Goodbye Summer 2016

It's finally that time of the year folks. Summer is mercifully fading away, leaving it's wretched temperatures, bugs, and piss poor TV behind and making room for the best four months of the year. Right now it's that strange transitional period as we take in the last few pieces of one season before sending kids back to school and indulging in pure autumnal glory. It's a very exciting time, especially if like me you've got a healthy sized check ensuring plenty of seasonal novelties.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. Today we'll have a little show and tell as sort of a send-off to Summer and welcoming hug to Fall. We can also consider it the official start of Halloween coverage though I don't plan on diving in completely just yet. I respect September as it's own sub-season before the big October onslaught. Now let's talk about junk food.

The newest resurgence in the ave of 90's nostalgia, Crystal Pepsi has returned to shelves in full force. Despite the fact that I was a cola guzzling kid back when this stuff originally came out I've got almost zero recollection of it. I suppose it was something we never bothered with at my house, opting instead for our usual drinks. This re-release isn't an exact replica either as features like caffeine have been added to the formula. Guess that means I'll never know the true nature of classic Crystal Pepsi. As far as life regrets go, I can live with that one.

Flavor wise Crystal is actually pretty solid stuff. I've seen folks argue on both ends that it is either horrible or exactly the same as regular Pepsi. Neither argument is fully true. It tastes very much like traditional Pepsi but the slight alterations in chemical composition lends a slightly different profile and viscosity. If anything it has more of a refreshing snap to it which I find pretty spiffy. Topping the whole package is how the lack of color will make this a terrific ingredient for mixed drinks. Don't let other people scare you away, it's at least worth a try to see if you like it.

Another of the most talked about snacks lately are Swedish Fish Oreo. Based on the much hated candy that I honestly doubt many people have even tried, these science experiments are a Kroger exclusive. Question is whether they're worth a trip for anyone a decent distance from said chain. If you're an Oreo fanatic like myself, absolutely but what about normal people?

Here's the thing. It's been so long since I last tried Swedish Fish candy, I can't properly recall the experience let alone judge the accuracy of this Oreo variation. Truth be told, I was a little scared of this flavor going in, more so when I opened the bag only to be assaulted with a bizarre odor. Like any Oreo I was ready to put it through the three different tests. Consumed Normal and dry the cookies are...ok. Strange, fruity, a little off, more weird than bad. In coffee it was just way too strange. The fruitiness didn't mesh well with the bitter coffee. In milk though, that's where these guys shine. Having that strong flavor softened by the milk makes for a fine treat. Honestly, these aren't cookies for just anybody. This is something for us foodies, so if that sounds like you, go hunt some down.

Moving away from nostalgic revivals and crazy stunt snacks we've got a new Little Debbie. I was so stoked to find this having heard nothing about it's existence beforehand. That excitement resulted in a little bit of disappointment once I got them home. It's not that they're bad so much as the balance is way off. The cakes have a very strong artificial strawberry taste that nearly overpowers the fudge which leans too close to dark chocolate. So what you think is going to be a very light and energizing cake ends up being too heavy.

Also out of left field were these Jelly Belly cookies. Maybe regular Kroger shoppers are accustomed to them. I hardly ever visit the joint other than treks to get Lebanon Bologna. There were at least three flavors to chose from with cherry and some kind of berry on display though neither had the power to draw me away from the allure of citrus fruit. Essentially these are Lofthouse cookies with more potent frosting. A testament to their quality is that I barely got two out of the package before my family descended on them like hungry badgers.

The final piece of summer snacks to cover are Lay's selection of international flavored potato chips. This was a pretty lame line-up of styles with the Chinese Szechuan Chicken and Brazilian Picanha varieties offering little of value. Greek Tzatziki wasn't awful. It matched up to it's source material but without the cooling sensation that accompanies the sauce it just didn't work. The final installment, Indian Tika Masala was the only truly decent entry in the series. I wouldn't mind seeing that one stick around but the other three are best forgotten.

Now how about some fall treats? As usual, pumpkin spice has returned in full force, first off with these new Cheerios. They're a unique take on the pumpkin spice phenomenon, shying away from being too spiced while having a more natural pumpkin flavor. The effect is rather soothing as you can actually taste the puree and it has an aftertaste that can only be described as Autumn. Definitely worth a try for any cereal fans out there.

