Category Reviews

Jul 13 2025

Superman Flies Off To A Promising Start For the DCU

The new DC Universe (DCU) is off to a very promising start with Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, and who is also the guru spearheading the DCU.

Unlike other introductory Superman films, this latest reboot does away with the origin story of Clark Kent/Superman (David Corenswet) arriving to Earth as a child from the doomed planet Krypton and growing up to become the world’s greatest superhero. Instead, the film takes place three years into his debut. As the film starts, Superman has for the first time lost a battle against a foe called the Hammer of Baravia. In the film’s opening text, Superman stopped the country of Baravia from invading its neighbor and this action has proven to be controversial. While Superman sees this as simply preventing needless deaths and protecting a weak country against one ruled by a dictator, many people saw this as him acting recklessly without authority.

As this fallout happens, Superman’s arch nemesis, the evil tech bro Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) manages to break into Superman’s Antarctic lair, the Fortress of Solitude, abduct Superman’s dog, Krypto, and steal video files of Superman’s Kryptonian parents. Luthor uses this footage to smear Superman on social media by revealing that Superman was supposed to conquer the people of Earth. This revelation quickly turns the public against Superman, who is then forced to turn himself into the U.S. authorities for his actions against Baravia. After he is imprisoned in a pocket dimension, it is up to his lover and fellow reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and allies Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) to find a way to free him, discover Luthor’s true motives and expose him.

Superman works for so many reasons. The film immediately does away with the dour and gritty look of the recent Superman films that divided many fans. This version of Superman is bright, cheerful but not without conflict. However, unlike the last big-screen incarnation of Superman, this one is more human and is not brooding or trying to find his place in the world. In many ways, this version of Superman better reflects the more human and relatable version we last saw in the recent TV show Superman & Lois.

Yes, Superman has its flaws such as some colorful supporting characters did not get much screen time compared to others and the plot moves a bit too quickly, which tamped down some emotional points. But the breakneck pace of the film for the most part works in the film’s favor as it keeps everything moving at a lively pace that rarely lets up. It is refreshing that James Gunn was not afraid to embrace the characters’ goofy and sci-fi fantasy comic book roots and present them in an endearing and fun way that celebrates the DC Comics, especially during its late Silver and Bronze Ages.

It goes without saying that Superman is probably the most comic book-oriented film in recent history. It is not afraid of its comic book roots; it actually celebrates them. In our very cynical time that is full of strife and misery the bright, optimistic nature of Superman is a much-needed escape into a more hopeful world where good triumphs over evil in the end, and decency is commended as represented by Superman himself. This brightness also stands out in contrast to many recent superhero/comic book movies.

James Gunn must be applauded for having the vision and skill to pull off this exuberant debut for the DCU. He exhibits a lot of the quirky humor and pulse-pounding action beats that he demonstrated with his Guardians of the Galaxy films and The Suicide Squad. The camera work is simply breathtaking in many of the fight and flying scenes. The special effects are nearly perfect as is the production design. At the same time, the film is injected with so much emotion and character. This would not be possible with an inferior cast, but thankfully, Gunn recruited some of the best actors for this film.

Corenswet does a fine job as a more relatable Superman, although there was not enough time given to his dual identity of Clark Kent, but that can be remedied in the next film.  The other acting stand outs include Brosnahan, who probably portrays the best big-screen version of Lois Lane, Hoult as Luthor, who eerily evokes current D-Bag tech bros who are becoming the ruination of our society, and Gathegi, who steals many scenes with his dry one liners and goofily stoic nature. But the true star of the show, aside from Superman himself, was Krypto the Superdog. As he did with Rocket Raccoon, Gunn presents us with an endearing animal character that steals many scenes with great humor and genuine affection. And he’s a good dog!

Superman could not come at a better time, not just for DC Studios or even superhero films, but for everyone in general. Just as the original Superman in 1978 was a beacon of hope and light in a troubled time in our history, this 2025 version of Superman also serves as reminder that we can be better, and we will be. With such a great start to the DCU, it’s exciting to see what comes next for this new cinematic universe.

