DC'S LEGENDS is flat out fun

I was not an instant fan of LEGENDS OF TOMORROW when it started, but by the end of season one, I was on board. An ensemble cast of super heroes doing a kind of QUANTUM LEAP thing, with more than a little bit of the 1987 JUSTICE LEAGUE Bwahahaha team comedy sensibilities.

In other words: just my kind of show!

Confession time: I've just now gotten around to watching the back end of the new season, so I am several weeks behind. But episode 11 made me stop and want to write this post.

In season two, the show cemented itself for me, when they ended up meeting George Lucas in the early 1970s and a madcap adventure ensued. Also, Civil War Zombies.!

The cast has rotated a bit, losing the Hawkman and Hawkwoman characters from early one, and (thankfully) losing Rip Hunter for the most part (the character is great, but the actor not so much). Then in the incredible 4 part crossover of CW shows this year, they lost Martin Stein, and soon after Jackson, thus ending Firestorm. It was a gripping and emotional loss that carried significant weight. And it was incredibly well done. It helps when you have someone like Victor Garber in the role of Stein.

Newest cast member, Zari (The Mighty Isis, though they are never going to use THAT name) played by Tala Ashe is a great addition who just earned her stripes in season three episode 11 "Here I Go Again." It is a straight up GROUNDHOG DAY send up, though Ray Palmer references the Star Trek Next Gen episode, "Cause and Effect."

Zari is trapped in a time loop, and goes from being a pain in the ass new member to actually caring deeply for the team, and she employees Nate (Steel) first, then Ray (The Atom) as she has an hour each time she reboots to save the ship from exploding. Along the way she learns deep secrets, fears, and desires of her team mates.

The team return from a Disco era mission that we don't see, but hear enough to figure out that Napoleon Bonaparte somehow escaped his time and ended up making an 8 track tape, including a song called "Waterloo." (It's that kind of humor.) Zari has been secretly planning to use the time ship to manipulate her own past, and her tinkering would seem to have set off a series of events that cause the ship to explode, after which she returns to an hour prior to the explosion and repeats.

No spoilers, but towards the end, Zari gives an emotional plea to them all, addressing each of them individually with sincerity and love.

Mind you, this episode was incredibly funny as well as exciting.

At first I bristled a little with Nate and Ray became the Beetle and Booster stand ins for the show, with Mick as Guy Gardner essentially. I had wanted to see those characters show up in the rotating ensemble from the jump, and was hoping it would come to pass. But clearly, the writers are going for that vibe without those characters. And, at this point, introducing the Blue and Gold. would be redundant to the show.

Still, I'm OK with this team, and the way they are evolving.

LEGENDS is, hands down my favorite of the CW shows. It is most boundlessly fun. It doesn't really get the credit I think it deserves among those shows, and maybe that's why it can get away with being so random and fun. Time travel means that they can bounce around, screw things up, and fix them, without worrying about the larger CW DC U. That must be liberating to the staff behind the show.

Constantine is going to be a regular in season 4, which was recently announced. I'm OK with that, though his appearance in episode 10 of season 3 was the least favorite of mine thus far this year.

Overall, the show has as much heart as it does a sense of humor. And the blend makes for some of the most enjoyable super hero TV you're likely to see anywhere.

Check it out, if you're not already!

The CW hits the jackpot with Crisis on Earth X

I've seen it everywhere online, including from good friends (my old pal Donald messaged me one episode in to proclaim his love for it) that the CW crossover event, CRISIS ON EARTH X was a fun, comic book romp.

Mark Waid (comic writer/creator) took to Twitter to declare that it was perhaps his favorite comic book to film ever.

And I am happy to see such outpouring of love. This 4 part crossover was nothing short of pure joy to watch, start to finish. It was a comic book crossover come to life. No wonder they used the old JLA/JSA crossover concept to sell the event in the months leading up:

I used to love those regular team ups from across the multi-verse to tackle ultimate evil that only a collection of super teams could accomplish.

The CW likes doing these team ups each year, starting several years back with Arrow and The Flash, then continuing with The Flash and Supergirl, then last year with a (mostly) 4 show crossover with Legends of Tomorrow joining the fun. However, last year's INVASION felt a little smallish for such a big event. (Kind of like how empty that airport looked in CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR in comparison to how it should have, and wanted to look and feel).

And how could you not love the idea of mad Nazis from a dark world getting punched and slain by super heroes?

Everything was perfect this time around. The humor was great, the action was choreographed to a cinematic scale, and the gravity of the situation was right out of the pages of classic comics.

