Reviews

As a fan of both Henry Cavill and Guy Ritchie, I was thrilled to find an early access showing of this movie at a nearby theater.

Ungentlemanly Warfare looked to be a good time, and indeed it is! It's a neat story and they made the telling of it fun. Thankfully it isn't goofy. It's not nonstop jokes, but it has a good sense of humor and I heard a good bit of chuckling in the theater throughout the movie, much of it coming from myself.

You can tell Cavill had fun with this role. He shows off some range as his character is very different from the brooding muscle man that many people associate him with. It was delightful watching him do comedy. I haven't seen much of Alan Ritchson's work, but it was easy to see why he has such a growing fanbase. He's the muscle in this movie and proves to be a great action star. The whole cast is great and they give us a lot of fun characters.

Action-comedies seem to be Guy Ritchie's specialty. He maintains a good balance of action and comedy and works so well with large casts as he lets every character feel like they matter to the story.

If you want to see an empire fall, keep making potentially epic movies like Godzilla x Kong into silly drivel.

As a big fan of 2014's Godzilla, I'm quite disappointed with this latest MonsterVerse installment. I'm angry at the direction they went with this movie. It's gone the way of too many franchises such as Fast & Furious and Transformers where the filmmakers have stopped taking it seriously. I'd rather they just not make the movie than make a joke out of it. It's such a trivial, forgettable, cheesy experience. The New Empire has the tone and style of a kids movie. The characters are silly and shallow, the sets look cheap, the CGI is mediocre, and most of the humor falls well below the intellectual level of an adult. It can't even be called good escapism because so much about it is unconvincing.

If nothing else, this should have been visually thrilling. Rather, the monster fight sequences look like something on the level of those corny Power Rangers shows I watched growing up. It's so chaotic and looks so fake! The directer clearly had no idea what people want to see from such a movie. I remember watching 2014's Godzilla and getting goosebumps as they so expertly portrayed the power and scale of Godzilla. Not once during The New Empire did I think, "These creatures look awesome!" I wanted to feel overwhelmed by their presence, but the filmmakers paid no mind to that. They might as well have been human sized creatures fighting each other.

It terms of story, they tried to do way to much. It got to the point where it felt like they were throwing something new in every 5 minutes. This is definitely an example of quantity over quality. Even if the runtime were as long as Peter Jackson's King Kong from 2005, it wouldn't have been long enough to make all of this work.

One of the biggest crimes this movie commits, is it makes Godzilla an unnecessary character. I love Godzilla, but here he's a side character who's only in the movie to get more viewers to the theater. The New Empire would have been much better if it cut out all the other kaiju and focused on Kong and the primary ape villain who ends up getting a much smaller role than expected.

I'm someone who has a soft spot for family-friendly adventure/fantasy films, and I couldn't even get with this movie. While most of it is watchable, the ridiculousness of the last act completely turned me off.

What happens when you give an expert filmmaker like Denis Villeneuve a massive movie budget and a massive amount of talent to work with? You get a massive, powerful movie. I left the theater thinking, "I just saw the movie of the year."

I was aware of the hype going in, but did not expect to personally give Dune: Part 2 a 10/10, but it reminded me of the full potential of cinema. There are many movies that entertain me, but this one was more than simple entertainment... it was an experience. It's not often a movie gives me goosebumps, and I got them multiple times throughout this movie.

I thought to myself while watching, "This is what top-notch movie making looks like." I also thought, "This has got to be the most expensive movie ever made." It's visually out of this world. In a time where streaming movies at home is the most popular way to see a movie, Dune: Part 2 is another reminder of just how special seeing a movie in theater can be. The cinematography and sound alone make this a movie that must be seen in the biggest theater possible.

It's hard to believe without seeing it, but Dune: Part 2 will be counted among the best sequels ever made, best sci-fi films ever made, best literature adaptations ever made, and perhaps best films overall ever made.

Road House is a lot of fun! It's a self-aware tropical Western. It's clever, it's funny, and the action is exciting.

The choreography of the fight sequences is so good. Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor show off some impressive physiques and cool UFC fight moves. You can tell they're both having fun, and the viewer can't help but also have fun.

I love the setting of the story. It's very immersive and the beachy vibe suits the tone of the movie. I don't watch UFC fighting, but I imagine this movie is a similar thing in that it's not about technicalities or depth, it's about entertainment and having a good time. And in my eyes, they achieved with Road House what they set out to do.

