‘The Flash’

It’s hardly an original DC superhero feature but with a few deft touches The Flash instills a sense of personal humanity among the threat-to-the-world action sequences.

Struck by lightening in a lab gives Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) his superpower but the young man feels powerless in helping save his dad. Evidence suggests dad Henry (Ron Livingston) is about to lose his appeal against the murder of his wife several years earlier. But when Barry uses his superspeed to travel backwards and change history to save his mom (Maribel Verdú), the course of events is altered. It’s up to the likes of a Michael Keaton Batman and Supergirl Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle) as well as a no The Flash Barry to come together to help defeat global invasion by General Zod (Michael Shannon).

It’s quirky, it’s fun, it’s forgetable multiverse popcorn entertainment from director Andy Muschietti.

Rating: 58%

Director: Andy Muschietti (It, Mama)

Writer: Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey, Bumblebee) – based on DC Comics characters

Main cast: Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Justice League), Michael Keaton (Batman, Spotlight), Sasha Calle (TV’s The Young & the Restless)

’Shazam!: Fury of the Gods’

And so the saga of teenager Billy and his transformation into a man-child superhero on the utterance of Shazam! continues.

Somewhat better equipped to cope with his powers than in the first instalment, Billy (Asher Angel) and mates at the orphange need to be at the top of their game when vengeful ancient gods arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them centuries earlier. As the fate of the world rests in his hands, so Billy’s switching between himself and Shazam (Zachary Levi) has to be pitch perfect – especially as warring sisters Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu) will exploit any weakness to get what they want. But then the unexpected happens.

Witty repartee continues to fly but sadly, whilst Shazam!: Fury of the Gods retains a level of its entertainment value, it sadly slips into the more predictable big budget superhero template, losing some of its charm in the process.

Rating: 55%

Director: David F. Sandberg (Shazam!, Annabelle: Creation)

Writer: Henry Gayden (Shazam!, Earth to Echo), Chris Morgan (The Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, Cellular)

Main cast: Zachary Levi (Shazam!, Thor: Ragnarok), Asher Angel (Shazam!, On Fire), Helen Mirren (RED, The Queen)

’Shazam!’

Quirky, kid-friendly superhero tale as the mischevious Billy Batson finds himself selected to be the champion of good by Wizard Shazam.

Shunted from one Philadelphia foster home to another, Billy Batson (Asher Angel) finally seems to find a place he can call home, quickly making friends with Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer). But Wizard Shazam in a different universe has other ideas and Billy finds himself as an adult superhero (Zachary Levi) by simply saying Shazam! Playful times follow as a teenage boy inside the body of an adult superhero flexes his powers. Lollies, sodas, chips soon flow as rewards as Billy and Freddy look to do good. But nemesis Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong), himself once a possible Shazam! but rejected by the powers that be and looking for revenge, is soon on Billy’s trail.

A superhero man-child Shazam! has wry, innocent charm with a lightness of touch that carries more than a nod to the early childcentric features of Steven Spielberg. The menace of Sivana may only be surface deep with the film carried by the humour of the two teenage boys and man-child Levi, but there’s no denying the enjoyment offered by director David F. Sandberg.

Rating: 65%

Director: David F. Sandberg (Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation)

Writer: Henry Gayden (Earth to Echo, There’s Someone Inside Your House)

Main cast: Zachary Levi (The Mauritanian, Thor: Ragnarok), Asher Angel (Driven to Dance, On Fire), Mark Strong (1917, Tár)

’The Marvels’

Short, playful but ultimately turgid MCU superhero feature as Captain Marvel finds her powers entangled with two others. Together they must work together to save the universe.

In an average teenage girl’s bedroom in Jersey City, super-fan Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) is surrounded by Captain Marvel paraphernalia. But she also has a heavily-carved amulet. It’s the twin to the one recovered by Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), leader of the tyrannical Kree. To have both would provide her the power to rebuild their planet, the very planet unintentionally destroyed by Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Dispatched by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to deal with the threat, Marvel finds herself entangled with Kamala and the amulet as well as her estranged niece, Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Together they must destroy the Kree threat to the stability of the universe.

With zippy dialogue, the three gel well together on screen as directed by Nia DaCosta. But even the short 105 minute running time feels too long as the narrative unconvincingly regurgitates seen-it-all-before scenarios with its ‘B-Team’ feel.

Rating: 35%

Director: Nia DaCosta (Candyman, Little Woods)

Writer: Nia DaCosta (Candyman, Little Woods), Megan McDonnell (TV’s WandaVision), Elissa Karasik (TV’s Loki, Lessons in Chemistry)

Main cast: Brie Larson (Room, Captain Marvel), Teyonah Parris (If Beale St Could Talk, Candyman), Iman Vellani (TV’s Ms. Marvel)

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

The passing of Chadwick Boseman as King T’Challa/Black Panther respectfully and movingly prequels Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, his absence constantly felt.