Also, the emotional weight of several subplots threaded their way perfectly through the episodes without taking away from the overarching tale being told.

To have pulled this off on a TV budget is nothing short of miraculous. Of course, to save some money, they confined some actors and set pieces to the sidelines or to their own shows. The Atom, Steel, Black Canary, Mr Terrific, Wild Dog and others didn't get to come out and fully play for the whole crossover, but when they did arrive it made sense and they made it count.

In many ways I can't imagine how they could have done it any better. The bar has been raised, and the potential of them taking it even higher next season (and beyond) has me very excited.

Sure, it took me a few years to get used to the reality of the DC TV U, which is quite different from the comics or the movie worlds. But like the comics, once you embrace the TV U as its own thing, and stop looking for continuity that fits into the other worlds, it is a great ride. They have created quite a fun universe to play in, and they are holding true to it and building on it with interesting layers.

I have finally given up my discomfort with Oliver and Felicity, and stopped waiting for the Arrow and Canary to find their way together. I have finally realized that Booster and Beetle won't show up on Legends, because The Atom and Steel are essentially those personalities (with Rory as Guy Gardner). I have committed myself to not judging too harshly the unfolding Legion story on Supergirl, since they OBVIOUSLY are deviating wildly from what we have known and loved. But it is Earth 38 that Kara is on. So, we can all have our own versions secure in our hearts and let these also play out.

Plus, its all made up stuff anyway. Let it be what it is, and enjoy it as such.

Major kudos to William Katt (The Greatest American Hero) for a tiny role as the priest on the crossover, and it was a great little hint that has Legion fans going nuts to see what they think could be XS as a waitress at the wedding. (She is a 31st century relative of Barry Allen who is part of the reboot Legion). Clearly she has more to do, since they cast Jessica Parker Kennedy of Black Sails in the role, and it seems like there's something going on with her deliberate interaction with Barry.

Let me take some time to also commend the creative forces behind the shows for continuing to be pro-LGBT and to approach it without a heavy hand. The Sarah and Alex hook up and ripples from it were deftly done. As was the arrival of The Ray in a concentration camp for being gay on Earth X, and his relationship with a decidedly delightful turn on Captain Cold.

Everyone got to shine during the run of episodes, including Iris and Felicity teaming up as the non-hero girlfriends who have to fend off the baddies.

And who doesn't love the good guys turned evil from another world takes that Stephen Amell and Melissa Benoist got to deliver as dark Arrow and Ubergirl! Plus we get Tom Cavennagh back as Reverse Flash.

A major character death and the fallout from it in the final episode was heart-wrenching, and packed more of a punch than you might have expected as well.

All in all, this was simply the most fun time you could want to have with these super heroes. They were all at their finest and the fact that the actors clearly relished the material and brought their A games to it helped to make this a comic book fan's dream come true.

Now, if only the shows will still be airing in 2024, when they have hinted at:

Final seasons for The Flash and Supergirl, no doubt. Well, if they stick to continuity....

Justice for Justice League

I saw Justice League today. I really, really liked it. Yes. I really did.

Did I love it? No. But I don't "love" a lot of movies. Of course it was not perfect. It is hard to find a movie that is.

First, here are a couple of quibbles:

The 2 hour run time made it feel like there were some things left out that we would have benefited from seeing. (I'm eager to see an Extended Cut release)

The world felt small, and for a world shattering event like the one unfolding, there was very little sense of the outside world and its reaction to what was going on. This was disappointing, as the world wide peril would have been massive, and the initial minutes of the movie set a perfect tone to propel this notion. I can only imagine that it was due to trimming and tone changes between the more earthy Snyder and the more airy Whedon.

SPOILER: Bringing back Superman felt odd and lacked some serious set up and it felt like it was kind of shoe-horned into the whole thing.

Joss Whedon's ham-fisted humor landed with thud more often than it hit. Sure, the Flash quips worked, but what was up with that odd dude reporter who randomly interrupts Lois and Martha to talk about basically nothing for a minute of valuable screen time that could have been better used elsewhere.

The Russian family and their little journey under the Steppenwolf dome was useless to the overall script and story.

Martha Kent, Commissioner Gordon and Mera felt like thow away roles.

Ben Affleck seemed to be too self-aware in his acting at times, as if he were really tense about fan reaction and timid to do anything that would draw their hair-triggered ire.

Surfer dude Aquaman takes some getting used to, but was not something that made or broke the film for me. And the Atlanteans felt like they were way undersold in the film. Maybe saving for the solo outing.

