Superman (2025)

    

    Look! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... Superman's dog? That's right folks there's a new Superman in town and this time he brought his furry friend (well, technically he's just dogsitting). Ever since this the new Superman was announced, headed by James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy fame, excitement has been building for a new version of Kal-El (played by David Corenswet), especially since the last two iterations of the man in the red cape left a lot to be desired (sorry Zack Snyder fans). Even before seeing the film, it was already a nice breath of fresh air to see Superman actually crack a smile and a joke in the trailers (remember when DC comics were fun?) and not seem to take himself too seriously. However, a great marketing campaign doesn't necessarily translate into a great movie, so is this finally the Superman we the people deserve? 

    Right from the start, James Gunn gives us a fresh take on Superman by showing us a side of him that we rarely ever get to see, his vulnerable and insecure side. The film literally opens with Superman getting his ass kicked and leaving the audience to wonder what kind of beast could make the Man of Steel bleed? This film doesn't waste time recounting Superman's origin story either, assuming that the audience already knows the Kryptonian's backstory, which I really appreciated. This let's us get straight into the action, and minus a couple of romantic scenes between Lois and Clark, the action never stops. Despite opening on such a serious note, the film still finds a way to be light-hearted and inject a bit of humor that isn't just cheesy one-liners (*ahem* looking at you, Marvel *cough*). Superman's foster dog Krypto is the source of several laughs throughout the film as an unruly, obviously untrained yet loveable superdog just trying to have a good time. 

    One of my favorite aspects of this movie is the inclusion of the "Justice Gang" (they're still workshopping the name a little). Nathan Fillion is as great of a Green Lantern as fan-casters always knew he would be and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi, who actually gets to play a superhero who doesn't die immediately this time) actually steals the show in my opinion. Isabela Merced also does a solid job as Hawk Girl. In fact, most of the casting is pretty on point, Rachel Brosnahan portrays Lois Lane as journalist first, girlfriend second, and really hammers that point home in the her and Superman's intense interview scene (totally ruined the nice dinner they were about to have though unfortunately). Another plus in this movie is Nicholas Hoult's dedication to playing a fully evil, incredibly jealous and enraged Lex Luthor; we can feel the hate dripping from his mouth with every line and finally a director has committed to a completely bald Lex again, no goofy wigs or unrecognizable accents, just pure baldness and a lot of evil scheming and screaming at insubordinates. My one complaint in regards to casting is the Kent's Earth parents; they seem a little simple-minded (they're supposed to be simple folk, but they went a little far in my humble opinion) and although Clark and Pa Kent have a nice moment towards the third act, it was almost unclear if Mr. Kent was even capable of speaking more than two words at a time up until that point. But hey, at least nobody runs into any tornadoes this time. 

    The most important thing to get right in a Superman movie is the portrayal of the man in red underwear himself and as far as that goes I think this movie really nails it. Superman's main focus above all is saving lives, even if it gets him into political trouble, and the film constantly shows him saving people (and at least one squirrel) even if that means he has to stop fighting for a minute. It is nice to see a Superman who so clearly cares about the people again, and just wants to be one of them, instead of some kind of weird Jesus allegory. That being said, that doesn't mean we don't get to see Superman (and Krypto) kick some ass too in this movie, and not only does he get to flex his laser beams on us, but he also is able to showcase his rarely utilized super breath multiple times. One of the best action sequences comes from Mr. Terrific, however, and his handy dandy floating balls (spheres, they're called spheres). In the end, not only are we left wanting more, but the movie gives us a little teaser at what's left to come and I have to say, I feel much more hopeful about how this DC world is being built (I can confirm no characters are established via email this time). 

