Supergirl (2026)

"Celebrating" her 23rd birthday, but in reality, hiding from the universe by staying on a planet with a red sun and getting drunk, Kara, aka Supergirl, ends up having to travel across the universe to find the antidote to the poison that was injected into Krypto by a band of brigands. The brigands were in the process of stealing Kara's spaceship when Krypto tried to stop them. Traveling with Ruthye, the daughter of a sword maker killed by the brigands, she has three days to save her dog.

SUPERGIRL is not the mess that many internet pundits and supposed gate keepers have declared it. I am not going to lie and say its a perfect film, it is not, but I think the issue here is not so much the script as the fact that this feels like it was trimmed down from a longer better film. I say this because repeatedly there were times where I got the sense that something was left out. It's the sort of left out you get when you trim bits that add context not because the script was broken at the start. I believe this more because the sequences that feel whole and the construction of the story, especially in the inclusion of Lobo, feels right.

I want to say at the top that this not going to be a film that disappears, despite what the gatekeepers and misogynistic film bros may want to happen. I think that this film is going to grow in stature over time. Having had the film live rent free in my head since I saw it Saturday, I am of the opinion that it is much better than we all think. I think we will see this once we all step away from what we thought the film was going to be and take it for what it is- something greater and more important than the disposable reel of celluloid that the pundits and hateful film bros have labeled it.

But I'm getting a head of myself.

The day after SUPERGIRL opened I bought a ticket and took a ride. The theater was largely empty- owing to the fact that the film at 1030 am was in three or four other theaters at the multiplex. The audience was largely girls and their families. That was not what I expected but it made me smile. I honesdtly I expected an audience of male comics geeks, but they apparently all skipped my screening.

The opening sequence where the brigands come and kill Ruthye's family is really clunky. It's borderline bad  and I feared that the script was as bad as everyone seemed to be saying. Fortunately it was not.

From there the film shifts to Kara and the film picks up. 

Okay Milly Alcock-IS Supergirl. She kicks ass. Its a performance for the ages. It's one of the truly great superhero performances that just gets better and better as we get more shading as the film goes. Seriously she is one of the truly great broken but functioning characters I've seen in cinema, never mind superhero cinema. By the time we get her final encounter with Krem and the final scene you get this glorious (and Oscar worthy) emotional journey. There is no way Oscar will not notice it, but audiences will. The little kids who don't feel they belong and feel utterly crushed by life will notice it and they will embrace it and they will absolutely take it to heart and carry it with them as proof that they can go on. Cinema should not just reflect what is, or entertain, but it should give hope as much as possible. Alcock gives hope and I'm guessing millions of kids and adults will connect to that.

The misogynistic fan boys and those delighting in crushing the film should be wary since this film is very much an attack on them. The film is about an all-male society who kidnap and use women only for breeding being crushed by two women. It's a film about women standing up for themselves and making their world a better place. This is ultimately a film that was made for girls and outsiders who feel put down and put upon. This wasn't made for the self-important male film community. This film is a ultimately a female empowerment film that is closer to real than a film like Barbie- because Kara is closer to every person sitting in the theater and not a self-assured young woman who can't fail. Kara can and does and yet goes on. The failing and then getting up is what gives the film its resonance and power.

And before you yell at me about Lobo, yea Lobo is there. Yes, Jason Mamoa is great as Lobo, but he never outshines the ladies. Yes, Lobo is there. Yes, Lobo helps Kara and Ruthye, but he is never the focus, nor the only reason the ladies succeed. In the film Lobo is referred to as a god. He's really not that, but within the context of the film he is. Lobo is essential a deus ex machina- a machine of god. He comes in and nudges things. He helps when it suits him, he makes a suggestion to Ruthye about how to escape and then he leaves -and even then, she exceeds what he thought she would do. All of the work is done by the women. Lobo is little more than a necessary plot device.

I should say something about the violence- it's brutal and ugly- and while it isn't bloody it is graphic. People are impaled and broken apart. People die, badly. It is very much a PG-13 film. In its way it's disturbing. Actually, the violence and the evilness of the brigands are light years beyond almost any other superhero film, particularly a DC superhero film. 

