My Actual Batman V Superman Review

 Seriously the one thing I forgot to post was my actual Internet Movie Database review of Batman V. Superman Dawn of Justice. But that's in part because I had updated it but didn't have the updated version on hand. Anyway, here is my review of the movie itself, in its most updated form. My review of a season one episode of Superman and Lois that I think turned out to be very relevant. As well as my review of Smallville. Which lasted for 10 seasons and aired during my freshman year of high school.

Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice 

I'm not saying people are idiots, but they are pretty blind.

The only convoluted parts of this movie are Lex Luthor's plan and why the world suddenly hates Superman. As far as Why Bruce is so relentlessly pursuing Superman and why 'Save Martha' actually pulls him back, they could not have set it up more clearly.  He sees this alien as another freak in a costume. Bats tells Superman while he's punching his face: You were never a God, you were never even a man. It is not the happy name coincidence of "Save Martha" nor 'sloppy writing for plot convince' that makes Batman suddenly stop. But the fact that Superman, with potentially his last breath put someone Else's life before his own. He doesn't even realize it IS Superman's mothers name at first. And then Lois comes in yelling at Batman "Please stop.... It's his mother's name."   Superman asking Batman to save someone else was enough to make him pause and realize this evil alien cares about people, that he cares about another humans life more than his own life. And I realize a lot of Batman fans were disgusted/surprised at this version of Batman but they do explain his character perfectly: this is world weary, Robinless Joker beaten Batman who has almost given up on hope for the world. He spells out his motivations to Alfred "He has the power to wipe out the entire human race and if we believe there is even a 1% chance that he is our enemy we have to take it as an absolute certainty." 

Think about what would happen if you have your foot on a man's throat and a sword in your hand and instead of asking for his life, the man asks you to save someone ELSE, a woman, once you kill him. "How many good guys are left; how many stayed that way?" All the sudden Bruce realizes 1.Superman has a human family, has a life/ IS a good man I almost murdered. And 2. 'How many good guys are left, how many stayed that way' is a question he should have been asking about himself all along. It's a line straight out of Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." There's a powerful irony that Bruce was so focused on Superman *maybe* going bad he didn't realize he WAS becoming a villain. The tragedy of Superman's death is compounded by the fact that because of his death, Batman never gets a chance to sort things out with Superman.  Which sets up and demarcates Bruce's mission, motivation and single-mindness for the next movie where he brings the Justice League together.

This is not "Batman" anymore. This is not Superman *yet*. I'm wondering why it's so hard for people to stop, look at the film and realize this. Superman is a new-born superhero. Batman has been a part of the Gothamite's lives for more than 20 years. People call it unrealistic or something that neither hero reacts how they would in thier superheroing prime. Neither hero IS in thier prime. Supposedly Batman hates Superman for clear obvious reasons but Superman has no reason to hate Batman? Well, *Superman* doesn't. But Clark Kent has a pretty clear reason for at least mistrusting a vigilante who tramples on the law and civil liberties, scares people/beats people up completely unprovoked. He actually calls Batman on it in front of Bruce Wayne. People see this movie fail thier own expectations, and write it off as trash. But if you see this movie in the context of this universe, you see it for the brilliant, fresh and relevant story that it was made to be. It's just...people can't see it outside of Christopher Reeve's standard or something.

Superman & Lois: A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events (2021)

AWESOME alone. Confusing to some

This episode is awesome, spectacular and sets this world apart from any others in a lot of cool ways. Most of which come out in Lois' interview with the man of Steel. Usually Superman is assumed to have landed on Earth only a few months before he showed himself to the world. In this universe Superman admitted right off that he came to Earth when he was young and grew up here.. Usually Lois swoons over Superman and ignores Clark, to varying degrees until she accepts Superman as a friend and Clark as a partner. It's refreshing to see Lois choose Clark over Superman from the get-go. But this episode does raise one huge question that actually has bothered people -purists- the entire show

In Dean Cain's Lois and Clark and in Smallville it is established that Superman's physiology is incompatible with an earth woman's for having kids. They can have sex but they cannot procreate. What we think of as Kryptonian physiology prevents it. Even in the rest of the arrow verse. In Supergirl, Lois was able to get pregnant because they were on Argo at the time of conception. No yellow sun meant Clark was fully human. But that is not mentioned here. In fact Supergirl and Argo are not mentioned at all. It's actually a valid confusion on the part of so many fans how Clark can have kids being an alien and all that. But it's not an assumption just because he's an alien. Normally Superman specifically *can't have kids. But in this continuity, it's no problem. They have 2 biological sons. The rules and expectations literally don't apply. The plus side is once we realize they aren't supposed to. That some assumptions the rules that have been established for us over so long aren't supposed to fit here, we can stop shredding the series for not explaining things or for not being consistent and just enjoy the show for what it is. And this episode does a Brilliant job of setting the series apart.

