2025 films of the year

It has been a bit of a year for me, and I haven't had the opportunity to see nearly as many new films as I'd have liked, let alone write up the ones I have seen. I've decided to run down through my top ten for the year, but there are plenty more films to catch that could shift the line-up, especially given the number of high-profile and acclaimed releases in late November and December. I may revisit this in another twelve months and see if it's changed. I'm going to appraoch these in order of lowest to highest rated, according to my own flawed opinions.

Honorable mention: Nosferatu (Robert Eggers)

Strictly speaking, Nosferatu is a 2024 film, but as it went on general release with only a week left of 2024, most of its run was in '25. A bleak and beautiful film, this updates the original Symphony of Horror into a vampiric epic. Lily-Rose Depp gives the star performance of a powerful cast, in a truly haunting production that's exquisitely realised. It loses momentum halfway and runs too long, and it's not nearly as strange as either the original or Eggers's best work, but it's still an exceptional film. If it had come out a week later it'd have sat at number three on this list. Full review here.

10) The Running Man (Edgar Wright)

I'm pretty sure this one wouldn't have made it into the top ten if I'd caught more films this year. This isn't a great film, but it is an entertaining one. The second film of the year based on a Stephen King novel with a title based on perambulation, The Running Man is the least stylish of all Wright's films, but still way more stylish than most action movies. The general consensus is that Glen Powell is miscast as the lead, and that's probably fair, but he's watchable enough to carry the adventure. There are occasional glimpses of Wright's unique style, and it's sure as hell better than the shitty 80s version starring Arnie. The film has a strong message against corporate greed and the rich's exploitation of the poor, but it's hard to swallow in a film that cost $110 million where the catering budget doubtless cost more than most people's annual salary.

9) Predator: Badlands (Dan Trachtenberg)

Amazingly, the second Predator film from Trachtenberg this year. Killer of Killers was better than I expected, but it was Badlands that I really enjoyed. We've had the popcorn movie approach with Predator before, with varying results, but Trachtenberg really has nailed three different takes on the concept in short order. This is Predator as a full-on comicbook-style action movie, with legions of CGI monsters. This should be crap, but it tremendously entertaining and surprisingly heartwarming film. Showing the film from the Predator's point of view was a bold move, but making him such a likeable goof makes the film. It's hard to say how much of Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi's performance actually makes it through the CGI, but let's give him the benefit. Elle Fanning's the star, though, as both Weyland-Yutani androids Thea and Tessa. Tying the film so heavily to the Alien series without actually including the monster works brilliantly, as well.

8) Wake Up Dead Man (Rian Johnson)

The third film in the Knives Out/Benoit Blanc series is not, sadly, the hoped for Muppet version, but a stylish and highly personal crime story from Johnson. Although he was raised as an Evangelical Protestant, he chose Catholicism for its potent imagery. It's just as appallingly hypocrytical an institution, after all. There's a potent story here about the conflict between the comfort that faith brings and the damage done by indoctrination, with excellent performances from Josh O'Connor, Josh Brolin, Glenn Close and, of course, Daniel Craig. The rest of the cast don't get the chance to show how good they are, sadly, and the actual mystery at the heart of the story isn't original or confounding enough to live up to the rest of it. Compels me, though.

7) 28 Years Later (Danny Boyle)

The follow-up that 28 Days Later deserved, with Boyle returning to the post-apocalyptic Britain he created, (frustratingly only 22 years later). The exploration of how society has adapted to a world infected by the Rage, both the isolated community on Lindisfarne, and to a lesser extent, the rest of Europe on the other side of the quarantine line. I can't quite decide who gives the best performance: 14-year-old Alfie Williams as the courageous young Spike, who's never known any other world but this; or Jodie Comer as his dying, mentally-distressed mother Isla. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is also very good as dad Jamie, pushed to understandable extremes by the stresses of his life, as is the great Ralph Fiennes as the isolated Dr. Kelson. Also fascinating is gradual revelation that the infected remain, if not intelligent in a human sense, then clearly sentient, with the sport-like hunting of them even more disturbing as a result. Judging by the final scene, the second part, The Bone Temple, is going to be bizarre.

6) The Penguin Lessons (Peter Cattaneo)

Although this premiered in 2024, it didn't go on general release until '25, so it definitely belongs on this list. Based on the memoir of Tom Michell, this is the story of how he arrives to teach English in a school in Argentina, in the middle of the 1976 military junta. Steve Coogan is funny, sympathetic, and surprisingly hot as Michell, who ends up rescuing a penguin from an oil slick, in a desperate attempt to get laid on a break in Uruguay. Adopting the penguin - Juan Salvador - and smuggling him into the school, he is able to inspire his students and find some purpose, but the military's abuse of power soon comes out of the background and begins to impact him and those he has become close to. The comedy is gentle, but not the drama. Disturbingly more topical each day in its exploration of life under fascism, this is an undersung success.

5) Superman (James Gunn)

Gunn's relaunch of the Superman movie franchise and reboot of the DC Universe is quite unlike any Superman film that's come before, and yet is the most satisfying film for the character since Superman II over forty years ago. This doesn't feel much like a Superman film, but it does feel like a Superman comic, which makes a huge difference. Skipping the origin story is standard now, but this feels deep into its universe even as a first instalment. Clark is just one of many powerful beings working as heroes, yet stands apart from the metahumans, something that works far better than I would ever have thought. Having him and Lois already deeply in love and managing their relationship is another plus. Yes, this takes a few hints from the CW but in a vastly more cinematic way. Clark is the giant Boy Scout he always truly was, with David Corenswet giving a wonderful performance, while Rachel Brosnahan is actually perfect as Lois. Nicholas Hoult is remarkable as Lex Luthor, and a special shout-out goes to Edi Gathegi for stealing his every scene as Mr. Terrific. Amazingly, this film manages to both be a bold statement on today's genocide-steeped world, while still being a wholesome live-action cartoon featuring Krypto the Superdog.

4) Thunderbolts* (Jake Schreier)

The second of three MCU films out this year, and while Brave New World was better than I expected, and Fantastic Four: First Steps was decent if unremarkable, Thunderbolts* was a genuine surprise. I did not expect Marvel's answer to The Suicide Squad to be a powerful examination of depression and mental illness. Florence Pugh is the standout as Yelena Belova, dealing with the unbelievable trauma of death and resurrection as well as a truly horrific upbringing. While superhero films can get too serious for their own good sometimes dealing with trauma in a realistic way, in the right setting it works. It's an ensemble by its nature, but the other dominant performance is Lewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds, whose journey through mental illness is powerfully expressed through the allegory of his good and evil superhuman personae. It'll be interesting to see how Bob/Sentry will be used in the future, being essentially Marvel's deliberate Superman ripoff; based on Thunderbolts* alone, his character is one of the best things introduced to the MCU in a good while. 

3) Sinners (Ryan Coogler)

Vampire films are such well-trodden ground, it's incredibly refreshing when one as original and unique as Sinners appears. It's unsurprising that Coogler took some inspiration from From Dusk Till Dawn, but this is far and away the superior work in every way. The direction, music and visual effects are impeccable throughout, but what sets Sinners apart from so many vamp-fests is that it's actually about something. The indelibly racist history of America, the ongoing abuse of Black people and other minorities in the West, the cultural and binding power of music, the strengths and weaknesses of Christian belief, the kinship between Black and Irish... this is a dense film worthy of serious analysis. Michael B. Jordan is predictably excellent as gangster twins Smoke and Stack, with Hailee Steinfeld and Miles Caton (the latter, astonishingly, in his film debut) also giving powerful performances. The fact that half the costuming and period material was bought from Disney after Marvel stopped production on Blade is the icing on the cake. This is how you make a modern vampire film when you know what you're doing.

2) Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro)

The film del Toro was surely born to make, the latest adaptation of Frankenstein blows so many others out of the water. While far from being a faithful interpretation, del Toro's script captures much of the spirit of Shelley's novel, with a strong focus on Frankenstein's selfishness and abandonment of his responsbilities. Oscar Isaac, one of today's great character actors, gives a riveting performance as Frankenstein, with able support from Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz. However, the real star of the film is Jacob Elordi as the Creature, giving a nuanced and powerful performance that is both deeply sympathetic and frequently terrifying. Del Toro remembers the oft-forgotten detail that the Creature was intended as a perfect example of human form, with the design and Elordi's performance elevating the monster to a thing of twisted beauty. Achingly sad in places and quite beautiful throughout, in its own gruesome way, this makes a perfect companion piece for Nosferatu as classic horror bookends for the year. It deserves a proper theatrical release, but at least having it on Netflix means plenty of people will watch it.

1) The Long Walk (Francis Lawrence)

In October I said this would be my film of the year, and I stand by it. I'll also likely never watch it again. The other Stephen King adaptation in this list, The Long Walk shares some notable themes with The Running Man, each story essentially being about the way the powerful exploit the masses through scraps of generosity, the promise of opportunity, and ever more twisted entertainment. It's a far more serious, brutal and emotionally honest story, though. Cooper Hoffman gives a strong lead performance as Ray, but it's David Jonsson, rapidly becoming my one of my favourite young actors, who is the heart of the film as Ray's friend Pete. A brutal production in both filming and presentation, The Long Walk is harrowing but a must-see. Full review here.

