Batman – People Talking

Bat-Mania QUADRUPLE Pack – ‘Batman’ (‘89) – ‘Batman Returns’ – ‘Batman Forever’ – ‘Batman & Robin’

To be honest, as much as I love the Caped Crusader, I’ve never really been a fan of these movies.

Oh, I’ve enjoyed so many things they’ve inspired, like Danny Elfman’s original score, The Animated Series, the roller coasters, the stunt shows, etc., but the Burton/Schumacher series of films never did much for me as movies.

However, since I’ve seemingly reviewed every other live-action Batman movie except for the Adam West one, and also reviewed the greatest Batman movie of its generation, Mask of the Phantasm, it only seems fitting to give these a once over, too.

Bombs away.

1989.
A Number.
Another Summer.
The biggest movie summer ever by many estimations.

After all, you had, in order: new Indiana Jones, new Star Trek, new Ghost Busters, new Karate Kid, new Lethal Weapon, new James Bond, and both new Jason and Freddy, all in the same summer. Not to mention successful original films like Dead Poets Society, When Harry Met Sally, Turner & Hooch, Parenthood, The Abyss, Uncle Buck, and, of course, UHF (just kidding, it bombed; but it’s still worth watching).

Into this drops Tim Burton’s Batman, and, other than Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in the worldwide box office, it dominates and out-grosses all comers.

Why? Heck, I don’t know. I’d no sooner put Tim Burton in charge of Batman then I’d put Sam Raimi in charge of Spider-Man; but then I’m not a cocaine-addled Hollywood executive.

In all seriousness though, in the wake of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, and seeing that a comic book figure could be eminently successful on the silver screen, I think Dark Knight fans were just eager for their first taste of live-action Batman since 1968.

And, to be fair, the first twenty-five minutes are quite good; the misdirect introduction down Crime Alley is a good starting point, and the movie sets up like it’s going to great places, but, once the shooting starts at Axis Chemicals, the warts really come to light.

For one, the action is clumsy, and second, the script is some major weak sauce. I’ve heard the screenplay was being written as they were shooting, but what was the story they wanted to tell? As far as I can see, the last ninety minutes basically consist of two men fighting over a woman. That’s your superhero movie? A romantic comedy in Halloween costumes? Not to mention none of the one-liners other than “I’m Batman” have any punch. Also, making things personal with The Joker is a hack move. That was already cliche by 1981 (and still cliche in 2015).

Speaking of, couldn’t they have named Jack Nicholson’s character something other than “Jack”; I mean, what is this, a sitcom? I admit, I’m a little biased because to me he’s Jack Nicholson in every movie; sometimes it works (often, actually), sometimes it doesn’t, but to me he feels like the wrong choice here. I just see Jack Nicholson imitating Cesar Romero and I don’t find it special.

And another thing, while there is a good amount of investigating in this film, barely any of it is done by Batman. You know, that guy? The World’s Greatest Detective?

Now, to be positive, the Bat costume and Bat vehicles are unquestionably iconic, and I think Michael Keaton is fine in the “lead”, though largely wasted. And it’s no secret that Danny Elfman’s score holds the movie on its shoulders like Atlas, but the Prince songs stick out like a sore thumb as they don’t match the aesthetic of the film at all.

One last thing, as much as I ordinarily love and champion the use of miniatures, this movie is not the effects team’s finest hour.

All-in-all, not unlike Top Gun, Batman is one of those Eighties movies that’s culturally iconic, but when you look past the veneer, it’s really not very good; and as a Batman fan, I find it even more disappointing.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Did you know that Tim Burton is really into misfits, losers, and freaks?

Did you?

Did you know that?

I’d compare both of Tim Burton’s Batman films to Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla, in that he seems deeply uninterested in Batman and would rather devote screen time to telling literally any other story (or stories, plural).

In the case of Batman Returns, he gets one thing right though: Catwoman.

Michelle Pfeiffer is great. She absolutely nails her role and may very well give the best individual performance of any of these four films.

Beyond that, this movie pushes things into fairy tale fantasy land, which might be okay if it was fun, or bright, or colorful, but it’s Burton’s dark fairy land, with all the black-and-white spirals and Elfman “la-la-la-la” score.

