Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham Review

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham is an animated comic book movie based on Mike Mignola's Elseworld miniseries of the same name. It's produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham is written by Jase Ricci and directed by Christopher Berkeley and Sam Liu.

The story is in 1920s Gotham City, an ancient horror has awaken and plans to spread chaos throughout Gotham. Now Batman must find out the secrets about this great and evil, and hope to save his city before it's too late.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to see this was not only was it a new DC animated movie, but it was venturing into the Elseworlds territory. Which means we were gonna get something different.

Cons

The real negative for me was the villains. Even with an entire history behind them, they were very lackluster. Even if in the main continuity of DC, their motives was to destroy Gotham and rebuild it, in the comics there's more depth of character, here they just felt generic.

Middle Ground

One mix feeling I had with the movie was the changes. While the movie maintains somethings that were in the original comic miniseries, other changes just didn't feel necessary. Like swapping out Jason Todd and Tim Drake, with two very forgettable replacements. And I'm not saying that last bit just to be a dick, I actually forgot those character's names. The other aspect was the art style. While I don't hate it, I really think the movie would've benefited had they used a style similar to or exactly like the comic. I mean, how many of you would've preferred this,

as supposed to this.

Pros

One positive thing about the movie version of The Doom That Came to Gotham was the animation. The animation did a fantastic job capturing the gothic tone of both the story and design. And even though this a horror story, that didn't stop use from getting some beautiful colors in there as well. The last thing I'll say about the movie is much like the previous Elseworlds movies [Batman: Gotham by Gaslight and Superman: Red Son] we've got something different. It's Batman mixed in with an H.P. Lovecraft story. So because of this different take along with the previously mentioned flicks, this helps the animated DC library continue to have breath of fresh air, while the studio continues with their cinematic universes.

This movie wasn't a full disappointment for me, but this is where I'm not gonna rewatch it like I do with previous DC animated movies. There were quite a few entertaining qualities, but not enough for me to give this a very high rating.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's all for now. Come back again tomorrow, for my review of Tetris. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Transformers: Dark of the Moon Review

 

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a sci-fi action movie, based on the Hasbro toyline. It's not only the sequel to Revenge of the Fallen, but the third movie in the franchise. It was produced by Paramount Pictures, Hasbro Studios, and Di Bonaventura Pictures, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Transformers: Dark of the Moon was written by Ehren Kruger and directed by Michael Bay.

The story is it's been two years after the events of the last movie, Sam and his new girlfriend Carly are trying to live a normal live, but this all changes when both the Autobots find out the Decepticons are using fuel cells from the lost ship, the Ark. When they both discover what this means, both sides now fight for control and a lost, powerful weapon.

Why the Delay?

So if any of you read my review for Boston Strangler, then you would know that I meant to upload this on Monday. Well on Saturday, mother nature decided to throw a curveball and give us lovely people in Salem, Ohio a huge windstorm, which would later blow up a transformer in my neighborhood. And despite Ohio Edison saying they have everything under control (they clearly didn't), I had to wait nearly a week for them to finally fix the damn thing. Which they didn't do until last night, as suppose to Wednesday like they said. If you couldn't tell by my writing I'm clearly not happy with Ohio Edison.

• Negatives

My only real gripe was Megatron. I know he was playing second fiddle in the last movie, but here, he barely did anything. He didn't do anything memorable until the final battle. Sure, he pretty much set things in motion, but for like 95% of the movie, he just stands around listening to the real big bad.

• Mix

In the last movie, I mentioned the pacing did feel like two hours. Here there is a slow start, but once we dive more into the conspiracy surrounding the moon and a long lost Autobot, things do get moving quite a bit.

• Positives

One thing I liked was the humor. While there was a couple of bits that just didn't work, for a large portion of the runtime, I had a lot of good laughs.

What I also enjoyed was the moon conspiracy theory plot. I was surprised at how I was actually interested in that story, and how it nicely connected to the Autobots and Decepticons.

