JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017) movie review

Suffering from grief after the death of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman continue to fight crime in the shadows until Steppenwolf, the Lord of evil, returns from the land of doom to unite the three power cubes and destroy the world.Of course he does. What else would he do? So what must they do? They must form a team of superhumans and gods to save the world. Batman has the money, experience, and a new Alfred played by Jeremy Irons. Wonder Woman has her lasso of truth, her feminum wristbands, and her looks. They recruit The Flash, a fast kid with daddy issues, Aquaman, independent sassy king of the seas, and the Cyborg infused with alien technology and metal.

CG characters over saturated color spectrums, Zack Snyder maintains his classic 300 look.

The evil Steppenwolf seems a hybrid of stolen storylines from Sauron of Mordor trying to reclaim the one ring to Thanos hunting down infinity stones. Calling these “power boxes” doesn’t fix blatant plagiarism or disengage aware audiences of stereotypical evil master tropes.As far as seconds go, you often want to go back to the fridge hoping a dry slice of turkey will be better on the leftover plating. But it isn’t. Affleck’s tired Batman claims he’s getting too old for this. Gadot’s gorgeous Wonder Woman gets tighter leather and shorter skirts like she’s losing at poker with each film release.If only Batman didn’t constantly wince with exhaustion and chagrin. If only Superman wasn’t a CGI nightmare. If only Aquaman was given a likable presence instead of Wolverine’s aggression and an ocean of snarky one-liners. If only Cyborg was allowed a bit more humanity. The newbies were almost too strong, too wise, too capable. Cyborg can super hack any human or alien system. The Flash can essentially raise the dead with his super speed. Flash was surprisingly the bright spot and comic relief, but sadly not funny enough to counterbalance the darkness of a hero film left wanting.

AVENGERS: Age of Ultron (2015) movie review

Joss Whedon throws a great party. Getting the gang back together for the ultimate battle against A.I. proves a Hulk-sized task. Each hero a strong-willed leader, the team struggles to mesh, especially when a new entity gets into their heads.

avengers-age-ultronKeith Simanton of IMDb insightfully called “=Whedon’s Empire Strikes Back.” on twitter. avengers-age-of-ultron-24The Avengers indeed strike back at the Hydra bases only to find a set of formidable unfriendlies (twins) waiting to bruise them from the inside. Make them doubt each other and their own gifts, and the team will implode. As the tension builds, it pulses toward civil war.

Ultron awakens, evolves, becomes, multiplies. James Spader’s voice inflections give the machine terrifying strength, a sadistic quality. His Pinocchio song echoes eerily throughout.ultron-1024x435How will the team put out a veritably invincible enemy? Force with force, obviously. In order to win, they must humble themselves. It’s a battle of wits and pedagogy. Each walks in with different stories and belief systems in the Marvel universe. The lore includes God-figures. Biblical allusions prevail even within the darkness. And somehow humor provides balance.avengers-age-of-ultron-background-hd-2

Ultron mimics Stark, swift to the punchline. Machine and man, the age-old battle, climaxes with the marriage of genius and wifi. This second film doesn’t feel like a second. It races and fights for the attention of a first film, ever adding to the groundwork already laid but with funnier lines, faster action, and a solid adventure. It’s a party you won’t want to miss.

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