Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Movie Review

Rian Johnson has accomplished in making one of the most interesting and unexpected Star Wars film to date - one I haven't seen ever since The Empire Strikes Back. I am certainly ready for more. 

(Spoiler-free review - you are in safe hands!)

This is a beautifully written film, constructed brilliantly by Rian Johnson with his voice that expresses originality. I am happy to say that this is not a repeat of The Empire Strikes Back. What is incredible about The Last Jedi is how much Lucasfilm allowed Rian Johnson to question, change, and evolve the Star Wars mythology and lore we saw in the previous films. The universe of Star Wars is getting as expansive as ever, with original ideas that will become a staple of Star Wars. As Luke Skywalker said from the trailer: "This is not going to go the way you think!" It foreshadows the unexpected twists and turns that floored me emotionally, which makes it an incredible merit to the film for taking risks not taken ever since The Empire Strikes Back. It is extraordinary to see this film tread freely in the mythological territories I have never seen before, and go freely into strange directions - I have watched every Star Wars film including the old Expanded Universe. Seeing it's originality makes this film stand on its own, not only as a Star Wars film, but as a film itself. Rian Johnson's voice is felt all across the film, and it will please Star Wars fans and general moviegoers alike.

The performances were golden. It warmed my heart seeing Carrie Fisher onscreen for the last time, and is a highlight of the film. Her performance is extremely satisfying and I love her so, very much. Mark Hamill gave the performance of the lifetime - one I am positive and hoping that it will earn him an Oscar. Rian Johnson has molded Luke Skywalker into a complex character, one so memorable this is the best Luke Skywalker you will see him yet. Rey continues to shine, Kylo Ren is as complex and menacing as ever, and newcomer Rose, played brilliantly by Kelly Marie Tran, works very well with Finn, played by John Boyega.

This is a gorgeously directed film. Some shots are implanted into my mind, action and non-action alike. The action is incredible, some of the best Star Wars material I've seen, in my humble opinion. The stakes are higher than ever during the action sequences - as you care for the characters who are there. The scenery and space battles were surreal, taken straight out of concept arts, with a tinge of brilliant realism driven by Rian Johnson. I cannot think of anyone else who can helm this film, elevated by Rian Johnson's vision. This is bigger, badder, and much better than The Force Awakens, a film I love. 

John Williams returns in full form by producing the best music yet. Rian Johnson's decision of implementing his editing to John William's soundtrack is a major boost that elevated the film. John Williams gave his music character, and has the magical sounds very reminiscent of the original trilogy, while also standing on its own.  

Some of the references of older films were handled beautifully and in a loving way. There are a couple that gave me a reason why I love Star Wars in the first place, and seeing it going back to full circle made me a very happy person. 

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With most Star Wars films, they are not flawless. There are minor flaws:

Some characters were underwhelming, as they are not the focus of the film. Laura Dern, Benicio Del Toro, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis could have been used much more, in my humble opinion. All of them were interesting characters, and I felt that as if the build up to their characters in The Force Awakens did not pay off, Supreme Leader Snoke and Captain Phasma especially. 

A minor sub-plot with Finn and Rose felt unnecessary. This is a film that took risks and I absolutely respect it; however, this is one that did not work for me. Thankfully, it is not overlong, and it is sadly necessary for the film's plot. This is a sequence that cannot be removed, and I slightly lost interest, but if you wait a little longer, the film picks up once more.

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I cannot stress how much I love The Last Jedi. I laughed, I cried, my head spun as I thought about some of the questions Rian Johnson implemented. This is one of the greatest cinematic experiences, a fresh one that will be talked about for a long time. I walked out initially dissatisfied as the film went into unexpected places that did not please me, taken aback by the decisions he made, but it is not meant to; Rian Johnson has made a film of its own, making the Star Wars universe richer rather than going back to the old territories in order to please fans. The more I thought about it, the cinematic brilliance begins to surface. Rian Johnson has delivered, in my opinion, his best film yet. 

Rating - 6/6  

Keep an open-mind as you watch this film; it has changed Star Wars in more ways than you think, making the future of Star Wars bright. 