The last thing I'll mentioned is the action, wow. I loved the action this time around. Sure I still enjoyed in the last two, but here I was smiling from ear to ear. I especially loved the final battle in Chicago. Until I see the other three movies, the Chicago battle is my top favorite action finale in this film franchise.

While Dark of the Moon still has its problems, there's definitely an improvements when compared to Revenge of the Fallen.

My final rating is, Good.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back tomorrow, where I'll review Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Boston Strangler Review

 

Boston Strangler is a historical crime drama movie based on the true story of the infamous serial killer of the same name. It's produced by 20th Century Studios, Scott Free Productions, and LuckyChap Entertainment and distributed by Hulu. Boston Strangler is written and directed by Matt Ruskin.

The story is reporter Loretta McLaughlin becomes the first reporter to break the story of the serial killer known as, the Boston Strangler. What didn't know at the time was going down this path would come at some personal risk.

Initial Reaction

The main reason why I wanted to see this was because Ridley Scott produced it, and really that's it. I was very curious what Ridley saw that made him put money into this flick.

Cons

I've got nothing to say, so move on.

Middle Ground

Now while the movie does give us plenty of story regarding the women investigating the story, and the Boston Strangler himself. We still could've used more of that. Because the other half of the story is family drama. That could've worked, had it been better. Because what we got was pretty generic. So the writer/director really should've cut that stuff out, and give us more of the journalist side, while at the same time continue to give us more of a sense of fear with the Boston Strangler.

Pros

One thing I'll really liked about the movie was the pacing. It was really good. It wasn't too fast, and it wasn't too slow. If anything it was nicely balanced. Another thing I really enjoyed was the cinematography. Not only did it help build up the dark tone, but it also gave a vibe that would fit a David Fincher psychology thriller film. You could view that as a cheap imitation, but I thought it worked in the movie's favor. The last thing I'll give a positive feedback on is the acting. While I can understand why a lot of people probably didn't enjoy this, I still believe we can agree that the acting was really good. That part, along with the pacing and cinematography really brought the quality of the entire movie for me.

I don't believe The Boston Strangler is gonna set the world on fire like previous true crime stories such as Zodiac, but I still enjoyed it for the most part.

My final rating is, Good.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Mar 27th, for part three of the Road to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, with my review of, Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Review

 

WARNING! I WILL BE GIVING SPOILERS TO THE MID AND POST-CREDIT SCENES. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE, LEAVE AS SOON AS YOU'RE DONE READING THE REVIEW!

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a comic book movie, the sequel to 2019's Shazam!, and the 12th installment of the DC Extended Universe. It's produced by DC Studios, New Line Cinema, The Safran Company, and Seven Bucks Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is written by Chris Morgan and Henry Gayden and directed by David F. Sandberg.

The story is it's been two years since the events of the first movie. Billy and his siblings think everything's pretty normal despite being superheroes. Things change when they have to spring back into action when the daughters of Atlas, want to use a weapon that could destroy the world.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to see was because I really enjoyed the first movie. So it was only natural that I'd want to see the sequel.

Cons

The only aspect of Fury of the Gods that I didn't like, was the jokes. They started out fine enough, but as the movie kept going, I found myself laughing less and less, to the point whenever a joke popped up, I was dead silent.

Middle Ground

One mix bag with the movie came from while there's still some heart to the movie, it's not as strong as it was in the first. What I mean is, we still get see how Billy cares for his family, and him this time around wanting to keep everyone together. However, it felt like that emotional aspect of the movie wasn't being focused on enough, when you compare it to the action and humor. Then we have the CGI. Now, some parts actually look pretty good, other times it was just...no. Which now brings me to the mid and post-credit scene. I'm not gonna go into full details just yet. But the reason why it's a mix bag is because, while it does expand a few things, it makes me wonder if they should even be there, considering James Gunn and co., are rebooting, soft-rebooting, or whatever they're doing, with the DC movie series.

Pros

If there was one good thing about the movie, it was acting. Despite the overall quality of the story being just okay, the actors and actress still try to bring something to their roles, whether it's having to be serious, or at least looking like they're having fun.

