Superman (2025)

[thecolorsblend]

It's the same situation with the Batcave. So many movies, yet we've never seen the giant penny or dinosaur. The closest any live action depiction has come to the wackiness of the comic book Batcave would be the Adam West show, and I'm sure Dozier would have included the dinosaur and penny in that series if he'd been able to. But every other live action version of the cave has opted for a more grounded take, where it's basically just the Batcomputer, the armoury and the Batmobile workshop. Hopefully the next cinematic Batcave will break that trend.

Agreed.

Seems to me that if anybody was ever going to do up a proper comic book Batcave, it would've been Joel Schumacher. If you pay close attention, the Batcave scenes in B&R take place on a lower level, implying that the upper level was still being repaired after the destruction caused by the Riddler in BF. As a teenager, I hoped that if Schumacher ever made a sequel to B&R, that he'd include the dinosaur, the giant penny and all that stuff. Maybe Robin's BF costume on display in a glass case.

Snyder made a step in the right direction by putting a Robin costume in a glass case in BVS tho. So, at least there's that.

With the Fortress, I'd love to see some of the more traditional comic book elements make an appearance. The statues of Lara and Jor-El, the Phantom Zone projector, bottled Kandor, the zoo of endangered aliens.

There's also the raised Titanic, statues of Superman's various allies, the vault of truly dangerous weapons/technology, various incomplete maps of sections of the Phantom Zone, a portal/viewer into the Phantom Zone, samples of various types of Kryptonite for Superman's research into a cure/antidote/vax, a memorial to Krypton as part of the Jor-El/Lara statue thing, a science lab and probably other stuff I'm forgetting.

As perhaps a case of Bat-envy, some artists have drawn a giant dinosaur statue and a giant penny in the FOS as well. But those items are infrequent. I never wanted them to be mainstays anyway because, let's face it, those are Batman's souvenirs. Superman should have his own swag.

[The Dark Knight]

If test screenings are to be believed, apparently the film felt episodic and reaction was mixed. The humor and "silliness" was cited, with ViewerAnon saying Warner Bros.' internal response was less glowing than some positive reports suggested. I don't necessarily have a problem with Krypo, and I'm up for new things, but I get the feeling he's going to be pushed hard, and possibly too hard.

All I really needed Gunn to do, is to get out of his comfort zone, and truly swing for the fences. If this is the start of your planned DCU, let's aspire to try something a little different, and not rely on playing it safe with MCU-style humor and quips (MCU-style quips is just beyond tired at this point, and with so many movies aping it, it's just killing movies altogether ... but the director is one of the main architects of this style of humor, so that's expecting waaay too much lol), smashing things together (we've seen this a lot and the fall out has been incredibly mixed), and having a overabundance of characters the movie seriously doesn't need.

Progression in recent years, seems to be not to not get rid of the poison pill, but to simply get better at coating it in sugar. Still, the end result remains the same.

Something I was feeling but couldn't say as good as Uncle Bingo. For all the points of differences like Krypto, Superman 2025 seems inherently the same as what came before with Reeve. And not just Reeve, but just about every MCU movie that's been avalanched down the mountains the past decade. I don't see this being the game changer or cultural moment the fans want it to be. That stuff is rare. At a bare minimum I'd be happy with recouping production costs and making enough profit. Superman 2025 doesn't just have to fight its own war against the Superman curse, but general apathy about going to the cinema.

[Silver Nemesis]

WB have waited around for Matt Reeves to the point of stupidity in my opinion. If he has personal issues or is just plain lazy it doesn't matter - momentum for this early years Batman story has been hit hard. Make Part II a conclusion or just move on right now.

Lately there was a social media spat between Grace Randolph and X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo concerning Matt Reeves. It sounds like he's battling serious health issues, with Randolph going so far as to compare his situation to that of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. DeMayo called Randolph out for saying this, but in doing so seemingly verified that Reeves' health is in a precarious state. We'll just have to keep him in our thoughts and prayers and hope he pulls through whatever it is he's battling.

Unfortunately this means the Batman II script still hasn't been completed. WB CEO Pam Abdy recently said the following:

"We have a bit of other collaboration with Matt Reeves, but Peter and James know he is a writer-directing auteur in his own right, and that it will come when he's written his best Batman script and is ready."

https://movieweb.com/the-batman-part-2-cancelation-rumors-addressed/

It's also rumoured that James Gunn isn't too keen on the idea of multiple cinematic Batmen and would perhaps prefer for Reeves' iteration to be shelved. Whether that's true or not is anyone's guess. But given the overwhelmingly positive reception of The Penguin, some are suggesting the Reevesverse should continue on the small screen, focusing on TV projects instead of movies. That way it could forge its own path without competing with the big screen Batman.

