[Note: I do not consider myself a movie critic. What follows is just one fanboy’s opinion based off of a single viewing of the film. Oh, and there are SPOILERS ahead for this movie, so take heed.]

Aside from my thoughts on the Adam West Batman and the 2017 Wonder Woman film, I haven’t talked about DC comics much on this blog. It’s not because I don’t like the characters from DC comics — because I definitely do — but those characters have not played as much into my daily discourse as those from Marvel (though that is changing). With the release of Superman last week, we now have a fresh take on the DC universe, which has been in a weird state for the last couple of years.  

I will say right up front that I wasn’t a big fan of the Snyderverse. I found the grim-dark take on Superman and the Justice League to be fundamentally at odds with the DC characters as I had come to know them from years of reading comics, watching other movie versions of them, playing video games, and so on. With that in mind, let’s talk about Superman. 

First Impressions

I tend to like James Gunn movies, in general, but I really like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. I & II. So, when I heard that he was taking the Kevin Feige role of chief creative of the burgeoning DCU, I was encouraged by this.

As the trailers and marketing came out for this new version of Superman, I was…less sure. The tone felt off, Superman’s costume had the red trunks, but otherwise looked like a mid-range cosplay attempt. And, the first glimpse I got of David Corenswet as Superman was of him beaten and bloodied in the snow. I also wasn’t sure about introducing Guy Gardner as the Green Lantern before we had a chance to see Hal Jordan or John Stewart (no, the other John Stewart) in the role.

So, it was a mixed bag going in, but I was glad to get away from the uninspiring, depressing version of Superman from the Snyderverse. I hasten to add that I absolutely love Henry Cavill in the role of Superman, but I  just did not connect with the stories involving that version of the character. Even with these concerns, I was still going to go see the movie.

What I liked

Finally, a Superman Movie: Understand that I love Christopher Reeve Superman movies, particularly the first two. The hope and light that Reeve brought to that role is the gold standard for me. Other actors have captured the essence over the years. Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, Taylor Hoechlin, just to name a few. I was looking for that spark within David Corenswet’s performance, and I’m overjoyed that I found it. Superman films have not really had the magic for me since Superman Returns in 2006. Sitting there, watching this movie, there he was. Big Blue was back.

The Musical Score: The John Williams Superman theme is one of the most iconic pieces of music in cinematic history. Rarely has a piece of music so encapsulated a character within its notes as that one. The score for this film picks up from that theme, but adds to it, giving it new dimensions and new emotions that are wonderful. 

Lois & Clark: This movie definitely subscribes to the in media res theory of storytelling. There’s no origin story, no flashbacks. We start with Superman already a few years into his superhero career. His relationships are already in place. The chemistry between Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan is excellent. From their very first scene together, it seems like they’ve known each other for years. The actors inhabit these roles like they already have a few movies under their belt. The scenes between them are as natural as breathing. I just wish there had been more of that.

The Justice Gang: I honestly can’t think of a more unlikely trio of JLA founding members than these three. It’s so early into the formation of the Justice League that they don’t even have the name nailed down yet. That said, any time we get Captain Mal in a movie, I’m pretty happy, regardless of what role he takes. I must admit that Mr. Terrific is not a character I was terribly familiar with, and the name definitely smacks of the 1940s Golden Age, but I really liked Edi Gathegi in this role. The Justice Gang needed a super-smart, tech-based superhero, and Mr. Terrific is all that, and more. Just like the other actors, Gathegi feels like he’s been playing this character for years instead of this being our introduction to him. I also liked Hawkgirl. I wish she had more things to do, and I could’ve used less screaming (see below), but as the third part of the trio, she’s a solid presence.

Real Stakes: It may have thrown me for a loop to see Supes beaten and bloody in the snow, and it did seem like he got hurt a lot in this movie, but it also gave some much-needed stakes to the story. Superman is known for being able to shrug off lots of punishment effortlessly, so when something does hurt him, it just underscores how dangerous the situation really is.