Thought we were done with pumpkin spice? No chance. Even Nurtra Grain Bars have gotten in on the fad this year. In a change from their usual jelly style filling, the pumpkin version is more of a....dare I say paste? Others in the house liked it but it doesn't quite work for me. I like the taste but it seems even more dry than normal Nutra Grain offerings. I can't easily recommend something that leaves me so feeling so damn thirsty.

While this is supposed to mark the turn towards Halloween, I must admit I was naughty and skipped ahead just a little by buying a Christmas Ornament. Forgive me Great Pumpkin, I have a good excuse. A couple years back, Hallmark released several horror themed ornaments such as Jaws, Frankenstein, and Alien. I missed out on the entire batch which stings all the more now that some of them sell for double what they did in stores. I may not ever feel comfortable paying out $30-$50 on the previous Alien but there was no way in hell I was gonna let the new Alien Queen slip by. Glad I got it as soon as I did cause these babies were going so fast, I had to buy the damn display model. She's a little lite and flimsy feeling for my liking but she'll make a fine addition to the tree all the same.

Flanking her highness are some Dorbz I picked up from Gamestop for silly cheap thanks to clearance pricing. Ronan may not have been the best villain around but who can resist his smiling genocidal face for less than the cost of a Hostess fruit pie?

That's enough random crap for now. I'm piecing together the newest Sentai recap and another Star Wars book review plus lots of Halloween goodies for you all. Right now I've gotta go have a conversation about toner. I'm just gonna leave you thinking about that.

Marvel Collector Corps June Spider-Man Unboxing

It's another disgustingly warm and sunny Summer day and I'm doing my best impersonation of a slug. Woke up feeling beat down from a combination of allergies, work, and ever so slight dehydration. Frankly it's the kind of day that is best spent with new goodies, and wouldn't you know the world provided, albeit with some issues.

Being around the time of the month that I usually receive Collector Corps boxes, I decided to check shipping info only to find it should have been here days ago. The mail carrier had chosen not to deliver under claims there was nowhere safe to leave it. My Porch is a war zone, you see. Making matters worse, they neglected to leave a note about the failed delivery so if not for the tracking info I would have been up a creek. A quick call to confirm the situation resulted in a trip to fetch my prize. Oh the trials a shut-in must endure for a box full of Spider-Man paraphernalia.

Kicking off this month's box, we've got the standard issue pin and patch. Both are in fine form this month. The pin is probably my second favorite so far, right behind the one from the Deadpool box. The patch is a cut above as well with possibly Crossbones being the only one better. Everything's good so far.

Getting to the meat of the box reveals that things are a little different this month. Most notable is the absence of a shirt. Funko took the chance at launching a new product line with their own hats. Let's get this straight, I am the furthest thing from a hat person. I find them uncomfortable at best, a war crime at worst, and just not my thing at all. On the other hand it's still a decently made lid and can actually adjust enough to accommodate my massive cranium. What worries me however is the claim that this line will only exist within the subscription boxes. Please wait a while before bringing more goddamn hats into my life will ya Funko?

This month's comic is Amazing Spider-Man #16 by Dan Slott which marks an odd return to nt inducing a number one issue with each box. What's on offer here is something of a transitional story that's busy lining up the pieces for an upcoming event. Decently written with good art, it's nothing to scuff at but if you're not a Spider-Man regular I'd imagine this book could make you crosseyed.

Time for the main event, all those nifty Funko toys we love so much. Let's talk about the Pop first as it's honestly the lesser item this time around. It's just plain old spidey in a swinging pose. Yea it's one of those posed Pops with a clear stand, otherwise it's just a fairly standard Spider-Man. We don't get one of his alternate costumes or anything. I for one was hoping for something like Superior Spider-Man or maybe even Ben Reilly, something more unique at least. I've got nothing against this figure. Hell, I probably would have bought it had it been sold in stores. My issue is that it's disappointing to see Funko not fully utilize the theme. I'll come back to that though as there is one item that made me very happy

To my knowledge this is the first Funko Fabrikation to make its way into the subscription boxes and boy am I ever glad it did. If you've never encountered one, the element that separates Fabrikations from other plush lines is the use of various textured fabrics. On Spider-Man for instance the blue portions are if a sort of a leathery vinyl while the red is more fuzzy, and even the webbing and eyes have their own unique textures. I'm more than happy to finally count one of these among my Funko collection.