Television Heaven update

I've a few new articles and reviews up on Television Heaven, for retro, recent and brand new series All the below are now available to read, with more to come:

The Full Monty

Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) 2000 

Good Omens 2

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S2

DC's Legends of Tomorrow S2 

REVIEW: SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS

 

I don't get the ill will towards this. Much like the bad rep that Ant-Man: Quantumania has been getting, it confuses me. Sure, neither film is perfect, neither is a work of art and neither is even the best of the kind of superhero film their studios offer. But so what? Not every film is going to be the greatest ever. Both these films are good, silly fun - brightly coloured entertainment. When did that stop being enough? When did we become so joyless about these films?

Shazam! was a surprise hit for DC, Warner Bros. and New Line, bringing the original Captain Marvel - sorry, he's Shazam nowadays - to the big screen for the first time since 1941. Doing the film as essentially a superhero version of BIG was an ingenious move, and most importantly, writer Henry Grayden and director David F. Sandberg remembered that this is basically a kids' movie. 

Fury of the Gods has the difficult job of following this success, and was hit hard by the Covid lockdowns, delaying production by almost four years. The main kid actors are already in danger of ageing out of their parts, something that's referenced in the story, but it's not as if we're not used to young actors playing even younger characters. Fear of growing up is a major theme of the film, albeit not one that's entirely resolved.

The film makes a few odd choices. Asher Angel is unfairly sidelined as the "proper" Billy Batson, with very little screentime in which to make an impression. When he does appear, he gives a more mature performance than Zachary Levi, who's clearly having an absolute blast but sometimes goes a little too broad. Fortunately, the creators realised that Jack Dylan Grazer's performance as Freddie Freeman was the best thing about the first film, and make him a major focus of the film (his alter ego, Adam Brody, is hardly in it, and while he's also entertaining in his role, he's not really missed).

Grace Caroline Currey gets some good material as Mary, but again, she really deserves some more of the screentime. In an interesting choice, she doesn't have to hand over to another actor for her Mary Marvel phase - reflecting that her character is now an adult. Jovan Armand is just a treasure as Pedro; D.J. Cotrono is fun as his alter ego, but doesn't really come across as a version of the same character (to be honest, also a problem with Billy sometimes). Ian Chen and Ross Butler are both somewhat overlooked as Eugene, but fortunately Faithe Herman and Meagan Good are absolutely perfect and adorable as the younger and older versions of Darla.

There's some lovely material with the kids going on adventures as chaotic, semi-competent superheroes, while trying to keep it from their foster parents. Not making this into a farcical TV series is a missed opportunity. (Although, vaguely finding the superheroes familiar doesn't really work for Mary, now she looks identical in both guises.) Djimon Hounsou is brought back as the suspiciously not dead wizard Shazam, getting some much better material this time round and showing some real charm and comedy instincts, especially when paired up with Freddie. 

While it's still focused on comedy, there's some pretty intense and occasionally gruesome material here too, although the tone isn't as balanced as in the first film. I thoroughly enjoyed the reliance on Greek mythology in this story - one of my first obsessions. Yes, it plays a little fast and loose with the mythical genealogy when it comes to the Daughters of Atlas, but then, it's not as if the Greeks kept their mythical canon consistent over the centuries. Helen Mirren makes a convincing action film villain in spite of being in her eighth decade, and as always brings a touch of class to the whole affair. Lucy Liu brings an icy cruelty to the role of Kalypso, the younger sister to Mirren's Hespera. As Anthea, the youngest of the three (but still six thousand odd), Rachel Zegler gives a mixed performance. As everyday Anne, seemingly human teen, she's excellent, tremendously likeable and sharing great chemistry with Grazer. She's not so good when openly playing the goddess; she lacks the presence required, and struggles with the cod-Shakespearean dialogue that Mirren and Liu can roll off effortlessly.

The over-the-top climactic act is tremendous, with, I was overjoyed to see, monsters a-plenty. I actually cheered when the manticore appeared, and then we got harpies, minotaurs and a very Harryhausen-inspired Cyclops. Already we had the dragon Ladon, an archaic bit of mythology reworked with a fabulous and unsettling design. The Shazam! series has the best monster designs in superhero cinema. There are real punch-the-air moments (that cameo was lovely, really) but there are, admittedly, shockingly poor moments as well (the Skittles product placement is painful). Overall, though, the good stuff wins out.

Ultimately, while it doesn't balance heart, humour and horror as well as the first Shazam! the sequel is a brisk, entertaining and heartwarming action flick that makes for a cracking family film. The series deserves a third instalment, to allow Billy and Freddie the chance to truly grow up into their roles as heroes. And, just as importantly, I want the Monster Society of Evil team-up the post-credits scenes keep promising us (minus Black Adam, of course, as Dwayne Johnson will doubtless veto that).

My Ten Best films of 2022

 

In an especially busy year, I haven't been able to catch as many new films as I would have liked, nor find time to fully review all the ones I have seen. Still, I did manage to see a fair few, including some that really stood out. Here, then, are my choices for the ten best films of 2022. (Alphabetically to begin with, with my choice for the film of the year at the end. Details I consider too spoilerific I've hidden, you can just highlight them to read them.)

The Batman

(Matt Reeves)

I did manage to review this one when it came out. Long story short, this film justified rebooting the Batman franchise yet again with a powerful and impactful take on the hero and his rogue's gallery, with excellent performances from Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano and and almost unrecognisable Colin Farrell as the Penguin. Naturally, there will be a sequel, but whether it can have the impact of this scathing attack on male obsession remains to be seen. Flawed, certainly, but one of the best movies to come out of DC/WB in a long time.

Where to watch: available as part of a NOW TV subscription, and available to buy on DVD/Blu-Ray, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and YouTube.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

(Ryan Coogler)

Following up 2018's seminal Black Panther was never going to be an easy job, but to do so after Chadwick Boseman's tragically early death seemed impossible. Marvel's decision to focus on his legacy rather than recast the T'Challa is a wise one, and while Letitia Wright's Shuri was an obvious choice for his successor as Black Panther, she really does elevate this film from a solid sci-fi actioner to something really special.

She's ably supported by Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira and the great Angela Bassett, who all give effortlessly classy performances, and while Michaela Coel and Florence Kasumba are underused, it's a great MCU debut for Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams. There's a risk with these films that putting the blocks in place for the next run of stories will overwhelm the one being told now, and Riri is here partly to set up Armor Wars and Ironheart, but she's is a perfect foil for Shuri, two engineering geniuses who happen to be young black women, but from vastly different backgrounds.

It's Tenoch Huerta Mejia who perhaps has the hardest job as Namor. While the mutant is one of Marvel's oldest and most important characters, he's also one who really skirts the line between super and silly, and it's to the credit of Huerta and Coogler as director that a man with tiny wings on his feet remains a serious and formidable presence on the big screen. While changing Namor's origin from Atlantis to an offshoot of the Mayan civilisation doubtless owes more to not wanting to be compared to closely to Aquaman, it works thematically, with both Wakanda and Talokan representing fantastic versions of cultures threatened by western imperialism. (Wonderfully, Huerta couldn't swim before this, learning specifically for the role.)

Martin Freeman's Everett Ross still seems out of place, and the film is at least half an hour too long, but it remains the best comicbook movie of the year, a thrilling and visually stunning story of two vastly powerful forces meeting explosively.

Where to watch: still out in cinemas, and coming to Disney Plus on 20^th January.

Elvis

(Baz Lurhman)

One of two singer biopics in the list, although they couldn't be more different. Elvis sees Baz Lurhman regain his standing as the master of musical spectacle, but more importantly, restores the life of Elvis Presley to the legendary status it deserves. Presley's death long after his prime, and the decades of cultural familiarity since, has left him as an archaic figure for many, and a joke for many more. The film puts him back into the spotlight to remind us just how exceptionally talented he was, and how important he was to the history of popular music.

Austin Butler is truly exceptional in the lead role, and is definitely one to watch (a tenner says he's cast as Clark Kent in the latest Superman reboot), but holding much of the film together is Tom Hanks in a truly unforgettable turn as the self-serving Colonel Parker. While Presley comes off a little too innocent here – laying the blame for his addiction troubles purely at Parker's feet is unrealistic, and the film rapidly skirts over his preference for much younger girls – ultimately it's a largely accurate and heartbreaking look at one young man so swept up in his own success that he couldn't see how he was being exploited.

The decision to have Butler sing his own songs, untouched, in the early scenes, then to very gradually blend in Presley's own voice as the film progresses, was an ingenious one. The final scene, where Butler finally shifts into Presley himself in his final performance, is powerful.

Where to watch: available to buy on most streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play, and out on DVD/BluRay.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

(Rian Johnson)

2019's Knives Out was a joy, and from the outset Johnson had hoped to continue Benoit Blanc's adventures in successive films. Setting it during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic should have made the film feel dated (a testament to our ability to pretend the damned thing isn't actually still happening), but by luck it's been released perfectly in time with Elon Musk's catastrophic self-own, making this tale of billionaire idiocy absolutely on point.

