Ranking The Pixar Movies (w/Elio)

Here it is! My ranking of every single Disney-Pixar film from worst to best!

Everyone tends to have their own opinion of what constitutes as the very best and very worst work from Pixar! It’s one of the few studios to where you can name nearly any film as the absolute best or worst and it’s quite hard to argue with that! Whether we are talking about Toy Story 2 or Cars 2, I don’t think there’s a single Pixar film that doesn’t have at least one diehard fan defending it to their dying breath! Heck, I’m pretty sure there’s at least one lone soul out there that has The Good Dinosaur as their favorite Pixar film!

Even so, there’s no denying that this is a company that has a huge impact on the way we all view animation and even cinema in general! If someone claims there has never been one Pixar movie that left a lasting impression on, they are lying through their teeth! To put it simply, they are one of the very best to ever make movies! And yes, while their quality has been quite inconsistent for the better part of the pats 15 years, there always comes at least one giant gem that reminds us all that when it’s done well, Pixar is easily one of the best animation companies out there!

Now that Echo is now out in (rather empty) theaters, let’s rank all 29 movies they have released thus far!

29.) Lightyear

If there is one Pixar film that I find to be downright INFRUIATING, that would be Lightyear! Because on paper, this should be an EASY film to get right! Especially since it has ALREADY been done right in the form of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins. Instead, for what is suppose to be Andy’s favorite film, it’s actually the most bland, generic and run-of-the-mill Buzz Lightyear film you could possibly imagine. The first 2/3rd’s play out as the most conventional space adventure ever that leads to a third act that contains one of the dumbest plot twists in Disney history (You wouldn’t believe me if I told you!). It’s so bizarre seeing Pixar spent so much of the Toy Story films building Buzz’s legacy and history as a space ranger only to just toss that aside completely for his feature film. Not even the excellent animation and the awesome sidekick in Socks could make this space opera even remotely appealing. Lightyear should have been a slam dunk for Pixar but instead, it’s far in a way their weakest film to date. As much as Pixar (and John Lasseter) doesn’t want to admit it but, if you want to see a proper Buzz Lightyear film, just pop in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins and call it day.

28.) The Good Dinosaur

The second worst Pixar film is probably one you either forget exist or didn’t even know it existed at all. The troubled production that The Good Dinosaur faced during the development of it is as clear as daylight when watching it. It’s got a neat and exciting premise (Dinosaurs never becoming extinct and living among human beings!) that it does nothing with. It’s got wonderful animation but there’s no creativity to it whatsoever. It’s got a story about a relationship between a young mute boy and a dinosaur that is told in the most dull and predictable way imaginable. And that’s not even going into the inconsistent tone, shockingly poor voice work (The kid’s voice for the dinosaur just doesn’t fit whatsoever!), and even a scene where the kid and a dinosaur are basically… high on drugs. (Yes, really!) It’s certainly more watchable than other bad animated films out there and there’s a few moments when the visuals are allowed to do the talking that are effective, but The Good Dinosaur is a dull, mediocre, and plain forgettable mess.

27.) Cars 2

Here is probably the first Pixar film that pretty much everyone agreed was bad. No one was really clamoring for a Cars 2, not even fans of the original Cars, but considering this was John Lasseter’s passion project along with one of Disney’s most successful toy brand, there just had to be a sequel somehow. This time around, Mater is put to the forefront and it doesn’t work for the same reason that most comic relief characters don’t work then they are given the spotlight, they just don’t work as their own character. You also have a bizarre premise surrounding spies and espionage, an overly complicated plot, and an incoherent narrative that it makes you forget that first film was literally about a race car learning humbleness. At least it still looks good with nice new locations added and some entertaining action scenes but those aren’t anywhere good enough to justify this sequel’s existence. While I can conceive that Cars 2 is slightly over hated, it’s also not a film that is deserving of being defended in any way.

26.) Brave

Pixar had finally shown a big crack in the armor with Cars 2 a year prior and their next film, Brave didn’t really do much to win back audience’s trust. Much like The Good Dinosaur, it’s just a confused mess with ideas you’ve seen many times before and done many times better in other films. Take every cliché you’ve seen done in every other Disney princess movie and every other “nature” Disney movie, use those cliches in the most half-baked way possible, thrown in some family and relationship dynamics that feels unbelievable forced, and put all of that in a blender and you get Brave. It’s well-animated and it was sure nice to see Pixar finally make a film with a female protagonist for once but all of that is put to waste in this lackluster bore fest. Brave may not be quite the worst Pixar film ever made, as it does at least feel more like a coherent vision than The Good Dinosaur and at least slightly more interesting than Cars 2 or Lightyear, but this is the one Pixar film I will always feels the least compelled to rewatch.

25.) Elemental

I was quite generous to Elemental when I reviewed it a few years ago, but unfortunately, time has NOT been kind to this whatsoever. Although it looks gorgeous and has themes that certain folks might be able to engage with, it’s whole love story narrative isn’t particularly special, touching on every single rom-com cliche you’ve seen a million times before and done a million time better in other films. Not to mention, Wade is quite annoying for a good chunk of it and doesn’t become endearing until the last third of the film. It’s certainly not a terrible film and I’m glad it was able to find an audience while gaining strong legs at the box office back in 2023, Elemental is just one Pixar film I don’t see myself going back to anytime soon. Good for you if you like/love it but it’s just not for me!

24.) Elio

Here’s yet another recent original Pixar movie that is cute enough in it’s own right but feels rather safe and obligated that flopped at the box office in it’s first week but will likely gain legs and recognition over time! There’s nothing that Elio does particularly bad but there’s not much it does to stand out among the very best of Pixar! It’s got a rather beautiful world, an engaging relationship between the lead human boy and his alien friend, and it’s message about finding acceptance is one that will likely resonate with audience. But, it’s still bogged down by a rather predictable narrative, plot turns and morals you can see coming from a mile away, and a very weak main bad guy. Like with 90% of Pixar movies, Elio has it’s charms and thrills but you can definitely feel the troubled production onscreen. Still would rather see more films like this than Cars 4 or Toy Story 5/6!

23.) Incredibles 2

Everyone and their mother had been waiting years for an Incredibles 2! With the original being one of the greatest superhero films ever made, everyone wanted to see more adventures with this super family! And after a 14-year long wait, we got a sequel that is aggressively…..just fine! There’s plenty of things to like about it! The animation is great, the action sequences are a lot of fun, it’s quite funny throughout, each character get a moment or two to shine, Michael Giacchino’s score is on point, and it was cool to see Elastic Girl get more of the stoplight this time around. Unfortunately, all the good things that are presented are hindered by a weak narrative with a plot and themes that has been done a million times before in other superhero films with nothing new added to it. It also has probably the most predictable plot twist in animation history with the main villain of the Screenslayer, who pails EMBARSSINGLY to Syndrome! For those that just want to spend more time with the characters from the original, you will likely be satisfied. However, for everyone else, you will likely be underwhelmed. To put it simply, Incredibles 2 is too late…14 years too late!

22.) Toy Story 4

Everyone was worried about a Toy Story 4 and for good reason. After the perfect way that Toy Story 3 wrapped up, where exactly was there left to good? As it turns out, that’s exactly what Toy Story 4 is about and why it’s able to function despite the worst possible circumstances. It’s an interesting experiment of how to continue on with your new story after your previous story basically ended. The real key trick here it doesn’t so much functions as a “true” finale to Toy Story but more as an epilogue. You also got some great new characters, Bo Peep’s welcome return, and an ending that wraps up Woody’s story very well (if not quite divisive). I could have done without the “inner voice” jokes with Buzz tho. Toy Story 4 is like the equivalent of watching a friend perform a very dangerous stunt after they claimed they were done doing them a long time ago. While you are happy they succeeded by sticking the landing, you would rather they would NOT attempt that again!

Unfortunately, because Toy Story 5 is yet coming out, it can no longer justify as being a satisfying epilogue to the franchise! It’s now of more as just…..a footnote! Because of that, it falters in the rankings!

21.) A Bug’s Life

Here we have the film that takes the crown for being the most generally “okay” Pixar film that they have ever released. What makes it all the more ironic that this came out just around the time that DreamWorks’s Antz did, which would also take the crown for being the most generally “okay” DreamWorks film that they have ever released at the time. How is the story? It’s okay! How are the characters? They’re okay! How is the animation? It was okay for the time! How is the sound? It’s okay! How is the main villain? He’s….actually pretty awesome and probably one of the best Pixar villains ever, and also happens to be voiced by a real life villain himself! No, I will not mention him by name! There’s not much to say about A Bug’s Life other than what I’ve been saying throughout. It’s just okay!

20.) Onward

Here’s a Pixar film that has grown with me quite a bit. Originally, I found Onward to be quite lackluster, feeling like it felt short of it’s ambition and it’s overall message was undermined by it’s ending. However, after seeing recent original Pixar films that have failed to surprise me in any meaningful way, I now admire Onward for the bold narrative decisions it chooses to make. It has a fascinating premise with an emphasis on Dungeons & Dragons, a fun universe to explore with the two main brothers, and a very recognizable cast of celebrities that seems like they are having fun in their roles. And while I was originally disappointed by the ending, I now find it commendable and quite frankly….heartwarming with the journey that the two main characters take to rediscovering their true father. I still don’t think this sticks out like Disney films such as Zootopia and the whole premise being about resurrecting a dead dad’s lower body/crotch stills feel quite weird but for what it’s worth, Onward is worthy of at least one watch and leaves room for a VERY promising sequel!

19.) Monsters University

I don’t know how many people in the world were clamoring for a Monsters Inc. prequel that put focus on Mike and Sully’s early days in college but we got exactly that in 2013 with Monsters University. This is similar to Lightyear, where the first two acts plays out as predictable and straightforward as you could imagine with a third act that’s literally the exact opposite of that with a wild turn that either makes or breaks the film. Whereas Lightyear‘s third act completely broke the movie beyond repair, Monster University‘s third act makes the whole movie worth it, with a heart hitting message about how not everything is set in stone for everybody and there are other options for you out there if you are unable to follow the traditional path. While everything before then is enjoyable enough, the final 30 minutes of Monsters University saves the entire movie of being another useless prequel. I still would have liked to see a sequel of Boo all grown up though.

18.) Cars 3

I never would have thought the most unnecessary of the Pixar sequels to come out in the 2010s was actually one of the better ones. In a area of legacy themed sequels, Cars 3 is able to stand out uniquely on it’s own. This makes for a rather interesting tale about Lightning trying to compete in the age of younger, modern racers while also being able to teach a younger, modern racer in the meantime. The animation and racing sequences have never been better, Lightning McQueen’s arc is odd but also compelling, Cruz is a nice new addition to the series, and the way it ties back to the legacy of Doc Ock is very well done. Jackson Storm himself is a pretty bland villain and there’s too many “old” jabs at Lightning but for what it’s worth, Cars 3 makes for an enjoyable sequel in the way that Cars 2 failed badly at.

17.) Finding Dory

Here’s another solid “good enough” B/B+ movie to an A++ predecessor! While Dory was a beloved character in the original Finding Nemo, there was the question of whether or not she would be good enough to carry her own film considering she was the comic relief of that movie! Thankfully, unlike Mater, Dory has an engaging story of her own, where she looks to find her long lost parents while fighting her short term memory crisis. The animation is beautiful, the journey that Dory goes on to find her parents is both fun and funny, and the new characters that are introduced fit into this movie’s world quite well. There’s too much nods and winks to the original with a climax that’s a bit too ridiculous for what it’s worth but Finding Dory manages to exceed quite well when it comes to laughs, character drama, and even emotion. Just keep swimming Dory! Keep swimming indeed!

16.) Cars

There are plenty of folks that decried the original Cars when it came out in 2006 because it was no Toy Story or Finding Nemo. However, when looking at the film for what it’s trying to be, it’s actually a sweet, moving, and just plain nostalgic road trip movie that acts as a great tribute for Route 66. There’s also a nice story here where Lightning McQueen learns the value of life and there’s more to it than just winning a race. Plus, you are lying if you claim that Doc Hudson isn’t a great character, the sequence of him driving in his “prime” form wasn’t breathtaking and the ending of Lightning going back to help Mr. The King finish the race wasn’t brave and heartwarming. It’s world of cars may not make the most logical sense and does come across as a more kid friendly version of Doc Hollywood, but Cars is still an enjoyable film that doesn’t deserve the scorn it’s gotten over the years. While it’s far from the best Pixar film, this is certainly one of the ones I’ve felt the most nostalgia for. Also, R.I.P. to the great Paul Newman!

15.) Luca

If there’s one film out there that I would describe as being the perfect “summer” movie, look no further than Luca. It’s a delightful and relaxing film about two best friends as human beings trying to spend their summer outside of their own comfort zone as actual fish. I don’t think I have seen an animated film that was able to capture the fun and spirit of summer vacation than this one! There’s just something so unique of seeing two best friends hanging out with a girl, who later becomes best friends with them! If you ever wanted to see a Pixar film in the style of traditional Studio Ghibli movies but in 3D, this is basically what you get. The first 20 minutes or so aren’t great, but once the kids get up to the surface, it’s a really fun time and makes for a perfect way to take time out of the summer heat.

14.) Turning Red

One of Pixar’s most divisive films to date is also one of their most important ones they’ve ever released. I can’t recall a film in the Pixar library that is has open and honest with itself as Turning Red. It take risks and tackles subject matter that at least 99% of other animation studios are probably afraid of tackling for a supposed kids film, it has a strong thematical and emotional core that holds the whole thing together near perfectly, and has animation that serves it’s purpose and executed in all of the intent and purpose imaginable. This is a wonderfully, lovable movie about an awfully, cringe-able time period that we all have or will have to go through. There are definitely some things you can criticize (The mother is way too much of a Karen for my liking!) and I’m not sure it makes for the most comfortable watch for those quite sensitive to it’s subject matter, but Turning Red is certainly a film that anyone that has gone through that awkward stage of their lives can get something out of. Just a shame this movie is remembered not for it’s overall quality but for resurrecting 9/11 memes!

Thanks Mr. Enter! Thanks!

13.) Monsters Inc.

Talk about a film that’s able to take a familiar idea but executing it in a way that makes it feel fresh and new. Even if you know it’s premise and ideas by heart, Monsters Inc. is able to exceed greatly on that front thanks to an exciting world in Monstropolis, some incredibly inventive set pieces (especially the end sequence with the doors), two very likable leads in Mike and Sully, and of course, a strong central and sweet relationship between the two monsters and the little human girl that is Boo. The main villain is pretty service level and I don’t recall remembering much about any character that is not Mike, Sully, or Boo, but Monsters Inc. is still a very enjoyable watch that holds up strongly to this very day.

12.) Inside Out 2

The nine-year long awaited sequel might fall just shy of it’s predecessor but that shouldn’t discredit Inside Out 2 as being a really affective and worthwhile sequel. This is arguably the first Pixar sequel not related to Toy Story that seems to have more on it’s mind to justify it’s own existence other than branding and merchandising. Going from seeing Riley as a youth moving to San Francisco to a teenager looking to make it into the high school hockey team with the popular girls while making time for her current friends, this sequel takes the logical next step into showcasing the inner turmoil of taking the next step to puberty with anxiety, envy, ennui, and embarrassment entering the picture, portrayed perfectly by newcomers Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adele Exarchopoulos, and Paul Walter Hauser. While it’s still able to delivers the laughs, thrills, and emotional beats of the original, there’s not quite a moment that is as tear-jerking as Bing-Bong or as laugh out loud funny as “GIRL! GIRL GIRL!”. Even if that in of itself prevents it from topping the original, Inside Out 2 is able to act greatly as a natural continuation and expansion of the first movie’s story and themes. This is probably the one Pixar series that I wouldn’t mind seeing more sequels to! (Oh and please bring Lance Slashblade in Kingdom Hearts 4!)

