I was at the advance screening of the new Superman movie, and here's my spoiler free review!

 

It's been a very tumultuous time for DC Comics' film division. With the DCEU sputtering towards the end of its run, as a DC Fan, I just couldn't wait for James Gunn's attempt at rebooting the entire DC Movie franchise. Of course, as someone that has a Marvel cinematic universe pedigree, you'd expect that Warner Discovery had finally found the right man for the job. Paired with Peter Safran as the main architects, I initially wasn't too enthusiastic as I wanted to see Zack Snyder's DCEU be given a proper ending. But you'd eventually have to move on. And as a true DC Fan, the first and foremost priority is to support every film that they are releasing and just judge them after you've seen the whole film. Of course, coming from David Zaslav (Warner Discovery CEO), to hear him say that he values Superman and has chosen Superman as the franchise starter in this reboot, I knew that Warner Discovery is making the right decision in this reboot. But just to back track a little, in case you're wondering why Snyder's DCEU had to have that direction and tone that was grounded in realism when they kicked it off with Man of Steel, one must not forget that the template for DCEU had always been the success of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy. That was technically the main reason why DCEU had that serious tone as compared to Marvel's standard pop corn movies.The unfortunate thing however with DCEU was that Snyder just wasn't able to deliver his entire vision without the meddling of Warner Bros. executives. So aside from Man of Steel (which was the only 100% Snyder's vision), we ended up with a very uneven slate of DC movies. With the constant meddling making the franchise non-cohesive and weird. But enough of the past. It's time to move on from all that and look to the present with a renewed hope. And it all starts with the new Superman movie by James Gunn.  

 

 

The advance screening didn't actually feature the whole movie, it was only the first 30 minutes of the film. With most of the footage already been released as part of the trailers. But this time in its full sequence and context. I'm not going to spoil the film for you, but all I can say is that it starts with a bang that quickly establishes David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent. With action sequences that's a joy to watch, in broad daylight as compared to Man of Steel's dark hues. Of course, since this is a James Gunn film, humor is always a staple (I totally enjoyed the Peacemaker series). But I don't think they were done in bad taste as compared to Joss Whedon's Justice League where forced humor was applied. I love the dynamic between Superman and Krypto as well as his super robots. Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane I could say is on of the best Lois Lane portrayals in the big screen (never was a fan of Amy Adams and Kate Bosworth's takes), evokes a lot of Margot Kidder if I might say. Lex Luthor was menacing, but I need to see more to be totally convinced that Nicholas Hoult could better Kevin Spacey's take. I feel like there's still some Jesse Eisenberg in there. Jor-El and Lara also appeared in the movie (not spoiling who the actors/actress were). Tonally, the movie strikes the right balance and fears that it would be too goofy are unfounded. It has some classic Christoper Reeve Superman feels to it but updated to be more in line with the modern superhero movies. Superman Returns was dour, Man of Steel was dark. But this one just had the right tone for a modern Superman movie. The justice gang didn't make an appearance in the preview, so I couldn't say if their presence here would distract the movie's focus on Superman. So that remains to be seen. As a die-hard Superman fan, I'm totally excited for this movie to be a blockbuster. If my only basis is the 30 minutes, I could say I've seen enough to probably say that this is the modern Superman movie that we have all been waiting for. It's less serious than the past two Superman movie but it does not border on the post Snyder DCEU's (Shazam/Flash and the likes) level of comedy. At least with what I've seen so far. But yes, James Gunn is on a good start here. Can't wait to see the whole movie and judge it in its entirety! 

 

Leaving behind some photos of the whole day event that I've attended. From the Look Up Fan event in the morning, the Red Carpet Fan event in the late afternoon, and the special screening in the evening. Full photos can be seen on our Facebook Page:  

  

Look Up Fan Event where we were made to wear Superman t-shirts and capes as provided by WB and formed a giant S that was shot by a drone as seen on the screen

 

Peter Safran, Rachel Brosnahan, David Corenswet, James Gunn makes an appearance

The cast did their rounds shaking our hands and thanking us for joining them

Red Carpet Fan event in the afternoon

There were fireworks, short interviews, and a lot of autograph signing.