If I wanted to get nitpicky, I could complain that at times the dialogue isn't the best, or that not everyone's acting is on point, but there's more than plenty to make up for that. There are a lot of fun and likable characters that create some delightfully humorous interactions with the protagonist. And as usual, Jake Gyllenhaal poured 110% into this role. I love that his passion for his craft is always so evident.

To put it plainly, I dig dragons. Damsel's dragon may be the coolest movie dragon l've seen since Smaug. If it wasn't for the ending which I felt was a little cheesy and heavy-handed, I would say they completely knocked it out of the park with this Netflix film. The rest of the movie is good fun. I love a good adventure/fantasy flick and this one delivers most of what I was looking for.

Unlike with most adventure/fantasy films, Damsel is contained to a relatively small space and it has a relatively simple plot, and it's refreshing, exciting, and suspenseful at times. It's a beautiful movie to look at. I'm talking landscapes, costumes, colors, the creativity with the lighting, and the overall picture quality make this movie eye candy. It reminded me a little of 2008's Journey to the Center of the Earth in how imaginative it gets visually.

The design of the dragon is splendidly ferocious. Her voice and dialogue contribute to her menacing presence. Millie Bobby Brown exudes confidence and determination and gives us a character we can put confidence in.

I like that this is a grittier film than it could have been. No unnecessary humor. It takes itself seriously and gives us some good PG-13 violence and dragon action!

Madame Web is like a fast food meal that isn't up to standard, but it's edible enough to eat. I remember watching Morbius and not seeing cause for all the hate it had received. With Madame Web, I get it, but I still think people are being too harsh on it.

Perhaps it's because they are frustrated that it's not the movie it was presented as. It can hardly be considered a superhero movie. Or maybe it's that people can't look past the bad within the movie to enjoy what's actually pretty entertaining if one has the right mindset. The beginning is rough. I started worrying that the whole movie might be this pitiful. But it gets better. I would describe the movie has having good moments, bad moments, and a lot of okay moments.

The four leading ladies are the highlight. Watching them interact is fun and they even got some laughs out of me. Each of the girls has a unique personality that makes them interesting. Oddly enough, the best acting in the movie comes from an unexpected small role for Emma Roberts. It felt like she was on another level compared to everyone else, though Adam Scott is also a great addition.

The glaring fault of this film is its villain. What a major misstep. I'm not sure what was going on with his voice. It didn't sound like it was coming from him. It sounded like he had been dubbed. He would move about but his voice wouldn't move with him. He was not an intimidating presence, nor was he an interesting character.

I feel like if they had gotten the villain right, it would have fixed 70% of what was wrong with this movie. The other 30% consists of some bad dialogue and the fact that this is a superhero origin film that fails to be a superhero origin film. I could get mad about the deception and direction of this movie, but I never felt like getting up and walking out of the theater. But the level of quality we see from this movie isn't setting up Sony for a successful future for their Spider-Man universe. There's some sloppy, cheap, and made-for-streaming filmmaking on display here.

Now that we've been introduced to the characters, a sequel could be a lot of fun, if (mild spoiler alert) they give these girls their spider superpowers. I would go see that.

I enjoyed the first Code 8, and I was looking forward to getting more, but instead we get less. Less superpowers, less world building, less character work, less story, and it's all around less compelling. 5 years between the two movies, and they still didn't have a story worth telling.

This Code 8 sequel feels like a copy of too many other movies I've seen. Its biggest crime is that nothing about it is very interesting or entertaining. Some movies have a great idea that is executed poorly. This movie lets down right out of the gate with a poor idea. I'm having trouble thinking of a movie with characters more forgettable than this one. I could say that about the whole movie in general. In fact, as I write this, I can already sense the movie fading away in my mind.

They could have at least amped up the usage of superpowers to create exciting and visually cool action sequences. It's strange that a movie about people with superpowers does so little with superpowers. It's like making a movie about surfers but not showing much actual surfing. It could still work I guess, if it gets us invested in what's going on with the characters, but in this case, I simply didn't care. Everyone lacks personality and there's no chemistry between anyone.

I enjoy watching the Amell cousins working together. Fans of CW shows (Arrow, The Flash, The Tomorrow People) are likely already fans of Robbie and Stephen and therefore should like what this Netflix film has to offer. It creates a small but interesting universe where some individuals have special abilities.