Now, for the positives:

The opening 10 minutes were fantastic. The tone and the street level perspective gives this movie something that Marvel movies miss (a sense of what real people feel and see in the shadow of super heroes)

Despite its variation to the real origin story, Barry/The Flash was a nice bit of youthful levity amid the more stoic proceedings. I was ready to hate him because of my affection for the TV Barry, but Ezra Miller made it his own, and made it feel right in the mix.

Wonder Woman continues to bring smiles.

The drama between Bruce and Diana and their growing friendship and trust felt really sincere and solid. I believe in the relationship, and in their struggle with Superman's death and its aftermath. The writing was spot on in the moments where there was needed emotional weight between them, as well as Lois and Clark (except for a handful of dumbass Whedon jokes wedged in there awkwardly).

The Amazons continue to kick ass.

Cyborg and Flash bonding was nice, though Cyborg did feel under-used overall.


All in all, this movie was a great joy to watch. The bonus scene of The Flash wanting to race Superman was perfect fan service, while fitting for their characters. The Luthor and Deathstroke bonus scene, hinting at The Legion Of Doom, was awesome. And it should be a priority for DC to make THAT the next JL movie. And they should do all they can do the get Affleck to stay on for one more or two more flicks. JL 2: Legion of Doom and JL 3: Darkseid.

There is no reason that Justice League should not be a massive hit, and secure a long and healthy future for DC's heroes. This movie out classes many of the Marvel movies easily. It is better than Avengers 2, both of the first two Thor movies, Iron Man 2, Civil War (yes, I said it), and it can't be compared evenly with Ant Man, Guardians or Doctor Stange (which are all in their own separate kind of movie spaces). I liked BvS a bit better (thanks to its more consistent tone and storytelling) and I think JL does a good job following Wonder Woman. I hated Suicide Squad after a promising first half hour. (So I'm not in the bag for DC, lest anyone wants to accuse.)

However, I do think that DC and Warner's (like Affleck in the role of Batman) were WAY too self-conscious about the so-called critical backlash to BvS, and they allowed that to get into their heads too much. Forcing quips and jokes and tone shifts into the movie in several places just distracted and stood out to me. It was like they were trying too hard to say "hey, look, we're doing what you all say you want, and want you to love us and give us credit for catering to your whims and sacrificing our overall story at the alter of your fanboy outrage and bitchery." But I digress.

In fact, long-whispered rumors that some sort of thumbs on the scales fix was in with Rotten Tomatoes and other outlets, reared its head over the weekend, when several prominent critics noted that they were being cited on Rotten Tomatoes site as negative reviews, when in fact they had not given negative reviews.

Petty Disney and Marvel attempts to somehow hobble DC and Warner's seem to be closer to being proven true, which is really disappointing.

Add to that, the notion that nearing $100 million domestically is somehow a failure, and I think there is a conspiracy of some sort to taint the DC movie Universe and sow some sort of dissent that derails them from making that Legion Of Doom movie.

There is enough room for both. And notions that somehow "fans" will chose to not see JL just because they saw Thor 2 weeks ago, or that they are going to only stay home to watch Punisher on Netflix, is offensive to me and other fans who CAN do more than one thing in the course of their daily and weekly lives as geeks and fans.

It is saddening and sickening that Executives who don't know jack shit or give a shit about fans and fandom in general, think so little of the very people they are "selling" product to.

Sadder still is that I see too many "fans" fall for their corporate talking points and believe that one product is inferior to the other because they have been told so by a website that suddenly has god-level powers to raise up or condemn a film on a whim.

The Rotten Tomatoes "fix" was in a full day before general audiences even saw the movie. It was already declared to be somehow lesser before folks could make up their own minds. And some of the weaker of those minds bought it without finding out for themselves.

Shame on them. All of them. Shame on deceivers and on those who are all too easily willing to be deceived.

Justice League is a good movie. It would have been better had they trusted themselves to tell the story they wanted to tell.  DC is on a good path. Wonder Woman broke new ground. JL held that ground, and the universe is established. Let's hope they don't throw it away based on all the odd little deceptions that are at play trying to sew seeds of doubt.

I'll see it again, in theatres. Half out of spite to the whole suspicious thing going on around it.

I hope to see Affleck back in a couple year in JL 2. I look forward to Wonder Woman 2, The Flash, Aquman, and whatever else comes from this shared universe. It is worth keeping going.

And Justice League IS worth seeing. Go. You may have fun. You may like it. But for goodness sake, don't let someone or some site that thinks you're a gullible geek in your mom's basement keep you from at least finding out for yourself.