Justice League: War (2014) Review

Justice League: War (2014)

Batman: “The world’s afraid of us.”

Green Lantern: “You say that like it’s a good thing.”

Batman: “It’s necessary.”

Justice League: War explains the origins of the Justice League and how they united to fight against Darkseid. But, first some had to fight against each other. Green Lantern chases Batman around Gotham believing he is an alien with a bomb. But, he’s actually stopping an alien with a bomb! In the fight and battle of wits that ensues, Batman disarms Green Lantern! It’s a very good demonstration of Batman’s skill and shows that he isn’t just a guy in a batsuit.

Really, I guess that’s the only problem I have with the film is that it’s way too Batcentric. Movies seem to have lost the idea of how to portray Superman as a leader and symbol of hope. Here, he’s an Old Testament-type God-figure, introducing himself by tossing Batman around until he realizes he’s not the enemy. It’s a might-makes-right philosophy…and I think it’s telling that they can’t represent hope without it choking fear. We can’t let Superman stand on his moral authority like Christopher Reeve's Superman did. Batman leads the Justice League now. With fear as a necessity.

But, also against this, we see the story of Wonder Woman, who prefers to spend the day eating ice cream with a girl instead of meeting with the President until the invasion. She at least provides some comic relief. And feminist philosophy. At one point, she gets one of her protestors to admit that he cross-dresses as Wonder Woman via The Lasso of Truth. It’s funny, and at least shows her philosophy of fighting for Truth, rather than hitting everyone right away.

Now, eventually we see characters like Flash (Who analyzes the metal from the bomb.) and Cyborg, and Shazam. All these characters are played spot-on. Flash has his signature fast-talking quick wit. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir…Batman…Batman, sir!” Cyborg’s backstory is the most detailed, which I believe they should focus more on should they make more movies in this storyline. His scientist father basically reveals that he missed his son’s football game to analyze the metal, because whatever he can do with football (in the world of superheroes.) is a joke.

Later, when  he becomes infected with an alien symbiote, his scientist dad uses a “quantum computer” to save his body, and he becomes Cyborg. It’s a cool story, and shows how technology can make us compete with superheroes. With a power chair, I know this firsthand.

And then of course, there’s  one of the JL’s greatest opponents, Darkseid. He appears out of the alien rift caused by this terraforming bombs. Superman again is a little underplayed here, and he gets abducted, and Batman rescues him. But, this is Batman’s era. I thought how all the team fought together using their powers (Flash for distraction, Green Lantern to repel the army, etc.) was nice. Wonder Woman stabs out Darkseid’s eyes, perhaps in a nod to the Cyclops myth. Oh, yes, it’s an adult cartoon, so there’s blood, and swearing…but that’s what I expected.
 
Overall, it’s a great feature, and the animation is gripping…reminiscent of Batman: The Animated Series. Very refreshing to see hand-drawn styles, at least…I miss hand-drawn style. It sounds weird, but as I’ve said before I’m a secret animation geek, so it really pulled me in. Especially with the plot! I’ll add a star just for seeing some good animation.

So, in conclusion, yes, Superman’s ideal (Justice) is underplayed for Batman’s fear-based aesthetic. He even wears the Man of Steel (New 52, actually.) outfit! But, I can get used to a Batcentric JL if that’s really what people want in the post-9/11 world. But, is it “necessary”? No. Okay, that’s my final philosophical critique. I actually really enjoyed this movie and the animation, and the essence of the characters.

I mean, there’s Cyborg’s technological genius, Shazam’s bravery (And Shazam is voiced by Sean Astin!), Green Lantern’s willpower, Wonder Woman’s Truth, Flash’s quick wit…if DC’s looking to copy the success of the 2012’s Avengers (Hint: They are. Superman is Hawkeye here, Flash is Iron Man, Wonder Woman is Captain America…even the star-spangled outfit…has to rediscover the modern world.) They succeed here! Now, just make Superman a little more useful than Hawkeye! Oh, snap! 4/5 stars from me! Go see it!

FINAL BATMAN ANALYSIS: JUSTICE LEAGUE - CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS (2010)

FINAL BATMAN ANALYSIS: JUSTICE LEAGUE - CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS (2010)

Batman: “There is a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss, but when it looked back as us, you blinked.”