Edward Norton is a perfect choice for Miles Blon, the Musk-like antagonist, not least because apparently very few people actually like working with the guy. As obnoxious as Miles is, his hangers on are somehow worse, particularly men's rights activist Duke (the ubiquitous Dave Bautista) and the near mindless model and influencer Birdie (Kate Hudson). We've also got brilliant turns from Kathryn Hahn and Leslie Odom Jr, who play somewhat more balanced characters, but still just as amoral as the others. Janelle Monae is even more impressive, but I really won't spoilt why here, as this is a compelling mystery and to give any more way would spoil it. It's not quite on the level of the original Knives Out, but it has a re-watchability that means I'm certain to revisit it.

Daniel Craig, as well as being the best Bond ever (no, I will not change my mind), is a truly brilliant character actor. Benoit Blanc is an irresistibly watchable character, an Craig is clearly having a ball playing him. Netflix have bought the rights to one more Blanc film, but I could see the character continuing for years, or at least as long as the current vogue for murder mysteries lasts.

Where to watch: available on Netflix with subscription, with a limited cinema release coming.

Nope

(Jordan Peele)

Peele's third horror film, and perhaps the most divisive, not for its content but its style. Yes, it's undeniably slow to get going, but every element is so essential to the story and its themes that it's essential to pay close attention. Bizarrely, some commenters have struggled to identify the themes of the film or the need to include the flashbacks to the brutal events with the chimpanzee in the TV studio. The major theme of the film – that of exploitation and underestimation of animals – is so clearly written that it seems impossible to miss.

While there are other themes involved, such as the racial element, and the power of media exposure illustrated by various characters' obsession with getting footage of the creature, it's this that is the most essential. Animals, be it OJ's horses, the suddenly violent chimpanzee Gordy, or the mysterious and unearthly Jean Jacket, must be treated with respect and understanding, and to assume they can simply be used without such care leads inevitably to tragedy – for the human handlers and bystanders, and the animals themselves.

More than that, though, the film is an ingenious take on the UFO phenomenon, albeit not an entirely original one. Whether Jean Jacket is a previously unknown terrestrial animal (which seems to be the intention of Peele according to interviews) or an extraterrestrial organism (which was my interpretation – it's nature as a cloud-living creature and the prominently named “Jupiter's Claim” convinced me it's Jovian in origin) doesn't really matter.

Aside from a couple of moments, Peele has managed to create a horror film that is both full of spectacle and truly disquieting without being gory or over-the-top. It also works as a truly modern neo-western, with a thick atmosphere of isolation and hopelessness from the get-go. Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun and Brandon Perea are all excellent in their roles.

Where to watch: available to buy on DVD/BluRay, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play and Curzon home cinema.

Pinocchio

(Guillermo del Toro)

There are, somehow, three adaptations of The Adventures of Pinocchio out this year, and while I'm sure to watch both the Disney remake and the Russian animation at some point, this is the one that caught my attention and had to be considered a must-see. You know that any film from del Toro will be a visual extravaganza and a chilling fantasy, so yes, to some extent you know exactly what you're getting from a film marketed as Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. Yet the directions he has chosen remain surprising, with the story shifted from the late 19^th century to interwar Fascist Italy to provide a historical lesson that has uncomfortable implications for the way politics is moving today.

The voice cast is excellent. Gregory Mann is a charming, mischievous Pinocchio, with David Bradley giving us a flawed but sympathetic Geppetto. Ewan McGregor gives a solidly entertaining performance as the cricket (Sebastian J. Cricket in this version), who is also our narrator. It wouldn't be a del Toro film without Ron Perlman turning up, but the most surprising casting is Cate Blanchett as abused performing monkey Spazzatura (“garbage” in Italian, the poor thing). She gets one chance to speak, as Spazzatura performs through puppets, and otherwise communicates in screams and grunts. It's a stop motion film that stars a puppet and other characters that talk through puppets, which has a certain surreal genius to it.

Tilda Swinton is haunting as the two main supernatural beings in the film, the Wood Sprite and Death. The former is still the blue fairy we'd expect, but rendered more as a terrifyingly Biblical angel, while Death is sort of sphinx or chimaera, who has many meetings with Pinocchio as he repeatedly dies and is resurrected. It's a quite astonishingly dark take on the story (although less terrifying than the Disney classic's donkey transformation scene), but one that is ultimately very beautiful and hopeful.

Where to watch: the cinematic run seems to be over, so on Netflix with subscription.

Prey

(Dan Trachtenburg)

I've never been the biggest fan of the original Predator, brilliantly done through it is; it's altogether too macho for my tastes. So this reworking of the central concept appeals to me greatly, with Amber Midthunder captivatingly cast as the Comanche hunter Naru. Having a woman in the central role gives the film an entirely different feel and verve to the previous instalments (including AVP, which was really just a huge videogame cutscene), and the period setting means that a forty-year-old franchise manages to feel fresh again. It's not the first time this has been tried (there are some extraordinary fanfilms out there), but it represents a different direction for the series on film proper.

Trachtenberg's direction is taught and nerve-wracking, and there is some truly gorgeous cinematography. Comanche/Blackfeet producer Jhane Myers was responsible for ensuring much of the historical accuracy of the script, and the resulting film is an intelligent discussion of traditional gender roles as well as the brutal treatment of Native populations by alien invaders (not just the Predator, but the dreaded French). Notably, this is the first feature film to be released in Comanche. Plus, there are some satisfyingly gruesome kills and a great update on the Predator design.

Where to watch: available to buy on DVD/BluRay, or to stream on Disney Plus with subscription.

Six Years Gone

(Warren Dudley)

Among all the big names and blockbusters, there's still room for indie films to make a huge impact. Six Years Gone might well have passed me by if I didn't have a fleeting connection to its star, Veronica Jean Trickett (my partner Suzanne was in the short film The World Can Wait with her). Trickett has risen from such shorts to starring in this multi-award-winning, Cannes Award Trophy-nominated drama, and she gives an astonishingly strong performance.

Written and directed by Warren Dudley, Six Years Gone is the unflinching story of Carrie, whose daughter disappears from outside school on day. Six years later, Carrie is in emotional and financial ruin. While the early scenes are a little clunky in terms of exposition and dialogue, the film rapidly tightens up to become a disturbingly real insight into loss and desperation. Carrie's life unravels as her situation worsens in a chain reaction of impossible choices, but there is, ultimately, some hope to be found. Powerful, upsetting and moving, largely down to Trickett's performance.

Where to watch: available to buy on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play (only £3.49 in the UK).

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

(Eric Appel)

Unusually bankrolled and released by Roku, Weird is a biopic presented the only way that Weird Al could do it: as an ingenious parody. Eric Appel co-writing, Yankovic has done something genuinely clever: taken as many liberties with the truth as acclaimed films such as Rocket Man and draw attention to them. The result is baffling and hilarious. Daniel Radcliffe, who has grown into the choice actor for weird roles, is perfect in the lead, while Evan Rachel Wood is a great choice for Madonna. The singer, who actually did suggest that Yankovic parody “Like a Virgin” with “Like a Surgeon,” has been the source of Weird Al rumours, including suggestions that she disapproved of his work and tried to get the single pulled. It seems fitting, then, that this film has led to a spate of internet searches to see if she and Yankovic really did have a relationship, when in reality they barely know each other. Madonna's real life opinions on being made into both the love interest and villain of this film remain unknown.

Where to watch: only via the Roku Channel, so you'll need a Roku device. However, there's no subscription needed. Alternatively, Weird Al himself has mentioned that there might be a TORRENT of alternative channels on the DOWNLOad.

Finally, my film of the year:

Everything Everywhere All at Once

(Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert)

That rarest of things: a genuinely original film. While the multiverse is, of course, the in thing at the moment, Everything Everywhere is the first film I've seen that really runs with the concept and does something worthwhile with it. As much as I enjoyed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home (which would have made the list if had been released a few weeks later), their use of the multiverse was primarily as a source of fan-pleasing in-jokes. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and No Way Home in particular married it to a meaningful story, but it's shallow water compared to this.

Michelle Yeoh continues to show that she's a true star of the modern era of film-making, with a subtle and very real performance as the unwitting heroine Evelyn combined with some spectacular martial arts. Originally it was conceived by the Daniels as a vehicle for Jackie Chan, and yes, I can totally imagine that, but he wouldn't have given it the depth that Yeoh does. And how amazing to have a sixty-year-old woman as the lead in an action movie?

It's also a joy to see Ke Huy Quan back on screen after so long, with a performance so assured you'd never think he took a decades-long break from acting. Really standing out is Stephanie Hsu as Evelyn's daughter Joy and her nihilistic alter ego Jobu Tupak, an absolutely stunning performance that elevates the long series of confrontations into something truly special. It's a treat to see Jamie Lee Curtis again, in a very different role to what we're used to – at 64 she's now allowed to be old, grim and frumpy, and she's still allowed a romantic subplot. Well, one iteration is anyway.

