This are a form of self-evolved A.I. beings first created by humans which eventually led to the destruction of Earth in a war which the God Emperor freed the humans from been enslaved by this machines. In the second book, Howling Dark, we meet Brethren who is a remnant of the dead machines. An extremely terrifying creature. It’s a miracle the humans succeed at defeating them.
2. The Cielcin
This is a warlike technological advanced alien race, a pawn of the “Old ones” in the Eternal war for good and evil. Responsible for massive human casualties in human history during their war with the Sollan Empire.
3. The Old Ones
The direct enemy of the “Quiet”, whose existence hinges on the victory of the Empire.
4. The Quiet
Previously thought of as a people or civilized culture from the future, but it’s revealed in the third book “Demon in white” that it’s a godlike entity like the old ones, caught up in an eternal war. It’s likely that it is born out of human advancement but we are not sure yet. It’s capable of manipulating time using present structures that exist in the universe at present.
5. Khan Sagara
The oldest living human in existence, confirmed to be over 15,000 years old. He is a legendary figure nicknamed “The King in Gold” and is part of the Extrasollerians, leader of Vorgossos, a mythical planet. How he acts reminds me of The Illusive Man from the Mass Effect game Franchise.
6. Extrasollerians
They are part of the human race that differ in ideology with other human cultures. They augment themselves with technology to the most extreme conditions. They are hated and scorned by the Sollan Empire due to this fact.
7. Sollan Empire
This is the biggest human culture that spans a sizable amount of Galaxies. It’s led by descendants of the God Emperor.
8. Normani
They are part of human society indepedent of the Sollan Empire and the Extrasollerians. They accept human-tech augmentation but in a much more conservative way compared to the extents the extrasallerians go to.
9. Jadians
Just like th Normani, they are indepedent of the Sollan Empire. Their structure is similar to the Sollan empire, the only part they differ is their religion and the extent to which they go in their genetic manipulation of humans (It’s in the extreme).
10. The Chantry
The major religious of organization of the Sollan Empire. It’s responsible for banning all A.I technology and human-tech augmentation in the empire. It also makes sure genetic manipulation is not taken to the extreme like the Jadians. It’s responsible for various human atrocities over the years in its tenure in the Empire.
When I first watched this movie for the first time, I felt like I did not have the full picture. Then flash forward to now, where the ultimate edition exists with 30 minute extra footage and I am somewhat satisfied. There are still some thematic problems with this movie, but I was able to get the full experience. I don’t know why Hollywood is scared of long movie run times. I don’t mind if a movie is 4 hours or 5, as long as I’m happy about the story the creator is telling me. Maybe I’m influenced by reading a lot. What I’m trying to say is that having re-watched the full vision of what Snyder wanted out of this movie, I felt he did that for some of the characters but he failed for others too.
The Batman origin scene at the beginning was amazing. Felt like watching comic book panels come to life. The music, the slow motion scenes and the actors were great. I especially like the quote by Bruce Wayne where he says, “In the dream, they took me to the light. A beautiful lie.” It’s a very accurate statement in that we know that life changed for Bruce Wayne after that night, it got darker both for Gotham and Bruce.
I never understood the desert scene until I watched this movie. It was more fleshed out. I loved two quotes from the desert warlord where first he says, “Men of power obey neither policy nor principle” which we see throughout this movie with Lex Luther’s manipulation of both individuals and the government. The other quote was “Ignorance is not the same as innocence.” There’s a book I read that claimed Ignorance is a sin and that statement resonates with me greatly. I try to know a bit of everything to avoid that sin.
I also loved how Louis acted like a real crime reporter, investigating the origins of the strange bullet and it paid off in the end to bring Luther into the light as the mastermind of the whole “framing superman” scenario. The committee hearing had the right amount of suspense including the bomb detonation. That was done perfectly. I also loved the scenes where different individuals were debating the question about superman in different media outlets across the world. Those kind of scenes ground the characters to the reality of our present world, where every action is subject to scrutiny, especially if it’s done in public or through social media.
I enjoyed the fact that the Gotham football team is “Shit”. There is no way they would be great with the high crime rate in Gotham. Villains strike very often in Gotham which makes time for practice been disrupted. I loved the focus on Bruce Wayne and how he has slowly grown tired and jaded and become more ruthless since the appearance of Superman. Here is a man who has been fighting crime for 20 years and you can see the scars in his body, the burnt Wayne manor, and Robins costume with joker taunting quotes. You can tell there is a long history that has occurred in this universe’s batman that we still don’t know about.