I have heard a number of writers complain it's a bad shift from the world of last year's SUPERMAN. Well, the truth is it isn't that film, nor is it set on earth but on a meaner nastier and uglier place. It's not a reinvention of that world, or of the superhero genre, but simply a look at that world from a different perspective, perhaps from the shadows. This is not SUPERMAN and it is not trying to copy that film. You can't kick the film for not repeating what went before, especially since many who said that would have kicked it for repeating. (Think of it as Urasawa's Pluto compared to Tezuka's Astroboy)

Critics and audiences have to remember the films we see are not our films- but the work of artists and even when we critique them, we have to remember that we didn't make the films and they were never made to match our sensibility unless by happy accident.

That said the film does have problems....

The problem with the script is largely that there is a sense that something is missing. Yes, we have enough to carry the plot forward, however at the same time shading seems to be missing. I kept thinking I should know more, particularly about the brigands who are little more than standard, but incredibly evil, bad guys. And it's not that I need long exposition, rather I would have liked just some sort of odd line that added color rather than their entire being being summed up by their name- brigands. I mean we know more about the tech pirates who attack the space bus for one brief sequences than the brigands who are the big bads for a two hour film.

On the other hand, mostly the script nails it where it has to. Lobo is largely in the background. The plot moves and is cathartic. Most importantly the script is written so that all of the emotion shades almost all of the characters. Kara is a wholly formed woman. You feel her pain. When Ruthye finally unloads on Kara you feel the weight in her words. You especially feel the weight when Ruthye tries to rally Kara with words that echo those of Kara's mother. Most amazingly the film radically shifts our understanding of Clark/Superman, explaining why he is so good. Its something that explains a great deal and ultimately gives Kara a much bigger emotional standing when you realize what it takes for her to be good considering how she sees the world.

I should also point out that despite the jokes the film is very heavy. There is a weight to what happens. As I said above, people die and die badly. There is a cost, if not physically then psychically, for everything. This is not a Marvel movie where anything can happen, no one is ever really dead, and the world is shiny happy bunny farts. The world of SUPERGIRL is dark and ugly and painful. There is poverty everywhere. The worlds all look the same because most of what we see is shit holes. Almost all of the people in this film are barely surviving, and they are being abused by bottom feeders. It is not what people want from superhero films (think all the big spectacle of Marvel's output) and I think that is why people have not warmed to it... then again, the film actually isn't a superhero film,  it's a coming-of-age film. This isn't an action film but a character centric drama about two women fighting to find a way out of the darkness.

When this film clicks and is firing on all cylinders, it is one of the best superhero films ever made...

The trouble is it feels like a half an hour was chopped from this. What was the original cut of this film like? I would love to find out.

If there is anything really wrong with the film it's that the needle drops, pretty much every damned one of them is awful. I honestly cannot defend any of them. Needle drops should set the mood from the first notes; we shouldn't have to wait to hear several lines of lyrics to know what the song is saying and why they are using it to score a big scene. Nor should you use a cover version of a perfect song with the wrong tempo. Only that final cover is remotely right - but it's the absolute wrong version. And no, I am not saying this because I don't know the songs used as needle drops, it is because the songs chosen are just sonically emotionally wrong. I know if we swapped out every needle drop for something else everyone's opinion of the film would go up.

Should you see SUPERGIRL?

Yes. It's a solid action film. I don't think you need to run out to see it in IMAX theaters but do see it, just see it when you can.

What makes me happy is that ultimately, despite the shouting about the box office it won't matter. Kids, and I do mean kids, are going to find the film and it will be a hit, a cult hit but  still a hit. It will save lives and give hope to the kids who discover it and need to hear its message that despite the pain that they too can be heroes, that they can be snarky and funny and not stand down so long as they are doing good. This film will, in the long run, change lives.

How do I know?

Because I saw young girls delighted by what they were seeing on screen. I saw them smiling at watching a girl kicking the ass of all the guys. I saw one little girl running though the theater dressed as Supergirl with a look of complete and utter joy on her face because she saw that she could do that...girls could be the hero.