Popcorns and drinks were provided

Some merch we got from the event

The shirt and cape we wore in the morning

 

Full Event photos can be seen on our Facebook Page:   

  

 

Aquaman Movie Review

China and some parts of the world (including the Philippines) for this time around got first dibs on the new Warner/DC Movie Aquaman. And so far, Aquaman has been killing it in the international film market on the first weekend of release. First weekend international projections are going as high as $200 Million Dollars or more, with pundits going as high as predicting a $1 Billion Dollars worldwide finish at the box office going by the strength of the international numbers and the strong word of mouth from audiences. So, has Aquaman finally saved the fate of the DC Movie Universe? Now before I make my review, allow me to refresh you guys with regards to where I stand when it comes to DC's Movie Universe. I staunchly defended Man of Steel when critics roasted it which can be read here. I enjoyed Batman V. Superman despite it's flaws. And I even gave the critics a piece of my thoughts (not that they care). But gave a huge pause on Justice League, which was a frankenstein of a movie that I did not even bothered to review but wrote an extensive article about the DCEU's course so far which can be read here. I skipped reviewing or writing about the Suicide Squad movie and the Wonder Woman movie because for one while Suicide Squad was an enjoyable movie, I just felt that something was definitely off about the chosen antagonists, and I was right when just recently it was revealed that Steppenwolf and the Parademons were supposed to be the villains of the movie before the people at Warner Brothers started meddling on the direction of the movie. Wonder Woman on the other hand was a total system shock for me, because it didn't felt like a DC movie to me. It was done in the manner of the "MCU" formula which explains why spoiled critics and general audiences gave it such a huge rating. But to give credit where credit is due, Wonder Woman totally proved to the Hollywood Execs that a female led Superhero movie can equally or even surpass the traditionally Male dominated superhero franchise. Something that MCU's Captain Marvel should be thankful for. To make the long story short, I was totally invested with the world building that Zack Snyder has initiated. And I was totally devastated when he had to leave the DC Extended Universe without getting the chance to finish what he had started. And now that I have gotten these things out of the way, here's what I think of Aquaman.        

Aquaman finally blew the lid on what Warner/DC's next big direction for their movie universe would be. Nabbing director James Wan (from the horror flick Conjuring and its ilk) to helm the movie, Aquaman was a total shock to those who were expecting the demise of the DC Superhero Movie Universe. Critics loved the movie because they crowed about DC finally coming to senses to borrow a page from the early "Marvel" movie making formula by not taking its heroes too seriously and just let them have some fun. Critics are even comparing it to Iron Man (while the achingly stupid ones are saying that Aquaman heavily copied from Black Panther, to which I could only rebut by saying that Black Panther plagiarized LION KING!). James Wan didn't pull any punches as he delivered high octane action from the get go, which I never really expected because I never saw his Fast and the Furious work (was more familiar with him through his horror movie). The lush cinematography of the world of Atlantis is a page taken right out of Zack Snyder's books when it comes to spoiling the audiences with grandiose set pieces and visually stunning worlds. Perhaps the biggest question on everyone's minds was how would a two hour and a half Aquaman movie work when the titular character is more popularly remembered as "that" superhero who talks to fish. A line that Batman from the Justice League movie kept on repeating. But James had a trick up on his sleeves, and the surprisingly charismatic Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and the equally stunning Amber Heard (Mera) along with a talented cast of veteran actors, were the right team to bring Aquaman to the big screen. Combining big action elements, romance, mystery, and some light thriller, Aquaman delivered the right set of emotions to entertain the audience. Momoa's portrayal of Aquaman was strong, loud, and rowdy, yet maintaining the right amount of gentleness when it came to the dramatic scenes. Heard on the other hand was no slouch in the action department as she went toe to toe with Momoa's energetic performance.