Spider-Man (2002) Movie Review

I did promise you I’ll be back with more Marvel movies. Here I am :D

I’m back again after reviewing Captain America: Civil War, and I naturally feel like reviewing some of the older Marvel movies I grew up with. In my last review, I stated how much I loved Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, and I feel like going back to a movie series a lot of people grew up with, and for me surprisingly it wasn’t the movie I grew up with, mainly because it was made the year I was born. It was actually Spider-Man 2. However, as I follow films in the correct order, I feel like reviewing this movie first. Spider-Man, here we go!

(The review may contain spoilers. You’ve been warned!)

Synopsis: Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, the film stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, a high school student living in New York, who turns to crime fighting after developing spider-like super powers.

REVIEW

This is, in my opinion, one of the brightest, most colorful superhero films I’ve seen from Marvel. Almost every superhero movie after The Dark Knight has to be dark, gritty, and sad, you name it. The Amazing Spider-Man series did that, so did Fant4stic (I’m still calling it that). I just wanted to tell them that this isn’t the way. Look at Spider-Man, a movie which shines as one example. The atmosphere, the web-slinging fun while also keeping it’s true to the colors of the source material is what made Spider-Man an amazing movie.

 With Sam Raimi’s heartfelt and cheerful direction of this movie, the heroic music composed by Danny Elfman, and the brilliant visual effects created by John Dykstra that still holds up 14 years later (I can calculate because the movie was made the year I was born), this movie has a lot going for. Sam Raimi was famous for being a low budget movie director (with movies like The Evil Dead that uses gruesome practical effects, I think you can see why), this movie shows clear signs of a good combination of CGI and practical action effects.

 

Casting choices were perfect. Not even a single misstep was made towards these actors. Tobey Maguire plays the relatable, nerdy, constantly bullied Peter Parker, and to this day is still better than this overrated representation Andrew Garfield has to give. The scenes where he explored his powers were really cool, and some of the practical effects used (when Peter climbed on the wall up the apartment building) looked incredibly real, because it is, they turned the set 90 degrees, so basically what we’re seeing is Tobey Maguire walking on the floor.

A lot of the supporting cast paid off well. Kirsten Dunst plays Peter’s troubled love interest Mary Jane Watson, desperate to chase her dreams, who was in a relationship with James Franco’s Harry Osborn, who struggles between the relationship of him and his father mainly because his father Norman, played by Willem Dafoe, fancies Peter more than he does with his son.

 

 Rosemary Harris and Cliff Robertson are great additions to this movie as Peter’s foster parents. Cliff Robertson’s performance was short, but very affecting to Spider-Man’s character. “With great power comes great responsibility” is one of the most memorable quote given from a supporting character in a superhero movie. His death was important because that’s what gives Peter Parker his strength, courage and legacy to fight crime and injustice in New York. Martin Sheen in TASM did a good job, but his performance did not even come close to what Cliff Robertson delivered. 

Perhaps the funniest character was J. Jonah Jameson, played by J.K. Simmons. You ever have that thought of: I think he was born to play that character. Yep, that’s the case with J. J. J.! He’s this funny, eccentric, asshole with a good side in him. His vendetta for Spider-Man is equally hilarious. His greedy, bossy and rude attitude towards all his co-workers really gave this movie moments of comedic gold. So many quotable moments, and the best casting in this movie.

Some of the flaws people had with this movie is the fact that Spider-Man isn’t funny enough. Well, for me, I’m fine with him not being that funny, because you saw what happened with Andrew Garfield’s character: makes a lot of rude quips only for one scene, and in TASM2 you see him let Rhino mow all these people down while cracking jokes next to his car window. That’s why I prefer Tobey’s version, mainly because you root for this guy who makes funny and witty remarks instead of rude ones, and he only does that once or twice but not for a scene, the movie spreads the jokes out. You don’t see him as a douchebag. He’s a relatable person all-in-all, and that makes us care for the character of Spider-Man.

My personal flaws with this movie is the villain. Willem Dafoe rocked as the Green Goblin, something I respect from him, because he had that charismatic level of craziness seeping off him, and he is the perfect choice for a villain who has split personality order. He did a majority of stunt work, something I also respect, because people, out of laziness, will simply use CGI.

However, as good as Willem Dafoe actually is, I don’t like the character of Green Goblin. I appreciate and respect villains who have a clear motivation instead of a big movie character that nobody cares about, and that’s what Green Goblin is to me. All he does is to take revenge on Oscorp Board Members, hospitalizing Aunt May and kidnapping Mary Jane Watson and trying to murder a cable car filled with children. With his level of craziness it’s hard to see the clear motivations of that character.

