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Legends of Tomorrow: The Satanist's Apprentice (2021)
The exact level of insanity I expect from this show
This was just a very fun time. First of all, Caity did a fantastic job directing this episode. Everything is on point, from the acting, to the action. I hope she gets the opportunity to direct more in the future. Second, when I heard about a partially animated episode of Legends, I didn't set my expectations too high. Animation takes a lot of time, manpower, and money, and I didn't think the CW could pull it off, but I'm so glad to be proven wrong. They got some actual talent in here, and they took the time and effort to make the animation as fluid and good-looking as possible, and I really appreciate that. This episode also has a good sense of humor, making fun of a lot of Disney tropes. Overall, this was the very fun, insane, silly romp with the Legends that I hope the rest of this season can be.
The Flash: Family Matters, Part 2 (2021)
A great finale to an otherwise lackluster story line
Going into this mid-season finale, I didn't have high expectations. This plot line with the multiple forces was boring and poorly written, for the most part, so I thought this episode was going to be the same way. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed this episode.
However, there were still some minor bad things. First, I'm not super into what they've got going with Frost and Chillblaine; I think he worked fine for a one-off villain, but I don't want to see any more of him. Second, the ending with Barry and Iris going to make children was uncomfortable and too on-the-nose; I get that it's setting up Impulse for later in the season, but it was just kinda weird.
But I really liked everything else in this episode. There was a lot of good action, and the cgi was a lot better than usual. It's clear that they were saving a lot of their budget for this episode, and that is certainly to its benefit, but, unfortunately, to the season's overall detriment. Iris got a decent amount of screen time without feeling like it was overdone or shoehorned in, and I liked her character moments with Barry and the other forces a decent amount. Nora became a surprisingly decent villain, and, unlike Eva, made sense to be redeemed.
This episode gave me everything I would want from an episode of The Flash, and I want to say that it's a return to form, but, if I'm being honest, this episode is most likely going to be an exception and not the rule. Overall, this show has gotten considerably worse over the years, but it's episodes like these that still keep me coming back for more.
Batwoman: I'll Give You a Clue (2021)
Bickering, the episode
This was a bad episode. Half of it consists of Ryan and Sophie bickering about political agendas, and it gets old very quick. The villain is so uninteresting and had a very unsatisfying conclusion. Every attempt at humor failed and failed hard. The only reason this episode isn't 1 star is because Alice is still a good character who is enjoyable to watch. Everything else in this episode is trash. I'm only still watching this show because it's part of the main arrowverse. I go in with no expectations, and yet it still manages to disappoint me.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Must watch if you're a superfan, but not worthwhile for anyone else
Keep in mind, I haven't seen a lot of DCEU movies leading up to this one; the only one I saw was Wonder Woman, and that was a long time ago, so my memory is vague. I haven't seen Man of Steel, Batman Vs. Superman, or the original Justice League, so I might be missing out on a significant amount of buildup, but I also think that's good because I can provide a casual moviegoers perspective on this film and see if it's worthwhile in that context.
I watched this movie because I had seen the constant social media campaigning and all of the petitions going around to Release the Snyder Cut, and I wanted to see whether it was worth the hype or not. Because of my low investment level in the campaign and in this movie, I didn't have super high expectations. I was going in just expecting a decent enough superhero movie, and the movie managed to both exceed my expectations and disappoint me at the same time.
The first thing anyone will notice when watching is that this movie is in a 4:3 aspect ratio. This really annoyed me at first, but I eventually got used to it, and in the end, I'm happy they didn't try to cut off part of the screen to make it widescreen.
However, my actual problems with the movie start with the beginning. It's a slog. It takes the movie about half way into its run time to really start to get going, and that wouldn't be a huge problem if it was the normal 2 hours. But no, this movie is 4 HOURS long. That means that you essentially have to watch one boring movie before you can watch one decent movie. Thankfully, the movie is conveniently split up into 7 different parts with an opening and an epilogue. I took advantage of this and watched the movie over the course of 6 days. I do think that watching this movie like a 6 part miniseries is the best way to do it, but I still don't think that time investment is going to be very worthwhile for casual viewers.
But, hey, it's a superhero movie! At least there's going to be good action scenes, right? Well, that's what I was hoping, but that was not the case. The action scenes are typically filled to the brim with CGI and slow-mo, and if that's what you're into, then this movie will be like paradise for you. However, I prefer action scenes to be more choreography based and easy to follow, and that is not what this movie offers. That's not to say that there aren't action scenes in the movie that I enjoyed (after all, it is 4 hours long), but the bad far outweighs the good in my opinion.
Also, this movie has A LOT of fan service, which is great for the people who have been here from the beginning, but for casual movie watchers, it can be a bit confusing. Now, I don't want to spoil anything for people who do want to watch the movie, but there are a few characters that barely do anything and are obviously just there to get claps and cheers from die hard fans in the theater (even though this movie isn't even in theaters, so mission failed). You could take these characters out of the movie and absolutely nothing would change. Now, one could argue that these characters were setups for a sequel, but what's the point of that when WB has stated that no sequels to this film are going to be made? I know that it was Zack Snyder's vision to have sequels, but they're not happening, so it puts this movie in an awkward position.