Aquaman Postcard I have for James Wan's Autograph

The movie is vaguely set several years after the events of the Justice League movie. By saying vaguely, it means that there really is no clarity as to where the movie really stands in the greater whole of the DC Extended Universe because Director James Wan was caught saying that Aquaman is set entirely on its own without any entanglement to previous movies. Though in the movie, Mera's shout out to Aquaman's involvement with Steppenwolf is a huge confirmation that the movie Justice League did happen. James Wan favorite Patrick Wilson as Aquaman's half brother King Orm is on a mission to make the surface world suffer the ocean world's wrath. He has set his sight to become the Ocean Master so that he could lead the rest of the Ocean World to take its revenge on the Surface World for all the pollution and destruction that it has brought on the Ocean Floor. To prevent this from happening, Mera seeks out Arthur Curry/Aquaman and convinces him to take his rightful place as the King of Atlantis to thwart King Orm's plans. Snappy flashbacks of Arthur Curry's past is peppered throughout the whole movie, saving the movie from traditional cliched origin stories, and just keeps the movie moving forward without boring the audience. Willem Dafoe as Vulko evokes a sensei like presence during Aquaman's training scenes, which pretty much homages the Karate Kid's training sequences. Nicole Kidman's Queen Atlanna, Aquaman's mother, was also a showstopper, and while she started the movie on a very strong note, her whereabouts as the movie wore on is one that was kept hidden in mystery until the end. Momoa and Heards electrifying chemistry is heavily seen as Aquaman and Mera takes on a journey recovering the lost trident of King Atlan. And it was this part that threw a huge wrench on my expectations as we are taken to the dry lands (and the air) with stunning action sequences evoking that of Indiana Jones' adventures, away from the expected ocean battles. Aquaman on dry land and air? Go figure that out. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta steals the show as his story totally sets up an even more higher stakes in the surefire sequel to this movie. And of course it wouldn't be James Wan if there's no horror involved. And the Horrors of the Trench, the dark recesses of the Ocean would make our hearts beat faster as the dangers surrounding Aquaman is driven to the hilt. And when Aquaman finally retrieves the trident, and his comic book accurate costume is finally revealed in all its grandeur, the DC Geek in me couldn't contain my excitement. Throughout the whole movie, we are introduced to the wonders of Atlantis and its citizens and neighboring cities. Chief of them all is King Nereus (Mera's father) portrayed by Dolph Lundgren, who brought the kind of swagger to his portrayal of Nereus that harkens back to his He-Man days in the cult classic Masters of the Universe movie. The majestic climax to the movie was well played and the stakes are eventually lowered when it came to the final one on one showdown. No villain dies, no snapping of neck, no killing happens. Just one big emotional piece to finally tie the loose ends.  

James Wan affixed signature

Overall, Aquaman is an enjoyable film and a very much welcome entry to DC's growing movie universe. But while I did enjoy the movie very much, I left the theater with a heavy heart. The whole experience was a far cry compared to the movie experiences that I had from Man of Steel and Batman V Superman.  Being a die-hard DC Fan, there's two sides to what I'm feeling right now. One, I am extremely happy that in general, the movie is being embraced and lauded all over, plus the dollars are finally raking in which could only mean that DC/Warner would even be more motivated to bring our favorite DC Superheroes to the big screen. On the other hand, I am extremely sad that the final nail to the coffin of the so called "Snyderverse" has finally been inserted and has totally closed the door shut of any Snyder related DC Superhero movie project. As where it stands right now, the so called "Snyderverse" was just a bad dream that we all had to experience, and the sooner we wake up from it, the better we all would be for us to be able to appreciate the new phase of Warner/DC's new movie universe. Shazam will be up next, and from the looks of it, it is going to be way even more drastically different from the Nolan years of The Dark Knight Trilogy, and the Snyderverse. Good thing though that Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is just around the corner, and DC/Warner will just have their cake and eat it too.  

DC Superheroes Cafe opens in the Philippines!

 

DC Fans in the Philippines (or even the whole of Southeast Asia) will be overjoyed to know that DC Superheroes Cafe is now open here in the Philippines. For the longest time, DC fans from the Philippines needs to fly to Singapore just to experience dining out at a DC Superheroes themed restaurant. Well, the long wait is over. Self-confessed DC fan and entrepreneur Edric Chua (the man behind DC licensed electronics gadget brand Ekonic) and a crew of Metron Manila's finest chefs Chef Mikel Zaguirre of Locavore Kitchen x Drinks and Chef Kalel Demetrio of Liquido Maestro has finally brought the concept restaurant/store to our shores. Last night, DC Superheroes Cafe opened their doors to a private event inviting the country's various geek and pop culture fandom groups for a night of celebration. A celebration of the success and opening of PH fandom's new home. DC Superheroes Cafe boasts of a wide range of food and collectible products that could whet the tummies' craving and hobby collectors appetite for rare collectibles.