My other flaw with the Green Goblin is his suit. As far as my father is concerned, back when the movie came out (the year I was born), everyone loved the movie. Now, the internet can just bash on minor things, such as Green Goblin’s outfit and suit. And I agree, it does look a bit cheesy and it looks like something out of Power Rangers (a show I never really watch). Yes, we’re watching a movie about a teenager getting bitten by a radioactive spider, but that plot point belongs with this movie. The Power Ranger Green Goblin suit doesn’t really mix in well.

All in all, Spider-Man was a great standalone Marvel movie. Without all that Marvel Cinematic Universe that confuses the audience, Spider-Man stayed away from all that (mainly because they really haven’t thought of making a full-blown universe yet, back in 2002). The movie is bright and colorful, mixing cheesy and funny moments with dark moments (and even dark comedy). Green Goblin is not as compelling as the villain in the next movie I shall be talking about, but he’s still not that great.

Rating: FULL PRICE AWARD (5/6)

I’ll think about bringing a DC Movie Review or a Marvel movie review on my next post. I’m thinking about mixing my Superhero Genre Movies a little bit. Stay tuned.

Captain America: Civil War Movie Review

A Civil War has finally arrived! Bigger than Batman V Superman…. But is it better?

What’s up, so obviously I’m not around for a really long time ever since my last review on Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. I’m sorry because I have a lot of things to do, corresponding to Yanni, and it is also because I went to learn how to make shorter reviews instead of making them too long. Please see for yourself whether this review is more polished than the previous ones I made.

Surprisingly enough, I watched this movie with Yanni this Sunday in a cinema, clearly excited for this movie (in Yanni’s case, not really?) But we walked out loving this movie, because we had a great time with it.

This is the kind of movie where it gives such a breath of fresh air. We’ve seen some of the previous Marvel movies, and they follow the same plot: Bad guy gets something related to the infinity stone, bad guy demonstrates the stone’s power, the good guys must stop him…. In Civil War, the plot is entirely different. Not to say it’s original; we’ve seen that in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, where the government opposes an independent group of people (or in BVS’s case, 1 person. In BVS’s case, we’ve also seen people turn against each other).

I walked into this movie expecting more than I should have, because Batman V Superman was a movie I wanted to like, but had some clear problems that make me disappointed, and now I turned my attention to Civil War, and I’ve got to say: I was absolutely blown away. This is by far one of the best movies I’ve seen in 2016, and a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hear me out.

Synopsis - Political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability when the actions of the Avengers lead to collateral damage. The new status quo deeply divides members of the team. Captain America (Chris Evans) believes superheroes should remain free to defend humanity without government interference. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) sharply disagrees and supports oversight. As the debate escalates into an all-out feud, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) must pick a side.

REVIEW

You are watching a sequel of two Marvel Movies: Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. You managed to see parts of the Avengers Assemble in this movie, while at the same time it focuses on the personal stories of Steve Rogers AKA Captain America, which also makes it a sequel to The Winter Soldier. I am thankful how the movie was marketed correctly, because it is a Captain America movie after all.

I am here to tell you that the movie is building up to Civil War, but at the same time the “Civil War” is just a plot tool to propel the movie along to the final act. However, it doesn’t feel forced,

This movie has great pacing. It is a movie where it never stops moving. Nothing came too abruptly, and its many sub-plots didn’t confuse me or the audience of what is happening. It never once dragged the attention away from the main plot, which is the civil war, and Captain America’s main story. The movie paces and builds up to the main event, nicely taking it’s time to build up each and every character’s motivation. At the same time, it balances two genres of this movie: a political thriller and a superhero extravaganza.

As this movie is called Civil War and you see a large number of superheroes throw down, an overabundance of characters can be a bad thing, as some characters may overshadow some other minor characters that make you think they shouldn’t be in this movie, and that they are shoe-horned for the sake of entertainment. There is one character that does feel a bit forced, but he played a pivotal role in the main event of this movie and it is hard to think what happens if he’s not there. (*Cough cough, Ant-Man.)

 

The characters were explored extremely well. What the Russo Brothers did so well was that they didn’t let some of the characters that took part in the Civil War drag the attention away from Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. They all had a role to play in this movie, and you see their clear motivations (or in some aspects, emotional turmoil), and you feel really bad that they are fighting amongst themselves. In fact, you know they don’t want to fight each other.