Despite the in-universe continuity, it may as well be totally unrelated to the previous film, but it’s no improvement either way.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I mean, If you’re going to go comic book, you may as well go for it.

Out with Burton, Keaton, and Elfman; in with Schumacher (God rest him), Kilmer (who would have made a fine Dark Knight from the beginning), and Goldenthal (who created an admirable B-theme to Elfman’s A-theme for the Caped Crusader).

So, this movie has obvious problems, and, like Batman Returns, it’s over-laden with characters, but at least it takes an interest in its hero; and, while it’s somewhat annoying to have yet another movie with yet another romantic subplot, it’s nice to see Bruce Wayne actually care about someone else other than Alfred and the belle du jour.

Of course, I’m talking about Chris O’Donnell’s character of Dick Grayson AKA Robin. In fact, his whole introduction is one of the best parts of the movie, and his arc and how it affects Batman gives the film some much-needed heart. I would have loved to have seen Keaton handle this sort of material in either of the first two, but it just wasn’t there for him.

That said, the movie is no masterpiece. Jim Carrey is hit-or-miss as The Riddler, and I’m not sure Tommy Lee Jones had any real idea what he was doing as Two-Face.

But, we get more of a sense of scale from Gotham City compared to the Burton films, and many of the effects benefit from advances in technology, but also just execution.

Still, I don’t really give it a general recommendation.

Rating: ★★½ (out of five)

I remembered this movie being bad.

I didn’t remember it being this bad.

There are moments that are funny-bad (you can find super-cuts of them on YouTube), but this isn’t a movie like The Room. It doesn’t even earn that much kudos, in no small part because it’s TWO HOURS LONG.

To give it a modicum of praise, I think Uma Thurman realized what level of schlock she was in, and she does her best to have fun with it, but even so much of what she has to work with is just groan-worthy.

It’s a punishing slog; that’s it.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

P.S.
Even though I didn’t love any of these movies, I still loved spending time at The Mahoning Drive-In Theater. It may have been a little wet on Friday night, but the show carried on just fine. They truly are a beacon in these dark times.

Batman Triple Pack: Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy (in IMAX)

Seeing as how it’s nearly impossible to talk about Avengers: Endgame without spoiling anything (though I do give it a hearty recommendation if you’re the least bit interested), it seems as good an opportunity as any to talk about three films that I imagine the statute of limitations for spoilers has expired on, at least for anyone who’s old enough to drink.

I’ll speak only for myself here, but I see Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight triptych as the defining movie trilogy of my generation. Part of that is personal taste, part of that is timing (Batman Begins came out as I was graduating high school, Dark Knight heading into my senior year of college, and Dark Knight Rises a couple years into my first 9-to-5 job), but mostly it comes down to cultural impact.

For better or worse (mostly worse, to be honest, but I don’t hold other people’s incompetent stylistic plagiarism against Nolan), these films’ version of Batman and his universe is likely the genesis and certainly the embodiment of what I refer to as Post-9/11 Realism. You can see it in other franchises (or attempted franchises): James Bond; Jaffa/Silver’s Planet of the Apes; new American Godzilla; the DCEU; FANT4STIC; and so on. Even Mission: Impossible, as outright fun as those movies have been in the new millennium, there’s definitely a tinge of seriousness that feels Dark Knight-esque.

But, hey. We’re here to talk about some Batman movies, so let’s talk about some Batman movies.

Weirdly enough, I don’t remember a lot of hype for Batman Begins at the time of its release. It was almost as if it snuck up on us with great stealth (as a ninja should).

Oh, sure, I’d been following the rumor mill for years (more on that later), but deep down I think we almost didn’t believe that it was actually happening, probably because back in my day people didn’t reboot franchises every three years like certain hack studios do today, so despite the fact that eight whole years had passed, the debacle of Batman & Robin was still fresh in our minds.

And, wow; what a sea change.