The film is a wonderful examination of Asian American identity, family dynamics, the agonising loss of hopes and dreams and deeply philosophical questions of reality and identity. It's also a surreal, truly unpredictable action comedy, which goes beyond the normal twists of parallel universe fiction to present some unforgettable images. You won't get hotdog fingers world out of your head for a while. A brilliant, affirming, hilarious, smutty, cosmic, ingenious adventure, an absolute must-see.

Where to watch: available to buy on DVD/BluRay, and on YouTube, Google Play and Curzon home cinema. It's currently included as part of an Amazon Prime Video subscription, but that could change to a paid ,purchase-only option at any time.

R.I.P. Kevin Conroy - the late, great Batman

This is hardly the only piece you're going to read about Kevin Conroy this week.

The actor died on 10^th November from a short, intense battle with cancer, aged only 66, and in the couple of days since the news broke, tributes to him have flooded the internet. Conroy was one of those rare performers who seemed universally admired, and it seems that no one has a bad word to say about him. Fellow performers, notably Mark Hamill (the Joker to his Batman) and other noted voice actors such as Tara Strong and Matthew Mercer, industry creatives such as James Gunn (new DC screen head honcho) and Paul Dini (the creator of Batman: The Animated Series) have been outspoken in their admiration. But it's the outpouring of love from the fans that says it all.

Conroy wasn't just Batman, of course. He appeared in front of the camera in shows ranging from Cheers to Kennedy, and in voice roles as various characters across his career, his last work being on the revived Masters of the Universe. None of these roles, however, will ever come close to being as fondly remembered as his time as Bruce Wayne.

I was six when Batman: The Animated Series began, exactly the right age for the seminal series. It is rightly regarded as one of the greatest animated series of all time, and certainly the greatest superhero cartoon. Heavily influenced by the dark fairytales of the Tim Burton films and the almost art deco style of the Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1940s, Batman: TAS had a haunting, timeless art and music style that immediately captured the imagination. Combined with remarkably mature but accessible writing and some truly great voice performances, Batman: TAS is the definitive version of Batman for a generation.

This was, in no small part, down to Conroy's note perfect performance in the lead role. His gravelly voice was reassuring as Bruce-about-town, commanding as Bruce when on-mission, and powerful as Batman when facing his enemies. He gave the role a subtlety that many actors would not have bothered with for a children's series. Such was his acclaim and popularity in the role that he continued to be the primary voice for animated Batman productions and video games almost through to his death, from the follow-ups Superman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, the elder Bruce Wayne in Batman Beyond, cinematic and home video movies from the great Mask of the Phantasm to the dark, adult-oriented The Killing Joke, and the acclaimed Arkham Asylum game series. There have been other great Batman voice actors, but none have ever really approached Conroy's stature. It was beyond time when he finally got to play the character in live action, portraying the elderly Bruce of Earth-99 on Batwoman as part of 2019's Crisis on Infinite Earths event.

It's no accident that when James and Scott created their World's Greatest Detective audio series it was hugely influenced by Batman: TAS, with Terry Cooper often sounding uncannily like Conroy in his performance as Batman.

Conroy came out as gay in 2016, after facing years of hostility within the industry in his early career. He wrote the comic story “Finding Batman,” an acclaimed piece in which he explored his own years behind a metaphorical mask, in this year's DC Pride Anthology. DC have made the strip available for free on their website (you'll need to sign up for a free account to read it).

It may seem odd to take to heart the loss of an actor whose face I hadn't even seen until a few years ago, but to me and many others of my generation, Conroy was Batman, the most iconic incarnation of the most iconic superhero.

New reviews on Television Heaven

 After something of a hiatus, I am back on a more regular footing with my reviews. (Big things occurring in real life I'm afraid, you know how it is). As such, there are a whole bunch of new reviews up on Television Heaven:

The X-Files comes to a close with its tenth and eleventh seasons - the revival years.

Buffy season four and Angel season two keep us moving in the Buffyverse.

Another long-running season-by-season review begins with DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

And a mere six months after Christmas, here's the David Tennant version of Around the World in 80 Days.

While you're there, check out these great reviews of Picard season two and Philip K. Dick anthology series Electric Dreams by John Winterson Richards.

Lots more to come in the near future!

REVIEW: The Batman

This is the... let's check... ninth live action Batman solo feature film. If you add in the animated features, old serial films, and shared universe movies, there have been... a lot. It's tough, against this background, to make a Batman film that stands out, not least considering that previous iterations have included some of the best superhero films ever made (although, admittedly, also some of the worst). Like Spider-Man a few years ago, this seemed like another hurried reboot far too soon after the last one. Just as then, though, Matt Reeves's new take on the now octogenarian franchise shows how well it can work when someone who really gets the character has creative freedom.

The Batman sets itself apart with its title, which now seems to be the method of dispensing with an uncertain past and heading off in a stronger direction. We've had The Suicide Squad, and I wholeheartedly look forward to The Superman, The Wonder Woman and, of course, The The Flash. It's a bit pretentious, that definite article, but it fits with the very serious, self-conscious tone of the film. Batman works best when it's taken seriously but also accepts the campness and absurdity in its concept. The Batman only really does the first part of that, and this leads to quite a dour experience. It's dark – so dark that it's hard to make out what's going on in some scenes – and by gum it's long, and on the whole it's extremely well done. Still, I do miss when a Batman film was entertaining (in live action at least – the perfect remedy to this is The Lego Batman Movie, this film's antimatter twin).

It's had a long and torturous upbringing, this film. Initially an intended as an installment of the DCEU, and virtually a vanity project for Ben Affleck, it was completely reworked when he dropped out and Reeves stepped in. One thing I continue to love about DC/WB's current approach to its films is the creative control it has given writers and directors. While the MCU becomes ever more expansive, swallowing up earlier franchises, it also threatens to become more and more homogeneous. DC, having failed to emulate the Marvel model (not for lack of trying) have allowed something different here. Unique interpretations of classic characters that can sit alongside each other, with no single one being the official, definitive version.

This is, semi-officially, the cinematic Earth-2, where a younger version of Bruce Wayne has only recently donned the cape and the cowl. I like how we've side-stepped the origin story (no need to cover that again) yet are still dealing with a very young version of the character. Yes, the death of the Waynes weighs heavily on the storyline, but this is still Batman as an established force in Gotham City. Only two years established, however, and still in the angry, emo phase of the Caped Crusader, stunted at an adolescent stage of development.

The casting of Robert Pattinson is perfect for this version of Batman. Like many, I was doubtful, but after previously surprising success stories I was happy to wait and see how he turned out. (Heath Ledger's Joker, of course, being the most famous example of “trust the casting director,” but most of the previous live action Batman castings have met with a undeserved backlash.) I was sniffy of the images of emo Bruce Wayne, with smudged make-up and lank black hair, but the character has always been an angry emo kid in a big bloke's body. This was just the first time he looked the part. Really, though, Bruce's character is almost – almost – irrelevant here. Pattinson's Bruce barely has an identity beyond Batman, subsuming himself entirely into the role of the vengeful vigilante.

(A side note – the current main actors for Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, the three most bankable superheroes in the world and often considered quintessentially American characters, are now played by Englishmen. Funny old world.)

The cast are all impressive. Jeffrey Wright is, for me, the best version of James Gordon we've ever had on the screen; gruff, straight-down-the-line and noble. Not yet the commissioner of lore, but still an established figure, much like the young Batman. There's a mystery about what happened during the last two years that made Batman such a notorious figure, yet one trusted by Gordon, but I suspect we'll learn that in time. Andy Serkis gives a version of Alfred who's both recognisably the butler and pseudo-father figure we know and a more formidable character, a veteran who you'd never cross and who has almost lost faith in his charge.

Zoe Kravitz plays Catwoman (for the second time – see again Lego Batman), or rather the Cat, as the character was originally known. Her version is more Selina Kyle than Catwoman, but you can see her slowly going down the route that Bruce himself has and being subsumed by her alter ego. Catwoman is always best as a morally complex antihero rather than a straightforward villain, and, of course, a romantic interest for Bruce to further muddy the waters. Kravitz portrays Selina as a sexually-charged figure, but this also comes across as just as much a mask for someone who has had a brutal and exploitative upbringing. It's an excellent performance.

The main villain, though, is the Riddler, virtually unrecognisable from his comicbook counterpart and previous big screen outings. Paul Dano's version of Edward Nashton (no Nygma in this telling) is a twisted but ultimately sympathetic individual. Dano's performance is remarkable, giving us a young man who is clearly mad as a jacket full of question marks, yet on whose every word we hang. Even under a mask that makes Batman's seem revealing, Dano gives Edward a depth and power, and he deserves to be remembered as one of the great Batman screen villains.

