My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 6x05: "The Satanist's Apprentice"

 

Written by Keto Shimizu And Ray Utarnachitt

Directed by Caity Lotz

Astra (to Crowley): "No distractions here. Let's make some real power."

The first four episodes this season have been something of a mixed bag and I'm not entirely sure if I like this ongoing alien arc but this episode felt like a good step forward with certain things.

This week things mostly revolved around Astra and her struggles adapting to normal life. After a three episode, it was nice to catch up with her again and between harshly realising the necessity of cash, a racist neighbour, John being distracted and a house falling apart, no wonder Astra wanted to take the short route.

In the premiere episode, Aleister Crowley was mentioned by Constantine and here he's seen trapped in a painting but not for long as it took very little to get Astra to let him out and have John take his place in the painting.

Needless to say, Astra chose to work with Crowley in order to get powers and when the Legends stopped by, they ended up being turned into a binder (Ava), block of cheese (Nate), flip phone (Zari), candlestick (Behrad) and fork (Spooner) while Astra considered stealing her racist neighbours to get more power.

Of course Astra changed her mind, turned on Crowley and the latter decided to turn things into a Disney movie with Astra finding an magical enema of sorts to save the day and put Crowley back in his painting.

I'm not keen on Constantine with no magic but between him promising to start from scratch with Astra and Crowley bending his ear about a magical force (alien magic), I get the feeling John will be tempted to take a shortcut himself.

As for Sara, well this week we learned a lot about Bishop. Notably that he's completely off his rocker, has a penchant for dancing, has an insufferable god complex to complete the mad scientist stereotype and that he created the Ava clones.

This week we had a Nurse Ava one who as well as being a Wynonna Earp fangirl also had no problem deceiving Sara as Bishop informed the latter that they were more connected than before. It seems Sara happens to be essential to his whole wanting to reshape humanity thing he's got going on this season.

- Crowley was voiced by Matt Lucas so that the third Doctor Who companion actor we've had on the show. I'm surprised he didn't make a physical appearance though.

- Interesting to see Astra's perspective of the three episodes she didn't appear in. Mostly with her being exasperated by Constantine being distracted.

- No Gary or Mick/Kayla this week but both are back in the next episode.

- Chronology: Present day for the majority of this episode.

 The Satanist's Apprentice was the strongest episode we've had this season. Great performances from both Matt Ryan and Olivia Swann with Matt Lucas as a good guest villain. The animated sequence along with Astra's singing worked well and I enjoyed the Sara and Bishop scenes too.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 1x08: "Holding The Wrench"

Written by Kristi Korzec

Directed by Norma Bailey

Lois (to Jonathan): "Right now I want you to know we are on the same team. We are the extraordinary humans in a family of super people and we have to stick together."

It's been eight episodes and once again, this show has found new ways to differentiate itself from it's fellow CW DC shows and while there has been an understandable annoyance over the lack of continuity with Supergirl, there's no denying that this episode handled a certain subject with great maturity.

We already know that in John Henry Irons world that Lois Lane had a daughter with him called Natalie. What we didn't know but found out here was that after Jonathan and Jordan were born, Lois miscarried a daughter, whom she was also going to name Natalie after her grandmother.

This episode saw Lois attending a therapy session with Sam's friend, Dr Wiles (Wendy Crewson) in which past trauma resurfaced and Lois found herself needing to talk  to someone who wasn't Clark. Wiles got Lois to open about her loss of a child as well as Lois's own fears when Jonathan ended up in danger as well.

I've been seeing a lot of praise for the show's handling of a serious topic such as miscarriage and Elizabeth Tulloch's overall performance and I'm going to join in as well. Tulloch has been incredible as Lois but this was a series highlight and while Lois might have been harsh with Jonathan it came from a believable and it was reassuring to see the two of them make amends towards the end of the episode.

Jonathan has been feeling like an outsider for a while now and it boiled over when his attempts to help his mother almost got him killed. Personally I hope the show can resist the temptation to give him powers  down the line because it would be nice to see him be able to use whatever coping skills Lois will give him.

As for the John Henry Irons part. - he still doesn't trust Superman but realises that this Earth's Lois isn't his dead wife. He also tried  to give Sam a warning about more Kryptonians on the way, nearly got tortured by Trask before Rosetti revealed that he was another one of Edge's Subjekts. Thanks to John, he didn't last long.

Speaking of Subjekts - thanks to Leslie, we had Kyle find out that Lana lied to him about Edge not wanting him for the job and his abandonment of Sarah during an audition set their relationship back too. I think it's a safe assumption that Kyle could wind up becoming a Subjekt if he doesn't start listening to Lana.

- We can add piano skills to Jordan's talents and Sarah does have a nice singing voice. The episode also delved in a bit more about her anxiety.

- Although John wasn't keen on fighting with Superman, you just know he'll change his mind. Nice nods to Batman V. Superman during the fight scenes this week.

-  Getting back to an earlier point, surely we should get some info on Kara. Did she go evil on John's Earth?

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Holding The Wrench  definitely  delivered one hell of an episode. It's not the kind of episode I ever expected a Superman property to ever handle but it's also one of the best episodes from a Superman property and in a par with last week's episode. Elizabeth Tulloch was exceptional here.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The 24th Day (2004)

Written And Directed by Tony Piccirillo

Tom: "You know you are a perfect example of what is wrong with this world. No one will take a stand and say that it's me. I'm guilty, I did it. You fucked up. You lived by your own rules and not you have to pay for that."

Dan: "Because I met you at a bar and came back with you, I deserve this?"

Tom: "You came home with me twice."

Dan: "And that makes me some kind of monster? And by the way if you remember correctly you invited me back here. God damn it, you set me up."

Tom: "You always have to play like you're the innocent one."

A one night stand can always come back to haunt and in this movie, it's exactly this that has our two leading characters at odds with one another in this intense two hander of sorts. There are a few other characters but they're not really of note here.

Anyways, the usually very safe Dan (James Marsden) meets the rather intense Tom (Scott Speedman) at a bar and soon leaves his friend Isabella to go back to Tom's place. Instead of getting more familiar with one another, Tom takes an overzealous interest in Dan's sexual history and its not long before Dan realises that this isn't the first time he's encountered Tom.

