If you’re a fan of Disney then a couple of years ago you might have noticed their release of a new live action version of Cinderella. Yes, this movie has had many incarnations since its original written version, but the glass slippers have never looked so good. Also, the Frozen short before the film was truly an experience and is pretty fantastic. 

Cinderella follows our enchanting princess-to-be Ella, and her life. She is surrounded by a loving father and mother from a respectable household with servants and farmers; the father travels quite often and is always bringing young Ella the most enchanting gifts. Sadly, all good things come to an end, it seems, when Ella’s Mother dies of some unknown disease. It isn’t until years later, however, that her father re-marries our infamous stepmother. Things seem to be fine, and maybe the stepmother isn’t even evil…but words hurt. She overhears Ella and her father talking about how much they miss the long dead mother. When this is constantly thrown in the stepmother's face, I truly can’t blame her for resenting Ella. The Stepsisters are, for lack of a better term, hilariously awful.

When things seem like they may just work out, things take a turn for the worse and our Ella finds herself orphaned. And living in the attic…which has her sleeping by the fire, which gets her a new name, Cinderella. Ella finds herself being their servant and finally snaps after they call her Cinderella. She leaves on a horse, only to run into a young apprentice named Kit. We all know Kit is really the prince, but Ella doesn’t, and with just a few moments between them, something sparks. Ella returns home, and Kit goes to convince his father that he wants the entire village invited to the party being thrown for him.

​Ella isn’t allowed to go to the ball, and unlike the animated version we grew up with, she doesn’t have animal friends to help make her dress, but she does have animal friends and they do chat with her…or she talks to them? Either way, she fixes up an old dress from her mother and says she’s going to attend the ball as well…until her dress is ruined by her stepfamily. Ella runs off, and instead of her Fairy Godmother just appearing, like we’re used to, there’s a test. An old woman asks Ella for some bread or milk. Ella, still distraught, calms instantly, and gives the woman a bowl of milk without question. Her Fairy Godmother reveals herself as the old woman and before we know it, Ella is in a stunning dress, with Glass Slippers, and in a Pumpkin Carriage on her way to the ball.

Ella is the belle of the ball as she is the last to arrive and captures the prince’s attention immediately. They dance, and then sneak off to talk privately. Everyone Is convinced she is a princess, and Ella isn’t about to correct anyone, nor will she give Kit her real name. But soon, Midnight is about to happen. Ella leaves, her slipper falls and is left on the stairs. She gets away and our Prince is not pleased. With the King dying, he finally grants his son’s wish; Kit may marry whomever he likes. The Grand Duke is not pleased with this and wants him to marry a Princess, for the better of their kingdom.

The search begins. Whoever fits the glass slipper is the missing princess. Every woman in the kingdom tries it on. Finally, Cinderella’s home is checked. The stepsisters try their luck, and are found to not be the girl. Ella is locked in the attic as her stepmother figured out she was the Mystery Princess, even breaking the other glass slipper she had. Fate, however, has a way of working out. The guards hear singing, and our Prince, now King, is among them. He insists the girl be released, and low and behold, she is his mystery girl, but not a princess. Thankfully, true love is more important. This film was adorable. While it held the classic elements we know and love, it had its own twists. A film for the whole family, and of course, all those Cinderella fans out there.

A group of friends are looking to get away from the planet and have a little bit of fun. Wanting to go to Centauri Five for a little time away from home they are able to rent a shuttle and make their dream a reality. When they get away from port, they have a party on the shuttle, but when the ship's computer tells them that they are off course, they need to find a way to get back on track to their final destination.  

Being a boat load full of college students, they all have their own areas of focus, and one student’s specialty is in travel and he tries to fix the malfunctioning navigation system, but he finds that it is much worse than he thought. The shuttle engages its hyper drive and takes the group further off course and lands them in an uncharted system. Not knowing where they are and not having a way to call for help, the group has to land on what appears to be an uninhabited planet to make repairs and hopefully get rescued.  

Upon landing, the group get banged up and need to find a way to get help. Without a distress beacon, they look around in their surroundings to try to find something that can help them. Not seeing a living soul around them, they start to see images out of the sides of their eyes of some sort of creatures, but never get to see one head on. Thinking that they are not alone on the planet, they try to get back to the ship, only to find that there is a bigger threat at hand than some dormant aliens.

This is a good old fashioned fun movie with some great characters. Although it starts off kind of slow, once you get into the air, all bets are off on what will happen next. Watching as each of the friends has to call upon their selected skills is great and shows how valuable each one of them is in their own way. With a strong female lead as well, it is easy to get lost on the uncharted planet with these characters and join in their wonder of what could be coming out of the vast and alien wilderness. Happy Viewing.

