The
latest trailer for the webslinger's latest movie outing is out. And it
promises to be the mother of all cross overs, even by MCU standards. Peter
Parker/Spider-Man has taken Doctor Strange's help to solve his identity
crisis and the outcomes are far worser than anything he could have
expected. Check out the trailer:
As
readers would know from the previous trailer, characters from parallel
universe/multiverse have descended on Peter Parker's reality.
This includes Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), J Jonah Jameson (J K Simmons)
and Sandman from the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire movies. We have Lizard and
Electro/Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) from Marc Webb/Andrew Garfield movies.
I
am personally excited by the return of Green Goblin as Willem Dafoe is a
terrific actor. Another noteworthy point is the comic book faithful
depiction of Electro's costume this time. Alfred Molina seems to be
genuinely enjoying his return to Spidey's Universe.
There
are some aspects of the trailer that also raised my concern. Benedict
Cumberbatch looks a bit bored in his role as the Sorcerer Supreme. There
is a clear difference between this performance and what we have seen
him do as the Sherlock in the BBC series.
Plus, most of the jokes fell flat (at least for me). Hope the other jokes in the movie are funnier.
Obviously,
like most other fans, I am also eagerly anticipating the return of
Tobey Maguire to his arguably most famous role. Did not enjoy Andrew's
performance and would not care either way for his appearance.
Doc
Ock seems to be on Spidey's side this time. It would be fun to watch
the 3 Spider-Men/Doctor Strange/Doc Ock take on Green
Goblin/Lizard/Sand-Man/Electro alliance.
And, let us not forget about a certain alien symbiote and a living vampire who should also pop up in Spidey's timeline soon...
The latest trailer for the upcoming blockbuster has been released. Directed by Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes, Cloverfield), the movie stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot/Penquin.
Check out the trailer:
Two things stand out after watching this trailer:
Matt Reeves has taken the Caped Crusader back to his detective roots.
This version of Batman is probably the angriest of all the live action versions (at least among the ones I have seen)
I am happy with the first part as the Batman being a detective is one of the least explored aspects. Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight briefly touched upon this facet. Credit to Matt Reeves for focusing on this.
The second part worries me. Pattinson's Batman seems bent on outdoing Batfleck on being the broodiest and violent Batman of them all. Even Affleck broke into a smile now and then as Bruce Wayne. But we get one or two shots of Pattinson without the mask and he remains as sullen as ever. This might result in a one-note performance that can get weary soon. Considering that this movie has a run time of nearly 3 hours, it could be become quite a chore to see a dour faced Batman screaming and moping around alternatively.
Speaking of Pattinson, there have been reports of alleged clashes on set between the lead actor and the director.
Coming back to the positive aspects of the trailer, Michael Giacchino's background score is amazing. He looks set to join the annals of great Batman composers along with Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer.
I also liked Zoe as Selina Kyle. She comes across as spunky and spirited. I expect another stellar performance that will rival those of Anne Hathaway, Michelle Pfeiffer and Julie Newmar.
The direction and cinematography looks great.
From a plot perspective, Edward
Nashton has put his plan into motion, despite being held behind bars.
Bruce Wayne/Batman seems to be losing his perspective, much to Alfred's
despair. Plus, Batman seems to be getting real cozy with Selina Kyle.
Keeping in tone with the plot, almost all the actors look and sound solemn. I am not expecting a Batman and Robin or the Adam West series level of camp. But a little bit of humor always helps.
The Tim Burton 1989 movie and The Dark Knight Trilogy managed to achieve this balance of fun and serious approach to the character.
War for the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are two of my all time favorite movies. Matt Reeves has been the main reason I have been excited for this movie.
Here's hoping that the final product turns out great and we will have another great Batman series to enjoy.
Trivia: The song playing in the Batman trailer is “Something In The Way” by Nirvana.
This is the third film in the series, following Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far from Home. Joining our friendly neighborhood superhero is Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who uses his powers to separate Peter Parker from Spidey. Peter is having issues from the secret identity disclosure (courtesy of Mysterio) in the previous movie and Sorcerer Supreme tries to help his fellow Avenger, against Wong's advice.
Seems Wong is right. The third movie in the MCU's Spider-Man franchise promises to be a true crossover - we see Doctor “Doc Ock” Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) return to harass Peter. Electro/Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) also is listed in the IMDB credits.