Five years before the two of them shared a drunken one night stand. Tom reveals that he's HIV Positive and assuming that Dan is responsible for his misfortune, he winds up keeping Dan prisoner in his depressing apartment for the majority of the movie while getting a test to prove whether or not Dan himself has HIV.

It's a tense back and forth between Dan and Tom as the two of them get to know each other while playing on the others own weaknesses. While Tom is a bit too quick to criticise Dan's troubles with telling the truth about his sex life, Dan similarly has no problem in tearing apart Tom's own issues with his sexuality.

Through flashbacks and various conversations we learn that Tom had a wife who died and that he blames Dan and himself for her death. Throughout the movie, Tom does seem incapable of assuming any kind of personal responsibility, even going as far as to threaten to kill Dan  if the latter comes back with HIV.

As the movie winds down, both men do not come out the better for it. Dan finds out that he is actually HIV Positive and Tom seems to have gained no satisfaction in being proven right about Dan. Both James Marsden and Scott Speedman  are excellent throughout the movie. 

- The movie is based on a play by Tony Piccirillo who wrote and directed this adaptation.

- Sofia Vergara played the role of Dan's friend, Isabella. She only gets about two scenes in the whole movie.

- Standout music: Matthew Ryan provides the songs Sweetie, Nails and Trouble Doll while Tegan and Sara provide the song Don't Confess.

- Chronology: This movie came out in 2004 but it had a very late 1990s feel to it.

The 24th Day definitely is an intense power play of a movie with both Dan and Tom not being entirely sympathetic characters. They are believable and both Marsden and Speedman excel in their respective roles.

Rating: 8 out of 10

DCEU News: Batgirl Gets Directors, Green Lantern Casting and Netflix Vertigo Show News

Heading into the last day of the month, here's some of the latest DC news that we got during the month.

Batgirl has bagged itself directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys For Life) to helm the movie for HBO Max from a script by Christina Hodson. No release date confirmed for the movie yet.

Blue Beetle is also in pre production, according to the director. Casting will likely be announced in the next few months.

Ta-Nehisi Coates Superman reboot will be casting a black actor in the role of Kal El. Regina King is one of several rumoured directors for the movie.

Aquaman 2 will start filming in July in the UK. Jason Momoa co-wrote the script for the movie.

HBO Max have announced a brand new animated series called Batman: Caped Crusader. The series will be produced by JJ Abrams, Bruce Timm and Matt Reeves.

They'll also be doing My Adventures With Superman with Jack Quaid voicing the title role. The show has gotten a two season order.

Sam Richardson has been cast in a role for the third season of Harley Quinn.

Mark Strong has confirmed he will not be reprising his role of Dr Sivana for Shazam!: Fury Of The Gods.

The Sandman has added Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine, the ancestor of John Constantine. Also joining the Netflix series are Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Patton Oswalt, Joely Richardson and many more.

Sweet Tooth will premiere on Netflix from June 4th. Robert Downey Jr is one of the executive producers for the series.

Titans third season will now premiere in August on HBO Max.

Injustice will be getting an animated movie.

Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine have been cast as Guy Gardner and Alan Scott for the upcoming Green Lantern series on HBO Max. Filming will begin later in the year.

Batwoman and Legends Of Tomorrow will air on Wednesdays when they return in the autumn. The Flash will kick off a five episode arc with other heroes while Superman And Lois will return for its second season in 2022.

The CW have picked up Naomi for a series but passed on Painkiller.

Freddie Stroma has replaced Chris Conrad for the role of Vigilante in Peacemaker. The show will finish filming in July for a January 2022 premiere on HBO Max.

Meanwhile on June 8th and tying in with Pride Month 🌈 , there's DCPride, an anthology featuring several LGBT characters such as Batwoman, Midnighter, Apollo, Extrano, The Flash of Earth 11, Aquawoman, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn. John Constantine, Extrano, Pied Piper, Aqualad, The Question, Alan Scott, Obsidian, Crush and Dreamer. There will also be interviews with Matt Ryan, Nicole Maines, Javicia Leslie, Matt Bomer and Nafessa Williams. 

That's it for this month and Happy Pride everyone!!!!🌈🌈🌈🌈

My Review of Cruella (2021)

Written by Dana Fox And Tony McNamara And Aline Brian McKenna And Kelly Marcel And Steve Zissis

Directed by Craig Gillespie

Cruella: "How does the saying go? I am woman. Hear me roar."

Of all the classic Disney villains to try and retool as a charming antihero type, Cruella De Vil would've been the last one I'd ever consider to do this with. Even Once Upon A Time didn't dare to attempt such a thing but this punk era movie decided to give the most evil of Disney villains a modern makeover.

We open with a younger version of Cruella being given away by her birth mother, only to be adopted by a maid named Catherine (Emily Beecham). Named Estella, our unlikely antihero grows up in a loving home but struggles to fit in with her peers at school.

Still though she has an adorable dog named Buddy and when her adopted mother tragically dies, Estella finds herself an orphan before forging a new family with Jasper and Horace and their adorable pooch Wink.

Jumping into a decade later, the grown up Estella (Emma Stone) along with Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) are getting by as petty thieves but things take a more ambitious turn when Estella finds herself getting hired by the fearsome Baroness (Emma Thompson) to work at her fashion.

It's here where Estella soon realised there's a connection to the Baroness and Catherine and a mysterious necklace holds the key to Estella's true legacy. The Baroness's unhinged behaviour towards everyone in sight also reawakens a dark side in Estella.

Simply put, Estella adopts the persona of Cruella and along with the help of Jasper, Horace, shop owner Artie (John McCrea) and journalist Anita Darling (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Cruella doesn't waste time in upstaging the Baroness at every turn and in gloriously camp ways.

In a lot of ways the Baroness feels more like the classic Cruella than Estella herself, though the latter definitely has her dark moments here. While Estella harms no animals in this movie, she definitely had no problem stealing the Baroness's Dalmatians and letting the latter believe they had become a coat.

The reveal of the Baroness being Estella's biological mother however won't shock anyone. It's heavily telegraphed throughout the movie but it works and every scene that both Stone and Thompson share delights in so many ways.

