(film review) - Supergirl

It took me a while to get around to watching this. I work full-time, my weekends are busy, I'm trying to keep up with TV shows and films for personal enjoyment and for ReelReeviews, and quite frankly, there's just too much to watch. So when you listen to some of the reviews from the critics and YouTubers who see these films before you, and the general consensus is mixed to negative, it's easy to wonder why you'd spend your hard-earned money on them. Between the Guardians of the Galaxy comparisons and complaints about the story, I nearly skipped this altogether. But that's exactly why you should make up your own mind. Because... I actually liked it.
It is very far from perfect and certainly not amazing, but I genuinely had a good time with it.

Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, had a very different upbringing from Kal-El, aka Superman. She grew up on Krypton before losing her family as a teenager and is eventually sent to Earth with Krypto. While celebrating her birthday off-world, Krypto is poisoned, sending Kara on a race against time to find the antidote before she loses the last living connection to her home. Along the way, she meets a young girl hunting the very same person.

One of the biggest criticisms after the trailer dropped was that it looked too much like Guardians of the Galaxy. Honestly, I think that's a lazy comparison. Yes, James Gunn is running the new DC Universe, and yes, the soundtrack gives off Guardians vibes. Maybe the film could have leaned more on its score than its needle drops, but beyond that, I never felt like I was watching a Marvel film or Guardians of the Galaxy; I did feel like a lot of these aliens were bipedal, human-looking, but why not, I guess; Star Wars is similar.

The story itself is fairly simple, and that's perfectly fine. This is not another world-ending spectacle. It is a smaller story about grief, loss and trying to save the last piece of Krypton Kara has left, so it was definitely more personal and character-driven.

The biggest issue is the execution, and with most comic-book material put onto screen, this is where the problem lies with a lot of the films and TV shows being pushed out, leading to this so-called comic-book fatigue.

Modern comic book films often feel the need to be overly childish to appeal to younger audiences. Constant silly humour and toilet jokes just aren't necessary, and unfortunately, this film falls into that trap a few times. It's a shame because the flying sequences and action are excellent, but some of the characters needed more development, and a few emotional moments don't land quite as well as they should.

Milly Alcock is fantastic and carries the film with ease. Her chemistry with her unlikely companion works really well, and Jason Momoa looks like he was born to play Lobo. He's chaotic, entertaining and leaves you wanting more, although his part in the movie is very small.

The villain, however, is just... fine. Serviceable, but ultimately forgettable. He didn't really carry any feelings of dread when he appeared on screen. You kinda wondered what was going to happen, but he just felt like a generic bad guy rather than a force to be scared of, but maybe that was the point considering his motives.

Supergirl is most definitely not essential viewing unless you're already invested in DC, or the character themself, but if you've been put off by the reviews, I'd still recommend giving it a chance. Talks of the movie being a bomb or flop to me really depend on how much the studio wanted to make and what they thought going in. Did they want the type of money Superman made, or do they want something a lot smaller, considering how secondary the character is? Moreover, if they wanted something a lot smaller (because the storyline also kind of dictates that), maybe they should have spent less money, unless what they spent, between $170-186 million, was justifiable? I mean, I understand the types of special effects needed to make someone fly, but the original Deadpool movie was made for $58 million. As a whole, Hollywood spend too much money on movies expecting to make what they spent back and then some, but if the storyline is poor but you are putting it out because "SUPERHEROES", there has been plenty of examples in movies history as to what works, and in 2026, in comic book movie history of late, as to what does NOT work and sometimes I feel, they are just not gettin i, hence the term, comic book fatigue when really it is mediocre fatigue and if I am honest, this dabbles in the category of mediocre.

It is not the disappointment many people have made it out to be, or how it came across to me at least, and I went in with a very low bar. It is simply a good film that had the potential to be a great one.