11.) Wall-E

There seems to be two sides to Wall-E: those that thought the film was absolute perfection from beginning to end or those that adored the first half but only liked the second half. I would say I’m part of the later category. The first half to Wall-E offers some of the best visual storytelling I’ve seen in any animated film, daring to go almost complete silences and let the animation and visuals do all the talking. Then comes the second half that while very good, feels more conventional compared to the first half, with more emphasis on dialogue and character exchanges to tell the other half of the picture. Thankfully, it all still works greatly because Wall-E is arguably the most lovable robot in all of action and his relationship with Eve is incredibly engaging. The film perfectly encapsulates innocence, purity, and hope in a world that is dying all around you. It might’ve just missed my top 10 but make no mistake, Wall-E is still a wonderful animated film regardless!

10.) Toy Story

Not only the one that started it all for Pixar but the one that started the trend of 3D animation! The idea of toys coming to life when the kids are not around is executed to absolute perfection with a cast of characters that are all iconic in their own ways. Woody and Buzz makes for possibly the very best characters in Pixar history, the script is airtight, it’s paced marvelously, and there’s just not a dull moment to be found here. The overall formula of these movies have become more noticeable throughout the years and there are parts of the animation that don’t hold up. Plus, there’s also that one annoying little plot hole about how Buzz acts like a toy when humans are around even BEFORE he knows he is a toy. However, NOTHING can take away the amazing accomplishment that was the original Toy Story, even 30 years later!. The fact this is only #10 on the list is just more of a showcase of the amount of fantastic films that Pixar has made.

9.) Ratatouille

I can’t help but feel like this is the most overlooked Pixar film to date! In a sea of Pixar masterpieces, this one tends to get lost in the shuffle when talking about the best of the best from Pixar. Ratatouille might be the most thematically rich and inspiring film in Pixar’s library, showing how anyone has their own talent no matter who they are or where they came from. Patton Oswalt is perfect as the lovable lead rat that is Remy, the whole supporting cast of characters are great, it’s themes and messages are perfectly inspiring, and who can forget the pitch-perfect speech at the very end which is an absolute all-timer. It does suffer a bit from the main of character of Linguini being arguably the least good character in the film but his chemistry with Remy is so spot on and the film around him is so great that it really doesn’t matter. This is a food porn film at it’s absolute finest! Rock on, Brad Bird!

8.) Soul

This make for possibly the most human and relatable film that Pixar has ever made! Soul goes into great depth in showcasing the meaning of life and why it’s worth living to the fullest, even when you are not where you want to be. You aren’t going to last forever and there will be a day where you suddenly die like Joe does. Until that time comes, make sure your life was one that was worth living, because you may just NEVER get a second chance to do so. Jamie Fox is perfect as Joe and has perfect chemistry with Tina Fey as 22, the ideas are executed in the most creative ways imaginable, the animation is incredibly impressive, it’s extremely funny throughout, the whole building is exceptional, and the message of finding satisfaction in your life is one that anyone can relate to no matter what age they are! If you need a film that can lift your spirits, help recognizes the talent that you have within yourself, and shows why life is indeed worth living, look no further than Soul!

7.) Up

If we are judging strictly on the opening of this film alone, this would probably be #1. Up has the most perfect first ten minutes of any film that I’ve ever seen, perfectly showcasing the origins of Carl as a young kid to an adult along with being the love of his life that was Ellie. Just like Wall-E, it goes from that silent form of storytelling to something a bit more conventional. Thankfully, the rest of the film is done so well that it really doesn’t matter. Carl’s arc of moving on from his past to enjoying the rest of his life while he can is incredibly well done, the side characters such as Russell and the dogs are a lot of fun, the sequences with the flying house is breathtaking, and Kevin might just be the funniest animal side character in animation history. (I always DIE laughing at the “Squirrel” bit!” I know some like to dog (no pun intended) on this movie as being overrated because the film never quite lives up to the first ten minutes of the film! However, the rest of Up is still so fun, engaging, and emotional that I can’t help but still love it to death!

6.) Coco

This is one Pixar film that has only gotten better in age for me, especially in the wake of my grandma’s passing (RIP, Grandma!). Not only is Coco a perfect representation of Mexican culture, especially with the traditional holiday of Day of the Dead, but it makes for a perfect human story of a flawed family that love each other despite their beliefs and traditions wearing them down. The animation is some of the very best ever put to film, the family dynamics are great, the world of the afterlife is brilliantly realized, and it has perhaps the most emotionally draining final act in Pixar history (I am always sobbing at the section of Miguel singing and playing his guitar to Coco)! Even the incredibly obvious bad guy reveal that has been redundant now can’t bring it down because of how it connects perfectly to the themes of the film involving the cons of pursuing greatness. While there are comparisons to be had with The Book of Life, Coco strands strongly not just as it’s own thing but has yet another home run for Pixar.

5.) Finding Nemo

If there’s an animated film that perfectly captures every parent’s worst nightmare of losing their own child, it’s Finding Nemo! What might seem like a simple story of a father trying to find his son is able to be told in the best way possible! That is thanks to INCREDIBLE world building that’s full of side characters who are all memorable no matter their screentime and perfectly exploring the ins and outs of the deadly deep blue sea. It is world building at it’s FINEST! You also got a great emotional father/son core with Marlin and Nemo, a perfect counterpart with Dory, and a hard hitting message of never taking the ones you love for granted and it’s better to be safe then sorry. Oh, and this movie is like REALLY funny! (The scene in the dentist office KILLS me every time!) No matter how many times I watch Finding Nemo, it always manages to be fun, fresh and exciting all the same! If that’s not the best compliment to give a film, then I don’t know what is!

4.) Toy Story 2

Toy Story 2 is wildly considered to be one of the greatest sequels ever made and I have to agree 100%! It takes everything people loved about the first movie and expands upon it in every single way. With even more memorable characters, much stellar animation, hard hitting emotion, an incredible soundtrack, having Woody and Buzz go through reverse arcs that work perfectly, and timely themes anyone at any age can relate to, Toy Story 2 is one of the sequels that manages to be as good as the original, if not even better Also, the opening with Buzz Lightyear might legit be the best opening for any movie ever! (It gives me goosebumps EVERY single time!) I love this film when I was a young kid watching this film on repeat on my VHS and I still love it to this day! It’s so hard to believe that this was the film that nearly broke Pixar due to it’s very troubled production! But by the end, not only did Toy Story 2 NOT kill Pixar, it made them stronger.

3.) The Incredibles

I don’t know how it took until five films for Pixar to make a film with actual human characters but they finally did that with The Incredibles. Even in an era where superhero films have dominated pop culture for such a long period of time, The Incredibles still stands out as being among the very best that the subgenre has offered. Not only because it’s able to subvert the very tired tropes of most superhero films but it’s also able to embrace the very best and traditional tropes that comes from them as all, managing to execute them even better than over 90% that have ever come out. The characters and family dynamics is a lot of un, the themes are all ones that feels completely timeless even nearly two decades later, the action and set pieces are absolutely fantastic, the animation holds up very well, every member of the super family gets their own moment to shine, and how can anyone not love the main bad guy of Syndrome. It also has the funniest Pixar short ever with Jack Jack Attack! (That “BS” joke only gets funnier the older I get!) There’s not a lot I can say about The Incredibles that hasn’t been said by everyone else already. It’s just awesome!

I don’t need to tell you why The Incredibles is in the top 3 of my favorite Pixar films! It’s just THAT good!

2.) Inside Out

People were starting to doubt Pixar before this film came out with a handful of films that ranged from fine to aggressive mediocre throughout the early 2010s, but then Inside Out came out in the summer of 2015 and blew everyone away! This is an example of a film that takes an unique idea and does everything it possibly can with it. It showcases how negative emotions can be just as healthy as positive emotions and how to keep them all in check and finding the right balance is the most important thing of all. Plus, anyone that has gone through the struggle of moving and having to adjust to a new place/culture will certainly get a LOT from this film! The animation is beautiful, creative, and imaginative, the mind of Riley is as unique as any world in the realm of Pixar, each character is fully realized and engaging, the humor is great, the score is mesmerizing, the voice cast is prefect, nearly every idea and concept is flawlessly executed, and the emotional moments hit as hard as you could possibly imagine. (*sniffs* Bye bye Bing Bong! *sniffs*) While it’s not quite my favorite Pixar film, there’s a strong argument to be made that Inside Out is objectively the very best Pixar film! And I would NOT argue with you there!

1.) Toy Story 3

While I can concede that Inside Out is probably the best Pixar film overall, there is no other Pixar film that I would rather rewatch than Toy Story 3. There is just no other Pixar film (or possibly ANY animated film) that has hit me, moved me, entertained me, and satisfied me more than Toy Story 3. Acting as a perfect culmination of the entire Toy Story franchise up to this point, Toy Story 3 is a perfect showcase of what happens when the kids grow up and are ready to move on to other things. It’s all about learning to let go of the past and embracing the future while also never forgetting the fond memories that got you were you are now. It’s able to be the funniest, darkest, and most emotional of all the Toy Story movies, the stakes are at their highest and feels the most personal, it has perhaps the best villain in all of Pixar with Lotso, and who can forget the final sequence that made grown men and women bawl like a baby! It might’ve took 11 years to be made but at the time and even now, Toy Story 3 is that rare long awaited sequel that was able to succeed EVERY expectation that I had for it! Yes, it’s a shame that Disney and Pixar didn’t stop the series right here, but taking at it’s own thing, being an impactful film about growing up and evolution, and as being a fitting conclusion to the “golden era” of Pixar, Toy Story 3 is Pixar, animation, and cinema at it’s absolute finest! This film has been one of my all-time favorites since seeing it in 2010 and it still is over 15 years later!

25 Superhero Movies That Are Worse Than Batman and Robin

Today marks the 28th anniversary of Batman and Robin, not just one of the most infamous superhero/comic books movies ever made but one of the most infamous movies ever made period. This move has been hated and ripped apart by everyone and their mother, considered to be the absolute blackhole of superhero/comic book movies. The one movie that nearly killed the entire sub-genre for an extended period of time and has its rightful place on the Hollywood Hall of Shame. Batman fans hate it, moviegoers hate it, and even the people behind making the movie hate it.

However, while Batman and Robin is no doubt a very bad and even plain terrible movie, I would not call it the worst superhero movie ever made. Heck, I won’t even put it in my top 10 or even top 20 on my list of worst superhero movies. I know some of you all are rushing into the comments and my mentions on Twitter to tell me how crazy I am but hear me out.

While Batman and Robin is no doubt the exact textbook definition of a bad movie, it’s at least a movie you can watch and have a good time with BECAUSE it’s so bad! It has such an over-the-top camp value to it that you just can’t help but laugh at it. Not laughing WITH it mind you but AT it! There’s a difference!

That is a big reason as to why I can’t call it the worst or even my least favorite superhero movie ever made. It’s just too much fun to watch the pure awfulness that is this disaster!

To celebrate the 25th birthday of this beautiful disasterpiece, I’ve decided to name 25 superhero movies that I believe to be worse than Batman and Robin.

Before I start the list, here’s a couple of disclaimers.

1.) I’m only going to be counting movies that are strictly an adaption of a superhero or comic book of some sorts.

2.) I’m only going to be referring to live-action superhero movies, so animated superhero movies like say Batman: The Killing Joke doesn’t count.

3.) These movies will not be ranked in any particular order and is only going to be in the order of the release dates.

4.) This is strictly my opinions. If you somehow happen to like any of these movies, and/or still think that Batman and Robin is the worst thing to ever exist, then more power to you!

Here we go!

Howard the Duck (1986)

Believe it or not, there was actually a time where George Lucas was involved in a Marvel movie of some sort. Ok, he was actually just an executive producer but still. While this has (shockingly) gained a cult following, I can’t for the life for me stand this film. This is almost like the Marvel version of Cats, the kind of a movie that makes you wonder why anyone behind the production didn’t think just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD. It’s incredibly unfunny, the acting is terrible, it can’t make up it’s mind if it wants to be overly funny or serious, and Howard the Duck himself is just an absolute abomination of a thing that is hard to look at. Thank god for James Gunn and Guardians of the Galaxy for being able to redeem the character in just a simple post credit scene.

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987)

If you thought Batman and Robin was a hard rock bottom for the character, then you should check out Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Not only is this easily one of the worst superhero movies ever made, it’s by far one of the worst main big budget movies ever made. Even at the time of it’s release, it’s looks and feels incredibly cheap with obvious green screens, lazy editing, and awful transaction. Throw in an absurdly stupid script, laughable dialogue, no logic, sense, or flow to anything happening, and incredibly phoned-in performances and you get the big shitty picture. It can be argued that this also can be qualified as a “so bad it’s good” kind of movie but Batman & Robin looks like a passion project from Stanley Kubrick himself in comparison. With Quest for Peace, it’s very clear that no one cared about the movie and Christopher Reeve especially was just over with. What a crappy end to easily the best Superman ever!

Captain America (1990)

It’s hard to believe there was a time that DC was much better at making movies than Marvel. Just a year after DC came out with their smash hit that was Tim Burton’s Batman, Marvel’s answer to that was with this piece of crap that is Captain America (1990). This doesn’t feel like a Hollywood feature but more like a fan film. Hell, even most fan films out there are better than whatever this is. It lacks pretty much anything a superhero movie or just plain movie in general needs to be worthwhile. It lacks a required budget, actual directing, a cohesive plot, or even any form of entertainment value of it. Seeing Captain America steal a car is kinda funny, I guess. Other than that, Marvel sure did have a rough early 90s.

Steel (1997)

Coming out in 1997, the same year that Batman and Robin came out, Steel was yet another failed attempt to make a big sports athlete into a Hollywood star and man does it all fall flat on it’s face. As if that Shaq Fu game wasn’t terribly enough, we had to suffer seeing Shaq in a movie as well. It’s sloppily made, terribly acted, and Steel himself is one of the lamest superheroes ever in any form of fiction. Shaquille O’Neill may be one hell of a basketball player but someone must’ve took too many basketballs to the head to make this movie a reality. Not only does this movie help support the fact that Batman and Robin isn’t the worst superhero movie made, it wasn’t even the worst superhero movie released in that same yea. That honor gladly goes towards Steel. I’ll take Arnold’s cheesy puns any day over anything in this abomination!

Catwoman (2004)

If you thought things couldn’t get bad enough with DC with Steel, then oh boy Catwoman surely would love to have word with you! What is there to say about this movie that hasn’t already been said? It’s a complete trainwreck from top to bottom! The direction is wrong, the writing is atrocious, the dialogue is a joke, the CGI is painfully unfinished, the costume design is some of the worst ever put to film, the pacing is so slow that it makes it 104 minute long runtime feel like 104 hours and it doesn’t even come close to capturing the spirit of it’s title character or her source material. Poor Halle Berry tries to make it all work but everything else lets her down badly. It really sucks that for a long while, this was really the best that Hollywood could come up with in making female-led superhero movies.

At least it gave us this glorious Razzie acceptance speech from Halle Berry herself!

