Film Review: Superman (2025)

Who knew you could laugh during a Superman movie?

After the long night of the Snyderverse, the new Superman feels like a much-needed palate cleanser. Features of superhero stories that you'd think are commonplace feel new again: Look, this movie has colors! The jokes are funny! Team Good is fun to be around! The plot respects Jimmy Olsen! Superman is actually a hero this time!

This is a promising start for the new universe of DC movies under the lead of James Gunn. Without losing any time in recapping the origin story we all know, without flashbacking to how Clark Kent moved to Metropolis or met Lois Lane or discovered his true origin or became a superhero, we jump right into the action and, curiously, address the same question that the Snyderverse raised but didn't know how to handle: can a world of squishy, breakable humans trust a Superman? The movie immediately exposes the question's disingenuousness: this version of Superman is not a newcomer. He has spent day after day doing nothing but help people. Anything he might need to prove to humanity is already proven. If by this point Lex Luthor still has an obsession with exposing Superman as a threat, that's a Lex problem.

I've always liked the versions of Lex Luthor that view Superman's existence as a personal insult, as a negation of all the human effort and potential that Lex obviously sees himself as the apex of. It's fun enough to have a Lex who is just a greedy businessman whose unethical corporate practices get thwarted by the Daily Planet, but it's far more interesting to have a Lex who can't resist comparing himself to Superman. I was skeptical about the casting of Nicholas Hoult, but upon watching the finished movie, I was sold. Hoult brings a burning intensity to the role, a consuming rage that prevents Lex from noticing the incongruity of his cause: one of the superpowered soldiers he builds to kill Superman says, "I gave up my humanity for this." Lex claims to be a defender of humanity, but in the process he breaks every standard of human dignity. The fact that he can't see how his methods contradict his goals turns him into a tragic character in the classical sense.

Lex is so focused on his quest that he doesn't even realize that the world has already shown him to be wrong. His assumption is that an uncontrollable Kryptonian is a threat to everyone. But there's already an uncontrollable Kryptonian flying around: Superdog, and he's the sweetest, most adorable chaos beast. (As the perpetually exhausted guardian of a chaos beast, I can relate to Superman's frustrations.) The interactions between Superman and his indestructible pet are among the high points of the movie; they make for great comedy and reveal important sides of both characters: Superdog is playful but not malicious; Superman can get exasperated but never lashes out.

This characterization of Superman as played by David Corenswet is fundamental for the tone of the movie. Whereas the Snyder version would get back at a bar bully by destroying his means of subsistence, the Gunn version braves a river of antimatter to keep a baby safe, and feels sad when a rampaging kaiju is killed. This Superman is genuinely kind, to the point of wishing to save the enemies that are punching him in the face. Other superheroes think he's too naïve, but it's that solid trust in the best side of people that ends up saving him at a key moment in the plot.

The implied rebukes to the Snyder Superman don't stop there. The Kents are infinitely better human beings in this version; in particular a touching scene with Jonathan Kent helps Clark sort out how to make sense of the revelation that he was sent to Earth as a conqueror. Even when he has his hands occupied fighting superpowered monsters in the middle of Metropolis, he goes out of his way to minimize collateral damage (again, such a basic display of goodness should go without saying, but remember that Snyder's Superman lowered the bar beneath the Earth's mantle).

As great and awesome as Superman is in this incarnation, he doesn't save the world alone. Lois Lane isn't afraid to question the political implications of his actions in his face, and she convinces the rest of superheroes to grow past their motivated apathy. One character whom Lex had blackmailed into villainy switches to Team Good upon seeing Superman's kindness firsthand. And Eve Tessmacher, the trophy girlfriend that Lex parades everywhere, turns out to be the most important character in the movie: even as Lex uses her for her shallow bimbo image, she cleverly weaponizes that same shallow bimbo image to help defeat Lex.

The relevance of Superman has been questioned many times, usually in the form, "If he can punch anything, what is a challenge for him?" This movie gives him a problem he can't punch his way out of: a crisis of identity exacerbated by the manipulation of public opinion. This mirrors the status of the character in real life: both Superman (the heroic icon) and Superman (the movie) need to prove themselves to a world that has stopped believing in Superman. Both emerge victorious because they don't stop believing in goodness. Ironic cynicism is soooo tired, and it should never have been mixed with this character. Gunn understands that a successful story about Superman is one that sticks to the simple ideals that have always defined him, not as lip service, but as a guiding theme of the action. Superman shouldn't win because he punches harder. He should win because decency and compassion are actually stronger.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10.