Pa Kent: I have a great respect for Pruitt Vince as a character actor. His range is pretty astounding. Seeing him worried about Clark’s condition upon arriving in Smallville was the set up. And when Clark is debating on his motivations for being on Earth, hearing Pa Kent’s voice break when he tells Clark just how proud he is really spoke to me. As a father myself, I identify with Pa Kent even more now.  

The Hall of Justice: The moment it appeared on screen, the announcer from Superfriends enthusiastically proclaimed “Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice” in my head. I’m not sure where they filmed the interior shots, but it feels like a real place, if a little understaffed at the moment. I’m also not sure why the word “TRAINS” is written in silver letters on the back wall, but I’m really hoping that we get to see more of the Hall of Justice in future DCU movies. It did my heart good to see it on the big screen.

The Secret Guardians of the Galaxy Reunion: I didn’t realize this until I was looking up information on IMDB, but Pom Klementieff (Mantis) and Michael Rooker (Yondu) voice two of the robots at the Fortress of Solitude, and Bradley Cooper (Rocket) plays Jor-El in the recording. I see what you did there, James Gunn.

What I DIDN’T like

Changing Jor-El and Lara’s Motivations: Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. I understand for story reasons why this change took place, but having Jor-El and Lara’s last message to the young Kal-El be along the lines of “go create a harem and conquer the planet” is fundamentally at odds with the idealistic philosopher-scientist version of Jor-El that has been the mainstay of the Superman story for nearly a century. I know there have been other stories along this line, like Byrne’s The Man of Steel limited series. Smallville similarly departed from Jor-El’s lore (even going so far as to have Terrence Stamp, who had previously played General Zod, voice him). That was one of the big misses of that series, and I don’t care for it here either. It feels way off considering the tone of the rest of the movie.

Undercutting Serious Moments with Humor: There’s really only one writer who can pull this off consistently, and his name is Joss Whedon. Unfortunately, the Marvel tendency to emulate Whedon’s style by immediately following a serious moment with a joke is something that appears to have followed James Gunn over from the MCU. The worst offender is, by far, Taika Waititi in the Thor movies, but Gunn had his share with the Guardians of the Galaxy. When Gunn allows serious moments to play out, they are so much stronger, such as the case of Clark and Pa Kent. Poignant moments don’t need a punchline.  

Transformers All Over Again: Early in the movie, almost everyone in the world turns on Superman. Even though he has been actively saving people and helping Earth avoid catastrophe for three years, when the news about his parents’ message comes out, people are calling for his arrest instantly. One guy throws a can at Superman that I’m pretty sure Supes helped save only moments before. For movie purposes, I see why they did it, but it’s like Superman has not garnered any good will at all with the public. There are no dissenting voices or people on the fence. Then, when he is exonerated, it’s like all’s forgiven. Everyone hates Lex now, and just as rapidly. It feels a bit like how the people of Earth keep turning on the Autobots in the Transformers movies. It doesn’t matter what Optimus has done, or who he has saved, he’s just one mistake away from being hunted by the humans he has helped.

Lex Luthor: I should preface this. I think Nicholas Hoult is a fantastic actor, and it’s always nice to see someone ‘cross the isle’ from Marvel to DC. Hoult’s Lex Luthor definitely has the look, and is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of the character in the Snyderverse, but that’s not enough. Instead of a cold, methodical mastermind that Superman should be really afraid of, we get a tech-bro who seems to have mainlined one too many espressos, acts like an immature teenager when he doesn’t get his way, and rarely comes off as a threat as much as an annoyance. I think Hoult did well with what he was given, but this is a weird take on Superman’s arch-nemesis. I much prefer Rosenbaum or Cryer’s approach to the character.   

