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I’ll have to admit, I’ve never really cared much for Superman. Sure, I liked the 1978 and its follow-up. But a superhero that’s infallible, alien, and an all-round good guy really seemed too good to be true, and subsequently, boring.

Bryan Singer’s 2006 Superman Returns just sort of brought that home and drove the final nail in the coffin. Plus Lex Luthor was terribly boringly played by Kevin Spacey.

So when I first heard they were going to reboot Superman, my reaction was “meh”. Things got a little more interesting with Zack Snyder directing. Christopher Nolan and David S Goyer then joined the fold, and things became wildly interesting, if not unpredictable.

See, Zack directed 300, the insanely macho film that no doubt blasted sales of Abs Trim through the roof. But he was also responsible for Sucker Punch. David S Goyer was the writer behind the Dark Knight Trilogy, but he also penned Ghost Rider. The tipping point ultimately came down to Christopher Nolan. Once his name was down, I was sold.

I think the very first order of business, even prior to getting the film greenlit, was to ensure Superman was right and ready for a 2013 audience, and that must be retiring his red underwear, which they thankfully did. I mean, no respectful superhero would ever wear their underwear on the outside, right?

Feeling more snug after the underwear location switch.

Luton Warning: Spoilers from here on out.

Man of Steel is a reboot of the tale of Superman. As such, the action starts in the heart of Superman’s real home; Krypton.

Krypton as a planet is dying. Natural resources have been milked, and the planet is on the verge of imploding.  Jor El (Russell Crowe), a badass scientist, warned the council (they looked like one anyway) as much, but were soundly unheeded. At the same time, technology has evolved to the point that babies were now being bred, and their DNA infused with their destinies long before they take in their first breath of air.

Aside from the very immediate threat of planetary destruction, they also have to deal with a coup from General Zod, the Kryptonian military leader. It is against this backdrop of calamity that we see the birth of Kal El, the first natural born boy in more than a thousand years. (So he is as much alien on his home planet as he is on Earth!)

I am your father

I think this is the most we have seen of Krypton in terms of world-building in films, and it’s really a beauty to behold. And this is just the beginning of the film!

Once we see the space pod with baby Kal El shot out to space, we zoom back to earth, and witness an adult Clark Kent trying to fit in with the humans, while hiding his abilities, trying to discreetly save people he encounters in distress, AND find himself.

No wonder he’s too bummed out to shave.

From this point on, we zig zag back and forth in time, as we’re shown snippets of Clark’s childhood years as and when its needed so we know his motivations for his actions. Sort of like the LOST flashbacks.

Meanwhile, an anomalous object is discovered buried in 20,000 years of ice, which leads both Lois Lane to cover, and Clark to investigate in a bid to find out more about his origins. It turns out to be an old scoutship, that when turned on, acted as a beacon for ol Zod to hone in to Earth for revenge.

The third act consists on one big brawl between Kryptonians, and an army of humans trying desperately to make any sort of dent on the fight. While many have commented that the fight went on for too long, that there was too much destruction and Superman’s apparent nonchalance for the violent deaths of what must be tens of thousands of peole on Metropolis. I say well, he’s a little busy right now, trying to save the other 6 billion people or so.

He can’t possibly save every cat on the planet!

The action sequences, for the first time, made Superman’s extreme speed and strength very apparent. And I think Zack Snyder really did a great job with this.

Overall, I think the film made Superman relevant, and therefore, cool, again. In other words, all superheroes need to have daddy issues. Or at least a drinking problem.

Nsunga Rating: 9/10

Also, a Lois Lane that my wife doesn’t hate? That must be a good thing!

Eastereggs: Look out for the LexCorp tower among a blaze of asteroids, and a Wayne Enterprises logo on a satellite that Zod destroys.

It’s almost too easy to join in the bandwagon and slam M. Night Shyamalan’s latest directorial effort, After Earth. Afterall, its not really that good.

But then again, I don’t think it deserves the 11% it’s currently ranking on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sure, there’s a lot that could have been done better, but at the end of the day, After Earth was actually… decent. Will Smith as Cypher Raige literally has a sit-down role, as he guides his son Jaden Smith / Kitai Raige through a 100km series of obstacles to earn his badge as an action star.