(film review) - Superman

Firstly, I was not sure what to expect from this movie because, whilst I have not seen all of James Gunn's movies, the ones I have seen, I have enjoyed. The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy in the MCU is up there with one of the best trilogies in the MCU and some of the best trilogies in life. The second one was a little more slapstick, but the 3rd closed out the trilogy, and it was excellent. What James has done in the DC universe, old and new, The Suicide Squad was actually really good (better than the first one that came out, Suicide Squad), and the spin-off TV show he did called Peacemaker was surprisingly good also. The theme song was really catchy and infectious, and although the show was set up in the DCEU with The Flash played by Ezra Miller, Aquaman played by Jason Momoa, this new DC universe, now coined the DCU has started with Creature Commandos as a cartoon animation and the first film to come out from Warner Bros. new DC universe is, Superman. With a new universe, with different characters and actors, some of us fans have wondered, what would be the difference between the old universe, which was spearheaded by Zack Snyder and this new one, which is now run by James Gunn? Well, if we are able to take a few notes from this movie and where we think the universe is going, for a start, it will be less dark, bleak and moody. Or at least, Superman will not be brooding and dark, something many film fans complained about initially, all those years ago. This movie is bright, joyful, funny and...hopeful? But is it any good? I'll explain.

Clark Kent (David Corenswet) has now shown Superman to the world, and he has been Superman for 3 years on an Earth that has had metahumans for 300 years, but with all the things he can do, Superman is the new kid on the block the world loves, but Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) does not. Clark works at the Daily Planet, he is in a relationship with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and although Lex Luthor does not like Metahumans, and likely the Justice Gang, he despises Superman the most, so much that he has decided to put a plan in place to finally kill the man of steel by any means necessary.

This movie is not perfect at all, and although the story is good, we needed a bit more justification and fleshing out in places so we could understand the motives behind some of the actions taking place. With that said, although I have heard the film was likely longer and was cut short because it was too long for a first film in this new DCU, and the pacing does feel a tad choppy in places, this film is a really good time. As I stated earlier, this movie is bright, joyful, funny, and in some places, very dark. The city of Metropolis seems as though it is a great place to work and live, plus you have a few metahumans and Superman to protect you should anything happen. The skyscrapers are tall, the people seem nice, it just looks like a great and lively place, which lends to the tone of the movie, which is the exact opposite of what we saw last.

The three main characters and actors, David as Superman, Nicholas as Lex and Rachel as Lois, are all really good. I feel we need to see a bit more Clark Kent because he is only around for a small amount of the movie, which is fine, because we really want to see Superman mostly (which is not a bad thing), but there was not much duality seen on screen, but he does carry across everything Superman stands for with ease. Truth, Justice and the American way...or just being a good person/human. The moment in the film that supports that is the interview scene in the trailer with Lois, plus there are other moments highlighted in the movie, even a part that made me roll my eyes.

The supporting cast of Nathan as Guy, Isabela as Hawkgirl and Edi as Mr. Terrific were just as good as the main cast and whenever Mr. Terrific showed up, Edi stole the show. Nathan is just as great as Guy Gardiner, and from what I understand of the character, he portrayed the character just like in the comics. Isabela did not have much to do in comparison to the other two and had the least amount to say, but the scenes she had were ok, especially a moment she had with a certain someone in the movie, and she made an executive decision that was hilarious. That was a moment where I burst out laughing. Anthony as Metamorpho was good, brought in some of the heart, and I liked what they did with him. The rest of the characters, like Jimmy, Eve, and Perry, are all ok. Jimmy was more of the standout as he had a role along with character Eve, but Wendall, as Perry should have had more to do, but I am guessing it was either cut and left on the cutting room floor, or he was not given much. It just seems like a waste of an actor. Ma and Pa Kent were also great, and I loved the way they were portrayed in comparison to how they have been played in the past, plus it was nice to have both parents in this movie for a change. Krypto the dog is really good, and I feel he worked for me. He was set up, it was explained, and he was consistent.