I love superpower themed shows and movies, but Code 8 is more of a crime/drugs/gangster thriller with some superpowers thrown in to create the scenario. The movie works. It throws in some heartfelt moments. There's some suspenseful action sequences. It felt kind of felt like watching a season of a really good CW TV show and I left satisfied and excited for season two (aka, Code 8: Part 2).

We have a rare case here of me liking a movie more the second time I watched it. I admit I wasn't a huge fan of it after the first watch. I felt it was slow. After a second viewing, I still think it's slow, I'm just not holding that against it anymore. I could appreciate the slowness this time. There's a lot of world-building to do and I found it interesting this time. I have no knowledge of anything Dune-related outside of this one movie, and I believe this also hurt my first time viewing experience. There's a lot to grab onto and I processed it better this time.

I'm happy that I'm excited for part 2, but I'd like for it to give us a little more action than part 1, and I feel that it will. Desert landscapes aren't my favorite, but I still thought it was a beautiful movie to look at. The cast here is great, but I can't say the characters are the strongest aspect of the movie. It's this Dune world and the whole scenario that makes this movie so interesting.

It requires some patience and focus, and perhaps even a second viewing, but it's a cool movie. Sci-fi fans should especially enjoy what this offers. 8/10 may be a little generous, but I feel when paired with the sequel (that I'm assuming is fantastic), it can be considered great as a unified experience.

Lift is a familiar feeling heist film. I feel like l've seen its type quite a few times, but I always tend to find myself having a good time. This movie is likable and easy to watch. People who simply desire a safe bet for some evening entertainment should find themselves satisfied. It's what I would call a typical mid-grade Netflix film: Not great, not bad, but well-made enough to be good.

I find Kevin Hart to be funny, but I had a feeling going in that this wasn't one of those type of movies. I was actually looking forward to seeing Hart playing a different kind of character than I'm used to seeing. Don't get me wrong, his character, as well as the movie in general, has a sense of humor. There are some jokes, but this isn't a comedy and this isn't Kevin Hart being a comedian. Rather, his character is a kind, thoughtful, and caring thief. There are some definite Fast and Furious vibes here. He's the Dominic Toretto character and his team is very much like family to him. Thankfully, this is more like Fast & Furious when it was a bit more grounded.

The cast is great and the characters each have something about them that makes them cool. While the movie will likely blur in my mind with other similar movies over time, it hits the target it was aiming at and I enjoyed it.

I'm writing this as a fan of the first film.

Meg 2 makes the first Meg movie look like a work of sophisticated, cinematic genius. There's such a thing as dumb fun, but Meg 2 is just plain dumb. The first half of the movie is unrealistic, yet watchable and even exciting at times.

As for the latter half of the film... well, they just stopped trying. As the film turned into the Sci-Fi Channel cheese-fest I expected the first film to be, I lost interest. I hung in there to the ending that never felt like it would come.

I suppose the writers and director thought all the comedy would make up for the sheer ridiculousness of it all, but it would have had to be a lot funnier than it actually was. Silly doesn't mean funny. The only bright spot of all the madness is Jing Wu. He seemed like he was genuinely having so much fun. His fun, likable character somewhat saved the moments he was on screen. As for everyone else, let's just say I don't think this movie was good for anyone's acting career.

Directer Ben Wheatley should be embarrassed. The sheer laziness and sloppiness on display is agitating. If it were a Sharknado sequel, then it would have delivered on expectations, but people expected more out of this sequel.

If you turn off your brain, and pretend the protagonist is immortal, and inherently lucky... actually, just pretend he's Wolverine. That's the only way to make any sense of this movie. You also have to accept it as a total comedy. A matter of fact, fans of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad should love this movie. It's a dumb, over-the-top, excessively violent comedy that entertains through its sheer absurdity and visual appeal. I have to say, I did like it much more than The Suicide Squad.

The story is more likable, but that's not saying much. I'm disappointed that things did not pan out as expected from the first few moments of the movie. I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeous and vast Finnish landscapes. The picture quality is top notch and I was feeling the cinematography in general. The music and visuals set a tone that seemed to promise a gritty, serious movie along the lines of "Rambo" and Mads Mikkelsen's "Arctic." It's a gradual descent into the realm of ridiculousness from there. By the end of the movie, it's obvious it's a full on joke as it reveals its true identity to us. That's not what I wanted from the movie, but I still found it to be interesting. But dang this could have really been something great.