While I by no means hate Shazam! Fury of the Gods, I will admit that when it comes to the Shazam! movies, I definitely lean more towards the first flick.

My final rating is, Okay.

OKAY! HERE'S YOUR SECOND WARNING! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE CREDIT SCENES ARE, BACK OUT. RIGHT NOW!

Okay, so, in the mid-credit scene, Harcourt and John Economos (from Peacemaker), show up and try to recruit Billy to the Justice Society. While in the post-credit scene, we once again, see Dr. Sivana in prison, and him and Mister Mind continue to talk about their big plan.

So, with these credit scenes in mind, what does this mean for the future of the Shazam! movies? Well, according to David F. Sandberg, it all depends on how well the reception is towards the movie.

Now that doesn't sound too bad right? We'll it kinda does. Because if you've been paying close attention to the news regarding the upcoming DC Universe (very generic name for a film franchise compared to the previous name of DC Extended Universe by the way), James Gunn has pretty much been picking and choosing what he deems, not what the fans or general audience deems, but what he deems is acceptable to the DCU.

Let me explain further, when watching Our Movie News' video titled "The Problem with James Gunn's DCU", James and co. are basically keeping the characters and stories that they like, but rebooting everything else. So what does this have to do with Shazam? Well, since James created the characters of Harcourt and Economos this could possibly mean that we might see this version of Shazam again.

But now let's do a what if scenario. What if Fury of the Gods fail? Will James Gunn still consider this movie canon to his cinematic universe or, because of its failure will he disown it, despite his characters appearing. If he goes with the former, well then his universe is still gonna be confusing because we've seen the Shazam movies follow the DCEU continuity. If its the latter, then what was the point of these credit scenes, if they're not gonna continue the story? Should any DC movie after this even have a credit scene or scenes? We don't know, because other than The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker (both James Gunn products, so I'll assume he finds those part of his universe), we have no idea what else Gunn thinks is or isn't canon.

Ugh, I gotta say folks, this is probably the most confusing and exhausting time to be a DC movie fan.

Anyhow, that's all for now. Come back on Monday, Mar 20th, for my review of the new Hulu movie, Boston Strangler. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze Review

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze is a comic book movie, the sequel to the 1990 flick, and the second installment of the TMNT film series. It was produced by Golden Harvest and distributed by New Line Cinema. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze was written by Todd W. Langen and directed by Michael Pressman.

The story is Shredder has survived his supposed death from the last movie, and is now out for revenge. He soon learns what caused the Turtles' mutation and makes mutants of his own. Now the Turtles must once again put a stop to Shredder and his Foot Clan.

• Negatives

The only true issue I had with the movie, was Shredder and the Foot Clan. I understand they had to be toned down just like the rest of the movie, but they were so butchered. Despite some of them still being played by the same actors, these certainly aren't the same characters. Shredder almost comes off more like his 80's cartoon counterpart, than the menace we saw in the first. Like I said previously, I understand they had to be toned down, but they still could've found ways to make them intimidating.

• Mix

Since I brought up the tone, I'll just say it is very much a mix bag. For the most part, it didn't bother me too much, but there were some instances where I was like "Yeah, that really should've been darker".

Then we have the humor. I'm not gonna lie, there were a couple of times I genuinely laughed. I mean, there are some funny moments in here, mainly from the dialogue. Although that Vanilla Ice bit, is kinda funny. Other times yes, it can get very childish, which will most likely make you roll your eyes.

• Positives

One of two good things about the sequel, is the fights. Even though they're not as violent as the first, they're still choreographed very well, and sometimes can be fun.

The last thing that's good was the puppetry. I think I enjoyed just a bit more here. There seems to be more movement with them, which made they seem more lively this time around.

While I don't down right hate The Secret of the Ooze, this isn't a piece of Ninja Turtles media that I'm gonna revisit time and time again, like I do with other Ninja Turtles stuff.

My final rating is, Okay.

Well, that's all everybody. Sadly the next movie is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. Really not looking forward to that one. Due come back on Saturday, Mar 18th, for my review of Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

65 Review

 

65 is a sci-fi action thriller movie that's produced by Columbia Pictures, Bron Creative, Raimi Productions, and Beck/Woods and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. 65 is written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.