Blade: Trinity (2004)

Before X-Men: The Last Stand and Spider-Man 3, folks got their first glance at a disappointing three-quel from Marvel with Blade: Trinity. Like a number of Part Threes, Trinity biggest problem ranges from trying to be bigger and grander than the other two Blade movies and it ends up just being louder, messier, and more obnoxious. Not to mention, it tries to be the campiest of the Blade movies that somehow mangers to be more awkward and unfitting than even what Joel Schumacher and WB did with B&R. This ended up being the first of the failed superhero movies that somehow managed to star Ryan Reynolds. Boy, was he in for a rough one!

Elektra (2005)

Marvel’s equivalent to Catwoman! Taking a spin-off for an iconic strong female character that had been in development hell forever, finally gets released after several years too late, wastes the talents of it’s lead actress, and has no idea why it’s title character was appealing in the first place or just why they even bother to make a movie in general. While you can least argue that Batman and Robin and even Catwoman was at least bizarre in it’s badness, Elektra manages to be just plain boring in it’s badness. I might not have hated the Daredevil movie as much as most people (which is why that is not on this list) but this was just an absolute chore to get through. Thank goodness for Marvel Netflix to revive Elektra themselves (At least until……they didn’t!)!

Ghost Rider (2007)

While I didn’t believe Mark Steven Johnson’s Daredevil deserved all the flame it got (at least the director’s cut anyway), his take on Ghost Rider most CERTAINLY did! I could go on about how this film doesn’t do it’s titled character justice, the way it butchers the source material, the toning down on the Johnny Blaze character himself, and just how lifeless the direction and approach feels. However, what makes this film utterly the most baffling is how you can have a film with Nicholas Cage and have it be ungodly BORING! How in the world can ANYONE commit such a crime on film?! Also, don’t get me started on Wes Bentley as Blackheart?! Just……..UGH!!!!!

The Spirit (2008)

If you ever look the definition of “tryhard” in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find a picture of this movie. I can’t think of much movies out there that feels as contrived and forced as this one does. From every single creative decision made to every single line of dialogue to every single performance in the movie, there is nothing about it that feels natural, organic, and in any way coherent. Frank Miller’s adaption of the comic strip of the same name shows that writing a script for a comic book is not entirely the same as writing a script for a movie. It showcases Miller’s flaws as a story writer on full display, right from the glorious oversexualization of women, too focus on being broody than depth and shock value for the shake of shock value. There’s nothing fun, entertaining, or even anything to laugh at here like with B&R! It’s nothing but torture! There’s not many movies out there that I can say that is as legit painful to watch as The Spirit. Even if you take the comic book or superhero movie aspect out of it, it’s just…….torture!

X-Men: Origins Wolverine (2009)

Among the worst the X-Men franchise has gotten in Origins: Wolverine shows what happens when a comic book movie tries to do too much with such little effort. This glorified attempt at making an compelling origin story for it’s main character falls flat in every single way. With too many characters, overloaded subplots, endless retcons and contrivances, and insulting logic, this was about as rock bottom as it could come with this series! Not even the pitch perfect casting of Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Huge Jackman’s always reliably compelling performance as Wolverine could save this trainwreck! And don’t get me started with what they did with Deadpool! It makes me sick to my stomach! As much as there are folks see this film in a “so bad it’s good” way like Batman & Robin, this to me is way too much of an incoherent slog for me to enjoy even in a guilty pleasure way. It just plain sucks!

Jonah Hex (2010)

Before Josh Brolin took on the role of the Thanos and Cable, he started off superhero/comic book movies with this abortion. The best thing you can say about Jonah Hex is that unlike with a number amount of movies on this list, it has the decency to be just under a hour and 21 minutes long, including credits. That’s about where the praises end. This is one of those movies which you can tell was rushed during the whole production to get it done exactly on time for release slate in 2010. Everything feels chaotic, rushed, and forced that it’s impossible to get into it because the movie itself never allows the audience too. But hey, its got Megan Fox in it, at least!

Green Lantern (2011)

If you wanna talk about superhero movies that were an absolute disappointments, it’s hard to think of many as disappointing as Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern. How in the world did this movie turn out the way it did will all this talent on and off the camera?! This could not have been a more bad and painfully generic superhero movie if it tried. The writing is incredibly cliche, the CGI is lackluster, the themes and messages are complete BS and constantly contradict themselves, and the constant sequel bait gets tiresome from the first moment on. And the fact that this was suppose to help kick off a cinematic universe for DC and show prove they could do superhero movies other than Batman is the real nail on the coffin. Thankfully, Ryan Reynolds went on to eventually find a superhero role that worked for him five years later with a certain murk with a mouth!

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Whenever people complain about unnecessary reboots and superhero fatigue, The Amazing Spider-Man is exactly the kind of movie they are referring to. This is the kind of movie where it’s difficult to separate the business side of things with the artistic side of things because it’s bluntly obvious on the screen that this movie’s existence was more important to fit the criteria of the former than the latter. Being pitched as a darker reboot with more focus on high school drama and romance, The Amazing Spider-Man lacks the energy and excitement that made Sam Raimi’s trilogy (Yes, including the third one!) a success along with just being a dull slog in it’s own right. Too many plot beats are stolen straight from the 2002 film, plot points are constantly brought up, drop completely, and never mentioned again, Peter Parker is much more unbearable than ever here, the Lizard is a complete waste of a villain, and there is so many coincidences that is pushing the story forward that it’s downright insulting to the human brain. Yes, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are cute together and the score by James Horner is good stuff, but The Amazing Spider-Man is a movie that falls apart when you so much as breathe on it. Despite the film claiming to be about identity, it never finds an identity for it’s own main character.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Anyone remember when Michael Bay produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? While he might have technically not been the director of this monstrosity, his fingers prints are certainly all over it. These fun and goofy turtles don’t mesh well in a world whatsoever that’s tries it’s damndest to be as bleak and grim as possible. The title characters themselves are hideous to look at, the script is poorly written and somehow manages to come across as an even worse version of The Amazing Spider-Man, there’s way too much focus on April O’Neil herself, and just about every single change made to the traditional established lore feels like a complete spit in the face to the turtles themselves. There’s a couple of fun moments here and there (most notably the elevator scene) and (surprisingly) Megan Fox is not that bad as April O’Neil but this was an absolute turd that should have stayed firmly in it’s shell. At least the turtles themselves weren’t actually aliens like they were suppose to be! No, really!

Fant4stic (2015)

Yes, I’m referring to it as Fant4stic because that is what it was referred to in the marketing! This is one of those movies that is not just terrible in every way but it’s just flat out embarrassing! It’s embarrassing that a movie that is clearly unfinished and hacked to the bones can actually be released into actual movie theaters! It’s embarrassing that the people involved with it tried to make something completely dark and edgy onto completely kid friendly material! It’s embarrassing that they got this hugely talented cast and gives them nothing to work with! It’s embarrassing that Doctor Doom was able to happen at all! It’s embarrassing that the ending was allowed to happen the way it did! This movie is just a flat out embarrassment! Fant4stic is not only a black hole for superhero movies but filmmaking in general. This is one of those movies that when watching it, you can’t help but ask, “How did this actually get released in theaters?” That is a question that I still have yet to get a full answer to.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

I’m still in awe how you take a crossover like Batman and Superman and make it so long, dull, and joyless. The plot is an absolute convoluted mess no matter which version you watch and the conflict between Batman and Superman is so incredibly ridiculous that it hard to take it seriously. It’s a film that wants to comes across as the most grand and ambitious movie every made, but really doesn’t have much to say on anything it’s talking about. Other than trying to cram two to three movies worth of material into one film, there’s nothing really risky or daring about Dawn of Justice. Ben Affleck is fine in the role and there’s a few standout moments here but that’s nowhere near enough to save this failure. Even the ultimate edition which some claim “saves” the movie is really just has more of the same things that were wrong in the first place save for being slightly better paced and edited. At least Batman & Robin is a fun movie TO poke fun at! Batman V Superman is just…..miserable!

Suicide Squad (2016)

It’s baffling how you can take a movie that has this fun and exciting premise and a superbly talented cast (outside of Jai Courtney and Joel Kinnaman) and somehow manage to execute it in the worst way possible. Attempting to take a page from Guardians of the Galaxy with it’s style and soundtrack, Suicide Squad is like to trying to build a puzzle with pieces that clearly don’t fit. It’s clear that this wasn’t what director David Ayer had in mind when he first signed one for this as he clearly envisioned something more bleak and grounded. It also doesn’t help that it has a rushed script that makes absolutely no sense, terrible AD-HD editing, pointless characters and subplots, cringe dialogue that sounds like it was ripped straight out of a 90s video game, and a premise that crumbles when you think about it for a split second. Not even the superb casting of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot, and Viola Davis as Amanda Wallers can save this mess! At least two of these three folks would be better used in later DC properties.

Max Steel (2016)

There’s literally no one on this planet that has seen this movie by me! I have the scientific facts to prove I’m the only human being on the planet to witness the abomination against humanity that is Max Steel! And I will tell you, this makes Batman & Robin look like The Dark Knight in comparison! To be honest, I don’t even think it’s even better than that other Steel movie I previously mentioned! At least that wasn’t about masturbation! Yes, really!

Yeah, I’ve said enough! Next!

Justice League (2017)

It’s unbelievable about how not only the first ever live-action Justice League movie doesn’t work, but it has to be one of the most average, lifeless, and forgettable superhero movies ever made. The course correction from BvS is painfully obvious on screen that it’s downright embarrassing. This came across as more of a straight-to-dvd Avengers knock-off that you would find at the bargain bin at the Dollar Store than an actual Justice League movie. A handful of moments (or at least the ones I can remember) are cool in their own right but it’s incredibly unforgiveable just how cheap, hollow, and unmemorable this whole experience is. At least the other version is much better, right?!

Dark Phoenix (2019)

You can debate whether this or The Last Stand was a worse adaption of the Dark Phoenix saga but I’m putting my foot down with the 2019 release of Dark Phoenix itself. As underwhelming as Last Stand was, that at least had more effort put into it and had some sort of emotional investment from the first two X-Men movies to pay off of. This movie on the other hand lacks any sort of groundwork or proper payoff. We are expected to care about versions of X-Men characters we just meet one movie ago and is expected to have the sort of gravitational emotional weight that Endgame provided. It doesn’t even come close to capturing a quarter of that since these are the versions of the characters we have spent the least amount of time with and there’s not much of a proper finale to build to. Sophie Turner and Han Zimmer bring their A-game here but no one else does. Even the usually reliable James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender phone it in hard! Sad to see such a long-running franchise go out with a complete whimper.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Patty Jenkin’s follow-up to the original Wonder Woman could not have been more underwhelming if it tried. Instead of actually trying to expand upon the character of Diana Prince and develop her even further, Wonder Woman 1984 remains stuck in the past quite literally, as Jenkins attempts to make a sequel with the same tone, heart, and feel as the Christopher Reeves Superman movies but ends up landing closer in the quality to the last two bad ones as oppose to the first two good ones. There’s many things I can overlook in this such as the nonsensical magical rock plot, the gazillion leaps of logic, and the complete unself-awareness of the whole thing. What kills the whole picture is turning Wonder Woman into a love sick puppy dog, obsessing over her dead boyfriend she knew for like a week over 40 years go, and even raping a guy (Yes, really!) thanks to an ill-conceived body swapping plot device that was clearly not thought out in the slightest. There’s only so much the human brain can take before it flips the table and walks away. Not even the spot-on chemistry between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine works this time around because of this creepy plot mechanic or even Kristen Wig’s solid portrayal as Cheetah. It’s certainly more watchable than some of the other bad DCEU movies but it all just feels like a waste of time and potential. Too bad no one on the creative team will likely have another chance in the future with this universe about to get rebooted. Just stick with the first film!

Morbius (2022)

I don’t care about all the glorious memes that this movie created or that it has Matt Smith hamming it up, it is still complete and utter crap. The worst thing about Morbius isn’t just that it’s poorly made, has no engaging characters, no exciting action beats, and has practically no identity of it’s own but that it’s mere existence inhabits everything that is wrong about modern superhero movies. The kind of movies that are not just bad but ones that studios try to force onto the mainstream audiences just to pretend that the movie they’re watching that they don’t like might lead them to want to watch another movie which they may or may not like. That awful post credit scene with Michael Keaton’s Vulture is suppose to be the main selling point of this entire movie and it’s not even the movie itself. Say what you will about other recent superhero movies, those at least gives you something to chew on after the credits roll. Morbius doesn’t bother trying to give you anything! Even Batman and Robin gave you something truly special in it’s sheer awfulness that you would at least remember it. It gives you nothing, nothing at all!

Madame Web (2023)

This movie is undoubtedly the most fascinating mess of a movie that I’ve seen in quite some time, Madame Web doesn’t so much feel like an actual film but more of a proof-of-concept of a film. You got four talented women that could not look more embarrassed to be there, lifeless direction, time gaps that make no sense, and some of the cringeworthy dialogue ever put to film! And don’t get me started on the embarrassing memes that came out of this trainwreck! It’s certainly more competently made than say….Morbius but it feels as ever bit as much of an obligation to make as that. And yes, it does have Sydney Sweeney as well! So, it gets at least two points for that!

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Joker: Folie à Deux is by and large the worst kind of sequel. Not only because it’s one that clearly hates it’s predecessor and it’s audience but it hates itself. It’s only exists because the first film made a billion dollars and was nominated for a bunch of Oscars. The story and direction are non-existent, the musical segments are tedious and comes across as a distraction, the court house scenes are nonsensical and a chore to sit through, the romance between Arthur and Lee is barley explored, the Joker himself is hardly in it, and it all leads to an ending that makes the two Joker films feel utterly pointless. This is almost as if Todd Phillips is punishing the studios, the general audience, and himself for being forced to make a sequel, along with making sure that we NEVER get another film set in this universe again. For as divisive as the first Joker film was, he managed to make a sequel that is basically universally hated, bringing both critics AND audiences together to dunk on his latest trash heap. I never in a million years would imagine that it would be Joker 2 of all things that brings everyone together before the nukes hit. That might just be the greatest joke of all.

Kraven The Hunter (2024)

What will most likely be the final installment in the supervillain cinematic universe that no one asked for, Kraven The Hunter is able to end this disaster run of Sony Spider-Man spin-offs like a turd…..in the wind! Like with the others subpar entries, it’s plagued by obvious reshoots, bizarre editing, little to now flow from scene-to-scene, blatantly unfinished special effects, a non-existent plot or character arcs, and having no regard towards it’s source material whatsoever! Unlike the other spin-offs, there’s nothing here that compares to Tom Hardy’s gloriously over-the-top dual performances, Sydney Sweeney’s special “powers”, and MORBIN TIME! And there is ESPECIALLY nothing in here compared to, “WHAT KILLED THE DINOSAURS?!?!! THE ICE AGE!!!!!”. Kraven The Hunter might legit be the most nothing superhero/comic book film to ever exists! And that is saying something!

So, there you have it! That is 25 superhero movies that I would rather watch Batman and Robin over! Do you agree with more or think I’m crazy and that B&R is the worst abomination ever?! Let me know in the comments below and feel free to follow me through social media on Twitter, YouTube, and Letterboxd.

Also, feel free to check out the other piece I wrote about Batman and Robin doing my Batman marathon I did in preparation for the release of The Batman.

Here’s a link for that:

Batman and Robin (1997)- A Bad Movie, Now Calm Down! – Adam’s Blog (adamr.website)

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987)- When Nothing Matters Anymore

Welp, this is about as bad as a Superman film can get! And about as bad as a superhero movie can get! And about as bad as well…..anything can get!

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace represented a complete rock bottom for not just Superman but the entire comic book movie genre up to that point! Even after the severely underperforming and poorly received Superman III, Warner Bros and DC still felt they could squeeze at least one more feature film with the man of tomorrow! The problem though is that the anticipation for a new Superman film was at an all time low in 1987!