POSTED BY: Arturo Serrano, multiclass Trekkie/Whovian/Moonie/Miraculer, accumulating experience points for still more obsessions.

Nanoreview [film]: DC League of Super-Pets

Finally, someone at Warner Bros. Pictures remembered that Superman stories can have fun

Amid all the difficulties that have beset the increasingly fragmented and directionless DCEU, it's a relief to watch a Justice League movie where no one's career is ruined and you walk out of the theater feeling hopeful.

DC League of Super-Pets comes at a delicate moment for Justice League IPs. While the TV side of Warner Bros. has found the formula to make Superman exciting for two years now, the filmmaking division is in a state of limbo, and the fans are understandably tired. There's no word on when Superman will appear again; who will play Batman next is anyone's guess; the upcoming Flash film is overshadowed by a dumpster fire of scandals; we no longer have a Cyborg; and the latest Wonder Woman film was a mess of bad choices. You know you're in trouble when the only member that still enjoys a solid standing in your superhero team is Aquaman.

So here comes Krypto to save the day. In this hilarious and heartwarming story, the superdog learns to adopt a more mature view on friendship, as he relinquishes ownership over Superman's life in recognition of Lois Lane's new central position. Krypto's journey leads him to make friends with other superpowered animals and explore different views on what friendship can be. Interestingly, this arc is told in parallel with that of the villain Lulu, a guinea pig who believes Lex Luthor is her best friend, but in typical Luthor style, he saw her only as a tool. These two case studies are just transparent enough to reach the intended viewers, but still complex enough to leave them mulling over their own assumptions of what a healthy friendship should look like.

After the lively and flashy action scenes, the perennial Warner talent for slapstick comedy, and the poop jokes, there's an additional possible reading of DC League of Super-Pets, one for Superman's adult fans. Krypto's big lesson is that he needs to stop acting so possessive over Superman, stop trying to control what his life can and cannot include, and be willing to let him be truly happy. If fans took Krypto's example and let go of their possessive behavior, maybe the DCEU could grow toward a less toxic direction.

Nerd Coefficient: 7/10.

POSTED BY: Arturo Serrano, multiclass Trekkie/Whovian/Moonie/Miraculer, accumulating experience points for still more obsessions.

Superman & Lois season 1 feels like a fix fic of the Snyderverse

It's like the producers watched the first two DCEU entries and said, "OK, let's do that, but let's also give it heart"

As the latest addition to the already sizable Arrowverse, Superman & Lois jumped deep into the themes of family and community in its first season. The plot gets moving fast: the Kents move to Clark's childhood town after the death of his mother, and soon he has to deal with his son gaining superpowers, his old friends having money problems, his father-in-law not knowing how to separate work from family, and his wife losing her job. And that's just the first two episodes. By the end of the season, Smallville has rampant unemployment, Clark has learned of a lost Kryptonian half-brother who wants to body-snatch his town, and his wife has just met the daughter she had in another universe.

One can forgive the producers for not making Clark cope also with the fact that his cousin has been stranded in the Phantom Zone for months. That's fine. His plate is full enough as it is. And this season apparently had an even more important mission than probing into Clark's convoluted family issues: it also repeats the plots of Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Objectivist Boogaloo, and fixes what's wrong with them.

On one hand, we have a Kryptonian conqueror who plans to use an archive of Kryptonian heritage to transform Earth into a new version of his world. On the other hand, we have an armored fighter with fancy gadgets who is convinced that Superman is dangerous, so he embarks on a mission to kill him. These parallels are overt and intentional. Basically, the Arrowverse is telling the Snyderverse, I see what you were trying to do, but let me show you how you should have done it.

First correction: the armored guy

In BvS, Lex Luthor manipulates Superman's public image so that Batman will feel motivated to kill him. But it shouldn't be that easy to fool Batman. The destruction that befell Metropolis in the previous movie was Superman's responsibility, but in no way his intention. He committed, of course, a fault of omission in not steering the fight elsewhere, but it was literally his first day as a full-grown superhero, and in the end he got rid of the invading Kryptonians. Since then, he's done nothing but good deeds. Batman may feel sour on a personal level because of his injured employees, which is understandable, but he doesn't have a defensible excuse to hunt down Superman. All he has is distorted news and a weird dream. The deaths in Nairomi and the bombing of the Senate ought to have alerted the instincts of the world's supposedly greatest detective. If we're going to go with the explanation that Batman always needs to be prepared for every threat, that gets us to the point where he makes a kryptonite blade, not to the point where he decides it's time to use it. In short, there's no solid reason for Batman to be doing this.