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was an era when audiences loved to watch superhero films, and actually wanted said films to follow the lengthy continuity of the comics they were based upon. It was a time of great prosperity for comic book properties big and small, with properties either no longer thought viable, like Captain America, or ones that lavished in obscurity, like Guardians of the Galaxy, had an opportunity to shine.

But there was a downside to this era, and it ironically fell on the shoulders of DC Comics, progenitors of some of the United States’ most iconic superheroes. Following the bankable, if not critical, success of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, Warner Bros, the parent company of DC, chose to go all in on established superhero film director Zack Snyder, previously of films like Watchmen and 300. Thus, producing a Superman revival in the form of Man of Steel which was a critically planned, and thinly-veiled remake of Superman II. Further following the bad taste exhibited in that film with the abysmal Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, featuring a CrossFit-training Batman played by Ben Affleck setting forward events which inevitably lead to the death of the established Henry Cavil Superman.  Elsewhere the band played on, with in-continuity spinoffs like the thematically uneven Suicide Squad, and the admittedly well-done Wonder Woman, all of which was destined to lead up to an assembly of all DC’s major players, in a movie that could only be known as Justice League.

Whether or not Snyder would have struck a more serious tone with the film is something that will now forever live on in debate, since, after the tragic and unfortunate death of his daughter, Snyder left the project in post-production, to be picked up by equally established superhero film director Joss Whedon. Thus, Snyder’s more edgy and visceral visions of the DC comics universe have been juxtaposed with the comedic and character-centered dynamic first seen in Whedon’s first Avengers feature. What results is a motion picture that, whether you ultimately decide is a success or a failure, you must undoubtedly acknowledge is a mixed bag.

The premise is simple, and while it doesn’t take pages from specific sources, as Man of Steel and Batman v Superman did, there’s still a sense of Jack Kirby-esque familiarity to it all. Batman, once again played by Ben Affleck, still reeling from his critical misjudgment of Superman, has begun a worldwide search for a group of superhumans to protect the Earth from another potential alien attack. Having already established ties with Gal Godot as Wonder Woman, he seeks the other three mystery supers in Lex Luthor’s notes, and investigates the presence of three ‘Mother Boxes’ of unmistakable power that were mixed in those notes as well. Meanwhile, the isle of Themyscera is attacked by a simultaneously mythical and alien being named Steppenwolf (Cirian Hinds). He steals the first Mother Box from the island, forcing Batman to speed up his efforts to bring the remaining three heroes to the side of good, before Steppenwolf can swipe the remaining three cubes. 

The use of a character like Steppenwolf is an interesting, if not bold, choice. They’re clearly attempting to grandfather in some of Jack Kirby’s best DC work, which focused on villains from the alien planet of Apokolips, but have learned their lesson from Batman v Superman, in that they can’t just toss a big-name villain like Doomsday (or Darkseid) into the last act of the film and expect comic geeks to call it ice cream. Steppenwolf is a safe choice, with his army of silent henchmen Parademons, as the only link to his origins on Apokolips. That’s fair enough for a villain, but this film also gives you an indication that just as much attention was spent on bringing us the other three members of the Justice League.

​It’s fortunate that a good amount of the plot is moved forward by Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg, if only because his origin was retconned to include one of the Mother Boxes as part of his technological interface. Ezra Miller’s Flash is brought in at a point in his origin that is far flung from his impressive evolution in the comics, or his hit TV series on the CW, and really only serves as a lighthearted comic relief for the pack. Even less utilized is Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, who is unnecessarily upper-lip curled-style cynical during the proceedings, and is neither the powerful leader of Atlantis or the noble guardian of the sea that any of his comic incarnations have been. Further frustrating the issue is that, once the inevitable team is assembled, Batmanfleck sees in the Mother Boxes an attempt to resurrect The Man of Steel, who, lest the audience forgot he-worked-to-kill-to-satisfy-his-own-self-righteous-fear.