When I grow up, I wanna be just like my dad!

A lot of criticism was levelled on Jaden Smith for not having the screen charisma his father has, but I thought he did a good job, plus, he’s only fifteen.

The plot of the film is painfully simple. A spaceship crash lands on Earth (1000 years after humans evacuated it). Everyone dies except Will and Jaden. A rescue beacon sits 100km away, in the tail section that broke off in the crash. Will is injured, and Jaden has to make the perilous journey alone to retrieve the beacon.

However, if you’re interested, there’s a huge backstory to be unearthed.

Ultimately, the Shyamalayan twist in this film, is that it did not suck. Too badly.

Rating: 5/10

I must confess, I’ve only ever been exposed to JJ Abrams’s version of Star Trek, so this review would be coming from a non trekkie. That said, disclaimer #2 would be that I’m a huge fan of JJ.

Following the 2009 reboot of  Star Trek, JJ and gang maneuvered themselves into a situation whereby an alternate universe situation freed themselves from canon, and they were free to pursue new adventures, or in this case, repackage an old adversary. This time round, with all the introductions and backstory out of the way, they were free to jump straight into the action.

Surrounded by Red Shirts… I think I’ll be fine.

And the action starts on planet Nibiru, where Kirk immediately violates Prime Directive by exposing themselves to a primitive civilization in a bid to rescue Spock, who himself is knee deep in an active volcano trying to rescue the civilization. Meanwhile, back on Earth in London, a terrorist bombing by Starfleet commander John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) calls for a meeting in which all the starfleet commanders gather in a small room with floor-to-ceiling glass windows (Yeap, they didn’t really think this through).

John Harrison turns out to be a cover identity, whose real name is actually.. KHAN! A genetically engineered superhuman who has superior mental and physical strength over ordinary humans. He was woken from suspended animation by Admiral Marcus and had his 72 crew members held hostage, to develop advanced weaponry for him, so he could wage war against the Klingons.

Its up the motley crew of Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Bones and Chekov to stop him. Stop him they will, and have fun watching them you will too.

Oh, and the best part of this movie experience was watching it while on holiday in San Francisco in Imax 3D, and watching mayhem unfold IN San Francisco onscreen, as that’s where the Starfleet Academy is located. Beyond cool!

Rating: 8/10

Aside from watching out for homages and references to the original Trek series, there’re also signature JJ trademarks such as lens flares, and the appearance of Slusho, the fictional slurpee type drink he’d created since Alias. Slusho has since found its way into Heroes, Fringe, Super8, Cloverfield, and of course, both Star Treks.

He’s also apparently placed R2D2 in all of his movies. Coincidentally, he’s been tapped to direct Star Wars 7, so hopefully R2 will have a bigger role than a flyby in that one?

It seems like right now, JJ Abrams and Joss Whedon can do no wrong.

(This review may contain spoilers, so if you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest skipping this post.)

Phase II of Marvel’s superhero mashup begins proper with Ironman 3, the first of the standalones after the hugely successful ‘Avengers’. Set a few years after the events of New York, Tony Stark gets even more obsessed with his toys, creating more and more advanced Iron Man suits in anticipation of further threats to the world.

In the meantime, a mysterious terrorist going by the name The Mandarin has taken credit for a series of bombings with increasing intensity. When one such attack resulted in critical injuries to Happy Hogan, Stark decides enough is enough, and issues a personal challenge to The Mandarin, who promptly destroys his home.

He barely escapes the attack, and while pursuing The Mandarin, finds clues that leads him to Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M), and its CEO Aldrich Killian, and his research into the Extremis program, an experimental regenerative treatment.

Without his new found superbuddies, Stark can only count on JARVIS, and a precocious little boy Harley to help track down The Mandarin, and figure out his connection to AIM.

Introducing Stark Glass. Powered by Smarminess.

Fans of the comic may be outraged by how Shane Black has deftly turned one of the most iconic of Ironman’s foes (You could say The Mandarin was to Ironman what The Joker was to Batman) into a side-show in one of the least expected twists in recent movie history, given the penchant for leaks to happen months before the release.