And sadly, as grief pervades, so the narrative and focus of the feature struggles in Boseman’s absence. With the throne passing to his mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett – What’s Love Got To Do With It, Black Panther), the world looks to unsettling the power base and gain access to vibranium. As T’Challa’s sister Suria (Letitia Wright – Black Panther, Ready Player One) attempts to create a new Black Panther to protect Wakanda, so an underwater empire led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta – Sin Nombre, Bel Canto) threatens both the African state and global stability.

Director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Fruitvale Station) returns but brings with him something of a plodding approach lacking in any real thrills.The power base certainly shifts as Wakandan women rise even more to the fore but the lack of focus as to the direction of the storyline undermines and confuses.

Nominated for 5 Oscars in 2023.

Rating: 53%

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

When Gorr looks to make the gods extinct, Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-lover, the dying Jane Foster (Natalie Portman – Black Swan, Thor) with her newly found superpowers.

After the irreverant humour of director Taika Waititi’s first foray into the world of Thor (Thor: Ragnarok), this latest episode somewhat overeggs the pudding with many of the jokes falling flat. As Hemsworth and Portman rekindle their love, so a splenetic Gorr (Christian Bale – The Dark Knight, Exodus) looks to total annhilation.

It’s a Marvel Cinematic Universe outing, so it’s inevitably all things visual with plenty of destructive battles. But Waikiki teeters on adventure versus comedy with a smattering of romance resulting in a somewhat juvenile hotchpotch (what’s with the two goats?).

Rating: 44%

‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

Considering his seeming omnipotence over several of the recent Marvel films, its surprising this is only number two in the Steven Strange solo sagas. Far more visually impressive than the first, as a narrative it’s considerably more perplexing.

Teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez – Shadow Wolves, Roped) appears in Strange’s dreams. She is being pursued by Wanda/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen – Wind River, Avengers Infinity War) for her power of travelling across multiverses. Cue battles across those multiverses (including ones with himself) to prevent the Scarlet Witch obtaining the power.

Unquestionably a visual feast, director Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spider-Man) fails to create a cohesive narrative of significant interest. It’s all so episodic as Strange, America and Wong (Benedict Wong – Doctor Strange, The Martian) confront different iterations of themselves and others across the multiverses.

Rating: 48%

‘The Green Lantern’

Commonly believed to be one of the worst comic book hero adaptations, the self-deprecating humour of Ryan Reynolds (Dead Pool, Buried) fails to elevate The Green Lantern above below average.

Maverick earthbound pilot Hal Jordan (Reynolds) finds himself chosen by the green lantern to become the latest member of the intergalactic organisation to protect the universe. His powers become all-important as former colleague and Senator’s son Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard – An Education, Jackie) becomes infected with much darker aspirations.

Generic in plot and visuals, it’s all somewhat synthetic, a plodder of a feature that the likeable Reynolds cannot come anywhere near saving.

Rating: 35%

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

A multiverse narrative in 2021’s biggest box-office success facilitates not one but three Spider-Man superheroes save the day.

With Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland – Uncharted, The Impossible) identity publicly exposed, he looks to Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog, Doctor Strange) for help. But things go drastically wrong as villains of the past – Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) – reappear. As do past Spider-Men Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire.

Certainly more intriguing than previous outings, No Way Home pulls on the web strings of family drama, young love and loyalties and Holland steps up to face responsibilities. But it’s still a Spider-Man feature, so personal expectation remains low.

Nominated for the 2022 best visual effects Oscar.

Rating: 43%

‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’

Number two in the series for Tom Holland and the cheeky humour stands him in good stead for what is essentially a tedious and overblown yawn of a superhero tale.

Following events of Avengers: Endgame, there’s the need for the void to be filled. Chatty schoolboy Peter Parker prefers to not take the mantle, especially with the loss of his hero, Tony Stark, and his continued love interest with MJ (Zendaya – The Greatest Showman, Dune). But a school trip to Europe and an encounter with Quentin Beck aka Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler, Southpaw) places his schoolfriends (and the rest of the world) in danger.

Pubescent angst of the first half quickly gives way to templated Marvel destruction as Venice, Prague and London find themselves the Mysterio targets. And even the quirky one-liners from Holland and the enjoyable rapport he has with Ned (Jacob Batalon – Let It Snow, Every Day) fail to lift the monotony.

Rating: 32%