José Soto

Jun 16 2025

How To Train Your Dragon (2025) Shows How To Do Live-Action Remakes

Fifteen years ago, DreamWorks Animation (DreamWorks) graced the world with the brilliant film adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon (HTTYD) novel series. The film was released to massive fanfare from both critics and casual audiences, citing the film’s plot, music, and characters as great and unique. The success of the first film led to 2 sequels and even spinoff TV shows of the same name, and now, 15 years later, comes a live-action remake. This came as a surprise since DreamWorks has never dabbled in the “live-action remake trend” spearheaded by Disney, so I along with many others had mixed feelings on this. However, just in time for Father’s Day, I decided to watch it with my dad, and I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon (2025) is a brilliant homage to the original film, taking care of the original vision, helped by the return of the first film’s director, Dean DeBlois. The story follows young chief-to-be Hiccup (played by Mason Thames) as he flails around a brave Viking village, being of no use as always when a hoard of dragons terrorize the village. He luckily manages to shoot down the most feared dragon type, a Night Fury, but nobody takes him seriously. His father, Stoick (played by Gerald Butler, surprisingly reprising his role from the animated films), feels dissatisfied with his unworthiness, so he leaves him in the caring hands of his best friend Gobber (played by Nick Frost), to both babysit and train him. Hiccup pursues the Night Fury he shot down hoping to confirm the kill, but when he finds it, he is unable to finish it off, leading into a masterful and heartfelt story.

I am happy to report that the original story is done justice with every major beat being preserved and at times even elevated by the script and acting. Speaking of which, the actors do a phenomenal job portraying the characters and they feel as if you’re watching these characters as actual people. People complained about Astrid’s casting, with the actress (Nico Parker) not looking much like the original rendition, but she portrays the character amazingly. Unlike previous Disney live-action remakes having poor acting (“cough, cough” Snow White “cough, cough”), DreamWorks seemingly knocked them out of the water in every aspect when it comes to remakes, in addition to the topnotch casting and script in HTTYD.

In addition, the music in How to Train Your Dragon is absolutely beautiful and always elevates the scenes in an inspirational way. One scene of note is the iconic “test drive” scene with Hiccup riding the flying Night Fury he names Toothless which has an amazing score complimenting it. I have seen mixed opinions about the new rendition of the same music, but in my opinion, it made the scene even more jaw dropping, sprinkling a feeling of grandiose into the already majestic landscapes as Toothless and Hiccup take their first flight together. This is most likely the case because of the return of the original film’s composer, John Powell, to score this film. A trend that aligns with the success of this film that I’ve noticed is it brought back a lot of the original team and got their creative influence to assist with bringing a beloved film to life. If Disney were to take notes from DreamWorks, maybe their live-action remakes can feel more than just soulless cash grabs.

It is worth noting that the visuals in How to Train Your Dragon were really well done, adapting the dragons and the vivid world of the series in a careful matter that proves that Berk can translate into realistic visuals. With these live-action remakes, Disney tends to butcher the visual aspect, which is arguably the most important part of said translation. You cannot possibly expect fans of a beloved story to be on board with slapping lazy and chalky visuals while simultaneously ruining their childhood. This is why movies like Snow White (2025), The Lion King (2019),and Dumbo (2019) may have had some financial success, but bombed when it came to positive reviews.

The set pieces in How to Train Your Dragon can range from spectacular and gorgeous to dark and grim while keeping the same visual soul of the original animated film. When it came to the designs for the dragons, I will admit I found it a bit strange that Toothless stood out amongst the rest. Every dragon other than Toothless felt like they came out of Game of Thrones, being hyper realistic rather than being more on the cartoony side with Toothless. I understand why this was done, most likely to emphasize that the rest were actual threats to humans and at the same time, make Toothless more adorable, but it was odd to me.

Overall, DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon (2025) remains a spectacular and emotional journey of changing the future for the better and dealing with familial tensions. The return of the original team greatly helped this project feel lively and not like most of Disney’s recent live-action films. Stand out features include the brilliant cast, the heartfelt music, and the jaw dropping visuals. I would highly recommend giving this film a shot if you were a fan of the original, and even if this is your first exposure to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise! Also, the film comes out just in time for the opening of Universal’s newest park, Epic Universe, which features a land based on the HTTYD franchise, Isle of Berk.