However, there are still parts of the movie that I liked. There are some cool superpower moments, particularly from Superman and the Flash, and most of the characters in the movie are likable and bounce off of each other well. But overall, the movie is a mostly forgettable, generic superhero romp that will certainly satisfy Zack Snyder and DC fans, but disappoint anyone else.
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020)
A wonderful show (pardon the pun)
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is a great show that stands out in the animation industry while also keeping true to the things that I love about modern animation.
First, the thing that makes the show stand out the most is the animation. It's absolutely stunning, and the fact that Dreamworks was able to put out 60 episodes of this high quality in a little under a year is incredible. It's extremely stylized and moves very fluently; the backgrounds are gorgeous and perfectly builds this post-apocalyptic world that the show takes place in. The only part about the animation that I'm not a huge fan of is when they try to fuse it with cgi. It can look a little clunky and out of place. Luckily, they don't do this very often, so it's only a very minor nitpick.
Second, the story is engaging and very well written, for the most part. My main complaint about this show is that the first season is a little boring, and it takes until around episode 8 to really start picking up speed. However, everything after that is fantastic, from start to finish. It has a perfect tone, where it can be fun and whimsical while also being dark and serious. I don't want to say much about the story since I don't want to spoil anything; you should go and watch it for yourself.
Lastly, the characters are fantastic. The main crew of Kipo, Wolf, Benson, Dave, and Mandu work off of each other perfectly and can lead to some very funny and heartwarming moments. Their character interactions are what makes season 1 still good and seasons 2 & 3 even better.
Overall, if you're a fan of animation, action, comedy, or all of the above, I would definitely recommend watching this show. Even though season 1 isn't the best, it's still worth watching for the animation, the characters, and so you can experience the greatness that is seasons 2 & 3.
8/10 Would recommend
Black Lightning: The Book of Reconstruction: Chapter Two: Unacceptable Losses (2021)
Picking up speed, somewhat
This was another good, albeit, mostly uneventful episode. I'm glad the writers are allowing Jefferson to properly mourn Henderson's death in a realistic way, rather than trying to pretend everything's fine. I'm interested to see where they're going with Lynn and the meta boosters; maybe she can even become part of the team. However, I'm not super interested in the war between The 100 and the Kobra Cartel, and I hope that it's just a side plot to keep things moving while we catch up with the characters and not the main focus of the season. Also, I want to see more of Grace, Brandon, and TC. Both Grace and TC made brief appearances, but we haven't see Brandon at all this season, which is a shame because I really like all three of their characters. Overall, while I am still enjoying this season so far, I hope it picks up the pace sooner or later so it can end up being a worthy finale to this show.
Black Lightning: The Book of Reconstruction: Chapter One: Collateral Damage (2021)
Why does this show have to end?
This is the beginning of the end for Black Lightning. This episode is indicative of that. Nobody is quite like they were before, and everything has changed after the fallout of season 3. Season 3 was by far the best season of Black Lightning and one of the best seasons of the Arrowverse, so this season has a lot to live up to. Not a whole lot happens in this episode; it's mostly just checking back in on the characters a year after season 3's finale. That's ok, though, since they had a lot to address and season 3 started off pretty slow too. I just hope that this final season can end the show on a high note and cement it as one of the CW's best shows.
Batwoman: Bat Girl Magic! (2021)
Has potential
This episode was an improvement upon the last. I'll get the bad stuff out of the way first. The jokes are very unfunny and consistently make me groan. Also, the show feels the constant need to put political commentary wherever it can. I don't necessarily disagree with the messages that it's promoting, but it doesn't need to constantly tell you what to think. However, there were good things as well. Victor Zsasz was a decent enough villain. It was really nice to see Ryan become her own Batwoman rather than trying to be Kate. Also, the new suit looks good. Safiyah has potential as a main villain. Her and her lackeys are very similar to Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins on Arrow, along with the desert rose being similar to the Lazarus Pit. The League was a fairly interesting concept on Arrow, so I hope that Batwoman can do it at least as well. Lastly, Alice's backstory with Safiyah could be interesting if done right, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes. Overall, this is the best episode of Batwoman aside from Crisis, and I hope it can keep this momentum going and make this season decent.
Batwoman: Prior Criminal History (2021)
Back to the old Batwoman
Last episode was a breath of fresh air for the series; it felt like it was finally starting to improve. However, this episode fell back on the same tropes from the first season. First, the virtue signaling is getting annoying. It's not that I disagree with what they are presenting, but they are doing it with absolutely no thought or subtly; they're just spoon feeding to the audience what is correct. Granted, maybe asking a CW show to be subtle is asking for too much, but I digress. Second, the episode was boring. It was just characters talking about things with nothing really happening, with a weak action scene at the end. It wasn't all bad though. I still like Ryan as Batwoman and I still think she's better than Kate. Also, I'm intrigued by where they're going with this Safiyah person. It seems similar to the League of Assassins, which was fairly interesting on Arrow. Overall, while the episode isn't that bad, it's definitely a step down from the season premiere and doesn't bode well for the rest of the season; S2 E1 was the exception, not the rule.