Invariably, enjoying this movie is like enjoying a particularly good scar: it gives you a cool enough story to bring up with co-workers, but you will regret anyone walking up and poking it on its sore spots, because that’s what still feels painful. The delightful superhero romp-parts are frequently put down by reminders of the eye-rollingly bad Snyder continuity that permitted this movie to even happen. Batmanfleck is the single character that feels this mood whiplash the most, as his character is inclined to crack jokes amidst feeling slight remorse for leading Superman to his death, and feels overall flawed in a way that no incarnation of Batman has ever felt before. Gal Godot as Wonder Woman fares better, her films having so far risen above the quagmire of Snyder-continuity. It’s a shame then, not only that she seems to have very little to do, but that quite a few of her establishing shots are done…below the waist. And Superman, in his inevitable resurgence, fails to break the atmosphere of his Snyder incarnation, remaining a highly destructive force of nature that’s only occasionally brought to humility by the presence of Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane). A few cameos from the likes of Joe Morton, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, a recast of J.K. Simmons in the role of Commissioner Gordon, and the momentary presence of Amber Heard as Mera, help to flesh this out as a more stable universe, at least as far as fan service is concerned.

In regards to the movies that came before it, Justice League is hands down the superior of every film in this continuity, other than Wonder Woman, which stands on its own as a great film about its own character. What ultimately comes off as flawed in this film can really only be blamed on the two films that made up the foundation for this one. A better film might have been one with the exact same actors mostly just ignoring the continuity of the previous films, and reuniting the characters with Superman in the same enigmatic way he is often returned to the comic books. But, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t say that this film should be ashamed, only very heavily considered. Eat your popcorn. 

In a world where there are cameras everywhere and we carry GPS trackers in our pockets, there is still the fear of a person going missing. While it is easier to find where they are last seen, it is still difficult for investigators to find a missing person. But what if there was something other than violent people behind these abductions that cannot be tracked? It is frightening enough to think that you might lose a loved one to someone with bad intentions, but it would be worse if you lose them to something that is unexplainable.
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Taking time away from his journalism job to try and find his son, Thomas Mathews needs to get back to work and calls his old boss. With the only story being available for the grieving father being about alien encounters, Thomas is hesitant to take it, but he needs the paycheck. Flying down to Brazil and the small town of Area Q., Thomas is greeted by his guide and translator, Elisovaldo, who is more than happy to let the out of towner know about everything that has happened in the area. Being an extreme hot spot for U.F.O. activity, it is almost guaranteed that Thomas will at least see something.

Traveling to the outskirts of town, Thomas takes a look at the ground where a U.F.O. was reported to have landed. Noticing that the ground is almost twenty degrees warmer than the surrounding area, there is something else that has caught the reporter’s eye, the mountain by the property. Remembering that his son made him a drawing of himself and the mountain before he disappeared, Thomas is starting to see that there might be more to this encounter story than he previously thought. Next on his list, he visits a young woman who has been cured of cancer by the invaders and thinking of them more as gods that are here to do good for the people, Thomas is starting to believe that these encounters are the real deal.

After hearing more stories from around town, Thomas is continuously drawn back to the flat top mountain and gives it another go during the night. Being approached by a stranger who knows everything about him, Thomas is shocked to see that another reporter who is covering the same abductions is hiding in the shadows. Talking to Valquiria about what he thinks, she gives him all of the rational reasoning behind what the locals are seeing, yet Thomas is far from sure. But after talking to the detective that is working on his missing person’s case and hearing the same account of strange lights before his son went missing, Thomas knows that there is only one place that will provide the answers that he needs.

This film was far less frightening than most of the abduction movies that I wind up watching, but none the less it is pretty darn good. Focusing more on the positives that can come out of the abductions rather than being cut to shreds by the aliens, it is another take on what might be out there. The love that Thomas has for his missing son is put front and center in this story and throughout you can tell that he is able to keep his mind open as to what is really happening. I really liked the guide, Eliosvaldo throughout the movie, as he had all of the stories and was even able to provide some of the answers. With strange events happening all around, a missing local legend with special powers, a story that ties together and plenty of personal accounts, this movie focus on the brighter side of things, even when everything is looking down.

Thor: Ragnarok is thundering into its third weekend at the box office as both a commercial and critical hit, having already earned over $200 million and sitting at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. I’ve seen the movie twice already and I love it. With a good mix of action, drama, and comedy, and with a great cast of heroes and villains, it is as good as comic book movies come. But how does it match up against one of the comics that inspired it? Since Thor: Ragnarok is essentially Thor meets Planet Hulk plus humor, I decided to revisit the Planet Hulk comics leading up to the movie’s release. Here are some of the key similarities and differences I found comparing Thor: Ragnarok to Planet Hulk.
 
The Incredible Hulk
The Hulk himself made a very smooth transition from the pages to the big screen. The Hulk’s speech has improved since the last time we saw him in the MCU. In Avengers: Age of Ultron - Hulk’s latest appearance - and the movies prior, his speech was very limited save for the utterance of ‘puny God’ after smashing Loki in The Avengers. In Thor: Ragnarok, Hulk has much more developed - albeit still limited - speech patterns, just as he did in the Planet Hulk comics. In both, he speaks in a somewhat choppy manner, but is able to express himself and converse with others. This is a big jump for his future portrayal in the MCU.
 