Seriously, the best thing about this movie is the fact that we really see both sides in the Civil War: each side has their clear motivations of why the characters are doing what they’re doing. I, myself didn’t completely side with Captain America, I sided with Iron Man on a few occasions because you agree with what he’s doing. It’s a movie that makes the audience feel conflicted amongst themselves as well.

I was extremely impressed by how well it balances everything. The story, the subplots, the climax…. It was some of the best Marvel screenplays I’ve seen. However, my most enjoyable part was how well the directors managed to introduce some of the new characters to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.

Ant-Man was one thing. He was already introduced in Ant-Man, and he wasn’t in this movie for very long, and he was very funny, and a really good fighter among the Avengers. They took more time with characters like Black Panther, a superhero I’ve never seen before, who was also introduced in this movie. I won’t spoil anything about his character, but he showed clear motivations, and was pretty self-explanatory for who he is. However, my attention was steered towards, no doubt, the introduction to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.

He, like Ant-Man, wasn’t in this movie for very long, and like Scott Lang, I wonder what this movie would be like without Peter Parker. Tom Holland killed it, and was the perfect Spider-Man in just the right way. He had that coolness, like Andrew Garfield’s version, but at the same time still feel like someone who is a nerd, just like Tobey Maguire’s version of Spider-Man. The banter between him and Tony Stark, great stuff, and in no time you can feel the chemistry seeping off both of them. Civil War was an amazing way to introduce his character, and I quickly fell in love with Tom Holland. I wonder what he will bring to us in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is confirmed to be coming out on 2017.

And here we are: the Civil War. Something I am most certainly going to talk about. 3 Words: Best. Throwdown. Ever.

This is in no doubt one of the best superhero fight in any superhero movie I’ve seen. It combined almost everything each superhero is famous for, like Ant-Man’s shrinking tech, or Spider-Man’s web shooter, and Scarlet Witch’s psychic abilities. The fight does not feel rushed and overlong, and took it’s time to have the superheroes fight, but it was very clear and not confusing and you can see who’s fighting who. The movie has built to this; the audience watched it build each and every step, and when they reached the highest bar, it was some of the most satisfying sequence you’ll ever see.

The only flaw I’ve had with this movie is the villain.  They’ve done a lot to build him up as this mastermind behind the whole thing, but in the end, he feels forced. He’s not compelling enough, and when they do try to make him one, it ended up being too exposition heavy. You can’t really see the clear motivations of what he’s doing until the very end. He has similar motivations from other people, but people like Iron Man were explored better. Thankfully, he’s not in the movie for very long, and he’s not the main focus of this movie (even though he’s in a lot of scenes), so I’m thankfully not too bothered by him.

Civil War was a great breath of fresh air. It’s one of the best Marvel movies I’ve seen in a really long time. It’s really easy to compare this movie with Batman V Superman, because you can see some obvious similarities (the introduction to Black Panther is just like the introduction to Wonder Woman, some scenes were it involved people dying, and the political thriller genre). However, Civil War was honestly what I wanted BVS to be, but never saw. Civil War shines as one of the best superhero movies ever made. The Captain America Trilogy has built to this final movie, and it’s clear that this is the best out of the previous 2.

Rating: CINEMATASTIC (6/6)

I’ll be back quite soon for another review. Maybe more Marvel movie reviews? :D

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Movie Review

The moment of truth has finally arrived. Maybe more than just to see what Superman stands for in this movie. Maybe to see if Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is good.

Hey guys, I’m back for another movie review after being gone for a legitimate month and a half. I seriously apologize, as me and Yanni have so much to do, this has been a very busy term for the both of us.

I’m honestly happy to be back to review this movie. This is probably my 2^nd most anticipated movie of all time, the 1^st being Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I’m actually glad that I’m more excited about TFA than BVS, because I’m not here to sound like one of the happiest man alive after watching Batman V Superman. There’s a lot to talk about. Oh boy.

Before this review, let me tell you something…

Ever since I was familiar with the idea that a Superman Vs Batman theme exists, I am excited for a movie like this to come out someday. Now it has happened, and here we are, with me sitting down writing this review. I wanted to love this movie, and god knows why I’m now here discussing what I like and what I didn’t like.