Krypto, the Super Dog: This will likely be an unpopular opinion, but I could have done with a 95% reduction in the amount of screen time and consideration given to this dog. The Super-Pets have always been a bit weird to me, and are an odd relic from the early days of DC comics. A super monkey, a super horse, a super cat — all from Krypton, all with powers similar to Superman. Ugh. They are, at best, cameos if they are acknowledged at all. The Terrier/Schnauzer mix of this Krypto is not only distracting from the story, but a danger to everyone around him. Superman takes him away from the Kent Farm for fear of the dog killing his family’s cows. Having a hyper-active dog that powerful is a threat to every human he encounters. Superman should really keep him bottled up in the Fortress of Solitude.

Punk Rock Theme: The movie goes out of its way to establish Clark as a punk rock fan. A version of Iggy Pop’s Punk Rocker even plays over the credits. It’s a good song, for sure, and Gunn has historically had a way of using classic music to underscore great moments on screen. However, If I had to rate the members of the Justice League on who might be into Iggy Pop, I would have to rate Superman as dead last. The Flash, Blue Beetle, even Batman? Sure. Superman, the boy scout version that we get in this movie, seems like he would be into folk or country & western, maybe bluegrass, especially being from a small town in rural Kansas. Punk rock is just such a weird, discordant choice here.

Hawk Girl’s Screams/Murder: Her ‘death scream’ started to edge into ‘the goats screaming in Thor: Ragnarok’ territory. But the main moment Hawkgirl gets in this movie is a straight-out murder. Guy Gardner said previously that the Justice Gang was not political. Intervening in the slaughter of innocents is one thing, but kidnapping a head of state and dropping him to his death is pretty suspect. Generally speaking, assassinating the leader of a sovereign country is a political act, but here it’s played for laughs. Do you want the DC equivalent of the Sokovia Accords? Because that’s a surefire way to get them.

Ma Kent: I don’t know what accent James Gunn thinks country folk in Kansas have, but it’s not whatever cornpone that Ma Kent was yelling into her phone. Come on, Martha. You don’t have to yell, he can hear you. In fact, he could probably hear you without the phone. Considering how wonderful the portrayal of Pa Kent was here, that it’s weirdly reversed for Ma Kent is another mystery to me.

A Conveniently Empty Battleground: I’m not sure what the population of Metropolis is, but I’m guessing that it’s up around Chicago or Boston, possibly even New York. Evacuating that many people would take days, maybe even weeks. When the final battle throws down, and skyscrapers are falling like dominoes, however, there are zero people in them. When Superman saves the lady on the bridge, she’s the only car around. That bridge should be packed, but as she’s taking off there’s nary another car in sight. Still, I much prefer this to Superman and Zod duking it out during the peak hours of the day with zero evacuation and reducing downtown Metropolis to below sea level. The death toll would have been in the tens of thousands.

Unanswered Questions

I mentioned the message from Superman’s Kryptonian parents earlier. As far as everyone in the movie is concerned, the message is authentic. It’s a bit weird that any linguist from Earth would be able to crack an alien language when there are so few examples available to study. We’re not even sure if Superman himself knows that much of the Kryptonian language. He certainly didn’t grow up speaking it. The only one who might speak it fluently is Supergirl, but I doubt that she’s taking time out of her busy, off-world party tour to teach a course on Kryptonian grammar and rhetoric.

For the very fact that we never hear the message spoken in English is itself a bit of a mystery, so I have to wonder if we’ll see it again in the future to discover that there’s some additional context to consider, or that someone got their verb tenses off where the message means something else. It’s likely wishful thinking on my part, but the pieces are already in place if they choose to revisit it.

I suppose the other question I have at this point is just how well the movie itself is doing. The news praised its strong performance out of the gate, but at the time of this writing, Box Office Mojo has it a $261 million worldwide, and it looks like attendance is already tapering off just a week into its release. For context, Thunderbolts* made $382 million worldwide during its run, and it was considered a huge flop. I desperately hope this is not the case for this movie. The parts I didn’t like were numerous but ultimately trifles. I want the new DCU to succeed, and so I hope that Supes doesn’t go down without a fight.

