J-Bang Reviews Present: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Or should I call it "Batman: Featuring Superman: Dawn of Justice," because this is pretty much a Batman movie. After the events that occurred in "Man of Steel," Clark Kent must wrestle with the fact that although he saves people around the world as Superman, he is also considered to be a threat by people themselves. One of those people, just so happen to be Bruce Wayne a.k.a Batman. When disaster strikes, Batman takes it upon himself to deal with the "threat" that is Superman.

So let me get straight to the point. Surprisingly, I thought the movie was pretty good. Not "great," but "pretty good." Ben Affleck is great as Batman. In his performance, he added a certain element of sympathy to the character as well as some necessary brutality. And of course, Wonder Woman is a cool addition to the superhero. She is a bad-ass and when she finally made her entrance on screen, it ranks up there as one of the top moments of the film. Personally, I wished she had a bigger role in the film, but I guess it was the right move in a movie where Batman and Superman are the headliners. Batman wise, the action is good and the actual FIGHT between Batman and Superman is literally the best fight of the movie but Superman wise, he seems to be "missing in action." Director Zack Synder showcases the results of Superman's endeavors rather than the exact act but I will give him credit for one scene in the movie that involves Superman. That one scene is, without a doubt, better than the whole Man of Steel movie in total. 

Now in terms of things I dislike however, the main thing I ABSOLUTELY HATE was Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal of villain, Lex Luthor. He is literally the JAR JAR BINKS of the film. His motivations for causing the fight between Batman and Superman sucks and his dialogue ultimately sounds like gibberish and makes no sense to the audience. Rather than menacing, he only came off a annoying. Also, the run-time of this movie hurts the pacing rather than helps it. The film is two and a half hours long. and with that, the movie is filled with more talking than action. Plus, there are quite a few plot-holes in this film that I can't go into because then, I would be diving into "spoiler territory." 

If you want to go watch this movie, go ahead, don't let me or this review stop you, but just know, it's not the best movie, but it's still miles better than "Fantastic Four." If you can bare a somewhat mediocre story and some weird Zack Synder-ish scenes, then check it out. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice gets a 3.5 out of 5.

  

J-Bang Reviews Present: 10 Cloverfield Lane

Mystery. Suspense. Secrets! "10 Cloverfield Lane" came out of no where and has suddenly made its way into theaters. I will tell you one thing. In a movie full of twists, turns, and jump-scares, my biggest mistake was seeing it in IMAX, because by the time this movie was over, I could of sworn I had 6 heart attacks!

After she was involved in a car accident, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up in a bomb bunker, and is held captive by a mysterious, unstable man named Howard ( John Goodman). Howard tells her the world isn't the same as it was when she was knocked out in the car accident, and despite her pleads, refuses to let her go. So Michelle must figure out what the truth of the world's fate really is while being held against her will in a bunker with Howard and fellow captive, Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr.) The story cleverly unfolds as a thriller with horror movie tropes. And what makes this movie intriguing is that we (the audience) are figuring out the story just as the main characters are. Plus, when the movie dynamic changes from one genre to the next, the tone stays the same rather than changes, which is a service to how this movie aimed to make me feel uncomfortable.

If I had to describe this movie without spoiling anything, I would call it a psychological horror film. The only thing I would count as a sin though is that, for me, personally, the main twist did not surprise me, considering I saw the first "Cloverfield" movie. It may shock you, but for me, I knew that certain "aspect" would occur. I wish I could go into more gory details, but you're just gonna have to see for yourself. "10 Cloverfield Lane" is the twilight zone mixed with old classic terror sci-fi of the 50s that is guaranteed to leave you "literally" on the edge of your seat. 

"10 Cloverfield Lane" gets a score of 3.5 out of 5.