Jorma Tommila does an awesome job acting with mere facial expressions. I kept being reminded of Mads Mikkelsen's character and performance from "Arctic." I want to see more of this guy. Aside from good acting and offering a lot to look at, this really is a dumb movie unfortunately. But I can see why it has its fans. I can't give it more than a 4.5/10, but it's the most likable 4.5/10 movie l've ever seen.

This is another case of people getting a different movie than they were likely expecting. Based on the trailer, it was seemingly going to be a serious, intense, battle action heavy historical epic. What it's more of is a biographical, period piece dramedy. Normally such a bait-and-switch trick would greatly agitate me, but instead of getting mad about what it wasn't, I decided to be opened-minded and see if it was any good for what it was. And I'll say it's not a bad movie (If I were French I might would say otherwise). And to answer a question asked in a superior Ridley Scott film; Yes, I was entertained.

I was not expecting to laugh as much as I did. It's not the kind of comedy that uses jokes to be funny. Rather it incorporates a good bit of awkward situation and cringe humor. This movie is very much about the strange and turbulent romance between Napoleon and his wife Josephine. It's not exactly a sweet romance, but it works for them in a kind of messed up way. Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby are real stars and hold our attention with their performances.

This movie has changed my mental image of Napoleon. He is portrayed here as the most unimpressively impressive historical figure I can think of. He's legendary on the battlefield, but weak, petty and insecure almost everywhere else. This movie has stirred up my curiosity to the point that I'll be doing some historical reading later. That's always a good sign when a historical movie makes you want to go and learn more about the people and events of the movie. In this way, it teaches me history, and makes it easier for me to forgive it for its historical inaccuracies.

Now, I don't want to lead anyone to believe that there are no satisfying action sequences in the movie. Just know that, when compared to the trailer, which mostly consists of footage of battle sequences, these scenes feel few and far between in this long movie that covers a lot of years of Napoleon's life. But, these battle scenes are indeed excellent and grand. As I implied already, these are the only times during the movie that show us there is anything special about this guy. There is plenty here to enjoy, but will it be enough to satisfy those thinking this was going to be Ridley Scott giving us something along the lines of Gladiator? Likely not.

Too slow, too simple, and too uninteresting. The Killer is a misfire in the entertainment department. I kept checking to see how much time was left. To use a music term; there's no dynamics. It's a very monotone experience. It's starts slow and keeps that exact pace throughout its entirety, with the exception of one exciting fight scene.

Michael Fassbender is a fine actor but this role doesn't allow him to do much acting. It's as monotone as the movie itself. He hardly speaks, except for the occasional narration from his thoughts. Are the thoughts of this paranoid, emotionless, OCD assassin interesting? Sometimes. But mostly we just watch him moving about and scoping out places.

In the end, I can say this movie exists, and it seems like that's all it wanted to do... just exist... nothing more, nothing less. It's like an escalator; it takes you from one spot to another while you casually people watch and check your phone to see what time it is.

There's a lot of bad shark movies out there, but this isn't one of them. The Meg is a fun popcorn flick that I enjoyed quite a bit. It's not trying to win any awards or be the next shark classic like Jaws. Rather, it's offering up a good time of entertainment with some impressive visuals. There's plenty of action and thrills and even a little horror and comedy. The Megalodon sharks look great and gave me some shivers. Those who already have a fear of sharks should find this to be a nail-biting experience at times. It's nice to see such a SYFY channel concept get the big budget Hollywood treatment. Even if the characters and dialogue aren't the best, the actors are good and the solid special effects make it fun to watch. If you go in expecting a typical Jason Statham action/ thriller, you should be pleased to find that it's slightly better.

This reimagining of the exciting 1994 white water rafting crime/thriller of the same name, seemed to arrive out of nowhere. It's not a movie I think anyone expected to be "remade." It's strange that it released right at the 29th anniversary of the original. It perhaps would have made more sense to release it a year later on the 30th anniversary. Regardless, when I saw it pop up on Netflix, I hardly hesitated to jump in. I'm a big fan of the original, and I knew it would be ridiculous to expect this movie to be as good as that one. I was hopeful for an entertaining enough experience, but was prepared for a complete cheesefest. Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised by how much this movie worked. Everything about it, from the cast to the action sequences to the story itself, is smaller scale than the 1994 film, yet I was put on edge. It'a got great tension!