To go from the candy-coated Gothic neon of the Burton and Schumacher films to the down-and-dirty grittiness of Batman Begins was nothing short of mind-blowing (to their credit, the filmmakers of Casino Royale were able to recapture this feeling a year later, and to greater profit). I think I went out and saw it three times in theaters (which would become something of a tradition with this trilogy, though not unmerited). What’s interesting now though, looking back, is that while I wouldn’t necessarily call it more fantastical, it’s certainly more dreamlike (some might say more “comic book”) than its sequels.

Still, despite the fact that it was a top ten hit both domestically and worldwide, it seems as if a number of people still sleep on this one today, but for fans of the Batman, it was the shot in the arm we desperately needed, and still very much appreciate.

Rating: ★★★★★

If I may jump back for a second to about 2001, I remember when the big rumor about the yet-unproduced Batman reboot was that it would be Batman: Year One (which later turned out to be a quality DC animated feature), to be directed by Darren Aronofsky, and starring as Batman, wait for it, none other than Aaron Eckhart.

Obviously, none of that ever materialized (and may only have ever existed as rumor in the first place), but flashing forward in time, while everybody was freaking out about Heath Ledger being cast as The Joker, I was just happy that Eckhart finally got some sort of consolation prize.

But enough about rumors, as fun as they may be.

I was so excited to see the sequel to Batman Begins that I rounded up a crew to go see, of all movies, I Am Legend, opening night, in IMAX, because I’d learned there’d be a special preview of The Dark Knight. Little did we know we’d be treated to the entire bank heist scene, which, believe me when I tell you this, when that opening shot of the city in broad daylight hit the screen, I thought I was going to fall out of my seat. It was an indelible moment that I still think about today. We’d all grown up going to IMAX films at museums and such, and I’d seen a few movies blown up for the larger screen, but to see a feature film actually shot in the format itself was, again, mind-blowing.

Honestly, by the time I got around to seeing the full movie (again, opening night, in IMAX), my expectations were so ridiculously high that I probably should have been disappointed in some way, but I wasn’t. In fact, at the time, I’d say my expectations were exceeded. Pretty close to miraculous if you ask me.

And I know I wasn’t alone on that.

Rating: ★★★★½

My memories of this one aren’t as clear as they are for its predecessor, but it was a similar overall experience (though I do remember one of my workmates at the time living in Newark and waking up one morning to the sight of Gotham City Police vehicles parked outside his front door). My friend and I went to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol opening night in IMAX to see the special preview, which again was the amazing opening scene of the movie (and featuring a different audio mix for Bane than the final version of the film).

Suffice it to say though, I think we were all a little less hyped for this one in the wake of Heath Ledger’s untimely death. There’d been rumors that the reason for Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s casting was to replace him as The Joker (which, in retrospect, I think could have worked, especially if his screen time was limited), but ultimately The Dark Knight Rises proceeded forth on its own terms, forging a new and different direction while ambitiously merging the previously unrelated stories of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight to an all-out conclusion.

I remember many people being highly critical of this one at the time, but I’ve always enjoyed it. It may stretch the bounds of realism in a more pronounced way than the two films before it, but all-in-all it draws out a fitting end to the character of Batman according to Nolan’s vision.

As they say, go big or go home.

Rating: ★★★★☆

So, what did I actually learn from seeing all three of these films in IMAX in one day (to celebrate Batman’s 80th Birthday)?

Well, I learned that while each movie is decidedly worth the price of admission on its own (which I already knew, but still), when you line all three of them up in such a direct comparison, it becomes obvious that Batman Begins is the best of the bunch (despite having no actual IMAX footage), which I honestly did not believe up until a few weeks ago when this event happened. The thing about Begins is that the layering of the story and the pacing is just so good, and as big and as grand as its sequels are, they just as obviously have third act pacing issues, which isn’t the worst thing, but it’s noticeable, and forces me to nick some points off.

Another thing I learned is that despite the great performance from Health Ledger (and it is Great), and despite The Dark Knight’s snub being the reason for The Academy opening up the Best Picture Oscar to more than five films per year, the gulf in quality between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises is not nearly as wide as the consensus would have you believe. In fact, at this point, if you said you liked the latter better than the former, I wouldn’t hold it against you.