Even though Alexander Salking and his son Ilya, the producers of the Superman series, was able to get the box office grosses they wanted from Superman III, there was very little enthusiasm from the cast and crew to do a fourth one. Christopher Reeve was hesitant on returning, they couldn’t get Richard Lester to come back, and the commercial failure of 1984’s Supergirl made the Salkings consider that perhaps this DC franchise had run its course. Regardless, they pushed through with another installment anyway!

Christopher Reeve was offered six million dollar signs from the studio to come back one more time, they were able to get Sidney J. Furie to take over the director’s chair (which originally went to Wes Craven before he dropped out due to him and Reeve not getting along), and decided that the whole story would be about Superman trying to solve the nuclear arm crisis from around the world, which was a major talking point during Ronald Reagan’s presidency throughout the 1980s. If even a word of what I just said sounds appealing to you, then I can assure you…..Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is anything BUT that!

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is not only what happens when a franchise stops caring but when the people involved don’t even try to hide the fact that they are not trying anymore! From the obvious green screen effects to the lazy editing to the phoned-in performances to the awful transaction from scene-to-scene, Quest For Peace is what you get when the people involved with it feels like nothing matters anymore! Throw in an absurdly stupid script that defies any sorts of logic, dialogue that had to make the actors themselves feel embarrassed to say out loud, and no sense of flow or rhythm in terms of pacing and structure and you get quite a shitty picture!

The biggest comparison of this complete low point of Superman could be to that of when Batman had his own low point with the abominable Batman & Robin (which would come out 10 years later after this movie). Just like that other notable DC cinematic disaster that came out in the 20th century, that also saw the titled character at his absolute low point, leading into becoming a full-on parody, adapting a “we don’t care how stupid and dumb this all is” mindset, and having the only goal from behind the scenes is to sell as many toys and action figures to children as possible. However, I think Superman IV leans much worse than that!

As much as both films can lean into the “so bad it’s good” category among the most memorable superhero movies, Batman and Robin seemed like a much more competent product compared to Supes’s own fourth movie. It had it’s handful of heartfelt moments (most notably that special scene between Bruce & Alfred), a unique visual vibe that’s full of bright lights and colors that makes the film look pretty to look at, and had such an bizarrely over-the-top campiness to it that you can help but be gloriously entertained by it. Superman IV has none of those unique traits whatsoever.

There are no moments of heart, no moments of genuine emotion, no interesting way of telling it’s story about it’s current topics surrounding global annihilation, and no menacing bad guys that feels like a legit threat to our heroes. All we get is a dull, lifeless, and cheap-looking trainwreck where the only parts of genuine entertainment are the moments that are downright awful so much so that it’s HILARIOUS!

I mean who didn’t get some laughs at some of the most RIDICULOUS moments scattered throughout the film! Remember all the flying sequences with Superman that looks like it was shot in a backyard? Or when Superman is able to gain new powers out of nowhere just because? Or when the main bad guy tells Superman that if he doesn’t tell where Lois is, then he will “hurt” people? And then proceeds to stand out and do a bunch of random stuff while Superman is just staying shouting, “STOP! DON’T DO IT! THE PEOPLE!” Or when Superman loses a battle because….the main villain….scratches him in the neck? Or how about just about any moment where Lex Luthor tries to pronounce the word, “nuclear”? Or how about the fact the whole reason Superman is doing anything in this movie at all is because……a kid wrote him a letter, asking Superman to get all the missiles in the world and get them off the planet, solving the nuclear crisis just…..like that?

Believe it or not, these are moments I honestly COULD forgive or just shake off as being pointless nitpicks if the rest of the film was actually engaging or interesting! But Superman IV is anything BUT that! Even Superman III, despite it’s severe flaws in terms of story and tone, was at least somewhat engaging because of the fact that something was ALWAYS going on that you couldn’t help but have your eyes on the screen because of that! With Superman IV, you basically have to cherry pick the moments that stand out in any way, shape, or form because nothing from the movie as a whole does!

It might seem like I’m beating a dead horse here but Superman IV: The Quest For Peace is just the worst kind of bad! It’s the kind of bad that has no substance, no memorability, no point, no care, and no matter in the world! It’s a film that not only doesn’t need to exist but it feels like even the cast and crew working on it don’t believe it needed to exist either! As we should all know by the now in the year of our lord 2025, nothing matter anymore and just embrace nihilism!

In all seriousness, it really is a shame that such an iconic cinematic figure like Christopher Reeve’s Superman had to go out on such an embarrassing low like A Quest For Peace! He will always be a legend and be remember as the definitive Clark Kent and Superman but these last two Superman films did not do him any truth or justice in any meaningful (or American) way. (Yes, I completely intended that pun!) I just wish he was given at least one more quality film that was able to send his version of Superman up in the air (I’m on a ROLL today!) for one last time!

Regardless, despite how abysmal this film is, how bad Superman III is, and how Superman II fell just short of greatness, Christopher Reeve will still always be Superman in our hearts! He was the one that inspired us all to be the best version of ourselves and was the one man that got the ball rolling with superheroes! Even if Superman IV represented when nothing matter anymore for Superman, we can at least look back at the time to where it did matter for Superman!

And that is all thanks to Christopher Reeves!

RIP Good Sir

We will forever miss you!

Next Up: Superman Returns

Superman III (1983)- When You Become A Self-Parody

The third installment of a franchise always tends to be the trickiest installment of them all to pull off. By that point, you start to run short on original ideas and it’s when the audience start to feel fatigue of your franchise since they are already familiar with your game and have seen all of the tricks you can pull out of your butts. There’s just so many times where the audience wants to see the Death Star get blown up! It’s also at this point where the studios are as desperate to make as much money as possible now that the brand is as popular as it is and the higher ups wanting higher box office numbers with each new installment. This leads to more emphasis on selling toys, comics, games, merchandise, etc than ever before! Because of that, the studios want to make sure the film aims to as big of a wide audience as possible! This usually results in studios being more involved with film production than before to make sure it has enough content in there for a wide majority of audience, the director having less creative freedom than before because of studio notes, and the desire to make the film more dumb down compared to the previous two films, to make sure it’s age appropriate for young kids and families to see in theaters! If you want a good example of exactly what I just said, look no further than Superman III!

Superman III was basically went the Superman franchise started to lose all of the hearts and wonders that it had from the beginning. While Superman II certainly had dents in it’s armor from both behind and in front of the camera, it was still able to hold together strongly because it built upon the original classics by having the world be more expanded upon, the characters being further developed, and the action and special effects being taken to the next level. This third installment with the man of tomorrow does the exact opposite of that. Instead of heart and wonder, it’s now just gags and slap stick. Instead of important social/political commentary, it’s now just mindless action and explosion. Instead of intimidating villains that pose a real threat to our heroes, they are now cartoon characters that you can’t take seriously. Instead of being smart, it’s now a self-parody! Putting all of this crap together, you get the complete s*itshow that is Superman III!

As you would expect, just like the last time around, Superman III had quite a bit of a rocky production! From disagreements on the script/budgeting to the cast feuding with the producers, it was not a smooth ship sailing to theaters in 1983! And unfortunately, it is very noticeable when you look at it on the screen! The effects looks worse because of it’s cheaper budget, the action as much less thought put into it with no weight, you have supporting characters that serve no purpose other than to be the comic relief (Poor Richard Pryor!), and it has little to no connections to the first two Superman movies!

All you have to do is look at two separate scenes in regards to how tonally all over the place in Superman III! Sometimes it’s all silly and goofy and other times, it gets dark really quickly!

Does those two scenes feel like they belong in the same movie? No, no they don’t!

Granted having a film be funny and dark CAN work if there is a properly balanced tone throughout and if the movie had an actual functioning brain in it’s head, knowing when to be funny and when to be serious! But, there in lies the problem!

Superman III does the exact opposite of what the last two films did, it refuses to take itself seriously by any measures! There’s no tonal balance that director Richard Lester is able to control, no genuine enough stakes to get invested in, and the only stand out sequences are the ones that are either obnoxious silly or obnoxiously serious! This is what you get when you become a self-parody!

For as much as other Part Three films have floundered, they at least did so because of a desire to try to top the bar the previous two films set up, only to end up having the whole foundation crumble right in front of you because of overreliance of your own ambition. Superman III doesn’t even attempt to be in the same wheelhouse as Superman: The Movie or Superman II. It has no desire to be a logical continuation of the first two films or offer an interesting expansion on the world of Superman. I’m willing to bet if you watched the first two films and watch this one without knowing it’s suppose to be the third Superman movie with Christopher Reeves, you would NEVER guest this was suppose to exist in the same universe as the prior two Superman movies. The tone is much different, the scenes feel much more weightless, the characters are giving much less to do, and the whole thing it seems to have room for is ridiculous action and gags throughout.

At times, Superman III feels even more of a soft reboot than even Superman Returns (I’ll certainly go into that more once the time comes!). It just exists in it’s own, immature bubble without a care in the world of honoring it’s title character or even trying to function in it’s own sandbox. It’s just well….. a self-parody!

It’s hard to tell if how much of the studio politics played into the decision making of the film, how much of the film was what Lester wanted, and/or if this film would have even been made at all if Warner Bros wasn’t able to overpay Christopher Reeve to get him to come back, but Superman III follows victim to many disappointing threequels out there, forgetting what made it’s franchise successful in the first place and crushing the entire foundation in the process. What makes this third chapter stink more than most of them though is it’s lack of desire to be as engaging, interesting, or entertaining as the previous two Superman films were! That’s what you get when you become a self-parody!

With a mostly negative reception from fans and critics alike and a disappointing time at the box office, you would think this was the end of the Christopher Reeve run of Superman. Believe it or not, that wasn’t the case! There was actually one more film! A film that somehow managed to be even worse than this one and be up there as one of the worst superhero films ever!

Tune in next time and I will tell you ALL about it!

Next Up: Superman IV: The Quest For Peace

Ranking The John Wick Franchise (w/Ballerina)

Ballerina is now out in theaters! It’s killing it at the box office and everyone seems to be loving it! This just seems to be a franchise that knows exactly what it’s audience wants and is able to deliver the action goods that they crave every single time. We now have five very well-made and quality action motion pictures to fall back on in the meantime. Just like I do when most movie franchises out there delivers a new entry, it’s time to rank them all from worst to best.

To be honest, choosing between these five movies is like picking your favorite child. You hold them all dearly and always make sure to make room for every single one of them that it’s hard to chose which one you like the most or least. This is one of the few franchises out there that no matter what someone’s ranking of it might be, I just can’t argue with it. I can totally see why someone might have my #5 at #1 or even #1 at #5. These movies are just so well done and gets everything it’s suppose to get right that ranking it alongside each other is quite tricky. If more franchises were as consistently good as John Wick is, we would have very little to complain about.

In case you couldn’t tell, I really enjoy every one of these movies. Just because I have one ranked lower than the others does NOT mean I dislike it. I just don’t like it as much as the other ones. Now that I’ve made that clear, let’s get to the rankings!

5.) From The World of John Wick: Ballerina

The first John Wick spin-off that was NOT directly sent to streaming or involved Mel Gibson, isn’t quite as good as the previous four John Wick movies. It’s simplistic “daughter wants to avenge her father’s death” revenge-tale doesn’t spark the same simplistic charms as “man wants to avenge his wife and puppy” and it’s reported behind the scenes troubles might’ve just prevented it from being as groundbreaking as it’s action-packed quadrilogy it’s springing off of.

Thankfully, it’s still able to hold well on it’s own thanks to it’s strong female lead in Ana De Armas (who is ever bit as good here as she was in her extended cameo in the last 007 film), it’s well-crafted, stylish action that shows our main character Eve standing out in her own way compared to the Boogeyman, and just getting to spend more time in the fascinating world that is John Wick. And although John Wick himself does feel a tad shoehorned in here, any bit of seeing John Wick in action is better than nothing, especially if this is one of the last few times we see Keanu in action.

Perhaps has the film got a more steady production, with a stronger budget that was able to match all of the strong ideas it had with the script, Ballerina could have right on par, if not better than any of the previous John Wick movies. As it stands now, it’s a fun, solid action-flick with a likable main lead and taking place in a universe of still limitless possibilities, even with how Mr. Wick himself. While we are certainly at the point where you can say that Lionsgate is milking the John Wick brand hard, the milk still taste good and is good for your bones!

4.) John Wick: Chapter 2

John Wick: Chapter 2 is able to raise the bar with it’s action, set pieces, cinematography, lore, and world building. It does a very good job of expanding the universe that John Wick himself is a part off and showcases just why he is viewed as the most deadly assassin in the world. Not to mention, it ends on one absolute banger of a cliffhanger that always gets me anxious to watch Chapter 3 immedaitely afterwards.

What holds it back slightly from the other movies is that it can get a bit too bogged down in the action, set pieces, lore, and world building that it loses focus on the central conflict that John Wick himself is going through. This is the one film in the franchise that I find myself fast forwarding through some of the scenes because of how needlessly drawn out they are (especially through the bloody bath scene). There are several times in the middle where the pacing is too slow for my liking that it makes me just want to get to the next big action scene.

Still, if a movie this action-packed and filled with intrigue is one of your least good films in your franchise, you know you’ve done something right. Let’s also not forget it has Lawrence Fishburne with one of the greatest line deliveries in cinema history, “SOMEBODY, PLEASE GET THIS MAN A GUN!” That along makes this whole experience worth it!

3.) John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum

I’ll admit that I did feel a bit cold on my first viewing of this but the more I’ve watched it, the more I’ve come to love it. The first 45 minutes of John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum is absolutely exhilarating as we see John Wick on the run in some of the most breathtaking action set pieces this series has ever delivered. We also get Halle Berry as Sofia in one of the best extended cameos in recent memory (I’m still waiting for her own spin-off!). We even get a climax with John fighting against absurd fanboys of his that is so action-heavy and over-the-top that I can’t help but love it.

The one element that for me and I imagine caught others off guard is that this isn’t necessarily the end “all be all” that the film teases throughout the entire picture. It wasn’t until we get to the ending with the whole “gotcha” twist where Winston betrays John Wick to save his own skin that it’s revealed that this is just another chapter of the story and not necessarily the final chapter itself. This is also when the franchise seemed to fully embraced his over-the-top-ness and commit to being a live-action video game where John Wick is basically a superhero, with unlimited health bars. That’s not a negative for me mind you but I imagine it could be a turn-off for others.

Even with all of that being said, this still works as a gloriously entertaining action flick and a logical character progression from John Wick. Seeing John himself grow even more balls of steel by going from being on the run to running straight towards his enemies really helps evaluate the character even further. There is just something so badass about a man that won’t stop until he meets his goals, no matter how much abuse and punishment he takes along the way.

2.) John Wick

Before the sequels would go even bigger, bolder, lore-heavy, and dive into traditional world building, John Wick was largely a smaller-scale self contained story about a hitman coming out of retirement to avenge the death of his dog, the last piece of his late wife that remained. It may be a rather straightforward and simplistic motivation but that’s all that’s needed. Because what matters most is that we get to see Keanu Reeves kicking ass once again and become even more of a badass than he ever did in The Matrix films.

With this being the original John Wick, this would end up introducing the fun tropes that would become a staple to this franchise. With elements such as the glorified action, awesome stunts, superb lighting and cinematography, an excellent supporting cast full of recognizable talent that all get their moment to shine, and of course, the awesome Keanu Reeves delivering cheesy one-liners in a direct but cool way. Not to mention, the nightclub fight is still one of my favorite action scenes in any movie.

