Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) (Review)

I am one of the rare people that actually liked Man of Steel. Like actually ENJOYED Man of Steel. We are a rare group of people, but nay, we do exist. So when I heard Batman was showing up in the sequel I was like; "Yay, so now we can get a kick ass comic Batman AND let Synder make up for his mistakes in MOS - what could go wrong!". The answer to what could go wrong? Well evidently a lot, as is shown in this cluster-fuck, which is Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.

What does Zack Synder and me have in common? Both our asses hurt. Mine hurt because I had to painstaking sit through two and a half hours of bullshit, and his ass hurt cause he basically shitted for two hours on screen to make a movie. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but its 1am and I am tired as f*ck.

The movie has positives.
Batman.

The movie has negatives.
More or less everything else.

Batman was well crafted, enjoyable and basically kicked ass. Lex Luthor wasn't ASSSSSS bad as I thought he could of been, but thats not from Synder's lack of trying. The dialogue was poorly written, but Eisenberg's delivery, believe it or not, kept it from appearing too much to a grade schooler's level. Perry White was great as was Alfred, and I felt the so called 'smaller' characters did more for the film than Superman or Wonder Woman did.

However, even though there was negatives they are sadly outweighed by the negatives. The pacing is god-awful. The fight scenes are god-awful. The writing is god-awful. Lois Lane and Superman made me want to cry as I found myself praying to god we don't get another scene between them - and then low and behold Zacky boy shoved another one in.

Did it build a good world for future films to build on? Nope. Was it a good film? Nope. Was it at least enjoyable? (Minus ONE scene where Batman kicks serious ASS) Nope. Will I watch it again? Hell no, I physically couldn't take it.

Never have I wanted a film to be good and never as a film let me down so much. I have huge hope for a Batman stand alone film as the Batman element was good, but its a shame it was wrapped in over used CGI garbage, which ruined the film for me.

My score: 5.5/10

Slow West (2015) (Mini-Review)

First time director John Maclean brings a fresh, interesting take on the western genre giving us an intriguing black comedy western which despite its slow burn (pun intended), delivers an exciting enjoyable journey that shows good things to come from Maclean in the future.

Set across the American frontier, 16 year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journeys to find his sweetheart from Scotland and is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveller, as they negotiate the rough American west. The film is a beautifully shot western epic, with a really small and personal story where the emphasis is on character development and emotion, rather than grand spectacle. It is a beautifully shot art house film, that when compared to commercial Hollywood film, makes you wish more filmmakers would employ Maclean's techniques as you feel fully immersed in this world, and truly emotionally connect with Cavendish's struggles and tribulations.

Without giving much away, the climax of the film is a wonderful pay off, with Maclean's direction really coming to the forefront with some truly exceptional cinematic payoffs which brings the film full circle and excellently wraps up an emotional film that may not be open to multiple viewings, but defiantly a film to remember.

A brilliantly shot and directed film, Maclean brings his fresh take on the western genre, and I personally cannot wait to see his next directorial effort, because if its anything like Slow West, then I'm sure to watch and enjoy it.

My Score: 7.5/10