Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

I went to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and for the most part I liked it.  The story begins after the events and battle with General Zod in Man of Steel make Superman a controversial character.   Bruce Wayne sees Superman as a threat, and Clark Kent decides to expose Batman by publishing articles in the Daily Planet.  Lex Luther uses the resulting mistrust between Batman and Superman to manipulate them into a battle, hoping to destroy them both.

There is certainly a lot of action. The big battle at the end is impressive and the special effects are well done.  Ben Affleck did a better job with the Batman character than I expected.  I'm not a big Ben Affleck fan, but that is a matter of personal preference.  I like Alfred's character and the interaction between him and Bruce/Batman. Jeremy Irons does a good job with all of his characters though.  I also like Lois Lane's (Amy Adams) character, and the interaction between her and Clark/Superman is well done.

However, the way the beginning of the movie goes from Gotham to Metropolis to the Indian Ocean is somewhat confusing.  I like the Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) character, but was confused about how she fit into the story (other than to help out in the big bad battle at the end) too.  It is probably a matter of trying to put too much information into a two or two and a half hour movie.

Overall, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a good, not great, movie.  I may opt to just wait for any future Batman/Superman films to come out on DVD.

Avatar

I re-watched Avatar for the first time since seeing it shortly after the movie was released in 2009.  

The story follows the experiences of a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who takes the place of his murdered brother in a mission on the distant world of Pandora.  His job is to win the trust of the native Na’vi and convince them to relocate so that a valuable ore in their forest can be mined by greedy corporate types.  Humans can’t breathe the air on Pandora, so they have to have to use an Avatar (a remote control alien body) to survive. Things become complicated when Jake falls in love with a Na’vi woman, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana).   

The special effects are impressive, particularly the Pandora mountain and forest scenes. The battle at the end where the bad guys get their behinds kicked is well done.  The movie is worth watching for these elements.  

Sigourney Weaver (Grace Augustine) and Worthington do a good job with their characters.   I like the interaction between Jake and Neytiri and the other Na'vi (specifically Omaticaya clan) people.

The overall plot isn't earthshaking.  The themes aren’t new; there are other movies about natives being driven from their land.  I see elements of Dances With Wolves, Aliens, Terminator, a few other Sci-Fi movies, and other movies critical of military-type activity here.  

In general, Avatar is enjoyable, but as is the case with many movies, is overrated.

Skittles: "The Portrait" w/ Steven Tyler. Super Bowl 50 Commercial.