While some might take issues with the simplistic plotting /characterization along with needing to tolerate corny puns and having to suspend your disbelief, anyone else that is able to accept the tropes that have become common with action movies while also wanting something fresh and new should think John Wick is right up their alley. It’s one of those movies that is able to deliver exactly what you would ever want in an action movie and even more. While not quite my favorite one, this is still a near perfect start to perhaps the best modern action film franchise in recent memory.

1.) John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick: Chapter 4 is an exceptional achievement of not just the John Wick franchise but for the action genre in general. Not since The Raid movies has there been a series of action films that dares to go as big, bold, and as over-the-top as this film does. Working perfectly as John Wick himself getting pushed beyond his reasonable measures along with director Chad Stahelski and crew of pushing themselves to make the most unbelievable and badass film imaginable. Even if Chapter 4 does bring a logical stopping point to John Wick’s story, it leaves plenty of room of other characters in the series to have their stories to continue if anyone wants to go that route.

Yes, the action has never been better choregraphed and executed than it has been here. Yes, the cinematography and pure scope have never looked and felt better than it does here. Yes, just about every noteworthy person in the cast get a moment to shine and scenes that stand out so well you can’t wait until someone uploads them to YouTube. Yes, the near three-hour runtime does not feel daunting in any way. However, what is most impressive of all is how it is able to wrap up the four-movie arc of John Wick in a way that just feels complete and right.

I’m not one that likes to claim when a movie is “perfect” but when it comes to John Wick: Chapter 4 and is able to deliver the goods with an absolute bullet point, it’s hard to bring up any flaws that bring the experience down. Even the cracks in the armor one might bring up may possible not be seen as cracks in the armor to another person but more of a upgrade to that armor. Nevertheless, no matter where this series goes next, I’m willing to stick with it until the end of the line. Bring on John Wick 5 and whatever spin-off you have planned, Lionsgate! I’m all yours!

RIP, Lance Reddick! You will be forever missed!

Superman II (1980)- When Director’s Cuts Actually Matter

Director’s cuts for films tends to be a big talking point nowadays with film discourse. Whenever a highly beloved/controversial director takes their jab at directing a film from a well-known IP, questions always spur online about how much of the finished product is actually theirs to behold. Was the finished film one in which the director themselves had in mind from the start or is it just what the higher ups at the studios wanted it to be? With studios and producers having more a say on a final film product than ever before, that question tends to get ask every time a big film comes out when it lacks overall quality!

Of course, there is no director more famous/infamous with only being able to get the exact vision they intended with a film than Zack Snyder. Nearly EVERY single time a film of his has come out and it’s not well received by critics or general audiences, the immediate reaction from Snyder and his fanbase is ALWAYS about how his original cut was much better and you need to watch that in order to get the full satisfying motion picture. From Watchmen to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice to Justice League to new Rebel Moon movies, there is no one that loves the word “Director’s Cut” more than Zack Snyder himself. Although I will be talking about his full director’s cut of Batman V Superman and Justice League later on in the marathon, it does give the indication as to how much someone’s opinion on a movie can change drastically when they see what the person behind the camera intended all along.

However, there are some instances where director’s cuts tends to be VERY complicated. Not necessarily that the entire quality of the motion picture changes on a dime but the way that a certain director decides to tell the exact same story in an entirely different way than someone else does. And this exact example I will be talking about today is no other than with Superman II.

As you could tell based off the title of this piece and my intro, Superman II featured a lot of different changes from both the original 1980 film and it’s sequel. After the massive success of Superman: The Movie, Warner Bros demanded a sequel ASAP. However, the production of it’s sequel went through it’s fair share of shake-ups, controversies, and mass difficulties in getting a quality product in theaters and even when it came out of theaters. Because of all this and more, Superman II was the product of two different directors, Richard Donner and Richard Lester. Yes, both directors have the exact same first names. I do NOT believe that was a coincidence whatsoever.

Following the success of the 1976 film The Omen, Donner was hired by WB to direct the original Superman movie along with it’s sequel. And to make sure that deal would be met, both movies would be film back-to-back simultaneously. However, tensions arose between Donner and the producers behind the films, particularly the father-son duo of Alexander and Ilya Sakling and Pierre Spengler. From clashing visions to scheduling conflicts, things became a mess from behind the scenes. It got so bad that the producers decided to bring in Richard Lester as a “co-producer”, A.K.A. a back-up director, and basically told Donner to just finish the first film and let them deal with finishing the second film. After Superman: The Movie became the hit that it did, the production of Superman II resumed but with Lester now behind the camera. Although, Donner had already shot 70% of the film, Lester had to go back and reshot much of the film, radically changing the tone and several sequences, just so he could get full director’s credit for Superman II.

So, yeah! That was quite a chaotic history involving the making of the second cinematic installment involving the man of tomorrow! Although Lester’s version ended up being a box office hit with a mostly positive reception, interest grew of what Donner’s original version of Superman II was like. And considering we were now starting to enter the era of DVDs and re-releasing films with extended or director’s cuts, what better time than any to release a cut of Superman II in which Richard Donner had his full name on the cover.

Unfortunately, despite high demands and a fan campaign asking for Warner Bros to release the Donner cut for the film’s 25th anniversary, they were unable to do that because of complicated reasons. With circumstances such as Marlon Brando suing the studio over royalties, which prevented his likeness being used, Richard Donner having never completed actually filming the whole movie, and the man behind the camera himself admitting he didn’t really have an interest in releasing one, it seemed highly unlikely that it would ever see the day. However, by the time 2006 came around, things changed and the studio actually gave into the demand, releasing the “Donner Cut” of Superman II on DVD.

While the Donner Cut was being assembled, an attempt was made to restore as much original footage of Donner’s original vision as possible. After all, some of Lester’s footage was needed to make the story feel actually coherent, being able to fill in the leaping gaps and create a proper bridge between Superman: The Movie and Superman II. Even though he wasn’t able to save his 100% vision due to the film being WAY too late to go back and reshoot, Superman II: The Donner Cut still remains one of the more unique director’s cuts of any mainstream film that has ever been released.

Instead of feeling like a complete finished film, it comes across as more of a “what if”. What if Richard Donner had full control from start to finish? What if he was able to film the two movies back-to-back fully like he intended? Well, the answers we got to those questions involves a director’s cut of Superman II that features several major differences from the film that was released in theaters back in the early 1980s.

Because of that, let’s take a look at some of the key differences between The Donner Cut and the Theatrical Cut.

More Sincerity, Less Comedy

Richard Donner has always viewed Superman as a modern mythology. Because of that, Superman: The Movie and his cut for Superman II reflected that, with a more serious approach to it’s subject matter and means of telling it’s story. Sure, the film definitely contains enough of a sense of humor, especially when compared to say…..Zack Snyder’s Superman, but for the most part, it’s a more serious, albeit sincere tone throughout the entire film. With Lester on the other hand, it was quite different. You have all the funny business with Lex, Non, the evil Kryptonian that doesn’t talk, acting like an overgrown baby, shots of civilians in the city during the final battle, one which involves a guy with roller skates and another guy talking on the phone, and the Kryptonians putting their faces on Mount Rushmore. Donner, on the other hand, cut most of the jokes that he probably felt cut the tension with each individual sense and just got right into the meat of them.

While I’m fairly certain this is more of a studio mandate rather than what Lester wanted personally, I say I prefer Donner’s take on what the tone of the film should be here. I like how he decided to take things more seriously without going too far and be able to incorporate a sense of humor when the film requires it. I guess we now know which superhero film to ACTUALLY thank for all that awkward humor that’s always thrown into every MCU film since 2012!

More Epic In Scale, Less Action

Just like the first thing, I imagine this was more of a decision from the studios to add more action scenes into the theatrically released film and less so on the director himself. Warner Bros craved to add in more action into the picture and less of the slower moving parts with certain scenes being too stretched out. Because of that, we get more mythical Normal Rockwell-esque Visuals with the Donner Cut and less of that mythical cinematography in Lester’s cut. And also because of that, we get more added in action in the theatrical version compared to Donner’s version.

The biggest example of this comes with the big fight in Metropolis between Zod, his minions, and Superman. This is a fight that ends with Superman running away and luring them to the Fortress of Solitude. From there, Superman tricks them into depowering themselves by reversing the effects of the crystal chamber. In the Donner version, it cuts right to this bit. In the Lester version, there is an additional fight scene added in the Fortress of Solitude first.

While I can understand the crave for more action in your Superman movie, the way that Lester went about to get more action really devoid the film of eternal logic. The Evil Kryptonians can now just suddenly teleport and shoot energy beams while Superman is now able to create holographic duplicates of himself. Not to mention, the bizarre power when Superman peels the “S” off his costume and hurls it onto Non like a big blanket. I like action but not if it comes at the cause of the actual quality of the film. Because of that, point goes to Donner here!

More Music From Superman: The Movie Instead of The Score From Superman II

As if the clash over Donner and the producers wasn’t insane enough, a similar thing happened in the production for Superman II with the legendary John Williams. While he was originally slated to score Superman II, Williams ended up getting into a feud with Lester after Ilya Salkind left the projection room. When he returned, John told him that he couldn’t get along with Lester and exited the film. To take his place, Lester brought in his frequent composer Ken Thorne. Because of that, Lester’s version offers a much different and more energetic score this time around, feeling like a composer’s own vision instead of trying too hard to match Williams. However, in Donner’s version, he reuses most of William’s score from the original film instead of using Thorne’s score from the original theater cut.

While I hate the circumstances leading to the situation, I give credit to Lester for being able to make the soundtrack work and feel like it’s own thing compared to the first film. No one is ever gonna top John William’s magnificent Superman theme from the original but the score here works well enough. And while I can definitely see why Donner would prefer to do more of William’s score instead of Thorne, you do get a sense that some of the tracks don’t match certain scenes the way they should and comes across as being overedited sometimes.

More Rough Around The Edges

This difference is a bit obvious but Lester’s version certainly feels more like a complete vision than with Donner’s. While The Donner Cut offers an interesting look of Superman II from the man that made the original such a classic, it doesn’t come off as a finished product. Had Richard been able to complete the Superman sequel that he started back in 1979, it would’ve certainly looked much better. However, with The Donner Cut that released back in 2006, it is simply the best he could do over 25 years later. Much of Lester’s footage remains in the film because it was needed to tell the full story, with a bit of jarring test footage in the middle from Donner thrown in for good measure.

While we’ll never know how a 100% version of Superman II would’ve looked like under Richard Donner, he still did the best with what he could do given the minimal material he had left to work with decades later. Even if I do like most of Donner’s ideas more, I do think by the end, Lester’s film ended up with the superior film, largely due to the fact that it feels the most complete and finished.

More Lex Luthor

Once Lester came on board to do reshoots for Superman II, Gene Hackman was reluctant to do any of them without Donner. Because of that, Lester could only use what Donner already had with Lex Luthor and just roll along from there. He had just enough of Lex to tell story and nothing more. In the Donner Cut, Luther is given a slightly bigger role than before. With more emphasis on the funny business with Lex and his co-workers, Hackman is given a bit more of a screen presence than he did in the original theatrically released version.

While I still wish Hackman was given more to do as Lex this time around, I’m glad Donner was able to salvage what he could and have Luthor contribute a bit more to the plot than he did with Lester’s cut.

Lois Lane Is Much Smarter

Lois Lane is a very smart character, perfectly matching the wits and skills of her counterpart, Clark Kent. So much so that Lois is able to discover the realization that Clark Kent is indeed Superman himself, something which no one else was able to do. At the end of the original film, Lois briefly notices the resemblance between Clark and Superman but just hand waves it off. In Donner’s version, this thread immediately continues with Lois scribbling some glasses on a picture of Superman, realizing that Clark Kent and Superman might just be the same person. To prove this claim right, she jumps out a window of the building of The Daily Plant to make Clark save her. But Clark is able to convince her that he isn’t Superman. Once the two are at Niagra Falls, Lois spots Clark without glasses and yet again suspects that he is Superman. Later at the hotel, Lois shoots a bullet from a gun right at Clark Kent, which nothing happens. After that, Clark admits that he’s Superman and Lois admits that the gun only had blanks. In Lester’s version, the first time that Lois suspects that Clark is Superman is at Niagara Falls. It’s only when they are at the hotel, Clark drops his glasses into a fire and retrieves it without burning himself, revealing to Lois that he is Superman.

Both of these takes work in their own right but I find myself leaning more towards Donner’s version here. With the way it builds upon Lois flirting around with the fact that Clark Kent and Superman might be one of the same from the first movie, Donner’s feels more of an organic follow-up to Lois’s development. Although, Lester’s version looks much better since Donner never actually got to film the scene in the hotel. Instead, he had to set for a repurposed test footage with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder respectively. While it works fairly well, the sound and performances do feel off and the continuity doesn’t mix and mash with the rest of the film.

Marlin Brando Returns

In the Donner Cut, Marlon Brando returns as Jor-El where he basically plays the same role he did in the first film. He mostly acts as a driving force for Kal-El, offering guidance to his own son beyond the grave. In the Lester Cut, Jor-El was replaced by Superman’s mother, Lara, played by Susannah York. The reason he doesn’t show up in Lester’s version is because after Superman: The Movie became a massive success, Marlon Brando sued the producers because he was owed nearly 12% of the box office revenue. Because the studio refused to pay him for any of the box office revenue for the sequel , Brando’s scenes had to be reshot in the theatrical release with Lara instead. Thankfully, Warner Bros was able to work out a deal with Brando to put himself back in Donner’s version.

Giving the circumstances, I think Lester did very well with what he could do. Plus, it did make sense to have Superman’s mother be a guiding force for him in his version, while the original film had Superman’s father play that same role. I don’t mind either one here but I do wish for an outcome that had both of Superman’s parents acting as that special emotional support for their son beyond their death. When thinking about what would act as a proper mirror of the original, I’d say Lester wins here. When it comes to acting as a part of Clark’s development here, I would probably go with Donner here.

Zod And His Crew Escape In Different Ways

In the Donner cut, the movie starts with a recap of the previous film, which ends with Superman carrying a nuclear missile out int space. It’s the shockwave from that missile that hits the Phantom Zone prison and allows for the evil Kryptonians to escape. In the Lester Cut, Superman stops a terrorist attack in Paris by tossing a hydrogen bomb into space, which frees the evil Kryptonains.

It’s mostly a minor difference but Lester’s cut at least gives Superman an actual reason to throw yet another bomb into space, just like he did at the end of the previous film. And with the way both cuts recaps the begin of the previous movie, Donner’s version does better at showing how exactly the events from the previous movie leads into it’s sequel. Unlike with Lester’s version, which comes across as more of a prologue read by the narrator of a tv show, telling viewers what happened in last week’s episode. Tough call, but I give the slight edge to Donner on this one, with at least having the beginning feel more consistent with the previous film.

Why Superman Gives Up His Powers

In both versions, Superman gives up his superpowers to be with Lois Lane. In the Donner Cut, Superman admits to himself and his father Jor-El that while he’s being selfish, he just wants to relax and be happy with another woman. His father argues that his son can NOT favor one human over the rest of humanity. Feeling he can no longer serve humanity in an objective way that would make his parents and himself proud, he gives up his powers. In Lester’s cut, Superman talks with his mother Lara instead. The conversation is much shorter, with Lara telling her son that if wants to be a mortal, then he must become one.