Gotham feels like a dark grimy city like is supposed to. It’s contrasted by Metropolitan city where Superman hangs his cape. I loved the quote by Bruce Wayne where he said, “20 years in Gotham Alfred, You know what promises are worth. How many good guys are left? How many stay that way?” This statement is very true, especially in the Batman comics. Gotham is a city that eats you up, it wants you to turn rotten and the dark knight has to fight that instinct every day and fight those that have surrendered to that desire.
Alfred’s banter with Bruce is comic book accurate and I appreciated that. I also loved seen Bruce do detective work, He is the world’s greatest detective and it was nice to see it briefly. Diana’s dress at the Museum gala was amazing. I expect to see more of her fashion sense going forward. Luther’s speech at the Metropolis library was ridiculous, he felt like a man who has descended a bit into madness. The Batman nightmare scenes were amazing. They reminded me of the Injustice comics where superman and most of the Justice league have gone dark. This scene brought out questions, especially when the flash showed up. I think it meant in his timeline, the Justice league was never established and Darkseid attacked while they were still working alone and that led to Superman somehow turning bad, by losing Louis lane just like the injustice comics.
I was puzzled by Wonder Woman’s quote when she says, “I have killed other things from other worlds before.” That statement brought about questions of what she has been doing since 1918, during her introduction. I feel like we will see some answers to this in the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984 movie. I also loved seen Clark acting like a reporter. That is also a big part of who he is in the comics.
There were some problems I had with this movie. The Batman casualties were unacceptable. Batman is a character whose core principle is not to kill. He never crosses that line, even in the injustice comics. Lex Luther felt like a mix between himself and the joker, which is not supposed to be the case. Luther is manipulative, a megalomaniac and a narcissist but I don’t think he is crazy. Why does Luther know Batman’s identity? I have a problem with that. The Martha scene is also a no for me. I get what Snyder was going for in these scene but I feel he could have done something else.
This movie scores a 7.9 rating and I am still hopeful for the rise of the DC Cinematic Universe.
Who is Superman? How does an Alien refugee cut-off from his past become the ever-popular symbol of Hope? Zack Snyder’s vision of the Superman character has my approval stamp all over it. When the movie first came out in 2013, a lot of Superman Comic fans had a problem with how he was characterized. I understand where they are coming from, Superman has always been the guy that lights up a room, surrounded by serious characters such as Wonder Woman and Batman in the Justice League. Ironically, he is the normal guy around the room personality wise. The argument that Superman was mopping throughout the movie, that he didn’t have is ever present smile is nonsensical to me. The Superman in the comics is a fully realized and complete character, with over 75 years of History. This movie is only about his debut in the world stage and his journey to find himself and his purpose. If he is still “mopping” in Man of Steel 2, then I will also have a problem with it.
I always like to get the bad out of the way before I delve into what I liked about the movie. The Louis’s and Superman romantic relationship was a bit rushed to me. Maybe it’s the African in me that has a problem with this. I realize things in the west move a little bit faster but my point still stands. I feel the first Kiss should have been saved in later Superman projects when the relationship between Clark Kent the reporter and his alter-ego Superman have had more time to interact with Louis. The second point is the excessive amount of Civilian casualties. I understand a fight between powerhouses such as Superman and General Zord will have major collateral damage but Superman has always been a Hero that tried to minimize collateral damage as much as he could.
There is a lot in this Movie that I like. First, the entire scene in Krypton from Kal El’s birth to the destruction of Krypton was immaculate. I also liked the fact that Jor El’s flying beast was named Haraka which is a Swahili word meaning Fast. Thumbs up for whoever wrote the script, I felt represented just by that simple name. There was also the bits and pieces of information about Kryptonian civilization we got throughout the movie. Some important points are brought out such as the fact that the civilization had flourished for 100,000 years and that a stupid change in policy, made 1000’s of years ago led to the destruction. I’m talking about planned population control, where every child born has a predetermined role with no chance of been anything else. I understand the allure of such a decision because it leads to a more stable society but it takes away the need to dream which is integral for any person in order to achieve anything. Kal-El represents freedom of choice which had been taken from the Kryptonian people years ago. This point is further established when the codex that contains every Kryptonian that will ever be born is grafted in Kal-Els cells which means he represents the entire Dead Kryptonian race.
Clark Kent’s everyday guy type of lifestyle when he is looking for answers is the other great thing in the movie. Superman, despite his overwhelming power has always represented the “little guy”. We see him as rookie fisherman, a bar waiter and even a handy man. The fact that he was raised by farmers further reinforces this belief. If you have to look up to someone, you always look to the people that have gone through similar experiences as you have. It’s the same reason why Jesus was never born from a rich or royal family since not many people can connect with that. The cooperation between Superman and the U.S army is another great positive. In the earlier Super-Hero movies in the 2000’s, there is this notion that a hero has to do everything by themselves. That has been changing slowly and that change is apparent in this movie. Superman works with Louis and also the military in order to stop Zord and his people. The victory in the end did not only belong to Superman but to everyone that contributed.
