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I just finished the first season and was incredibly disappointed by it. First of all, the storyline is essentially a continuation of his origin, which I thought was already covered in Daredevil. It made for an interesting subplot in Daredevil, but with this show it's the only plot, and not a particularly interesting one at that. 

Second, like Iron Fist, it takes the Marvel/Netflix decompressed storytelling approach to the extreme. Characters have the same conversation again and again. Did you get the symbolism in that scene? If not, don't worry--you'll see it again in the next episode.

I think this would have been a good opportunity for Marvel to try a new approach. Instead of having what was essentially a 13-hour movie, they could have had 13 individual unconnected episodes. Just Frank Castle doing what he does best, with a narrative structure connecting the episodes. Mindhunter is an an excellent example of this approach. And it also has better writing.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was pretty much what I expected.

Like many of you, I loved Man of Steel and was disappointed that it never received a proper sequel. I also think it was a mistake to not do a few more solo films of the other characters prior to the inevitable team-up. Still, I was looking forward to Justice League, a film which I've wanted ever since I was a kid.

Here are my observations:

-- J.K. Simmons' Commissioner Gordon: I know we didn't see much of him but it just didn't work for me. Physically, Affleck is pretty much the BTAS Bruce Wayne brought to life and that's kind of what I want in a Gordon. Bryan Cranston probably would've been a good choice.

-- Henry Cavill's Superman: I think Cavill is the best Superman since Reeve. As an actor, he's got good range and we see more of that in this film. Hopefully, we see more of him in an extended edition.

-- Ezra Miller's Flash: I rather enjoyed his portrayal. He brought just the right amount of humor into the film. If I had to nitpick, I would say that he's not really playing Barry Allen--he's actually Wally West. But then again, for me, only John Wesley Shipp is truly Barry Allen.

-- Affleck's Batman: Unlike the warehouse scene in BVS, or his few scenes in Suicide Squad, he didn't really have any show-stopping moments. The opening rooftop appearance came close. Was it supposed to be an homage to '89?

-- Ray Fisher's Cyborg: Admittedly, I'm not that familiar with Cyborg. Plus,  I've always considered him a member of the Titans, not the Justice League. Still, I found the character interesting and think Fisher was a really good choice.

-- Jason Momoa's Aquaman: It's clear Momoa is very enthusiastic for the character. I just wish he had his solo film come out before Justice League. As it stands, it's hard to judge his character since I don't feel like I really know him.

-- Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman: As always, she's awesome in everything.

-- Ciarán Hinds' Steppenwolf: I think it was a mistake to go with Steppenwolf as the bad guy. He just wasn't that memorable. If you're going to go with an intergalactic baddie, I would've preferred  Darkseid, Braniac, or even the Cyborg Superman (played by Cavill, of course).  But what would've been really great is if they went with someone totally out of left-field: The Key, Prometheus, etc.  If done right, one of those villains could have really gotten people talking.

-- SFX:  I think they went overboard on the CGI at the end of the film. I know all films use it but is it too much to hope for some actual physical sets instead of wall-to-wall green screens?

It's one of the reasons I love the Batmobile scene in Suicide Squad. At least part of that was filmed on an actual street in front of actual buildings.

Story: Overall, I enjoyed the movie, particularly the scenes involving Superman's resurrection (the debate, the fight, etc.) I would've enjoyed it more if it was an adaptation of the Reign of Superman storyline but I knew that was never going to happen. I'm hoping there will be an extended edition of some sort that fleshes out the story a bit more.

It's hard for me to complain about this adaptation being done again. It's one of my all-time favorite stories and I've always wanted a proper live-action version of it.

Maybe after this, we can get a two-part Knightfall/Knightquest.

Thanks for posting that! It's exactly the type of thing that should've been on the DVD release...

Looks awesome! Less than a year away...

Superman as a lead character scares the s**t out of a lot of writers because they have no clue how to derive drama, tension, peril or high stakes from a guy powerful enough to catch a fart and paint it green.

Good write up, TCB!

I've actually concluded that the reason Cavill didn't get a true Man of Steel sequel is because WB was too afraid of screwing it up. They knew they had to deliver another well-regarded sequel (like Spider-Man 2 or The Dark Knight) and figured they would just go the "easy" route by doing a pseudo-sequel with Batman.

The irony (at least for me) is that Superman really isn't that challenging a of a character to write. It just takes a higher degree of talent.

I just finished the second episode of Season 2. Overall, I liked it for what it was: A lighthearted, more upbeat take on the characters.

Anytime I can see Superman in action doing things I recognize from the comics it's always a good thing. And while Tyler is no Henry Cavill, I think his acting style works for this particular version of the character.

Having said all that, in general, the CW shows don't really work for me. I know it's fashionable to slam the Snyderverse and praise the Arrowverse (Berlantiverse?) but for me it's the other way around. Out of all them, "The Flash" is clearly the best and I think that's because it adheres pretty closely with the comics mythology (time travel, alternate dimensions, etc.).

I saw this yesterday. Here's a brief review:

Pros:

-- There is one line that I never thought I'd hear Adam West say. It's great! You'll know it when you hear it.

-- The plot was much better than I expected. Kind of made me wish it was done in the original show, although there's no way they had the budget to properly do many of the action scenes.

-- Animation looked amazing. And the voicework was stellar. The Romero/Gorshin impersonators in particular did a great job.

-- It captures the general look and feel of the TV show. Everything from the original show is here, albeit with a few modifications (Dinosaur in the Batcave, etc.).


(Minor) Cons:

-- I don't think they had a narrator, which was surprising since Dozier's voice was such a large part of the show.

-- I would've liked to hear more of the music from the original show. Before BTAS, this was the show that gave every Batman villain their own leitmotif. I'm not sure if there were legal problems, but for the most part I heard music similar to the '66 show, but not the actual musical themes.

-- No Batgirl.


Ultimately, I loved it and can't wait for the sequel (with William Shatner as Two-Face).

Now that's a real bat signal. Big and bold. Snyder doesn't play around.

True... but from a practical standpoint, a "real" bat signal would use lasers in today's world.

Nygma, is that you?

This has to be one of my top ten deleted scenes that should never have been deleted.

I really didn't care for this film but this scene would've made it much more enjoyable.

http://xmenladies.tumblr.com/post/150230197052/x-men-apocalypse-deleted-mall-scene