I know that people go to films dressed as the characters be it Star Wars, Marvel, or Michael Jackson or something else, but this was the first time that I saw the world change as a bunch of kids saw a future open up. It wasn't so much they will be Supergirl (or Luke or Spidey), but it was kids realizing life hurts but they can fight through it and be something wonderful- hell Kara only wears the suit in the final minutes of the film - it is only put on when she chooses to be more than just Kara and become Supergirl. Looking in the eyes of the little girls, I saw them realize that they could be that.  SUPERGIRL is vital and important and one of the great films of 2026 because it will give girls, and anyone else who find it, the ability to go on and be good despite the pain.

As I write this I have no idea how the film did at the box office, but I do know how it will do long term. Short term it maybe a bust(or not) but in terms of the long term this film is going to rattle the pillars of heaven.

BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: BATTLE OF THE SUPER SONS (2022)

 Wow--what a wild couple of weeks it's been for DC fans! What a wild thrill ride! (I know I said "wild" twice, but it's deserved!)

New brass, new (albeit tentative) projects, and a new blockbuster in the form of BLACK ADAM! Again, all I can say is "Wow!" 

To be clear, I'm not a DC fan and really never have been except when I was a toddler and BATMAN reruns prompted me to speak some of my first words. But hey, that doesn't stop me from enjoying, or at least trying to enjoy, all the content that the brand produces.

Speaking of which, lost in all the excitement of the past fortnight has been the release of BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: BATTLE OF THE SUPER SONS. And that's too bad because, like so many of the DC animated titles, it tends to outshine its live-action counterparts.

First off, let's get one thing out of the way: the misleading title. If you think Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne are actually going to do battle with each other, and that this forms the dramatic core of this action-fest, think again. It's more like they go the familiar buddy-movie route of smoldering antagonism that predictably grows into a unique bond as they face off against a common enemy.

Do their more famous Dads feature in the story? You betcha! In fact, in a kind of zombified mode, they take on menacing roles that provide some of the more memorable scenes. Overall, there is a surprising but welcome horror element to the entire film (surprising to me at least, as I'm not familiar with the comic upon which it is based). Is that why SUPER SONS got an October release? I don't know, but let's not complain, my fellow horror hounds!!

To be sure, the first twenty minutes or so are rough going. We get a replay of Superman's origin, which ties into the theme of father-son relationships but doesn't present the familiar story in any new or fresh ways. Also, much of the Lois Lane-centered humor, as well as her earnest monologuing about the importance of the Fourth Estate, are similarly flat.

However, once the grating and unpredictable Damien Wayne enters the plot, things come together nicely. Although the DC Fandom Wiki lists him at 84 pounds and standing all of 4' 6", don't underestimate his attitude--or his skills!

Yes, it's been quite a thrill ride for DC super-fans recently, but if they don't see this nifty little 79-minute feature, they're missing out on a big part of the fun!

Thoughts on Zack Snyder's Justice League and why any future films will probably won't work

 

Zack Snyder's cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE has hit HBO MAX and the fans rejoice. (Though apparently there maybe more to come with a black and white version just released and stills from scenes not included promising more scenes.) I'm not going to recount the plot since it is basically the same as the theatrical cut. The differences are the reason to watch it.

The question everyone is asking each other is what did you think?

I loved it. I genuinely like the theatrical but but I loved this version. It had  me misty at times....

…and it had me groaning in pain as it got somethings terribly wrong. Yea, for as good as somethings are others are awful.

One of the things I like about Justice League is there are many moments that transcend the superhero genre to the point of becoming glorious in their own right. Small moments between characters shine, Ma Kent running to see her reborn boy, the women singing on the edge of the sea when Arthur leaves and many others lift the film up.

I also love that there is a real sense of loss and danger. More so than the Marvel films there is a sense that people will die and stay dead (unless you are Kryptonian). There is a weight to the proceedings that runs through Snyder’s films from the opening of BATMAN VS SUPERMAN when Bruce Wayne is horrified by the death of thousands via Superman and Zod’s battle on through the death of Victor’s father in a sacrifice that allows the team to find Steppenwolf what happens has a cost. We know we are not in a comic world and as a result we root for our heroes more.