Angelo Soto

May 18 2025

Season Two Of Andor Proves It Is The Greatest Star Wars TV Show Of All

Andor just completed its second and final season on Disney + and it proved beyond question that it is the greatest Star Wars TV show ever presented. Some fans may complain that it is too slow or too adult or too unlike Star Wars, but they are missing the point. Andor demonstrates that Star Wars can be much more than action-oriented, near fantasy stories that are supposedly geared more to children. The IP is much more than that and Andor shows us the potential of what Star Wars can be.

The second season of Andor is broken up into three-episode arcs, with each arc taking place a year apart as the overall narrative counts down to the original Star Wars and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. As each arc progresses, we get to see how the complex characters develop and grow.

Among the great things about Andor are its rich characters starting with the title character himself, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a spy for the burgeoning Rebel Alliance. In the early years of the rebellion against the Galactic Empire, Andor travels through many worlds on spy missions to undermine the Empire. But in his heart, even though he detests the Empire, he wants to retire to a quiet life with his girlfriend, Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), who is suffering from PTSD after being tortured by the Empire in the first season. Sadly, as anyone who has seen Rogue One knows, that is not to be for Cassian. Knowing Andor’s ultimate fate and the impact he will unknowingly have in the fight against the Empire makes his personal growth so compelling. We see that he has grown as a character since the first season. Back then, he largely looked out for himself and only through tragedies did he join the Rebellion. When we see him throughout the second season, Andor is now a polished spy who could blend into several environments as he pulls off capers like stealing advanced Imperial TIE fighters or doing reconnaissance in the tragic world of Ghorman, as it becomes a hotbed for unrest against the Empire.

It turned out that the storyline in Ghorman, which continued through two arcs, was the centerpiece of Andor. We get to see a rich culture that seemed vaguely European and an obvious stand-in for France during World War II with amateur spies and rebels facing a hopeless situation against the Empire. What made matters worse was that the unrest on Ghorman was orchestrated by the Empire just to create a media narrative that the populace was full of terrorists just so the planet could be mined for a mineral needed for the Death Star battle station. The entire storyline was an unsettling mirror and a damning commentary for our current situation where people blindly believe whatever narrative government officials tell them and the misuse of media.

The two-part story arc of Ghorman culminated in the so-called Ghorman massacre in the seventh episode as many brewing subplots came to a head. Several characters had cathartic encounters with each other, notably the Imperial bureaucrat Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), who was obsessed with finding and arresting Andor that was like Inspector Javert chasing after Jean Valjean. While Syril is a sniveling and insecure man, his storyline is quite captivating and is a grounded look at how civilians live in the age of the Galactic Empire. He was basically a nobody who was needled by his mother and only wanted to move up in middle management. What made his story interesting was that we see that he slowly began to sympathize with the Ghormans and that he was being manipulated by his girlfriend Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), an Imperial operative who was equally ambitious.

Deedra herself was obsessed with learning the identity of who she considered to be the mastermind behind the Rebellion: a person she called Axis. This turned out to be none other than Andor’s recruiter and mentor Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard), a master spy who runs an antique shop in the Imperial capital world Coruscant and helped fund and coordinate the intelligence network for the Rebellion. Skarsgard gave what is probably the performance of his career as Luthen, a morally complex and mysterious operative who has no boundaries and will use anyone and any means to defeat the Empire. That is incredible considering how perfect the performances are from the other cast members, starting with Luna.

Getting back to the Ghorman Massacre, the incident in the episode “Who Are You?” was very disturbing and hammers home how evil the Empire is; they really are space Nazis who should not be admired. This incident turned out to be a turning point not just with the Galactic Civil War but with the destinies of many characters including Andor. As mentioned before, Andor played a critical role in the early days of the Rebellion. In the second season his most important contribution was when he went to Coruscant and extracted Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), one of the few senators who spoke out against the Empire after the massacre and ended up becoming the leader of the Rebellion. The episode “Welcome to the Rebellion” is where Andor extracts her from Coruscant and it was very intense and rousing, especially in the scenes where she gives her speech to denounce the Empire and afterwards when Andor has to get her to safety. What made everything so heartbreaking for Andor was how everything ended for him personally after he succeeded. These developments helped set him up for his situation when we saw him in Rogue One.

