I saw Army of the Dead...

Writer/director Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead (now streaming on Netflix and playing in those few theaters still operating) is a companion piece to his 2003 Dawn of the Dead remake. Its release comes at a lingering, pandemic period when freedoms continue to be restricted (with all the debatable pros and cons attached to all the vague hows and whys); only here we're not dealing with a reality-variant Andromeda Strain, but rather an exploit of fast-moving, flesh-eating (and often organized) living dead in a heist context. 

The set-up is simple, where an Area 51, military caravan gets into a crash outside Las Vegas. A zombie is unleashed from a trailer the soldiers are carting, and once they're bitten and transformed, the group heads to Sin City to wreck havoc. (The opening-credit sequence does a swell, sardonic job of condensing the raging takeover.)

To instill star value, Dave Bautista plays Scott Ward, a former mercenary who now flips burgers in Vegas for a buck, even as a countdown begins in Washington to nuke his realm on July 4th: a controversial plan that some insist won't purge the infestation. 

As fate would have it, Ward is approached by casino honcho Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) who enlists the big man to lead a team to crack a safe to attain millions in cash before the big blow-up. 

Along the line, others get involved due to one cause or another (Ella Purnell; Omari Hardwick; Huma Qureshi; Theo Rossi; Tig Notaro; Ana de la Reguera; Garret Dillahunt; Nora Arnezeder; Lyon Beckwith; and scene-stealing Mathias Schweighofer), establishing a Romero-esque ensemble of harsh but identifiable characters who are set to risk it all for a share of the moolah. 

Some humor cuts in, though Army of the Dead is a far cry from Zombieland or Return of the Living Dead, even if it does use more levity (in a Guy Ritchie sorta way) than let's say the Walking Dead or for that matter, Snyder's Dawn retelling. There are also moments of kill-a-loved-one poignancy to pad the variance, though that doesn't make the movie Maggie, either. (To boot, cool, reinterpreted tunes haunt the atmosphere: a lovely touch.)  

The balance is pretty successful, with the intermittent, contrasting spurts bouncing off copious, CGI carnage and general weirdness. My favorite interlude comes early, when these hot, undead showgirls attack a guy in his hotel room. (The gals are topless. That's an aesthetic plus.)  And oh, the zombie tiger is amazing, as is the zombie king (Rich Cetris) and his sexy zombie queen (Athena Perample). Yeah, infect me, baby!

Even with its unique attributes, Army of the Dead is nothing novel. Some folks may dismiss it as just another link in an ongoing flesh-eating-flick chain. Maybe they're right to do so, but I found the film a dandy diversion, even when it referenced those too-close-to-home temperature checks. In other words, the movie is good, gruesome fun, even if it does have one foot planted in restrictive reality. 

I saw Snyder's Expanded Justice League...

I predicted there would be another cinematic Justice League; I just didn't expect it would be a miniseries-length version of Kal-El's resurrection against Cairan Hinds' Steppenwolf and gurgling horde. But that's what we got and all at a four-hour running time. Talk about an ultimate, special-edition, director's cut! Whoa Nelly!

Of course, Chris Terrio's bracketing, Mother Box plot isn't much at all different at heart, but then nor was Zack Synder's expansion of Batman v Superman. It's the little things that count, and if they're worthy supplements, as they are here, they can make a world of embellishing difference. (I mean, that's why we read novelizations. It's to probe at length those inside passages and alternate corridors we but merely grazed. Revamped movie editions can perform the same way.)

On this basis, JL now houses Peter Guinness' DeSaad and Ray Porter's Darkseid, along with Jared Leto's Joker (and the latter not necessarily adversarial to Batman in his Knightmare/Killing Joke-nod relegation).We get more shots of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and Amber Heard's Mera, too, so visually the JL extension is far superior in the long-legs-and-curves department. I've no objections there. Hip, Hip, Hurrah!

Above all, the extended cut's tone is seamlessly Snyder's. This isn't to take anything away from Josh (Marvel's Avengers) Whedon, who saved the day with what he had to work with, thanks to a daunting deadline, but for continuity sake, the surreal, foreboding strand started in Batman v Superman was fueled for sequelization. Its haunting extrapolation feels warm and snug reinstalled. (To cement an ongoing, Wagner-ish sprawl, Tom Holkenborg's score replaces Danny Elfman's lively one.) 