Sure, there's at least a couple of moments where it's unrealistic and the characters are frustratingly dumb, but if you allow yourself to look past that, it's not hard to get pulled into the current of this story for an entertaining ride. Remakes get a bad rap, and I'm sure there will be those who express their opinion that this remake was unnecessary, but I think it hit the mark it was aiming at. I can't complain about it too much because I literally stated at the end of my review for the original film, that we needed some new white water rafting thrillers made, and here we've got one! I would have preferred an original movie over a remake, but this movie is very different from the other, so it works as its own thing. A matter of fact, don't try to compare the two movies when watching this one. Just enjoy it for what it is. It's a nice and short little thriller that's nothing special, but it's surprisingly easy to watch.

How does one even begin to rate a movie like Sound of Freedom? It's a tough one for me as I have mixed feelings about it. For what it's trying to do, it's a 10/10, but based on how effectively it does so through its storytelling, it's like a 7.5/10. Making this movie had to be exhausting. The topic at hand is heavy and heartbreaking to say the least. One of my biggest complaints is that it's a PG-13 movie about a story that is far from PG-13. There are movies such as Wind River and Prisoners that take us to dark and difficult places, and they really capture the seriousness and the heaviness of their themes and situations. Sound of Freedom holds back and lacks a consistent tone. By no means am I saying there needed to be more explicit content. I'm just thinking of movies such as Schindler's List and faith-based film End of the Spear, both of which capture the right tone, hold it throughout, and tell compelling and moving stories that hit hard.

I understand the restraint of Sound of Freedom, but I'm afraid it weakened the impact. People should be walking out of theaters completely broken by the reality of child sex trafficking. It's an abominable, despicable, disgusting, and tragic reality. I was expecting a dark movie that would shake me to my core, and while it has its moments, it lightens things up a little too much too often. I get it. This movie is about raising awareness, which means people need to see it, which means it had to be watered-down a lot or a lot of people wouldn't have been able to stomach sitting through it. I wouldn't label this a faith-based film, but it was definitely made with faith-based people in mind as it attempts to keep the tone from being too dark for them. In truth, the issue being dealt with in this movie is a kind of ugly that can't fully be shown to people, so it's a tricky thing showing enough of it that it leaves an impact, without going so far that no one would even watch the movie. It deserves some credit for navigating this difficult task and succeeding at getting people to see the movie.

Unfortunately, in order to make it easier to watch, Sound of Freedom focuses much more on the man attempting to rescue the children, than on the children who need rescuing. We see the effect that trafficking has on the rescuers, more than the effect it has on the children. The story of Tim Ballard is one worth telling, but Sound of Freedom was advertised as more than a story about an heroic individual. It was supposed to shine a light on the darkness of child sex trafficking in a way that stirs people into action. People need to be haunted by this movie, but I'm not so sure that will be the case. I wish this were a documentary instead of a movie. The movie gives us action and thrills and even some chuckles on occasion. I didn't want to be entertained like that, I wanted to see something that would pose a real threat to the child sex trafficking industry. I wanted a movie that would put fear in the hearts and minds of the evil people who are in the business.

I don't want it to sound like I believe this movie is a failure. It has hit the right note with lots of people. I've heard that many cried during this movie. I didn't, but it's because I was too angered and disgusted and bewildered that this is such a major lucrative business. The fact that the movie has people talking about this issue so much right now is fantastic.

Bonus Thoughts.

This movie had been finished for 5 years before it was finally released. Apparently Disney acquired it when they acquired 21st Century Fox, and then refused to release it and shelved it. My question is, why? I know there are professional critics and media outlets that are tearing the movie down because it was made by and appeals to right-wingers. This baffles me. It's a movie about the evil of child sex trafficking. It's about raising awareness. I don't care who made it! If you can't support it because it wasn't made by those of your own preferred political affiliation, then I would do some serious soul searching if I were you. Despite what some are claiming, this movie isn't succeeding because it appeals to QAnon conspiracy theorists. It's succeeding because people are rightfully sickened by the reality of child sex trafficking, and this movie is trying to make a difference. I quite like that on the 4th of July holiday, Sound of Freedom, the movie Disney wouldn't release, beat Disney blockbuster Indiana Jones for first place at the box office. I think it's safe to assume that this was an unpleasant surprise for Disney.

Some movies are easy to describe because there is either so much good about it, or so much bad. Unfortunately, Legion of Superheroes falls in the latter category.