All I really needed Gunn to do, is to get out of his comfort zone, and truly swing for the fences. If this is the start of your planned DCU, let's aspire to try something a little different, and not rely on playing it safe with MCU-style humor and quips (MCU-style quips is just beyond tired at this point, and with so many movies aping it, it's just killing movies altogether ... but the director is one of the main architects of this style of humor, so that's expecting waaay too much lol), smashing things together (we've seen this a lot and the fall out has been incredibly mixed), and having a overabundance of characters the movie seriously doesn't need.

Progression in recent years, seems to be not to not get rid of the poison pill, but to simply get better at coating it in sugar. Still, the end result remains the same.

Many pop culture commentators are saying we're in the age of cinematic slop. We've gone through the age of cinematic woke, and now we're in a new age of bland, anodyne CGI-filled slop that doesn't do anything new, fails to engage the viewer emotionally or intellectually, and is best experienced as background noise while doing something more productive. I watched both Black Adam and Morbius last year, and they're perfect examples of slop.

My main concern for this film is that it could turn out to be slop like WB's other recent DC adaptations. That it'll tick a lot of technical boxes without engaging me intellectually or making me care about what's happening. I remember how upset I felt as a kid watching Superman relinquish his powers in Superman II, knowing what a mistake he was mistaking. I remember how distressing it was seeing him get beaten up in that diner, and then having a feeling of hope when he returned to confront Zod in Metropolis. Then feeling that hope falter as he fought the Phantom Zone criminals to a stalemate, sighed with frustration and fled the battlefield. Then the feeling of elation when he outwitted his foes during the finale. I want to feel emotionally hooked like that when I watch the new film.

So far we know very little about the movie's plot. All of the marketing has been structured around conveying a certain feel, but hasn't really told us much about the kind of story we can expect. I don't want too much to be shown in advance, or to have the plot ruined, but it would be nice to know something about the direction the story's heading in. Just a one-line elevator pitch would suffice. The story really is a deal breaker for me. There are so many great stories in the comics they could adapt, there's no excuse for giving us a retread of one we've already seen adapted.

Seems to me that if anybody was ever going to do up a proper comic book Batcave, it would've been Joel Schumacher. If you pay close attention, the Batcave scenes in B&R take place on a lower level, implying that the upper level was still being repaired after the destruction caused by the Riddler in BF. As a teenager, I hoped that if Schumacher ever made a sequel to B&R, that he'd include the dinosaur, the giant penny and all that stuff. Maybe Robin's BF costume on display in a glass case.

Schumacher also showed the river running through the cave where the Batboat was kept. And in Batman & Robin Bruce alludes to a training simulator. We never see it, but I like to imagine that somewhere in Schumacher's Batcave there's an area similar to the X-Men's Danger Room where Batman and Robin train. Perhaps a Holodeck-like VR chamber.

There's also the raised Titanic, statues of Superman's various allies, the vault of truly dangerous weapons/technology, various incomplete maps of sections of the Phantom Zone, a portal/viewer into the Phantom Zone, samples of various types of Kryptonite for Superman's research into a cure/antidote/vax, a memorial to Krypton as part of the Jor-El/Lara statue thing, a science lab and probably other stuff I'm forgetting.

Grant Morrison managed to incorporate a lot of these things into his All-Star run. And since Morrison's stories appear to be the primary influence on this film, hopefully that means we'll see some of them in the new movie. It would be very cool to see Superman and Lois having dinner on the Titanic.

[The Joker]

Something I was feeling but couldn't say as good as Uncle Bingo. For all the points of differences like Krypto, Superman 2025 seems inherently the same as what came before with Reeve. And not just Reeve, but just about every MCU movie that's been avalanched down the mountains the past decade. I don't see this being the game changer or cultural moment the fans want it to be. That stuff is rare. At a bare minimum I'd be happy with recouping production costs and making enough profit. Superman 2025 doesn't just have to fight its own war against the Superman curse, but general apathy about going to the cinema.

Yeah, one of the things I've heard regarding how well this film needs to perform given it's expensive price tag, is that it can't just be adequate, but the movie has to be great. That remains to be seen, and perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh, but I'm just not seeing anything to get really jazzed about. The Donnerverse imagery and nods leave me just as cold as it did when Bryan Singer did it back in 2006 with "Superman Returns", and the look/feel/humor comes across as the same old formuliac stuff we've been getting for years now. Sugar coating these factors with a CGI Gunn self insert mutt just doesn't inspire confidence.

Lately there was a social media spat between Grace Randolph and X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo concerning Matt Reeves. It sounds like he's battling serious health issues, with Randolph going so far as to compare his situation to that of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. DeMayo called Randolph out for saying this, but in doing so seemingly verified that Reeves' health is in a precarious state. We'll just have to keep him in our thoughts and prayers and hope he pulls through whatever it is he's battling.

Unfortunately this means the Batman II script still hasn't been completed. WB CEO Pam Abdy recently said the following:

"We have a bit of other collaboration with Matt Reeves, but Peter and James know he is a writer-directing auteur in his own right, and that it will come when he's written his best Batman script and is ready."