- To Owlman, fighting him on Earth Prime 

I think this will be my last Batman analysis for a while, then I’ll cover some more movies and games directly incorporating disabilities. I didn’t mean to get so into Batman, but then Ben Affleck happened. Anyway, superheroes are great sources for disability theory because it’s all escapist fantasy. When you don’t have the ability to deal with issues physically, you develop coping mechanisms that address the conflicts in other ways. But, that’s a theme for The Watchmen or Professor X to deal with directly. 

    Anyway, since I introduced Owlman last time, I thought it would be fun to examine his choices in comparison with Batman’s. In this world, the Justice League (Crime Syndicate) are the villains, and the usual villains are the heroes. Good Luthor travels to the world where the familiar Justice League exists, at the expense of the life of his Joker counterpart, Jester. Every hero has a counterpart and Harley Quinn is a monkey.  

   

  Ultra Man and Superwoman are counterparts to Superman and Wonder Woman. The evil Wonder Woman is a conqueror and likes the idea of conquering other worlds. Owlman is a nihilist who‘s built a reality-destroying bomb; the QED device. The Crime Syndicate holds their world hostage. 

     

    Until the other Justice League shows up. Wonder Woman, according to this story,  steals her invisible plane from Owlman. Superwoman actually manages to take down Batman until he outwits her. But, the key here is to recognize that even though they have opposite values, the characters still make choices to act on them, which leads to Batman’s above quote in his showdown with Owlman on Earth Prime. Batman’s a deontologist…someone who believes actions have value…his countepart is a nihilist…someone who thinks our actions are meaningless…in this case, because of parallel worlds.

    This point and its counterpoint are of course paramount to any philosophy, and reveals Batman’s central philosophy, like the abyss. Actions have inherent value. There may be other crime fighters out there, but he makes the choice to punish criminals his way. One of the things this animated movie does well is highlight each heroes worldview, and how they act on it. For example, Superman is adamant about not killing, but jailing, the Crime Syndicate and says: “All it takes for evil men to succeed is for good men to do nothing.” Superman is compassionate, unlike his gangster counterpart.

   Speaking of Superman, I have a few quibbles about Superman’s powers in this movie. Superman claims that good Luthor’s “internal organs are reversed.” but when he X-rays him, clearly only his heart is reversed.  I know this is a metaphor for his heart being with the other side, The Good Guys. But, was it necessary to reverse all his organs? And since we see that they’re not, does that mean Superman lied as justification to intervene on another Earth? And why doesn’t Batman (Who doesn’t want to get involved at first.) double-check? Surely, he’s not going to just take Superman’s word for it. And yet, he totally does. Thank goodness Martian Manhunter can read minds, and discovers good Luthor’s intentions. Otherwise, that would be a major plot hole.

   And speaking of Martian Manhunter, several lesser-known superheroes make appearances, which is nice. Among them are Aquaman, Black Canary, Black Lightning, and Green Arrow. Okay, Aquaman is well-known but, I haven’t seen Aquaman in a position of respect since his comedic appearances in Batman: The Brave And The Bold! Also, Flash’s counterpart is Australian, for some reason? Possibly as a joke about running to the other side of the globe real fast…? Don’t think about it too hard…it doesn’t make sense. (Plus, he’d be The Reverse-Reverse Flash!)

    Overall, I have a lot of minor quibbles with this film. It doesn’t approach its own questions very seriously, and doesn’t obey its own mirror-world logic. I think it’s a noble effort though…to show that how we act with our abilities and values makes a difference. Especially because it shows that everything contains the quintessence of its opposite. (Even if it doesn’t always follow it logically.) Especially for those of us with disabilities, I find that true. Our disabilities are secretly abilities, it just depends how we act on them.

    

In closing, I give the film credit for dealing with some of philosophy's Big Questions. Are we alone in the universe? What gives our actions meaning? But, it is somewhat ironic that Batman and Owlman fight on Earth Prime. Because in the world we know, superheroes cannot be the solution. Superheroes do not exist. I guess I just worry that some will confuse this reality with the fantasy one. But, even if you do, that’s still your choice. I’m glad to be done with Batman for a while at least. A good film, but Watchmen (The comic, not the movie.) deals with its themes in a more mature way. 2 stars for this Justice League adventure.    

