Showing posts with label DC Universe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DC Universe. Show all posts

Friday, December 11, 2015

Hank Henshaw's true identity revealed as Martian Manhunter in Supergirl TV Show


martian manhunter supergirl scene identity hank henshaw revealed

The cat is finally out of the bag. Hank Henshaw is none other than the great Martian Manhunter (MM) in disguise.

I had guessed Hank's true identity in my review of the second episode (“Stronger Together), when his eyes went red for the first time. MM/J'onn J'onzz is one of my favorite superheroes in the DC Universe. He also happens to be one of the most criminally under-appreciated as well.

As a longtime fan of the DC Comics and MM in particular, I express my heartfelt thanks to the writers (Greg Berlanti, Allison Adler, Andrew Kreisberg) and David Harewood for bringing MM to life in such an amazing and truly epic style.

At a time, when Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder have no clue about what to do with such iconic superheroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe movies, the treatment MM has received on the CBS show comes as a breath of fresh air.

The recently released trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (BvS:DoJ) proves my point. The cinematography, the coloring, the acting (for the most part), the background score just look/sound terrible. The worst aspect is the CGI. I had remarked in my review of Man of Steel, that the movie suffered from really bad special effects work.

Snyder and Warner Bros. do not seem to have learnt any lessons. The CGI still look as bad as it did in the prequel. Shame on the studio and the director for such a low quality product.

Compare the quality of work on that trailer with the work done for Martian Manhunter in Supergirl. On a much lesser budget, the special effects look more convincing. The acting, direction and music are all superior as well. 

Here is the godforsaken trailer for BvS:DoJ



The only time I was interested in the 3 minutes long trailer were the scenes featuring Jesse Eisenberg. He brings some much needed fun into this movie, that otherwise either features unnecessarily heavy music or deadpan /lifeless acting by the other actors or just plainly terrible CGI.

Coming back to the CBS show - I was sure right from the moment that Hank's eyes went red that he was J'onn J'onzz/MM in disguise. Even though Wikipedia claimed that he is Cyborg Superman, I was still betting my money on Hank being MM. The simple reason being that Hank deduced the presence of Alex nearby using his telepathic powers. J'onn J'onzz has these powers and Cyborg Superman does not.

There were other clues sprinked throughout the show that supported my theory. For one thing, there was David Harewood's serious and self-controlled acting style. That was classic MM. In addition, he remarked in Episode # 5 (“How Does She Do It?) that if he was following Supergirl, she would not even be aware of that fact. That alone more than proved my theory, since MM has the ability to shape shift, become invisible/intangible. And there was the scene at the airport, where Hank defuses the bomb all by himself. That also proved that he was MM as he would have have simply turned intangible should the bomb had gone off.

Before he revealed his identity in the episode (Human for a Day) Hank all but confirmed his identity in an earlier scene. When Jemm threatens that he will come after Hank's loved ones, Hank comments that he has none left in the universe.

And then came the insanely awesome scene, when Hank becomes Martian Manhunter: I am the sole survivor of my planet. The Last Son of Mars.... My name is J'onn J'onzz.

That was pure magic. Once again, hats off to the writers and David Harewood.

Click on the link below to buy your copy:


But MM is not the only one to get such superb treatment. Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) herself got to shine in her fight scene with Red Tornado. This is the type of epic action that I expect from a Kyptonian superhero. Melissa's acting is greatly supported by the background score, direction and great special effects. Hats off to Melissa and the crew for delivering such a superb scene.

This is how you do justice to the DC Universe. Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder, please take note.

Now, if only that rumored adaptation of Blue Beetle would come true. In the proven hands of Greg Berlanti, I am sure that would be another winner.

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Image Sources: DC Comics, Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

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Saturday, August 8, 2015

Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem (2015) - Review

batman unlimited monster mayhem poster wallpaper picture cyborg green arrow batman nightwing red robin

The second Batman Unlimited animated movie is out. I was not impressed with the first one (Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts). In that movie, Penquin/Oswald Cobblepot had assembled a group of animal-themed supervillains (Cheetah, Killer Croc, Man-Bat and Silverback) to take over the world. That plan and the movie, both failed.

This time, it is The Joker (Troy Baker) himself, who brings together a team of monster-themed supervillains (Scarecrow, Clayface, Solomon Grundy and Silver Banshee) to take over Gotham and the world.

The trouble starts on Halloween night when Solomon Grundy (Fred Tatasciore) and Silver Banshee (Kari Wuhrer) break out of the prison. They steal a car and are wreaking havoc in the city streets. Nightwing (Will Friedle) and Green Arrow (Chris Diamantopoulos) try to stop them. Batman (Roger Craig Smith) and Red Robin (Yuri Lowenthal) also give chase in the Batmobile.


batman unlimited monster mayhem villains scarecrow clayface solomon grundy silver banshee poster wallpaper picture

Scarecrow (Brian T. Delaney) comes to the villains' rescue and infects Nightwing and Green Arrow with his fear gas.

Gogo Shoto (Noel Fisher), head of a video game company is kidnapped for his software skills. The Joker is planning to unleash a virus on the world and plans to use Gogo as his unwitting pawn.

Also in the fray is Victor Stone/Cyborg (Khary Payton), who is visiting Gotham and becomes involved in Joker's ongoing shenanigans.

Click on the link below to buy your copy:


Can Batman and the rest of the heroes stop the Joker from executing his evil plans...You bet, they do.

The animation quality is not up to the usual high DC standards. The character designs look OK. The worst is surprisingly reserved for Bruce Wayne/Batman himself. He looks more like a teenager and not like a seasoned crime fighter. In one of the scenes, Batman looks weird as he drives the Batcycle.


bruce wayne batman eating sandwich bread batcave batman unlimited monster mayhem poster wallpaper image picture

The Batman Unlimited movies lack the thematic complexity and/or the mature tone of the recent DC Animated movies. That is not a surprise, since these movies are not part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series. These  movies are based on the Mattel's toy line and are clearly targeted at a very young demographic.

Accordingly, the tone and even the jokes are pretty juvenile in nature. A kid appears twice in the movie, once taking selfie with Batman and again in the climax, to take selfie with the villains (who happily agree for the photo opportunity). In another scene, a character is playing Batman himself in a video game in a clear reference to the recently released Batman: Arkham Knight game. The game had the marketing line: Be the Batman.

The plot is pretty much non-existent and is made up of one fight scene after another. But the action scenes get tiresome really quick, especially the one long fight scene that starts at the abandoned amusement park and just goes on and on.

The climax is heavily inspired by The Matrix Revolutions and Batman rides what strongly resembles a Dinobot transformer, seen in the latest Transformers movie, Transformers: Age of Extinction. And in addition, the city wide parade scene reminds me one of the finale of Batman (1989).

clayface villain batman unlimited monster mayhem poster image wallpaper image picture

The best bits involve Clayface. The movie makes full use of his awesome powers. If nothing else, this movie will at least be remembered for focussing the spotlight on one of the most underused villains in Batman's Rogues Gallery.

The worst ones involve Grundy. His attempts at humor fall flat most of the time. Even Silver Banshee's singing in the climax induces groans.

Recommended to children only. Adults will most probably get bored fast.

Check out the trailer below:



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Image Sources: DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Premiere, Atlas Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Lin Pictures