As for me, I was only acquainted with Ironman from the movies, so I rather enjoyed the reveal, and really thought Sir Ben Kingsley did really well portraying The Mandarin / Trevor Slattery.

Oh, and if you don’t have to pee by the end of the movie, stay for a fun (but ultimately non essential) post-credits scene.

Also, seeing the array of Ironman suits in action was totally worth the price of the ticket!

Rating: 8/10

Next up, Thor: The Dark World

But, to be honest, I’m not impressed with the synopsis.

Set one year after The Avengers, Thor battles to save all the Nine Realms from a mysterious enemy older than the universe itself. A primeval race led by Malekith, who is out for revenge, intends to plunge the universe into darkness. Confronted by an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot overcome, Thor must reunite with Jane Foster and set out on a dangerous journey that will force him to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Really? To battle an enemy older than the universe itself, Thor needs to enlist the help of.. Jane Foster?

What, he needs to solve the ultimate physics riddle in order to defeat this evil?

In 2017, Earth was attacked by aliens known as Scavengers. They destroyed the moon (which only made it more beautiful, kinda like a manly scar), which caused all sorts of natural disasters. Nuclear war against the scavengers also rendered Earth largely uninhabitable.

As the 5 minute voiceover so helpfully clarifies, “we won the war, but lost the planet”.

The year is now 2077, and Tom Cruise is Jack Harper, a drone technician, in charge of maintaining weaponised drones equipped to seek out the last remaining scraps of scavengers, and protect machinery built to extract Earth’s resources for use.

Most of humanity now either reside in the Tet (a space station Jack’s scheduled to return in the next 3 weeks), or on Titan, Saturn’s moon, where we’ve colonized. He works in a team with lover Victoria, but often dreams of a hotter woman at night. His dream abruptly turns into reality when a spaceship Odyssey crashes on Earth, carrying a number of sleeping capsules with humans in hibernation, in one of which lays Julia (Olga Kurylenko).

Obviously, by this stage, the director clearly wants us to ponder over these questions: Who is this mysterious woman he dreams of? Why did the drones attack the humans in the sleeping capsules? Are the aliens really defeated? Where does Morgan Freeman get his cigars in a post apocalyptic world? How long more till the movie ends?

Like Tron Legacy, Joseph Kosinski manages builds a really beautiful world, with awesome looking tech laid out on a barren, desolate landscape. It’s his sense of pacing and story development that’s sorely lacking, and results in a film that feels 20 minutes too long.

Besides ogling at the half destroyed moon and the awesome architecture, there’s really not much else going for it.

Come on, you know you want a ride… *wink*

Also, the climax is so anti-climatic and borderline dumb, you’d actually have enjoyed the movie better if you left the cinema with 10 minutes to go.

Come to think of it, the entire movie seemed like a bet Joseph Kosinski took up, to have an alien invasion film, without ever showing any aliens. Challenge Accepted!

Rating: 5/10

Movie would have been a 4 if not for the other bright spark in the film: Olga Kurylenko

When I was young, I remember being wowed by David Copperfield’s Great Wall trick, as well as making the Statue of Liberty disappear. That was in the late 80s – early 90s, and magic was often dark and mysterious, and full of elaborate costumes and beautiful assistants.

As we progressed into the world of reality TV, newer magicians like David Blaine and Criss Angel, and my favourite illusionist Derren Brown burst onto the scene, with more visceral and in-your-face magic, blending mentalism, live audience circling the performer and a prowling cameraman to capture the most authentic angles and ensure the trick was rooted in reality.

Once, it was perfectly fine to saw a woman in half covered in a box. But with the advent of youtube and the opening up of the information superhighway, that trick was quickly explained away as “that box is bigger than it looks”.

So now, n Criss Angel’s Believe (in 2012), the game’s since been upped to saw a woman in half on an open plank. Gross, but man, how’d he do that?!

In a similar vein, we see 2 old time Vegas stage show magicians trying to keep up and stay relevant in the age of street magicians.