His personality and appearance in the two mediums are very similar as well. In both, Hulk has a stubborn, feisty attitude. His refusal to easily cooperate often foils the plans of his team. In classic Hulk fashion, his temper and emotions often get the best of him. As for his look, the movie adaptation nailed its attempt at making him look just as awesome in his gladiator gear as he did in the comics.

The Duality of Hulk and Banner
Continuing on with Hulk’s personality, one of the most important aspects is the green monster’s relationship to his inner Bruce Banner. In both, Bruce Banner has (semi-)permanently turned into the Hulk, spending more time in that state than ever before. This contributes to his increased intelligence and aforementioned improved speech. But it also contributes to a disdain the Hulk has for Banner, and vice versa. In Ragnarok, Hulk prefers his hulked-out form, becoming angry when Thor brings up his alter-ego. In Planet Hulk, Hulk says there’s no one like him on Earth, ‘just puny little humans. Like Banner.’ Hulk goes on to say that the one human who hates him most is Banner. The separation between his two forms has rarely been starker, and there’s not a whole lot of love lost.
 
Earth Hate Hulk: Journey to Sakaar
In addition to hating Banner, we learn in both Ragnarok and Planet Hulk that Hulk also kind of hates Earth - or at least feels hated by it. The reason for this in the comics is very straightforward: Dr. Strange, Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and a group of other heroes plot to send Hulk into space because they feel he is a danger to Earth. Ouch, right? Once they confess the real motive behind Hulk’s ‘S.H.I.E.L.D. mission’, he obviously harbors some anger towards the people that sent him away. In Ragnarok, Hulk ends up on Sakaar as the Quinjet crashes as Black Widow tries to talk him through everything. While he wasn’t sent away, he believes that ‘Earth hate Hulk’ and that he’s better off staying where he’s at.
 
The Mighty Thor
Ragnarok isn’t solely a Planet Hulk movie, so Thor (obviously) features more prominently in the film than he does in the comics. He does have a brief appearance in the comics though! In a flashback, Korg describes how he and his brother landed on a planet and tried to capture a native creature to study. Their attempt to capture Thor and conquer his planet was unsuccessful, as the god battled back with his hammer. (On that note: I was really hoping Thor would’ve used the ‘iron bars do not a prison make. Not when the prisoner has the might of Thor!’ line from the comics in the movie.)

Korg and Miek
Speaking of Korg, he and Miek represent some of the biggest differences moving from the Planet Hulk comics to Thor: Ragnarok. In the comics, Korg is a powerful warrior who fights in the insurgency alongside Hulk. He’s a tenacious leader, able to hold his own on the team. In Ragnarok, Korg is a great character too, but he’s instead a loveable loser. He isn't as imposing and falters when Loki suggests that he and his group could use a leader. Miek follows a similar track. He doesn't have blades for arms and appears much more bug-like in the comics. In Ragnarok, he doesn’t speak, while in Planet Hulk his role is important. And, without spoiling anything, let’s just say that Miek is…not there for comic relief in the comics. Finally, the relationship the two have with Hulk is vastly different. Their relationship is nonexistent in the movie, but is a key factor in the comics.
 
It makes sense that these characters had a limited role in the movie. Ragnarok was deep with various storylines and characters. Adding two more - especially these two - would have completely changed the story, and it would have made it more Hulk-centric than Thor-centric.
 
A Few Others
Silver Surfer, or the Silver Savage, would have been an awesome cameo had he appeared in the movie, but it was not at all to be expected…Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster replaces the Red King…Hulk is willing to battle in Ragnarok, whereas he was forced to in Planet Hulk….

​I have to admit, that after all this time I'm still quite taken aback by the incredibly negative reception that surrounded Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. I remember a couple of people I know telling me to save my money on something that was 'going to suck' well before the movie came out and you can still feel the heat from the critical fury after all this time. 

In all honesty, I just don't get it. We all knew exactly what we were getting into with a title like that; two superheroes kicking the living crap out of one another, not the meaning of life. It's a film that was designed to bring forth some of the most iconic moments in DC Comics history and well, I'm glad to see the fans disagree with all of the critics because when all is said and done, this is actually a wonderful motion picture. 