Conclusions

I have been waiting years for this movie, before Gunn was the head guy at DC, heck even before Snyder first got his hands on the property. I’ve wanted a Superman movie that gave me that same thrill as when I first saw Christopher Reeve pull open his button-up shirt to reveal the familiar ‘S’ underneath, set to the John Williams theme.

That’s what I’ve been chasing all these years. I got a taste of that with Superman Returns, which was a direct sequel to the Richard Donner films, but it didn’t quite get there in the end. On the small screen, I’ve been luckier. The first few seasons of Smallville were amazing along the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer template. More recently, the last vestige of the CW DC universe, Superman & Lois, was one of the best versions of Superman I’ve ever seen on screen.

But the Snyderverse was a vast desert for me when it came to Superman. That’s why this movie is an important one, even if some of the creative choices were odd. Overall, if this is the way the new DCU is going, count me in.

In closing, the tagline to Superman: The Movie in 1978was “You’ll believe a man can fly.” After seeing this movie, I can believe it again.

And that’s the way this fanboy sees it.

[Note: I do not consider myself a movie critic. What follows is just one fanboy’s opinion based off of a single double viewing of the film. Oh, and there are SPOILERS ahead for this movie, so take heed.]

If you’ve followed this blog, you may have noticed that the Transformers franchise comes up quite a bit in my writing. It was certainly my favorite toy line growing up, and Optimus Prime may, in fact, be favorite fictional character of all time. I have no real love for the live-action Bayverse Transformers movies outside of Steve Jablonsky’s hauntingly beautiful musical scores and some fantastic voice acting. But, for the most part, I don’t care for them. Bumblebee is the sole exception. I had hoped that it would lead the way, but Rise of the Beasts showed me that the cinematic franchise on the whole had learned nothing from Travis Knight’s retro-themed movie outing.

So, it didn’t surprise me when I started hearing about Transformers One. Transformers as I knew it came from animation, and the franchise has been kept alive through the years through many different animated series. So, a CGI-animated take on the story adapted to the big screen felt inevitable, especially as Hasbro struggles to stay afloat.

First Impressions

I must admit that when I saw the first trailer for Transformers One, I was…skeptical. We were once again going back to the root causes of the war for Cybertron, and the growing divide between Autobot and Decepticon, which has been done over and over again. I was not particularly enthused about yet another reboot in what seems like a rapid-fire series of Transformers reboots by Hasbro in recent years.

The general vibe that the trailer gave off seemed like we would be in for a goofy, slap-stick adventure romp on Cybertron. Also, the fact that Peter Cullen and Frank Welker would not be reprising their iconic roles as Optimus Prime and Megatron was a big thumbs-down for me.

But, I could see that my young son was interested in going to see it, so I steeled myself and went into the theatres expecting a low-effort attempt at getting a younger generation to embrace a decades-old toy franchise.

As I sat there in my reclining seat, however, I quickly began to realize how wrong I was about, well, everything regarding this movie. The tone was very different than I had guessed, and for the better. More than that, this movie far surpassed my expectations and played into the meta-lore of the Transformers universe far more than I would have guessed.

What I liked

The MUSICAL SCORE: I know a movie score is good when I can’t wait to get home from the theatre and download it. I found, to my delight, that Brian Tyler had composed the score. That explained the sublime sense of mystery and awe that permeates the musical landscape of this movie. Tyler is one of my favorite of the “modern” crop of movie composers. He did the score for Iron Man 3, which is excellent. He also did the score for the Syfy mini-series version of Dune, which really elevated the drama. Oh, and he also did the theme for Transformers Prime, perhaps the best Transformers has ever sounded on the small screen.