The gangsters are strong too. Colin Farrell is utterly unrecognisable as “Oz” Cobblepot, the Penguin, lathered in latex and donning a broad accent. We might ask why they didn't cast someone who looked and sounded at least a bit like the character they wanted, but Farrell's performance is suitably impressive. This scarred, arrogant version of the Penguin works, as the best iterations of the Penguin do, as a power-hungry crook who's out-of-his-depth. Perhaps the scariest of the villains is John Turturro's Carmine Falcone. No outlandish make-up, no scary mask, no voice modulation. Just a man who's cruelty and greed is outstripped only by the power he's accumulated. Tying him into the Waynes' murder is a good idea, giving the story greater structure, much as Tim Burton's Batman tied in the Joker to the origin story.

The Batman's strength as a story is its deconstruction of the vigilante hero's existence, positioning him as just as much a threat to the safety and structure of Gotham as the villains. Throughout, it's made clear that a noble mission can be easily perverted by human weaknesses, be it in Thomas Wayne's poor judgment in the face of a threat, the various lawmen and politicians of Gotham giving into corruption and greed, or Bruce's own spiral into violent vengeance. Like all the best Batman stories, it positions Batman as a reaction to Gotham's brutality, but also as a catalyst for the worst to come. It's far from the first story to suggest that Bruce's costumed crusade acted as inspiration for the various outlandish villains who came after him, but it makes it explicit and holds him to account for it. (It's exactly the opposite take to the last “young Bruce” attempt, the Gotham TV series, which had it entirely the wrong way round.)

Notably, it's not entirely down to the Batman's example, but the insidious, ongoing radicalisation of young men (particularly young white men) online. Edward commands a small but loyal following of angry men, and he has broken away from a deeply isolated existence into a world where violence is the only means of making the wider world pay attention. Like Joker, which similarly explored the explosion of violence that lies beneath masculine social conditioning, it has its real life reflections in young men and boys who dressed up in Joker make-up before shooting at cinemas full of people. We don't know the backstory of the Joker in this version of events (a recently released deleted scene gives some hints, but it's clear why it was deleted, not least because it's almost impossible to make out what Barry Keoghan's version of the Joker is saying), but it's easy to imagine that the Riddler is inspired by both the Joker and Batman (he's long been something of a Joker copycat, after all).

There's a note of hope in the climax, as Bruce turns away from the pursuit of violence and starts to actually help people, rescuing those in danger rather than simply beating up villains and abandoning their victims. Still, it's hard not to think that he's missed the point. It's an improvement, sure, but as the new mayor has been trying to tell him, his money would be put to better use in philanthropic programmes than in whatever else he's been spending it on. Thomas Wayne's failure at the last doesn't mean that his goal of using his wealth to improve people's lives was wrong.

Visually, musically, and directorially distinct, The Batman succeeds in standing out as its own animal amongst all the many Batmen that have gone before. It's a strong, solid dark detective story with an important message, but one that's a bit muddled in the telling. Clearly open for a sequel (with an entire new Bat-verse franchise planned, whether or not this is a wise direction), it's not quite the triumph some are making it out to be, but it has the potential to be the start of something truly great.

CHROMAKEY Issue 5 now available

 The latest of the cult television print magazine Chromakey is now available to order from Lulu.com. 

This issue includes articles on Project Blue Book (which I've never seen but now make it a point to search out), The Year of the Sex Olympics, Battlestar Galactica, Knightfall and more. There's not much from me this time, just a slight reworking of my Stargirl season one review. However, I can thoroughly recommend this issue as having some really excellent material. It's available for only $7.99 US (that's about six quid).

REVIEW: Stargirl season one

The CW and DC's Stargirl made it to Amazon Prime in the UK just over a week ago; Suz and I sat down to watch it not long after and finished the series in three days. It's a real delight; nothing spectacularly new, but a well made, heartwarming and, above all, fun superhero show. It brings to mind the early seasons of Supergirl and The Flash, before they got caught up in their own angst. 

We first saw this version of Stargirl in a brief cameo at the end of Crisis of Infinite Earths. The original Earth-Two (or elements of it at least) has been seemingly folded into the Prime Earth continuity, and a new Earth-Two was presented. This is where the Justice Society of America was the primary superhero team, making it more like the Earth-Two of the comics. We've already seen a version of the JSA, who operated in the 1930s and '40s of Earth-One, on Legends of Tomorrow, where Stargirl was played by Sarah Grey. On Earth-Two, though, the JSA was active in the 21st century, although there was still a retro-vibe to them.

The series kicks off with a gripping scene in which the villainous Brainwave kills off the entirety of the JSA, with the exception of Starman's sidekick, Pat Dugan. It's a hell of an opening and pulls me right into the series straight away. We then rejoin this world ten years later, when Dugan and his family are moving to the town of Blue Valley - which just so happens to be his wife's hometown and the location of the villainous Injustice Society's base of operations. It's extremely silly, but the series embraces the silliness. It hits exactly the right balance - accepting the daftness of the premise but playing completely straight.

Pat Dugan is played by Luke Wilson, forever to be known as Owen Wilson's younger brother, and he brings a real warmth and charm to the role. He's a decent natured everyman who just happens to have a past as a superhero sidekick (an honorable role, he's quick to point out). His stepdaughter, Courtney Whitmore, is played by Brec Bassinger, who has a lot of charm and presence and brings a very optimistic feel to the series. They make for an excellent leading pair, centring the ensemble cast. Courtney might just be the daughter of the original Starman, and in any case, when she uncovers the Cosmic Staff - a seemingly intelligent weapon and tool - it bonds with her, recognising her pure heart and self belief. Pat isn't exactly thrilled she's found the JSA relics he's been carrying around, but it's hardly like he was going to be able to keep this stuff secret forever.

It doesn't take Courtney long to go from alienated teen to superhero. It's pretty blindingly fast actually, and she's kitted up in her own outfit in no time (I enjoyed her making her own adjustments to Starman's costume; it reminded me of the old days when Peter Parker used to do his own alterations at home). Pat, who was originally the hero Stripesy, adopts the slightly less absurd name STRIPE for when he's in his huge robotic battle suit. Now, I know he's a mechanic, but how he managed to keep that a secret during the move is anyone's guess. Still, seeing STRIPE to make his first appearance was the most triumphant part of the opening episode, and well worth the anticipation.

Part of what made this series so enjoyable for me is the fact that I'm not as familiar with the JSA - or their precursors, the Seven Soldiers of Victory - as I am with the Justice League or other more popular heroes. I know enough to make the reveals of the characters' backgrounds and the identities of the villains exciting, but many of them were new to me. Even the ones I knew aren't characters I'm super familiar with, so the series feels fresher than, say, a new version of Superman or Spider-Man would, or even something like Runaways. I guess a real DC diehard would have known who everyone was going to turn out to be, but there were more surprises for me. 

Now, I do know that Starman is one of DC's many legacy characters, but Sylvester Pembleton, the Star-Spangled Kid, was never one of them in the comics. However, conflating the two characters makes a lot of sense, especially as in the comics Courtney went from being the second SSK to becoming Stargirl when she acquired the Cosmic Rod. This sort of streamlining is common in comic adaptations and it makes the backstory here easy enough to take on. I learned a lot more about Stargirl reading up after the watch through. It so happens that Brec Bassinger was born in 1999, the same year Courtney Whitmore was created (she plays her younger, at about fifteen). This might also have something to do with the wonderfully nineties soundtrack to the series, which adds to the retro vibe - it's basically the same as having 1940s heroes revived for comics in the seventies. I also had no idea that Geoff Johns - who created the character and also acts as showrunner here - named Courtney for and based her on his sister, who was killed in the Flight 800 disaster in 1996. It must have made creating this series a very personal project for him.

Bassinger is a worthy Stargirl for sure, but she needs her own JSA, and sets up recruiting new team members from the local teens. There's a bit of a Buffy vibe to this, a little bit of Smallville, even a touch of the Power Rangers to it. This stuff works, so why not use it. Thew new JSA take on the mantles of the classic heroes, sometimes due to inheritance (Cameron Gellman as the surly Rick Tyler, the new Hourman) other times due to affinity with the technology (Anjelika Washington, the hyper-enthusiastic Beth Chapel as the new Dr. Midnite). They're all loners and outsiders for one reason or another. Most affecting is Yolanda Montez's story. Played by the truly stunning Yvette Monreal, Yolanda in this version was a popular girl at school and headed to be class president until her boyfriend leaked nudes that she had sent him, leading her to be mocked and bullied at school and virtually disowned by her religious parents. (I honestly hate them more than any of the Injustice Society villains.) Monreal gives a very deep and believable performance that brings light to this important and ongoing issue in schools today, one that seems particularly prevalent in the States. Yolanda becomes the new Wildcat, taking after her hero Ted Knight. That's another element I like - Yolanda is already a boxer and Courtney is already a talented gymnast, which gives the skills to bring to the table even before they acquire superhero kit.

The rest of the supporting cast are all very good as well. Shout out to Trae Romano, who plays Pat's son/Courtney's stepbrother Mike, and who has more character in one scene than most child actors manage in a career. (I've said this before, but there really are some exceptional young actors starting their careers right now.) Amy Smart, a familiar face in movies in the nineties, plays Barbara, Courtney's mum/Pat's wife, with a lot of humour and class. It looks for a moment like she's going to go down the Buffy's mum route, refusing to believe the evidence of her own eyes, but as soon as she's confronted with the weirdness around her, she accepts it and joins the fray.