Batman vs. Superman: How To Save The Movie

 Batman vs. Superman: How To Save The Movie

So, I just got back from a cabin in the woods with no internet, and I’m just now finding out that Ben Affleck is Zack Snyder’s Batman. Like a lot of people, I’m disappointed. Some people fear this will be as bad as Daredevil’s first Hollywood attempt, which Affleck starred in. Personally, I don’t really have high hopes for a Batman vs. Superman movie anyway. It just serves the purpose of showing once again that DC Comics is still embarrassed of Superman, who used to be their biggest hero. Now it looks like they’ll be beating him up in his own sequel.

    So, then they will try to make a Justice League movie. And that’s fine by me. It just seems like they’re rushing to catch up to The Avengers, and rushing leads to bad decisions. In the DC movie Universe so far, we’ve barely gotten to know Superman, and although his debut film was just okay, (Fans of this site remember my initial reactions.) it certainly wasn’t inspiring or heroic, but I don’t think that justifies beating him up so soon.

    The one to blame for that god-awful idea is Frank Miller, whose 80s plotline The Dark Knight Returns makes Superman a government stooge who overreaches his power and tries to arrest Batman. Fans of this site will also remember that I hate Frank Miller’s insistence on praising fascistic anti-heroes, using too much red, and droll noir narration. My point is Ben Affleck is not the worst to happen to this movie. It was messed up when it was announced.

      That said, I can think of two ways to save the movie. Either bring in a good villain or introduce secondary characters like Wonder Woman. In Greg Rucka’s graphic novel “Sacrifice“, it wasn’t Batman who stopped a rampaging Superman, but Wonder Woman. That would be a big surprise for the audience to see Batman defeated as well as provide a good entry point for a Justice League movie, with the big three finally together. It would also end this ridiculous Batman vs. Superman debate. Who would win? Throw a curveball: Go with Wonder Woman…and then do an “Infinite Crisis” storyline for a Justice League movie.

     Alternatively, I would introduce Barry Allen, AKA The Flash into the movie Universe. He has a real chance to be a guide throughout the movies’ universe, just as Iron Man was for The Avengers. They both have the same attitude, and both were geniuses who’s powers were gained by accident. Flash was struck by lightning, Iron Man was captured. The tragic aspect would make his character relatable, as would his mortality, just as it does for Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, who can laugh off Nordic gods and supersoldiers because he’s one radical dude. That attitude would work with The Flash, and give audiences a comedic character to relate to, in what has so far been a dark and gritty universe. There is also one last option in my mind, to save this movie.

      Cast a good villain. The Dark Knight is mostly remembered for Heath Ledger’s Joker. In the 80s, before anyone knew that Michael Keaton was a viable Batman, Jack Nicholson was probably the main draw for that Batman movie. A good villain can make all the difference. I hear Bryan Cranston is maybe taking the role of Lex Luthor, but that sounds too good to be true. Especially fresh off his success with Breaking Bad, I suspect he won’t take a big risk by being in a Zack Snyder comic book movie. If it happens, I’ll be thrilled…he can play a good psycho. But, I don’t have high hopes from the guy who ruined Watchmen, consulted Frank Miller for a Superman story, and made Superman a bland angst summer movie. In my mind, a good Superman movie is something that reaches for the heavens and inspires heroism, as Richard Donner did.

     Lastly, I’ve been asked who my picks would’ve been for Batman and the villain, if not Ben Affleck and someone else. That’s easy: I’d do a live action Batman: The Animated Series. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are THE voices of Batman and Joker, and have done voice work for them as recently as Arkham City. Casting them would be a wonderful way to keep Batman and Joker familiar. The Arkham game series has proven  The Animated Series can work well with a dark atmosphere. I know Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are both older (and busy!) but it would’ve gotten a better reaction than Ben Affleck, whose last superhero performance in public memory was the failed Daredevil.

   Well, it may be too early to judge, but those are my initial thoughts on Ben “Batman” Affleck and how to save a Batman vs. Superman movie! I’m no Hollywood executive, but those are the two courses that would best appeal to me. Whatever appeals to Hollywood, I have no idea, but they ruined Green Lantern and Daredevil, so let me say I don’t have that much confidence. However, I’ll be satisfied if at least one of my speculations entertains my audience!    

