Category Archives: Superhero

Spider-Man: Brand New Day review — Peter Parker grows up

July 30, 2026 flawintheiris

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton | Written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers | 145 min | ▲▲▲▲ | In Cinemas I have to own the fact that my expectations when I walked into Spider-Man: Brand New Day were solidly mid. Like the broader culture, I think I've been suffering from a little bit of superhero fatigue,…Read More

Supergirl (2026) review — Improvement over Superman, which isn’t saying much

June 25, 2026 flawintheiris

Directed by Craig Gillespie | Written by Ana Nogueira, based on comics by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster | 107 min | ▲▲1/2 People might recall that there was a Supergirl movie back in 1984, a spin-off of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. It starred Helen Slater and didn't do so well at the box…Read More

Fantastic Four: First Steps review — Retro-futurism FTW

July 28, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Matt Shakman | Written by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer, based on comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby | 115 min | ▲▲1/2 This is a fresh approach for a Marvel movie. Anything fresh is welcome after 37 features and a whole passel of TV series in this…Read More

Superman (2025) review — Why can’t they make a good one?

July 14, 2025 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by James Gunn, based on the DC Comics character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster | 129 min | ▲▲ | Crave Welcome to the new James Gunniverse of DC Comics heroes, replacing the Zack Snyderverse, which had its fans — I wasn't one of them — but it flamed out.…Read More

Thunderbolts* review — A step in the right direction for the MCU

May 7, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Jake Schreier | Written by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo | 126 min | ▲▲▲ I've very much joined the chorus of critical voices disappointed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its first major arc wrapped up with Avengers: Endgame. There have been interesting failures, fun romps, and intriguing new characters, but little sense…Read More

Captain America: Brave New World review — Politics and a Red Hulk make a mess

February 17, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Julius Onah | Written by Onah, Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, and Peter Glanz | 118 min | ▲▲ I'm starting to think that the number of screenwriters on a Marvel movie is inversely proportional to its quality — the more there are the worse it's likely to be. But it's clear…Read More

Kraven The Hunter review — Dumb, but not dull

December 18, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by J.C. Chandor | Written by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, Kraven The Hunter created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko | 127 min | ▲▲▲△△ | Netflix The Sony/Marvel project to make movies around the villains of Spider-Man (but not featuring Spider-Man, except in their animated offerings) has been a bit…Read More

Joker: Folie à Deux review — The sequel as a corrective

October 7, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Todd Phillips | Written by Phillips and Scott Silver | 138 min | ▲▲▲△△ I'll admit, I girded myself to go see this sequel to Joker. I was no fan of the 2019 blockbuster from filmmaker Todd Phillips — it's a nihilistic, sour pill of a movie that serves up its lead as…Read More

Deadpool and Wolverine review — Laughing in the arterial spray

July 29, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Shawn Levy | Written by Levy, Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells, based on characters by Rob Liefeld, and Fabian Nicieza | 127 min | ▲▲▲△△ | Crave The single Marvel Cinematic Universe feature to show in cinemas this year arrives with a healthy amount of hype and a full-court,…Read More

Merry Little Batman review — “…And to all a Dark Knight!”

December 22, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Mike Roth | Written by Morgan Evans and Jase Ricci | 92 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | Amazon Prime The trailer tells you something about this charming seasonal diversion — it highlights a Home Alone scenario with eight-year-old Damian Wayne (Batman's son) facing off against a couple of burglars at Wayne Manor. But that's…Read More