Yeah, this movie was a disappointment. Thankfully, it’s not as bad as some DC Movies can go, it’s not Fant4stic kind of bad, it’s definitely not Batman & Robin kind of bad. I think it’s important if I can discuss this movie before you look at my rating. You need to see my opinion. I might have sounded too forceful, I’m sorry, but really, please hear me out. I also wanted the people who made this movie to know what I love and what I hated.

I mean, hell, I’m not recommending this movie to you; I’m seriously just saying, don’t let the critics make you turn away from the movie, unless it’s very bad. My opinions about this movie slightly differs from the critics, and that’s why I’m only feeling that way. See it for yourself first.

Without further ado, let’s begin our review. This review will have not have spoilers, as I hate spoiling things for people.

Film Synopsis - Following his titanic struggle against General Zod, Metropolis has been razed to the ground and Superman is the most controversial figure in the world. While for many he is still an emblem of hope, a growing number of people consider him a threat to humanity, seeking justice for the chaos he has brought to Earth. As far as Bruce Wayne is concerned, Superman is clearly a danger to society. He fears for the future of the world with such a reckless power left ungoverned, and so he dons his mask and cape to right Superman's wrongs. The rivalry between them is furious, fueled by bitterness and vengeance, and nothing can dissuade them from waging this war. However, a dark new threat arises in the form of a third man: one who has a power greater than either of them to endanger the world and cause total destruction!

The Pros

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman – This year is a year of redemption. We had Ryan Reynolds playing as Deadpool, who was fantastic, and really pays off and redeemed his original role as the X-Men Origins: Wolverine Deadpool and Green Lantern. This year, we also have another person who redeemed himself from the original Daredevil: Ben Affleck as Batman.

For this movie, Ben Affleck killed it as The Dark Knight in almost every shape and form. He oozes cool. He stole every scene when he is available. He felt like the Bruce Wayne and Batman from the comic books and Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. He really killed it and gave us so much to care about, and since we care about Bruce Wayne, we care about Batman as well. Ben Affleck was so real in this movie, you really see his motivation on why he wants to take out Superman. It makes sense, and Ben Affleck gave an excellent performance as the Bat Vigilante.

Speaking of Batman, he’s just awesome. He felt like an actual Devil that scares criminals around Gotham City. He also had the physique Batman is supposed to have. The fight scenes though are well choreographed, and the style Batman used to fight the criminals just felt like the Batman we all wanted to see. While Michael Keaton used too many gadgets to get him around the fight scenes, and the Christian Bale Batman fight scenes are poorly done, the fight scenes in this movie just shows how well trained Batman actually is. They were dirty, gritty and fast-paced violent combat filmed in multiple angles, something else I will congratulate in a minute.

As much as I love this Batman, I honestly think Christian Bale was characterized better. I still love the Ben Affleck though, but I would have loved him even more as I am going to be talking about the one and only flaw in his character.

Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman – I was worried about her for a minute, as I thought she might not have a place in this movie just as the title suggests, and I have no idea what she’s doing, maybe shoehorned in for the sake of randomized action. Hell, I was very wrong about her. She was great.

Gal Gadot was everything I need her to be as Wonder Woman. She had the sexiness and smart of this character, and her costume design and her look made her belong in this DC Cinematic Universe. She definitely doesn’t feel out of place, and she was also a very relevant character in this movie. Although I would have wanted a bit more characterization from her, she’s getting herself a standalone movie, so that’s fine with me.

You see, she doesn’t need a backstory in this movie; this movie gave her some sort of shrouded mystery, giving us questions about this mysterious female character. For those who didn’t catch up with movie trailers and walked into this movie with no knowledge of it, her existence in this movie can be such a great discovery. Her entrance in particular is really cool, and very surprising. She also doesn’t feel like a Superman 2.0, as she uses her weaponry in such a way that’s unique and puts her away from every female superhero characters. A sword, a shield, and a lasso. That’s everything Wonder Woman used that made her stand out among others. She’s amazing in this movie, and I’m actually excited for a Wonder Woman standalone movie and see what Gal Gadot has to offer.

Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth – Being the 3^rd Alfred being put onto the cinematic screen can be pressurizing for Jeremy Irons. But he’s a good actor, and he doesn’t even need to try to be another excellent Alfred. 

