted back in time. A great job all around.

Conclusion: "Argo" is an entertaining and fascinating look at what went on behind the scenes at the time of the American Embassy crisis. If your friends or significant others are into history or politics, it can make for some entertaining discussion afterwards as well. Make sure to sit through the credits! They show pictures from the real fake passports side by side to the actors playing the parts and even compare side by side pictures of the original scenes in 1979 beside their recreations. Fascinating! SF fans will find all sorts of little things to giggle about as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)