A remarkable thing the second season of Andor did was seamlessly connect to Rogue One. The final episode of the series “Jedha, Kyber, Erso” felt like a countdown as many story arcs concluded and featured characters that would show up in the film. The entire series helps us look at the film in a new way when it comes to Andor as we now understand the strife he went through in life and the level of sacrifice he made for the cause. One story line that was never resolved was that of Cassian looking for his little sister. As shown in the first season, the two siblings were separated as children and his search for her when he was an adult set in place his involvement with the Rebellion and his destiny. In one tragic sequence, in the last moments of the last episode, Andor is still dreaming about her, and he never will find out what happened to his sister. That is how life goes unfortunately.

Grounded moments like Andor’s bitter memories, the tragic deaths of beloved characters, the bitter sacrifices made by most characters, and how characters weave in and out of each other’s lives are what set Andor apart from most television shows. It’s a miracle that the show’s creators like Tony Gilroy were given the freedom and the budget to present this masterpiece. It is also unfortunate that we only got two seasons of Andor as it was originally planned for five seasons, one can only wonder how much greater the series would have been.

But perhaps it is for the best that Gilroy decided to conclude the series as it probably helped him, and the other creators to focus on the complex stories and had the budget to develop these impressive worlds with rich cultures. Yes, the entire production was of movie quality and captivating. It is not known if Lucasfilm will ever greenlight a TV series like Andor again, but it should. It would be great to see other series focusing on other Rogue One characters like Chirrut and Baze or even Bodhi. But we are fortunate that at least we had Andor, which is not only the best Star Wars TV show of all time but one of the greatest TV shows of all time.

José Soto

May 2 2025

Thunderbolts* Proves The MCU Is Still Great

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has taken its lumps in recent years thanks to some films and TV shows that failed to capture the excitement and emotions of the early MCU films. The 36th and latest MCU film, Thunderbolts*, on the other hand, proves that the MCU can still put out great films.

Thunderbolts*, which was released this weekend, re-introduces us to many D-List MCU characters that appeared in other MCU films, and now they get their opportunity to shine in the film’s spotlight. Even though the film is an ensemble piece, the main character is Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), the sister of Black Widow and is bored with her existence as a mercenary carrying out questionable jobs for CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia-Louis Dreyfus). There will be some spoilers for the film.

After asking de Fontaine for a change of pace, Yelena is sent on a covert op to kill another mercenary, Ava Starr aka Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), who was last seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp, at a remote desert laboratory. Once there the two women are targeted by John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who was introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as U.S. Agent, and Antonia Dreykov aka Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). It turns out that de Fontaine sent all four mercs to kill each other because she is getting rid of all evidence of her involvement with the shady O.X.E Group. After an obligatory introductory and thrilling battle that leaves Taskmaster dead, the remaining trio meet Bob (Lewis Pullman), a seemingly ordinary fellow who somehow woke up in the lab.

The three mercenaries manage to escape the lab and are joined by Yelena’s adopted father, Alexei Shostakov, the supposedly famous Red Guardian (David Harbour), a Russian knock-off of Captain America. Later on, they are forcibly recruited by James “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan), once the infamous Winter Soldier and now a U.S. Congressman, to testify in Congress against de Fontaine, who is being impeached. What none of them realize is that there is a lot more to Bob, who is revealed to have been the test subject of the O.X.E Group to create the ultimate superhero. But no one took into account Bob’s fragile emotional state and how that will come to severely impact Bob and the world after his superpowers have manifested.

There are many reasons why Thunderbolts* works so well. Let’s start with the cast. Every actor featured is on point and more importantly have great chemistry with one another. They are able to convey that they are broken, dysfunctional people that clash with one another, often humorously, and are yet able to come together. As great as the actors were, Florence Pugh is the obvious star in the film and its emotional center. She best exemplifies how emotionally broken the Thunderbolts and Bob are and how they strive to better themselves. The other actors turn in solid work such as Stan, who plays the straight man to the dysfunctional group, and Wyatt Russell adds some much needed depth and sympathy to his character. He no longer comes off as a poor man’s Captain America. However, David Harbour steals many scenes with his boisterous Alexei, who is all too eager to prove himself as a superhero and to bask in the glory of being one. Many of his funny lines are well delivered and add some needed levity to the film before it wallows too much into examining psyches.