Even in the foreshadowing of a future where Superman has gone to the dark side things are not going to be okay, things are going to go wrong.

Of course that’s true too in the film itself. As glorious as the film is over all there are problems. The CGI is uneven, some sequences such as the Amazons trying to keep the motherbox from Steppenwolf, while exciting and very close to a comic book sequence in the wrong sort of way so it comes off as  much too silly. The slo-mo is wildly over used. And the pacing is uneven.  And there are other hiccups which, while never fatal in my eyes, make me completely understand why some people don’t like the film.

The problems with the Justice League universe are going to come when, and if, Zack Snyder tries to continue the Knightmare/Darkseid  storyline. My intense dislike for the New Gods aside (don't get me started) Snyder has created all sorts of probable story problems that have me shaking my head and not looking forward to anything that follows in this direct line of plotting.

The first problem is that in showing all of the armies coming together to take on Darkseid to defeat him the first time, throwing Batman and his band of mazurka players at him when he comes back is going to seem silly. In all seriousness a small band of superpowered humans taking on huge band of super powered aliens is silly when all the armies of earth, space and the gods had to do it before and barely won, so now a handful of humans are going to do the same thing- and survive. Unlikely, especially since Darkseid is supposed to be this ultimate bad ass who conquered galaxies. They are making him the ultimate boogey man-except he's not for some unknown and probable stupid reason. And his armies should be genuinely dangerous and capable of fighting as opposed to the mindless parademons. This is video game plotting.

There is all sorts of problem with some of the details in the grand plot- such as Darkseid not coming back to earth because he is afraid of the Kryptonian when you consider that millennia passed and he didn't come back and there was no Kryptonian on earth. The humans now have the mother boxes and have a vague idea how to use them so wy can't they do something that would work against Darkseid.

Let's face it there are real issues with the godlike powers of Superman. Why is Darkseid afraid of Superman,  when the Gods- the literal gods- came to earth according to the film to fight Darkseid and he damn near shrugged them off? This  is more than a bit bizarre especially since there is the odd reference about Diana being a god- so we have to ask what are gods in the universe anyway? Why is this one Kryptonian so dangerous? And do I even have to go into the whole thing about Superman only having super powers because of the power of our yellow sun. Again I ask why is Darkid afraid of the Kryptonian? 

And then there is the whole issue of time streams and multiple worlds. I know that fans will argue he Krptonian ships argument about the future being set implies the end is coming, but at the  same time Flash messed with time after the future is set...and I'm sure he will again (hey isn't that the plot of the Flash movie?) so nothing is set. 

To be honest the whole time travel trope is not now and never has been a plot device that worked for me. It always feels like desperation because it always allows a cheat of getting out of it. It almost always breaks my like for any film because using it not only feels lazy but creates so many logic problems when used multiple times and I can see it creating many issues  in future films.

A HUGE problem is that if everyone knows that  Batman will not protect Lois at the start, why wouldn't anyone tell Superman that it was foreseen and then everyone could just take steps to prevent it from happening? Additionally even if you know you can't change some of what is going to happen you can just take steps to stop other parts (kryptonite is on earth). Basically if the way to stop Darkseid is for Batman to die instead of Lois, and he and everyone else knows that going in, why doesn't he make the sacrifice to start with? Why inflict the loop de loop time travel nonsense- especially since Batman has changed and now talking about faith and seems to be less a stick in the mud? Why wouldn't he just fix the problem since he knows how to do it, I mean he's been specifically told in advance what has to be done. His not doing it makes the film a potential live action version of the Woody Woodpecker cartoon which has a narrator saying repeatedly " If Woody had just gone to the police none of this would have happened"

And lets face it, while the Snyderverse fans love the idea of his future films right now,  but they are going to scream what I am saying  about these plot problems down the road when they realize how simple the problem could have been solved.

I do have to confess that for all my bitching about the almost certain narrative problems in any sequels, I like the idea of a dark future-unfortunately I don't think that Zack Snyder can pull it off what he is planning without people throwing up their hands because he is formulating a plot that is going to crash from first look.

