JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Ciaran Hinds, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Amy Adams, Joe Morton, Billy Crudup, Amber Heard
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, based on a story by Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio

JUSTICE LEAGUE is a much better film than expected. I was expecting another CGI laden mindless carnage outing (which to be fair, it still has plenty of it) but surprisingly, it has heart. Well, it's much better than Avengers: Age of Ultron and even Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

What I really appreciated about this movie is the balance of action and the quieter moments between our superheroes. For those who are unaware, Justice League actually has two directors. Zack Snyder had to step aside due to a family tragedy and Joss Whedon stepped in to do some re-shoots. It almost seems that the grand action pieces and the signature visual flair was helmed by Snyder while the light-hearted moments were done by Whedon.

Hey, I'm not complaining because it somehow worked for me. And thankfully, there is flow and hardly any inconsistencies. As mentioned, it's the "slower" scenes that actually made the camaraderie between our heroes believable. And there are many of these and most of these moments have smart dialogue and is quite funny. And speaking of funny, I'm glad the filmmakers didn't do a course correction and amped-up the comedy because I actually do like the "dark" and seriousness of the DC movies, but all of it just lacked soul (except for Wonder Woman).

The "new" characters to the team namely Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg could definitely have benefited if they had solo movies to explain their origins before this outing. One the film's best moment is when Wonder Woman reacted roughly to Batman when he mentioned her "dead boyfriend". That scene wouldn't have played out so powerfully if Wonder Woman didn't have a solo outing earlier this year.

Also, this movie has a very weak villain. Steppenwolf (a motion captured Ciaran Hinds) is not scary at all and is just another forgettable Big Bad Guy who wants to conquer the world. It seems the only reason he exists is to provide a catalyst to bring the Justice League together.

Lastly, I'm glad they brought back Danny Elfman to score the movie (replacing Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL). It's less bombastic and it goes back to basics drawing heavily from his own Batman (1989) theme as well as inserting hints of previous work of other composers. And I do very much dig Blues-rock guitarist Gary Clark Jr cover of the Beatles' Come Together. 

Overall, this film worked for me as I do like the characters. It's definitely a step in the right direction for the DC folks because I'm looking forward to see these superheroes on the big screen again, whether in their own films or as a team.

RATING: 7/10

THE ACCOUNTANT (2016)

Genre: Thriller / Action
Running Length: 2:08
Cast:  Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons, John Lithgow, Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Screenplay: Bill Dubuque

THE ACCOUNTANT is one of those movies which I went, "Now that's interesting; a mashup of autism and action thriller" but the more I think about it, the more its unique narrative diminishes. To be fair, it's still an entertaining movie and it's not as intense and serious like what is shown in the trailer. It's actually quite funny at times.

Ben Affleck is fine here and is still in full post-Batman shape as his "accountant" character is indifferent, fights for injustice and possesses a deadly set of combat abilities. His character is trained in the martial art of Silat, a pro in a variety of firearms and he usually goes for headshots. And of course, he's a genius in numbers and puzzles.

The plot is pretty straight forward; our hero is a forensic accountant with autism who earns big-bucks for cooking/uncooking the books for the world's shady characters. He tries to lay low by taking on a seemingly simple contractual job at a robotics firm but is soon caught in the cross-hairs of some assassins.

The movie employs flashback to different times of Affleck's character in the past to give him more depth and motivations to who he is presently. It's definitely an interesting structural approach but what annoyed me are the unnecessary multiple twists at the end and its poorly integrated subplots involving its supporting characters. Yes, it is as confusing as it sounds for a fairly simple plot.

Rating: 6.5/10

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:34
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill,  Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer

BATMAN V SUPERMAN wasn't bad. But it wasn't good either. It was just OK.

Snyder has always been a visual and cinematic director for me and this movie really crushes it in this department. It's a visual fest - it looks grim, apocalyptic and big. Even the action sequences are epic (actually, everything is turned up to 11 eg. the close up bullet shell slowly falling on to the ground. Wah...). But when it comes to character development, Snyder is unable to deliver. Both Batman and Superman ends up as avatars rather than fully developed characters.

Granted that the studio is rushing to push out Justice League but there were many missed opportunities in the movie to build these iconic characters. Instead, they chose to spend time on re-telling the origins of Batman (yet again) and dream sequences.

And the narrative is unnecessarily convoluted. Audiences expecting to experience a royal smack down would feel cheated. To be fair, the plot to establish the superheroes as rivals rather than buddies is flawed but interesting nevertheless.

There are two highlights for me. Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot's version of Wonder Woman. I would pay to watch Ben Affleck as the brutal detective in a standalone Batman. I thoroughly enjoyed his iteration of Batman and seeing him single handedly take down a group of henchman MMA style. And as for Wonder Woman, her entrance and the accompanying electric guitar riff  was just W.o.W. Yes, I would want to see her too in her own movie.

I definitely credit Snyder for being ambitious in his film. He wants us to see this film as more than a disposable popcorn flick by exploring "what if it happens in the real world" concerns - such as regulating the role of superheroes as protectors. But it's so poorly executed he should have just focused on the battle royale.

Rating: 6/10