If we are looking through the perspective of what’s the right thing for Clark Kent himself to do and he achieves it, then Lester’s cut wins here. If we are looking through the perspective of what’s the right thing for Kal-El himself to do and he does the exact opposite of that, then Donner’s Cut wins. For the benefit of Superman’s overall arc in the film, I give this one to Donner!

No Magic Kiss

And lastly, the magic kiss is NOT presented in the Donner Cut. In Lester’s Cut, Superman II ends with Lois’ memory of knowing Clark Kent is Superman is wiped away in the form of a magic kiss. However, with the Donner Cut, Lois’ memory gets wiped by Superman flying around the world and rewinding time back before Lois figured out he was Clark Kent. It’s basically the exact same ending as Superman II except nearly the whole movie gets reverted back to square one.

As much as both ending come off as cheap plot gimmicks and glorified deux ex machina, I honestly believe Donner’s version is even worse, making the whole film feel like it never happened and undoing all the character progression like it’s some glorified Saturday Morning cartoon that prohibits progression in it’s story. The magic kiss is cheesy but I’ll still take that over a lazy rehash of the ending of the first movie.

I think you can now see why your experience with Superman II can be quite different by watching both of these cuts on their own terms! And that’s not even going into the two other notable cuts of this movie: 1.) the fan edited version that combined the best of both Donner and Lester while trimming the notable fats from both version and 2.) the ABC televised version that added 19 minutes of footage to the theatrical release, including alternate scenes involving Lex Luthor and an alternate ending. When putting all of that together, there’s not just one, not two, not even three, but FOUR different versions of Superman II you can watch. Not even Zack Snyder can dream of having THAT many cuts for just one feature film!

I will say despite the two different versions of Superman II that I’ve seen, my opinion on the film is largely the same. In the sense, that it’s a very, VERY good sequel that perhaps falls JUST shy of the greatness the original film had, largely due to these conflicting directorial visions, confusing character motivations, and feeling the need to pull it’s punches more times than not. Even so, I will say that I still would consider it to be the second best Superman movie to date (unless my rewatch of Man of Steel or Zack Snyder’s Justice League changes my mind).

Had we got one complete version from either Richard Donner or Richard Lester from beginning of production to the very end, then I think we could have gotten a perfect follow-up to Superman: The Movie, acting as that perfect two-part story figure that Christopher Nolan got superbly right with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight many years later. Instead we can only imagine what would’ve happened if either one of these gentlemen got both of their hands on this sequel from the very start!

Next Up: Superman III

Top 10 Worst Disney Live-Action Movies/Remakes (Updated w/Snow White & Lilo & Stitch)

There is a lot of controversy surrounding Disney nowadays. Whether it’s due to their inconsistent quality of recent years, overreliance on nonstop sequels, spin-offs, and remakes, constantly milking a property dry until the very last drop of milk, overworking their employees and staff, and their participation of the so-called “culture war”, you just can’t seem to have a reasonable conservation about Disney without one side going absolutely BALISTIC over it! However if there is one opinion that seems to united the majority of the human population, it’s the fact that the Disney live-action movies/remakes…..kinda suck.

Unless it’s something involving Pirates of the Caribbean or National Treasure, live-action movies/remakes from Disney generally do no work on multiple levels, with only the box office successes for a good chunk of them being the core reason as to why they still get made. That’s not to say that EVERY single one of them has been a disaster. Live-action remakes/movies such as Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Pete’s Dragon (2016), and Christopher Robin have had their fair share of fans but more often than not, these kind of corporate projects tend to have more backlash attached to them than acclaim.

I normally don’t like to “worst of” lists because the real world is already depressing enough and the last thing I want to do is throw more fuel into the already politically fueled toxic garbage fire that has plagued our world for the better part of a decade. However, in this case, I figured it would be fun to talk about Disney’s massive missteps in the live-action/remake department because everyone else seems to have fun doing it. And unlike most worst of lists out there, I highly doubt my picks will be that controversial among most reading this lists. But, who knows?

Dishonorable Mentions:

  • 102 Dalmatians

  • Alice Through The Looking Glass

  • Aladdin (2019)

  • Cruella

  • The Little Mermaid (2023)

  • Mufasa: The Lion King

Now onto the main list.

10.) Dumbo (2019)

The first 1/3 of Tim Burton’s Dumbo (2019) is a solid and faithful adaption of the original, that’s able to translate the aesthetics and heart of the animated original pretty well while standing proud on it’s own two feet. Unfortunately, there’s another 2/3’rds of the movie, which consists of nonstop filler to justify it’s modern movie runtime, that is about as boring, tedious, and repetitive as the majority of these Disney live-action remakes are. Also, what the heck was Michael Keaton trying to do with his performance here? Between this and Alice in Wonderland (2010), maybe it’s for the best to keep Tim Burton AWAY from these kind of movies.

9.) Lilo & Stich (2025)

The newest addition to these infamous pack of live-action remake flicks have two elements going for it: the superb casting of Maia Kealoha as Lilo herself and the lovable little misfit that is Stitch himself. Nearly everything else about Lilo & Stitch (2025) falls flat here. The changes made here feel like they are done for the sake of change, beloved supporting characters from the original are sidelined and feel more like a footnote than anything else, the editing is so bizarre and distracting that puts it on par with the fence scene from Taken 3 (Remember that?!) and the ending that involves Nina making a big life changing decision does not gel well at all with the message of ohana that the original explored so well (Regardless of what the post credits scene might have to say about!) Also, Jumba is the real villain in this one, yeah! Not even some decent performances, a couple of laughs, and Stitch himself can save Lilo & Stitch (2025) from being a dud. Unfortunately, if the stellar opening box office weekend is any indication, my opinion (along with plenty of others online) doesn’t matter.

8.) Mulan (2020)

Many people have this one at the top of their list for worst Disney remakes and it’s easy to see why. Mulan (2020) attempts to do a live-action adaption of the beloved animated classic with a much more serious tone and changes to the lore to make it stand out as it’s own thing. Unfortunately, Mulan herself is reduced to being an overpowered superhero with a bizarre chosen one storyline, completely undermine the point of the character and her arc from the animated original. And don’t get me started on the over-the-top action scenes, the clash in tones, the laughable main villain, and the very wooden performance from our lead (Less said about the initial controversy surrounding the lead actress, the better). I do give it points for ambition and trying to do something different to make it work on it’s own terms but when looking at the overall picture, Mulan (2020) is simply a dud and makes for one of the most heartbreaking live-action Disney remakes released thus far.

7.) Peter Pan & Wendy

While David Lowery was able to make one of the absolute best Disney remakes with Pete’s Dragon (2016), he unfortunately also settled with one of the absolute worst ones with Peter Pan & Wendy. Once again, this live-action adaption of two beloved characters in Peter Pan & Wendy tries to add new wrinkles to their origins, only to miss the point entirely and ruin the entire central metaphor of the story that it’s adapting. It’s certainly one of the more well-shot and photographed of the Disney live-action movies/remakes and Judy Law is EVERYTHING as Captain Hook but unfortunately, director David Lowery just did NOT have the sauce (Did I do that right?!) that he had with Pete’s Dragon.

6.) Beauty & The Beast (2017)

While this might not technically be the worst one, I can’t think of a remake that goes to show just how utterly pointless these Disney remakes are than Beauty & The Beast (2017). Despite having excellent material to work with and a star-studded cast, there is no new interpretation of the material that is presented throughout it’s bloated runtime that you didn’t already see be masterfully done in the animated original. It’s just the exact same story but longer, with unnecessary additions, confusing character motivations, ugly characters designs, and a new song you completely forgot the moment the movie is over. And don’t even get me started on the blink-and-you-miss-it gay characters (that would soon become a trend for the next seven to eight years with Disney movies). I won’t go as far to say that this ruins the original Beauty & The Beast in any way but all it does is make me want to go back to the original Beauty & The Beast over and over again and forget about this one entirely.

5.) Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Here’s the one that started this dark, corrupt path of Disney’s most lazy and creatively bankrupt packages of so-called “motion pictures”. Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland (2010) tries to add his own spin on the classic animated tale, with a more bleak and twisted feel to it. Unfortunately, the final version to come off as cruelly murky, violent, and unpleasant to watch as a result. While you can see there’s an attempt at making Alice a more three-dimensional character and expand upon the world building of the Wonderland itself in the most Tim Burton-way possible, it gets too bogged down by it’s own bizarre direction, feeling like it belongs more in the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas than it does with Alice in Wonderland. You can always give a movie props for trying to do something different but like Mulan (2020), it’s the WRONG kind of different!

4.) Snow White (2025)

Even if you are that one sane individual that was smart enough to live under a rock over the pre-release discourse nonsense surrounding the live-action reimagining of Disney’s first ever animated motion picture, Snow White (2025) is FAR from the fairest of them all. Much like with 90% of live-action remakes, it can’t decide how far it wants to go with it’s new ideas or how much wants to walk with the same path line as the original. The style is all over the place for to be a nostalgic pleasing throwback, the new elements that are added in feel more like baggage than depth, the reshoots and rewrites are painfully obvious, and Gal Gadot gives by far one of the worst performances in any Disney film ever. Surprisingly, the best part about this disastrous remake is Rachel Zegler herself, fitting the role of Snow White as best as one could in live-action. (If only she knew when to give herself some restraint.) Too bad the rest of the film sucks so much that it justifies all the hate that these live-action remakes/movies get. While not quite #1, Snow White (2025) is a culmination of nearly everything wrong with these Disney live-action remakes and is (hopefully) a wake-up call to Disney to finally leaves these kind of films in the past and put that money to something more wiser.

3.) Pinocchio (2022)

If I were to describe the Disney live-action remake that feels the most soulless and creatively bankrupt, that honor would go to Pinocchio (2020). Robert Zemeckis takes the original animated classic and strips it completely of it’s magical charm, with a script and direction that feel as wooden as Pinocchio himself. The visuals effects are generally poor, Tom Hanks is awfully miscast as Gepetto, and the changes to the story undermine the movie’s central message at every turn. This is a remake that just feels like a remake that exists for the sake of existing, feeling the need to update and give the modern treatment for no reason whatsoever. Say what you will about any other remake on this list but at least you can understand where they were going for and understand it’s reasoning for existence from a business and even creative standpoint. I could not tell you why anyone thought that Pinocchio (2020) was a movie that needed to exist And I don’t think even Disney themselves could tell you either.

2.) Maleficent

11 years later and I’m still completely baffled how Disney was able to screw up what should have been an absolute WINNER for them in Maleficent, one of their finest and fairest foes throughout their history. Despite what the title would suggest, the Maleficent that we all know and love from Sleeping Beauty is NOWHERE to be seen throughout the entirety of the film. For whatever reason, Disney felt the need to overcomplicated things and give Maleficent a reason as to why she is as evil as she is, while unintentionally confirming she actually has a heart of gold and isn’t as vile as she makes herself to be. The fact that I just typed that out loud should go to show you how little this movie understands the character of Maleficent. Throw in hard to see cinematography, sluggish pacing, bizarre plot holes, and some of the ugliest CGI creatures I’ve ever seen and you a real crappy picture here. Poor Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning are wasted here in a film that fails to capitalize a fraction of their talents. But hey, at least, they weren’t stupid enough to do it again with Cruella and Mufasa, right?! *runs away to go cry in the corner*

1.) The Lion King (2019)

There is NO live-action movie/remake to date that perfectly capitulates how bad, cynical, lifeless, and emotionally cold these kind of movies are than The Lion King (2019). Everything that made Jon Favreau’s prior Disney remake with The Jungle Book (2016) work is done COMPLETELY wrong here. There is no inspired direction, no engaging narrative, no unique art style, no convincing looking animals, no standout moments of it’s own, and no justifiable reason for this film’s existence to be found at any given moment. It only exists to remind you how great they got it right the first time around in animated form and for NO other reason than to make a bunch of dollar signs. (And it sadly worked!) Don’t get me started on the way it butchers beloved moments of the original in the most HILARIOUSLY awful way possible (Mufasa’s death scene KILLS me every time!) or doing everything in it’s power to be a complete by-the-numbers retelling of the original with no new ingredients of it’s own. The Lion King (2019) is a culmination of everything wrong with these Disney live-action movies/remakes and why they continued to be the most lazy, artistically bankrupt and pure spite of films that Hollywood is still releasing to this day.

Ranking The Mission: Impossible Franchise

Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning is now out in theaters. Because of that, it’s time to rank every single entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise from worst to best.

Mission: Impossible has to be one of the most reliable and consistent action series out there. This is a franchise that is able to deliver exactly what the audience want to see and always find new and exciting ways to deliver those wants. It’s able to always find that perfect balance of a tongue-in-cheek tone, over-the-top action, intense stakes, and Tom Cruise being an absolute madman almost every single time. So much so that out of all eight installments released, there’s only one that I would argue is legit bad. That makes seven movies here that range from solid to fantastic. With the exception of John Wick and Rocky, there’s not many action franchises out there that has been able to have as good of a track record as Mission: Impossible.

To prove all the previous points mentioned, let’s rank all eight Mission: Impossible movies from worst to best. Starting with….

8.) Mission: Impossible II

This is probably the only movie in this series that fits the definition of “bad”. John Woo has made plenty of great movies in the past and even after this one but he was not able to deliver here. The plot makes zero sense, there’s more slow motion shots than necessary, too many ridiculous moments even for a Mission: Impossible movie, and the editing and song choices are WAY off the mark. Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton both do what they can to make the experience salvageable but this felt more on par with one of the bad Fast & Furious sequels than one of the better Mission: Impossible ones. While far from the worst franchise sequel ever and still beats plenty of other “bad” entries of a majorly successful IP, Mission: Impossible II is certainly the worst that this franchise has gotten. The good news though is that things can only go WAY up from here.

7.) Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning

The (to date) final installment of the near three decade long Mission: Impossible franchise is a tale of two halves. You got the first half which acts as a complete slow burn with non stop exposition, callbacks and flashbacks to the previous movies, characters going on and on about how Ethan Hunt is the chosen one that was destined to save Earth from the destruction of the Entity, and a set up for the biggest set pieces moments in this franchise’s history to come for the next two hours of the film. Then there’s the second half, which pays off nearly every bit of setup and foreshadow from the first hour or so, finds emotional beats for nearly every crew member involved in the mission, and delivers two of the best action sequences of not just this franchise but practically any action movie franchise. Your mission should you chose to accept it is get passed the first half filled with that awkward editing, callbacks, and setup I mentioned earlier and you will be rewarded with a glorious second half, that wraps up the story and the franchise nicely. In an era where we are living in a timeline of our own with A.I. rising and radical tensions happening all around the globe, The Final Reckoning is far from the perfect series finale we deserved but it is perhaps the one we need right now. If only we had an Ethan Hunt that exists in our real world.

6.) Mission: Impossible (1996)

The original Mission: Impossible deserves points for getting the ball rolling and introducing many of the common tropes that would become a stable to this iconic franchise and pop culture as a whole. That being said, the first entry that came out in 1996 has certainly shown it’s age and lacks the entertainment value that most other movies in this series have. The hanging from the ceiling is iconic, the third act is great stuff, and Tom Cruise is able to fit into the role of Ethan Hunt near perfectly but everything else feels very service level and there is a certain reveal made that fans of the original tv show (Particularly turning Jim Phelps, the main protagonist in the original Mission: Impossible tv series, into the main villain by the end) have likely not reacted kindly too over the years. Still, director Brian De Palma does a good enough job of starting this franchise on a fine note and leaving a solid foundation for many years to come.

