Lounge of Justice - Part 90

[Gee]

Like someone here would say: More of you ungrateful bastahs should see it.

 

[chintai80]

after having watched most of the most of the comic book movies of 2021, i've gathered my thoughts and have decided to rank them and go on a bit of stream of consciousness write-up.

sorry this is going to be a bit long:

#6. Black Widow
this wasn't bad, it just felt sort of unnecessary .
the storyline's ok. actions ok, sprinkled with a few cool moments.
it does introduce natasha's family who will prolly show up in future mcu movies, with yelena who is most likely going to become her successor in the avengers moving forward. - 6/10

#5. The Suicide Squad
it's a fun movie, not really as much depth to it. though there are a few moments of heart in it.
if u want some comic book action with gore and comedy, then this will be a treat.
it's definitely better than the first suicide squad. - 7/10

#4. Eternals
this was a movie i had to watch a second time in order to enjoy it more, because its a lot of characters and ideas being thrown at you all at once. but for the 2nd viewing, i became used to it and realized it's actually quite brilliant.
it's just very different from the rest of the MCU movies, where this is much more character driven, emotionally layered and philosophical.
the scope and ambition is very good, and it greatly expands on the MCU mythology.
i would say this is like MCU's version of a superman / justice league story.
but i rank this just slightly below snyder's justice league because i thought that had a better pacing and balance of character moments.
but of ALL the cbm's i seen this year, eternals has the best story.
i just thought it would've worked better as a d+ mini-series due to the amount of characters and concepts thrown in. - 8/10

#3. Zack Snyder's Justice League
this was the movie i originally wanted back in 2017 but had to wait till they released it in 2021.
of the many comic book movies, this one feels the one of the most epic and expansive. the world building is great.
the main focus of the story being cyborg is better and more heartfelt than i expected.
this doesn't reach #1 for me, because i thought the final battle still wasn't as good as you need in a movie like this (some of the vfx is still sort of meh) - plus there isn't enough superman in this!
and zack snyder over-indulges a bit in some of his directing, as he tends to do (that epilogue was unnecessary).
this had some of the best visual shots and cinematography of the 2021 comic book films.
whereas eternals had some great cinematography that was more naturalistic, snyder frames things more like a painting to give it a fairy-tale quality.
he's merging myth with comic book storytelling here - almost like he was inspired by tolkien / lord of the rings.
it's mostly great stuff! - 8/10

#2. Spider-man: No Way Home
lot of great spiderman moments - it's tons of fan service and nostalgia - but done very well where it services the story.
there were times where that fan service almost bordered on empty cinematic calories, but they mostly pulled it off.
if anything, this made me miss tobey's and andrew's spiderman's and their worlds all the more.
seeing their villains appear on screen again was such a treat.
dafoe and molina once again show they were some of the best supervillain casting.
i also find it hilarious how all the villains generally look the same as they did, except jamie foxx's max dillion who looks handsome this time.
this was also in an odd way the origin movie for holland's spiderman - where he's back to basics.
it will be interesting to see where they take his story further.
it's a love letter to spiderman and all past spiderman movies. - 8.5/10

#1. Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings
this is #1 for me is because overall it had everything i wanted in a comic book movie: a compelling story and heroes, a GREAT villain, great action and a lot of heart.
this had the best fight scenes in the mcu.
yes, the final battle did escalate into a cgi-fest, but i had no problem with it because i found it well done and exhilarating.
the fantasy elements were like the chinese fantasy movies and stories i grew up with but done with a hollywood budget + in comic book / modern day setting.
i probably have some bias in ranking this the top due to the main characters sharing a similar cultural background with mines.
i was able to relate and connect to this movie the most because of that.
there were moments where shang-chi or katy did or said something that was culturally specific and i'd be like:

- 9/10

there were no real losers for 2021.
us comic book fans ate well.