The story is Mills has taken the job of a two-year space expedition in order to gain money to treat his daughter's illness. While traveling, his ship gets hit and crashes lands on Earth during the Cretaceous period. Now both him and a surviving passenger must find a way to escape from Earth and get back home.

Why the Delay?

If any of read my Scream VI review, then you'd know that I intended to upload this on Monday. Well what happened was I was helping my parents clean up their house, because they were getting it appraised. So by the time we finished, I was tired and decided to push this review to Tuesday.

Initial Reaction

I've got a very deep and philosophical reason as to why I wanted to see this, going by the trailers it seemed like it was going to be a fun action flick. Simple as that.

Cons

Nothing here folks, just move on.

Middle Ground

If there's one gray area is, while this was a pretty fun movie, I do have a feeling this maybe forgotten about. However, given how I heard and/or read about people comparing this to those midnight tv showing movies, like something in the vain of a 70's or 80's flick, maybe this will have some sort of cult following?

Pros

One thing that 65 has going for it, is the cinematography. I really dug the look to this. Sometimes you get really good dark shots, or shots/scenes that really show off the prehistoric setting. Then we have Adam Driver's performance, I don't know if I can give him praise that hasn't already been said. Whether you did or didn't hate the movie, I think we can all agree that Driver brought a really good performance. Then we've got character. Sure, it's not the greatest character depth of all time, but the writers/directors still did a good enough job to make us care for our two main characters. The last thing I'll say about the movie is the action. If you love seeing dinosaurs just going crazy, then maybe this movie won't disappoint you. I also want to give credit to the filmmakers for actually trying making the dinosaurs scary. As suppose to just having them jump out at the camera, there's an actual build up to when these things are going on the attack. Which made said action, have a level of suspense.

While I did enjoy 65 to a degree, I do acknowledge this isn't a perfect movie. But it was still entertaining in a lot of other ways.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Mar 16th, for part two of the Road to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, with my review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Scream VI Review

 

Scream VI is a slasher movie, the sequel to 2022's Scream, and the sixth film in the franchise. The movie's produced by Spyglass Media Group, Project X Entertainment, and Radio Silence Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Scream VI is written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick and directed by Matt-Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

The story is after the events of the last movie, Samantha, her sister Tara, along with their friends, have moved to New York in the hopes of having a normal life. This moment of peace is cut short when a new Ghostface appears and starts killing people. Now they must figure out who it is this time, and what the motive is this time around.

Initial Reaction

Having been pleasantly surprised by how good the fifth movie was, I naturally wanted to see how the sixth movie was going to turn out. Although I had my doubts the movie could make current year New York scary. I mean, Hollywood's aware of how crime ridden that place has gotten right? Yeah I know I'm being a dick (😆).

Cons

I've got nothing for this section, just scroll down to the next part.

Middle Ground

Now one thing the movie does effectively is there is quite a lot of new stuff. The filmmakers do play around with the New York, well not going to the most familiar parts everyone's aware regretted NY. But what's also different is the opening, which is something that's never been done with a Scream movie. The biggest change this time around is we've got a more brutal/effective Ghostface. He wasn't tipping over himself, and whenever he killed, there definitely felt like a lot of anger to it. But despite all of these changes, the writers didn't really and sadly take that much of a risk. There were way too many survivors, probably the most in any Scream movie. Which is kinda funny, cause one character gets stabbed like 15-20 times and yet somehow, they survived. The other gray area came with the twist. It's fine, I think it just stems from a character who supposedly died, but didn't, and the explanation really depends on how much you can suspend your disbelief. Maybe if it was re-written it probably would've been better.

Pros

One pro to Scream VI was the humor. Once again much like the other movies, we've got some great laughs here and there. I especially liked the nice jab at post-credit scenes, at the post-credit scene, even if it was very simple. Then there were the kills...damn. Quite a few of them were absolutely brutal. There was one involving a dumpster where not only did it look painful, but I swear you're gonna feel the impact. The last thing I'll give credit to is the suspense. There was great build up to the kills, and really nerve wracking cat and mouse games. Those moments really got my heart racing.

