Tag Archives: DC Comics

Creature Commandos: The Tourmaline Necklace [S1E2] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A solid follow-up that delved deeper into the lives of the characters while mudding the waters on many moral issues.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Frankenstein pouts.

Creature Commandos Review –

In many ways, the first episode is the easier one to pull off because the audience is prepared for the fact that you are mostly setting the scene. But it is the ones that follow, especially episode two, that doesn’t get a free pass and needs to be able to stand on their own feet, and here is where many falter. Will that happen today? Let’s take a look.


So, to set the scene, a long time ago [1831], in a land far, far away [Pokolistan], a bunch of body parts are being fused together in a lab. For you see, Frankenstein (David Harbour) wants a bride, and even though Dr Victor Frankenstein (Peter Serafinowicz) has reservations, he relents when Frankenstein finds the perfect skull. But back in the present, the castle is a ruin of what it once was, with graffiti on the walls. But there is one thing that The Bride (Indira Varma) needs to feel whole again. Unfortunately, everyone with issues with Creature Commandos now knows that two of them are by themselves. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Creature Commandos: The Collywobbles [S1E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – While this first episode does not give us much to go on, it was still a fun blast and has given me hope for the rest of the season.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

Creature Commandos walk off a helicopter in a perfect line.

Creature Commandos Review –

Well, I don’t think you need to look hard to see the issues that the current DC slate of products has had in recent years. The DCEU never quite got on its feet and then floundered when choice after choice held back even well-performing films. Even their Elseworlds experiment has had issues with Joker: Folie à Deux floundering while The Penguin thrived. However, we are at an official turning point in the comic world. The DCEU is dead; long live the DCU.

So, to set the scene, the Belle Reve Correction Center is many things, including the Non-Human Internment Division. It is here where Waller (Viola Davis) and Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) watch as the Sons of Themyscira, led by Circe (Anya Chalotra), cross into the country of Pokolistan and start causing trouble. Waller cannot let that happen because America needs their oil, so it is time to activate the Creature Commandos, including The Bride (Indira Varma), GI Robot (Sean Gunn), Weasel (Sean Gunn), Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao), to lend Princess Ilana (Maria Bakalova) a hand. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Penguin: A Great Or Little Thing & Full Season – TV Review

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TL;DR – A phenomenal ending to one of the great surprises of 2024

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

Penguin wakes to see Sofia looking down on him.

The Penguin Review –

To say that the DCU has had a bit of a bad run up until now might be putting it mildly. Indeed, even this year, they had the absolute disaster of Joker: Folie à Deux. So, I am not sure that I had much hope in a television spinoff of The Batman, which was not even in the DCU as it was made during the bifurcation period. However, I have never been gladder to be wrong. In today’s review, we will first look at the season finale and then the season as a whole.

So, to set the scene, things are coming to a head in Gotham as the war between Oswald “Oz” Cobb (Colin Farrell) and Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti) comes to an explosive climax. Now Oz has been captured by Sofia and has been brought to a final confrontation with Francis Cobb (Deirdre O’Connell). Because a profound revelation is about to drop after some prompting from Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi). Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Penguin: Top Hat – TV Review

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TL;DR – While this is an episode of big action beats, I was more interested in the small conversations that spoke loudly.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

Oz returns home.

The Penguin Review –

Goodness, we are already at the penultimate episode of this series, which is astounding. This season has flown by, but it never felt rushed because it was always captivating. However, as main cast members start dropping like flies, can it keep what is unique about the show all the way to the end?

So, to set the scene, at the end of the last episode, things were starting to look precarious as Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti) walks into the house where Oz (Colin Farrell) is trying to keep his mother Francis (Deirdre O’Connell) safe. Vic (Rhenzy Feliz) doesn’t even see it coming, but Sofia does not kill the pair. Only take Francis hostage because she is the best bargaining chip, the only person in all of Gotham City Oz might actually care about. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Penguin: Cant’anni – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is phenomenal character work that had me on the edge of my seat, wondering just what would happen next.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

Sophia in Arkham.

The Penguin Review –

When I first started watching this episode, I mused to myself, ‘Oh, tis the seasons of flashback episodes’. While that first gut reaction did have some truth to it, it did not prepare me for what followed. The depths that we would go to, and how the episode ended.

So, to set the scene, everything was going well in Bliss. That is until Nadia Maroni (Shohreh Aghdashloo) arrives and drops the bomb that not only is Oz (Colin Farrell) playing the two families off each other but that he was the one who killed Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen) back in After Hours. While Vic’s (Rhenzy Feliz) surprise entry into the scene saved everyone from an execution, it still rocks Sofia’s (Cristin Milioti) world, which was already precarious thanks to her time in Arkham. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Penguin: Bliss – TV Review

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TL;DR – A stunning character-focused episode that showed just what a powerful actor Rhenzy Feliz is.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

Vic watches the explosions.

The Penguin Review –


When we first heard that there was going to be a Penguin series, I was not sure how it was going to go. Sure, Colin Farrell was a great side character in The Batmanfilm, but was there enough there to build a series off? Well, if these first three episodes have anything to say about it, the answer is yes.