In S&L, John Irons has every legitimate reason to believe his suspicions are correct. He doesn't have probabilities; he has facts. The Superman of his world has in fact killed thousands, and the show intelligently timed the moment of his final confrontation with our Superman to match with the moment when Superman is brainwashed to be evil. There is a believable risk that he may destroy the world, so this time, his hunter does have a justification for bringing the kryptonite.

In both versions of this plot, it is the weight of Superman's human connections that gives the killer pause. However, in BvS, the Martha moment couldn't have been handled more ineptly. Learning that Superman was raised by humans shouldn't suddenly change Batman's assessment of the threat. In S&L, the tension applies to both sides of the fight: Lois needs to convince Irons that Superman can be rescued, but once she does that, Irons still needs to get Superman to shake off his brainwashing. This is what BvS was going for, but it failed because it ignored that it takes two to tango. Batman was trying to kill a Superman who had no intention to destroy the world. Making our heroes bash each other in the head for an hour over a misunderstanding that could have been fixed by talking makes our heroes look rather incompetent. Instead, S&L has Superman convince Irons of his good intentions early in the season, then it makes Irons learn of Superman's human connections, then it makes Superman turn actually evil and throw the first punch, and only then it makes Irons wrestle with the choice to kill him or not.

To make the point even more obvious, the very first thing S&L does in the very first episode is kill Martha. Memo to Snyder: forget about Martha. When you make superheroes disagree to the point of fighting, have the fight be resolved by heavier considerations than unresolved mommy issues.

Second correction: the Kryptonian guy

So we have a Kryptonian invader with a plan to replace all humans with his own people, and Superman isn't enough to defeat him, because they're equally strong. How does Superman win?

Break his neck, says Man of Steel. Easy peasy.

Not so fast, says Superman & Lois, because the enemy is possessing the body of Superman's son.

Gosh, I love it when a story goes out of its way to deny the hero an easy loophole to use violence.

Once again, what saves the day is human connection, and once again, it's Lois who gets it done. The moment of Jordan's salvation, ultimately triggered by his brother's love, establishes a curious parallel with the situation between Superman and his evil brother. Earlier in the season, Jonathan utters a powerful line that forces his grandfather to reconsider his choices: I'd never be afraid of my own family. This is the power of humanity that is lacking in Tal-Rho. It is the power that saves Jordan, and the power that Superman attempts to use to bring his brother to his side. Unfortunately, Tal-Rho is beyond the help of this kind of connection. His father's corrupting influence did too much damage. He needs to be kept away from anyone he could harm. And still, he doesn't have to be killed.

The manner of defeat of Tal-Rho serves to explain why S&L decided to redo BvS before redoing MoS. Superman cannot beat Tal-Rho on his own, but he has access to the weapons John Irons was going to use to beat Superman. In a way, this mirrors how, in BvS, Batman's spear proves useful against Doomsday, but it also provides a solution to the Zod problem in MoS. Part of the reason why the moral question in MoS is so contrived is that the plot forces Superman to fight alone. But Zod is not a local problem of Metropolis; he plans to destroy the whole planet. If we accept the Snyderverse as a whole, Zod arrives in an Earth where, at the very least, Aquaman and Wonder Woman already exist. Either MoS should have used an enemy whose reach didn't extend beyond Superman, or Superman shouldn't have had to fight alone.

This exposes a key problem with Zack Snyder's treatment of Superman: it assumes a world-ending threat is Superman's business instead of everyone's business. This is in line with his individualistic ethos for the character. Jonathan Kent in MoS is the worst version of Jonathan Kent ever, but let's not forget the atrocious advice Martha Kent gives in BvS. It is a gigantic lie to say that Superman doesn't owe the world anything.

In Snyder's version of the Kryptonian invasion, Smallville is wrecked and never thought of again, because the plot has to follow Superman. In S&L, Smallville is wrecked and we stay there to watch how the common people help each other. This choice matters because Superman owes everything to Smallville. Memo to Snyder: it takes a village to raise a Superman.

Third correction: who is Superman?

Clark Kent in the Snyderverse is not believable as a person with feelings and ties to other people. Clark Kent in the Arrowverse is deeply aware of his place in the community.

Clark Kent in the Snyderverse is baffled that people would be wary of his immense power. Clark Kent in the Arrowverse exerts constant self-control, because he can put himself in other people's shoes.

Clark Kent in the Snyderverse is first of all a god among mortals. Clark Kent in the Arrowverse is first of all a husband, a father, a neighbor and a citizen.