 

[dhandler01]

The farther away I get from it the more I realize ZSJL is not actually epic...it is surface level epic wannabe stuff without any of the meat that actually makes an epic film. Zack is all flash and no substance and ZSJL is 100% the apex of this. It is sort of like the first time you try and make a great meal...you have all of the ingredients and put in the effort to make the dish but since you spent no time actually planning how to make it, never had any real build up so all the flavors match and complement each other, and have no real idea what you are making outside of the basic ingredients it just turns out to be ok. Not bad, not great, just sort of there. Zack gets the visuals, but he has no friggin clue about why the characters matter, why their motivations matter or how to take all of these stories and meld them together into something truly epic. Its just a hodge podge of cool moving pictures that barely scratches the surface of the depths needed to tell the story the right way.

The so called conclusion of his Superman story has almost no Superman...I mean come on!

Look I maintain my love of Zack because he is basically one of us trying to satisfy his crew. He knows that there are iconic things in the DC Universe and he wants us to see them on film. That is cool and all, and I enjoy the heck out of it at points, but you need more if you want the audience to connect with it. And while critics and fans were kind to him because they felt he got screwed, the truth is ZSJL is everything most people hate about his films. I mean for pete's sake he uses the Black Suit and it is 100% obvious he has zero clue what that suit means. He saw a picture of it, thought it looked cool and went with it. Same with Doomsday, Death of Superman, Darkseid, TDKR Batman Suit...the list goes on and on. He basically makes films like a mediocre comic event series...about halfway through you aren't even sure what you are looking at anymore and kind of hope it just ends. (the added scene with Letoker and Batman is everything wrong with his film style) Snyder is basically just Michael Bay only he makes his films look a bit better...though honestly I think Bay tells a better story with his film making which is friggin sad. (I can list quite a few Bay films better than this)

The first time I watched I gave it a solid 8.5...every time I try and watch scenes now it drops fast. I can't even fathom sitting through the whole thing again (even high or drunk...though I may try) and what I have watched rates around a 6. Easily the worst of the 3 films in the arc. At least MOS and BvS were trying to tell a connected story...this is just "so I killed superman not I get to play with the character I really like BATMAN!" It is overly indulgent, ridiculously dark and anti-heroic much of the time, and is a fundamental misunderstanding of the Justice League as whole. He is now where he belongs, making B movie shlock for Netflix.

(if you read my signature you will understand this is a rather new development in my feelings on Snyder)

 

[dhandler01]

I saw this and it blew my mind:

 

[obredaan]

The so called conclusion of his Superman story has almost no Superman...I mean come on!

Superman only has 13 lines of dialogue in a 4-hour Justice League movie that the central plot revolves entirely around his death and ressurection.

Its an insult to the character and a waste of Cavill's potential.

 

[chintai80]

as much as i like ZSJL, i agree with your points @dhandler01 and @obredaan

that's still my biggest gripe - that superman is barely in the film.
i feel snyder was off to a good start with man of steel, but he simply did not know really what to do with superman after that - and left him mostly on the backburner for JL.

 

[Gee]

@Black Narcissus This you?

Ana de Armas Fans Sue Because She Was Cut Out of 'Yesterday' - Variety

 

[Detective Conan]

 

[Black Narcissus]

Nah, the Cyborg stuff was so good that I'll keep rewatching bits/scenes of Snyder cut. The whole amazon vs Steppy was also aces. I have no urge to rewatch it entirely again, but I'll keep coming back to scenes here or there. In another timeline we got Snyder's Injustice League.

 

[Black Narcissus]

I've recently gotten into the exquisite sport of long jumping. Very smart, athletic, powerful women. I'm a proud feminist and stuff.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Pennyworth is on HBO MAX now so I decided to give it a shot. It’s actually not bad at all, and this is coming from someone who audibly groaned after learning of its existence

 

[kguillou]

I keep forgetting that Young Justice has been airing a new season on HBO Max this whole time but there is literally ZERO buzz behind that show out there. Nobody is saying a word about it which...is concerning because there was once a big fan movement behind it.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

I remember hearing from people I know that the YJ revival on MAX was a bit of a letdown, so it’s not all that surprising to me that the next season has little hype behind it

 

[Black Narcissus]

Bald @Kane52630

No thread on that new Aubrey Plaza flick? It sounds bloody great.

And more of yous ungrateful bastash should've seen 'Black Bear'.