He was fantastic, and he really didn’t give a lot of new things about Alfred’s character, so I’m not going to talk a lot about Jeremy Irons. However, his conversation between him and Bruce are interesting, and he especially reminds me of Michael Caine’s Alfred character, where in The Dark Knight Rises, he didn’t want Bruce Wayne to go out and fight Bane, because he’s afraid to lose him. In this movie, Jeremy Irons doesn’t want Batman to go out, because he believes Superman is not their enemy, and what Batman is doing may go very far off, probably against Batman’s moral dilemma (which is a flaw I will be discussing later). Jeremy Irons is perfect as Alfred, and after watching this movie, like a lot of new characters being introduced, I can’t think of anyone playing as that character.

Action Sequences – Even though there’s not a lot of action sequence (the movie focuses more on the political thriller theme) Zack Snyder’s direction of the action are fantastic. He’s always been a very good visual storyteller, and the action in this movie really paid off.

I’m also taken by surprise at one particular sequence revolving Batman’s Batmobile, and I’ve never seen him taking on a practical action sequence before. Usually it’s always him and his flashy special effects. Yes, there are special effects used during the chase scene, but that’s not the main focus. There’s real practical vehicles involved, and I really enjoyed it, and something Zack Snyder tried probably for the first time in many years in his filmmaking career.

The Zack Snyder visual vibe definitely exists in this movie, and I am still impressed by them. I enjoyed it very much, and that’s a major plus for this movie. There’s a lot of attention being paid on the details the visual effect designers have put onto. There are some scenes where the special effects don’t look as great, and sometimes felt overstuffed, but at times it is a beautiful looking movie.

I think the only problem I have is that most of the action sequences take place during the night, so with my 3D glasses which also shades the movie a bit, I can’t see some scenes well, and it can be confusing. But I can tell, it looks great already.

Cinematography – Zack Snyder is also a great cinematographer, and there are beautiful and long wide takes being used in this movie, with very good sound and scene editing on the action sequences, and mainly on the takes they used to film this movie. It’s really rare for a superhero movie to have good cinematography, and this is one of them. Zack Snyder pays a lot of attention on how scenes should be filmed, and it completely fits into this movie’s vibe.

Neutral

Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman – He didn’t give a lot in this movie. He’s fine. Not excellent, not great (the type of great from Man of Steel, which is disappointing) but fine. He didn’t give much, because this isn’t about him anymore, at least not as much, because there are other characters to focus on. There’s one particular scene in Batman’s dream sequence where you see a corrupt Superman and his whole Regime of followers, and the Superman in that scene reminded me so much of the plot of the DC Video Game Injustice, which is really cool and gives a lot to why Batman wants to destroy Superman (and then realizes that in order to stop that from happening was actually to help him). That’s really it. Superman’s fine.

Henry Cavill: I thought this was my movie. Zack Snyder: I'm director, bitch, bow down.

Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor – While some casting choices worked, this one wasn’t that great. I have no idea why Zack Snyder casted him to be one of Superman’s most iconic villain, it boggles me a bit.

How does he even know who they are? He knows Bruce Wayne, for sure, but Clark Kent? He's just a random reporter doing his job. And Jesse Eisenberg is acting like Clark Kent is a celebrity. What?

I’m not saying he’s awful or anything; he gave an excellent performances as a crazy dude with a motivation to destroy Superman, NOT as Lex Luthor. He did not feel like the Lex Luthor I wanted to see from the comic books, and he just isn’t Lex Luthor. The lines he said though can be very conflicting, as those are the lines Lex Luthor would say, but Jesse Eisenberg did not play the character well. He’s a psychopathic crazy jumpy person, and that’s that.

I know what you’re thinking: He’s only playing the son of Lex Luthor Sr., so don’t get so agitated about it. But honestly, that’s like saying Jar Jar Binks is different from the Gungans, and that gives him an excuse to be annoying as shit and have bad characterization. Yes, I’m going too hard on this, but it’s true.

I’m not saying Jesse Eisenberg is awful; he gave an excellent performance describing the motivations of a crazy psychotic person, NOT Lex Luthor. He’s definitely not Lex Luthor to me. I also don’t see the reason why they need Lex Luthor Jr., and not the original himself. Zack Snyder should not have casted Jesse for this role, he could have played by anyone who plays good villainous characters.

The Cons

The Script - The Script is a convoluted mess. If the writers are writing for a movie that’s Batman V Superman, at least don’t have characters open an email to expose everything.