Somewhat more surprising though was the heel turn of the Baroness's henchman, John (Mark Strong) whose switching of sides helped Estella bring about the downfall of her mother as well as the proper rebirth of Cruella De Vil. Cruella's here to stay but will this be a bad thing for the canine population? Only time will tell.

- The mid credit scene had Cruella gifting both Anita and former lawyer Roger (Kayvan Novak) with two Dalmatians that she named Perdita and Pongo.

- Artie is the first prominent gay character in a live action Disney movie, though his sexuality is briefly alluded to. There were hints that Jasper has feelings for Cruella as well.

- Standout music: Florence And The Machine's Cruella De Vil and Doris Day's Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

- Chronology: Mostly set in the 1970s and this movie had fun with it's setting.

Cruella might have changed the infamous baddie more than expected but don't expect all sweetness and light either, she's still bad though. Emma Stone has managed to equal Glenn Close (a producer on this movie too) as the legendary villain and with plenty set up to explore in a sequel, one can hope Disney give a second helping.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 1x07: "Man Of Steel"

 

Written by Jai Jamison

Directed by David Ramsey

John Henry Irons: "You see, Kal-El, you're not the Man of Steel, I am."

Well, I definitely didn't see that coming. I was more than fine with Wole Parks playing a Lex Luthor from a different Earth but having him as Steel, aka John Henry Irons was a very nice surprise.

We've known since the second episode this guy wasn't a villain and as we've learned that he was married to Lois on his own world, we also now know that he has a daughter named Nat that he's promised to return home to.

Wole Parks definitely gave the performance of the episode as he sort of came clean to Lois while at the same time trying to kill Superman. The latter bit didn't work out so well due to Jonathan and Jordan and now John is in the DOD's custody, pondering what to do next.

The sequences to John's world, littered with multiple evil Supermen causing destruction was epically done, especially when Lois herself became a victim of one of them. I assume there's the danger one of those Supermen will make his way to our Earth as well. I can see them doing that instead of making our Clark even.

As for the actual villain of the season, Morgan Edge has hired Lana so that she unknowingly will help him get more potential Subjekts and Leslie had fun in keeping Superman, Lois and John distracted as well for good measure.

Then there was the plot with Jordan trying to control his super hearing, which led to some conflict between him and Jonathan before the pair were able to save Superman. I really hope the show isn't planning a love triangle between the Kent boys and Sarah but it looks like they might be.

- Chrissy was back this week as Kyle was absent. I thought Morgan was gonna recommend him as a Subjekt, though he still might.

- Nat is usually the niece of Steel in the comics and other media but here she's his and Lois's daughter.

- Brilliant directing from David Ramsey, who will also appear later in the season as Diggle.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Man Of Steel without a doubt is the best episode we have gotten so far. Brilliant character moments, wonderful flashbacks, plenty of high drama. This show just keeps on getting better and better.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 6x04: "Bay Of Squids"

 

Written by Phil Klemmer

Directed by Sudz Sutherland

Ava: "You think it was a bad idea letting Rory run on point?"

Nate: "Eh, we've had messier missions."

I guess when the effort has been made, Mick can actually scrub up. He can even take over the efforts to find Sara and somewhat almost cause World War Three while also finding his unique way to fix everything.

This was a chance for Dominic Purcell to do something and he did well as Mick led the team into the Cuban Missile Crisis and our reduced Legends split into three to tackle the mission itself.

Mick and Spooner who I think work extremely well together were the ones who inadvertantly gave Fidel Castro a nuclear device but the latter did not interact with them.

Instead Fidel's scenes were with Behrad who passed himself off as Che Guevara's cousin Jay and indulged in some marijuana candy and a sing song. Behrad partially succeeded in mellowing out Castro while Ava stole an alien from an operating room.

The alien in question turned out to be Kayla and when Mick booted everyone off the Waverider, a new team was formed in the ongoing quest to get Sara back while the remaining Legends figured they go and live with Constantine and Astra for a bit. Yeah. I can see John enjoying all that extra company.

As for Nate and Zari, their mission was to keep JFK and the overzealous General Kilgore from attacking Cuba as well. Some football analogies helped with that side of things along with a much needed conversation between Nate and Zari on the latter looking like his former girlfriend. I still think Zari works better with Nate than Constantine to be honest.

- Sara, Gary, Constantine and Astra were all absent from this one and Behrad was forgotten about a few times as well.

- It was a little hard not to notice the flirty vibes between Mick and Kayla at the end of this episode.

- Standout music: Behrad's little Peace Time song was actually decent.

- Chronology: 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis for this episode.

Bay Of Squids might have had a cast shortage but it was a pretty entertaining romp that worked well with it's pairings to boot. Saying that, how much longer will Sara be separated from her team?

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 1x06: "Broken Trust"

 

Written by Katie Aldrin

Directed by Sudz Sutherland

Clark (to Jordan): "When I first showed up in Metropolis as Superman, there was a lot of talk about what the world should do with someone who had powers like mine."

It's been a somewhat long two months since this show took its first break and while the first of Supergirl's final season was entertaining, I am glad this show has returned.

The main plot with Jordan and his power struggles really boiled over but less with the Tag storyline and more with his refusal to confide in Clark over having lack of control and old demons resurfacing during a football game in Metropolis.

This got made even worse when Jonathan suffered the consequences of trying to defend Jordan while Clark had it out with the latter about them not being so different. Then the episode ended on an appropriate cliffhanger as Jordan completely lost control and Clark had to bring him to the Fortress of Solitude.

Speaking of losing control, this was the first time in the season that we got see even Superman come close to losing it when the DOD went on the attack with Tag and had no problem using Kryptonite bullets as well.

Much as he pulls off all of Superman's lighter qualities, it's good to know that Tyler Hoechlin can also pull off the darker side when needed as well. I also liked that despite Tag attacking Jordan and taking Sarah, Clark was willing to try and help him.

As for Lois, I have to admit I loved her scenes with Lex or should we say Marcus and the two of them made for quite a team. It didn't take long for Marcus to show Lois the X-Kryptonite in the mines that Morgan Edge was using.