Yeah, that doesn't sound good. If that's the case, it does provide some understanding as to why "The Batman Part II" script still hasn't been turned in fully yet. Reeves has to take care of himself first.

It's also rumoured that James Gunn isn't too keen on the idea of multiple cinematic Batmen and would perhaps prefer for Reeves' iteration to be shelved.

Wasn't there a story where a "Batman Beyond" script was in the process of being written following, "The Flash", but the writer was told to stop following Safran and Gunn getting their promotions? Personally, I don't know how a "Batman Beyond" movie would've worked with "Batgirl" seemingly having Barbara being the protege of Keaton's Batman, but perhaps "Beyond" was going to be one of those elseworlds projects disconnected from the main line DCU?

If that's the case, then yeah, Gunn not being keen on competing Batmen does check out.

Many pop culture commentators are saying we're in the age of cinematic slop. We've gone through the age of cinematic woke, and now we're in a new age of bland, anodyne CGI-filled slop that doesn't do anything new, fails to engage the viewer emotionally or intellectually, and is best experienced as background noise while doing something more productive. I watched both Black Adam and Morbius last year, and they're perfect examples of slop.

My main concern for this film is that it could turn out to be slop like WB's other recent DC adaptations. That it'll tick a lot of technical boxes without engaging me intellectually or making me care about what's happening.

That's the thing, there's a sameness that's been settling in for some time now, and all this stuff just feels indistinguishable from one another, with no real stand outs. I'm continually buying this stuff on blu ray, but honestly, it's literally just out of habit (and some OCD in there too), as I have DC/Marvel movies sitting on my shelves, that I had little to no interest in watching. I finally watched Shazam 2 a week or two ago, after having the blu ray for months, and the only thing I remember about it, was Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman making a appearance. As the film was clearly made to mimmick the MCU formula, and thus, just came across as, like you said, slop. Outside of Gal looking pretty fine of course.

So far we know very little about the movie's plot. All of the marketing has been structured around conveying a certain feel, but hasn't really told us much about the kind of story we can expect. I don't want too much to be shown in advance, or to have the plot ruined, but it would be nice to know something about the direction the story's heading in. Just a one-line elevator pitch would suffice. The story really is a deal breaker for me. There are so many great stories in the comics they could adapt, there's no excuse for giving us a retread of one we've already seen adapted.

Well, speaking of the story plot, and being that my interest in this movie isn't really that great to be perfectly honest (surprise, surprise, right? lol), I read the plot spoilers that leaked out on the net some weeks back (and to which was confirmed to be true by Youtuber Chris Gore, so take that for what it's worth. I don't find Gore to be a negative Nancy, but I've noticed he keeps saying he's cautiously optimstic, but at the same time, very worried), and if what I read is true then ... oof. I understand there's some late filming that's going on right now (always a good sign), so perhaps some of the problems can be rectified, but its unreasonable to think a overhaul can be accomplished.

[The Dark Knight]

Lately there was a social media spat between Grace Randolph and X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo concerning Matt Reeves. It sounds like he's battling serious health issues, with Randolph going so far as to compare his situation to that of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. DeMayo called Randolph out for saying this, but in doing so seemingly verified that Reeves' health is in a precarious state. We'll just have to keep him in our thoughts and prayers and hope he pulls through whatever it is he's battling.

Unfortunately this means the Batman II script still hasn't been completed. WB CEO Pam Abdy recently said the following:

"We have a bit of other collaboration with Matt Reeves, but Peter and James know he is a writer-directing auteur in his own right, and that it will come when he's written his best Batman script and is ready."

https://movieweb.com/the-batman-part-2-cancelation-rumors-addressed/

It's also rumoured that James Gunn isn't too keen on the idea of multiple cinematic Batmen and would perhaps prefer for Reeves' iteration to be shelved. Whether that's true or not is anyone's guess. But given the overwhelmingly positive reception of The Penguin, some are suggesting the Reevesverse should continue on the small screen, focusing on TV projects instead of movies. That way it could forge its own path without competing with the big screen Batman.

I've heard that. The question for me is how long do they wait? Indefinitely? Reeves can get treatment for whatever he's afflicted with, but I don't buy in to the notion he's irreplaceable. One man holding up the works means the whole universe can die before it even flourishes, which is the worst option. I liked The Penguin but I'm not sure fans would accept this series existing exclusively on the small screen after its cinematic debut in 2022. I'm also unsure if Pattinson would be up for lenghty stints on that format either.

Waiting this long is the fault of WB in my view. If I'm sick at work the show goes on without me. If he actually has a general sequel outline and the studio want to use it, have him give it and have someone else write it. But here we are, to the point I feel like the series is being killed in the crib. I've seen this sentiment expressed elsewhere too. The delays make people long for something else as tastes change. Once Superman 2025 comes out, and if people feel generally okay with what the DCU is doing, they'll be wanting to see its Batman. If a script still isn't ready at that point, something has surely got to happen.