You say you want to #RestoretheSnyderverse? Superman & Lois already did it. It may not have a blockbuster-sized budget, but it has heart. That, in the end, is what makes or breaks a story.

The Math

Baseline Assessment: 6/10

Bonuses: +1 for fixing the ugly cape attachments Superman wore in the Supergirl series, +1 for giving Jonathan an interesting arc despite having the greatest risk of having nothing to do, +1 for clever mirroring of the brotherhood theme.

Penalties: −2 for telling a story nominally in the Arrowverse but effectively in isolation from the Arrowverse (for example, the Fortress of Solitude looks nothing like the one in Supergirl).

Nerd Coefficient: 7/10

POSTED BY: Arturo Serrano, multiclass Trekkie/Whovian/Moonie/Miraculer, accumulating experience points for still more obsessions.

Superman & Lois knows what we like, so it sticks to what works

By this point, TV producers have refined the formula for Superman: soap opera plus action

With minimal tweaking, Superman & Lois could be read as an immediate sequel to the deliciously cheesy Lois & Clark that ran from 1993 to 1997. That earlier show ended abruptly with the super couple already settled (after an unbelievable number of attempts at getting married) and ready for parenthood. Most of the time it was silly, and quite a few times it was outlandish, but if there's one thing it was always, it was sincere. The 90s TV Superman was a good guy who wanted to do good. And who, incidentally, happened to have laser eyes. That's what every Superman story should be at its core, and Lois & Clark, as convoluted as it got, succeeded on that front.

In the new Superman & Lois, which premiered on February 23, this model of all too placid domestic life gets a series of curveballs: Clark is fired from the Daily Planet, his mother dies of a stroke, the Kent farm falls into financial trouble, and his son gets his own laser eyes. This adds much-needed relatability to a character frequently accused of being too perfect to be interesting. In the first episode, Lois hits the nail of the problem with perfect characters: "No one ever dreams about the problems." Some of us may aspire to be powerful like Superman, but what Superman aspires to is a normal life among us, even if that includes death of loved ones, predatory banks, unemployment and mental health issues.

The narrative appeal of juggling superheroic adventures with human responsibilities is a trick first mastered by Spider-Man, but with time, other writers have learned the lesson. Superman & Lois opens by keeping the focus on the personal, on Clark's life journey. The first few minutes quickly (maybe too quickly) remind us of the parts of the story we know by heart: blown-up Krypton, crash-landed baby, quiet farm life, dead father, Metropolis, Lois. Once that is out of the way, we can proceed to the juicy family drama we came for. Notably, there's no mention of the larger events that, from this show's perspective, just happened in the rest of the Arrowverse, namely the reordering of all planes of existence. In fact, there's not even the smallest acknowledgement of those other stories; at the very least, Superman's cousin Kara should have been at Martha Kent's funeral. Maybe the writers decided we don't need to bother with the other shows for now.

If so, they're not wrong. We can worry about the multiverse in later episodes; there's more than enough happening at home: Clark has decided to move back to his childhood farm, his sons just discovered they're half aliens, his wife is smelling a corporate conspiracy, his ex-girlfriend holds the reins of his financial future, and the locals have strong opinions on these newcome urbanites. Here we have potential for catty gossip and teary melodrama that would make Smallville proud.

The difficulty, as always, lies in making both sides of the story relevant to each other. It's a delicate juggling act to make an indestructible alien care about things like reverse mortgages and media takeovers and social anxiety. This premiere episode had a lot of ground to cover, and jumped a bit less than gracefully between all its topics. A mature Superman returning to his hometown as a family man is a worthy concept, but it remains to be seen how skillfully the series will keep its hold on so many threads. Unlike the rest of the Arrowverse, this entry is not so sustained by the superhuman shenanigans as by the charm of the two lead stars. If the writers understand that, and let them carry the show, it may very well become something great.

(Side note: Am I overanalyzing if I notice a thematic resonance in a hero struggling to maintain a nuclear family while chasing a villain who sabotages nuclear plants? Is that too on the nose on the writers' part? Or am I imagining things?)

From just one episode, any pronouncement would of course be premature, but so far it appears that this version of Superman is cooking an ingenious blend of what worked well in other productions, i.e. the earnest awkwardness of Lois & Clark, the bottomless well of angst of Smallville, the gritty camera work of Man of Steel, and the social relevance of Supergirl. At the center stands what always must: Clark, the good guy who wants to do good. The film division of Warner Brothers should take note. After almost a century of writers, a Superman story can still be interesting if you don't try to fix what's not broken.