It also didn't take long for Leslie Larr to try and fail to kill Lois and her new friend and neither did it take Lois long to realise that Marcus was lying to her or to tell Clark about the X-Kryptonite. I like how things are moving at a strong pace with this show.

- Kyle was visibly annoyed when Edge have Lana a job and not him. It also didn't take Lana long to help Lois without telling Kyle either.

- Sam did very little other than to be a straight up pain in the backside to Superman and unsympathetic to Tag.

- No Chrissy Beppo this week but the Lois/Lex worked too well for it to matter.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off. Clark also told Jordan he's been Superman for twenty years.

Broken Trust was a strong returning episode for this show and it seems that the quality from the first five episode was still intact with this one. I'm impressed with how quickly certain things moved along too.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 6x03: "The Ex-Factor"

 

Written by Grainne Godfrey And Tyron B. Carter

Directed by David A. Geddes

Zari: "That's right, Dragon Girl is here to claim Da Throne."

I suppose it was a matter of time that this show would tackle the reality singing competition and going all a little Masked Singer was this oddball episode.

When Zari's ex S'More Money winds up hosting a show named Da Throne, it puts him in the unfortunate position of being killed by alien/robot hunter called Lord Knox.

The Legends go back in time to prevent the death, use the rules of Da Throne to combat Knox in a non lethal way while Zari and Constantine's relationship gets put to the test.

I said back in the premiere this relationship would work if it was more of a casual thing but it seems the writers really want to make them into a sweeping romance and I wish they wouldn't. I can't deny the actors have chemistry but it feels so forced that I can't get behind the pairing at all.

Even the show winning duet and declaration of love to the other Legends didn't win me over.  I don't want to spend the season complaining about it but it's definitely not something I'm rooting for either.

As for the rest of the Legends, Mick was largely in a funk with Sara still being missing while Ava and Spooner continue to build a nice friendship. As for Knox, they were a fun guest baddie that came to a bad ending courtesy of Mick's foot.

As for Sara and Gary - I did not expect the planet of Ava clones but it's about time that season big bad Bishop (Raffi Barsoumian) finally appeared and the episode ended with Sara meeting him in his own lair. Now let's see how effective a villain he'll be.

- Keeping with cast members working with real life partners, Raffi Barsoumian is actually Tala Ashe's husband.

- No Astra again this week but we did get Zari and Behrad's mother. Zari should probably fire her assistant though.

- Standout music: I guess Zari and Constantine's version of The Buzzcocks Ever Fallen In Love. 

- Chronology: 2045 Hollywood for this episode.

The Ex Factor definitely brought the reminder of a certain ITV show that's not been around for a while. It was an entertaining take on the genre, but now it's time to up the ante with the alien story.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Our Father's Eyes

It's been a while but here's a look at some of the stuff I've been watching over the last few weeks.

Batwoman: We're two thirds into this show's second season and things have gotten fairly interesting. Black Mask while not perfect has been a better baddie than Safiyah and the twisted reintroduction of Kate Kane now played by Wallis Day feels like something out of Gotham - in the best way possible. Alice is always a blast, I liked the girls night episode with Ryan, Sophie and Mary, Stephanie Brown's inclusion was nice, especially for her scenes with Luke. Right now Jacob's snakebite addiction is the only weak link  this season.

Schitt's Creek: It's taken seven months but I finally finished this wonderful series and this last season was so much fun, I didn't want it to end but alas, it's over.  The last episode with David and Patrick's wedding was a good one to end with along with Johnny and Moira leaving for pastures new and even Alexis going on a journey of personal growth in this last season. Then there's Stevie being the best ever, Roland proving that he does have Johnny's back when it counted, Twyla being secretly rich, Ted and Alexis breaking up, fun snarky comments from Ronnie, Jocelyn almost taking on a new career and a brief reappearance from Jake. I'm so glad I saw this show all the way through.

Supergirl: There's no denying that Melissa Benoist's maternity leave definitely put the writers in a position where they needed to be their most creative in terms of Kara's reduced screen time. The Midvale two parter had fun with younger versions of Kara, Alex and Cat while putting Nia and Brainy at the forefront and for the better too. I'm glad the Phantom Zone plot has been resolved as the gang managed to rescue both Kara and her father and I can't wait to see what mischief Nyxly will get up to now that she's also in National City.

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier: If you were worried that Sam was never going to become Captain America, then the last two episodes were not only a treat but you've got a movie on the horizon to see even more of Sam in his new role. This series was excellent from start to finish, not just with Sam and Bucky's respective journeys but also for characters like John Walker, Sharon Carter, Zemo and Karli. That's two Disney+ shows the MCU have knocked out of the park. 

The Flash: I'll be honest - I'm finding this season something of a slog to get through. The main plot with the forces isn't that particular gripping and even things like Cisco and Chester time travelling and the whole Killer Frost trial hasn't landed as well as they should've. Although I did like the actor playing Speedforce Nora, overall the second half of the season needs to give Barry a more gripping antagonist to work with.

• Fox have cancelled Prodigal Son after two seasons.
• Carlos Valdes and Tom Cavanagh will be leaving The Flash this season.
• The CW will now air new programming on Saturdays next season.
• Grey's Anatomy has been renewed for an eighteenth season.
• The reunion special of Friends will stream on HBO Max from May 27th.
• Netflix has renewed Bridgerton for a third and fourth season while the second season is currently filming.
• Netflix have also cancelled The Irregulars after one season.
• Loki will stream Wednesdays on Disney+ from June 9th.
• Zachary Quinto and Billy Porter will play a married couple in an upcoming Disney+ series.
• UK viewers wil be able to watch the second season of Love Victor from June 18th on Disney+.

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 6x02: "Meat: The Legends"

 

Written by Matthew Maala And Morgan Faust

Directed by Rachel Talalay

Spooner: "You can still find your girlfriend."

Ava: "I know we will."

Spooner: "And I just didn't shoot enough of them."

If this episode feels familiar to you, it's probably because you have seen both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Torchwood tackle something similar in their runs.

The idea wasn't a classic back then and it's not really one either in this episode but instead of alien meat driving people crazy, it's a housewife and a supply of alien goo that she's giving her husband for a burger restaurant.