There are several reasons that this film is so incredibly good, the most important one being that this movie takes some serious risks, especially with its characters. After all, this is a new breed of Batman on the silver screen, one driven by anguish and fury and one that breaks the golden rule he has abided by for as long as we can remember since this Batman is willing to take lives. It's a bold gamble and it pays off in spades thanks to a stellar performance from Ben Affleck, but the risk taking doesn't end there. 

This movie also features a Superman unlike any other we have seen on screen. This Kal-El is questioning his place in the world like never before, even contemplating stepping away from being the savior of humanity and I must admit seeing Superman fail in this film is also a little off putting at first, but necessary to allow his character to grow. Not to mention, we finally get a top-notch Lex Luthor courtesy of Jessie Eisenberg's performance. This is what we have all been waiting for when it comes to the Superman franchise, a Luthor that isn't big on fancy speeches but controlling those around him to shape his vision of a twisted world, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to get that. 

But what surprised me most about this movie, was the fact that it was so incredibly dark and fascinating all at once. Despite the fact we go to some ugly places within the human psyche, and let's be honest, Ben Affleck's Batman needs some serious help; you want to know what is going to happen next and you root for these guys and gals to get over their fears and insecurities to come together and save the day. Plus, as an added bonus, the movie even bothers to fire off a little social commentary our way, taking a stab at the over the top rancor we see on television day in and day out and the little slight at America's xenophobia is done in subtle and effective fashion.

To top it all off, the movie delivers on the action it promised in the trailers time and time again with some breathtaking sequences, and I also loved the grand set up for the future of the DC Cinematic Universe by giving us some quick but proper introductions into the Justice League that will assemble on screen in years to come. In the end however, all that matters is that Dawn of Justice is a damn entertaining film, one that provides chills and thrills and a few surprises along the way and I highly recommend you see it to see Ben Affleck's outstanding take on Batman, and to witness the Dark Knight square off against Superman on the silver screen at last. It's a fun film, plain and simple and one worth your time.

There is no way to know what people walking in the street next to you are thinking. They may be just very happy and content with their situation, or upset and ready to bring the city to its knees. It does not matter how much time you spend people watching, you might be able to predict their next move on the street, but never truly know what is happening in their head. It pains so many to not know this or be able to help stop it when something devastating happens when they were only feet away from the person that caused it. There is nothing wrong with being guarded when it comes to meeting new people and not letting them in right away, but once you start to dive into their psyche, you might want to step back and make sure that you want to be around when this person decides to jump off of the deep end.

Eight years ago in Gotham a devastating day came forth for the city as Harvey Dent and several others were killed by the Batman. But the positive that came from this is that the city has never been more united and the crime rate has been at an all-time low. While at the Harvey Dent dedication dinner, Commissioner Gordon is still feeling the itch and knows that nothing is perfect, no matter how nice it may seem. But there is an uninvited guest at the party as well that is looking to take advantage of the hermit Bruce Wayne while the benefit is being held at his home. Delivering Wayne his dinner from the party, Selina Kyle has other things on her mind and has been able to open a safe that was deemed as uncrack-able. To her shock, Bruce Wayne is there and not a hermit at all, he just happens to have a bum leg and is not able to get around very well. 

While Gotham looks fine on the surface, there is something sinister brewing beneath the streets as Bane and his minions are working tirelessly on their plan. When a robbery goes wrong and Gordon is able to track a couple of the thieves into the sewer lines under the streets, he gets captured and gets to see the myth up close and personal. Not knowing what he is seeing while being dragged to Bane, Gordon is able to escape with his life, but not before getting shot. Hearing the news that the Commissioner has been wounded, Bruce Wayne believes it is time to don the cape and cowl once again, but has to get some sort of idea what he is up against.  With all of his joints being locked up from years of fighting, his rich kid activities are not recommended, but the safety of the city will not wait for him to get better. Getting back on the streets and giving the city the hero it needs once again should be enough, but when Batman’s back is broken by Bane, he quickly finds out that he was not ready for battle and will have to train much harder if he is going to make a difference.

​With everything going according to plan, Bane is ready to take over the city and is able to trap all of the police force underground. Being able to upgrade a fusion generator into an atom bomb, Bane now holds all of the chips and will lay siege to the city for its past discretions. With the promise of a free Gotham, Bane gives the streets back to the people and there are no longer rich and poor, they are all equal in every way. And setting up courts being led by the Scarecrow, no one will be able to find their way off of the island alive. As the occupation of Gotham continues, the police force above ground that has not been killed is able to find out the pattern the bomb is taking through the streets and tries to devise a way to take action without any outside help, but little do they know that they are being watched as well. It will take a massive distraction to get close to the bomb, one that only Batman himself will be able to provide and with the help of his friends, Gordon, Fox and Ms. Kyle, he may be able to do just that as the clock is ticking down to doomsday.

