Finally Finishing the Journey: DCAMU Part 5

So since I had posted Part 4 of my DCAMU series, a whole bunch of stuff went on. My grandmother died, I got a new job, and I became a published poet with my book available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. through digital distribution. I gave the eulogy at my grandmother’s service, so today I’m a bit wiped out. But over the course of the last couple of weeks, I finished my goal of watching all 16 DCAMU titles available through HBO Max.

Reign of the Supermen I had seen before, but seeing it again, I got a chance to focus on Lois and how her love for Clark propelled her forward. I especially enjoyed that restaurant scene between Lois and Dianna. I also saw how Lex Luthor seemed to grow a conscience, albeit a small one. I value stories where a villain does something good and noble for another person, because it shows that darkness doesn’t always have to prevail in one’s heart.

Batman: Hush I had seen before, but let’s face it, Selina is the cat’s meow. I loved her passion in the film, and I also adored her evening dress. She looked stunning in it. The story itself reminds me about what happens when we feel like we’re put into a corner and there’s no way out. Sometimes we handle our problems the wrong way, causing harm. The ending of the film made me stop and ponder about how far we struggle to go at times to make things work out for us.

So my girl Dianna in Wonder Woman: Bloodlines is stunning, beautiful, courageous, and definitely someone who can take a punch. The last battle in the film was so climatic and exciting. Dianna shows friendship can overcome evil, and even though it’s a rough tumble that can come our way, fighting for our friends and for truth and justice all add up to making the world a better place. This one is one of my favorite Wonder Woman experiences on film, either live-action or animation.

Then there’s Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. Man, what a movie. So many things to freak out (in a good way) about. When a movie has the Justice League, Teen Titans, and the Suicide Squad in it, there’s bound to be some “woah” moments. I don’t want to spoil a thing, but I loved the film. I thought it presented a case for self-reexamination, when we can evaluate our own actions and how we might change the past if we could. Darkseid is a mean SOB, and the final part of the film was so amazing because of how the whole DCAMU came together at the end. It’s something I hope others here will get a chance to see.

So this concludes my DCAMU run. I believe I have grown as a human being after watching these films. I also fell in love with Starfire along the way.

Cheers.

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I was wondering what was taking you so long.

Reign of the Supermen- easily the best of the DCAMU movies, and I call it the best Superman movie ever made. It has the absolute best villain in the DCAMU. Granted I think these movies have garbage villains on average if you take this guy away, and Orm is then number 1.

Hush- I do not hate this as much as most people, but it was way too crowded, Hush is a sucky villain, the fights were bad, and it was so rushed. A pattern I noticed is the DCAMU is at its best when focusing on Superman and at its worst when focusing on myself and Cyborg.

Bloodlines- I have seen 79 DC movies (not counting episodes packaged as movies like World’s Finest), and this is my pick for most boring and forgettable one. The only saving graces are a few lines that are unintenionally funny like Trevor calling Diana “Di” like he wants to kill her.

JLDAW- Some dumb action scenes with lots and lots of plot armor and a sucky ending, but I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy it. In fact I call it the second best DCAMU film. It is funny, it has plenty of good fights, and Superman has quite the storyline.

It is a very good summary of the franchise. A very mixed bag with big lows but some big highlights. Unfortunately is greatly, greatly inferior to the other DCAOM films, so I am glad it is over and the Lukic verse looks much superior only 2 films in.

The big issue that is reflected in this film is only myself, Robin, and Superman get spotlight (Wonder Woman is given some spotlight fights here and there, but those could easily be edited out). In fact I could probably be removed, and this whole universe makes as much sense as just a Superman/Robin crossover series. I am not sad at all to see this universe go.

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This is good conversation, as Bloodlines hit me much better than it did you. I guess it’s because my eyes are fresh to a lot of the DC universe, so my skills in fitting into line these stories mixed with other universes is a bit underwhelming. Then again, I know emotion when I see it and feel it, and I usually point out my emotion when commenting on a film.

I actually enjoyed how Robin’s character plot grew over time, seeing him as part of a team fighting for justice. He’s a superhero who was trained to kill without mercy, so I don’t expect him to convert into “Mr. Nice Robin” in a few films. I actually expect him to draw blood and fight for something, even when he’s using his words and not his blade.

I can say that my status as a critic is seriously flawed when I can’t nail down why something doesn’t work. I’m partial to storylines that don’t always make sense, because in my head, I don’t have to make sense of everything I see on screen. I see it as open to interpretation, but that’s me.

About the stuff going on, yeah, it’s been crazy. But I still have plans to enjoy DC content and chime in here in the community.

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