The first movie features two of DC’s most famous heroes duking it out in a war of misunderstanding in "Batman v Superman." While Marvel kicked things up a naughty notch with its latest foray into the R-rated with the Ryan Reynolds starrer, "Deadpool."
Remember that if you would like to read about each movie further, simply click on the designated link to read the full review. *Originally posted in correspondence to the theatrical release of "Suicide Squad."
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016)
With a “sham”, “bang”, “pow” director Zack Snyder delivers the hotly debated and hesitantly anticipated face-off between Superman (Henry Cavill), the most powerful hero in comic book lore and Batman (Ben Affleck), the stoic crime fighting billionaire. There are intense swells of gorgeous music from Hans Zimmer, fantastic special effects and another fine performance from actor Henry Cavill.There is also a forced plot mechanism used to justify the superhero showdown, a fast-talking millennial take on Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and an incoherently unnecessary launch for Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). If there was one thing this movie did not need, it was another superhero in the mix.
The ensuing fight between our heroes is
as frustrating as one would expect. A few words from Superman could head the
entire thing off and that very contrivance is impossible to overcome or ignore.
While that is hard to swallow, it pales in comparison to the massive choke hold the movie suffers every time its cockamamie Gen Y version of Lex Luthor comes on screen. Actor Jesse Eisenberg gets off to a decent enough start before the aching similarity to Heath Ledger’s Joker comes pouring through in icy waves.
As written, this Lex Luthor is basically Eisenberg’s characterization from “The Social Network” on steroids and that is not a good thing. The departure of Luthor from prophetic genius to frothing hipster and Alfred from a kindly butler to hardcore tech wizard is just another in a long line of uninventive adaptive tweaks, apparently meant to appeal to millennials.
While that is hard to swallow, it pales in comparison to the massive choke hold the movie suffers every time its cockamamie Gen Y version of Lex Luthor comes on screen. Actor Jesse Eisenberg gets off to a decent enough start before the aching similarity to Heath Ledger’s Joker comes pouring through in icy waves.
As written, this Lex Luthor is basically Eisenberg’s characterization from “The Social Network” on steroids and that is not a good thing. The departure of Luthor from prophetic genius to frothing hipster and Alfred from a kindly butler to hardcore tech wizard is just another in a long line of uninventive adaptive tweaks, apparently meant to appeal to millennials.
If you thought the movie would back down from declaring a
winner in its title rivalry, there is no need to worry, it frustratingly does.
Of course, why get overwrought with who wins or loses when these two will
likely live to fight again in another sequel.
Rating: 5.5/10 – Read the Full Review here
"Deadpool" (2016)
Ryan Reynolds’ comeback vehicle features a script armed to
the teeth with non-stop zingers, a unique timeline and a decent supply of action
sequences. The long-awaited “Deadpool” movie is everything you probably went in
expecting as the sharp-tongued superhero makes his solo film debut as
advertised, in splashy and derisive fashion.
Early on Miller makes the intent of his mission clear: this
is not going to be your standard superhero affair. As the timeline swerves
between past and present, it reveals how former Special Forces operative Wade
Wilson (Reynolds) went from a wise-cracking motor mouth mercenary to a
wise-cracking motor mouth superhero.
Marvel's latest R-rated venture rides high on the waves generated by its identically rated predecessors, chiefly Matthew Vaughn’s brilliant “Kick-Ass” and James Gunn’s sensational “Super”. All share a reliance on cutting satire, dark humor and a strong proclivity for the art of double entrendes that have produced a subgenre of subversive superhero movies.
Marvel's latest R-rated venture rides high on the waves generated by its identically rated predecessors, chiefly Matthew Vaughn’s brilliant “Kick-Ass” and James Gunn’s sensational “Super”. All share a reliance on cutting satire, dark humor and a strong proclivity for the art of double entrendes that have produced a subgenre of subversive superhero movies.
Of course the movie’s
greatest asset is its star, Ryan Reynolds. It is a role that spells career
redemption for Reynolds, proving his previous foray into superhero status (the
ill advised “Green Lantern”) was not a disaster due to any fault of his own.
He’s a great actor, equally adept at comedy and drama and in “Deadpool” he
finally gets to prove it, once and for all.
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