Gautam Krishna

I'm yet to meet someone that has declared this movie as a failure, or even a mediocre one. That's testament to the fact that this movie might be the greatest comicbook movies of all time. Not because it has Heath Ledger's menacing Joker, or Christian Bale's no-nonsense Batman, or Hans Zimmer's soundtrack that glimmers with mournful hope, or even the Nolan brothers' masterfully convoluted screenplay. Sure, these attributes contribute to the mass-appeal of the movie, but that's not all. If you cut through the layered characterisation and complex plot structure, you'll encounter a philosophy that's so cynical in nature that it offends you to the core yet still manages to make you shake your head in approval, because the idea of the innocent and pure being as dark and dirty as the ones they despise is a truth that we're not quick to agree with. But as you watch the secrets unravel, the guilt ooze from the cracks in their moral codes, and the white knight become as vile and erratic as the agent of chaos that unleashed him, you'll realise that this is not your typical comicbook movie. The way it's presented might seem commercial, though what you'll find inside this nicely wrapped giftbox may not be a pleasant surprise.

Joss Whedon's Justice League was a colossal failure, a failure that is so painful to even just think about. And so, I assumed that fans demanding for Snyder's version of the same story that has been told many a time in other movies, primarily because Snyder does not have a good track record of movies, and his vision is usually polarising. Nevertheless, I had huge expectations for this movie, and what can I say, except they have all been fulfilled. Okay, most of them. Let's start with the bad stuff: This movie is 4 hours long. It's a given, because there are so many extra scenes and reshoots, but the slow motion scenes are what make the lengthy runtime extremely obvious. Danny Elfman's score was the only redeeming feature of the theatrical cut, and while he did not return for Snyder's cut, Tom Holkenborg, A.K.A. Junkie XL, did a terrific job. However, the absurd and god awful wailing and battle cry effects in Wonder Woman's sequences makes the watching experience awkward at times. Jared Leto's Joker is horrible and at this point, it is fairly certain that he will likely not improve. That is not to say that Leto is a bad actor. He is quite capable. Just not maniacally capable. Now, onto the good stuff. The cinematography is brilliant. The 4:3 ratio, or more commonly known as the Academy ratio in Hollywood, was a bit irksome at first, but then the style began appealing to me. Though the film looks a but too unsaturated for me, it does a good job of maintaining a dark tone overall. Each and every frame is skilfully shot and the level of details is stunning. The script is tight. Zack Snyder and co. did a wonderful job of getting to the point of the story, unlike Joss Whedon's version that had Marvel-esque quipping and badly placed jokes that break the characters. Speaking of characters, Cyborg was hugely improved from the original version, an improvement so huge and essential to the story, I cannot even bring myself to call the theatrical cut the "original" version. I so badly wish it wasn't. Flash makes jokes too, but they add more to his character and personality. Cyborg's suit actually looks cool here, and his flight scenes were fun to watch. Superman's lips are beautiful here. They look very natural and not like someone did a horrible job trying to remove a moustache from his face. Clark does not appear much, but when he does, it is most definitely not an eyesore and meme-worthy. Steppenwolf has a legitimate motive in this movie and gives Darkseid's appearances a meaning. His actions have serious consequences. He is not a ragdoll for Superman to throw around (he still was but okay spoilers, they all lose). The final scene where everyone dies and Flash taps into the speedforce to save the world was a creative way of dealing with the major problem that the ending of the "original" movie had. Overall, I would give this movie an 8/10. 1 point removed for Joker and the other for the unbelievably corny Amazonian battle cry music.

The Boys is the most realistic depiction of a world where superheroes exist. Incorporating extremely relevant aspects of life like politics, power games, hierarchies, sexism, misogyny, patriarchy, homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, Nazism, immigration issues, and terrorism, while taking jabs at the Hollywood industry, real-life figures and events is precisely why you should check out this series. Jack Quaid does an amazing job of being the window for the audience to see the world of The Boys, Karl Urban makes Billy Butcher more badass than Butcher from the original comicbook and Antony Starr is the Heath Ledger of this show, with the most maniacal and scary depiction of Homelander ever. Every scene with him is unpredictable and literally insane. The rest of the cast are equally great, but these three stick out like *spoiler!* the bone in A-Train's leg :p Must watch. You're missing out on something if you haven't checked this out yet. Solid 9.9/10.

A gold-plated turd is still a turd. The above statement might seem ridiculous to you, but I assure you, that's because it's the description of Mafia: Chapter 1. The movie *looks* like a fine work of art, but that's it. There's nothing beyond the stylish setpieces and fancy editing. The ending felt rushed and the plot twist was out of place. The director tries to portray the villain as a classy man with a penchant for Beethoven, but spectacularly fails in doing so by being unable to differentiate between a work of Beethoven and an often misattributed work made in his name. Prasanna's acting is the saving grace of this film, as even the action-packed sequences don't manage to keep the pacing of the film in check. Speaking of which, the pacing of the film was terrible. So terrible that I managed to watch it in just one and a half hours. The only reason why I didn't quit watching is because I thought it'd get better, but my assumption was quite wrong. If you want to watch this movie, do so at your own risk.