In all honesty if Snyder for some reason is allowed to make sequels he should radically rethink what he's going to do because honestly what he has in mind is kind of dumb (not to mention kind of similar to the Infinity War films with the time travel- and I won't get into the problems with those films' plotting) besides why give us what he already promised since that will result in no suspense since we knw how it will lay out.

As much as I like JUSTICE LEAGUE I don’t think Snyder can pull it off the proposed next two films. I mean who hell would want to go to the hellscape  he is proposing when he has foreshadowed so much in this film, not to mention revealing what was supposed to happen in the films when they were completely dead. I think his ideas while interesting, are going to end up with some sort of diminishing returns

Justice League (2017)

Justice League is a surprisingly good film. While I liked Suicide Squad and Batman vs Superman I was kind of iffy on the prospects of Justice League. I mean BVS and Suicide were enjoyable messes they still were messes. I was afraid that the JL was going to go horribly wrong since it was setting up three heroes as well as continuing with three others. I shouldn’t have worried since they pulled it all together.

Picking up where Batman vs Superman left off the world finds it’s on the verge of being invaded by aliens. Not only are they buzzing about various locations they are appearing in mass in order to find three magical mother boxes which can reshape matter. With Superman dead Batman and Wonder Woman know they are out gunned so they look for other potential heroes in order to help. To that end they recruit Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg.

Playing like one of the better first issues of a superhero comic, Justice League just moves like the wind. Running under 2 hours its full of sound and fury signifying a new franchise. Characters a built (Cyborg is finally a great character), rebuilt (Superman is not a dick and is finally a cool guy), fights happen and pithy lines are spoken. It’s pure motion on both physical and character levels that drive everything forward. It’s a popcorn film for the head and the heart.

While the film isn’t perfect, the film feels like it should have been longer and there is some evidence that the film changed directorial hands, the film still manages to be wholly satisfying as it moves the characters away from the maudlin darkness of the last two team up films. It’s a film that makes me want to see what comes next because the potential for something special is there.

I really like the film a great deal (and I thought the 3D was well done).

I do want to add that I’d like to see what the original cut was supposed to be. Scenes in the trailer and talk of partially completed sequences (allegedly a post credit sequence was filmed but not finished with two Green Lanterns) make me think that the film was headed toward being interestingly different.

Definitely worth a look.

Batman v Superman (2016)

I'm puzzled by the reviews I read before hand about BATMAN V SUPERMAN. What film did they see? Where was the confusion and random threads? Where was the story that made no sense? Where was this over riding set up for JUSTICE LEAGUE?

I was never lost, never confused. I think it's all on the screen. It all made sense to me. And the JUSTICE LEAGUE stuff was fleeting and if the two minutes were chopped it we'd never know.

Sue me I love BATMAN V SUPERMAN. I thought it was great. I thought it was the Batman movie I always wanted. Ben Affleck now is Batman for me, He nailed it. He's a younger version of Frank Miller's DARK KNIGHT

Okay I think I get what some of the reason that people hate the film- its a film that exists in the comic book world. Yes the film is a direct sequel to MAN OF STEEL but the film really exists in the world of comics. Whole plot lines are referenced in found objects- look no further than Jason Todd's Robin suit with the spray paint of the joker on it. Knowing what that is says volumes about Affleck's Batman. If you don't know then all of that story of pain and anguish is gone.

I know saying that the fact that the film spews out 75 years of comic history is asking the audience too much get. I complete understand that not knowing the references are going to make many people feel adrift. I read a review written by a friend who hated the film and I now know why she called it a noisy mess, simply because she doesn't read comics and she didn't know the references.

Say what you may this is not the Batman that has gone before- neither in the serials, the radio show, the TV shows, not either the Nolan series nor the one's started by Tim Burton. This is a story that springs from the comics.

Yes I know one of my pet peeves is a film must be all inclusive and explain everything. You get leeway if the film is part of a series. This film gets some leeway because of the series, and a bit more because Batman and Supeman are nigh 80 years old so they are part our culture. I freely admit if you hate the film because you don't get it all feel free, but I'm sure if I went back into my Batman archive and gave you a stack of stories you'd click with what is on the screen here.