Getting back to my earlier complaint it feels like Funko is getting lazy on the theme. I'm fine with getting a box of strictly Spider-Man items since he's one of my favorite characters but one can't help but feel let down that none of the villains or other spider folk got to tag along for the ride. Moreso than June's Women of Power box there's a distinct lack of enthusiasm with this offering. Combined with the fact that this box has less stuff than usual and it all seems a bit skimpy. None of this if so irritating as to drive me away just yet. The simple fact is that the first three installments of Collector Corps I received left me feeling satisfied and a little giddy. This is the second in a row to leave me feeling sort of blah. I know these folks can do better and they're gonna get at least one more chance since October's theme is Doctor Strange, and I'm very eager to get my paws on that one. Whether I continue on from there or switch up and try some other boxes remains to be seen.

Some website news for you all. I've got an event report over on Dread Central, and there's at least two more articles happening here before the month is out. I've been working on setting up some long editorials and retrospectives on a couple other sites so there's a good chance you'll be seeing a whole lot more of me soon. That almost sounds like a threat, doesn't it? That's it for now, you all stay classy.

Star Wars Book Club: Heir to the Jedi Review

Looking at the tail end of my previous Star Wars review reminds me not just how excited I was to be free of working at the Alzheimer home but of all the plans I had for my immediate and long-term future. It may seem like this rambling has nothing to do with a Star Wars review but this is honestly a short hand version of today's book. A scatterbrained tale that makes constant pit stops while the theme of personal development struggles to hold the the plot together.

Kevin Hearne's Heir to the Jedi has a unique history. It was originally intended as the final piece in a trilogy project from the old expanded universe. That original series has been about the individual adventures of the three main characters between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. Somewhere down the line it was decided that this final installment would be allowed into new continuity. This was probably an easy decision if the original manuscript was anything like the finished project as this is very much a contained story.

Similar to our last tale, Aftermath this has so far been one of the less well received installments in the new EU. The most common complaint is how the story feels like the fetch quests of Luke Skywalker. To certain extent this is true. In fact, I was reminded of the old game Yoda Stories, a randomly generated adventure game where players controlled Luke as he undertook a constant barrage of chores for different people in order to get items he needed for a greater goal. The first third of this novel in particular feels a lot like that old game.

When everything starts up, Luke has to go broker a deal with some shady weapons traders for the Rebellion. Along the way he intervenes in a dogfight saving a vessel. While on Rodia, and working on making a deal he goes with a new quittance to the tomb of her uncle, a former Jedi Knight and even gets to take the guys lightsaber. Upon returning to the rebel fleet, Luke is congratulated for saving that random vessel as it was actually carrying important information about a top notch cryptographer in Imperial custody. He's teamed up with a young woman named Nakari but there ship isn't equipped for such a dangerous mission. They visit the girls businessman father in order to seek out funds for upgrades which results in him sending them to recover information from a scouting crew he sent to a newly discovered moon. During this leg of the journey the pair must contend with vicious, brain-eating monsters....really. After that they continue on to have the ship upgraded, gather information about their target, and only then do they attempt the rescue mission which makes up the rest of the book with pit stops of its own.

Sounds pretty scatterbrained, doesn't it? Here's the thing, the primary theme of the book is Luke attempting to increase his knowledge of the force while navigating life as a war hero. Overall the author does a decent job of keeping these elements in focus yet there are still portions like the trip to Rodia that hardly provide anything of merit.

It's kind of a shame the storyline is so lacking as the writing isn't half-bad. Reading Luke's growing relationship with potential love-interest Nakari is charming. Not to mention Drusil, the Givin cryptographer they was sent to rescue provides some great interactions with the pair.

Still, the fun characters can't completely save the book from poor pacing as it makes one side trip after another. The portion with the brain-eating bug creatures comes out of nowhere. Similarly much of the violence within this book is way beyond the usual Star Wars laser blasts. Generally when someone gets shot with a blaster, the result is them falling over with a singe mark. Here, a blaster may well equal a cranial explosion.

What's most important though is whether the book's any good. The answer is...sorta. It's definitely a lower class of Star Wars tale, down there with Aftermath but it can still make for fun reading. As I mentioned earlier the character interactions are charming, plus there's the classic pulp adventure feel to the entire story. On the downside there's the poor pacing that holds back the primary goal of the story for far too long. Basically it's not a total waste of your time if you choose to read it but it's a far cry from being essential reading. Thanks to it's tight focus on one hero and the more adventurous tone I am going to rank it one spot higher than Aftermath. Let's look at the books so far.

