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By now, you’ve likely read the reviews or at least seen the headlines that BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is a huge disappointment. Some of the main criticisms are that it isn’t cohesive, it’s too long yet doesn’t give enough time to important details, it doesn’t fix any of the problems inherent in MAN OF STEEL, and that the DC Universe is off to a terrible start. I’ll admit, some of these complaints are completely justified, but I had fun and I think that’s all that really matters. I wasn’t bored during a single part of the two and a half hour movie. The action was great, the characters were fun, and the story was interesting. That doesn’t mean the action was necessary, the characters had motivation, and the story made sense, it was simply entertaining.

Several months ago, people were anticipating this movie and criticizing it for things they knew nothing about. The casting was a huge part of that. Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor? Ben Affleck as Batman? Jeremy Irons as Alfred? Okay that one makes sense. And then we saw the trailer. You know what trailer I’m talking about. The one that basically spoiled the entire third act. Well, it’s true.

If you’re set on not seeing this movie or you don’t have the time, watch this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fis-9Zqu2Ro).

Jesse Eisenberg was a strange choice that I’m not sure totally paid off. He was okay, but not great. Ben Affleck on the other hand was the best part of the movie. I didn’t think Christian Bale could be surpassed, but Affleck may be my new favorite Batman. He’s older and much more ruthless than we’ve seen before, and he’s also more psychotic. It makes sense that this guy would dress up as a bat and hurt bad guys. In regards to the trailer… still watch the movie. If you haven’t seen that trailer already, consider yourself lucky. Many of the most exciting parts of the film are spoiled in that marketing travesty, and I can only imagine how much fun it would have been to experience those things for the first time in the theater. But, there’s more to the movie than just that. There were a lot of moments that surprised me and had me on the edge of my seat.

Honestly, I don’t understand why people are so upset about the movie. It’s fine if you don’t like it, but people actually feel offended. They think the characters are being treated poorly or that the filmmakers think their audience is dumb. I don’t think these things are true. It’s not a perfect movie and maybe DC will never catch up to Marvel, but they have a good start. I think this movie did a lot to correct the wrongs that we saw in Man of Steel. I think the subsequent DC movies and The Justice League will continue to expand the Universe and improve the story. I had fun watching this movie. I like seeing superheroes beat each other up. I’m not there to see the next Oscar winner or to walk away with a new view on humanity. Batman and Superman fight. That’s awesome. If that’s something you want to see, go see this movie. If you can’t form opinions of your own, there are hundreds of reviews on the web to tell you what you should think about Zack Snyder and the DC Universe.   Movies are meant to be fun and that’s all this movie is.

4 out of 5 Stars

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE – Dir. Zack Snyder

Starring: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg, Gal Gadot

Run Time: 2 hours 33 minutes

SUICIDE SQUAD is the newest installment of Warner Bros.’ DC Cinematic Universe and if you haven’t already noticed, people aren’t loving it. This news comes as a shock to few, yet a disappointment to many as the DCU continues to plunder in the eyes of critics and fans alike (though not the box office). Well, this reviewer is here to tell you… that I feel the same as the majority of others. Simply put, Suicide Squad is fun, but filled with problems that will ultimately leave a bad taste in your mouth.

This movie started off on a strong foot. The introduction of our “heroes” was very well done and instantly got me excited to see what kind of crazy adventures they would get into. Right off the bat, it was clear that Harley Quinn and Deadshot (played by Margot Robbie and Will Smith, respectively) would lead with an abundance of charisma and a plethora of fun. They did, alongside a terrific cast of interesting characters. Even the secondary bad guys were developed in a clever way and each had their moment to shine. Everyone was on their A-game and no one lagged behind. That’s the main reason why this movie felt like such a disappointment to me. I wanted to see these characters interact in bizarre circumstances. I wanted them to have fun, I wanted to have fun! What I ended up having was a struggle to stay interested through a 2 hour comic book movie that I was looking forward to enjoying.