What now exists is like an expanded Tolkien movie. One needed digest it all in one sitting, but could choose to nibble the content in portions. The chewier structure will give fans more to absorb over the long run and make the new JS the topic of superhero discussion for years to come. Damn good idea, really.

Reputedly, Snyder won't build a JL2. However, it goes to reason that his Watchmen-seque aroma will yet dominate Andy Muschietti's brewing Flashpoint (or whatever the Barry Allen vehicle might be called) since its themes are likely to be as parallel and cynical as its printed-source material, even if lightened here and there by Ezra Miller's mellow charm.  

And with all this considered, how can one argue that Synder's style is unworthy? Whether DC/WB wish to capitalize on it may be debatable, but that this jumbo JL has manifested speaks volumes. Its need to stoke the dark-crusader flames can't (and shouldn't) be undermined. In other words, if ever there was an atmospheric formula to exploit, this is it. 

So, what does it all really mean at the end of any can't-please-'em-all, superheroic day? No matter if they turn out short, long, dark or bright, mega-buck DC movies are here to stay. Zach Snyder's JL pretty much seals it.

I saw Batman and Superman Fight to Unite!!!

Frank Miller claims there’s no way Batman and Superman would ever like each other. Heck, because they come from different crime-fighting vantages, maybe he’s got a point. However, I’ve seen the two team countless times over the decades among various sources, and I’ve come to accept their allegiance as one of the “World’s Finest”. 

With that said, seeing these two at odds can be disconcerting and intense (as Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" demonstrates), and yes, the conflict can be even acceptable, if there's a positive, logical resolution to it. 

That resolution does, in fact, occur in Zack Synder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, which for all its contentious pre-imagery, turns into (SPOILER!!!) a touching buddy movie, divided into three, justice-founding parts, thanks to the scripting skills of David S. Goyer and Chris Terrio.

The initial phase is the set-up: Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) plots to foil Superman (or any available representation of good, for that matter), while Clark Kent/Superman (Henry Cavill) and Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) increase their cynicism toward each other: each perceiving the other as reckless extremists. They should know better than to indulge in such petty, personal tactics, but then so should the general public, a portion of which is quick to deride both heroes, despite the fact that they go to great lengths to help and protect people, and yes, sometimes leave destruction in their paths, but with the assurance that the terrorists will always meet defeat.

The collateral damage, however, irks Senator Finch (Holly Hunter), and she implements a crusade and hearing on the matter, focusing her wrath on Superman, regardless that General Zod (Michael Shaunnesey) would have destroyed the world as we know it without Kal-El's intervention. She also blames Superman for deaths caused by a dictator named Anatoli Knyzaev (Callen Mulvey), with whom Luthor has ties. Indeed, why condemn the obvious cretins when an honorable extra-terrestrial is ripe for the picking? 

In a roundabout link to the senator's view, we come to realize that the sectors over which Batman and Superman preside, whether Gotham, Metropolis or beyond, are rough and mean, itching for hope, but just as inclined to celebrate an ugly underbelly and scoot it to the highest heights of praise. It’s an upside-down world in need of revelation, of an essential second wind. Batman and Superman are the potential beacons of inspiration who can crush the dire misconceptions, but Luthor's behind-the-scenes manipulations intend dull the luster of their stellar deeds, further bolstering Batman's existing wariness of Superman and indirectly churning controversy where there would be otherwise none. But fear not. Good has a way of evening out and rising above the scum. 

To attain this "rise", our duo must first take the bait and battle, though the primary brawl results from Luthor kidnapping Martha Kent (Diane Lane) and coercing the Man of Steel to fly forth and kill the Dark Knight in exchange for his mother's life. This scenario constitutes a large part of the film's second phase: an energetic, though unsettling feast for the senses, with one mighty entity gaining the upper hand over the other and back again. Prior to such, Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons), Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) interact with their champions throughout the mounting conflict, offering encouragement and disdain, as does Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), albeit initially on surreptitious terms and essentially with Wayne. 