The special effects and the music, as usual, were great. It is James Gunn and he has a unique spin on things such as music, visuals and humour. The humour felt a touch off in places, ot many, but for the most part, it worked as it was very funny where it needed to be. It wasn't people necessarily being funny or jokes, more situational or a character's behaviour, more than anything. There were some really great laugh-out-loud moments for me. The flying was a concern going in from the trailers, but in context, it worked very well, which seems to be the ongoing thing here as well. There was a lot of uproar about the dog, about the flying, about this and about that, but when you watch the movie, everything is explained in context. The one thing I felt the movie was lacking, and it is likely because I recently rewatched Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3, and his entire trilogy, James used great music in the films that I have seen, and this film feels a little stripped down, and the music mostly comes from the score itself.

I initially missed the first 10 to 15 minutes of the movie, so I went back to watch it again, and the film felt more complete on the second viewing. It felt more like a whole movie (because I did not miss the beginning), but most of what you see in the trailer is in the first 10-15 minutes, and those minutes give context. There was an explanation in the movie of something, and I thought I missed it, but it turned out you never saw it anyway.
All in all, this movie is the polar opposite of Zack Snyder's DCEU universe, or at least from a Superman perspective for now, and this does not feel like an interpretation or James Gunn's take on Superman (although it is), but this very much feels like Superman from the comics and cartoons. It is very comic-booky. The characterisation and portrayal feel more authentic to who Superman is at his core and not the departure Zack did, although it was beloved. If there is anything I would have wanted from this movie, is more time. More time to work on the story a bit more, the side characters and although we did not get an origin for Superman, some more time with Clark would have been great because the dialogue in this movie is great when we have those small characater moments, so it would have been nice to have some more of that because the action is the action, and it's great, but the intimate bits, the quieter moments, and even some more dialogue choices to explain some things would have went a long way. I got emotional on the second watch, maybe due to some real-life things, but the film is good, has some issues, but it is good, real good. Nothing spectacular, phenomenal or great, it's just a good solid movie and a great intro into this new universe. There are two post-credit scenes, and one pre-credit scene was interesting, going forward.

(trailer review) - Superman

 

There are going to be people who are going to dislike this trailer.  Whether they are Snyder fanatics or people who dislike James Gunn because they dislike the MCU, or because they dislike his films, but cannot construct a coherent and sensible sentence to say why or how. Do not get me wrong, not every director's sensibilities and the way they direct a film is for everyone, and I understand that, but I often think that these are the same people who would complain about Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, until that film came out and he killed it. I would not be surprised if there was an uproar from people when they saw the first trailer of Man of Steel, because people will always have something to say. Not my Superman! Superman would not do that! So on and so forth. It happens EVERY SINGLE TIME! So with all that said, this trailer looks GREAT!

First of all, we get a bit more context as to what is happening or just a bit more frames added to some of the scenes we have already seen, ie. the stadium fight where Superman seems to suplex the person he is fighting, the Kiju fight where Superman is flying through and around the flames it is breathing out, we even get a line from Mr. Terrific, but at the beginning of the trailer, we have the main villain of Superman, Lex Luther talking about how Superman is the most powerful being on the planet and how he is going to destroy him, kill the reporter he always does interviews with, kill the parent who raised him, Lex just wants him gone and it looks like he is stopping at nothing to do it. Judging from the very first trailer, we had Superman wheezing and battered on the floor. With the context of this trailer, I can only imagine Superman will overcome all of this, and James Gunn will show us what makes Superman Superman. Even Guy Gardner says to him, "Make a move, big blue". This looks like it is going to be a really well-thought-out, acted, directed and fun movie showing us who Superman really is and why he is who he is, and I do not think you can really be mad at that, but I am sure someone will.