I also get the sense that this film is going to play better in a couple of years.Once we get more stories with these characters I think this film will play wonderfully in retrospect since details will be filled in- like Wonder Woman's back story.

Yes Wonder Woman isn't given a great deal to do (hell we never know what exactly she is doing)- but god damn and sweet jesus she kicks ass. I adore the look of glee when after she gets her ass handed to her by Doomsday she stands up and dives right back in. And yes the audience really did cheer when she showed up in Wonder Woman regalia.

You want a female role model- this woman is it. Smart, charming and kick ass. She can play with the big boys and even out do them.

Yes the plot is warmed over- but what did you expect, we knew that Lex was behind it and we knew he let loose Doomsday-everything else was a foregone conclusion. Well not everything, there is a twist or two I didn't expect them to do- but it fits.

As much as I despise Jesse Eisenberg as an actor, I think he makes a very good Lex Luthor. To be certain he is not perfect, there is an occasional softness but the intelligence is there as is the sadism, He takes delight in being an evil god.

I thought the fights were excellent and easy to follow.  And some of the images if the final battle were truly iconic.

Actually there are many shots that were cribbed from the comics. I loved the desert Batman look. I also loved him standing on the crane. Even the shots of Superman just hovering had me mumbling WOW.

And again, yes, I am fully aware that what I like in the film are the comic steals.

I know some people are upset that Batman is trying to outright kill Superman and Batman never kills. I am aware of it, but if you read the comic  there were times when he considered it, though he never crossed the line (at east the Bruce Wayne version). Then again he doesn't do it here.

I know I'm going to be arguing about this film for weeks to come- Hubert is already penciling in our upcoming meetings as follow ups to the film. I don't mind. As long as you can argue your point I'm game to argue the film.

Ultimately though I know I will not be shaken in my love for the film because what I love about it isn't anything intellectual, its visceral. Watching the film I felt part of me was on the screen. This was some great lost comic story that was long a part of me and was now being brought to the surface. The subconscious was made conscious.

Yes my love for the film is emotional, Its some primal part of me that loves Batman being tickled to death. Its the part that made the two year old me press his nose against the TV screen and go "MATMAN MATMAN" when the Adam West show was in its first run.

What can I say I'm a hopeless Batman fan

The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? (2015)

Jon Schnepp's THE DEATH OF "SUPERMAN LIVES" : WHAT HAPPENED is a true wonder of film on film documentary filmmaking. Its the sort of film that has few equals and few brothers or sisters cinematically.  It's perhaps comparable to JODOROWSKY's DUNE but if you take in the entirety of the information put out on the Bluray that's not quite right either. I maybe right to call the film a truly singular achievement.

I have not gone through all of the material on the Bluray. I haven't really even looked at it- it's another 8 or so hours of material including two commentary tracks, extended interviews (HOURS of them). When I bought the DVD from Schnepp he said he wanted to push Bluray as far as possible and it appears he has. I say this by way of telling you that what I have to say only really relates to the film itself- I'll be back round to look at it all down the road.

THE DEATH OF "SUPERMAN LIVES"arose out of Schnepp's fascination with the legendary Tim Burton project. As with most people the one tangible bit of evidence available to the world were the weird shots of the regeneration suit which made it onto the internet and had everyone buzzing about how wrong they looked. If that was what the film was going to be no one wanted to see it. The trouble was that the shots and video were not the real story and what was really going on was a hell of a lot more interesting.

Charting the course of the film from the general disenchantment of the previous two Superman films on to Jon Peters getting involved with a plan to restart the franchise on to the death of the project Schnepp has made a film that puts us in the trenches over the long painful period of the attempt to bring the film to life. We watch as Kevin Smith is brought in and fired. How Nick Cage is attached, how Tim Burton begins to spin out his ideas and how the film eventually fizzles when Warner's other big budget films tank - repeatedly (something currently replaying with PAN and it's other features). We watch as the comic fans battle the studio over what they perceive the film to be and we watch as sets and suits are built and dismantled.