5.) Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning

Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are able to prove once again that they are up to completing the impossible mission. Even taken the enjoyable but rocky landing of The Final Reckoning into account, Dead Reckoning is yet another superb entry in this franchise. The action is bigger, crazier, and much wider in scope, the stunts are out of this world, the tone is perfectly controlled throughout, the runtime doesn’t feel intimating, and the social commentary on A.I. is well implemented that surprisingly doesn’t take you out of the movie. All of the new cast members fit into the world of Mission: Impossible with absolute ease, most notably Hayley Atwell, and the returning players are able to get back into the swings of things without much haze. Gabriel is a rather one-note villain with ties to Ethan’s past that feels rather contrived, and there’s one story decision involving a certain character’s faith that I was NOT fond off but it’s certainly a nice change of pace of a summer filled with mid to low-tier blockbusters that don’t remotely feel like it lived up to it’s 300 million dollar plus budget. Even when it’s not at it’s 100% best, Dead Reckoning proves that even this franchise’s middle-of-the-road entries still surpass plenty of top-tier entries of other franchises out there.

4.) Mission: Impossible III

The very first one that I really loved in the series, Mission: Impossible III made for a great introduction for many newcomers to Mission: Impossible along with evaluating the quality for these movies down the road. This is where we see Ethan Hunt as his most human and vulnerable, getting a glimpse of what a life outside of being an IMF agent looks like and what happens when he just wants to settle down with a woman he loves. Not only is this movie easily the strongest in terms of giving Ethan a complete character arc but it also has hands down has the best and most intimidating villain in Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Owen Davian. While it does fall into the same directional trappings that would later be accustomed to his other films (most notably the shaky cam and too many bright lights), J.J. Abrams is able to provide the perfection tension and claustrophobic feel to make this one of the very best in the franchises and even a satisfying end to the first three movies. This has been the installment that has been the most debated among fans but for me this would be the start to a very beginning road of consistently great quality follow-ups even nearly two decades later.

3.) Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol

Here is where the franchise would be taken things to the very next level. Brad Bird is able to make a stellar first impression in his live-action debut by delivering a Mission: Impossible installment that at the time in 2011 was the biggest and the best the M:I franchise has ever gotten in terms of action, scope, and delivering the most impossible mission imaginable. This is also where you would certainly feel the fantastic chemistry that Cruise would have with his cast members such as Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, and Paula Patton (who I’m still awaiting her return to the franchise). The main highlights of this installment include the gripping as hell opening sequence in the prison, the “girl boss” fight between Paula Patton and Lea Seydoux, and of course, the intense, breathtaking set piece in Burj Khalifa where Tom Cruise climbs the tallest mountain in the world. The main downside is that this has easily the weakest villain in the franchise, containing conflicts and motives that I constantly keep forgetting about every single time that I watched it. Nevertheless, Ghost Protocol is still excellent and did it’s job at keeping the series fresh four movies in. Brad Bird should certainly consider returning to directing live-action (even if Tomorrowland didn’t work out).

2.) Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation

If you want to talk about the one Mission: Impossible flick that has the right balance of just about everything fans love about this franchise, look no further than Rogue Nation. Just about everything you come to expect with these movies is all here and is able to be delivered beautifully. The action is absolutely jaw dropping, with the biggest highlights being the opening plane sequence, the underwater infiltration set piece, and perhaps having the best motorcycle chase scene in any film. The tight, espionage plot gives the perfect excuse to introduce all the classic M:I tropes that’s in the book. The villain played by Sean Harris makes for a perfect equal to Ethan Hunt along with the Syndicate making for the perfect mirror to the IMF. The team members of Benji Dunn and Luther Stickell get their own moments to shine as a part of the group. Even the third act, which some found underwhelming, is refreshingly small-scaled and more personal as it shows Ethan finding ways to cleverly outsmart his opponents. And of course, the main thing that makes this entry stand out greatly is the newcomer of Ilsa Faust, played by the absolutely mesmerizing Rebecca Ferguson, who is perhaps the best female companion that Ethan has ever come across and maybe even the best character in the franchise overall. While this may not quite be my favorite Mission: Impossible movie, there is a strong argument to be made that Rogue Nation is the one that has the right mix of everything that makes a Mission: Impossible movie.

1.) Mission: Impossible- Fallout

However, there is no Mission: Impossible movie released up to this point that has been as impressive and as much of a cinematic achievement than Mission: Impossible- Fallout. Words can’t describe how incredible of an experience this film was to witness in theaters and still so much fun to sit through to this very day. It’s just an non-stop action thrill ride with plenty of twists, turns, and reveals thrown into the mix while featuring Tom Cruise at his very best as Ethan Hunt. The tension is felt in every second of it’s 148-minute long runtime as this truly feels like the mission up to this point that might be the most impossible for Ethan and his friends to complete. The action and set pieces are some of the very best I’ve seen in any film with just how every action beat able to top the next one, the way it’s able to callback and tie-in to the previous five entries felt organic and right, Henry Cavill makes for one entertaining new player, the music is superb, the pacing and structure is as airtight as it can be, and it’s just about as perfect of a sixth entry to a franchise as one could possibly imagine. As great as most of the Mission: Impossible films as been, every single one of them is mere child’s play compared to Fallout. While it is certainly more action heavy than any other installment and doesn’t quite have that same mix of everything like Rogue Nation did, Fallout still stands as this series as it’s very best and most thrilling. Not only is it the best Mission: Impossible movie to date, it’s one of the very best action films of all time period.

Superman (1978) Retrospective: The Birth Of The Superhero

If there is one film medium that has been a dominant force for the 21st century, that would be comic books and superheroes. While we are now living in an era where this subgenre of movies is not as strong as it was in the previous two decades, there is no denying that they have changed the way that blockbusters have been made for the past 25+ years. However, even before the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, and the multiple DC Cinematic universe attempts, even before the likes of Blade (1998), X-Men (2000), and Spider-Man (2002) rolled around, and even before Tim Burton’s or Joel Schumacher’s Batman made their ways onto the scene, there was one superhero movie that stood proudly on his own. Not only working as a near perfect example of what a superhero movie should consist of but it set the template and tropes on how a superhero movie or even a blockbuster in general should operated. That one film I’m talking about is no other than Superman (1978), directed by Richard Donner and played by the OG Superman himself, Christopher Reeves.

This was the superhero movie that changed everything! It proved that a film based off of a comic book superhero can work and translate onto the big screen as well as it possibly can. It proved that big cinematic experiences of this kind can be just as compelling as say a giant space opera or an intense thriller involving a big shark (Bet you can guess which two blockbusters I’m referring to from back then!). And most importantly, it proved that comic books and superheroes can shine a very bright light on pop culture, telling stories with impactful themes and unforgettable role models that anyone can look up to (No pun intended!)!

This was the birth of the superhero genre!

This is Superman (1978)!

To prove that this was indeed the one film that started this ongoing superhero movie trend, I decided to name six distinct tropes that this film laid out which is still being followed up to this day. Even nearly 50 years after Superman (1978) came out, these are all common beats you still see in superhero films to this day. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some of/if not all of these with James Gunn’s Superman come July. Nevertheless, here are the six common tropes and cliches with superhero movies that Superman (1978) started.

1.) Origin Story

When it comes to the first chapter of a superhero story, it usually starts off with showcasing their origins. This is the part of the story where you find our where exactly the titled superhero came from, who gave birth to them, and how they got their powers and became the actual titled superhero. It’s become such a staple at this point that folks will call blasphemy if a certain version of a comic book superhero does NOT contain the origin in some way, shape, or form. No matter how many different stories we get off Spider-Man or Batman, we ALWAYS need to see Uncle Ben and the Waynes being shot in cold blood.

In the case of Superman, his origin involves his biological parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, sending him off to Earth while his home planet Krypton is on the verge of collapse. Clark is then discovered in Kansas by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who would adapt him and raised him as their son. It’s doing this sequence where Clark must discover what he was destined to be by his own mother and father, while learning what it means to live among the human beings on Earth by his adoptive mother and father.

This is a nice origin story that is able to be more about being an outcast rather than just a traditional “fish out of water” story. This is about Clark Kent learning to blend in with a brand new home not just as Clark Kent himself but as Superman. And even with all the criticism and rejection among the public, he still wants to do what is right. He wants to be the hero that his birth parents always envisioned of him. He wants to save people’s lives while stopping those that put them in harm’s away. And most importantly, he just wants to do good things for the goodness of mankind. Regardless if he will do it in a legal or illegal way, he is determined to be a hero at all costs, regardless of what the public thinks of him.

While the 1/3rd of this movie does take it’s time on establishing the origins of Clark Kent’s transformation into Superman, it is important to always showcases the answers to the questions that anyone might have about it’s title hero. Whether it’s like a traditional first installment with a superhero that spends the first half establishing the hero’s origin story (Spider-Man (2002), Batman Begins, Iron Man, or Captain America: The First Avenger) or uses an opening sequence or flashbacks scenes to establish their origins (Batman (1989) and The Incredible Hulk), showcasing a superhero’s origin is always urgent in order to get audience’s connected with the hero’s journey. While I can’t say for certain, I guarantee that the origin of a superhero would not be as much of a staple as it is if it weren’t for this film showcasing these exact important events.

2.) Secret Identity

A usual key component for a superhero story is with the main superhero having to keep their identity a secret. There are always exceptions such as when Tony Stark revealed his true self at the end of Iron Man or Diana Prince always representing Wonder Woman but more often than not, these are usually stories about the main superhero having to learn to keep their superhero life a secret and finding room to focus on their normal, everyday life. You have Peter Parker who has to learn how to balance himself between being Spider-Man and Peter Parker, you have Bruce Wayne needing to let his playboy billionaire side shine in the day and his crime fighting vigilante side shine in the night. In this case, we have Clark Kent needing to keep Superman and Clark Kent as two separate identities.

Of course, the main jab at Superman is how it’s unfathomable how anyone can’t tell the difference between Clark Kent and Superman because they both look exactly the same. Like, all you need to do is remove the glasses and you can see it’s literally the exact same person. How can a superhero who is trying to protect his secret identity do so by basically hiding in plain sight? That is a question with Superman that I thought about for years and could never find the answer to. That was until……I saw Christopher Reeve’s performance.

The main aspect that makes Reeve’s performance stand out perfectly as both Clark Kent and Superman is the fact that they feel like two completely different people when you watch them. As Clark Kent, he’s the typical nerdy, awkward man who is a bit of a dweb that is the last person you would ever expect to be a superhero in red and blue pajamas. As Superman, he’s this brave, heroic figure that you would never suggest could be some weak, submissive geek that lets his female co-worker fight his battles for him. I’m pretty sure if you asked Clark Kent in real life that he looks just like Superman, he would be able to PERFECTLY convince you that he is NOT Superman and just said, “Yeah, I guess that’s true! But I assure you, I am NOT him!” All you had to do is see how Clark Kent and Superman act so different in each scene and how perfectly Reeves is able to make them both convincing as two separate characters!

You are lying to yourselves if you ACTUALLY believe these two guys could be the exact same person if you just judge based off their appearance and personality and NOT just looks.

The secret identity tends to play a big role in most superhero movies, especially with origin stories, but I don’t think there has been a superhero movie that’s been able to capture just exactly what it means to be an average everyday joe to being the world’s biggest savior than with Superman (1978). A story which sees a man has to convince that his personal self and superhero self is NOT one of the same despite looking exactly alike. And this is in large part thanks to Christopher Reeve’s pitch perfect portrayals as both Clark Kent and Superman respectively.

3.) Love Interest

Of course, you can’t have a traditional superhero story without a traditional love interest. This is usually always added to give a story a bit of an emotional anchor and give motivation for the main superhero to do what he does. There are times where it can fall into some pretty infamous tropes. From being a constant damsel n distress to acting as a “trophy” for the main hero to getting the “fridge” treatment, this can be seen as the weakest part of the story if you are not too careful and learn too much into one of these tropes. There’s only so many times where people want to see Gwen Stacy die so Spider-Man can be sad only to get replaced by a love interest that’s hotter but much more blander (*cough* Mary Jane Watson *cough*). Thankfully, Superman (1978) is able to find a love story that works quite fondly with Superman and Lois Lane.

To be sure, it does involve Lois Lane having to be saved at least a few times by Superman. There are two notable moments of that, from falling off of a building and another instance that will be discussed later on. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Lois is a strong character in her own right and can even being seen saving Clark Kent on some occasions. She’s feisty, strong-willed, always determined to get the job done, and is always able to give Clark the emotional support whenever they need it. However, what makes her a perfect equal to Superman is how they will both stop at nothing to accomplish their goals for the greater good.

Lois Lane in general is someone that is as fearless as Superman is and always shows dedication to finding truth and justice for every report she covers as a journalist with the Daily Planet. Sure, she might not be as invincible as Superman is and is certainly not bullet proof but when it comes to her heart and free will, she is about as equal to Superman as someone can possibly get. That’s what makes the two a perfect couple and Lois Lane a perfect love interest.

Just watch this scene and tell me that it is NOT magical!

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what inspired Disney to making the magical carpet scene in Aladdin.

Most superhero movies tend to always botch the love story. Mostly because it usually only acts to give the superhero a love interest and have it play second-fiddled to everything else going on, usually only acting like a box that needs to be checked off. But with Superman (1978), Lois Lane helps acts as the pure heart of the film and helps Clark fill that missing hole he had within himself in his early days as Superman.

4.) Saving People’s Lives

This is simply one component that a superhero movie can NOT live without. You need scenes and moments that shows a superhero actually being well…….a superhero. Throughout superhero movie history, we’ve seen plenty of examples of superheroes filling their good superhero duties by saving the lives of folks they’ve sworn to protect. We’ve seen Spider-Man saving people from a burning building, we’ve seen Iron Man rescuing passengers from a plane. With Superman, we get to see him rescuing innocent people from natural disasters and bridges on the verge of collapsing.

While the main protagonist saving people has never been anything out of the ordinary, there’s always something special when a superhero does it. This is mostly because they are able to save people in ways that an average person won’t be able to. They are gifted the skills, power, wealth, and/or resources to be able to rescue lives and give themselves a name which regular people would not be able to. With Superman, he is just using the powers that was gifted to him by his parents and home world for the benefit for others and not just himself.

And I know you might be wondering why I am not referring to Superman saving a specific important character at the near tail end of the film. Well, that’s because I’m saving that for the very next part.

5.) The Big Third Act Climax

Okay, this movie doesn’t have the traditional big third act battle that most superhero movies those. This isn’t like the third act of every Avengers movie where there is always so much crap that goes on at the same time that it can be hard to keep track off. This isn’t even like the big climaxes to Superman II, Man of Steel, or Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice where it involves Superman having to fight a powerful being that is even stronger than himself. This involves Superman having to save the day from the wreckage that Lex Luthor causes, a wreckage that could cause a worldwide nuclear war. Much like the climax to Spider-Man (2002) (expect without the ass-kicking 101 scene with the Green Goblin), it involves Clark having to be the hero to the world that he believes himself to be.

I already partially covered the meaning and purpose of the climax in my last part where it involves Superman having to save the very people he has sworn to protect. However, what part I missed out on is the part where he has to save Lois Lane after she partially died. After Superman fails to save Lois from the earthquake that Lex Luthor caused, he commits the biggest deus ex machina imaginable by using his superpowers to rotate the earth back and turning back time.

Can this be considered “cheating”?! Heck yeah!

Does this make any sense whatsoever?! Heck no!

However, that doesn’t change the fact that the third act climax is where Superman faces his toughest challenge yet, the part of the film where the main superhero finds himself pushed beyond measure to be the hero for everybody and the ones he loves. That always tend to be the blueprint for most third acts in superhero stories and I have no doubt this is the one superhero movie where many filmmakers got their first inspiration from.