Orion Pax and D-16:  It was great to see the two of them as friends, even with the foreknowledge that they would eventually become the greatest of enemies. They did a good job of establishing their base personalities that contain the seeds of the conflict to come. Orion Pax doesn’t mind breaking rules that he sees are unjust or in the service of uncovering the truth. He sees the potential in his fellow miners and wants to become more than what they current are. D-16, on the other hand, prefers to follow the rules to the letter, to stick to established protocols. When it is ultimately revealed that the rules he’s been so strictly adhering to are a lie, he is crushed, resulting in him becoming angry and vengeful.

The animation and models: CGI-based storytelling has come a long way, and the Transformers franchise has upped its game from the days of the original Beast Wars. I was surprised at just how beautiful and natural some of the animation was in this movie, even when it’s applied to anthropomorphic robots that turn into vehicles. I was also impressed with just how emotive and expressive the four primary characters were on screen.

Megatron’s eyes: I picked up on this little gem on my first viewing of the movie. A good indicator of the story’s escalation is found in the color of Megatron’s eyes. They start out a bright yellow, but as things are revealed and the road he is on darkens, his eyes begin to turn more of an orange color. I predicted that they would turn red at a critical moment, and sure enough, I was right. It was a subtle touch that really gives you that dividing line between D-16 as we knew him and his new persona as Megatron — who then goes on to name his faction after the great deception that he had a hand in destroying.

Two leadership styles: Once Orion and D-16 come back from the wilds, but before they take their iconic names, you can see how they both lead their respective groups effectively. Orion Pax is an inspirational figure, who leads from the front, and is excellent at making those around him believe they are capable of greater things than they ever thought possible. By contrast, D-16 is all about showing strength through acts of force, which appeals to the dangerous, more military sensibilities of the High Guard. When D-16 is captured by Sentinel Prime, the ex-miner would rather die on his feet than grovel on his knees. Even when he gets knocked down, he stands back up with even more defiance.

A satisfying story: In a feature-length movie, character arcs have to move fast, faster than they would in a series format. Still, Transformers One clocks in at a respectable 104 minutes, which isn’t bad for an animated show. I think that the story moves along pretty quickly but pauses in places for some great character development and worldbuilding. By the end of it, it feels like the characters have been on an era-defining adventure that nicely sets up the ongoing conflict in the Cybertronian war to come. After having seen this material retreaded upon again and again, this take felt fresh and just sort of ‘right’ for the continuity that they had set up.

What I DIDN’T Like

Lack of original voice actors: I think that Brian Tyree Henry and Chris Hemsworth did admirable jobs as the voice actors for Megatron and Optimus Prime, respectively. I don’t want to disparage their performance as I think it was excellent. The issue is that Peter Cullen and Frank Welker sort of “own” their Transformers personas in a way we don’t see very often. Their voices give Megs and Op a kind of genuine spark (full pun intended) to the characters that’s really irreplaceable. I think it was a missed opportunity to include them in this project. Can you imagine Orion coming back from the planet’s core with the Matrix, now with Peter Cullen’s iconic voice style? Or, when Megatron proclaims “I’m done saving you,” having Frank Welker’s voice take over for the remainder?

Human characteristics on robots: At one point, we see Orion’s lips flapping in the wind as the train speeds up. Later on when they are avoiding the Quintessons in the ruins, we seem Orion look like he’s breathing hard. This is such a minor thing, but these very human traits looked completely out of place on a character model who is a robot. It took me out of the moment when it happened.

The death of Alpha Trion: Alpha Trion is the archetypical mentor character in Transformers, effectively Merlin to Optimus Prime’s King Arthur. While Alpha Trion got to take out some random goons with the cheeky retort of “Not too old for you,” he basically was just there to deliver some exposition and be executed at the hands of Sentinel. If we get a sequel they could always bring him back somehow, but the total amount of time he got to spend with Orion Pax here is measured in a matter of moments. I had hoped to see a father-son relationship develop between them.