Much like Guardians of the Galaxy, Thunderbolts* focus is on its characters and this works. It makes us understand them better and see how much nuance and depth they have. This also makes us care about them, a lot more than expected. Unfortunately, not every character gets in depth looks into their personalities, but that probably would have made for a very long film. Besides, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier gave us plenty of insight into Bucky and how he recovered emotionally from his ordeal as the Winter Soldier. The film takes time to explore how emotionally vulnerable the Thunderbolts are as they battle their own inner demons, especially depression. This adds so much weight and levity to them and makes the film stand out from the typical superhero movie.

Before anyone thinks that Thunderbolts* is some kind of pretentious Oscar bait brimming with character studies, the film has some of the MCU’s most exciting action scenes. Probably the best one featured a one-sided battle between the Thunderbolts and an insanely OP Bob, who becomes the Sentry, Marvel’s emotionally unstable version of Superman. The Sentry and his dark alter ego known as the Void were both impressive and terrifying. The way the Void was shown as an ominously dark silhouette was very creepy and hammered home the vulnerabilities of the Thunderbolts. Again and again they and we kept asking how a bunch of mercs and wannabe heroes, who could only shoot and punch, fight someone so powerful? Of course, it could not be done through physical combat and the method used to confront the Sentry is a welcome change when it comes to third act confrontations in superhero films. No blinding shafts of light going up into the sky will be found in Thunderbolts*, instead we get introspective character development. That is why this film works so well.

Anyone wavering about whether or not to see Thunderbolts* should consider that while it is a welcome change when it comes to superhero films, it is actually important to the MCU as it closes out Phase Five of the MCU, unlike more recent films and TV shows. So, be sure to stick around for the post-credits scenes. Not only is the final scene one of the longest post-credits scenes in the MCU, but like in the older classic MCU films, the scene helps advance the larger event going on with the MCU.

José Soto

Apr 18 2025

Daredevil’s Long-Awaited Return in Daredevil: Born Again

Most people agree that the original Daredevil TV show that streamed on Netflix was the pinnacle of superhero TV shows. Buoyed by powerful performances by Charlie Cox as the blind lawyer and superhero, Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio as his arch nemesis, Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, Daredevil was dark, gritty, and intense. Sadly, the show was cancelled by Netflix, and it would take some time before Marvel Studios resurrected the TV show and its characters in the newest Disney + Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) TV show, Daredevil: Born Again.

The main question fans of Daredevil had was whether the new TV show could measure up to the old one? The answer is yes, for the most part.

It is fairly well known that when Daredevil: Born Again was first announced, it was not clear if the original TV show was part of the MCU and it seemed as if it wasn’t even though Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk appeared in properties like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hawkeye and Echo. This was evident by the Kingpin’s portrayal in Hawkeye where he displayed previously unmentioned superhuman strength and wore more leisurely clothing. Not much was known about the original episodes of Daredevil: Born Again, except that it did not capture the spirit of Daredevil and Marvel Studios head, Kevin Feige, was not impressed with what he saw, which was reportedly more of a legal drama where Murdock didn’t wear his Daredevil costume until the sixth episode. So, Feige decided to retool the TV show by bringing in a new creative team, which filmed three new episodes and re-edited the original six episodes of Daredevil: Born Again.

Looking at the complete first season of Daredevil: Born Again it is very obvious that the episodes varied in quality between the revamped episodes and three episodes done by the new team. It’s not that the six original episodes were bad, they were fine, but they lacked the oomph and high standards of the original Daredevil that the newer episodes were able to match. This is not a knock against Daredevil: Born Again because it ranks as one of the best Disney + MCU TV shows. There is a lot to admire about it overall, and it is nearly perfect. It’s just frustrating that there were undeniable flaws with the season that prevent it from reaching the heights of seasons one and three of Daredevil (the second season had its issues). But it’s important to note that the first season of Daredevil: Born Again starts off powerfully strong and ends on a similar high note, which will continue with the second season.

There will be spoilers…

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