The movie is very messy. The 1^st half of this movie is a political thriller, which really hooks us up and building up to the big finale. The 2^nd half immediately jumps into this Superhero extravaganza, and really doesn’t have a place in this movie. It’s just a mess, and Zack Snyder is well known to be a bad storyteller. He’s not that great.

The writers though. They were awful. There are some very lazy writing in this movie, including one where a character opens an email which contains all the information about other characters. I mean, really? That’s it? The least I expected was have the main character to be there at the scene with the person who had the documents and show her everything right at the end of the movie, and that would have made more sense, and would have been cooler. But really, they are going to reveal everything by an email. I hate how they did that!

I also hated how on that particular scene, it literally appeared out of nowhere. It really distracted the movie’s pacing and flow, and feels very out of place.

The pacing – The movie spends too much time talking about politics than jumping into the entire main theme of this movie, where The Dark Knight fights The Man of Steel, but that scene was very rushed. In fact, the pacing of this movie really lets me discover that they can’t balance the movie well. Also, the entire movie was marketed in a wrong way. This has nothing to do with Batman V Superman. I would have appreciated it if they call this movie: Dawn of Justice, as this is the whole theme of this movie, not Batman V Superman. There is so little action revolving Batman V Superman, and it’s just awful and a huge disappointment among Comic Book fans.

Lois Lane – This is a con which has nothing to do with Amy Adams’ acting. She was still good in this movie. The story, however, makes it so difficult for Lois Lane to feel relevant in this movie. For most of the time, she’s a damsel in distress, and it gets annoying. Also, the story just make her situations stupid. For example, Lois Lane throws away something, and then literally 5 minutes later she rushes to get it back again. And she’s in trouble, and she needs to be rescued, and it’s repetitive. Lois Lane can play a small character, and that’s honestly fine by us. You don’t need her in every scene. According to this story, she’s not that important.

Zack Snyder: You're really not needed, but we'll make you as relevant as possible, because you're Lois Lane.

Thinking about it, this feels more like a Batman movie than a Superman movie.

Moral Dilemma of Batman – The only thing missing about Batman’s character at this point is his moral dilemma. I’m sure you all know it by now, but Batman does not kill people. That stops him from being a criminal. In this movie, I’m sure he killed at least a dozen.

WHAT? Why? I actually don’t get it! I mean, it gives a lot to this Batman, and maybe they can have a scene where Alfred tells Bruce he’s going too far with all the killing, but they never once have any confrontation about the killings! It’s like natural! Something’s wrong with that, and the character of Batman really loses from being one of the best Batman in cinema. When I watched Batman kill people, I’m honestly a bit let-down by that.

Building up the DC Cinematic Universe – I understand how this is the movie that starts the DC Cinematic Universe. There’s a problem with that though.

Sidetracking from the movie’s main plot and time to develop the world around the movie is just wasted potential. Filmmakers these days are so determined to build up a universe for the next movie instead of making a good movie now. That is what I believe Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has been doing that suffers from all the negative criticism, and for that, I actually I agree with a lot of people who watched this movie; it’s building up the Justice League too much and forgot to make a good Batman V Superman movie. That is also why the movie is 2 hours and a half, with sluggish and occasionally rushed pacing and a terrible script. 

Conclusion

I’m thankful that at least the good performances from the newcomers of the DC Cinematic Universe, the brilliant cinematography and action sequences didn’t waver my enjoyment from this movie. However, the script, Jesse Eisenberg being really annoying, the missing moral dilemmas of Batman, and the sidetracking from the movie’s plot and attempt to quickly build a good DC Cinematic Universe, really gave me reasons why even blockbusters can be very incoherent. If there’s a person in this world that wanted to love this movie, it’s me. Count me in. However, I can’t be biased, and I’ll have to acknowledge that this movie has noticeable flaws, and maybe flaws that filmmakers these days can look out for in the future of the upcoming DC Movies.

The Pros – 5

Neutral – 2

The Cons – 5

Rating: RENT AWARD (3/6)

I’ll see if Yanni wants to make a review on her own, describing her personal opinions. Believe me, I wanted this movie to be good and awesome and flawless. They screwed up big time with this movie. I’ll see in the future if I can make the previous Batman and Superman Movies reviews (which are loads better than this one, except for Batman & Robin) and a special article about how to make Batman V Superman good, because I’ve been really thinking about it, and there are some ways where Batman V Superman can be an amazing movie. We’ll see if that can come up soon.