The only question that remains is: Will Andrew Garfield have a cameo as well. I am sure/hoping that Tobey Maguire will be back.
Check out the trailer:
The trailer was ok. I found it to be mildly interesting. The only parts that piqued my interest was Willem Dafoe's return as Green Goblin. I am more excited for his return than for Doc Ock, even though we only heard Dafoe's voice. Dafoe did a great job as Aquaman's mentor and I cannot wait to see him menace Spidey once again.
For the rest of the cast, the regulars are ok. Tobey Maguire's incarnation and his fellow cast continue to be my favorites and while I enjoy the ongoing MCU series, the tone is a bit off for my taste. Nevertheless, Cumberbatch is having fun and having JK Simmons and Dafoe makes the movie a must watch.
Fun Fact: Sam Raimi, who directed the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, is directing the Doctor Strange sequel: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
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Image
Sources: Pascal Pictures, Marvel Studios, Columbia Pictures
We have the first official trailer for the sequel to the worldwide blockbuster: Venom. Eddie Brock/Venom (Tom Hardy) have clearly settled into their life together, with the alien symbiote now preparing breakfast for his human host. He still frequents the local store owned by Mrs Chen (Peggy Lu).
But trouble is brewing in the form of Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) and Shriek (Naomie Harris). Fans of Marvel Comics/Spiderman will immediately recognize Cletus as the alter ego of the homicidal Carnage.
Michelle Williams returns as Anne Weying, Eddie's flame and Stephen Graham joins the cast as Detective Mulligan.
Check out the trailer:
Tom Hardy slips back effortlessly as the unwitting host of the murderous symbiote. He continues to show a great sense of humor as Eddie. Woody has been cast in yet another role of a unhinged individual that he has played so well in other movies (2012, War for the Planet of the Apes). I look forward to seeing the cast-against-type Naomie Harris play the antagonist.
With two villains combining their powers and Carnage being stronger than Venom, could this mean a certain more famous webslinger will have a cameo appearance?
The movie is being marketed as a comedic superhero flick, very much in Deadpool's alley. The other interesting aspect is that the movie has been directed by Andy Serkis. Andy has given some of the best motion capture performances (Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, Planet of the Apes trilogy).
Andy has already directed three movies and this is his highest profile movie yet. His previous movie (Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle) was overshadowed by Disney's version, that was directed by Jon Favreau. Let us see if he steals all the limelight with his latest attempt.
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Image Sources: Marvel Entertainment, Pascal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)
After years of fan petitioning and online chatter, Zack Snyder's Justice League (or simply) Snyder Cut, has been released on HBO Max. This is a 4 hour long movie or a mini series (as some people would like to put it).
Spoilers ahead. Readers who are yet to watch the movie and would like to avoid details, are recommended to skip the post and watch the movie first.
The basic plot remains the same: Superman (Henry Cavill) has been killed by Doomsday. Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) are on a recruitment drive to build an alliance to stop the invading forces of Darkseid (voiced by Ray Porter), led by his minion/maternal uncle Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciaran Hinds).
This is not the first time that Darkseid has set his sights on Earth. He had made an unsuccessful attempt earlier, but was beaten back by the combined forces of Atlanteans, Amazons, Gods and a Green Lantern. The three Mother Boxes left behind are given to Atlanteans, Amazons and Men respectively.
This time, Steppenwolf is determined to acquire them and regain the trust and respect of Darkseid. It seems Steppenwolf has fallen out of the New God's good books.
But not every one is eager to jump the bandwagon. Flash/Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) agrees right away but Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg/Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) are reluctant.
Cyborg is content with helping out needy people by depositing cash in their bank accounts. Arthur is more than happy to rescue those in distress on his oceanic turf and celebrate his good deeds at the local bar.
Once
the group does get together, it is time to bring back the most powerful
member back to life. But this Superman is grumpy and may not be
interested in working with others.
Check out the trailer below:
The Snyder Cut is far superior to the studio mandated/mangled theatrical version that was unleashed upon unsuspecting viewers/DC comics fans.