It's one big uninspired experience. The story is riddled with cliches. It's painfully predictable. The storytelling is uninteresting. The dialogue is atrocious at times, sounding as if a 12 year old wrote much of it. The characters are annoying, silly and dumb. The action is dull. The romance is forced and unnecessary. There's inconsistencies everywhere. It's just plain lazy writing. I hated the villain. The conclusion is completely unsatisfying. It was ridiculous watching the most intelligent beings in the universe showing no more sense than a naive child. This version of Supergirl is grating on the nerves. I was fully supportive of Batman's idea to ban her from earth.

I hate that this isn't a standalone movie because I don't care at all about seeing most of these characters in later films.

"I believe that what Zack has done in Man of Steel will define Superman for our time." - Christopher Nolan

There is something about this movie that makes me emotional. Perhaps it's because it speaks to me on so many levels. For starters, growing up as a Superman fan, it's awesome seeing how this movie makes him come to life. It's beautiful and it's epic. I swear it never gets old watching Cavil's Superman take flight. One of my all time favorite scenes from any superhero movie will forever be when Clark first learns to fly. The visuals, the sounds, the boyish wonder and joy that Cavill displays... it's wonderful. Some moments look so good I kept rewinding to watch them again.

The movie as a whole looks huge and expensive. I would even say on such a scale as 2012's The Avengers. The battles are big and destructive and the display of power and super abilities is impressive. I like that Snyder kept it real and wasn't afraid to show that this fight had many civilian casualties. It brings a heaviness and seriousness to the whole situation, and really sets up the following Batman v Superman film.

It has the perfect tone for a superhero movie. It's not a silly superhero comedy that can't be taken seriously, it's not a dark drama like Joker that's hard to enjoy, and it's not a mindless action film like Black Adam. It's a mature action/ adventure with emotional depth and thrilling superhero action sequences. There's a great balance kept between the action and the storytelling sequences. I love how Snyder handled the flashbacks to Clark's upbringing and the scenes before Clark discovers his identity. It portrays a kind, good-hearted man just trying to find himself, and helping people along the way. The color, the mood, the music, and the content of these sequences make them feel unique and interesting. The artistic creativity is beautiful and no overdone.

There's a lot of heartwarming moments between Clark and his parents, who by the way, are excellently cast. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are fantastic in these roles. No, I don't love how they changed Jonathan Kent's cause of death, but I paid close attention to this character during this most recent watch, and I understand him better now. Knowing better what he feared and what was most important to him, his mindset and actions don't seem so unreasonable to me anymore. He's raising, to his knowledge, the only alien on the planet. Clark's identity being discovered would in reality, change the world, perhaps in a very harmful way. Kevin Costner plays this character in a way that reminded me a little of his Yellowstone character. He's a strong and thoughtful man with strong convictions and you can't help but admire him.

Everyone in this movie is so well cast. There isn't a single misstep. Amy Adams nails it as Lois Lane, and Henry Cavill is the ultimate Superman. Since the 1990s, we've had 5 men play this character, but it's like Cavill was born for this. The only other one who comes close to him is Christopher Reeves, who was the Superman of his time, just like Cavill is the Superman of our time. He doesn't just look the part, he embodies this character. Cavill displays raw emotion, grit, humility, quiet confidence, a sense of humor, and a strong sense of right and wrong.

It is an absolute waste that Man of Steel will likely be the only Superman solo film we ever get with this perfectly cast Superman.

With Hans Zimmer composing, Man of Steel unsurprisingly has one of the most beautiful and memorable superhero movie scores I've heard. There are dramatic scenes where the music fuels the emotion in such a powerful way, it reminded me of the 2010 masterpiece, Inception.

You can't fully appreciate Man of Steel if you miss the Christian symbolism. I was moved by the imagery of Jesus Christ. It really helped me wrap my head around people's different reactions to Superman. Jesus came to earth and was mostly rejected and hated as an outsider. People celebrated Him when they thought He was fighting their enemies for them, but not long after, those who saw Him as a threat killed Him. There's a scene in Man of Steel where Clark tells the Feds, "You're scared of me because you can't control me. You don't, and you never will, but that doesn't mean I'm your enemy." Superman wearing handcuffs during this scene is a stark image as he surrenders himself to mankind. They are only able to do to him what he allows them to do. Do you see the symbolism? In the scene where the symbolism is most obvious, Jar-El tells Kal that he can save Lois, and also that he can save everyone. Superman then proceeds to float away with his arms spread wide and his feet together in an obvious picture of the Savior on the cross. He's also 33 in this movie. Jesus was 33 when He was crucified. As someone of the faith myself, I thought all of this symbolism was beautiful and very creatively and expertly filmed and written into the story. Hollywood isn't always very kind or fair to people of the faith, so it's refreshing and moving to see such Christian symbolism in such a big movie.

