Superman 2025 review - 3 stars

Looking at Henry Caville Superman, and this James Gunn Superman 2025.  Hmmmm...

Great - no 'long dull origin story' that everyone knows.

Started with Superman's first loss.  Liked it.

Krypto was cute (missed Crypto joke opportunity) and Supergirl cameo.

Lex Luthor's calling the attacks like a videogame.

Lex Luthor's pencil dropping pettiness.

Supporting characters - Green Lantern, Mister Terrific.  Lois Lane casting.  Yes!!!  (While Hawk Girl also awesome, she missed opportunities.)

Superclone reveal.

Superman's parents were sweet.

Weak -

Superbots were a missed opportunity.  Their comic relief was a fail.

Luthor's plan made no sense.

Luthor's bragging lacked sense.

Luthor's girlfriend/ Jimmy relationship.  Nope.

Luthor's main score from Superman's lair was the message?!?!  No tech???

Reversible rift sucked.  Zero drama/tension.

Pocket dimension sucked.

Hawk Girl didn't get enough screen-time / exposition.

Superman in cuffs and not snapping them.

Superman's lack of super senses needed exposition.

The painful absence at the Hall of Justice of all core heroes.

Element Man (?) was interesting but had no opportunity to show who he was.

Superclone into Black Hole -- made no sense, redeemable if that is Bizzaro's origin.

Ice Breath to escape Black Hole???

Costume & cape looked nonsensical and stupid.

Superman lost too much & too often.  Just a pun hing bag, not the MIGHTIEST HERO.

Music choices didn't work.

Fortress of Solitude had no solitude.  Meh!

Krypto vs Lex -- too jokey.  Krypto was a punchline not a true sidekick, but he was cute.

So like others have said, the movie missed a lot of opportunities.  It meandered.  The humor didn't work in general.  

The pocket dimension Luthor scheme could've been improved to be more genius and less weird. It was lacking planning.  Luthor's lack of an escape plan seemed like lazy writing.  Luthor's monologuing was painful, and capturing Superman in a glass cage was nonsensical and again lazy writing.

Extra post credit scenes - no payoff for audience.  Blooper reel could've worked better.

Questions

Superman's Kryptonian parents being evil -- weak -- felt so awkward.  Hated the nanite villain pulling the message, fixing the message AND decoding the message all at once???  Why?

Lex getting to Fortress of Solitude and not gleaning all of the tech???  That makes zero sense.  Caville's Lex in the fortress and getting an upgrade makes far more sense.

Mr Terrific and Lois stole the show a few times.  I didn't think Superman starred in his own movie, he was mostly a dumb punching bag.

Luthor's memorization of Superman 's fighting -- a cool idea, may have worked on a pitch or storyboard, but superspeed seems missing.  Superman's powers were nerfed for storytelling.

So I'm glad we saw it, but unfortunately I see this as a downgrade from Caville's Superman due to the lacking character gravitas, the low excitement action, and the unbelievable 2-dimensionality of this Superman.

Captain America: Brave New World review

Captain America: Brave New World -- it sucks.

As a MCU fan and a Red Hulk fan, it's disappointing to have to deliver the bad news.

BAD WRITING, ok-ish acting, = MEH.  

While I'm all for the 'changing of the guard' as RDJ and Chris Evans are leaving, still gotta have excellent writing.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Plot holes & general criticisms:

SWilson - Capt America

• How does him throwing the shield hurt anyone?  He has no powers!
• Why does he need a shield now that his outfit is pure vibranium?  Also, wouldn't anyone want to steal his suit now that it's worth $100 billion or more?
• His winged suit goes faster than military jet fighters?
• Vanishing helmet is pure BS.  If he has Nanites, say why.  If he doesn't have Nanites, then do something with the helmet.  (Even tho the helmet looks super stupid anyway.)
• Red Wing is more effective than SWilson Cap.  Red Wing can be ordered to do anything and it does it, no questions or further commands needed.  No info on where / how SWilson Cap has Red Wing or why.  Did Stark make it?  Does he have replacements for when they blow up?
• Red goggles - they worked in Ant-Man as high-tech doohicky that enhanced his vision.  Now they don't do anything.
• Sonic wave after landing - it doesn't break any furniture, but it knocks everyone down?  Uh, WTH?