Mostly though, I got a great refresher in knowing that these movies would not be what they are without Christopher Nolan. His passion for shooting on real film, for doing effects in camera as much as humanly possible, his knack for great (and I mean truly seamless) miniature work, his blissful ignorance that allows him to cast roles based on merit rather than reputation, all of these things flow out of who he is, what he cares about, and his artistic vision. He’s a great storyteller, to be sure, but the way you tell stories has an impact on the stories you tell, and I couldn’t be happier that this trilogy came from his heart, mind, body, and soul.

At least in the world of live-action, this version of Batman may never be topped. I’m not saying it’s completely flawless, but I’ll tell you this, I don’t think anyone will ever put such care into it ever again. In this world of digital 4-D cleanliness, having these gritty, tactile, analog films is like a warm blanket I wouldn’t trade for anything.

God save the king.

P.S.
I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it here before, but if you’ve never seen Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, you should definitely check it out. There are some amazing parallels between James Mason’s version of Captain Nemo and Liam Neeson’s character in Batman Begins.

P.P.S.
We all got Batarangs.

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Movie Review – ‘Justice League’ – Avert Your Eyes

Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by Chris Terrio (story and screenplay), Joss Whedon (screenplay), and Zack Snyder (story)
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Ciarán Hinds (voice), Amber Heard, Joe Morton, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Doutzen Kroes, Brooke Ence, Ann Ogbomo, Samantha Jo, Holt McCallany, Marc McClure
Soundtrack: Danny Elfman

Alternate title for this piece (or the movie): Why Can’t We Be [Super]friends?

I really shouldn’t even dignify this movie with anything resembling a full-length review, so I’ll try not to.

At no point in time did I ever have high hopes for this film, and in its wake I definitely don’t have high hopes for the DCEU as a whole.

Justice League is as big of a mess as Rogue One (if not more so). The only difference for me personally is that I don’t have nearly as much emotional attachment to the property, so I’m not nearly as angry or disappointed, but I still have to call a turd a turd.

The biggest problem with Justice League is that it is approximately 4,657 movies in one (hyperbole intended).

It’s almost as if these characters should have starred in their own films before appearing all together.

You know? Maybe build it up a little bit?

Why DC didn’t bite the bullet on this and instead attempted to microwave everything in order to “catch up” to Marvel is entirely beyond me. I mean, despite being pilloried by the critics at nearly every turn, these movies are still somehow doing good business, couldn’t they have put in the effort to make them good, too?

Back to the subject at hand (though this is a franchise-wide issue), Justice League, in addition to having a myriad of elements (especially tones) that don’t quite fit together, has so many visuals that are just plain ugly to look at that I could hardly believe my eyes. I may not be a film-making expert, but I do know that this was a two-hour movie that cost $300 million. It should not look as bad as it does, and yet it does.

Now, I’ll admit, there were a few tiny bits and pieces here and there that I did find enjoyable about Justice League, but mostly I was either bored, or trying not to be sick. Even if you’re somehow a DCEU completionist, this movie still isn’t worth your money to see theatrically.

It’s a mess. An ugly, boring mess.

What more do I need to say?

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

P.S.
There are multiple stingers, because D.C. is now in full Marvel mode (they wish).

P.P.S.
Naturally, and as usual, thanks to Alamo Drafthouse for the cool glassware (which is better than the movie).

Batman Triple Pack: ‘The Killing Joke’ – ‘Mask of the Phantasm’ – ‘Suicide Squad’

BATMAN character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, but you probably already knew that.

Directed by Sam Liu
Written by Brian Azzarello, based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore & Brian Bolland
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, Ray Wise, John DiMaggio, Robin Atkin Downes, Brian George, Nolan North, Maury Sterling, Fred Tatasciore
Soundtrack: Kristopher Carter. Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis

If you haven’t noticed, for nearly a decade now, DC Animation has been producing some pretty solid work in the form of ~75 minute adaptations of influential story arcs, miniseries, and one-shots. If you’re a Batman fan, I highly recommend Under the Red Hood, Year One, and the epic-length The Dark Knight Returns.