It's where the gang wind up this week in Ava's efforts to get Spooner to use her abilities in tracking Sara and while Spooner is a little too gun happy at times, the adventure was a nice way to let her know there's nothing in her and to bond with Ava.

I did like Spooner being critical of Ava's leadership skills while also having a nice rapport with Constantine. Ava didn't quite embrace Spooner's desire to destroy more aliens but they did work well together in taking out the moth looking alien this week.

Meanwhile Nate, Zari and Behrad found themselves on burger duties and while Nate and his shorts gained a set of admirers, the episode also managed to resolve the issue as to which Tarazi sibling should be wielding the air totem. The answer was both and it took original Zari to resolve that issue. I'm really glad we're still getting to see her on the show.

As for Sara and Gary, they crash landed on a mysterious planet, followed a dog, encountered Amelia Earhart, only for her to turn out to be an alien. Sara also got poisoned and Gary went into wedding planner mode before the two got some unwanted company by the end of this one.

- This episode was basically an origin story for Big Belly Burger, which was unexpected.

- Mick just randomly disappeared halfway through the episode and Astra was a no show.

- Spooner's arc also seems to factor in her mother while Gary was traded to Kayla by his family. 

- Chronology: October 10th 1955 in San Bernardino.

Meat: The Legends ain't no classic episode but it's oddly more fun than expected and certainly had its gory enough moments to boot. Spooner is slowly becoming a good addition to the show but I do hope they don't prolong Sara and Gary being separated from the group for too long.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Pet Sematary (2019)

 

Written by Matt Greenberg And Jeff Buhler

Directed by Kevin Loach And Dennis Widmyer

Jud: "Sometimes dead is better."

Confession time: I've not seen the 1989 adaptation of this particular Stephen King tale so I can't in all honesty say whether the 2019 version is better or worse. I can however give an honest perspective on this version nonetheless.

Story is mostly the same, albeit with some cultural changes. A doctor named Louis (Jason Clarke) and his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) move from Boston to Maine with their children and it's not long before they realise that strange things happen in their new town.

When the daughter Ellie (Jete Laurence) wanders around the pet sematary and encounters the rather odd Jud (John Lithgow), it's soon revealed that the dead don't stay that way and come back a lot different than when they left.

Elie learns this when her cat returns and has become so feral her father has no choice but to get rid of it. The cat then reappears during Ellie's birthday party and tragedy then strikes for the family when Ellie is killed.

Of course learning nothing from the cat, Ellie is brought back to life by her grieving father and then turns on him and her mother before killing poor Jud.

The ending is an unsatisfactory cliffhanger but the lead performances are fairly strong with the movie looking very chilling and atmospheric, especially during the night scenes. Also that cat was more menacing than Ellie herself.

- There's a sly reference to Cujo at one point in the movie by Jud.

- I still find it a bit odd that Ellie called her cat Church after Winston Churchill but it's amusing when you realise that John Lithgow played him in The Crown.

- The Easter release of this movie was timely considering its resurrection theme.

- Chronology: I assume 2019 as to when the movie came out.  

Pet Sematary is probably not the strongest adaptation of a Stephen King work but it's charming nonetheless. The cast are solid as is the direction and atmosphere in general and overall that works for me.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 6x01: "Ground Control To Sara Lance"

 

Written by James Eagan And Mark Bruner

Directed by Kevin Mock

Sara (to Gary): "We didn't make it."

It's been eleven months since we've last seen this chaotic crew and the previous season ended with Sara getting abducted by aliens. Yes, we've gotten to that point in the show where aliens are now on the menu.

On top of that, there's also the reveal Gary himself is an alien and that along with his fiancée Kayla was sent to abduct the best of warriors, including Sara. I guess, it somewhat explains a lot about Gary.

While the Legends are also aware of Gary's secret, they're also desperate to get Sara back and soon find themselves recruiting former alien abducted Spooner Cruz (Lisseth Chavez) to the cause and I have to admit, I'm mixed on the character though already it seems like she will form a bond with Behrad.

While Ava and Nate made up the leaders in Sara's absence and Mick remained unhopeful, Constantine tried and failed to track Gary to get to Sara while Zari and Astra provided their own support to John who admitted to being out of his depth regarding anything alien.

I have to admit that despite Matt Ryan and Tala Ashe having really good chemistry, I'm not keen on the Constantine and Zari pairing and even less so when Astra made the juice cleanse comment. Keep them as a fling, it might be fun but a full blown romance we could do without.

Speaking of romance, it seemed that Sara was going to propose to Ava before being snatched and no doubt when the pair do reunite, we're gonna get that wedding. We still have another fourteen episodes to go but I say we'll get the nuptials before then.

- New title sequence features Gary, Behrad, Astra and Spooner.

- Keeping with the episode's title we saw David Bowie (Thomas Nicholson) while Kayla had Spartacus for lunch. Ava and Nate also found the DEO destroyed.

- The episode was in memory of Scott Carroll.

- Chronology: London 1977 and present day as well.

Ground Control To Sara Lance is a strong enough opening episode. While I'm surprised it's taken the show this long to actually tackle aliens, it'll be interesting to see them pull the idea off. I'm also hoping Sara and Gary are reunited with the Legends fairly soon.

Rating: 7 out of 10

DCEU News: Flash/Black Adam Begin Filming, DCFanDome Returns

A slightly slower month compared to the last two but at the same time, there's some interesting developments in the DC Universe.

The Flash (November 4th 2022) after years of development hell has finally began filming in the UK and while no further casting has been revealed yet, director Andy Muschietti has revealed the logo for the upcoming movie with Ezra Miller in the title role.

Zack Snyder's Justice League will be available to buy physically from May 24th and it was recently revealed that Wayne T. Carr had been cast as John Stewart but his scene was removed.

Lucy Liu has been cast as the villain Kalypso for Shazam!: Fury Of The Gods (June 2nd 2023). She will be the sister of Helen Mirren's Hespera and Rachel Zegler's unnamed character. Filming will start in May. 

Pilou Asbaek has been cast in an undisclosed role for Aquaman 2 (December 16th 2022) as the sequel will start filming in the UK during the summer.

Both Mo Amer and Uli Latukefu has been cast in undisclosed roles for Black Adam (July 29th 2022). The film has now began production.