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Review

 “God give me strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” 

- Nora Allen, Flash’s mom, before getting shot.

Since I already reviewed the Flashpoint graphic novel, (Reviewed here: http://christopherbowsman.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-flash-flashpoint.html)  I’m just gonna go ahead and talk about what’s different in the animated feature, The Flashpoint Paradox. For starters, there is a prelude that wasn’t there in the comic. In it, nearly  Flash’s entire Rogues Gallery robs a museum. A similar robbery served as a prelude to the Doom animated feature, with the Royal Flush Gang, which then loosely followed the Tower of Babel storyline.

The main draw for me is that this is a good animated feature starring The Flash. DC has recently put all it’s eggs in the Batbasket, so it’s refreshing to a story with someone new. Kevin Conroy has a little cameo as Bruce Wayne, but this is mostly a Flash story. In this version, many people die that didn’t in the comic…but since it’s an apocalyptic alternate reality…I guess everyone dies when Flash restores time.

This version of Flashpoint is very dark (visually as well as thematically.) and highlights the death of Barry’s mother in the beginning, and his regret about it. When he meets his mother and tells her he’s The Flash, a superhero, she responds with confusion: “A superhero? You mean like Batman?” I thought that was funny. Seemingly, Batman is the only superhero DC seems to know.

As per the comic, Thomas Wayne Batman helps Flash recreate the accident that gave him his powers, since he never existed in this world, but his mom does. Shockingly, there is no hunt for Superman, and the rest of the film is dedicated to the war, and restoring reality when Flash realizes he prevented his mom’s death. Kevin Conroy returns as Batman for a final touching moment as in the comic.

The animation is good, but it is very dark. I was surprised by the violence, but it’s done in a very smooth almost anime style. Cyborg features prominently, as do Captain Atom and other heroes who are not Batman or Superman. It’s explained in this world that Superman’s shuttle was shot down rather than captured. So, they don’t have to chase him down.

Overall, it’s a very good feature, but a bit dark, and although it says Justice League, it’s mostly a Flash story, which is refreshing. Themes of war and death are covered, and it seems to be reflective of DC’s overall darker tone. I just wish it were a sign of things to come in the DCU movies! Sadly, no Flash is in sight anytime soon! I give it an A-, if only because it was so bold of DC to make Flashpoint an animated feature about a hero that gets pushed aside these days!

The Lone Ranger (2013)

The Lone Ranger (2013) Review:

    

    First off, I know next to nothing about the original Lone Ranger, beyond various pop culture references, so I can’t compare it to what came before. That being said, I liked the movie. The action scenes were great, it had good humor, and at the same time dealt with a serious subject: the annihilation of indigenous cultures by huge corporations.

  

  At first, it looks to be as if one greedy bandit (Butch Cavanditch; played by William Fichtner, who has a wonderful make-up job!) is behind a plot to make it look like the Comanche attacked a railroad, so that it can expand and leave his gang with all the silver mines. This is where Johnny Depp comes in, who takes on the brother of the slain Texas Rangers (After some funny dialogue with a white“ spirit horse”.) under his wing. He becomes The Lone Ranger…in this version, he’s a lawyer commited to the Law and Justice. They come up with unique ways for him not to kill…mostly with trains crashing! Yes, a lot of trains crash, and it is beautiful!

   

   Johnny Depp is there mostly for comedic relief. But also, they had real Native Americans in the movie, who explain that Tonto is a bit of an idiot. I found it telling that Tonto was never with the real Native Americans, as if to be respectful of their culture. By the way, the Native Americans didn’t speak pidgin English. I thought them writing off Tonto’s antics was well-played as a show of respect. There’s also bits of African-American, Irish, and Chinese culture, which reminds us that the West was built by immigrants. It was nice to see such multiculturalism!

   

 There are plenty of gunfights, horseback and afoot. But, The Lone Ranger never kills, so committed is he to justice. There’s a nice assortment of characters from all walks of life including an oddball prostitute played by Helena Bonham Carter with a rifle in her wooden leg. Did I mention all the gunfights are outrageously over-the-top? Yeah, they are. They got horses jumping off roofs like it ain’t no thang. But, to me, that’s a good thang! 