President General Thunderbolt Ross / Red Hulk

• Had a heart condition, couldn't get help -- so instead he got medical help from a mad supervillain!??!  No one else would help him?  WTH
• Ross' supervillain doctor says "take these pills, no more than 3 a day" and Ross doesn't check what they are with anyone else?  The freakin' President doesn't have anyone else knowing his medications?!?!?!
• He invites super heroes / supervillains to Whitehouse, but has no super security onsite?  Just a RedRoom ex-Widow?
• Does everyone have an ex-Widow?  How does he know for sure she's an ex-Widow & not current?!?
• Ross seemed like a vague Trump reference, would've been so much more hilarious to have a combover Hulk!
• Red Hulk keeps his intelligence after transforming.  What happened there?
• Doesn't Red Hulk burn?  Or is it now nerf'd into only when transforming?
• Getting Rulk to cherry blossoms to appeal to his humanity -- that shouldn't work & SWilson should know that.  His plan to 'relax the Hulk into giving up' shouldn't make any sense and shouldn't work.  Having Betty actually there, or using a hologram of her, would've been a better idea.  Or what about getting Ant Man or Wasp to go mini and enter Red Hulk, then expand inside his heart or brain?
• Red Hulk can be contained in The Raft?  Hmmmm....  I don't think so.  Plus what a waste!

The Leader

• The Leader - super-genius, but couldn't escape Ross' prison.  Had to invent mind control and Hulk-weapons in order to beat Ross?!?!?  Still was under Ross' influence.
• The Leader can hypnotize anyone to kill anyone using a phone app (???), but can't make Ross do what he wants?
• The Leader's plan was to bring in Capt America & his buddies and have them attempt to shoot Ross / Red Hulk?
• The Leader can't escape 'The Raft'?!?!?
• The Leader looked horrible in this movie, but in the comics the Leader looks amazing!  Can't he use his super-powerful brain to make himself look better?!?!?

Other Stuff

• Isaiah Bradley's old 'Orig Capt America' - when he's mind controlled, he shoots at President.  Why doesn't he punch him?  He was shown punching bags thru the walls just minutes prior.
• Bradley's old 'Orig Capt America' - he shoots the President, but after Leader is exposed, he is released?  WTH?  Maybe he'd get released as a secret agent into Shield or Avengers, but the idea that he just goes free after assassination attempt on TV is quite a reach.
• Betty Ross / Liv Tyler - why did she speak so slowly all the time?  Is her character supposed to be gloomy or pining?  Is she still upset over Banner?  Did she get a brain injury?
• New Falcon - I wanted to like him, he's charismatic, but his best scene was laying in the bed all burned up.  Wouldn't it have been better if he had died?  Maybe make SWilson Cap a little tougher?
• New Falcon - How did he get picked to wear the suit?  What are his qualifications?  Why did Sam pick him -- or did the military pick him?  Normally, I hate an origin movie -- but a little backstory here could go a long way.
• "Why didn't I take the super serum?" <-- was it an option?  Thne give him the damned serum!   The guy desperately needs an upgrade!   No one likes weak heroes with no powers except gadgets!  (Even tho Iron Man was essentially powerless w/o the armor, he was rich and supersmart and had super-tech.)  What does SWilson Cap have?  A stupid looking suit!  Get the guy something and fast!
• The movie doesn't even let SWilson Cap call in favors from his super buddies!!!  If I were writing, I'd have SWilson Cap calling Thor, Dr Strange, Spiderman, Ant Man, Nick Fury, and Shang Chi at least every other scene.  If they showed him teaming up with everyone, maybe that would make sense why he could make the Avengers later.  SWilson didn't even CALL anyone off script!!

I could come up with a million other complaints about the film, since so much was badly thought out.  Such a wasted opportunity!!  

Hard to imagine spending $1 million on something like this. let alone $100 million.  I'm glad it's successful and profitable, and MCU isn't hurting. 
In the arc of MCU movies, this one is going to live down near the bottom with The Marvels & Ant-Man and the Wasp (& Kang): Quantumania as one of the worst.

Shills

I hate when someone online calls me a shill because they oppose my viewpoint.

I mean, shills should be getting paid?!?! Where's my money! Ha Ha Ha 

In other words, don't accuse people of being shills unless its really clear they are bots or paid counter-intel folks. Saying, "Im not a shill," doesnt make someone a shill.

I'm just a guy in the USA who doesn't believe Trump's goals or values align with my best life. To me, this seems like a common sense position.

When Musk, Trump, Zuck, and Bezos are all holding hands, every worker in USA should be concerned. If you think, "Gee, this is what draining the swamp looks like", can you tell when you're looking at a swamp???

Trump 1 had Ivanka and Jared, two unelected family members trying to make Daddy happy and bungling everywhere.

Trump 2 has Musk and a ton of scary cabinet nominees with agendas, and we should be concerned that these folks may be more competent than Trump 1.  Also, Trump 2 has more to lose now, so he's more committed to not fucking up as badly this time because he's scared.  Some scared folks go on the offensive -- like this golden cockwomble nincompoop.

Lastly, you know Giuliani is gonna pop up sometime soon, scaring everyone!