Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, this blogger decided to make the trip this fair fine Good Friday to the local cinema to watch the aforementioned film and here's what I thought;

I'm sorry to report that its a mess, not a fun glorious over the top mess but a stodgy mess that for a large proportion of the film doesn't get into first gear. I'm trying not to give away spoilers so it isn't going to be as detailed as other reviews. There are a few dream sequences in the film where it isn't really clear the character is dreaming until the events unfold, at one point there is an event in the film about to take place and I thought we were still in a dream. I had to nudge myself into clarity as it dawned on me the final act was about to take place, at that point it dawned on me that I was a bit bored and rather than excited I was relieved.

The film starts giving us a very good reason why Batman may not be on the same page as Superman, however however the story takes a while to show us why Supes may not be on the same page as Bats. As well as that other things are going on (including what looks to be the setting up of the film DC Universe) and its just to much. A lot of Superman's storyline is tied up with ramifications of his previous film which I didn't care about - certainly take something from the film and develop it but stop the endless referencing.

There are a lot of comic fan moments in this film - at one point I caught myself mentally squeeing at the sight of a SPOILER but a quick scan of those around me saw blank expressions. Its the kind of film where your going to need a geeky mate to explain things to you afterwards and most people will definitely need to look it up on wikipedia to explain some of the confusing plot elements. Visually the film is unclear and murky which doesn't help things - especially in the final act. Its without doubt a film for the fans I know full well a shed load of texts from non comic geek are going to be coming my way demanding explanations. There are some really good Easter eggs to keep your eyes open for and a lot of things to excite fans. Ben Affleck I found quite decent, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot deserve plaudits and should have had more screen time. The rest I could give or take to a certain extent.

To sum up, this is purely for fans and theres a lot of good stuff for them in this, however as a film it looks a bit sloppy and I came away disappointed when I was really up for it. I give it five Bat signals out of ten.

TV Corner - Gotham

For those who don't know last night saw the debut of the much anticipated Gotham made its debut in the UK on Channel 5 last night.

Its very much "Batman: the early years" centering mainly on Batmans associate Jim Gordon this series looks to examine Gordons start as a cop in the city of Gotham as well as establishing how Batman got started as well as some members of his rogue gallery. There were a fair few sightings of Batman characters last night from the well known Jim Gordon. Catwoman and Penguin to the perhaps lesser known Harvey Bullock, Carmine Falcone and Renee Montoya which would no doubt have kept the fan girls and boys happy.

Starting off with a bang we actually got to see a version of the event which created Batman, the mugging and murder of his parents. Complete with the trademark shot of pearls hitting the floor this was an impressive start not only foreshadowing the eventual coming of the Bat but giving Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock their first case as partners. Ben McKenzie plays Jim Gordon straight as the honest man in a city and police department that is corrupt but the stand out performance for me was Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock who puts in a scene stealing performance. He's clearly the Avon to Gordons Blake and has the makings of a highly quotable character. On the acting front Robin Lord Taylors performance as the Penguin also deserves a mention.

This was a potentially very tricky episode as it had so much to do, establish the story, introduce the characters and give us a story in the episode itself. Everything was handled brilliantly, from cameo appearances and deciding which characters would get screen time to giving us a good solid story to get things started. I like the fact the show started with putting across the mob and corrupt gangster style that is associated with early Gotham. Let the masks and capes come later, I really enjoyed the fact that despite the potential to focus on some super villains this opening episode felt grounded.

I seriously can't recommend this show enough, from the first ten minutes I was hooked and knew I'd be in for the duration. If you missed it try and look out for a repeat as Gotham looks like its going to become must see TV.