The casting was perfect. Every actor fit their own characters. This has always been a major issue with me, especially when it comes to comic book characters. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has nailed this point to a T. Henry Carvil felt like Superman. His aura was awe inspiring when he was in costume. He also felt like Clark Kent, especially during the scenes with Martha Kent and also the end of the movie when he joined the Daily Planet. His Smile at Louis was a perfect Superman smile. The music score was amazing. Hans Zimmer is always a master in every movie. Zord’s second, the short-haired bad ass chick was amazing. Every scene she was in was incredible. Superman’s suit and also the other Kryptonian costumes felt menacing. I especially liked the scene when the military makes first contact with Zord’s army. They look like kids playing military compared with the suits, ship and equipment’s that the Kryptonians are packing.
Aside from the likes and dislikes, I felt that the movie brought up some interesting continuation questions. Are all Kryptonian outposts dead in the water? I feel like this question will be answered in the future either through Lobo or Brain yak. How will Kal El’s cousin “Supergirl” be introduced? So far, the movie showed that the only surviving Kryptonians are Superman and the ones trapped in the Phantom Zone. This movie gets a solid 8.6 ratting for an excellent beginning of the Superman Character in the DC Cinematic Universe.
Wonder Woman is part of the DC Trinity alongside the Man of Steel (Superman) and the Dark Knight (Batman). Her story in the comics has always revolved around the nature of the human soul and this movie perfectly captured that. Petty Jenkins did a great job directing this movie because it felt like Wonder Woman. A lot of Directors lately have been getting super hero characters right which is great because all it means is that the future is bright for all comic book fans.
What I liked about the movie can be divided in three parts, Wonder Woman, The tone of the movie and the Cinematography. Wonder Woman’s accent is perfect. It feels exotic and authentic enough. She did not come out of Themyscira speaking perfect American or British English which some directors would overlook. Diana’s fashion sense is briefly touched upon at the beginning of the movie during her walk to the Museum. Wonder Woman’s fashion sense has always been a thing in the comics so I’m expecting great things in Wonder Woman 1984. Themyscira feels cut-off from the rest of the world. It’s beautiful to the extreme, a place I would love to visit. Wonder Woman’s armor and shield are Comic Book accurate, especially the Rebirth comics that came out in 2016.
Wonder Woman’s naivety feels real for someone who has been told half of the story of man. She knows so little and as the audience, you have no choice but to feel sorry for her as she tries to find a “bad guy” to fight in order to make man good again. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. This movie is all about Diana trying to find herself and her purpose in the world. She starts out naïve but continuously learns about man’s nature throughout the movie and ends with a conclusion that man is neither good nor evil. It’s all about choice which is very accurate.
Wonder woman in the comics always deals with issues that are morally grey. Ideological conflicts that are had to fight with fists, issues that you have to mediate between. This movie captures the core of her story and all Petty Jenkins has to do is built on it in her other movies.
I also liked the villain switch that was at the end. In earlier super hero movies, the villain is always in your face. The movie would start and you would already know who the bad guy is and all he’s about. General Lundendov was the obvious choice for Aries but we found out later that Sir Patrick is the true Aries and the irony is that he has been suing for peace while manipulating the general and Doctor Poison in the Shadows, trying to further the conflict. I never saw it coming till he was revealed and that is another plus for this movie. I also loved the fight scenes in places such as Veld, the German occupied town. Also the training montage in Themyscira was beautiful.
I also loved some of the Quotes that were in this movie. The Quote by Diana to her mother when she was leaving her home. “Who would I be if I stayed”. The Quote by Steve Trevor during his last scene with Diana. “There is no one bad gut to blame.” The Quote by Wonder Woman to Aries. “They are as you say, but so much more. “That last quote captures Diana’s ideology in the comics where she always believes in the best from everyone. She actually tries to change her villains when she captures them and I hope to see that aspect of her in her future movies.
I also loved Steve Trevor’s team. Sammy the natural actor was awesome. He is one of those guys you would love as a friend, always full of life. Chris pine and Gal Gadot were perfect in their roles. I liked both of their interactions with each other and hope to see it grow in the future. I wish the rest could be brought back in Wonder Woman 1984, but that is highly unlikely.
This movie scored an 8.8 rating for me. Excellent cinematography, great music and memorable characters. Definitely a movie to save and rewatch as many times as you can.
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