1. Lost Star by Claudia Gray
2. New Dawn by John Jackson Miller
3. Tarken by James Luceno
4. Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne
5. Aftermath by Chuck Wendig

Alright, my original intent was to have this done and posted last night. That plan was quickly derailed by the need to wake up early for one astoundingly odd day at work counterbalanced by a quick shopping trip. Got some neat article fodder while I was out. As you can probably guess from the photo at the top of this post I've got some other Star Wars stuff to talk about as well. Pretty much what I'm telling you is to keep an eye peeled for new content cause I've got things planed for here and other sites plus the Halloween season starts at the beginning of September. Before you know it, kids will be back in school, temperatures will start to chill, and the best months of the year will be ours to enjoy.

Suicide Squad Review. Spoilers by the Pound.

It's a little hard to believe it but this weekend marked the fifth comic book flick I've seen in theaters this year. Suicide Squad, the third attempt from DC Comics and Warner Bros at turning out an actual decent film in their own interconnected cinematic universe. You've probably heard already that it made oodles at the box office over the weekend. Then again, so did Batman V Superman during it's opening weekend all through what would be for most movies a respectable run. Sadly that movie cost so much it's still considered somewhat of a financial failure. One element the two films do share at the box office is steep-decline in ticket sales from Friday to Saturday. Who knows how it'll far over the following weeks but for now we can discuss the quality of the film. This is going to be a very spoilerific review so if you feel the need to see this film with as much surprise as can be then don't read this. Do know however that I very much urge you to save your time and money by doing pretty much anything other than seeing this thing.

Similar to the previous DC effort, this thing is very messy so I'll be taking it on in chunks ,

What is supposed to pass for plot occurs almost entirely within the the first 40 or so minutes of the film. Amanda Waller wants to form a team of the worst super-criminals she can find in order to combat threats from metahumans, aliens, demons, you name it. One of her prime candidates for this team is June Moone, an archaeologist possessed by an ancient witch known as Enchantress. Amanda keeps this particular fiend on a leash by stashing the witch's heart in an explosive lined suitcase on her side at all times.

On the night the team is given clearance to be formed, Enchantress tries to take back her heart only to find it inaccessible. Instead she teleports into Waller's closet to find the statue containing the spirit of her evil brother Incubus. Yeah...Waller knows these statues can house evil spirits so she just keeps one unprotected in her house. Offended by the notion that humans worships machines, the sibling pair of Enchantress and Incubus take over Midway City and construct a beam of light that will eventually kill everyone. The Squad is sent in without proper briefing as to these events and is told to rescue someone important within the city....that's about it. Oh, and the Joker wants his girlfriend back. The rest is mostly bickering, backstabbing, and slow-motion battles against magical pimple people.

Will Smith as Deadshot

Arguably the main character of this tale, I mean he must be since we get like three different introductions for him. Deadshot is a hitman who never misses a shot. Seems simple enough but he's got a soft spot for his teenage daughter who wants him to stop killing people for money. When spending time with her around Christmas, Deadshot is taken into custody by Batman who corners the pair in an alleyway and announces he'd prefer not to do this in front of the girl, only to then beat Will Smith in front of the kid.

Think about that for a bit. Batman, a supposed hero, forged by the moment in his life when faceless goons killed his parents in an alley shows up and starts a fist fight in front of a child. He couldn't wait the 20 minutes for the girl to be walked home? Adding to this little pile of misery is the girl stepping in between the two of them while her dad points a gun at the capped asshat. This scene is bad enough as is but then it gets brought up again. During the final fight, Deadshot is about use Harley Quinn's gun to shoot a pack of dynamite in order to destroy the magical death machine. Enchantress presents visions of his daughter once again in front of him, begging him not to fire. He mans up enough to take the shot and when he does, I kid you not, the revolver chamber on Harley's gun which has words written all over it (everything does) rotates to the word “love” with this world saving bullet. I nearly threw my hands up in defeat and walked out except I'd already endured and hour and fifty minutes of this nonsense.