(trailer review) - Superman

 

This trailer might actually break the internet, why? Because Superman is such a beloved character. He has been around for nearly 90 years, and although we have had many different incarnations of the character in TV and film, the logo and the character are recognised globally, so logic will dictate that this trailer will not work for everyone, but as long as the movie is really good, right? Subjective, but here we are. I mean, to not have faith in James Gunn at this point is absolutely absurd, but we will see. Personally, I feel that although he can lean a little too hard on the jokes at times, The Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy is top-notch. The Suicide Squad is also great and from what I am hearing about Creature Commandos, not to mention how great Peacemaker was. We shall see.

It would seem to me as though through this trailer, we are presented with someone who can do good, will do good, has all these abilities, but because he is who he is, and does what he does, there are people who want to take him down, whether it is because he is not of any help to one particularly party/grouping or another. I say that because the clips show an angry mob throwing cans at his head, Lex Luther calling Superman an 'IT', how the government feels when he steps in to stop a war and not necessarily picking a side. Lois Lane is interviewing him, asking the hard questions, and he is presenting his case that he is not a weapon (he didn't quite say that), nor is he an ambassador for America and Metropolis, he is for the people, and he chooses to save people if he thinks they are going to die. It will be the very people he protects who have some sort of issue with him, and this trailer did not stop showing us how Superman is fighting lots of different adversaries. I am not sure if these clips are part of a montage, but from a Kaiju, the something in a domed helmet, Ultraman?, those things/people at the Fortress of Solitude, Robots, everybody! And in two trailers, you see him laying on the floor defeated, and in this one, you do see him get clapped to the floor where a civilian helps him up, which was really sweet. Seeing more of Guy Gardiner, Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl is great. Luther looks diabolical. I wonder how this will go over with some fans, as in this trailer, you constantly see Superman getting knocked about. Some people will not like that. Something I noticed, though, that David Corenswet looks a little bit like Brandan Fraizer in the 90s in that "Hey buddy, look up here" moment in the trailer. Also, he looks very tall! I am totally sold anyway, and I will not hesitate to see this one Day One.

(trailer review) - Peacemaker: Season 2

 

If there is anything I want, or better yet, absolutely NEED from this second season, is 1 of two things. One, that very same song but a different dance and (obviously) with different characters doing the dance or two, a very different song, that also includes a dance, and that is as catchy as the very first season's song. I cannot really remember Peacemaker's first season, if I am honest. It seems like it was such a long time ago now, but it was quirky, funny and at points, absolutely crazy. I expect the very same type of humour and antics, something John Cena excelled in. Was he not fighting in his underwear in the first episode? And that sidekick guy was weird as hell, but this trailer actually does look like it will continue carrying the torch.

The job interview is hilarious. Green Lantern is there (the same one from the Superman trailer with the trash haircut), Danielle's character is back and from what it seems, the entire team, bar Amanda Waller. It is not entirely clear who the bad person is, if it is not Rick Flag Senior (and most likely is), but this looks like a series that is going to be enjoyable and possibly like the first season, have moments of heart, where you may draw for a tear and cry, but this is a teaser trailer so there is more to come. I am actually looking forward to this.

(trailer review) - Superman

It has been a while since the last Superman trailer, approximately 3 months. There was all this talk about the dog, Krypto. All this talk about having too many characters (superheroes) in it. People trashing a trailer that showed Superman doing a barrel roll and saying his face looks weird because of the lense they used for the shot. People have even said that Superman is not flying correctly. The character is fictional. Anyway. This is a sneak peek of the movie and although they did not show many new clips/scenes etc, this extended scene involving Krypto is good.

Superman hits the ground with a thud, assuming, after a big battle and he is hurt. He calls on Krypto via a whistle. This is a repeat of the first trailer. The difference in this sneak peek trailer is the interaction between Krypto and Superman where Krypto is being a dog happy to see his owner and wants to play only to realise Superman is hurt and takes him to the Fortress of Solitude where they are met by (and I'm guessing), fortress robotic caretakers.  "Operating" on Superman by lining him up to the sun to regenerate his cells as the Fortress of Solitude turns towards the sun is excellent. I feel like James Gunn is going to knock this one out of the park. All the other clips are basically the same or have a little bit more context like the Green Lantern fighting the big glowy eyeball thing in the city while Clark is with Lois inside the building. This looks like it is going to be really good and if James brings ANY of his sensibilities to this project like what he did with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in it, we are in for a real treat.

