The Batman (2022) Trailer - Review

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.

 

Click here to read all my posts about DC Comics.

Image Sources: 6th & Idaho Productions, DC Comics (based on characters from), DC Entertainment, Warner Bros.

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Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Trailer - Reaction/Review

 

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.

 

Click here to read all my posts about Marvel Comics.

Image Sources: Marvel Entertainment, Pascal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)

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Movie Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

The movie is a reboot of the popular series Planet of the Apes. Directed by Rupert Wyatt, the movie attempts to explain the circumstances leading to the takeover of our planet by our simian relatives.

Will Rodman (James Franco) has working on developing a cure of Alzheimer's disease, that afflicts his father, Charles Rodman (John Lithgow). He tests his cure on chimpanzees, one of whom turns out to be pregnant (without the knowledge of the scientists and this is one of the logical loopholes in the movie). Will ends up adopting the new born baby chimp, who is named “Ceasar” by Charles.

Ceaser is quite the naughty one and soon receives a cut on his leg after a brief encounter with the neighbours. This leads to Will taking Ceasar to  a primatologist, Caroline Aranha (Freida Pinto) and this leads to the mandatory romance part of the movie.

James Franco and Freida Pinto in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'

Ceasar soon starts showing signs of extraordinary intelligence, thanks to being exposed to the drug while he was still in his mother's womb.

Things take a turn for the worse, when Ceaser intervenes in a verbal altercation between Charles and his neighbor, Hunsiker (David Hewlett) and ends up biting off one of Hunsiker's fingers.

Ceasar is sent to a Primate Shelter run by John Landon (Brian Cox) and his sadistic son Dodge (Tom Felton). Ceasar studies his fellow inmates and soon assumes leadership by dethroning the alpha male.

Soon, it is a showdown between humans and the liberated chimps, led by Ceaser, atop the Golden Gate Bridge. Ceaser and his cohorts win the battle.

Meanwhile, Hunsiker gets infected with a newer version of the drug developed by Will and the infection quickly spreads all over the world. The stage is set for a sequel!

Andy Serkis gives an amazing performance as Ceasar

Andy Serkis gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Ceasar. His work marks a continuation of his winning streak since playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the titular character in King Kong. He is ably supported by the WETA team that does a flawless job bringing Ceaser to life.

Coming to the human cast, Franco and Lithgow are competent in their roles. Lithgow, in particular, is appealing.

Freida looks ravishing and brings grace and dignity to her role.

Click on the link below to buy your copy:

I did have a hard time understanding how the initial troop of the apes that numbered around 50-60, suddenly swelled to around 200 in the climactic fight. This was something that I could not accept, even though it is understandable that the initial numbers were not enough to support an uprising. Still I wish the script/director had accounted for this.

Highly recommended to fans of Planet of the Apes series and/or people who love the Great Apes.

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Image Sources: G4TV, USA Today

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