Man of Steel is much more than a simple superhero movie. I think people struggle to understand why Zack Snyder has such a big fan base and why they fight for his vision for DC movies. Man of Steel is a perfect picture of why. He so thoughtfully and passionately poured so much depth and beauty into this movie. He handled it with such care. He deserved the chance to finish what he started.

To say it plainly, Wonder Woman 1984 is an epic failure. It's one of the biggest downgrades between a great first film and its sequel that I've seen. It feels like it was done by completely different people. Zack Snyder wasn't a writer for WW84 like he was for the first film, and perhaps that was the first mistake. My biggest complaint about the movie is that it doesn't feel like a superhero movie. It's like some strange combination of an adventure/drama/romance. It's got an over-the-top villain who gets his hands on an ancient artifact that grants wishes. I'm honestly surprised this script got approved because on paper, it couldn't have sounded like a good superhero movie idea. "Wonder Woman vs man who grants wishes."

Unfortunately, the actual movie is even dumber than the premise would have you believe. But after the success of the first Wonder Woman film, I'm sure there was a lot of trust in Patty Jenkins to deliver again. This wishing stone storyline also opened up the opportunity to bring Chris Pine back as Steve Trevor. I understand why they did it, I just dislike the strange way they did it. Chris Pine and his chemistry with Gal Gadot made that first film a lot of fun, but to have him posses and take over the life of another man seems out of character for both Trevor and Wonder Woman. Bringing him back also felt like a cheap attempt to get more viewers.

The movie is long and slow. The action sequences don't look anywhere near as good as in the first film. They lost all the style previously seen and are kind of cheesy this time around. The comedy went from charming in the first film, to plain silly in this one. All of the extras, and there's a lot of them seem determined to ruin every scene they're in. Their acting is atrocious. There is one excellent scene in this whole movie, and that's the final battle between Cheetah and Wonder Woman. Kristen Wiig does a fine job and this movie's failure can in no way be put on her.

I remember kind of hating this movie the first time I watched it. This time, I approached it with a more open mind, and while I didn't hate it the whole time, I still ended up hating it by the end. This is definitely a James Gunn movie. It's like Warner Bros handed him the project and said, "Here you go, have fun," and he did. It's the R-rated comic book movie he's likely always dreamt of making. It's packed full of dark humor and weirdness. The problem is, you've got to be able to stomach it to be able to enjoy it. It's excessively gory and gross, and it gets old after awhile. I found it distasteful, and also uninteresting.

The "humorous" dialogue is often crude and cringey. It was constantly bringing on the humor, but I wasn't laughing. It's all so silly.

Much like David Ayer's Suicide Squad, it gets worse as the action picks up in the latter half of the movie. Starro is such a dumb villain. I felt like I was watching a twisted live-action SpongeBob horror comedy. It looks like something out of the mind of a 12 year-old boy who grew up watching too many violent movies. I just wanted it to hurry up and be over. James Gunn is going to need to rein in that wild sense of humor of his as he leads the DCU into the future.

Birds of Prey is another unsavory and silly supervillain comedy. It's the worst of all the DCEU movies. It's a feminist suicide squad story that makes James Gunn's The Suicide Squad (another movie I hate) seem...slightly better. Of course all the male characters in this movie are creeps or idiots while all the women are portrayed as flawed but still awesome. Dozens of bad guys are nothing against 5 women that end up working together in the end. It's just really cheesy. If the people responsible for this movie think this is what doing right by women looks like, they need to be enlightened.

As a whole, Birds of Prey is uninspiring, amateurish, and all around poor in quality in about every facet. The story is uninteresting, the action is sloppy, the characters are awful, the acting is poor, and the humor is unfunny. Margot Robbie is a great Harley Quinn, but in her own movie, she gets tiresome. Her periodic narration feels derivative and unnecessary. When a movie is made for the sole purpose of being fun, but fails at actually being fun, it becomes a pointless movie. That's what we have here.

I was really excited for The Flash, and for good reason. It's been hyped up by critics saying things like, "The Flash is hands down one of the best superhero films of all time," The trailers also made it appear to be a big movie full of fun surprises as it ultimately resets the DC Universe in epic fashion. However, as I watched, it never actually felt like a big movie, the surprises aren't extremely fun, and the reset is in no way satisfying. It puts the final nail in the coffin of the DCEU while also damaging the hope for brighter days for the DCU.