(series review) [STREAMING] - Titans: Season 2

It took me a little while to start watching Season 1 of Titans, because I felt it wasn't really for me.  Like most comic book TV shows and films, I never read the comics and I never watched the cartoons.  Plus I never understood (once told) Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke would be an' antagonist especially when I know he is a Batman Villian.  I simply never cared for the show.

When I got into the show, I really enjoyed it.  Season 1 of Titans was more about the coming together of Raven, Dick and Kory.  And to my dismay, I loved it.  I really wasn't expecting what I got, but coming from producer Greg Berlanti, I was not surprised although it is different from his other shows, Arrow, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Supergirl and Black Lightning.

Dick Grayson aka Robin is trying to come out of the shadows of Batman and be his own person.  He holds resentment towards him.  He finds out there is a new Robin so now he must be something else, if he wants to continue.  Kory has amnesia and doesn't know who she is and Raven is somewhat possessed and feels only Dick can save her.  Not to mention character arch's with Hawk and Dove and the introduction to Doom Patrol.

Season 2 picks up where season 1 left off.  Trigon is here and the possession Raven had been struggling with is addressed along with her destiny.  We continue with Dick's struggle with being a new person and the many secrets he holds in order to keep everyone safe and bring them together for the greater good.  We delve much deeper into the past of the Titans and their struggles especially when, thought to be dead, Deathstroke arrives to settle scores.

Everyone has a little story, Kory, being an alien Queen, Beast Boy trying to be important and helpful, especially when they all discover Connor Kent and his abilities, not to mention Rose Wilson and her dramas.  It is a lot to deal with for these heroes and we see how they struggle with their own personal problems and their conflict between each other but in the end come together despite loss and/or resentment.

This season is all over the place but it does a good job with highlighting episodes which are specifically about a singular character as it helps flesh out any ongoing story they have. The only problem I had with the show, was towards the end, it felt a little rushed.  I felt the final battle could have went better than it did and certain things that happened didn't need to.  It also seemed like particular characters were not on set the entire time as if they did reshoots or something, one minute you see someone, the next, you don't, then they are there again.

All the characters and their development was great, not a single problem.  All the scenes with Deathstroke were excellent and reminded me of watching Arrow.  There was a scene with Conner Kent in a farm house with a Swat team which was excellent.  The special effects were brilliant for a TV show and I especially loved the flashback scene's and the "in the psyche" of Dick.  The story was put together well but you can tell, the structure and unanswered questions lends itself to future seasons to address other questions and stroy.  If you have seen season 2 and enjoyed it and this is your kind of thing, I'd definitely recommend it.  It is nothing like the Arrowverse as it is more mature.  Just a heads up.

(film review) - Joker

I've probably said this before in a review somewhere, Warner Brothers have no clue with what they are doing since Marvel Studios released a movie called "Avengers".  Quaking in their boots and doing the only thing Hollywood does when something is successful, and they want IN, or they think that they have a great idea, they force it.  They copy and paste.
Warner Brothers (WB), would have done soo well if they followed Man of Steel with Wonder Woman and then The Flash or (from what they said at the time) the Flash and Cyborg movie and build their characters first.  However, they decided on shortcuts and they rushed out a Batman v Superman (in which I had a much better storyline from my own head which would have spanned over 3 movies leading to Justice League).  They rushed out Justice League which was, decent-ish.  They released Suicide Squad which was, "Meh", ok at best I guess and now the only pretty decent films since, have been the Aquaman movie and a pretty good Shazam movie.  In comparison to the line-up they gave many moons ago, what they have done fails miserably in comparison and that is not even comparing it to what Marvel has done.  Not to sound like a Marvel purist, but this is one of the reasons why people look at the DC "universe" with disappointment because there is NO structure whatsoever.
NOW, we can only "look forward" to Wonder Woman 1984, Bird's of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), The Suicide Squad (Suicide Squad 2) and Joker as it seems Warner Bros has thrown caution to the wind and seem to be getting their foot-in, solidifying who they are as a studio whilst simultaneously still confusing the audience and messing it up by announcing a new Batman movie called 'The Batman' yet rumour has it, the commissioner may be played by a black actor where in the Ben Affleck version, is played by a white actor, #sigh.
We can only hope that this Batman "year one" movie IS a prequel to Ben Affleck's and they bring back Henry Cavill for Superman at some point, he deserves it.  As for this Joker movie with the actor not being Jared Leto and is a different Joker altogether, we can only hope this "elseworld" or "standalone" movie is good, well we hope.