DC Superheroes Cafe from the outside

From the outside, showcase glasses are adorned with various DC pop culture merchandise that ranges from comic books, action figures, toy collectibles, and various DC merchandise that are the dreams of DC fanboys. Seen are new and recent releases and editions of these merchandise that can easily help those collectors who are hunting for those missing treasures in their collection. This is a clever way of presenting a store to passersby because the fusion of exciting colors as seen on the DC Superheroes costume patterns are enough eye candy to capture and entice passersby to come in and take a look at what DC Superheroes Cafe has to offer. Even non-superhero fans can't help but get curious with what's in store for them inside.

Statues, Framed Alex Ross Art, and other amazing DC art pieces

Jim Lee's Superman and Batman art in stained glass deco

DC Superheroes Cafe Interiors

Upon stepping in, every nook and corner of the Cafe is adorned with even more DC Pop culture merchandise. And again, all are for sale. Every section of the dining areas are adorned with gigantic wall art that literally jumps out of the wall. Each section is also themed and divided according to the heroes it represents. The ambiance is very friendly for diners who love DC Superheroes and any other superheroes in general (Marvel fans are also welcome by the way). Not only that, huge life size statues of the Justice League Superheroes as last seen in the Justice League movie are positioned all over the place, making you feel like you are literally visiting their Hall of Justice. Funko Pop fanatics will also get a real kick at this place because I've seen rare DC Funko Pop items being displayed and sold at a very affordable price. Comic books ranging from rare titles to the most recent releases were also seen. Action Figures too. The place is just totally DC Superheroes fanboy haven.

Entrance greets you to this

My favorite wall art

Looks like a caped wonder

Pops and Comic Books 

Various stats and collectibles on showcase

Fierce Batman v.s. Bane Statue

Life Size Wonder Woman statue

Life Size Batman Statue

Are those pillows?

Shirts, bags, baseball caps

Lego!

The FOOD!

Of course who could forget about the food. This is not just a merchandise store after all. The idea of fusing together food and geek merchandise is a very wise strategy because it brings in together two of the most voracious consumers in the market today, food hobbyists and geek culture hobbyists. And boy the food menu here at DC Superheroes Cafe are just the ones that could whet our appetite for good food. The menu varies from American, Italian, Mexican, and other recipes. And to get a better sampling of which food entree are the well recommended ones, I just had to survey around and ask the team that I came with on that day. Namely the men and women of DC Universe PH and The Reign of the Supermen PH. Frederick Tinio of DC Universe PH says the Lamb Kebabs were top notch and easily was his favorite. The cafe also serves cocktails and other drinks. Their shakes and desserts looked so yummy too. Names of their food menu are named artistically to reflect the characters of DC Comics. I posted some food photos below for you to check out and salivate.

Cocktails bar

Flash's Pizza

Poisonous for our sugar diet

Zucchini Fries

Holy Bat Shakes!

Churros of truth

Probably named after Stephen Curry's son? Not! It's Aquaman's mortal name!

Salmon, my favorite

Table Mats and tissues with gorgeous DC Art as shared by Frederick Tinio

Stuffs given away to us. Thanks Mark for these photos. (I came in late so I didn't get any card or Daily Planet I.D.)

You can actually bring home these trinkets that comes with the food ordered. Great accessories for your Action Figures!

DC Superheroes Cafe opens tomorrow! It is located at the fourth floor of Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City! And to keep you guys even more excited for the opening, check out the promos below to greet you on your visit.

So what are you guys waiting for? Let's satisfy that Superhero appetite! See you guys at the opening!

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Movie Review

Batman V Superman

So I'm posting my review proper of the movie a day after I posted my response to critics for their bad reviews. Check out the entry here.