The Math

Baseline Assessment: 7/10 an enjoyable experience, but not without its flaws.

Bonuses: +1 for beautiful cinematography.

Penalties: −1 for turning Lois into a talking soapbox instead of letting the plot illustrate the social commentary.

Nerd Coefficient: 7/10 an enjoyable experience, but not without its flaws.

POSTED BY: Arturo Serrano, multiclass Trekkie/Whovian/Moonie, accumulating experience points for still more obsessions.

Snyderisms

Do you remember Iron Man? The first one? When we were all "Robert Downey Jr is still alive? Will he stay sober on set? Yeah, right, a good Marvel movie lololol." That turned out okay, didn't it?

Well, the DC Cinematic Universe, which had the MCU template to go off of, is off to something of less than a stellar start. Three entries in, and DC fanboys are trying to shut down Rotten Tomatoes (which is just an aggregator, you idiots) because all three are getting universally low reviews. There are certainly manifold reasons for this, but I want to talk about the biggest one (in my semi-humble opinion). It has to do with Zack Snyder, and while I fully realize that a ton of blame can and should be placed at WB and DC's door, I want to focus on where Snyder fails in basically all his films, because it has essentially crippled the DCU.

Simply put, Zack Snyder does not understand subtext. What he does do is make a very pretty movie that looks exactly like his source material brought to life.

I was equal parts excited and apprehensive, as I'm sure many were, about an adaptation of Watchmen. Which, as the excellent Honest Trailer points out, is an incredibly divisive film. It is, in my opinion, a beautiful film, with some excellent touches, such as the soundtrack. It lifts scenes directly from the comic. In fact, Snyder carried a copy of Watchmen with him at all times on set. This gave me loads of confidence in what he was doing. So why is it not beloved, when it adapted one of the best stories of all time?

Because Zack Snyder does not understand subtext. Watchmen is a deep, complex story that is about a lot more than just superheroes, while also being completely satirical. None of that made it into the film. It was pretty, sure, and was a decent action romp- but that's not going to cut it when you're adapting the best graphic novel of all time.

300 is garbage, so we're not even going to talk about that. I don't think I could have been more disappointed with a movie than I was with Sucker Punch- the previews looked amazing, the action, the depth of... the... story... was like jumping off a high dive into a kiddie pool. It had no depth whatsoever. Nothing about trauma, about rape culture, any actual exploration of the human condition. Even the actual action in the movie didn't live up to the glory the trailer presented.

Then comes the ostensible beginning of the DCU, Man of Steel, which was certainly better than Superman Returns by virtue of not being completely boring. Except...

I don't even like Superman all that much, but woof. I though he stood for 'truth, justice, and the American way', although, in fairness, the way America is these days, murder *is* the American way. But Supes offing his nemesis is not exactly what he's known for. There might be in-universe reasons for it (Zod *was* about to torch a family), but it's still out there. Add in the fact that Batman- whose express edict is to not kill- murders with abandon.

Which, hey, I don't care. I'm with Punisher, if we scoot over to the MCU for a bit. Daredevil and Batman are half-measures when it comes to stopping these baddies. Them dying isn't such a bad thing- in my opinion.

But it's not my opinion that counts. The idea behind Batman and Superman is that they represent the best in humanity, and no one has accused me of being that. Batman and Superman are supposed to have the ability to be forces for good without taking lives.

This is what made Nolan's Batman trilogy so good (well, 2/3rds good. DKR sucked) - he truly understood the character, not only of Batman, but also of Gordon, Dent and the Joker, and The Dark Knight was an exploration of that- not just a bunch of action set pieces and big moments. There is tremendous depth to Ledger's Joker, and this slow momentum building to the big moments. Him leaning out the window of the captured police cruiser, his plan in motion, having been executed to perfection and followed by the unwitting pawns of Batman and the police force, epitomizes the character.

Except, it doesn't, because he is gleefully mad and glad to let Batman kill him, taunting him to 'hit me', just to get Batman to break his code. That is the Joker- and that is Batman. The Snyder-verse Batman has no such conflict. Killing the Joker would be a matter of course, since he has no problem killing criminals. One of the central conflicts of the character just isn't there. It's what makes Moore's admittedly flawed Killing Joke so powerful- Batman finally crosses the line, so does the Joker win? That's a question, for as much as I enjoy Affleck's Batman and Leto's Joker, that will never- can never- be addressed in this universe, simply because it is not a question.