DCFanDome will return on October 16th, so expect a lot of reveals for both upcoming movies and streaming shows.

Michael B. Jordan has mentioned working on a draft for the Static Shock movie. 

Legends Of Tomorrow, which returns for a sixth season on the CW from May 2nd will see Dominic Purcell exit the series as Mick Rory. The 15 episode season will also see the Waverider crew tackle aliens, singing competitions, animated antics, their own take on Baby Yoda and a solo adventure for John Constantine. Former cast member Maisie Richardson-Sellers will direct the penultimate episode of the season while Caity Lotz will direct the fifth episode and David Ramsay episode seven. Jes McCallan will also direct an episode this season.

Stargirl's second season will air on the CW from August 10th while the second half of Supergirl's sixth and final season will air from August 24th.

Titans has cast Vincent Kartheiser as Scarecrow and Sharon Ferguson  as Luand'r, the mother of Starfire and Blackfire. McKinley Freeman will play Justin Cole and Cole Young has been cast as a teenage version of Jason Todd.

Doom Patrol's third season has cast Ty Tennant and Sebastian Croft as the Dead Boy Detectives while the Sisterhood Of Dada will also factor into the new season.

Last but not least, a happy 36th birthday to our Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot and here's hoping we get some information on her third solo outing as the heroic Amazon later in the year.

Some interesting stuff to mull over there. 

My Review of Nomadland (2020)

 

Written And Directed by Chloe Zhao 

Fern: "I'm not homeless, I'm houseless. Not the same thing, right?"

It's been hyped for a while and with director Chloe Zhao winning Oscars for this movie, I decided it was time to finally see what the fuss was about.

Based on a book by Jessica Bruder, Nomadland has Frances McDormand's Fern on something of a personal journey. A vandweller who following her husband's death and town's collapse took to the open road in her RV to live a less restrictive life.

Throughout the movie we see Fern interact with fellow vandwellers while learning a bit more about the culture itself as even Fern has to learn lessons in self sufficiency and the logistics of changing a flat tyre along with seasonal work at a certain company to make some money along the way.

There are even hints of a potential relationship when Fern strikes a bond with a fellow vandweller named Dave (David Strathairn) as the two form a lovely connection but ultimately they're two different people on very different paths.

Needless to say, Frances McDormand has always been an extremely talented actor and she certainly excels here. Fern isn't always likeable in the movie but she's an engaging protagonist with believable motivations. While the vandweller lifestyle wouldn't be for me, this movie does make a convincing argument for it nonetheless.

- The movie has fictionalised versions of real life vandwellers such as Bob Wells, Charlene Swankie and Linda May.
- Frances McDormand and David Strathairn were the only actors in this movie as everyone else were real life nomads.

-  Standout music: Rose Garden by Lyn Anderson.

- Chronology: I'm assuming 2020 and Empire in Nevada is a real place that was owned by the US Gypsum.

Nomadland certainly is a triumph for director Chloe Zhao as she provides a brilliant adaptation to Bruder's book along with a fantastic central performance from McDormand. Some beautiful scenery as well and this is a superb watch.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Murder On The Orient Express (2017)

Written by Michael Green

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Poirot: "Ladies and gentlemen. I have understood in this case that the scales of justice cannot always be evenly weighed and I must learn for once to live with the imbalance. There are no killers here, only people who deserve a chance to heal. The police have accepted my first solution to the crime, the lone assassin who made his escape. I will leave the train here to conclude formalities. You are all free to go. May you find your peace with this. May we all."

It's not the first time we've had an adaptation to this particular classic from Agatha Christie but this is a big screen version that will truly live beyond it's release back in 2017.

Kenneth Brannagh has been making a name for himself as a director, especially with cutting his teeth into being the first to bring Thor to the big screen back in 2011 for the MCU and now with this adaptation of the popular novel from Christie as well.

Not only content with directing this wintery murder mystery but Branagh also cast himself in the role as Hercule Poirot and while David Suchet will remain the iconic version of that particular fictional sleuth, there's no denying that Branagh also brings a steely charm to the role as well in this outing.

Aided by likeable playboy Bouc (Tom Bateman), the duo wind up on the titular train and soon enough a murder has taken place when notorious gangster Edward Ratchett (Johnny Depp) is found murdered and everyone turns out to be a suspect.

The suspects being Ratchett's secretary Hector MacQueen (Josh Gad), his valet Edward Henry Masterman (Derek Jacobi), Spanish nurse Pilar Estravados (Penelope Cruz), conductor Pierre Michel (Marwan Kenzari), Princess Natalia Dragomiroff (Judi Dench), Dr. Arbuthnot (Leslie Odom Jr), his lover Mary Debenham (Daisy Ridley), maid Hildegarde Schmidt (Olivia Colman), Cyrus Bethman Hardman (Willem Dafoe) and Linda Arden (Michelle Pfeiffer) to name but a few.

It's an interesting game of cat and mouse as Poirot and Bouc go through each of the suspects, slowly breaking down their innermost secrets and character motivations before the big reveal that they all bandied together in order to dispose of an evil man.

It's a stunning moment in the movie when Poirot is genuinely shocked by the confessions with all of them having a sympathetic reason to kill Ratchett. It's Pfeiffer's Arden who suffered the most and it's her who gives the most compelling performance outside of Branagh himself.

It also ends the movie on a sombre note with Poirot unable to pin the murder on a single person but instead allowing the suspects to live with the magnitude of their own actions. However justified those actions happened to be in the circumstances.

- Some of the characters were changed to add more diversity to the film. Pilar is a character from another Poirot story.

- There's a Christopher Nolan cameo in the movie. He plays a waiter during a brief scene. 

- Standout music: Michelle Pfeiffer provides a nice version of Never Forget during the closing credits.

- The movie ends on a teaser for Death On The Nile, which will be released in February 2022. 

Murder On The Orient Express is a triumph for Branagh. A classy adaptation of a classic novel, given a reasonably modern update while maintaining the essence of what has come before. I can't wait to see his next Poirot movie.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Life Is A Caberet

I'm using a new tablet to write this so bear with me, lol but here goes.