 

[Da-Scribe]

as much as i like ZSJL, i agree with your points @dhandler01 and @obredaan

that's still my biggest gripe - that superman is barely in the film.
i feel snyder was off to a good start with man of steel, but he simply did not know really what to do with superman after that - and left him mostly on the backburner for JL.

I think he could’ve made an interesting trilogy for Supes had he been tasked with straightforward solos. But WB wanted a cinematic universe and I think Zack’s entry point into that was centering Supes as an ideal for that universe rather than a character within it.

Narratively speaking, I have no issue with how Supes is used in ZSJL. But if I’m taking out my “Need to See” checklist then yeah it’s disappointing. But he also centered an up and coming black actor with no theatrical credits to his name in this giant tentpole. So I’m really grateful for that frankly. I got to really see myself in a CBM in a meaningful way and that meant a lot to me.

The idea of it being at all dark is laughable to me though. I will just say that plainly. It’s all love @dhandler01 even if you are just totally wrong .

 

[dhandler01]

Pennyworth is on HBO MAX now so I decided to give it a shot. It’s actually not bad at all, and this is coming from someone who audibly groaned after learning of its existence

I quite enjoyed the first season. Havent watched anything since then though but keep meaning too.

 

[dhandler01]

Cyborg honestly is the only good thing I still think about ZSJL. Ray was great in the part.

 

[titansupes]

I've recently gotten into the exquisite sport of long jumping. Very smart, athletic, powerful women. I'm a proud feminist and stuff.

I wish I were that sand. I'd be rough and coarse and irritating... and I'd get everywhere.

 

[Mani-Man]

Cyborg honestly is the only good thing I still think about ZSJL. Ray was great in the part.

And that despite his part still being filled with the usual Snyder goo.
The Most inexperienced actor of them all, managed to make the best out of ZSJL material...thats really impressive.

 

[Spider-jedi]

Cybord was the best thing about ZSJL and it made me wish the character got an actual movie. I still want him to get a movie even if its with a different actor. Ray was defiantly the best in the movie and i think it shows that he put in more work than any other actor maybe because it was his first feature film.

the tone of the movie wasnt dark imo but the look was was very dark and ugly. still havent been able to get my family to watch ZSJL. they get bored and the look just turns them off

 

[chintai80]

I think he could’ve made an interesting trilogy for Supes had he been tasked with straightforward solos. But WB wanted a cinematic universe and I think Zack’s entry point into that was centering Supes as an ideal for that universe rather than a character within it.

Narratively speaking, I have no issue with how Supes is used in ZSJL. But if I’m taking out my “Need to See” checklist then yeah it’s disappointing. But he also centered an up and coming black actor with no theatrical credits to his name in this giant tentpole. So I’m really grateful for that frankly. I got to really see myself in a CBM in a meaningful way and that meant a lot to me.

The idea of it being at all dark is laughable to me though. I will just say that plainly. It’s all love @dhandler01 even if you are just totally wrong .

yup, while the lack of superman scenes was a disappointment, the thing i love most bout zsjl how snyder took cyborg, who is the arguably least well known member of the 6, and made him the heart and center of the story.
it's that outside the box decision making that zack does -- and when it works, it works really well.
we essentially got a cyborg origin movie here.

plus ray fisher, imo, did the best acting job out of everyone in it.

so with that recent whedon interview where he called fisher's acting bad and how cutting out his scenes because they didn't make sense...just made me wanna laugh.

whedon talkin out of his ass. dood been drinking his own kool-aid for too long.

 

[chintai80]

I wish I were that sand. I'd be rough and coarse and irritating... and I'd get everywhere.

 

[Kane52630]

Bald @Kane52630

No thread on that new Aubrey Plaza flick? It sounds bloody great.

And more of yous ungrateful bastash should've seen 'Black Bear'.

I'm sure somebody will make it... in the meantime I have Dakota Johnson eying Aubrey Plaza:

 

[Black Narcissus]

 

[dhandler01]

Peacemaker is friggin awesome!~ So much better than TSS! It is kinda dumb and ridiculous and yet it walks the line much better than TSS did. The cast is friggin stellar!