    *Potential minor spoiler warning*

    As far as the plot goes, there is one major change to the source material that some people could take issue with involving Jor-El, I won't go into detail but suffice it to say we hear the word "harem" more than I think I've ever heard in one sitting. I still don't know how to feel about this change to Kal-El's biological parents, and I was waiting for it to just be a "fake news" scheme by Luthor, but apparently it wasn't. It works as one of the inciting incidents in this film, but in the context of the DC universe I can see why some fans may take issue with it. 

-Ryan Maples

Rating: 8

28 Years Later (2025)

When 28 Days Later first came out, it instantly became a cult hit that revolutionized the zombie genre. Before 28 Days Later, zombies were mostly slow, shambling creatures, who were terrifying because of their sheer numbers, not necessarily their athletic prowess; however, now with the release of 28 Years Later, the concept of “fast zombies” has been well established, so how will this new sequel keep things fresh? Or is it just another unnecessary sequel?

On the technical side of things, 28 Days Later was also known for its gritty and realistic visual style, which is due to Danny Boyle’s used digital home video cameras in shooting the film (https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/28-days-later-pioneered-digital-120832684.html). This time, Boyle sets out to be a pioneer in cinematography once again by being the first blockbuster ever to use a specially-made rig of iPhones to shoot the third film in the 28 Units of Time series. The result is a series of frenetic and jarring sequences that actually work rather well in evoking the tone for this apocalyptic setting. Zombies practically seem to jump out from every side of the screen when things really hit the fan and the rig, which holds 14-20 iphones, allows for “killshots” to be shown from every angle. It is quite impressive to see how far the quality of digital video has come since 28 Days Later, as visually the film looks as high quality as any blockbuster.

The film quickly establishes that this zombie apocalypse is strictly a United Kingdom problem; the virus has been contained to the mainland and a strict quarantine is in effect meaning the remaining survivors are on their own. Without giving too much away, the film essentially begins as a coming of age story, with a young Spike (Alfie Wiliams) learning the ways of apocalyptic survival with his father (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson). They live with a group of survivors on a small island that is barely even large enough for the small town. Naturally, to prove his worth and his manhood, Spike must venture out to “the mainland” with his father and get his first kill, despite the protests of his severely ill and bed-ridden mother. Without getting into any spoilery details, the majority of the film from there focuses on the mainland, where the zombies have been thriving, and are led by a series of super zombies called “Alphas,” (they film never explains how Alphas are created or what makes them special but a certain swinging appendage seems to play a part) In the midst of all of this, Spike makes a desperate attempt to save his dying mother. There is certainly more action in store than any of the characters bargained for and Spike must quickly put all that he has learned into use. Much like the action, the story is frenetic and fast-paced, but it still manages to take time to establish how much the world has changed since the original film and how life for the survivors of the “Rage virus” epidemic versus the rest of the world; they are not only stuck in survival mode, they are stuck in time. As the story comes to a conclusion we are suddenly met with an abrupt cliffhanger; surprise! There is another sequel coming, this one entitled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Overall, the plot is simple but effective, however I feel as though we are missing elements to the story that will be revealed in Bone Temple that will tie together a few loose ends and various questions. 

On the acting side of things, Aaron Taylor-Johnson gives a solid performance, although he isn’t given as much screen time as one might expect coming into the film. Alfie Williams plays his role well, although there are a few times where his emotional reactions are somewhat questionable, it seemed to be more of a director’s choice than the actor’s. Jodie Comer as Spike's mother, Isla, shines brightest in this film, really committing to the role of the boys’ ill-stricken mother as she fights a disease that turns her own mind against her. 

So is it a necessary sequel or another soulless cash grab? Personally, I enjoyed the film, even if I didn’t agree with all of the story choices that were made. The film still manages to make the zombie concept feel fresh and the cinematography gives us a different more immersive feeling as an audience than other zombie flicks. As much as I’d like to see more original films, of course, this sequel doesn’t borrow too much from its predecessors other than setting. If you are a fan of the original film or a zombie fan in general I would definitely recommend giving it a watch. 

-Ryan Maples

Rating: 7.5

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