This might be the first time that I have seen this movie and actually enjoyed it just a little bit more than The Dark Knight. With the League of Shadows returning from the first movie, and a man that holds little to no respect for human life in Bane, it seems to be a little bit darker than its predecessor. I guess my only drawback to the liking the movie more was the Bane voice that has become infamous in harassing people to no end, so I guess it truly did its job. I think that this is the best overall story in the series that does not focus around one character trying to take Gotham down once again. The fact the Batman is not ready for the battle just adds to what is happening on the screen when he is forced to sit and watch as the city of Gotham is ripped to shreds. 

If you want to pick the best character out of this movie that is not Batman, you would have to go with either Selina Kyle or Miranda, both extremely strong characters who have their own agenda, just one is a surprise when all is said and done. I hate to say goodbye to this series as it has brought the Dark Knight back from the shadows it was left in with a much more realistic feel to it. Don’t get me wrong, I like the comic book feel as well, but it is hard to see the emotions come to life when the actors cannot capture what you previously saw on the page, that is what the animated movies are good for. Well this particular series is over and I cannot wait to see what they use from this storyline to revitalize the Batman legacy in the new movie. Hopefully Wayne is not retired for another twenty years, since he just found his happy place to end the series.      

It can be hard to envision a world that does not have some sort of chaos taking place. No matter where you live, you always hear about someone or something happening around the world that makes you shake your head. As long as it is contained to a sliver of the world, it does not seem to be as bad, but when things start to escalate and it shows up on your doorstep, you have to face the facts that it is here and here to stay. It takes some getting used to for sure, but when you are able to figure out what is causing the chaos, you are able to find a way to fight it off as well. It is an opponent that will not give up, but when it comes down to it, it is something that can be defeated, and all it takes is one person to start the movement. 

With the streets of Gotham starting to calm down and with a new district attorney on the streets, the crime in the city might actually go away for good. Harvey Dent will not be intimidated by the crime lords of Gotham, and he takes them head on and with help from Jim Gordon, he may be unstoppable. But Harvey knows that there is something going on behind the scenes of the Major Crimes Unit that Gordon runs and wants to meet with the Batman before everything is said and done. With a new menace running on the streets, knocking over the mob run banks and leaving all of the marked bills behind in the vaults, Harvey knows that there is somebody on the inside and that there is only one person that will be able to figure it out. 

The Joker has revealed his face to Gotham’s underworld and wants to help them as best that he can. Being a master of chaos, there is no one that will be able to stop him when he puts his mind to something. Crashing a meeting full of the city's top mob bosses, Joker puts his plan on the table and knows that he can make a difference when it comes to fighting the Batman. Although nobody believes that this lunatic will be able to get anything done, they call the Joker into action when their money launderer is brought back home from China. Needing a change from their normal tactics, the Joker brings chaos into the realm and making sure that Batman knows that he is the target, he slowly turns the city of Gotham against the Dark Knight. With no pattern to go off of, Batman is forced to resort to drastic levels to find the madman who will keep killing the innocent until the Batman's true identity is revealed. 

Jim Gordon however, is able to devise a plan that will bring the Joker out of the woodwork to take his shot at killing the Caped Crusader. As a police escort sets out to take Harvey Dent to the county jail, Joker is there to bring down Gotham’s D.A. who has admitted to being the Batman. But as everybody knows, Harvey is not the Batman, and the Dark Knight takes to the streets to finally bring the Joker to justice. At long last, the Joker is brought into custody, but not everything is what it seems as Harvey and his girlfriend Rachel are kidnapped and with only a chance to save one of them, the police and Batman have to decide who is more valuable to the city. Harvey is the main choice, but he is left scarred from an exploding warehouse in more than one way. With his girlfriend dead, he does not have a reason to go on living the clean life that has made him so sought after and adored. With an extra push from the Joker, Harvey becomes what he has vowed to keep off of the streets and makes sure that everyone that gets in his way know how personal his fight really is.

The second installment of the new rebooted series and wow, it is the best Batman movie I have ever seen. With darkness continuing to fall over Gotham, it is hard to believe that anyone would live there, much less get out alive. But the White Knight, Harvey Dent, has been able to change the perception around the city and with him leading the charge, no villain will stand in his way. That is until the Joker is let off of his leash and starts bringing his form of chaos to the city where nobody knows what he will do next, other than the people of the city will suffer until Batman reveals who he really is to everyone. There are so many good storylines in this movie and I only hit on a little bit of what actually happened, but the acting in this movie is beyond fantastic. 