Steve Carell plays the titular Burt Wonderstone, half of the duo, together with Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), who were once popular stage magicians. However, 10 years performing the same tricks over and over cost them an audience and passion, resulting in them going through the motions to a 20% crowd.

In danger of losing their headlining act, things get worse when street magician Steve Gray (a back to form Jim Carrey) starts grabbing the headlines (and the money), with his antics and a tv show, Brain Rapist.

Guess where your card is?

Together, Burt and Anton has to get their act together, if they are to have any chance at redemption.

Burt Wonderstone received pretty bad reviews, mostly for its uneven tone and pacing. But I was just entranced by the magic on display. Sure, there are problems with the film, but I came away liking what I saw.

And if I were to experience that last trick in the audience, I’d be super impressed!

Also, bonus points for casting Olivia Wilde as the magician enthusiast-assistant.

Rating: 7/10

Fun fact: David Copperfield not only had a cameo in the film, but also acted as a consultant on set.

This prequel / origins story is set 20 years before Dorothy Gale blew into the mystical land of Oz. This time, the story centres around Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time magician in a travelling circus, and how he comes to be the titular Oz in the land coincidentally named after him.

There it is! The entrance to OooOoooOz

A serial playboy, Oscar inadvertently hits on the circus strongman’s wife. Escaping in a hot air balloon, he gets twirled into a tornado, and winds up in the Land of Oz. Once there, he is received by the witch Theodora (Mila Kunis), who is certain he is the wizard prophesied to be the wizard to overthrow the wicked witch.

He immediately assumes the position, not knowing the true extent of the wicked witch’s power. Along the way, he enlists the help of a flying monkey Finley, and a living china doll. He also meets the other witches Evanora and Glinda, as well as the folks in Oz. Over the course of the film, we go over the predictable arc of Oz’s character transforming from a selfish charlatan to a responsible and mature man.

The film is directed by Sam Raimi (Drag me to Hell, Spiderman 1 2 3). But it feels like he is channeling Tim Burton, albeit with much less flair for the quirky and colourful.

At the end of it all, the only thing great and powerful is Rachel Weisz’s ability to look so good at 43.

Rating: 5/10

Definitely, a witch.. and she’s been very, very wicked.

I have a huge soft spot for Actor-Director Extraordinaire Stephen Chow, and grew up mostly on his slapstick antics such as the “Fight Back to School” and “God of Gamblers” franchises.

Proving that he wasn’t just a funny actor, he went on to direct himself in God of Cookery and King of Comedy. Since then, it seems the directing bug’s caught on for good, and he went on to find huge success in Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, both of which got rave reviews in Hollywood.

Long time fans will know that he played the role of Monkey King in 1994’s two-part film A Chinese Odyssey. He returns this time to the source material, but stays completely behind the scenes as director.

Not exactly the threesome i was hoping for…

In this prequel/re-imagining/origins story, Chen Xuan Zang (Wen Zhang), a pre-enlightened Tripitaka, is a newbie demon hunter, our to change the world and rid evil with nothing but his positivity and a book of 300 Nursery Rhymes.  Along the way, he is assisted by a real demon hunter Bai Gu Jing (the ever lovely Shu Qi), who will help in capturing the 3 core demons in the film; a water demon, a pig demon, and the Monkey King (all 3 of whom will eventually escort Tripitaka to collect the scriptures in India)

The film structure is thus segmented into 3 distinct parts, each with its own setup. The opening sequence is especially riveting, centering on a remote fishing village and its brush with the water demon, followed by a visit to a restaurant where the pig demon is the head chef, and a final showdown with arguably the most fearsome demon in the entire Journey to the West folklore, the monkey king. (And Stephen Chow is not afraid to make the monkey king ugly and loathesome)

I’m warning ya, don’t make fun of my costume..

Stephen Chow, while noted for his brand of physical, slapstick comedy, has in recent years shown a lot more heart in his films, and here, its shown in the movie’s final moments as Xuan Zang shares a tender moment with Shu Qi, referencing an oft used line in his 1994 A Chinese Odyssey films.

An entertaining film, but it could be so much better, if he’d star in it.

Rating: 7/10