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend their latest adaptation, The Killing Joke. I give the movie two out of five stars, one each for Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill (the definitive voices of Batman and Joker, respectively), because without them there’s very little to grab onto here. Hamill’s performance in particular is quite fantastic; it’s a shame that it’s in service of so little.

I’ve never actually read the source graphic novel, but, based on its influence (and infamy), I have a hard time believing the filmmakers captured the spirit of it.

The movie begins with an addendum of a first act in order to pad out the run time, because apparently the source material wasn’t enough to produce a feature length result. Batman and Batgirl are called on to stop a robbery, and, though they get the bank truck back, a couple of bad guys get away. Particularly unfortunate for Batgirl is the fact that one of the escapees has a thing for her, which he uses to get inside her head, thus prompting Batman to force her off the case, which infuriates her to the point that she physically confronts him with some hand-to hand-combat, until [SPOILER ALERT] she lands on top of him and Batgirl and Batman do the no-pants Batusi. Controversial to say the least, although compared to the rest of the movie, it didn’t really bother me.

After the resolution of the initial story, the rest of the movie plays out more or less the same as the graphic novel.

I don’t know what happened behind the scenes, but I suspect the filmmakers didn’t really know how to handle such material as adult and as shocking as The Killing Joke. The movie is rated-R, as it technically should be, but they don’t come close to making the most of it from a thematic perspective. As much as the source material is for mature audiences only, the movie feels like it’s trying to cater to a younger audience, but worse than that, it feels like it was made by a younger audience. Compared to most other Batman adaptations, it feels like there’s an intelligence and a maturity towards the material that is missing.

I also disagree with the decision to add another story to pad out the length, because those extra minutes could’ve been used to explore The Killing Joke more, or at least linger a bit longer on certain aspects. Maybe I’m asking for blood from a stone here, but it felt like so many moments came and went abruptly and without care.

Perhaps the best and most succinct way I can sum up this Killing Joke movie is that it just falls flat. As much as the story is meant to toy with your emotions, it didn’t end up leading me much of anywhere, and, as such, it’s not worth your time or money, which is disappointing to say, but true nonetheless.

I’m so sorry.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
(★★½ if you’re really into Batman/comics)

Original Release Date: December 25, 1993
Directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm
Written by Alan Burnett (story and screenplay) & Paul Dini (screenplay) & Martin Pasko (screenplay) & Michael Reaves (screenplay)
Cast: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach, Abe Vigoda, Dick Miller, John P. Ryan, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bob Hastings, Robert Costanzo, Mark Hamill, Arleen Sorkin
Soundtrack: Shirley Walker

Now THIS was a treat. Apparently, there are only two known 35mm prints of Mask of the Phantasm left in existence, so to be able to see it as it was originally shown was something special.

By the time Mask of the Phantasm originally hit theaters, Tim Burton’s two Batman movies had come and gone, and The Animated Series had aired 65 episodes, so it’s easy to see how Christmas of ’93 could represent the high water mark for those Batman fans old enough to appreciate it at the time.

In fact, there’s a strong argument to be made that Mask of the Phantasm is the best Batman movie of all time. I wouldn’t go that far (although I’m fine with saying it’s definitively the best of its era), but from a screenplay perspective it might be the best Batman script ever produced.

For one thing, the movie gets a lot of Batman aspects right that other adaptations often struggle with. namely, Bruce Wayne the playboy (aka, his real mask). It only comes up in one brief scene, but it’s enough to let us know how the world at large views Bruce Wayne: he likes to party. At the same time, however, we get a romantic sub-plot that actually feels real (especially compared to the live-action films of the 80s and 90s) and that highlights the sacrifices he has to make in his personal life in order to continue to be Batman.

Mask of the Phantasm also addresses how and why Bruce Wayne became Batman (definitely some Year One influence), without taking us down “Crime Alley” once again to see Thomas and Martha Wayne get gunned-down (because God knows we’ve seen that more than enough in subsequent years), so that’s a plus.