The villains are strong as well. Without going through everyone, there's a good mic of the outlandishly evil and the more nuanced. Most notable is Neil Jackson as Jordan Mahkent, aka Icicle. On the outside he's a committed liberal politician and family man, but underneath he's a heartless monster seemingly drawn from the depths of Niflheim. But underneath that, he's... actually a committed liberal politician and family man. Jackson's performance helps a great deal, but there's also some intelligent writing here, and while many of the Injustice Society are clearly opportunistic villains, Icicle is torn by his goals and his actions. When we find out what the ISA actually want, it makes things far more complicated, since their goals are absolutely right and just. There's an interesting argument to be had about whether the ends can justify the means, but even so, I feel that if Icicle had just come clean to the new JSA, made up of forward-thinking kids, he might have won some of them round.

Also worth singling out is Jake Austin Walker as Henry King Jr, the son of Brainwave. Initially he appears to be a generic jock character, the sort of thuggish bully who gets by on his looks and sporting prowess, and the fact that he's the bastard who shared Yolanda's pictures around supports this. Before long, though, a much deeper character emerges, one who's terrorised by his father and ashamed of his own actions. He becomes one of the more interesting characters. Less effective is Cindy Burman, his new girlfriend and current queen of the school. Meg De Lacey gives a perfectly good performance and she's a fine foil for Courtney, but making the stereotypical mean girl a supervillain is predictably obvious. I can't help compare it back to Buffy again, where the mean girl popularity queen became a hero. Still, Cindy has her own horrors in her background and looks like she's set up for a big role in season two, so we might see more sides to her going forward.

Stargirl is tremendous fun and a real family show, but it doesn't shy away from serious issues and gets pretty heavy towards the season's end. It also looks absolutely amazing, honestly some of the most visually impressive TV I've seen. At a compact thirteen episodes, it doesn't drag on like many of these shows. Definitely worth seeking out if you're a superhero fan.

DC EU: The Suicide Squad roll call

 The full roll call for The Suicide Squad has been released. Here's the rundown of the various villains and antiheroes we'll be seeing in James Gunn's sequel treatment.

Viola Davis as Amanda Waller

Waller is the most important element in the plot given that she's the badass who brings the various lunatics together. Davis, always an powerful actor, reprises her role from the first Suicide Squad, providing much needed continuity.

Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag

Also reprising his role as the commander of the team in the field, Kinnamen's looking particularly hard-as-nails in this role call. He was one of the better elements of the first film so it's good to have him back.

Michael Rooker as the Savant

It's a James Gunn movie so a role for Rooker is obligatory, but he's never anything less than watchable so we don't mind. Real name Brian Durlin, the Savant is a hyper-intelligent vigilante who basically set himself up as a rival to Batman in his early appearances in the Birds of Prey comics. A chemical imbalance in his brain menas he struggles to retain his memories.

Flula Borg as Javelin

DJ Flula is a German YouTube personality-cum-comedian who's apparently a bit of a big deal these days, but I lose track of these things. He's got a lot of voice work under his belt including some DC cartoons, and he looks great as Javelin. A former athlete who has turned to a life of crime, Javelin is one of the sillier characters to be included in The Suicide Squad and I'm thrilled they're going with these sort of daft C-list villains. Anyway, javelins are well nasty.

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn

The other returning star and the big draw of the film, after her scene stealing turn in the first film and her headlining of Birds of Prey (which I still haven't seen but will honestly get round to soon). It'll be good to see her take on the role of the SS's best and barmiest without the Joker's shadow over her.

David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man

Oh my word, they're using Polka-Dot Man! Abner Krill uses a miraculous costume that utilise its polka-dots as various weapons, which is the sort of mental idea DC films just don't have the guts to use often enough.Weirdly, he never appeared on the 60s Batman series, and his only film appearance before this was a non-speaking cameo on The Lego Batman Movie. Dastmalchian has form as Abra Kadabra on The Flash and was brilliant in Ant-Man, so stoked for his casting.

Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2

Another Batman villain, the original Ratcatcher, Otis Flannegan, originated in Detective Comics in the 80s. Melchior's version would seem to be a follower of the Flannegan, perhaps his daughter.Presumably she can talk to rats like her predecessor. Melchior is a Portoguese actor who I'm totally unfamiliar with, and is playing one of the newest members of the Squad. At 23 she's the youngest member of the cast.

Idris Elba as Bloodsport

Big name star Idris Elba is a huge addition to the cast. Early rumours suggested he'd be replacing Will Smith as Deadshot, (and that was probably the original idea) but it's probably better that he's getting his own character. There have been various villains called Bloodsport in DC Comics, ususally as Superman enemies, but Elba's is the original, Robert DuBois. A mentally scarred veteran, DuBois utilises extremely advanced weaponry including kryptonite bullets, and his inclusion in the film hints at some link to Lex Luthor, who commonly employed him.

King Shark

The metahuman/shark-hybrid/demigod (origins vary) was one of the most fun elements of The Flash series and it'll be good to have a monster character on The Suicide Squad. He's going to be CGI, of course, and Steve Agee has been involved with the voicework, but it's not confirmed he's in the final film. Taika Waititi is rumoured to be re-recording the lines.

Mayling Ng and Mongal

An alien warrior, Mongal is the sister of Mongul and is a perennial enemy of Superman and Green Lantern. Extremely strong, she's perhaps the most powerful of the squad. Ng is an actor and martial artist who's previously had roles on Wonder Woman and Scorpion King: Book of Souls.

Peter Capaldi as the Thinker

The most exciting casting for me, the great Peter Capaldi is taking on the role of Clifford DeVoe, the hyperintelligent mastermind who's been a major enemy of the Flash over the years. Neil Sandilands played him on season four of The Flash but wasn't very interesting in it; I can't wait to see how Capaldi plays him.

Alice Braga as Sol Soria

The talented Brazilian actor Alice Braga won acclaim for City of God and has genre experience from Repo Men, I Am Legend, Elysium and Predators. She's also going to be in The New Mutants when it finally appears. Sol Soris seems to be a version of Juan Soria, a minor villain who's a wannabe superhero.

Pete Davisdon as Blackguard

Richard Hertz aka Blackguard is a mercenary bestowed with technologically advanced armour. Best known as a comedian and comedy actor, Pete Davidson won acclaim for his role as star and co-writer of The King of Staten Island earlier this year. He has presence.

Nathan Fillion as TDK

The Firefly and Castle star is always good value and another favourite of James Gunn. Floyd Belkin is a metahuman from the far future in the comics, originally going by the name Arm-Fall-Off Boy. One of the most ridiculous of DC's characters, he can detach his limbs and use them as weapons. This should be... interesting to see onscreen. Belkin changed his name to Splitter, but here seems to be going by TDK, although what that stands for we can't yet say. Surely he's not calling himself The Dark Knight? I've heard suggested that it's The Dismemberment Kid.

Sean Gunn as Weasel

Another obligatory James Gunn casting choice, it's his brother Sean, who provided the motion capture for Rocket Raccoon on Guardians of the Galaxy. This time it seems he'll be voicing the character as well, but there's the risk this will be more of the same. John Munroe is a low-life who becomes a costumed villain in the comics, although the movie version seems to be based more on the rebooted New 52 version, and looks like he's actually part weasel.

Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang

One more returning cast member. Courtney was great fun as the wonderfully loopy Captain Boomerang in the first film, and it's good to have him back. He can take comfort that he's no longer the owner of the most ridiculous name on the squad.

John Cena as Peacemaker

The legendary John Cena plays Christopher Smith, the Peacemaker. Described by Cena as "a douchey Captain America," Peacemaker believes in peace at all costs, and it doesn't matter how many people die to get it. Pretty much the most American character ever, then.

DC EU round-up!

 So, there's been a huge amount of news and material released by DC/WB as part of its DC Fandome, its online convention this weekend. Here' are my thoughts on some of the more interesting titbits.

The Batman

Hmm, not sure about this. I mean, it looks stunning, but also miserable as hell, and I'm kind of done with grimdark Batman for now. I'm still not entirely sold on Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne (although I do like the guy), but we've been wrong before about unusual casting choices in the Batman films. He's very emo-looking in this, but then again, I guess Bruce is a bit of an emo. I'll see this, but it looks so joyless I'm not sure it's going to work for me. Best comment on YouTube: "Looks like a Batman who's watched his parents die as many times as we have."

Flashpoint

Which might actually just be called The Flash, but in either case is a) the long-delayed Flash movie and b) an adaptation of the Flashpoint comics arc. The Flash TV series already did a version of that, but this is likely to be closer to the source material since they can actually use Batman, and we're, astonishingly, getting two of them: both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck are returning to the role, presumably as alternative versions of the character. We've had it confirmed that the Ezra Miller iteration of Barry Allen calls himself the Flash now because he got the name from Grant Gustin's version in Crisis on Infinite Earths, so the door's open for even more unexpected cameos. (If John Wesley Shipp turns up I'll scream.)