  Overall, it was a great movie. People in the theater laughed, I laughed at Tonto and that “stupid horse” (Tonto seems to be, to me, an amalgam of Depp’s Hunter S. Thompson in voice, and in performance, Jack Sparrow!) Anyway, it’s got good action, a good moral, and some good storytelling and jokes. Armie Hammer (The actor who plays the Lone Ranger.) is a likeable guy. I can easily see him as the next Batman, or some other masked hero. He’s got a very clean-cut heroic face. It was also nice to see that they used the Lone Ranger’s classic theme to good effect…twice at least! (Superman take note!) 

     Two thumbs up from me, and I’ll be looking forward to Armie Hammer’s next role. Though I’m betting it’ll be a superhero. The next Batman, maybe. Or The Flash. I don‘t know; from Lone Ranger to Batman seems like a logical step to me. Some Justice League guy, I’d like to see him as! (Again, Superman, take note!) Or maybe he’ll just do The Lone Ranger 2. I’d be happy with that!

     

THE FLASH: FLASHPOINT:

The Flash: Flashpoint

I’m not sure why everyone seems divided on this one. Probably because it introduces DC’s New 52, which is still something I have yet to touch. Flash wakes up in an alternate reality where Superman and The Justice League don’t exist, and Wonder Woman and Aquaman have started World War III, and his mother, not father is still alive. Sounds cool enough for me! In an effort to understand what went wrong he zooms off to contact this alternate reality’s Batman.

However, this reality’s Batman is Thomas Wayne, and Bruce got shot in the alley. So, when Flash calls him Bruce, he is freaked out and attacks him. He stops when Flash deduces that he is Thomas. Thomas is intrigued that his son lived in another reality and agrees to help Flash get back to his world. However, when he opens his Flash ring, the suit that flies out is the Reverse Flash. Okay, I can see why this is a little annoying, since it’s just everything happening in opposite style, but there’s a cool war angle, and eventually Flash learns to stop saying “This isn’t real.” He says this isn’t his world, but it’s the only world he’s got. Flash rescues this world’s version of Superman, being held captive in a government lab, and unites the world’s heroes into a sort of Justice League.

    Themes of responsibility, physics (my favorite part of any Flash graphic novel!) and psychology are always in play. Memories of the other reality keep colliding with his old memories due to him temporarily existing in both time streams. Fortunately, Thomas Wayne invents a serum and tells Flash. “Remember my son. Don’t forget my son.” Flash and Thomas Wayne visit war-torn Europe. Western Europe is drowned by Atlantis, and the UK is occupied by Amazons! Meanwhile, Cyborg is back in the USA, which is on the verge of defeat.

   In Europe, after duking it out with the villains Aquaman and Wonder Woman with his allies, The Flash encounters The Reverse Flash! He tells him that in this reality, he’s the villain. Since, if he would’ve let The Reverse Flash kill his mom his world, this one wouldn’t exist. Now, I know, it’s a little cheesy to link mass genocide to Flash’s mommy issues, but the interplay of memories between the two realities recalls Flash’s origin in mythology: Hermes, messenger of The Gods. As well as including theoretical physics and string theory. After taking a letter from Thomas, Flash destroys himself by convincing himself not to save his mother, and returns to the normal timeline, letter in tact via Batman serum.

    At the end of the act, we have a teary-eyed Bruce Wayne reading his dad’s letter, and telling Flash “You’re one hell of a messenger.” Also, in the end, there are Flash Facts about how mirrors work by refracting light (Thanks to Mirror Master!), and how the ancient Romans believed mirrors could trap souls. Via Captain Boomerang, we receive a lesson in boomerang physics and friction! The friction pushes back on the curved ends to send it back to the thrower! But, anyway, why am I talking about Flashpoint?

      Because it will become the basis for DC’s newest animated film The Flashpoint Paradox! I’m most eager to see Kevin Conroy return and do Batman! But, perhaps most interesting for me is Carey Elwes will be voicing Aquaman! The dread pirate Aquaman leaves no survivors! While the comics may be controversial for setting up The New 52, the voice cast has me pumped enough to believe it will be well worth a watch! Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox will be available June 20th this year!
 

(The Flashpoint Paradox)

(Flash and Batman confront Reverse Flash!)

    (I can't resist: "Have fun stormin' the castle, Aquaman!")