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a guy who wants to become a comedian.  He lives with his mother and looks after her whilst working in a world that doesn't give a shit about the poor and unfortunate.  Gotham is a society where the rich stay getting rich and the poor stay getting poor.  However, trying to navigate through his tormented life and caring for his sick mother, an incident on a train leads to a stream of unfortunate events, accompanied by some truths that help escalate and bring Arthur onto the path of becoming, the Joker.

I can't write much more than that, unless I would be going into spoilers, but there is a great deal of talk surrounding this movie stating that it is "unsafe" for society and it is "dangerous". That the film presents crime and villainy as something to aspire to, that it makes murder and such, right or that it is ok if you have been treated in a way, that acting out violence is the way to go about it.  No, it doesn't.  If you think that. It is possible you are missing the point.  The world depicted in this movie is not soo far off from actual life.  In actual fact, everything that happens in this movie is currently happening somewhere in this world or is leading up to it, although we wouldn't want to believe it.  The movie touches on the social and socio-economical construct of the world and what we humans do to one another and then wonder why these things are happening to us.  It's happening to us because we get what we deserve and THAT is the message of the movie.  Somewhat political, I guess, but IS the fact of life.

Todd Phillips did an excellent job here.  I know him from films like, Starsky & Hutch, Borat (he was involved in the story [who knew]), Due Date and The Hangover films.  The comedy in this movie, the little it has, is a little dark (but what would you expect?).  However, Todd has been receiving backlash from before it was even released! The movie is currently receiving mixed reviews (also there are movie critics who claim he has taken huge elements from ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘King of Comedy’ - I haven't seen those movies), it goes to show, the cord it has struck with people and this is possibly why people are upset.

Joaquin Phoenix is excellent.  There isn't a lot of movies I've seen from this guy.  Gladiator, Signs and now Joker.  I've heard a number of great things about the movie ‘HER’, but I've still not seen it.  From the way he would run, contort his body, laugh, dance, his facial expressions and display his emotions, you could empathise with the character, but at times he could terrify.  Robert DeNiro and Zazie Beetz were both excellent in the small roles they had and accompanied with an excellently directed psychological thriller that not only leaves you with questions, also makes you want more from Todd and cast, it seems we are onto a winner.  I mean, what was real in that movie and what wasn’t?  If Warner Bros continue to make quality movies like this, people will start paying more attention to them.  It's like they do a great movie, every 10 years.  Let's just hope these up-and-coming movies at least reach the benchmark of a Aquadman or Shazam and maybe WB will get their confidence to start linking the old with the new as well as doing some standalone movies un-connected like this movie, (we hope) to set them apart from Marvel.  Imagine a movie all about Mister Freeze or a movie about Killer Croc, Hush, Ventriloquist, Firefly or Clayface.

I left the movie having to gather my thoughts before I wrote this.  And although I was falling asleep during the movie (so so tired), it didn't take away from the story, pacing and soundtrack - great! Just don't expect that Cape Crusader stuff and that action you'd get in most Superhero Movies, this one is different and all the better for it.  I mean, they are talking Oscars.  Well done Warner Brothers.  Enjoy!