In the end, what is wrong with these films and Snyder's directing and influence is not the dour tone, or even the fact that the so-called Justice League is fine killing people out of hand, it is that there is nothing beneath, no depth to them, their motivations or their conflicts. A battle between these two powerful beings is undone by a name. It's simplistic and boring. The films leap from big moment to big moment, with nothing between with lower stakes- when every moment is big, none of them are.

This causes a ripple effect even to the films he has no hand in. Look at Suicide Squad. I think, like BvS, the movie we got in theaters is not the movie we were supposed to see. There are painfully obvious reshoots, done to add humor because BvS was too dark. Guess what, WB? Suicide Squad should have been dark. And guess who the executive producer of Suicide Squad was? YUP. So Snyder reacts to the perception that BvS wasn't light enough, and assumes that making Suicide Squad funnier will be the solution - not actually exploring what makes bad guys bad, or giving them anything, like, say, character development.

DC is stumbling out of the gate, hard, and it's not because the movies aren't funny, or pretty, or lack action. It's because they lack depth.

-DESR

On Shared Universes

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Shared universes are all the rage right now. Generally, as you might expect, this is a thing I like. But are we going too far? For the purposes of this discussion, we'll call a shared universe any mixed media that doesn't follow a single narrative, but follows multiple characters and/or narratives across at least one for of media. We'll also focus on the big names, not one-off tie-in books, etc. Off the top of my head, we have:

• The MCU
• The, uh, DCU
• Star Wars
• Harry Potter
• MiB/21 Jump Street ha ha I'm kidding.
• Star Trek
• The Walking Dead

And then there are ones that just miss the cut, like Game of Thrones. But you get the idea. For the most part, however, these are good things. Everyone loves the MCU. DC is trying to right the ship after the BvS debacle. And who doesn't want more Star Wars?!?!? Wait, do we want more Star Wars? Of course we do, Dean, you say. You, of all people, want more Star Wars, right, Dean? Hey, I love Star Wars as much as the next person, as long as the next person freaking loves Star Wars, but let's look at what we have on the docket:

• Rogue One
• Han Solo
• Boba Fett
• Someone else
• Oh and I think some movies following episode VII?

That's for now! Plus a ton of new books, comics and video. Basically, Star Wars overload, which sounds great until you really start to think about, oh, say, Han Solo getting a movie about Han Solo pre-Episode IV, and what the directors have said:

“He’s a maverick, he’s a scoundrel, he’s clever but he’s not smart and he wants to present himself as this cool, tough guy but in the end he always does the right thing and that’s why you love him so much and why he’s one of the most iconic characters of all time”

WHAT. NO. That is not Han Solo. He had NO heart of gold coming INTO Episode IV; that's what makes his arc so compelling. And then Boba Fett! Imagine what they're going to do with him. Turns out, he's not such a bad dude and has a puppy. What makes Boba Fett great is we DON'T know him. But, hey, maybe some people really want this.

Oh, RIGHT, you already HAVE it all

And that's basically the great and terrible thing about these sorts of franchises - you can explore all these backstories and details, and as long as they are well done, it'll probably work.

Except it doesn't technically have to be good. We're all suckers for this, because once it has a certain  momentum, it's is a guaranteed hit, good or not. Are we all going to turn up for every movie listed up there? YUP. Am I stupidly excited for Suicide Squad, even though BvS was hot garbage? You know I am.

We clamor and clamor for original movies, original franchises, and something different, but then we go see Thor: the Dark World, despite the fact that you didn't even remember that movie existed until I mentioned it just now. So when Hollywood execs look at what movie to greenlight, they say "Thor is a guaranteed blockbuster, and we just recycled the script from the first one" instead of "Holy crap, maybe we should make a good original movie", because we all went out and handed it a $85m opening weekend*.

But what's the alternative? Another 30 years of no Star Wars? Or the last times anyone tried to adapt Marvel to the big screen? Or the time before that? Or are these franchises starting to bog themselves down? Look what making Age of Ultron did to Joss Whedon- he had to balance so many agendas and stories that he was handed an impossible tax, and we were handed an overstuffed mediocre movie. But then we got Civil War, which was fantastic, so maybe it is all fine, in the amalgamation.

Perhaps looking at them as shared universes is the wrong way to approach it, then - is the MCU good? The DC whatever? - but on a case-by-case basis. BvS sucked; maybe Suicide Squad will be good (edited to ad: Not lookin' good). Age of Ultron was meh, Civil War was spectacular. We've actually been doing it for years with Star Wars- we all basically pretend the prequels never happened, while loving the Clone Wars show and Episode VII.