The Snyder Cut differs significantly from the theatrical version in the following ways:
We get our first glimpse of Black suit Superman in live action
Darkseid makes his first live action appearance
Martian Manhunter finally debuts in the SnyderVerse
Steppenwolf's armor and backstory are improved
Cyborg's backstory is fleshed out (arguably the most)
Iris West has a cameo (in the strictest sense of the word)
Ryan Choi features in the movie (DC Comics fan would know him better as Atom)
The Whedonesque humor has been (thankfully) done away with, including couple of not-so-fun scenes with Wonder Woman
The action sequences are much better in this version
Gone are the unfunny jokes and the frankly unnecessary scene of Flash falling on Wonder Woman in the midst of a fight scene (both courtesy of Joss Whedon). Zack finally gets to release his vision for the Justice League as he had originally intended it to be. Like Whedon, there are the inevitable Snyderisms that this 4 hour long movie is packed with: Lots of slo-mo scenes (and I do mean a lot) and ladies reduced to lusting after alpha male figures.
Needless to say Zack Snyder fans will be lapping this up. I would also recommend the movie to both DC Comics fans and specifically fans of Supes. Supes has never been this good in SnyderVerse. Henry Cavill's screen presence is limited but we do get to see him play a relaxed/smiling Superman (at last). Some may argue that he did that in the theatrical version too. But there are a couple of major plus points to this performance:
Cavill is no longer sporting the hideous (moustache removed) upper lip
He is a blast as the Black suit clad Superman
Additional bonus: We get to see Supes in action with Hans Zimmer's Flight soundtrack in the background. This brings a great closure to Cavill's Supes in this trilogy. I did not like the fact that the theatrical version left out Zimmer's score. But that was to be expected, considering the studio and it's hired hack director did not care for the comic book characters or the fans and were solely focused on releasing the movie for some quick cash.
With Snyder back at the helm, that mistake has been rectified and here we have Supes in his full glory with Zimmer's fantastic theme music accompanying almost all of his scenes (even those teasing his return). The movie scores when Superman is onscreen and Cavill sets the screen on fire in the climactic action piece. Another great sequence is the team working together to bring back the last son of Krypton to life using the Mother Box. It is executed exceedingly well and hats off to Zack Snyder and his crew and actors for pulling it off.
Here is the clip from Man of Steel (for readers unfamiliar with the soundtrack):
I also liked all the scenes featuring Victor Stone and his fractured relationship with his father: Silas Stone (Joe Morton turning in another great performance). The Stones finally come to accept each other and this makes for some heart warming moments and adds the necessary heart and soul to what is essentially another superhero blockbuster movie.
None of the other characters have the kind of character arc that Victor goes through. His transformation over the course of the movie is terrific and Ray Fisher deserves kudos for an amazing performance. Fisher and Morton share the bulk of the work in carrying the emotional component of the movie. Joe Morton always does some of his best work in supporting roles and this movie is yet another feather in his cap. He had played a similar role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and even had a similar death scene, while operating a device controller.
This extended version makes us understand as to why Ray Fisher was so upset with the theatrical version and the supposed “unprofessional” behavior of Joss Whedon. He has (arguably) been the biggest casualty of Snyder's departure and the subsequent handling of the movie. The media has reported that the studio did not want a black character to be at the core of a million dollar superhero movie, but I think the right decision would have been to retain Cyborg's story line intact. Well, better be late than never. Hopefully, Ray Fisher will get his due and his career will rise to great heights again.
Jason Momoa's Aquaman and Ezra Miller's Flash provide most of the laughs. Ezra Miller's expanded screen presence has both pros and cons: we get to see more of his personal life which is a plus. But his rescue scene of Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) and his scenes with his father, Henry Allen (Billy Krudup) are way too prolonged and just excruciatingly boring. Especially, the last scene between the Allens is the second most boring scene in the movie. (I will come to the first one shortly). And yes this version of Flash kind of fancies Wonder Woman but that is handled much better this time than the in-the-face and crass objectification in the theatrical version (Joss Whedon strikes again).
His attempts at the wide eyed newbie style humor in MCU Peter Parker style gets jarring very quickly. Seeing Flash worship Batman (especially one that is played by the not-so-likeable Ben Affleck) is irritating. But Barry's respect for Supes is understandable.