Though tensions run high, Batman and Superman do eventually acknowledge Luthor's ploy. When the arch criminal realizes they're wise to him, he triggers his backup plan--along with the film's powerful third act--using Zod's extracted DNA to hatch an even greater “devil”: the ferocious, mutating Doomsday.

The creature exceeds Zod’s strength and destruction, and Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman must team to stop the mad monster. (Sorry folks, contrary to conjecture and hope, Bizarro and Riddler don't enter this chapter, but the Hulk-proportioned Doomsday is more than enough mega-villain to cover their absence.)

Visually, the film mirrors Snyder's stylish "Watchmen", with scenes tinted in hazy pigments, which complement its lingering sense of doom. The exchange of heroes is also similar to "Watchmen", with various shades of gray surfacing among the principles, but with a clear-cut distinction surfacing as to what constitutes good and bad; thus establishing a staunch Steve Ditko philosophy that extends beyond the film's climax.  

Ben Affleck, regardless of his controversial casting, is quite good as Wayne/Batman, and what a commendable accomplishment coming off the heels of Christian Bale's sterling portrayal. He remains credible throughout, his mood swings identifiable as he presses on for justice. Affleck's presence is also old-school: a throwback to the past when actors like Buster Crabbe played a variety of heroes. Previously, Affleck portrayed Matt Murdock/Daredevil, as well as Superman, in an indirect way, in the George Reeves speculative bio-pic, "Hollywoodland", in which Diane Lane also starred.

The same crossover dynamics can be attributed to Cavill, who's acted in the mythological epic, "Immortals", as well as portraying Napoleon Solo in the "Man from U.N.C.L.E." remake. He also does an impressive job in matching Affleck's unflinching stance, making his second film portrayal of the Man of Steel much edgier. This troubled Superman works seamlessly into the film's early, despairing moments. Cavill also draws us deeper into Superman's frustration when people reject his gallantry, and through his Kent persona, that woe turns into an empathetic, slow burn. 

Gadot nicely completes the trio: an exotic, old-world Amazon, whose shrewd charms shine through her unassuming Diana Prince guise. Her sparkling eyes are always peeled for clues and ways to assist her predestined super friends. Above all, she believes in doing the right thing and is therefore as honorable an emblem as Batman and Superman, and one can therefore assume that she'd also be susceptible to the same illogical derision they face, if not for the fact that she's remained under the radar for a century. 

Eisenberg, on the other hand, is the personification of cunning evil, his wry, comedic tone comparable to Sherman Howard's much underrated Luthor in the much underrated "Superboy" series: fun, yes, but as Lois Lane astutely acknowledges, "psychotic". One can't help but dislike the son of a gun, but he also gains one's contemptuous respect, which should placate those who may have dismissed Eisenberg's persona as irreverent, based on his trailer footage. 

These character-driven additives stir a mighty big powder keg of suspense, all augmented by Hans Zimmer pulse-pounding score: a well crafted, emotional formula, which inspires us to question our current views of good and bad and then tears them down, only to refashion them into a valuable lesson. No matter how one may try to justify the bad or defame the good, an indisputable distinction between the two will always surface. There's no amount of in-fighting or invading villainy that can control the circumstances long enough to prove such wrong: no jealous Luthor or all-mighty Doomsday who can climb to the top and rule, as long as individuals focus on what's right and ensure that justice prevails. 

Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, as well as the other members of the growing Justice League--Jason "Conan/Game of Thrones" Mamoa's Aquaman; Erza Miller's Flash; and Ray Fisher's Cyborg are insinuated personas in this, too--may lack universal support at the start, but by the picture's tear-jerking cliffhanger, they--and we--will know which side to choose. 

Without question, this "World's Finest" adventure may be excessively hard-hitting, even shamelessly rough around the edges, and the conflict between the Dark Knight and Man of Steel is never all that convincing, but at least the story forces us to choose an ideological platform. That, in its own right, should fuel discussion among fans and the general public for quite some time, or at least until the next cinematic chapter hits theaters.