So while we can do that; enjoy each piece on its own merits, there's still the voice in the back of my mind questioning if all this** money should be going into so few buckets. The Funko Pops, the Sideshow figures, the LEGO sets, all are branded with the above-listed franchises. How does a creator (cough cough) elbow their way into the midst of such massive brands? Does new, original content that we all say we want stand a chance of standing out?

I don't have a grand conclusion; I've had notes for this post for months, and I have no answers to any of those questions. I could, of course, make a call to pump the breaks - hey, maybe let's not give movies like BvS a $150m opening weekend - except I saw Civil War, Star Wars and Deadpool*** opening weekend, and celebrated those box office numbers.

I could say, go see small-studio and indie films, but that's like saying read indie books: A lot of them suck, and they aren't always widely available.  So, no grand conclusions, just the hope that the Han Solo movie isn't the Star Wars equivalent of Thor: The Dark World.

-DESR****

*Granted, it's only competition that weekend was The Book Thief. But that's also kind of the point.

**my

***Does Deadpool even count for this post? That just makes Deadpool cooler.

****I am 100% available to write any movies or shows in any of the universes, if any producers are reading this

The SWAG-AWAY! Comic Con 2013 Swag Giveaway

This year, two of our intrepid bloggers made the trip to San Diego for Comic Con International. They scored some neat swag, and IT CAN ALL BE YOURS!

Nerds of a Feather will be giving away one official Comic Con 2013 bag o' swag, including:

• WB 300: Rise of an Empire Bag
• Walking Dead Escape special edition novel (Rise of the Governor), poster, and lanyard
• 3D-printed, hand-painted Axe Cop figurine made onsite at SDCC
• Man of Steel Clark Kent glasses
• Special Edition TV Guides with all four "collectible" Comic Con covers

Enter to win all of this nerdy goodness below, and good luck!


Details

Participants have to be 18 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway rules are subject to change.

This giveaway is open to anyone with a US shipping address. The giveaway ends at 11:59pm PT on July 30, 2013. We will announce the winner later that day.

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Comic Con from Afar -- Second Annual Lamentation

I'll spare you the boo-hooing. If you're trolling the various #sdcc tags on Tumblr like me, you've had it up to here with the drama of a million geek girls virtually howling to a geek moon. SDCC 2013 is so packed with hot dudes in nerdy shows and geeky reboos, the fanfiction practically writes itself. I will try to contain myself.

Sure, it'd have been totally awesome to have run into a scrawny dude in a Bart Simpson mask only to later realize I missed my chance at running away with The Doctor (or at least copping a feel), but I think I'm having more fun experiencing the San Diego Comic Con from the comfort of my own iPhone. There are no lines, the photos make it look like everyone is dressed up instead of just the hardcore geeks, and I get the pleasure of immediate gif-gratification for every priceless moment.

Without further ado, here goes my yearly SQUEE over AWESOME THINGS AT COMIC CON.


FIREFLY ONLINE
No, I will not let go of Firefly; you can pry this orange hat out of my cold, dead hands... after I relapse into a MMORPG coma when Firefly Online is released next summer. It's not much of a trailer, but it still gets my blood pumping.


KORRA: BOOK TWO
If you haven't watched The Legend of Korra yet, you're seriously missing out. Not all of the episodes are available on nick.com, so do yourself the favor of torrenting Book One (the first season). Check out how sweet Book Two looks! I can hardly wait until September.

(Remember that time I went to the Mall of America to ride the Avatar rollercoaster?!)

ALL THE PANELS
Holy cow, and big ones too. Simpsons 25th Anniversary, X-Files 20th Anniversary, BSG 35th Anniversary... So much nerdery. Here's a good collection to get you started.


MARVEL v. DC MOVIES

... Ready.... Fight!

I think I'm obligated to state that it's been confirmed that Batman will appear in the Man of Steel sequel, and that seems pretty cool, I guess. But the announcement that The Avengers sequel will be subtitled Age of Ultron and that Karen Gillam (Amy Pond on Doctor Who) shaved her freaking head for a role as a bad guy in Guardians of the Galaxy is even cooler. 

HOW SHERLOCK SURVIVED

Here's Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock) and newly crowned King of the Geeks, Benedict Cumberbatch (The Hobbit, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Sherlock), doing funny things and melting hearts:

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee. That's all I can muster. Sorry.

VIKINGS

I'm not even sure if they did anything but show up to SDCC, but this dude (Travis Fimmel) and this chick (Katheryn Winnick) are two of the hottest people on TV and I was happy to see them.