6.) Being A Symbol

This might be the most important trope of all for every superhero story brought to the big screen. That is having your main character be a symbol. Not just for the characters in the story but for the audience as well! For superheroes to exist for as long as they have, they must have inspirations. They must have folks that would love nothing more to follow in their footsteps and become superheroes of their own in any way, shape, or form. Thankfully, Superman (1978) is able to succeed at that in both ways.

In the context of the movie, the public now has a very positive view on Superman and sees him as being mankind greatest superhero. When it comes to pop culture, the entire world and entertainment industry has followed in this film’s footsteps of making not just more Superman incarnations but also more superheroes of his kind.

Since this film came out, we have gotten more Superman films, shows, games, and comics that most certainly got it’s initial template from this 1978 gamechanger. Also, since this film came out, we have gotten many different superhero films, shows, games, and comics of it’s kind. The kind that I imagine would not exist if it wasn’t for the impact that Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve brought to the world.

Above all, Superman (1978) is able to prove that it’s title hero is in face the symbol he set himself out to be. Not only through the truth, justice, and American way that the character himself claims but through having that impact on the whole world, being the kind of hero that his parents always thought of him has and what I imagine the world saw Christopher Reeve has.

Being that exact symbol!

A symbol of……you guessed it……hope!

In conclusion, superhero movies wouldn’t be where they have been for a long time now if it wasn’t for Superman (1978). This is not only the superhero film that got the ball rolling but it’s the superhero film that laid the groundwork for all the beats, tropes, and basic structure that nearly every film based off of a comic book and superhero is expected to follow upon. This overexposed subgenre only ever became what it is and has grown to be for nearly the past five decades due to the groundbreaking success of Superman (1978).

This was the birth of the superhero!

This was Superman (1978)!

Next Up: Superman II: When Director’s Cuts Matter

Ranking The Live-Action Star Wars Disney Plus Series

Andor has come to an end! Because of that, what better time than now to rank all of the seasons involving Star Wars that are currently on Disney Plus at the moment!

For this list, I’m going to just strictly look at the live-action Star Wars shows and not included animated ones such as The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch, Tales of the Jedi, Visions, etc. I feel like including those would just makes this list more complicated than it already will be and that these are the main streaming series that are the driving force of Star Wars at the moment. With that being said, let’s get straight into rankings!

10.) The Book of Boba Fett

I never understood the popularity of Boba Fett as a character besides his incredibly dope armor. He was clearly meant to just be the side character that everyone remember for how cool he looked and nothing else. Not to mention, he went out like a complete wimp in Return of the Jedi. And if The Book of Boba Fett is anything to go by, it seems as tho the creators of this show seem to agree with me.

This is about as unfocused and dysfunctional of a show that I’ve seen in quite some time. It starts off by trying to explore the “human” side of Boba Fett in his old, weaker, and totally unprime form only for the title character to get completely sidelined in favor of what is basically The Mandalorian Season 2.5. It’s then we get introduced to a bunch of awkwardly inserted cameos and fan service that feel so out of place and has literally nothing to do with the show it’s based on but more of just setting up future shows and movies. At least Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen are still fun and the finale plays so much like a little kid playing with his Star Wars action figures that I couldn’t help but dig that!

When people complain about how overreliance on fan service and “easter eggs” are ruining main franchises, The Book of Boba Fett is exactly what they are talking about. It’s a show where you can tell the creators struggled to find an interesting story for it’s main lead character and trying to use fan service to save the day. If I wanted to watch The Mandalorian, I’d watch The Mandalorian. If you want to make a Luke Skywalker show, then actually make a Luke Skywalker show. Don’t do whatever the hell The Book of Boba Fett did.

9.) Obi-Wan Kenobi

Everyone wanted a new series or movie focused on Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was the main bright spot of the entire prequel trilogy and fans had been dying to see him return to the franchise in some way, shape, or form. And because Solo was a big bomb at the box office, this got turned into it’s own Disney Plus series. However, as we all should know by now, be careful what you wish for!

Much like The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi fills the need to fill in blanks that no one really asked to be filled and never finding the reason for it’s existence other than just finding an excuse to have it’s beloved main actor returning to the franchise. The directing is generally poor (which is shocking after Deborah Chow did such a good job with her episodes in The Mandalorian), little Princess Leia getting captured a million times gets old incredibly fast, there’s too much focus on Reva and not enough on Obi-Wan himself, and it feels less structured like a series and more of an overlong film. The only saving graces is a commendable performance from Ewan McGregor and some hard hitting moments between him and Hayden Christensen’s Darth Vader.

It’s not as irredeemable bad as some folks have made it out to be but there’s nothing that stands out in Obi-Wan Kenobi that makes it worth watching it either. This is only for the die hard fans of the prequels and those wanting to see Ewan as Obi-Wan again. Everyone else can steer clear!

8.) The Mandalorian (Season 3)

In many ways, The Mandalorian Season 3 was always destined to fail. Not just because it was following the well-received first two seasons which set the high bar for many fans but it had already undid it’s resolution to it’s own main story arc and set the series back to square one during The Book of Boba Fett, A.K.A. The Mandalorian Season 2.5. The fact that Season 2 had Mando and Grogu going their separate ways only for those two to be back together immediately by the start of Season 3 basically made this season doom from the start and it doesn’t get better from there.

Season 3 just feels like the notion that Jon Favreau and company have run out of ideas for Star Wars and their heart just isn’t in it anymore. This season just seems overly concern with connecting itself to the rest of the Star Wars universe than being it’s own thing, something which has been a main problem with many of the recent Star Wars content. Not to mention, it has probably the most tone-deaf cameo in recent memory with Lizzo (Jack Black is cool though). The action is still pretty damn good here and even though Bo Katan gets WAY too much focus here (Again, forgetting it’s own title character!), Katie Sackhoff is so good and awesome in the role that you almost don’t mind it (even if she should be like 60 years old in this timeline).

Season 3 as a whole basically made it clear that Disney and Lucasfilm forgot what made The Mandalorian work in the first place. It was a refreshing change of pace that had it’s own heroes go on their own adventures, explored certain corners of Star Wars that hadn’t been touched upon before, and didn’t need a million different cameos of fan-favorite characters to make the show worthwhile. Those were better and more simpler times! Now, it’s gotten worse and more complicated. That’s certainly NOT the way!

7.) The Acolyte

If there is a series on this list that would qualify as the most pure frustrating, that would be The Acolyte. On paper, this feels like the kind of thing that the Disney era of Star Wars DESPERATELY needed! A brand new era of Star Wars that takes place in it’s own distinct timeline, without any overreliance of fan favorite characters or familiar imagery and new characters and stories to tell. This was basically the chance for Lucasfilm to prove they could make an engaging new Star Wars material that help gives Disney Star Wars it’s own unique identity. Unfortunately, it rather failed.

The murder mystery that drive forwards the plot is not very engaging, most of the characters aren’t very compelling with backstories and motivations you can see coming from a mile away, and it’s connections to the other eras of Star Wars could not be any more forced. (Not to mention, the complete and utter waste of Carrie-Anne Moss!). It does get bonus points for originality and some pretty badass lightsaber fights that rank among the best in the Disney era. Plus, anything with Lee Jung-Jae is able to evaluate it’s quality by a few points.

The Acolyte had some of the best ideas and concepts that Star Wars has introduced in quite some time but unfortunately, most of it is not executed very well and did nothing but add more fuel to the toxic fire surrounding Disney Star Wars. It’s definitely not as bad as it’s haters are making it out to be but it’s unfortunately not good enough to be worthy of defenders either. What a shame!

6.) Ahsoka

The most arguably beloved female character in Star Wars aside from Princess Leia finally came into live-action during the second season of The Mandalorian and would get her own show a few years later. When viewed as a continuation of Rebels and being a nostalgic trip for those that grew up with The Clone Wars, Ahsoka does it’s job well enough. When it comes to being it’s own thing and introducing the character to the general audiences who never watched the cartoons, that’s where it falls flat.

As successful as Dave Filoni has been with animation, it still feels like he’s going through growing pains when it comes to directing live-action. There’s too much of Ahsoka that feels awkwardly staged, stiffly acted, and bizarrely paced in ways that I imagine would have fared much better in animation. It also doesn’t help that the lack of context of these characters will make casual moviegoers that didn’t do their homework beforehand feeling completely lost when it comes to the big test that is this series. As fun as it was to see these characters actually be in live-action, the World Between Worlds concept being utilized, and Hayden Christian finally getting his well-deserve due as Anakin, Ahsoka left me feeling with a state of indifference by the end.

For those that are fans of Filoni’s shows and wanted to see a proper pay off to the loose ends from Rebels, you’ll get enjoyment out of this. For everyone else, Ahsoka might so either way for you. Hopefully, Filoni will find his footing into the realm of live-action with Season 2!

5.) Skeleton Crew

Here’s a little show that came out of no year (and is literally being seen from no where) that is somehow able to be one of the better Star Wars shows that Disney has made. Labeled by some has “Goonies in space”, Skeleton Crew is a very enjoyable and charming throwback to the big bombastic family films of the 1980s to 1990s. Here we see young kinds go on wild and exciting adventures, being able to discover something about themselves that they never did before.

The child actors are all wonderful with great potential of expanding their careers, the lively coming-of-age story is able to work surprisingly well in the realm of Star Wars, there’s fun set pieces and missions for the characters to explore, and Judy Law is able to stand out perfectly as the wise mentor figure for the group of kids. Also, SM-33 might just be the best droid since BB-8.

There may not be anything here that’s too revolutionary or pushed the boundaries of Star Wars in any way but that’s perfectly okay. Skeleton Crew act as a nice, innocent little show about what it’s like for little kids growing up to big inspirations. It may not “save” Star Wars for many people but it will at least give a nice little peak at what Star Wars can be when it’s allow to tell it’s own individual stories without enormous expectations weighting it down.

4.) The Mandalorian (Season 2)

The beginning of the end of the Star Wars Disney Plus series as we know it. What started with something pure, something exciting! Then comes the mistakes, the consequences! Season 2 of Mando is basically when this show and Star Wars Disney Plus as a whole stopped being about self-contained space adventures and it’s primary focus is more on connecting the series with the rest of the Star Wars universe.

To be fair, there is still a lot to like here. It still has that episodic feel to it that the first season did, each episode still feels like the director getting to have their own flavor to it, and there’s ton of great action and character moments throughout. However, there are so many extended cameos featuring fan favorite characters that it at times comes across more as a trailer for future series. Much like Season 2 of Daredevil, it’s impossible to not to try to distinct the moments of fan service with fan favorite characters like Boba Fett and Ahsoka showing up and feeling like it’s just pure set-ups for other series that had still yet to come. And if that final sequence with CGI Luke Skywalker showing up to save the day in deux ex machina form was any indication, it was basically a sign for things to come.

It’s still entertaining throughout and it did, at least at the time, concluded the storyline between Mando and Grogu relatively well but it’s painfully obvious that Disney and Lucasfilm learned all the WRONG lessons from this season alone and the quality of shows afterwards have suffered as a result. To continue on that quote I paraphrase at the beginning of this part, we create our own demons! And I don’t think there’s something in Star Wars that first that quote perfectly than Season 2 of The Mandalorian.

3.) The Mandalorian (Season 1)

Remember when this series was literally just about a man taking care of a child and trying to get him back to his owner? Those were the simpler days! Back when a Star Wars series was free to tell it’s own stories that could stand on their own, was able to expand upon the universe instead of making it feel smaller, had a creative team that was able to bring their own stamp to the series while still feeling like a cohesive vision, created new characters that can actually carry their own show without the need for a cameo every episode, and felt like an actual television show. A lot of things can certainly change in the span of four years!

In all seriousness, The Mandalorian Season 1 is able to succeed big by playing small. It shows a distinct corner of the Star Wars universe that has barley been touched upon, the crime world that has been corrupted by chaos, while being a gold old fashioned father-and-son story by heart. Some of the new characters that are introduced are some of the best in the Disney canon, it’s western vibe is able to translate very well to Star Wars, and the action set pieces are well done and feel appropriately Star Wars. Not everything is a banger here with at least one bad episode and containing one of the most obnoxious characters ever in Star Wars, but even then, it still succeeds very well.

When I think of the kind of Star Wars I wanted to see in a post-George Lucas World, this is the first thing that comes to mind. It’s able to give a group of talent directors and writers together, have their visions be realized, and have something that feels like Star Wars but also brings something fresh and new at the same time. Sometimes going back to basics can be a good thing and The Mandalorian Season 1 is a perfect example of that!

2.) Andor (Season 1)

But yeah, this is pretty much #1 by default. While I enjoy some of the others shows on the list to a varying degree, they all feel like they would faltered when you look at them as their own thing and not as Star Wars. Andor, on the other hand, is able to succeed greatly as it’s own thing AND as Star Wars. It’s quite interesting how despite this possibly being the least anticipated upcoming series, it’s easily the very best one and up there with some of the best Star Wars not just from Disney but in all of Star Wars.

Andor just feels like it’s own thing compared to anything else that is Star Wars and has one objective on it’s mind in telling an impactful story that is set outside of the Skywalker clan. The writing is incredibly strong, with fully fletch out characters, resonate themes, and powerful dialogue that will stick with you just moments after watching it. There’s also the great performances form the entire cast, most notably Andy Serkis, it’s grittier tone, and the score that gives the show it’s own identity. Even the occasional slow pacing and set up feels warranted by the end as it’s able to serve an importance later on.

I still have no idea how in the world Tony Gilroy was able to get Disney and Lucasfilm to greenlight this show but I’m sure glad he did. It’s prove that Star Wars can in fact still do it’s own thing and survive without any big notable names if you put in the time, work, and effort to do so. You can in fact make Star Wars mean more than just the name of the IP itself. You can in fact make Star Wars something other than jiggling keys. You can in fact make Star Wars something that matches the quality with it’s quantity. You can in fact make Star Wars hopeful again. Because of all of that and more, Andor is the best Disney Plus show by a wide margin and more of my favorite Star Wars things period.

1.) Andor (Season 2)

It may have not seem possible but Andor was able to make lightning strike twice with it’s second and final season! Not is this powerful series able to end on the highest note possible but Season 2 of Andor makes it stand out as not just the best Star Wars that Disney has ever given us but also one of the best things to ever come out of Star Wars period! And to think, it came from a Star Wars prequel that literally NO ONE was asking for! Even fans of Rogue One!

Similar to the first season, it does start off in a rather slow manner, taking it’s sweet time to introduce us back to the world of the darkest corner of the galaxy with the most personal characters out of the entire Disney canon (And of course, the obvious elephant in the room that was the SA scene!). However, once the pieces are in place, Andor is able to fly high without ever crashing down. The characters remain among the most human and engaging in any Star Wars, the personal conflicts feel intimate yet timely, the dialogue remains so powerful that you couldn’t ever imagine an A.I. ever written it, and I don’t think the Empire has ever been more scary than it has been hear. And yes, it’s able to handle it’s current event subject matter in a way that first perfectly in the realm of Star Wars and blends itself to Rogue One about as smoothly as it can.

Regardless of you feel about Disney Star Wars at this point, you more than owe it to yourself to check out these two seasons of Star Wars! It’s prove that Star Wars can in fact find it’s own voice in a post-George Lucas world and have the series mean more than typical key jingling and easter egg fests. While it’s highly unlikely we will ever get a genuine work of art like this with Star Wars anytime soon, I am glad I was able to get a near perfect finale to the best live-action Star Wars show to date! Tony Gilroy, we don’t deserve you!