Wonder Woman 1984

This is more like it. There's an edge to it, yes, but it looks fun and colourful in a way The Batman just fails to capture. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is one of the best things in the DCEU so it's a treat to have her back headlining a film, but I'm most excited about the wonderful Kristin Wiig as the Cheetah. I love it when the films aren't afraid to embrace the very silly villains of the source material. Good to have Chris Pine back as Steve Trevor, bringing to mind when the 70s TV show jumped ahead thirty years and recast Lyle Waggoner as the son of the original Trevor. That doesn't seem to be what's going on here though.

Black Adam and Shazam 2

We've had confirmation at last of the Shazam! sequel, provisionally titled Shazam: Fury of the Gods, which will apparently feature the comedian Sinbad in some capacity. Other than, not much info.

The long-gestating Black Adam film starring the Rock is still in the works, with confirmation that Noah Centineo is signed up to play the Atom Smasher. Intriguingly, it's been revealed that Adam will be forming his own Justice Society, seemingly as a rival to the Justice League, and has recruited Hawkman, Cyclone and Dr. Fate.

The Suicide Squad

Both a trailer and roll call for this one, but it has to be said, having James Gunn behind the wheel is the most important thing. The previous film was flawed to say the least, although it had its moments, and I'm hopeful about this one. Peter Capaldi as the Thinker is my most favourite thing for a while. Full roll-call analysis coming up!

Batwoman moves on

I still haven't finished season one of Batwoman. I've not been gripped by it; the episodes I've seen don't quite seem to know what tone they're going for. It mostly seems to be after the same gritty, semi-realness as Arrow first went for, and that eventually bored me away, but it did lead to the great Arrowverse. Still, it's worth sticking with, I feel, and I'm interested on seeing where things go.

Sadly, it seems the series will have to develop in a different direction to its original plans. After filming for the first season was cut short due to the pandemic, Ruby Rose announced she wouldn't be returning for season two. The reasons behind her decision aren't clear. It has been reported that she has been suffering from a back injury, which would certainly make recording an action series difficult, but she has stated herself that this wasn't the reason. Another report has suggested the long filming hours, combined with filming in Vancouver a long way from her home, made it difficult for her, and also cited friction on set.

I also wonder if Rose is leaving due to all the shit she's received from "fans." There was a ridiculous backlash to her casting as Kate Kane, a character portrayed as lesbian in the Batwoman comics. Some of the more conservative fans kicked off about "virtue signalling," "SJW pandering" and the usual knee-jerk crap purely because of the casting of a queer actor as a queer character. On the other side, the queer fan community had many people objecting because Rose, who identifies as lesbian but also as gender fluid (she uses feminine pronouns). This, apparently, makes her not a real lesbian, and for some, means she shouldn't be playing a lesbian character. Rose was simultaneously too gay and not gay enough.

The shitstorm forced Rose off social media, and I cannot imagine this didn't have something to do with her leaving the show. Why would she want to continue after that reception?

It was announced yesterday that the showrunners are looking to replace Kate Kane with a new character, rather than recast her and carry on. This is understandable, since DC has a long and storied history of legacy heroes whose titles are passed on (Batwoman has been portrayed by two characters, although with almost identical names). On the other hand, the series is so entrenched in Kane's relationship with her sister (the villainous Alice) and cousin (Batman, Bruce Wayne), that reworking it for a new character seems destructive. Given all the sci-fi gubbins in the Arrowverse, it wouldn't have been too difficult to find a way to make recasting work.

The new Batwoman has been described as an LGBT woman in her mid-twenties, currently named Ryan Wilder, although it's also been suggested that this is just a placeholder name. (This might even indicate a recognisable character from the DC universe is being repurposed as Batwoman). Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Stephanie Beatriz has expressed interest in the role, and I could absolutely see her as Batwoman, although at thirty-nine she's a good deal older than the character description. (Although she is a mere five years older than Rose.)

REVIEW: Crisis on Infinite Earths

It took the Marvel Cinematic Universe eleven years to bring us their over-the-top, self-indulgent and thoroughly enjoyable time-travelling crossover. So for the CW's Arrowverse to get there in just eight years is pretty swift. Although I've never been the biggest fan of Arrow itself, it's a testament to the huge franchise of DC superhero shows that it has spawned that, in its final season, it would be part of a five-part crossover with all of its sister shows involved. Although that's not the half of it; this is as much an event for Supergirl , and particularly, The Flash, which has been counting down to this Crisis since its first season, with glimpses of the inevitable future marking Barry's time.

Plus it's a much-needed boost for Batwoman (a show I'm behind on, but still, from the evidence of early episodes, one that needs an injection of fun) and a celebration of the ridiculousness of Legends of Tomorrow. Even that doesn't cover it, though. By taking the idea of Infinite Earths to its logical extreme, Berlanti and the CW team realised they could put everything in there, if they could get the right people involved. And they got away with it; Crisis on Infinite Earths is an absurd celebration of the entirety of DC's live-action screen history, and a fair bit of the animated universe too. It's amazing that they got so many actors from DC productions past to get involved, even if some of them were just fleeting cameos.

It's nicely balanced on that front, too, with the regular cast still carrying the bulk of the story. The only alternative version of a character to get a big cut of the action is the Earth-96 Superman, and he, of course, is played by Legends regular Brandon Routh. It's particularly lovely how the reuse of actors isn't glossed over, but commented on by the characters. Superman productions in particular have a tradition of reusing actors in new roles, so there are a lot of characters who look like other versions of people they know. It's ridiculous, but as always, the Arrowverse embraces that ridiculousness.

There's also a nice balance to how they manage the repercussions of the Crisis. The original comics events used it as a way of tidying up continuity, starting a tradition of periodic DC universe makeovers that only ever made things more complicated. This was more straightforward – it got the main Arrowverse series, Arrow, The Flash, Batwoman and Legends, into the same reality as those acquired later, Supergirl and Black Lightning. But really, this just seems like an excuse to have fun. Yet it still left us with a multiverse, so there's no disjoint between the joy of seeing your favourite version of a character make a cameo and realising they've been killed along with everyone in their universe. It's all still out there, so we can still enjoy the infinite versions of this nonsense.

Part One: Supergirl

It starts beautifully, with a knowingly daft and over-the-top voiceover from the Monitor that leads into a multiversal montage of multiple Earths. It's a damned shame Adam West is gone, because I'm certain he would have jumped at the chance to appear alongside Burt Ward on Earth-66. Then we're into the action, with the universe of Earth-38 – the “Superverse” - under threat from the antimatter wave. One thing that this crossover managed very well was keeping each episode feeling part of its parent series, with this episode focusing on Supergirl and her friends and their reaction to the devastation. And it's pretty full on – Kara loses her entire world, and Argo, bar the lucky few survivors. Rightly, Superman and Lois are part of the team, not just because they're setting up their own series, but because they're pretty bloody important. But Supergirl herself is bloody impressive here, saving millions by working with the DEO and sundry aliens to evacuate people from their Earth. It's a shame we couldn't actually see much of this, but I guess a planetary evacuation is a rather expensive thing to put on screen. Still, it really makes it clear that this is a big event, with repurcussions. Supergirl's Earth is gone, and billions are dead. We know they'll find a way to put things right, somehow, but nothing's going to be the same after that.

It works very well as part one of the overall story, as well. It sets up the new Arrow spin-off by focusing a section on Oliver's relationship with his daughter and bringing in Laurel, and rightfully having Oliver lead the battle against the wraiths that precede the coming of the Anti-Monitor. It's the best battle of the serial, because it's relatively small scale, and features characters who fight without superpowers. It ends with Oliver's death, which is very poignant, even though we can already sense that he's going to be back before the end.

Other bits I loved:

• Sara and Ray just chilling at a pub quiz, with no idea that the Crisis is coming.
• The respective Batman themes on Earth-89 (the Keaton movies) and Earth-66 (the West series and movie).
• Titans is included as Earth-9 – there's too much comicbook TV to watch right now, and I've just started this, but I loved seeing it included. It's another Berlanti one, although not one that's getting folded into the main universe.
• Harrison Wells in a brilliantly comicky Pariah costume.
• Wil Wheaton's cameo.

Part Two: Batwoman

While this one does put a lot of emphasis on Kate Kane, her friendship with Kara, and her complex relationship with Bruce Wayne and his memory, there's a huge focus on the Suerman mythology. However, for that reason this is my favourite of the episodes, as I just love the interaction between multiple Supermen. The visit to Smallville's Earth was a special treat; we'd all heard it was coming, but there was a spectacular frisson seeing Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch meet Tom Welling. It's a pity we didn't get any interaction between them and Erica Durance's Lois, though. It's perfect that this version of the character gave up his powers to live an ordinary farmboy life. Plus, Lex became president on that Earth, just as was foretold. It's slightly odd having Iris along for the ride, but Candace Patton is pretty great here, and after all, they're all journalists, right?