OTHER NOTABLE CELEB SPOTTINGS

John Barrowman (Good ol' Captain Jack from Doctor Who, Torchwood) & Misha Collins (Supernatural)

Stephen FREAKING Hawking introducing the Big Bang Theory panel

Katee Sackhoff (BSG), being B.A. like usual 

Weinery Prince of Nerds Wil Wheaton (TNG) & Zachary Levi (uhhh, Chuck?)

And while we're on Next Gen, here's another fangirl aneurysm/the sandwich I want in on: James McEvoy & Patrick Stewart

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovnyyyyyyy 

And, bestill my heart, Nathan Fillion and Matt Smith, together at last




And finally this: Evan Peters (that kid from American Horror Story), Nicholas Hoult (that kid from Warm Bodies, Jack the Giant Slayer, About a Boy), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), James McAvoy & Michael Fassbender (Prometheus)

THE BEST COSPLAY EVER

No, really, EVARRRRRR

There were a lot of great costumes! Here are some of my favorites: Link, Poison Ivy & Two Face, Classic Transformers, hot-ass Lady Loki, hot-ass Lady Loki 2, Deadpool, Mrs. Captain America and Business Clone Trooper, Gandalf, Darth Maul, hot-ass Lady Cap, OMG T'challa the Black Panther, Space Balls, Galactus, Predator, Hit Girl, TARDIS, Tenth Doctor and Captain Jack doppelgangers, etc, etc

But nobody ain't got nothing on the best cosplay ever, Tom Hiddleston as Loki IRL--

  The day Tumblr broke.

Thursday Morning Superhero

Scott Snyder may be having one of the best weeks in comics ever.  He debuted the new DC title Superman Unchained, began a new arc in Batman that explores his origin and examines the time he spent away from Gotham City after the death of his parents, and released a one-shot American Vampire story.  I didn't get a chance to read American Vampire, but both Superman Unchained and Batman warrant your attention.  I was especially pleased to enjoy the Superman title as he is one of my least favorite superheros.  In the most shocking news ever to hit this feature, I did not pick a comic from the mind of Joe Hill as pick of the week!

Pick of the Week:

Helheim #4 - This series seems to get stronger with each issue and it was the pacing of this issue that set it apart from the herd.  It begins slow and you get the feeling that it is going to be an issue that develops the story, but doesn't involve much action.  It really felt like the calm before the storm and then the storm hits out of nowhere.  The battle of the two witches is taking a greater toll on all of those involved and so both must be destroyed.  Kirk, Rikard's father, faces quite the emotional decision.  His goals involve killing the monstrosity that his son has become and both witches for the good of his people.  He must swallow his pride and accept the help of the Draugr in the hopes that he survives the war only to kill what was once his son.  The sheer amount of conflict that Cullen Bunn has packed into this series, both internally and externally, really gives this title the depth needed to counter the violence.

The Rest:

Superman Unchained #1 - Minus the $4.99 price point and the gimmicky poster spread, this book was very enjoyable.  To me what made me begin to appreciate Superman, who I find very boring and wholesome, was that you see him heading towards his breaking point and actually showing some emotion.  The reveal at the end was enough to get me on board for the next issue.

Batman #21 -  The Zero Year arc has begun and Scott Snyder plans on providing some insights into some of the holes in Batman's past.  Based on the first issue I am hopeful that this arc will be as enjoyable as the Court of the Owls.  Batman will even be squaring off against a new foe in this run that should be as fun as solving a riddle!

Thumbprint #1 - Based on a novella penned by Joe Hill, Thumbprint tells the story of a woman who has been discharged from the Army after participating in some questionable acts when stationed at Abu Ghraib.  Her life at home is not without complication and her world is truly rocked when she is left a mysterious thumbprint in her mailbox.  Filled with some of the more disturbing and realistic scenes I have seen in a comic, this one is not for the faint of heart.

Killjoys #1 - Gerard Way, author of the fabulous Umbrella Academy, has a new series published by Dark Horse.  A girl who rode with the Killjoys, a group of heros who were killed trying to stand up to the evil empire of Battery City, may be the savior to the rebels who remain underground in their nest.  With her trust cat as the only companion she truly trusts, she relies on the radio waves and a rebel DJ to stay informed.  Way pens an interesting post apocalyptic tale that has the potential to be a great series, but we will have to wait and see.

Walking Dead #111 - Just when you think things are going to move in a straight line to the inevitable showdown between Rick and Negan Robert Kirkman throws in another wrinkle.  Negan somehow becomes more unlikable and things that were looking hopeful for Rick and his crew now seem worse than ever.  It will be a tough wait for issue #112.