Part of the problem was that they spent too much time developing a backstory (and showing flashbacks) for Harley and The Joker. Some amount of explaining is crucial, but it was done is a tasteless way. The flashbacks were weak, weird, and uninteresting, while harming the pacing of the overall story. There were several moments in the film that were highly intense only to be overthrown by a boring love scene between the clown couple. They were just of place and who ever made that decision really affected the overall product in a very negative way. On top of that, no other character got nearly the same amount of story as those two. Deadshot came in a distant second, while Killer Croc was barely explained at all! It was have been much more interesting to see the characters grow on screen, rather than shoe-horning a lame memory of why they are who they are.

This brings me to my second complaint: The Joker. Now, this is all a matter of preference, but this reviewer couldn’t help but think that Jared Leto’s performance was only a hint better than an impressive cosplay. It’s difficult to follow some of the greatest actors in the same role and I’m not saying the character has to be reinvented every time someone new takes it on, I just feel like this interpretation was the weakest we’ve seen since 1966. Again, let me stress that this is my opinion and it may very well be completely contradictory to your own. But this Joker was too self-aware and on the nose for my liking. It pulled me out of the film every time he was on screen.

My third and final complaint is that the whole objective of the movie was not incredibly unique. This rings back to the lost potential of Suicide Squad. They spend the entire second act trying to take out one bad guy (with an army of literally faceless slaves) and it just didn’t interest me. The emotional punches didn’t really land, because every time something serious happened, someone would follow up with unoriginal joke. And there was a side story that really detracted from the main one, but also gave a sometimes-needed break, so I can’t really fault anything on that.

But the things I did like include; Will Smith and Margot Robbie (as stated above), everyone else except for The Joker (as stated above), the implications that something greater is coming in the DCU, Batman’s cameo (stick around for a mid-credit scene), David Ayer’s direction, and the music. This movie is very much worth watching, just because it’s going to be polarizing. Batman V Superman was polarizing and I liked that one. People are going to love this as well. Buy a ticket and make up your own mind. If you’ve already seen it, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

2.5 out of 5 Stars

SUICIDE SQUAD – Dir. David Ayer

Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto

Runtime: 2h 3m

This was a brilliantly made movie.
Before I get ahead of myself and compliment the whole, entire female led movie for being so great, I would first like to mention that I think that the people behind Wonder Woman were borrowing a few ideas from the current Marvel movies.
We all know the formula for a Marvel movie, throw in some fun characters, have some good fight scenes, funny moments,  character development and BAM, you have a hit! I’m not saying this is a bad formula as it has been proven to work, but, if you thought this would be a heavy serious brooding movie, like a few of the other DC movies, you’d be wrong.
Now onto the praising.
This movie starts off with great main characters, Steve and Diane, played by Chris Pine and Gal Gadot, who respectively play off each other brilliantly. They look out for each other as they go and are a really good pair. Gal Godot plays Wonder Woman “Wonderfully” (Please forgive me for that)! She plays a shining light in an otherwise grey world, not to mention that she kicks some major …butt. I mean seriously, she is basically a one woman army. While talking about kicking butt, the fight scenes were extremely well done. It didn’t even seem far fetched when this beautiful woman would jump through a wall or defeat a room full of Germans without batting an eyelash.

My final point…

This is 2017, there is a beautiful woman acting in a movie in a skimpy outfit. Obviously you will think the movie is over sexualised to please a male audience. And you would be very wrong. While there is no doubt that Gal Gadot is extremely attractive, this movie does not play on that to keep you interested. You find yourself rooting for this amazing character not because of what she is wearing, but because she is just that, an amazing character.
Now, if you are “wondering” (I really need to stop doing that), why I only gave this great film a 4.5 after that shining review, its because almost nothing can be a 5/5. The movie was great and I’d watch it again, but it can still be improved in certain areas. Should you go see it? Defiantly!