The lingering odor of the Bayverse: There are a few points where I could tell that the story still had some of the greasy little fingerprints of Michael Bay left over from the live action movies. Sentinel Prime being an outright villain and tyrant (rather than just a bully and an a-hole in Transformers: Animated) feels like it took some cues from Dark of the Moon. Bumblebee being named B-127 calls back to a Bayverse Bee before he got his Earth name. Also that there are (or were) multiple Primes at once rather than it being a succession of one at a time through stewardship of the Matrix of Leadership. It seems we cannot quite escape the Bayverse here, though to be fair, there were plenty more G1 nods.

Conclusions

The G1 continuity will always be my favorite telling of the Transformers story. In my heart of hearts, the origins of Orion Pax’s transformation into Optimus Prime can be found in episode #59 of the Sunbow cartoon titled “War Dawn.” Unfortunately, aside from the video game Transfomers: Devastation and a select few comic books, we aren’t getting any more narrative continuations of that version of Transformers. 

That said, I realize that Transformers fans my son’s age want something new, something more updated to appeal to them. Some of Hasbro’s attempts to provide this in recent years, such as War for Cybertron, Robots in Disguise, and Earthspark have seemed half-hearted and disposable. Transformers One, however, felt like an honest attempt to bring Transformers forward to a more modern viewership. There’s a real heart to this movie that many other recent versions of Transformers have just sort of lacked. I was surprised just how much I enjoyed the experience — on both occasions.

And, you know, if the continuity of this movie becomes the basis for the Transformers milieu of my son’s generation, I’m more than okay with it. It remains to be seen if we get more from this branch of the Transformers universe, however. As enjoyable as I found this movie, and with it receiving some decent reviews from critics, it unfortunately didn’t do as well as expected. I do hope this isn’t the last we see of the Transformers One crew. I wish them many more heroic adventures to come. So, from me to the cast and crew of this movie, let me simply say: ‘Til all are one!

And that’s the way this fanboy sees it.

[The following is an excerpt from my ttrpg book, The Artificer’s Guide to Magic Items available here on DM’s Guild. In its first week it has already achieved Copper Bestseller status!]

Dearest Devs,

I know I have engaged in some light critique in this guide, but in all sincerity, I hold all of you in the highest respect. None of my comments or implications here are intended to be mean spirited or insulting. You have labored long to produce a game that millions of people across the world play and enjoy on a daily basis, myself included.

As you can see from this guide, I love the Artificer class. Thematically, it fills a gap that I’ve wanted to see addressed for many years. I must admit, however, that I’ve been disappointed in how the class has been supported since it first appeared in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. There have been a few new spells added to the Artificer’s spell list as new sourcebooks have come out, but none of them have been exclusive as far as I’ve seen. D&D Beyond has greatly expanded the list of items that can be replicated, but that’s about it.

Apart from that, it has received no additional infusions, no alternate class abilities, unique magic items, or new subclasses the way that the standard twelve classes have. It is a class that rarely appears in virtually any D&D merch, such as the gorgeous, officially licensed enamel pin set. A few of its class features, such as the 9th-level ability Armor Modifications, don’t work correctly on D&D Beyond, and it seems unlikely that the class will ever appear in Larian Studios’ recently released Baldur’s Gate III game, or indeed any other D&D-themed video game in the near future.

Perhaps it is too soon to tell, but it concerns me that there’s been very little about the class in the One D&D releases or interviews. When the Expert classes were released, the Artificer was listed in a footnote as being part of that type of class, but it was not explored the way that the Bard, Ranger, and Rogue were in the playtest materials. This leaves me wondering whether the Artificer class will have a place in the game moving forward.

I hope that it does.  

So, Wizards of the Coast, I challenge you to give the class the consideration it’s due. Make it a legitimate part of the game instead of a strange, often-overlooked curiosity. It may be easy for me on the outside to say this, but when it comes to the Artificer, give us more and give us better. The potential for the class is there, so please do what you can to see it fully realized.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Si vales, valeo.

Matt Carson