If I were held at gunpoint and forced to come up with my favorite character, it would have to be Harvey Dent since he was the knight in shining armor for the city, before being brought down to the depths of the underworld and ready to take anybody’s life that gets in his way. Second favorite would be Alfred since he was a major scene stealer in this movie and with good reason, since when he brings up things that happened in his past life you're left with chills, like what he said about how some men just want to see the world burn. Well, there is on more movie in this trilogy and I really hate to finish this series, since I have been enjoying it all over again for a couple of weeks now.

It is hard to imagine what a reboot will do to a series, but sometimes they are better than the original. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved the origin story behind the first Batman movie and the characters were beyond epic, but when Batman Begins hit the screens, it was easily one of the greatest surprises that happened in a long time. I know this sparked interest for another franchise and seeing how well it was received, I can understand why DC would push to get another superhero back on the screen. But there is no point to it, since Batman is hands down the greatest Superhero in the DC universe and if you need a reason why, you just need to pop in this film.

Young Bruce Wayne has been chased out of Gotham, not because of his parents being killed by the people they were trying to help, but by himself. Wanting to gain insights inside the criminal mind, Bruce takes to a life of crime not merely to survive, but to prove a point. Being picked up by Henri Ducard while serving time for robbing the family business, Bruce finds out that there is much more to life and he will be able to do something noble. During his training with the League of Shadows, Bruce is able to purge his fear and take his abilities to the next level. But when he is told that he must serve as judge, jury and executioner, he decides that the path he has chosen to follow is not right for him. Wanting to get back to Gotham to protect his city from its impending doom, Bruce knows that he will be able to make a difference.

Meeting with his old friend Alfred, Bruce finds out that times have changed and that he is more of an odd man out than he could have expected. Seeing that his father’s company is about to be sold, he wants to take a better look at how things were run and meets with Lucius Fox to get the information he needs and to get his hands on all of the goodies an up and coming crime fighter could ever want. With Lucius’ help, Bruce is able to put together a crime fighting pack that will put fear back into the hearts of the criminals in Gotham and he is going to start with an old acquaintance, Carmine Falcone, the kingpin of Gotham that nobody will ever rise against. Getting the information he needs from an old beat cop, Jim Gordon, Bruce is ready to strike and Falcone is about to be tied to the criminal activity that everyone knows about, but were afraid to pursue. Hiding his face and becoming what he fears the most, The Batman is born and is ready to clean up the streets of Gotham once and for all.

The Batman is not the only new face in Gotham as Bruce has to embrace his status in the city and being a billionaire playboy might suit him well. Making sure people see him making full use of his status, he wants his childhood friend Rachel Dawes to know that he is still the same man that she knew many years ago and he is just putting on a show. In the shadows, Bruce finds out that there is something strange about the drugs that Falcone shipped into Gotham and goes to investigate, only to discover that the drugs are full of strong hallucinogens that can drive people crazy. Being able to battle off the first attack from these drugs, Bruce finds that Lucius will become one of his greatest allies against the evil that is roaming the streets downtown. As Bruce slowly loses himself into the Batman, he is reminded by his lifelong friend Alfred that he is still a Wayne and that the name is not only reflected on his legacy, but his family before him. Now, as he fights the baddies of the city, and the ghosts he must please, a face from the past arrives looking to destroy everything that Master Wayne has been trying to protect.

I said it above, but I don’t think I gave my exact reason why this is the greatest reboot to a franchise that I have seen to date. Of course, it is Batman and he is the greatest DC hero out there, but the story is more about the man than his accomplishments. Bruce has to go through life altering changes that teach him more than anyone could have ever expected and unlike other heroes, he gets hurt along the way. His emotions are played with by every bad guy he has to face off against, whether it be by drugs or by someone trying to prove that he can be more. The drive of Bruce in this movie is phenomenal and he never intends to give up, even it if means he will cause more harm to himself.
 
As the people of Gotham will be the target of the League of Shadows for their uncorrectable sins, Batman knows that there are still good people out there and they need a chance to show it before being judged as a whole. I love how this movie played out and it is the best way to get someone into a story that has been out there for many years now. I have to split my favorite characters in this movie in half, I really like Lucius Fox, but Alfred is fantastic as well. The characters don’t have to be the star of the movie to deliver the deeper messages found in this film and these two did a fantastic job doing just that. Well, onto The Dark Knight. Also, you know what? Batman does not have smelly underwear, because he does not wear any…Superman. 