Batwoman: Things have certainly taken an interesting turn now that we know Kate Kane is alive and that Black Mask and Enigma currently have her prisoner. Already it's a step up from the underwhelming plot with Safiyah that's currently on pause while Alice broods over her lost sister, Ryan cemented herself as Batwoman and Sophie finally questions the way of the Crows.

Schitts Creek: Five seasons down and with one more to go, I'm glad I got into this series. The fifth season had fun with Moira doing a certain horror franchise as well as the soap convention circuit, while David and Patrick got engaged, Alexis was willing to to the Galapagos with Ted, Stevie took on an iconic acting gig as well as a brief romance with Amir while Johnny had fun with a roast at Roland's expense.

Supergirl: With the CW doing the bare minimum in terms of promotion and as a consequence of Superman And Lois having to take an early break, the final season of the Girl of Steel opened on a decent note. Lena is back in the fold with the main team, Lex has been rendered mortal again and Kara herself has wound up in the Phantom Zone but at least this last season is off to a good enough start.

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier: Following the success of their previous MCU effort, it seems that Disney+ are on a roll with another hit here. Three episodes in and this show has reunited Bucky and Sam as a right Odd Couple, added a new Captain America with John Walker, shown the duality of the Flag Smashers along with welcomed returns of Sharon Carter and Zemo along with a new potential mainstay in Torres. The action sequences have been impressive along with the chemistry of the leads.

The Flash: With the Mirror Monarch story dealt with, Iris out of the Mirrorverse, it actually feels like the season has actually started properly. Both Abra Kadabra and Psych were good guest baddies, Barry and Iris dealing with their traumas handled well, along with both Caitlin and Frost being split in half with the latter gaining a new threat of her own. It's still not the show at its best but does feel like an improvement over last season.

• American Gods has been cancelled after three seasons, though Starz are considering a movie to wrap up potential loose ends.
• Annie Murphy has joined the second season of Russian Doll.
• The Right Stuff has been cancelled by Disney+.
• Rege Jean Page will not be returning for the second season of Bridgerton.
• Nicholas Podany and Donald Faison have joined the cast of Powerpuff Girls.
• Young Sheldon has been renewed for an extra three seasons.
• Daniel Zovatto and Lori Petty will star in upcoming HBO Max series Station Eleven.
• Dan Stevens has joined Starz series Gaslit.
• Law And Order: Organized Crime has added Nicky Torchia, Michael Rivera and Ibrahim Renno to the cast.
• Rose McIver will star in the US version of Ghosts which will air on CBS.

DCEU News: Castings for The Flash, Zatanna Movie In The Works And More

It's that time of month and with DC, there's some interesting developments on the horizon.

The Flash: It's been confirmed that Kiersey Clemons will reprise her role as Iris West while Ron Livingston will replace Billy Crudup as Henry Allen. Meanwhile Maribel Verdu will play Nora Allen, Ian Loh a younger Barry Allen while Saoirse Monica-Jackson and Rudy Mancuso have been cast in undisclosed roles. Filming will begin next month in the UK with a November 4th 2022 release date in mind.

Emerald Fennell will also be penning the upcoming Zatanna movie which will be produced by JJ Abrams and linked to the upcoming HBO Max projects involving Constantine and Justice League Dark. The movie will also get a theatrical release.

Static Shock movie will be written by Randy McKinnon and produced by Michael B. Jordan and Reginald Hudlin.

An Hourman movie is also in development with a script co-written by Gavin James and Neil Widener.

Black Adam will now be released on July 29th 2022 and Pierce Brosnan has been cast as Doctor Fate. Filming begins in May in Atlanta.

Shazam!: Fury Of The Gods has cast Helen Mirren as Hespera, who will be the main villain for the movie. Filming begins in May with a June 2nd 2023 release scheduled.

The trailer for The Suicide Squad, due for release in theatres and on HBO Max from August 6th 2021 confirmed that Starro as the main villain and Sylvester Stallone as the voice of King Shark. Spin off series, Peacemaker has also gotten an early second season renewal, although it's first is currently filming and won't debut on HBO Max until January 2022.

Following the release of Zack Snyder's Justice League, Warner Media CEO Ann Sarnoff has confirmed there are no plans to work with the director on any other upcoming DC projects and has also confirmed there are no plans to release the David Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad. Needless to say, this has not gone down well with certain fans. Oh well.

Wallis Day has been cast as an altered version of Kate Kane for the second half of Batwoman's second season. Whether she remains beyond an initial arc remains to be seen.

Jordan Fisher as been cast as Bart Allen for the seventh season of The Flash. However in this version, he will be the son of Barry and Iris and will debut in the 150th episode.

Kaci Walfall has been cast as Naomi for the upcoming CW series. There's also rumours of a Ghostmaker series in the works as well.

So, we've got some interesting times ahead in the DC Universe.

My Review of Superman And Lois 1x05: "The Best Of Smallville"

 

Written by Nadria Tucker And Brent Fletcher

Directed by Rachel Talalay

Captain Luthor: "One thing I know for sure about this world. Wherever Lois Lane goes, Superman follows."

I knew we had to get to the point where Captain Luthor would have to start hiding in plain sight and with this fifth episode, he made his presence known to Lois by posing as a fellow reporter and former employee of Lex Luthor.

Of course Lois seemed skeptical of her new friend August wanting to help her expose Morgan Edge but gave him her number nonetheless. Then we found out that on Captain Luthor's world, he was actually married to Lois and needless to say, he's pretty miffed when learning that she's married to Superman on this one.

It's a nice reveal and further adds to the intense hatred that this Luthor has for Superman while at the sane time, he came close again to taking out his love rival when the latter was battling an erratically powered up Derek Powell this week.

The Derek Powell returning with an unstable power set was exactly what we got with Tag last week but unlike the latter, Derek combusted here, but only after Chrissy was able to uncover Derek's link to Leslie Larr and Morgan Edge. It begs the question - is Leslie a full blooded Kryptonian because she doesn't seem to be experiencing any power problems so far?

As for Tag, I did assume we'd see him later on in the season and not at the last scene where he beat Jordan to a pulp. Other than that, Jordan was having the better week as his friendship with Sarah was blossoming while Jonathan took being dumped by his girlfriend badly and made a fool out of himself at the Harvest Festival.