We get to see more of Willem Dafoe as Arthur's mentor, Vulko. Dafoe is always a sight for sore eyes and this movie is no exception. It is interesting to note that he seems to be taking lessons on hair care from Loki.
Amber Heard has some scenes as Mera but does not have much of impact.
Arthur has some scenes with Diana, where they overcome the long standing lack of trust between Atlanteans and Amazons. This works out well in the final action sequence, when they have each other's back. Contrast this with the Aquaman-sitting-on-the-lasso scene in the theatrical version, in which he inadvertently expresses his crush on Wonder Woman and you will gain a clear understanding of the different approaches taken by Snyder and Whedon towards the source material.
Like the 4 hour long movie, this post has already gotten quite lengthy. I will be covering the rest of the aspects in another post, which will be up shortly.
Image Sources: Atlas Entertainment, DC Entertainment, DC Films, HBO Max, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, The Stone Quarry, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros., Warner Max
If Superman's cousin can have her own TV show, how can Batman's not? So we have Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) donning the cape and cowl. The episode starts off with a voice over by Kate. She is handcuffed and has to make her escape from being drowned in icy waters. This reminded me of Bruce Wayne's training scene with Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) in Batman Begins. Back in Gotham, Jacob Kane (Dougray Scott) runs Crow Security and has taken the role of protecting Gotham. Where
is Batman? - you might ask: As per the writers, Batman has been missing
in action for about three years. Of course, no one observes that Bruce
Wayne is gone too. But, I digress.. Jacob is in charge of a public ceremony, being presided over by the Mayor Akins (Chris Shields). He wants to shut down the Bat signal. But disaster strikes and Crow's Sophie Moore (Meagan Tandy) is abducted. Sophie also happens to be Kate's former lover.
Kate's step-sister Mary Hamilton (Nicole Kang) informs her about the situation. Using her deductive skills and the footage from Bruce Wayne's security, Kate deduces that the gang has taken Sophie to the Burnside Orphanage.
We
run into Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson), the son of Lucius Fox. And just
like his dad, he becomes the Q to our soon-to-be self-anointed
superheroine.
The movie charts the steady descent of Arthur into madness and perhaps unsurprisingly, we get to see Joaquin Phoenix in literally each frame. Kate rushes head first to rescue instead of listening to her father. After a showdown with the gang members, Kate is overpowered and taken to their leader, Alice (Rachel Skarsten). Alice knows much more about Kate and her family than a stranger would. It is also revealed that her primary target is not Gotham or Crow Security, but Kate's dad himself. But instead of killing Kate, Alice has her deposited somewhere else..
Kate decides to take things into her own hand and re-visits Wayne Manor. This time, she hits the jackpot and discovers the Batcave. She also learns that Bruce Wayne/Batman has spent years trying to figure out why he could not save her sister and mother from the fatal car crash which was supposed to have killed them.
Kate has Luke re-design the Bat costume to fit her. Donning the new suit, Kate aka Batwoman takes on Alice and her gang and rescues Sophie. Despite her successful debut, Kate is still disturbed with the fact that Batman could not help save Beth, her sister. Finally, it dawns on her that Beth is still alive and is in fact Alice. The episode also sets up another plot line - Sophie is now married to Tyler (Greyston Holt). But clearly, she is still deeply in love with Kate.
This was an ok pilot episode. The acting was passable from every one except the lead actress. Ruby Rose seems to be overacting. She is not alone though. Rachel Skarsten as Alice/Beth also chews the scenery as an over-the-top villain. Dougray Scott and Camrus Johnson do their best with their roles of caring father and the nervous geek respectively. So does Nicole Kang and Elizabeth Anweis in their roles as the naive daughter and status conscious wife. The only actor to make an impression is Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore. She manages to convey the intimate connection that her character shares with Kate.
The series is heavily influenced by the Chris Nolan movies. As I mentioned before, the training montage was similar to the one in Batman Begins. The Wayne Tower itself too has been lifted from the same movie. Plus, the night time shots of Gotham also reminded me of those from The Dark Knight. Click on the link below to buy your copy:
On the other hand, the only scene featuring Batman looked to be shot on a shoestring budget. Granted this was the pilot episode.. still that scene could have been shot better.
Recommended watch to fans of DC Comics.
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Image Sources: Berlanti Productions, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television
