Let’s start with the good; Batman Ninja looks gorgeous. The smoother CGI and cel animation threw me for a loop because I’m still used to some of the herky-jerky action of the old hand-drawn ones, but the colours are vivid, the movements look cool and smooth and the transitions are creative. I watched it with its original Japanese audio and I had no qualms with the voice acting or the translated subtitles, but note there is a completely different set of subtitles to go with the English audio.

Film, New ReleasesJason ChenMay 23, 2018batman, ninja, batman ninja, japan, feudal, anime, afro samurai, samurai, warner bros, animation, takashi okazaki, movie, video, review, cinema, filmComment

REVIEW: ‘Justice League’ is an aggressively bland union of DC’s heroes

Set against the rage-inducing structure, annoying performances and embarrassing scripting of Batman v Superman, Justice League initially feels like a major step forward from its predecessor. At the very least, the new film has some internal logic and the ability to sustain a train of thought about a character or a plot point. But this is a limp improvement – being mostly functional doesn’t create a lot of thrills.

REVIEW: ‘Wonder Woman’ is a striking meditation on war wrapped in a solid superhero package

Happily (despite persistent rumours to the contrary) Patty Jenkins’ picture is a sturdy, involving piece of work on its own merits. It uses the broader DC universe as a stage for a reflection on the causes of war – is it something inherent in human nature, or something we can struggle to avoid? And it does so from the unique perspective of a woman being introduced to real combat (and the 20th century) for the first time. While Wonder Woman isn’t immune to the usual genre tropes (uninspiring villains, a messy climax), it’s still a great place to start; not just for female-led comic-book movies, but for the DC franchise as a whole.

Film, New ReleasesRobert SnowJune 4, 2017wonder woman, 2017, movies, cinema, film, superhero, comic book, dc, warner bros, review, criticism, superman, batman, gal gadot, chris pine, patty jenkinsComment

REVIEW: 'The Lego Batman Movie' - KAPOW! - pulls no punches

The Lego Batman Movie is another vehicle for The Lego Group – a.k.a. Danish corporation Lego A/S, worth approximately $15 billion – to sell more of its (admittedly excellent) building block toys, but unlike other previous film franchises that were made solely to sell ancillary products, it’s not clumsy. It’s a clever film that has earned the rare distinction of being both a cash cow and a genuinely entertaining 106-minute commercial.