Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

There is so much controversy surrounding this movie that I was a little nervous to actually see it for myself. Not because I believed the undeserved critical lambasting that was going on, but because I knew it was bound to be polarizing. All films with genuine ambition tend to bifurcate critics and audiences, especially when it comes to the DC extended universe. Before I even get into my review, I would recommend everyone who hasn't seen Man of Steel in a while to go re-watch it prior to seeing Batman v Superman, as it serves as a perfect set up to the entire story that plays out in this film. Having Man of Steel fresh in my mind definitely got me more invested in what director Zack Snyder was aiming to do, and from the get-go he follows up on what we saw back in 2013 in epic fashion. I've heard so many complaints about this film that it's tempting to just address each of them in this review, but I'll leave that duty to someone else. Instead, I'm going to discuss this film openly and honestly without getting into spoilers. Now that I've had some time to process this film, I feel like I can adequately tell what works and doesn't work without the haze of fanboy hype or the taint of critical hate. With that, let's get into the plot.

Batman & Robin

Yeah, you didn't know I could rate a film so low, did you? Well, we're breaking all kinds of ground with this movie, as it's the first film I've ever reviewed starring a childhood favorite of mine, Chris O'Donnell. I'm totally kidding. No one's favorite actor has ever been Chris O'Donnell. Funnily enough, this movie was actually on heavy rotation in my family's VHS player. I wish I could blame that on someone else, but it was completely my doing. In my defense, I was about 10 years old at the time and had a soft spot for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Still, I probably should have known better even back then. Ever since YouTube and social media exploded with film pundits, this movie has been beaten to a pulp in every way one could possibly imagine... and, unfortunately, I'm not about to stop that trend.

Batman Forever

It's FlashBack Friday (for real this time)! Today I'm continuing my series of Batman films in preparation for next week's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice by reviewing the third theatrical outing for our hero, Batman Forever. Oddly enough (particularly given my history with the first two films), this is the very first Batman movie that I saw in theaters, and I watched it many times at home when it came out on VHS. However, there was a period of my life where I didn't really watch any Batman movies, which allowed me to more or less forget about the details of Batman Forever until this viewing. What led to my hiatus from watching Batman? We'll get to that next time. What do I think of this movie after over a decade away from it? Let's get into it!

Batman Returns

Back again with another FlashBack Friday entry not being released on a Friday! This time I'm reviewing the sequel to the highest grossing film of 1989, Batman Returns. After the original film made bank at the box office, it seemed inevitable that a sequel would be made. Fans were already calling for Penguin to be the villain, with Danny DeVito even being rumored to star. However, Tim Burton's return didn't bring with it the family-friendly entertainment that Warner Bros was expecting. In fact, they were hard-pressed to find any merchandising opportunities, and the even darker tone made it difficult to convince parents to bring their children to the theaters in 1992. As for me, if Batman was forbidden for me to see as a child, then Batman Returns was downright contraband in my house. Of course, this made it even more appealing to me, and I spent a fair amount of time trying to sneak into the room whenever my older siblings would watch it after I went to bed. Just like with Batman, however, I surprisingly didn't see this movie in its entirety until much later, and I only fully paid attention to it during this viewing. So what was it that made my parents so apprehensive for me to see this film? Let's get into the plot.

Batman

Welcome back to another FlashBack Friday (a day early)! I know, I still haven't caught up with my Star Wars reviews... but I'll get to them eventually. For now, I have another massive blockbuster to build towards. You may have heard of it... So, with the anticipation of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hitting critical levels, I felt I needed to go back and fill in the gaps of Batman films I haven't yet covered. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to experience the hype for the first ever theatrical Batman film. Not only was I far too young to see it when it was released in theaters, but my mom wasn't entirely keen on me watching what was then considered to be a dark, gritty version of the caped crusader for quite some time after it was released on home video. Ever since it came out on VHS, I developed a fascination with this movie, trying to piece together the mysterious story from video games and re-tellings of the more famous plot points from friends who had already seen it. Because of that, I don't remember the first time I properly sat down to watch this from beginning to end, but I feel I've forever missed out on the experience of those who saw the film while it was a pop-culture phenomenon. So with that introduction, let's get into the plot.