Really though, like The Killing Joke, and in spite of all of the Hollywood names they wrangled to do voices, the stars of the show are Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, except here, as I said, they’re given a great screenplay to work from. This is not to say that anyone in the cast is lackluster, because everyone in Mask of the Phantasm does good work (Arleen Sorkin and Dana Delany later went on to voice Harley Quinn and Lois Lane, respectively), but, frankly, Mark Hamill steals the show, despite not entering the picture until the third act.

If you’ve ever wondered why so many fans refer to Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as the ultimate Batman and Joker, I’d offer Mask of the Phantasm as Exhibit A. I think my only real complaint is that the movie isn’t longer.

Definitely check it out if you haven’t yet done so.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Written and Directed by David Ayer, based on the comic book by John Ostrander
Cast: Will Smith, Ike Barinholtz, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, David Harbour, Robin Atkin Downes, Jared Leto, Jim Parrack, Common, Jai Courtney, Ezra Miller, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman, Alain Chanoine, Scott Eastwood, Adam Beach, Karen Fukuhara, Kenneth Choi, Ben Affleck
Soundtrack: Steven Price

I don’t know what it is about 2016, but there have been a number of films with uninspiring trailers this year, Suicide Squad among them.

Quite honestly, I only went to see this movie opening night so I could add another sweet Mondo pint glass to my collection. Other than that, I really had no expectations; I was mostly just hoping it would be better than FANT4STIC (after all, their release dates are nearly a year apart). To me, the only possible saving grace could’ve been that it’s written and directed by David Ayer, who has made at least one top-notch movie in Fury, and is also the sole credited writer of Training Day, so there’s definitely greatness within him.

To my surprise, the result of Suicide Squad is a bit muddled, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained.

Let me plow through some things before I really get going. First of all, anyone who says this movie is as bad or worse than FANT4STIC is just trying to get their name out there. Second, The Joker isn’t in the movie all that much, so even if you hate Jared Leto’s performance (I’m still working through how I feel about it), you won’t have to suffer through it for too long. Third, Batman is in the movie even less than the Joker, which is fine, it’s not his movie by any stretch, but for those hoping for another taste of Batfleck, this is like a tiny sample spoon at your local ice cream parlor.

So, what is Suicide Squad? Well, if The Dirty Dozen and X-Men: Apocalypse had a DC baby (with some cross-pollination from Escape From New York, which I really appreciated), this would be it: a group of the world’s baddest villains get voluntold to combat a threat mere mortals cannot handle.

I may as well start with the negative, because I do have a bunch of problems with this movie. For one thing, the use of licensed music gets tiresome real fast; so much of the first half is just plastered with songs that are, as they say, a bit on the nose. And most of these songs are used in the first act when we get introduced to the main characters over and over and over again (it’s quite vexing).

Also, the establishment of the main threat and the mobilization of the Squad to deal with it feels rather brushed over. Not to say that it’s not there at all, but it might have been nice to let it breathe a bit longer. There’s also at least one flashback sequence that feels rather shoehorned.

In terms of performances, it’s a little bit of a mixed bag. I didn’t think Viola Davis or Margot Robbie were terrible by any stretch, or even wrongly cast for their parts, but there was just something slightly off with each of them. Davis does a lot of pseudo-mumbling, and Robbie’s accent is a bit too “New Yawk” for my taste.

On the other hand, I think Will Smith really shines in this movie (his natural presence really helps the tone), and Jai Courtney stands out as well. In spite of the rocky first half, one of the major aspects of the movie that wins me over in the end is the chemistry between the characters.

In addition, despite its hasty introduction, from a production design standpoint (and I guess costume design as well), the threat is pretty cool. I especially like how things look in the aftermath of its activity (Cronenberg-esque would be a fair description).

Most importantly though, Suicide Squad is a decent blend of action and humor. Not the best, but also not nearly as bad as the critical consensus would have you believe. As someone who was prepared for the worst, I was pleasantly surprised.

Much like Batman v Superman, it takes a little while to get where it’s going, but once it gets there it’s pretty good.

Oh, and in case you were wondering (I know you were), there’s a stinger in the middle of the credits, but not at the very end.

Rating: ★★★½

P.S.
Shout out to Alamo Drafthouse as usual for the opening night accouterments. The drink specials were muy delicioso.