Deadshot is in sort of an odd balance. While I see plenty of the comic character here, there's also a lot of Will Smith in his classic summer movie leading man routine. It's a mode I've not seen him in for a long time and while it's sort of an old hat his performance is still one of the better things the movie has going for it. He's mostly charming and enduring if a bit too soft for someone who's supposed to be a hardened killer.

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn on the other hand is not so solid. Essentially the second hero of our tale, Harley is occasionally enduring but more often than not just plain annoying. Even the way Margot plays the part is wishy washy. Sometimes she's got the classic gangster movie girlfriend voice going, other times not at all. Sometimes her comedic timing is spot on, then it's nowhere to be found.

Likewise the writing for Harley Quinn is all over the map. The movie wants to do everything with her at the same time. She's a victim of an incredibly abusive relationship yet it's still played up as some rebellious love affair for the ages. Continuing on that trend, she's Joker's willing pet but some symbol for female empowerment. She's ditsy and goofy yet has better aim and combat abilities than an entire team of Navy Seals. The fuck?

There's not really any development for her at all through the story. It's supposed to be a big deal that she makes friends with the team but that really doesn't seem like much of a stretch for someone who is in essence a violent child. It wouldn't surprise me at all if her more importance scenes were left on the cutting room floor where reportedly much of the Joker sequences were left to rot.

Speaking of which, Jared Leto as the Joker is......well shit. I don't really know what he is. Neither did the filmmakers for that matter. For one there's no real reason for him to be in this movie other than executives understanding that people like the Joker.

Leto's performance is odd to say the least. Imagine Jim Carrey's Riddler matched up with Al Pacino's Scarface, then remove any attempt at class. He moans, growls, fondles, the whole shabang. There's a chance that his version might have worked if not for one huge fatal flaw, he doesn't do anything all that evil. His henchmen take more lives than he does. At worst he tortures Harley with electroshock but at the time she's giggling like a madwoman in anticipation so it loses it's impact.

When trying to rescue his ladylove, Joker opens fire on the squad and no one is hurt. He kidnapped a scientist to disarm the bomb implanted in her neck yet he doesn't take the opportunity to free the other villains and cause further chaos. Hell. Even his texts are dull. It's just shit like “I”m almost there.” If I'm getting a text from Joker it better be a beautiful marriage of Popsicle jokes and dirty limericks.

The whole non-threatening villain angle is a huge issue throughout the movie. They keep telling us how nasty these people are but there's no evidence to support it. This issue deepens with the Joker since he's supposed to be even more evil than everyone else. Instead he just seems like another goof ina costume.

Viola Davis fares somewhat better as Amada Waller but the writing does her zero favors. I've already mentioned the evil spirit containing statue in the closet but here's another one for ya. She's the V.I.P. The team is sent to rescue. Why they weren't allowed to know this is beyond me as it's a needless twist and she'd already secured their cooperation via neckbombs.

She's in her own mini command center with a small supply of Argus agents working for her. When the team arrives to bail her out she immediately kills the aforementioned agents because this was all above their clearance level. If it's above their level then why on Earth are they in your personal bunker to begin with? Plus you just killed a batch of highly trained workers within your own agency. This makes the untested experimental team of super-criminal killers your personal escort.

Soon enough she's involved in the third major helicopter crash of the film. Don't worry, she's fine. people shake off helicopter accidents in this thing like they tripped on the curb. She does get taken hostage for the remainder of the film which keeps the writers from making an even bigger mockery of her. Her cronies on the other hand aren't so lucky.

Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg is just the worst. I mean the character is awful. He looks and acts like a methhead with penis envy. In every scene, even ones based in a decent air conditioned hotel room he's sweating like he's got withdrawals and perhaps that would explain his behavior.

When he first meets the squad it seems like he's going to treat than with more respect than others have in the past. He doesn't back down from Killer Croc, and is impressed by Deadshot's abilities. Ten minutes later he's criticizing Deadshot as a coward who'll turn tail at the start of trouble. Five minutes after that he says he'll kill Deadshot if he turns tails. Then he gains respect for him again, then he hates everyone again even after they save his dumb ass multiple times over.

Kinnaman's acting isn't much better than the character either. Wonky line delivery, and almost zero charisma. He's just bad here. Not to mention I don't for an instant buy his romance with June Moone.