While Scream VI does have its issues, I still had a lot of fun with this. I say if you're a Scream fan, give it a watch. Even when there's problems, it's a fun experience.

My final rating is, Good.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Mar 13th, for my review of 65. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre Review

 

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (or just Operation Fortune) is a spy action comedy movie, that's produced by Miramax, STXfilms, and Toff Guy Films and distributed by Lionsgate. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is written by Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson, and Marn Davies and directed by Guy Ritchie.

The story is a device known as "The Handle" has been stolen. Now agent Nathan Jasmine has hired super-spy Orson Fourtune to lead a team to find the device before it's sold to the highest bidder.

Initial Reaction

I've got one simple reason for seeing this, and that being it's a Guy Ritchie movie, and I like a lot of his work. So after waiting for so long to see cause of delays, I was looking forward to finally watching this.

Cons

If there's anything I can think of that's a true negative, it's that there's really not anything separating this from other spy films. This did feel pretty generic.

Middle Ground

One mix feeling I had with the movie was the humor. While I did laugh at some bits, others not so much. So I think the movie had a good 50/50 when it came to comedy. Another gray area was this need a lot more Guy Ritchie to it. What I mean is while there is some of Guy Ritchie's usual trademarks, we could've used a lot more of his black comedy. Something like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or his more recent The Gentlemen.

Pros

If there's one positive to it's the action. Great shoot out scenes, and of course Jason Statham kicking all sorts of ass.

Overall while I wasn't fully disappointed in Operation Fortune, this is one Guy Ritchie movie you're probably not going be rewatching, or fondly remember.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's all for me. Come back on Saturday, Mar 11th, for my review of Scream VI. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Review

 

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is an action-adventure film, and the prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, as well as the second installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was written by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz and directed by Steven Spielberg.

The story is after just barely surviving a plane crash organized by a Shanghai crime boss, Indiana Jones soon finds himself in a small India village begging him to find their missing children. He soon accepts their pleads for help, and goes on to find them. When he finds their exact location, he soon learns of an evil cult that uses black magic and worship the God known as Kali.

• Negatives

I got nothing for this section, move onto mix.

• Mix

One mix bag stems from the characters Willie Scott and Short Round. They're not bad characters, but there really could've been more to them, then just the damsel and sidekick.

Another slight issue comes from the Sankara Stones. Where as with the Ark from the previous movie had a major presences to it, the Stones, not so much. Sure, Indy still has to get them, so they still have something to do with the plot. But for a majority of the movie, nobody really does anything with them.

• Positives

Alright now let's get into the positives, and one of those being it's very different. One of the reasons why I really like Temple of Doom, is because while you should go bigger with a sequel, another good rule to typically follow is to do something different. There wasn't one single thing in this where they just copied and pasted something from Raiders of the Lost Ark. This movie does its own thing.

What I also liked about this and it's what landed this movie with a huge controversy, and that's the darker tone. Yeah back in 1984, fans and critics looked down upon this because of the tone. Which really makes you scratch your head as to why? When you have black magic, human sacrifice, and child slave labor, there's really only one tone you can go with. But I digress, the point being I think the darker tone really suits this movie, because of those subjects I mentioned earlier.

Now even though I mentioned that the movie is dark, there was bits of humor in this. It primarily happens in the earlier parts, but it's still very effective. My favorite being this bit of dialogue, when Indy and Short Round are trapped.

Not saying I want it to happen, but if I ever get the chance to say what Indy said, I'm not hesitating.

The last thing I'll praise is, the action. Much like Raiders, the action is awesome. My favorite being that mine cart chase scene. Not only was it exciting, but I don't think I've ever seen a movie do that before. So points for creativity too.

I really love Temple of Doom. While there are issues with it, I think the good outweighs the okay aspects.

My final rating is, Great.

That's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Mar 4th, for my review of the newest Guy Ritchie film, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.