The Harvest Family was the community element of the episode and it gave Clark a nice chance to reflect on his own teenage angst and dealing with Jonathan's rebellion this week. I also thought it was a lovely gesture of the town through Lana to have a bench for Martha Kent outside the Smallville Gazette. I still wish Martha was actually alive but this was a nice way to factor her into this week's adventure.

- It's not me. Kyle is clearly suffering from kind of depression and I get the feeling his story is going to tale a very dark turn as the series progresses.

-  I loved the flashbacks with Clark and Martha a year after Jonathan's death but I wish we had seen the younger Lana and Kyle as well.

- No General Sam Lane or Morgan Edge this week, though the latter did donate money for the fire that destroyed many items.

- Chronology: It's Fall time in Smallville.

The Best Of Smallville certainly delivered with that connection between Captain Luthor and Lois, had great town spirit scenes, excellent flashbacks and a strong cliff hanger with Jordan and Tag. It's going to be a long eight weeks until the show returns.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - SPOILERS INCLUDED

 

Written by Chris Terrio And Zack Snyder And Will Beall

Directed by Zack Snyder

Batman (re Steppenwolf): "I don't care how many demons he's fought in how many hells. He's never fought us together. Not us united."

This movie has created a lot of division over the years. For years, many were sceptical of it's existence, then sceptical of it ever getting a release but now that it's finally here, courtesy of HBO Max,  two questions need to be asked. Was it worth it and just how different is it to the 2017 theatrical version that was released instead?

The answer to the first question is a resounding yes. This definitely was worth the wait and the release is more than justified. As for the second question, well the core mechanics are the same here. Both Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) recruit Aquaman (Jason Momoa), the Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher), form a certain group, revive Superman (Henry Cavill) and try to stop Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) from joining the Mother Boxes in order to take over the world for his tyrant of a nephew, also known as Darkseid (Ray Porter). Some beats are very familiar but a lot are different.

Steppenwolf in particular is better served by this movie. He's actually far more menacing and brutal in his ongoing mission to atone for a previous slight he had done to Darkseid while chief torturer DeSaad (Peter Guiness) seems to take a bit too much pleasure in the conflict between nephew and uncle. Steppenwolf's fight scenes alone with the League look better, his defeat is far more humiliating and while Darkseid only appears in a handful of scenes, he's an excellent looming threat for the newly formed Justice League. Add a tantalising history lesson featuring various groups working together, including one Green Lantern, the Anti Life Equation set up and a CGI Granny Goodness and everything related to Apokolips is promising.

Then there's our heroes themselves. The best for me was of course the Flash and if you had doubts about whether Ezra Miller can carry a solo movie, this will put you at ease. Again he's trying to help his father, Henry Allen (Billy Crudup) get out of prison but he also has a brief encounter with future love interest, Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) and his humour feels more organic here. Not to mention his powers are showcased in one of my favourite scenes in the whole movie.

Then there's Cyborg. A lot of fans felt he was short changed in the theatrical movie and after seeing this movie, I definitely get why. A lot of his emotional scenes were needlessly cut and watching the heart breaking losses he suffers with losing both Elinore (Karen Bryson) and Silas Stone (Joe Morton) does make you realise how fantastic this character can be. The idea of Cyborg as a digital god is too interesting not to run with and it's a pity that we might not see more of him in the DCEU. I do hope something can be sorted behind the scenes.

Wonder Woman on the other hand is also someone better served here than in the theatrical version as well. Here we get to see a certain robbery play out far differently while her stance on reviving Superman is vastly different as well. She's also the one to deliver the killer blow to Steppenwolf and there's a poignant scene where she mourns the loss of her sisters. For those who prefer the warrior aspect of the character, this movie has you covered.

As for the Batman segment of the movie, it's also strong stuff. For me, this is easily Ben Affleck's best performance in the role and it's great seeing this Batman step up throughout the entire movie in order to connect with his new friends and take out Steppenwolf with them. As for the big hero cameo, it's none other than Martian Manhunter (Harry Lennix) and he's here to warn that Darkseid is on the way and that he'll be there to help. I think most would've already guessed the cameo before watching this but it's a great way to end the movie. Alfred (Jeremy Irons) also gets some nice moments to shine here too.

As for Superman - well, I'm glad he's back, but it takes a long time within the movie in order to get him back in the game. A certain fight scene is played somewhat differently but there are some beautiful and emotional moments between the newly revived Kryptonian as well as with Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane), the use of the Black Suit and a nice second flight scene. I do have one other question: is Lois pregnant? Will an upcoming movie shed any light on that?

Arguably the weakest of the main hero stuff would be the Aquaman bits. There's nothing inherently bad, except for Amber Heard's diabolical take on a British accent for Mera but it's more that his scenes somewhat contradict the continuity to Arthur's own movie. Vulko (Willem Dafoe) doesn't really add much to proceedings either but it's a minor quibble though.

I do imagine that the highlight for a lot of people watching this movie would be the infamous Knightmare sequence and I gotta admit, as someone who didn't particularly care for Jared Leto's Joker, he does an excellent job when forced to team with a few certain survivors in Bruce's dream. There's also a better written version of the boat scene between Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) to enjoy here as well.

- The movie is dedicated to Autumn Snyder, who passed away during production of this movie. Zack Snyder talks about the fan campaign for AFSP at the start of the movie.

- For those who might find a four hour movie hard to sit through, breaking it into six chapters and an epilogue was a smart move.

- Ryan Choi (Ryan Zheng) taking over STAR Labs should set him up for a return in another upcoming movie.

- A physical release is due in summer for those who don't get to see it on streaming as well as black and white version later in the year.

- Standout music: Junkie XL's score was exceptional along with a stunning version of Hallelujah by Allison Crowe at the end credits.

- Chronology: Several months since the events of Batman V. Superman.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is a triumph. Yes, I had my doubts but I was genuinely surprised with how incredible this movie really is. Every main hero gets their moment to shine, Steppenwolf is a better realised baddie with Darkseid nicely set up for hopefully a future outing. Tonally, it hits all the right spots in all the right places. This is far superior to the theatrical version and while I don't know if Snyder's vision can be continued in the DCEU going forward, there's a lot to admire here.

Rating: 9 out of 10