Jon Cryer might be the best Lex Luthor ever (still a huge surprise), and seeing him travel to multiple Earths to do what their Luthors couldn't and take down Superman repeatedly is wonderfully villainous. Of course, he uses magic, always Superman's other weakness. Could the Book of Destiny be a hint of some Sandman elements being incorporated somewhere down the line? Even more wonderful than Smallville is Earth-96, both the universe of Superman, Superman II and Superman Returns, but also the live action version of Kingdom Come. It's great that Routh finally gets to play Superman again, even playing him alongside himself as Ray. Wonderfully daft.

Both the biggest treat and the most aggravating decision, though, is Bruce Wayne. Kevin Conroy is my favourite Batman, but this is clearly not the Bruce Wayne of the 90s animated series and/or Batman Beyond. No, Earth-99 is more like The Dark Knight Returns and the grim Frank Miller canon, with a bit of Kingdom Come and even a touch of the DCEU movies. It's wonderful to have Conroy appear in the flesh at last, but did they have to make him such a miserable version of the character?

Back to the plot, and Oliver is back already, but not quite himself. Love that they got Constantine involved for this, as is all right and proper. There's a distinct lack of Legends in the crossover so far, even as we get a version of Mick Rory providing a Waverider to act as a base of operations. Still, there are a lot of characters and you can't fit everyone in. The Paragons idea is very daffy, but very comicbook and it's a nice way to get a core team together.

Other bits I loved:

• There are a lot of nods to the Superman movies, but the best was giving Bruce a Lex Luthor line just to show how villainous he's become.
• Plus he refers to Superman as “a strange visitor from another planet, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men,” which is straight from the really old Superman material – on TV and radio.
• I love how Routh's Superman references fighting himself before, ala Superman III, but that film isn't in continuity with Superman Returns.
• Gideon with the voice of Leonard Snart. This crossover has a dissapointing lack of Snarts so I'm glad he's in there somewhere.
• Mick Rory is good with babies!

Part Three: The Flash

This one really feels like an episode of The Flash, which is quite right. The Flash was always headed here, destined as Barry was to sacrifice himself to save the multiverse from the Crisis. At least, in the comics, things work out rather differently here. Was anyone really surprised when the Barry who sacrificed himself turned out to be the one from Earth-90? A cop out, perhaps, but not an unwelcome one, and it gave John Wesley Shipp the final send-off that he deserved. He's been wonderful all through this series as Henry Allen, Barry Allen and Jay Garrick, giving them all distinct characters, and it's a rather beautiful goodbye for him.

There are some very nice character moments for Team Flash, which is important, since while Grant Gustin's Barry doesn't die, he instead loses everyone. Indeed, everyone does. The episode ends with the destruction of the multiverse. I mean, we all know it'll be sorted out, but wow, that's a cliffhanger-and-a-half. Even so, the strongest moments of this episode were the character interactions, between Barry and his friends, between Kara and Kate, between Barry-90 and everyone who'd listen. It's a bit harsh on Hoechlin that Routh gets to be the “main” Superman, but it's not like he lasts long as a Paragon. The switch of Lex Luthor to take over his role is fantastic – ad the clear reason that the Monitor brought it back. You can't save everything just with heroes, you need a bit of villain in there as well.

There are some fluffs, though. Bringing in Ryan Choi (destined to become the new Atom when Routh leaves Legends later in 2020) is nice, and making the ordinary guy the Paragon of Humanity is a great touch. (I say ordinary, he's still a super-genius.) But his inclusion is underwhelming and feels undeserved (that said, he's much better in the following episodes). The introduction of Cress Williams over from Black Lightning is handled poorly. I'm miles behind on that show, so haven't seen its tie-in episode, but the guy has just lost his family and entire world, and he just has to shrug it off and get on with things. And after all that, he's fairly pointless, just a lightning zap here and there that could have been provided any number of ways. Also, after practically vanishing from events in Part Two, J'onn J'onnz is suddenly back as a Paragon. Not that he shouldn't be there, but the writing was sloppy there.

Other bits I loved:

• Wow, Birds of Prey. I'd practically forgotten that one.
• Ralph Dibney gets a few nice moments, particularly “Holy All-Star Squadron!”
• Look, I really don't like Lucifer, it gets the comics and character so completely wrong, but it was still a nice moment having Constantine meet him.
• Looks like Earth-73 is Black Lightning Earth, but it's not spelled out. Going with that one though. Still pleased they incorporated the series even if they did fluff it.
• Jim Corrigan shows up! Now that's a development. It's a pity they didn't get Emmett Scanlan back from Constantine, but Stephen Lobo's suitably grim.

Part Four: Arrow

God, they make us wait, don't they? More than a month without an episode, then two on the same night. I love how that month has passed in the show too, with the Paragons being stuck in the Vanishing Point all this time. There's an interesting universal set-up here: the multiverse has been destroyed, yet it would seem only in the present. So time travel is still possible, and timeless realms such as the Vanishing Point, Purgatory and the Speed Force continue to exist. Thus, we go back to the very beginnings of the multiverse to set things right, and get a time-travelling greatest hits parade to boot.

Yes, it's very Avengers: Endgame, but hell, these guys have earned it too. This is Arrow's show this time round, and Oliver Queen gets to shoulder the burden. Making Oliver the Spectre is an amazing move, one that's over-the-top but that seems right given the huge stakes here. Given that his character and series have evolved from vigilante-versus-assassins and criminals, to superhero-versus-metahumans and magicians, it follows that he ends up with powers of his own. And not just powers, he's an ultra-powered ghost! Somehow, even with something this silly, even though we've just done the same thing, Oliver's death is poignant. It's a hell of a move, killing off the star of Arrow halfway through his final season. It's a pity that Stephen Amell spends so much time with his voice so heavily modulated.

The final battle is a little underwhelming, if only because fisticuffs seem like a daft way to save the totality of existence. The build-up is more enjoyable, with Choi and Lex making a bizarrely effective team. Cryer's obviously having a fantastic time and is one of the best things about this crossover. Good to see that Supergirl doesn't deal well with working with him. She can be too saccharine at times, it's good to see her pissed off.

And then: the multiverse is restored, with tweaks.

Other bits I love:

• LaMonica Garrett is awesome when he's playing Mar Novu before he becomes the Monitor.
• “You have failed this universe.” So cheesy. I love it.
• Amell does get a really great final scene.
• That cameo. Ezra Miller drops by as another Barry Allen, bringing the DCEU into the great DC screen multiverse. It really feels complete, now that the current cinema version is included. I like that they pointed out that his inclusion, at this stage in the story, made no sense, but it was the only way to get him in there, since he could only be squeezed in after most the filming was completed. Then again, the Speed Force is outside of time.
• DCEU Flash gets the idea for the name from CW Flash.
• The Spectre fighting the Monitor while reality reforms around them is straight from the comics, although this time we have a different Spectre.

Things I didn't love:

• I know Emily Bett Rickards has left Arrow, but where the hell was Felicity? This is the biggest crossover ever and Oliver just died. She should be here.

Part Five: Legends of Tomorrow

And rightly so, the Legends episode is the silliest of all. I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get more Legends in there, but we got some great stuff from Sara, Ray and Mick, even if the rest of the team was either absent or reduced to cameos. Again, though, with so many characters to include, it's understandable (presumably why the Legends were left out of the last crossover).

So, now we have Earth Prime, the combined elements of Earth-One, Earth-38 and Earth-73-or-whatever. Possibly the old Earth-Two as well, given that it seems to have been replaced. It's a weird place, with Oliver having used his infinite powers at the moment of his death to reboot the universe and do some tinkering while he did so. Questions abound. Why is Lex suddenly in position of trust and power? That can't have been Oliver's choice. An effect of the Book of Destiny, perhaps? We'll see the fallout of the Crisis on all six series, but things can't ever be the same after this. On one hand, it threatens to invalidate everything we've already experienced on the shows so far. On the other, characters can interact with each other more easily, and it looks like they're pulling out all the stops when it comes to comicbook daffiness.

The final battle against the Anti-Monitor manages to somehow be more absurd than the confrontation with Beebo, but it works, mainly because the various heroes feel like a real team, all bringing their own elements to it. There are still strange omissions and inclusions – J'onn is mainly included as a Paragon so he can infodump people psychically in the new universe – but on the whole it works.

If nothing else, it's worth it for that final big scene. After all this time, we finally have a live-action TV Justice League. The Flash, Superman, Supergirl, Batwoman, the Martian Manhunter, Black Lightning, White Canary, and whoever's going to take over as the Green Arrow. It's been a wild, eventful, ridiculous ride.

Other bits I love:

• The multiverse continues. There's a new Earth-Two, it seems, which will include the upcoming Stargirl series. So even though they've gone to all this trouble to bring the shows together, they're keeping some in their own continuities.
• Heavy set up for a Green Lantern show.
• Best cameo of the crossover: Marv Wolfman himself. If you don't know, that's the modern DC equivalent of all those Stan Lee cameos.
• Diggle gets to have both his son and his daughter in the same reality. One got switched with the other due to Barry's Flashpoint foolishness.
• Good to see Mick's literary career is going strong.