Loved the return of Darren Criss’s Superman. I was hoping for a cameo, but we got that and more. His Superman continues to shine—loved his interactions with Flash.
- And Brainiac! I didn’t particularly like the design, but that’s fine, he was still cool to see.
But I thought the movie really shone when it leaned into that mystical / Nazi combination, so them storming a heavily-guarded castle was right on brand & I was loving all those beats.
Doctor Fate’s rescue & sequence was cool, but I guess I’m a little unclear on what he was directing them to? And how/why he guided Flash to this WWII universe? And who was the young boy prisoner who gave ‘Shakespeare’ the Superman costume? I thought Fate was going to play a bigger part & tie things together in Act 3 but instead he leaves.
The multiverse reveal was cool—I dug all of that, and I was genuinely surprised. I admittedly didn’t recognize Darren Criss voicing ‘Shakespeare’ so it was an interesting twist. Also, I guess Barry knows Superman’s secret identity now. And he quizzes him on his parents when he’s trying to establish if he’s in the past or a different universe, so I suppose Jor-El and Lara are public knowledge? I forget if that’s part of Superman’s announcement that he’s alien in
Man of Tomorrow. It would have to be, right? Barry wouldn’t know about the Kent’s, even though that’s how this Clark Kent responds.
- It’s a cool story beat that the loss of the Kents takes Clark Kent off the hero path—he only learns to look out for himself. Great inclusion there.
What I didn’t particularly enjoy was the inclusion of Atlantis as the surprise-brainwashed villains in Act III. It seemed very out of place. Even from the very first scene, when Trevor is briefing FDR (very cool, by the way), the movie seems to be hinting at the Spear of Destiny or an Ark of the Covenant-type MacGuffin and then it just pivots to Aquaman instead.
I think this movie desperately needed a Vandal Savage or other character working with the Nazis and pulling the strings. And a finale with super-powered Nazis instead of sea creatures and Atlantean soldiers, which felt very
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis.
Also, I thought “The Advisor” was Orm, but apparently he’s Psycho Pirate? Interesting if the Wikipedia page is correct, but I didn’t pick up on that to be honest. Was there something I missed? Maybe I needed the classic mask to connect the dots...
Superman’s ‘Captain Marvel’ moment when he destroys all the bombers was cool, but I wish that was the main adversary (with a Spear of Destiny-wielding Vandal Savage & maybe some monsters that that comes with), and I wish his costume was a bit more Fleischer-inspired in design—the latter obviously just a minor nitpick.
I was also expecting some redemption for Wonder Woman, who was very militant in this film—some moment of love or compassion—but it ultimately didn’t come until Steve Trevor’s death (which couldn’t have been more telegraphed the entire movie, to be honest).
- I thought a proposal and maybe even a marriage between those two during the actual finale (like Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan in the third Pirates of the Caribbean) would have been more satisfying. And Diana could still have that moment with Barry afterwards where she instructs him to be happy with Iris.
- And I wanted some resolution about what happened to Paradise Island—I suppose we can infer that there was some great tragedy, but hearing from Diana about how that’s affecting her ability to love again (maybe that’s why she doesn’t commit to Steve?) or just something would have helped flesh out her character arc.
Was really hoping to see a glimpse of our universe’s Wonder Woman once Flash returns and they hint at the Justice League—just some establishing shot of her existence in the modern day. But again, that’s just a nitpick/wish.