I have to ask, how does Gotham remain in one piece after everything that has happened with villains running rampant, robbing, killing and causing a menace? Oh yeah, that’s right, Batman is there to save the day. Now I know that Batman is just a guy in a suit, but he seems to be more focused on protecting the lives of others than taking care of himself.  Putting his life on the line all of the time and making sure that the citizens of Gotham are protected, well, that might just make him one of the greatest superheroes of all time. Or maybe not, he is just fun to watch as he tries to stay off the radar most of the time since when he is in crime fighting mode he wants to be heard and not seen. Well, here is the final review of the last group of four movies, Batman & Robin.

Doctor Victor Fries has one goal in life and that is to cure his bride of an incurable disease. But while working in his lab, a terrible tragedy occurred causing him to become the feared villain; Mr. Freeze. Now needing diamonds to power his super cold suit, Freeze has had to take to a life of crime and will stop at nothing to get what he needs. There is something else on his mind however, to take Gotham back to the big chill that once ravaged the world. Needing extra-large diamonds to make his dream of a frozen Gotham to come true, Freeze is now being baited by Batman to come and steal some of the Wayne diamonds to complete his destiny. 

Doctor Pamela Isley has a plan of her own to save the world and when it comes to her plants, she knows that they are the future. When her new formulas go missing, she knows exactly where to look as Dr. Woodrue keeps taking samples for his own pursuits. Watching as Woodrue holds an auction on her latest formula, turning a little killer into a mountain of a man, Bane, she tries to escape, but Woodrue catches her in the act. Trying to explain himself will not work so he has to take the next step and tries to eliminate Isley from the lab, but winds up making someone much worse. Poison Ivy comes out of the ground and she is looking to take her cause to the top of the chain and with everything that Mother Earth has created at her disposal, she will be difficult to stop. Setting her sights on Bruce Wayne since his name is on the beakers in the lab, she knows that his power and influence can help her cause, but in Gotham, only brute force gets things done, so she takes Bane along for the ride as well.

Bruce Wayne and his new partner Dick Grayson are having a hard time making their new team work together well. Since Batman is the one who gets all of the glory and Robin is a secondary hero, Dick is ready to be allowed to fail on his own. After their recent encounter with Mr. Freeze, Bruce is afraid that his young follower will be harmed and will not allow that to happen on his watch, but there is something more serious coming to light in the Wayne household as Alfred is starting to act strangely. When Barbara Wilson comes knocking for her uncle Alfred, Bruce knows that it is more serious than he thought. As Alfred’s health declines quickly, he is happy to be surrounded by family, but is more focused on finding his cousin that works on a different continent. Young Barbara sees this and will do anything to help her uncle during his final days, and wants nothing less to release him from the prison that he has been wasting away in. But Alfred is stubborn and will not leave, not until his job is completed and Mr. Wayne has everything that he needs to complete his task at hand.

As Mr. Freeze is terrorizing Gotham, Batman is able to formulate a plan to capture him once and for all. Setting up a trap to bring Freeze out, an unexpected visitor comes to the sting and Poison Ivy is not the woman to mess with. With strong pheromones at her disposal, she is able to make both Batman and Robin lose their minds and take their eyes off of the prize when Freeze makes his appearance. Pitting the partners against each other is not difficult for Ivy, but she wants more and when she and Freeze form an alliance, she makes it known that she is the only woman that matters. When Freeze is able to complete his ultimate freezing device, he will have to find a place to make it work and with the addition of a new telescope in the Gotham Observatory, he has everything that he needs to bring the city to its frozen knees. But the Wayne family is a member stronger with Batgirl and now with three heroes to deal with, both Ivy and Freeze may have to rethink their dastardly plan.

This movie gets a bunch of flack and even watching it now, I understand why. Too much star power and not enough story for my liking. I think that the movie would have been better if they would have just kept the villains as smaller stars, not the beasts that they were at the time. But that is neither here nor there, it is over now and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. The Alfred story is the only one that mattered in this movie since he is preparing himself for the afterlife. The addition of Batgirl into the series was not a bad thing, she just seemed a little more focused on herself with her racing than on family, even though that is what she was doing it for. The storyline got pulled too thin with everyone being added in and I really wish that Bane would have had a back story, heck, everybody else did and he is one of my favorite bad guys from the video games. Then you are left to question what Superman would have done in this situation? He can blow ice, so I don’t see that being much of a problem for him, but one thing about Gotham that can hold him back…the sun is never out and for a man that gets his power from our nearest star, he may not fare well when the pitch black of Gotham takes over. Just saying.