Clark, Lex, and Bruce meets for the first time

 Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens with the murder of Batman's parents. Critics lambasted Zack Snyder's choice of retelling the story for the Nth time because this has been already told again and again in the big screen via the 1989 Micheal Keaton Batman movie and the more recent Batman movie starred by Christian Bale. But comic book fans who could remember their The Dark Knight Returns comic book pages jumped in glee upon seeing Snyder's decision to bring a page from the comic book to the big screen. This scene was the gun wrapped by Martha Wayne's pearl necklace as the robber shot Martha in the head. This was only one of a dozen or so scenes in this movie that were lifted from the comic books. The source of some critics of Snyder's works is that Snyder is so fond of bringing comic book pages to the big screen, that they accuse him of lacking in creativity when shooting his movies. This can be traced back to his 300 movie and Watchmen. But in an interview as the movie was released, Snyder defended his work stating that he has always shot his movies as a comic book fan and made these for the comic book fans. So critics' actual bias criticisms of Snyder's is borne from their bias opinions of Snyder. What follows that scene is a build up of different attempts at character development as we are refreshed to the events of the climactic battle between Superman and Zod from the Man of Steel movie through the eyes of Bruce Wayne. This sets the tone for Bruce Wayne/Batman's motivations as to why he needs to stop Superman. We are then ushered to 18 months later where we are treated to Superman and Lois Lane's story as to what was the current status quo of Superman in the present. Superman saving Lois in some african country from terrorists sets the tone of Luthor's attempt to frame up Superman for the deaths of some african bystanders. The following scenes segues to Luthor's story, and how he tries to manipulate the U.S. government (and Batman) in making Superman accountable for the threat that he poses to the world if left unchecked.

Batman's nightmare and vision of things to come?

This was basically the premise of the first half of the movie to which some critics deemed as too dragging or too confusing. I personally understood what Snyder and team is trying to build as the movie progresses, but critics found it too confusing. I do agree however that there were a lot of going ons that Snyder and team could have trimmed down further. But then again what I don't understand from critics is that some are saying that the attempt at character development was too dragging or confusing, while some critics are saying that there was no character development. I think it was a giveaway that the movie is a prequel for the Justice League movie as the subtitle Dawn of Justice suggests, so Wonder Woman's appearance as well cameos by Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg were included in the movie. But then again maybe since this is the first time on the big screen that we are going to see Superman and Batman together and in it for a mighty slugfest that critics might already have been too excited to see and could no longer wait for it that they eventually felt that the movie was too dragging (or failed to understand the build up). Believe me, I too had that sense of feeling because as the title suggests, this is Batman V Superman! So let's get it on already! So yes, the first half was spent on the build up to the Batman and Superman fight and was peppered with some Justice League cameos and even nightmares that Batman had of perhaps a portent of things to come? I personally love the nightmare stuff because we are treated to the existence of the Parademons, the evil Darkseid's army, which probably sets the possibility that Darkseid will play a part in the DC Cinematic Universe. The be all and end all of Universal comic book crossovers, DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths is even given a nod when Flash appeared in Batman's dream within a dream, warning him of a grim future and what's their best chance from preventing it from happening. To the casual moviegoers, these are stuffs that are not important in the movie, but to longtime DC fanboys, these are the moments where we excitedly look forward for the upcoming DC Cinematic Universe to come to its full fruition.

Fight Night!

I will no longer argue the merits of the opening half of the film, critics can have their feast on them, but the second half down to the climactic scenes, woah! This is the Superhero movie that we all have been waiting for. Snyder crafts an amazing cinematography and action packed scenes where we literally see our comic book pages come alive on the big screen. The Batman/Superman fight is a sight to behold as two superheroes who are responsible to perhaps one of comicdoms greatest debate (Who wins in a fight, Batman or Superman?) come alive. The intense showdown will literally put you in the edge of your seat as Batman and Superman pounds each other. I personally liked Superman's statement to Batman "If I want you dead, you'd be dead already" because as a Superman fan, it holds true to end the debate of all debates. But of course some Superman fans were turned off by Superman's arrogance in this scene. But let's get real, in character or not, that statement holds true. And Superman still did not kill Batman despite that stern warning. In fact Batman had Superman under his heel as he was about to stab Superman with a self made Kryptonite Spear. Only to be stopped in his tracks when Superman asks Batman to save Martha (the shared name of Superman and Batman's mother). To some critics, they found it silly, I on the other hand found it amusing that I only realized it now. The movie however does not end there, as we are treated to further catastrophic damages when Doomsday (or should I say DoomZod) appeared. Earlier in the movie, Lex Luthor manages to acquire the corpse of General Zod and accesses the abandoned Kryptonian scout ship that was under the possession of the U.S. government. He takes control of the scout ship, gathering information from it as he creates a monstrous figure using the corpse of Zod and his blood.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman on screen for the first time