Also I freaking Love Clark's sincerity and Openness talking to Tal-Rho, in the hospital. As Clark is pleading with him not to hurt his kids and Tal says 'how little you understand me' Tal is actually right. But misguided Clarks statement was, it was heartfelt and a desperate cry of a father. Which of course makes me laugh at the irony that Clark's statement "Whatever it is you want, threatening MY family is not how you'll get it." As later that is exactly how Tal gets what he came for. "I'll do whatever you ask, just leave my family alone." And he leaves with Tal, knowing he'll probably be turned against the people of Earth. Btu to keep his family safe, and possibly buy more time for John Henry and General Lane to collaborate, he surenders.

Smallville An Innovative show that ran for 10 seasons and managed to stay cool

 Smallville 8/10 stars 8 and 10 are epically stupid seasons the rest are SUPER COOL

Some of the innovations of the show like red Kryptonite having a consistent physical reaction and his pod landing obscured by a meteor shower were pretty inspired. Season four with awesome writing and character development, just seemed a little awkward. And rushed. It's like they didn't know if the show would keep going so they pushed ahead like a steam truck until they realized they were being renewed. Fortunately the show DID keep going because I LOVED Lionel's redemptive arc.  In season 4 Lionel seemed to grow if not a conscience an awareness of certain Kryptonian things. And is the 3 following seasons he was established as Jor-El's vessel and a dedicated Ally to Clark. Even if Clark didn't always understand why. At first Clark was understandably reluctant to trust him but came to the conclusion that they did need him. season 5 and season 6 finales had Clark's hand at Lionel's throat.  The beginning of Season 7 they literally embraced each-other as friends. and all of that went out the window because of something Lionel had done just before the series premiere. Suddenly Lionel had been nothing but a liar and a false friend these past 3 years and they never should have trusted him. And suddenly he was directly responsible for everything Lex was doing that season, he was behind it all...to Clark and Chloe's mind.  He died protecting Clark's secret, died murdered by his own son and even though they comforted themselves that they finally knew where he really stood and mourned thier loss/his sacrifice, they never actually admitted they'd been wrong, or how tragic it was that such a loyal friend died alone and friendless because they didn't believe him anymore. Because they "saw the truth about him". They never admitted they'd been wrong about him. Season 8 was horrible, contrived full of lies, betrayal and suspicions of infidelity. 2 new characters one misguided, one a liar and Jimmy Olsen goes so far off the deep end I'm wondering who ELSE was on drugs when they made that season. I don't know anyone who would watch a Superman show and want to see that. To sum up, seasons 4 and 8 are the stupid ones. Season 9 was awesome for so many reasons, most of them having to do with developing and humanizing both  Oliver Queen and Major Zod as well as Jor'el so effectively. The one thing I want to cure everyone from thinking is "The last 2 seasons sucked." Season 8 was the Jimmy Olsen, Doomsday, Davis Bloom soap-opera disaster that had Oliver actually use kryptonite on Clark while in control of himself. (he wasn't in control of himself at 8x01 he was in the end when he rallied the rest of his team against Clark) And ended in Jimmy Olsen's death. Season 9 was everything fans of Batman or Superman would want. It even had Julian Sands being Jor-el and the most awesome dark and broody General Zod one could hope for. Except he really was Major Zod...he hadn't destroyed Krypton yet. Season 10 was the other 'bad' season. That was because they were trying to fit every single bad guy from the DC animated universe in at once...into a show that was originally more about Clark than Kal'el at all. These were bad guys Justice League fans would love. But Superman never faced alone. I am a fan of Superman in stand alone animated or live action series. I hadn't seen ANY Justice League adventures at the time so I was completely lost. I'm glad I stuck it out even after the abysmal season 8. Everyone is in rare, even strangely enthralling form in the last two seasons. I'm sure you will be pleased to stick it out.

During season 5 of the show, the Brain-Interactive Construct aka Milton Fine aka Brainiac says to Lex: I'm not one of them, I was only built by them. Speaking of course of Kryptonians. Season 9 was awesome for so many reasons, most of them having to do with developing and humanizing former loner and master archer Oliver Queen into a team player and devoted friend to Clark A process that had been in development for a while and cemented in season 9 with them being brothers. It also expounded on the personal history and motivations of Jor'el as that was a powerful arc.