While we're on that topic, perhaps Cara Delevingne should feel blessed to get this role out so early in her career. This role ranks as one of the most pointless, and regrettable villains in comic book movie history. The girl maybe has five or six lines in her human form that she stumbles through. She spends the majority of the film dancing, poorly mind you, in front of the CG doom machine she's crafted. All lines within that portion are delivered by another actress. So for at least half of this two hour movie this girl and her eyebrows bob, weave, and lip sync in front of a green screen with little motivation.

There is an actual fight scene against the Enchantress, luckily the lights get turned way down low to make it easy to hide who's actually doing the fighting. What's great is that this fight ends after like four minutes when Enchantress uses her magic to disarm the entire squad. If you could do that in the first place then why the fuck did you get in a fist fight with these people?

Alain Chanoin plays the other baddie, Incubus. In truth it's just a big pile of orange, glowy CG shit that does little more than fire tentacles at people. The battle with him includes possibly the most embarrassing moment of the night, but first we have to talk about something that's actually kind of good.

Jay Hernandez as El Diablo is one of the very few good things about the movie. A fire-conjuring gang banger covered in countless tattoos who's taken a vow of peace after some terrible event changed his life. The scene where he reveals his secrets to the squad is the easily the best part of the movie. Most of his performance is likewise above most of the others as he's asked to play things more calm and cool.

Sadly, this all flies out the window during the final showdown. After using his personal guilt to break through some of Enchantress's illusions, El Diablo starts going on about how these are his people, and he already lost one family, he won't lose another. Then he turns into a big Aztec fire skeleton thing and fights the other blob of orange CG, and I weep for the future.

Poor guy sacrifices himself but you don't really buy it since their getting taken out by a bomb. Do bombs even work on guys that turn into fire skeletons? They must cause you never see him again. Oh and for future reference, explosions beat magic too.

You may not believe it but there's even more people to talk about. Jai Courtney is in this as Captain Boomerang. The more appropriate title for him would be drink Aussie who occasionally uses boomerangs. Think of him as the Hawkeye of this picture since like that archer's early appearance there's not a lot for him to do. They try to make him the comic relief even though there's plenty of jokes from the others. His fighting isn't anything all to special either. He uses his boomerangs but he doesn't do anything really special with em. It's like having a guy who knows secret kung-fu that you find out is just regular kung-fu.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's Killer Croc was just a bad idea. He looks like something out of the Super Mario Bros movie, his lines aren't funny, and that's when you can actually understand the lines. Between his attempts at a deep southern accent, pounds of make-up, and some ADR pitch changes after the fact only half his lines can be understood. It's not the biggest problem around though since he mostly stands in the background and growls.

Karen Fukuhara as Katana is something I'm amazed the movie hasn't gotten in trouble for. Even in the comics this character is pushing the Japanese stereotype shit a bit far. About the only thing missing here is a gong every time she makes an appearance. Once again this isn't helped by an almost complete lack of development. Her only scene of moderate depth comes right before the last fight when she's blubbering and talking to her dead husband. It's totally out of left field after she's spent the entirety of the film doing generic sword poses and muttering about justice and bloodshed.

Adam Beach is around for like six mintues as Slipknot before he tries to escape and his head bloodlessly explodes. It comes as no surprise since he's the one squad member without an introductory flashback.

There's a batch of Navy Seals supporting the group throughout the film, the most prominent being GQ as played by Scott Eastwood. I understand Hollywood wants to bank on this guy's name and that woman think he's pretty but he's about as interesting as a tax form..

There's so much else I could go on about. The bloodlessly violence, the lazy pacing, the astoundingly generic soundtrack composed of every song you were tired of by age ten. Spirit in the Sky, check. Sympathy for the Devil, check. Fortunate Son, check. Bohemian Rhapsody, you better believe it. It's just bad, and not even amazingly bad, just lame, pathetic, and bland.

I'm not even sure why this is the third film in DC's slate. Nothing happens, there's no grand development. For as craptastic as Batman v Superman was, it at least had progression and expanded their universe.

For a direct comparison to other films, leaving the theater after this I felt about the same as I did way back in 1997 after watching Spawn. Both are poor attempts at cinema that try so desperately to be edgy and hardcore without anything to back it up.

So that's the third DC shared universe film down. So far their batting average is shit. Wonder Woman at least looks like it's trying to be a real movie so maybe that can help earn them a little credit. As it stands they haven't even made a film that can match up to their CW shows. You guys got a long way to go.