So, to set the scene, Vic (Rhenzy Feliz) is spending time with his family as he continues to be frustrated with his father that he won’t get paid for all the work he does. Staving off another argument, Vic goes to the roof of a nearby building to watch the fireworks with his girlfriend Graciela (Anire Kim Amoda). But it is not fireworks that go off that election day, but explosions across the city as the sea walls collapse and a surge of water crashes into Crown Heights. Today, Vic is working for The Penguin (Colin Farrell), and they are in a precarious position as two families are circling. Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) is about to make her move, but now they need the Triad’s help. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Penguin: Inside Man – TV Review

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TL;DR – We get a quieter, more character-focused episode that shows us how wild the rest of the season will be.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

Sofia Falcone

The Penguin Review –

The first episode of The Penguin After Hours had to do a lot of heavy lifting. It had to bring people into this world without the guarantee that they had watched The Batman. Now that we have situated ourselves in this world, it is time to explore some of the characters more deeply. Well, if that was the mission for the day, then the second episode did it in spades.

So, to set the scene, things are still tense in the underworld of Gotham City. The damage caused by The Riddler has created a lot of opportunities, but with the death of Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong), there is also a potential power vacuum. Well, nature abhors a vacuum, but when Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) kills Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), well, there is only one outcome that can follow. The question is: will The Penguin be able to play the Falcone’s and Maroni’s off each other, or will he get taken out in the crossfire? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Joker: Folie à Deux – Movie Review

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TL;DR – This is one of those films that the more I have had time to think about it, the less I liked it. Compelling performances are not enough when you are swimming in the thematic shallow end of the pool but pretending you jump in the deep end.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

The Joker walks under rain surrounded by colourful umbrellas.

Joker: Folie à Deux Review –

Well, hmm, this was always going to be a complex review for me because I did not connect at all with the first Joker film. While many were rightly praising Joaquin Phoenix’s performance and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s musical score. I came away from that narrative feeling primarily hollow. It felt like this was a movie that wanted to say something about mental health, the role of the press, and the way that societies disenfranchise people and then get upset when they work outside societal norms. But the writing felt like someone wanted to talk about all these issues but didn’t have all that much to say other than ‘see … look … bad’ which, yes, okay, but we already knew this: what are you bringing to the table other than you watched Taxi Driver? But we are in sequel territory, and I am always happy when a sequel can improve on the original work. Well, let’s see if that is what we have today.

So, to set the scene, it has been two years since ‘The Joker’ as Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) has been dubbed, causing a riot across Gotham City after killing a popular TV host live on air. Since then, he has been housed at Arkham State Hospital a place where nothing ever goes wrong at all. However, as his court case for his crimes draws close, Arthur meets a new inmate, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who might be just what he needs or a manipulation that could have drastic effects. Now, in our review today, we will spend the first half looking over some of the general themes. When we get into some of the minutiae of the narrative, we will warn you when we might touch on some spoilers.

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The Penguin: After Hours – TV Review

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TL;DR – This was a fantastic opening episode that captivates us with its character work and worldbuilding as we dive back into the deep end of the Gotham underworld.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

Oz looks out on the rising sun.

The Penguin Review –

Back when the DCEU started to fracture, we got a bunch of interesting works, as it felt like people were rushing to stake a claim over parts of the DC canon. One of those productions, now relabelled as an ‘Elseworld’, was The Batman, probably one of the better looks at the caped crusader on the big screen. I quite enjoyed the romp through Gotham City and how much the cast threw themselves into the roles. Well, today, we get to jump back into that world as we see the aftermath of what happens when a power vacuum is created.

So, to set the scene, one of the casualties of the calamity that occurred in the conflict between Batman and The Riddler was the death of Gotham’s main crime boss, Falcone (Mark Strong). Overnight, the stable criminal underworld of Gotham was through into chaos as every person with an inch of criminal credibility started to claim new turf. It is a gold rush across the streets of Gotham, but one of the leading contenders is Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell). If the world can take him seriously that is. Though, you should underestimate The Penguin at your own peril.   

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods – Movie Review

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TL;DR – When it is working, it is a delightful blast of a film   

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film

The whole family in super form.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Review –

When the first Shazam! film came out. It was at this odd moment for the DCEU. There had been a hard pivot away from the dark and brooding movies like Batman v Superman towards something a little lighter. And I, for one, liked the change. While Shazam! and Aquaman were not perfect films, there were at least supremely entertaining. But I wondered if lightning could strike twice because, much like last time, Shazam has to do some repair work after a string of failures.

So to set the scene, since Billy (Asher Angel) was given the powers of Shazam (Zachary Levi) by the last council of the wizards, also called Shazam (Djimon Hounsou), he has tried to be a superhero. However, he is still just a kid; if ever there is an imposter syndrome, it is this. However, life does not give him the time and space to process this change because the two daughters of Atlas, Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Hespera (Helen Mirren), have returned to Earth. They are there to rectify their position and see Billy and his family as a threat and an affront to everything they stand for.  

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