Of course this new threat brings in Wonder Woman to the fray, as DC's beloved trinity is finally seen together on screen for the first time. Another round of slam bang action ensues as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman team up to stop the world threatening threat of Doomsday. And with the heroes in a losing battle, it took a sacrifice from Superman at the expense of his life to finally end Doomsday's threat. Superman thrusts the Kryptonite Spear right through Doomsday's chest as Doomsday punches a hole right through Superman's chest too. This seemingly kills Superman and the final moments of the film would dwell on Superman's funeral and Batman's realization (under Luthor's unsolicited lip service) that an evil threat is coming, as he must gather metahumans like Superman and Wonder Woman to form a league. And right before the film closes, we are given some strong hints that Superman might not be really dead after all.    

DC's vaunted Trinity

You have to give credit to Snyder and team as they were given the task to bring DC's mythical and legendary heroes onscreen. Let me tell you something, the weight of bringing these heroes together on the big screen totally outweighs whatever Marvel has done in their own cinematic universe. You want to know why? Because none of Marvel heroes are as mythical, legendary, historical, and pop culturally as huge as DC's trinity. So understandably, I can get where the critics are coming from. The expectations were too heavy for Snyder to match. I mean Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and whichever Avengers member can fail in their cinematic debut and not a lot of criticisms would go Marvel's way. Because these critics don't see those characters in the same breath as Superman, Batman, nor Wonder Woman. Because let's be real, DC Comics brought about the birth of the Golden Age of Comic Book Superheroes, they were the first. I don't want to argue with Marvel fans with this statement but they can check their facts that Marvel came alive during the Silver Age, brought about by the emergence of Stan Lee. So DC and Warner has a lot of pressure to make things work, all eyes were on them as they build their own cinematic universe. It also did not help that Warner/DC has always been vocal with the direction of their Cinematic Universe, that they want to distinguish it from Marvel by grounding their movies in realism and thought provoking storylines. So yeah the pressure was on them, and critics expected too much from their movies.  

The Best Comic book Batman on screen!

The casts did well in trying to give us a satisfying movie. Ben Affleck soared well as the definitive comic book Batman on screen, beating Michael Keaton (who was more of a cinematic gothic Batman) and Christian Bale (who was more of a realistic/political Batman that you could easily substitute with a police or detective character and the movie would still work) on that front. Henry Cavill on the other hand, I have began to accept that his version of Superman is still on the rough edges and not as fully formed as the Superman that we all know. Because let's be real, his Superman has existed for around 2 years only, so he's still in the process of building the right heroic characteristics as the experiences will show him along the way. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman did well in her fight scenes, but I will have to judge her further in her own Wonder Woman movie. Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor is polarizing to fans as they clamor for a more composed and mature Luthor, but one thing I've learned in dealing with live action movies and comic books is that to separate both, because you can never appreciate the beauty of art if you constrain them to one incarnation or another. We can always go back to our comic books if the movie universe fails us. So Lex is still a character in development. Eisenberg did brilliant work with the assigned character that he was given by Snyder and team, so why blame him. I'm partial with Amy Adams as Lois. The blonde never really worked for me, and her beauty is not the Lois that is on my mind. Teri Hatcher is still my favorite Lois, but Adams is beginning to grow on me. I just find her soft voice distracting. The other casts did ok for me. Kevin Costner's ghostly appearance was a surprise though.

Batman V Superman weighted by critics expectations and it's rich legendary history

Overall Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is not really a bad film as critics suggests. I still stand by my opinion that the movie was just weighted down by it's own legendary expectations. And we all could not wait for the big fight to happen, so screw the build up and let's just get it on, and hanger ons like Wonder Woman and Doomsday are not welcome as critics suggests. Is the film perfect? Not really. Could it have been better? Probably. Is it worth the price of admission? Most definitely! The fight scenes and breathtaking cinematography alone is worth seeing. The movie draws heavily from the comic book storyline of the Dark Knight Returns and the Death of Superman. After you've done watching the movie, I suggest you go get these two books which are now collected in graphic novel format. Believe me, it will open your eyes to the possibilities of how great the DC Cinematic Universe will be. I'm giving the movie a solid 8/10.