In a recent interview, General Zod actor Michael Shannon said, "These multiverse movies are like somebody playing with action figures." That's exactly what The Flash feels like. Most of the characters and cameos are pointless. It was a whole lot of, "Oh look, it's such-and-such," and then they were gone. The movie relies way too heavily on nostalgia, which actually made the main storyline of The Flash feel smaller and less important. Multiverse storylines can be so fun when they're done right, but this is more of an example of how not to do it. The way they used actors and characters felt cheap, unnecessary. And unimaginative.

How you feel about Ezra Miller will really impact how you feel about the movie as he plays both of the main characters. That's a whole lot of Miller. Considering all the praise, I went in expecting to be won over, but I wasn't. I was more annoyed and unimpressed with the two characters. The Flash was a bright spot of Justice League, but even two of them were unable to carry their own movie. He was quirky and actually quite funny in Justice League, but the humor mostly falls flat and gets too samey here. You've got super immature Flash, and slightly less immature Flash. It was overkill. The theater was so quiet throughout a movie that tried too hard to be humorous. The dead silence after that completely stupid and pointless post credit scene was actually a little awkward.

Despite how it might sound, I didn't hate the whole movie. I was entertained to a degree, but I couldn't shake my feelings of disappointment at how things were going. The movie needed more Batman and Supergirl and a lot less Flash. Michael Keaton is a true star and makes you want more. His Batman performance may actually be my favorite live-action Batman performance. He was a lot less stiff than Affleck's and Bale's Batmans and was closer to what I've seen and loved from animated Batman movies.

Furthermore, Sasha Calle's Supergirl is a super interesting character. If you thought Cavill's Superman was brooding, Calle's Supergirl makes him seem giddy in comparison. But it works! Superman and Supergirl are such impressive characters to watch in action. I wanted more displays of Kryptonian awesomeness. As great as they are, Batman and Supergirl couldn't save this movie because their roles are ultimately too small.

Do yourself a favor and go watch Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. It's an animated version of this story that is SO much better. In fact, I've given it a 10/10 rating while the best I can do for this live-action Flash film is 5/10.

Extraction is an action thriller that delivers exactly what it promises: action and thrills. And thankfully, it has a good story to go with it. Even with so much of it, the action is exciting and so well-done that it never felt redundant. These sequences are violent, slick and show off some cool combat moves that will surely please action movie fans. The camera work is noticeably excellent. This is a movie that would have been great to watch on the big screen in a theater.

Chris Hemsworth does an excellent job. The guy has more range than he likely gets credit for. And he's not the only one putting up a solid performance here. I was impressed with Rudhraksh Jaiswal who played the kidnapped son of a drug lord. He not only gives us a likable performance, but a very convincing one. With the beautiful score, which sounds very reminiscent of Hans Zimmer's Inception score, we get a nice emotional tone to go with all the explosions and gun fights. Why can't more Netflix action thrillers be this good?

Extraction 2 is expectedly not as good as its predecessor, but it's still a solid action film. I appreciate that it knows what it is and only pauses the action long enough for us to catch our breath. It has some of the longest continual action sequences I've seen, and thankfully, it's all pretty fun to watch.

However, the story didn't have the emotional depth of the first Extraction. The person being extracted in that first film was a fantastic addition to the story. The extracted persons in this story are flat characters that only exist as an objective to be carried out. This makes the story much weaker than the first, as does the use of too many storytelling cliches that we're all too familiar with. The action saves the movie, but even then, watching the two Extraction movies back to back feels like an overindulgence in gun fights. It's not uncommon for me to watch two connected movies that are so samey, I'm left with no desire to see a third one. While these two Extraction movies are guilty of being too samey, they're good enough that I would happily watch a third one. Despite these weaknesses keeping me from calling it a great movie, I have no trouble saying it's a good one.

There's a lot to like here. The acting is great. Chris Hemsworth is at home with this type of role. The picture quality and cinematography is simply excellent. The camera movement and angles alone are a work of art. The movie isn't based on a video game, yet it's a better video game movie than actual video game movies. The way we walk through extended action sequences battling seemingly endless waves of attacking enemy soldiers, feels just like the campaign of many of the games I've played. I found it quite interesting. It sounds like there is indeed going to be a third movie, and I hope they figure out how to make the action not so similar to the first two movies, because I'll definitely be watching it.