The obsessive fascination with the various suits is one of the two small flaws in an otherwise perfect film. There is too much talk of the regeneration suit and towards the end of the segment I kind of zoned out. I understand it was Schnepp's way in to the story  but seeing so much of it when there is so much else to the story is distracting. The other minor flaw is I would have liked a clearer explanation of what the film's story was at various stages. We kind of have an idea at the start but get no real sense of later plot changes.

Nitpicks aside his is a wonderful achievement and I can't say enough good. If you love film and especially superhero films this is a look inside the weird Hollywood mind set that gives us what we are getting.  A must see.

Available on VOD and home video

Superman with a Go-Pro

Three minute, utterly cool film of what happens when Superman decides to return a lost Go-Pro camera.

Awesome, just awesome.

Thanks to Ken for sending this my way

Man of Steel (2013)

Rethink and restart of Superman gets a great deal right, and even more wrong. For my money it's a major misfire.

The plot of the film has Jor-el sending his only son to earth to escape the ultimate destruction of Krypton which is dying due to over use of the planets resources. Meanwhile General Zod and his men stage a coup, are stopped and are sent off to prion. However they escape and come to earth when Kal-el, aka Clark Kent, sets off a beacon in a Kryptonian scout ship. Clark has been wandering the earth as a migrant worker helping people where he can and disappearing after he is discovered. What follows are endless battles as Superman/Clark fights for us and Zod tries to take over the earth.

While I like the idea of Clark the wanderer I find that the idea of a tortured Clark too contrived. The shift from the Clark Kent/Superman we all know to a brooding moody hero feels much too calculated. I think it was assumed that audiences wouldn't buy the classic superman so they changed him.

The real problem with the film is the shift away from character to big budget action set pieces. Over half this film has to be things blowing up or being destroyed. Not even the Transformer films, which I largely despise, are this bad.I tuned out and turned off. None of it makes a lick of sense with huge gaps in logic filling the places between explosions. Worse many of the sequences seem to have been cribbed from else where- Avatar and numerous video games.

As for the much heralded climatic battle between Zod and Superman- its a bust and intellectually and emotionally wrong. While I would be fine with Superman killing under the right circumstances- I mean how many people die as a result of his destruction?- the situation here is all wrong and there were ways around it. What I don't like is that the broken brains behind this film seem to have constructed this whole mess of a film for that one moment and then failed to get it to work-not the least of which is if Zod is super powered like Clark how could his neck be snapped? (I could go into about six other reasons but I won't bore you with comic geek stuff)

While there is much to love  about this restart (primarily the sequences with Clark and his fathers) and the possibility of more films- the vast majority of this film is best forgotten.

All-Star Superman (2010)

A beautifully animated adaptation of a terrific comic book, All-Star Superman is first and foremost a story about the power of love. Superman's unconditional love for the people of his adopted home planet of Earth is the central theme of the film. Due to the actions of arch-nemesis Lex Luthor, Superman is dying, and he has certain tasks he wants to perform before his time is up. The dynamic of his relationship with Lois Lane shifts, as she learns many things about him, including what it's like to BE him for a while.

Although certain sub-plots from the brilliant comic book by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely are dropped for time considerations, the remaining ones perform in the same manner as in the book. Many seemingly innocuous moments are actually set-ups for future events, and nearly everything ties together cleverly as the story progresses. With only a couple of exceptions, while it may not seem as such at the moment, everything is there for a reason.

The look of the animation is styled on Quitely's unique look, and is done so wonderfully. The motion is very fluid, and the settings have real depth and life to them. The voice actors are also particularly good, filling each scene with the right amount of emotion. Nothing seems overdone or underplayed. There is the right amount of humor thrown in as well, making the whole thing not too heavy handed.

The Blu-Ray edition comes packed with lots of extras, including a feature length commentary by Morrison and producer Bruce Timm, who has been directly responsible for many of the successful animation transfers from DC Comics in recent years. There is also a digital copy to throw onto your iPod, which in this case was used to show some of it to Quitely at the Emerald City Comicon in Seattle in March 2011, as he had yet to see it.

Overall a very positive film, with plenty of action in it as well, but definitely about the good one can accomplish if you just put your efforts towards that goal.