Why I Still Prefer Cavill over Hoechlin

Ever since Superman came soaring into National City to help his Kryptonian cousin Kara Zor-El in the Second season of the CW’s Supergirl, there’s been a seemingly endless debate raging between fans as to whether this new tv Superman, played by Tyler Hoechlin, is a better representation of the Man of Steel than the still controversial and admittedly grittier version played by Henry Cavill in the DCEU, beginning with 2013’s Man of Steel. Since that films release and its more controversial aspects, many longtime fans have been passionately arguing that Cavill’s Superman is too dark, too brooding and not the symbol of light and hope that Superman, particularly embodied by Chris Reeve, is supposed to embody. Even after the events of this year’s hotly debated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which Superman sacrificed his life to save a world that largely feared and hated him, many fans still feel that this cinematic Superman is missing certain key elements of the classic Superman. As both a lifelong fan of the classic Chris Reeve Superman and an ardent fan of the DCEU, I’m here to say that although I’m happy to have Superman back on television in any form and feel that Tyler’s doing a fine job, I still feel beyond a doubt that Cavill’s Superman is the better of the two; a new, modernized embodiment of Superman who deep down still has the same heart, but who grapples with real, relatable doubts and insecurities.

                There’s no doubt that even to this day, Christopher Reeve’s classic portrayal of Superman is still the yardstick by which all following Supermen are judged. Almost forty years later, Reeve’s portrayal as the Last Son of Krypton and the ultimate champion of Truth, Justice and the American Way is still the go to version for many fans. Reeve’s endurance stems from the fact that his portrayal perfectly embodied everything that Superman represented back in the late seventies. Back then, he was still very much the straight-laced, clean cut big blue boy scout who was an unfaltering symbol of Justice and Hope. Reeve embodied this untouchable quality flawlessly, bringing every kid’s favorite superhero to glorious life on the big screen. As the following decades brought us edgier and darker heroes with deeply personal and more relatable reasons for doing what they do, Superman’s clean cut image started to make him seem boring and one dimensional. Fans wanted more depth, more complexity in their characters motives. This was reflected in the Superman comics, where the character started to grapple with more inner conflict and doubt, still trying to help everyone while balancing a personal life with Lois.

            When Man of Steel came out in 2013, it was clear from the start this version wasn’t going to be the classic Superman who simply chooses to be a champion of Justice for humanity. Snyder gave us a Superman who grew up in the real world we know all too well, one where the most well-meaning individuals come up against scrutiny and criticism in our increasingly cynical and politicized society. This new Superman grew up with the knowledge that humanity would most likely fear and hate him for what he can do, and therefore he was taught to hide in plain sight until the day came when he was ready to face the world. Despite this and Jonathan Kent’s desire to keep his adopted son safe from being treated as a freak, young Clark helps people whenever he can because of his strong moral code. He helps people without taking any credit and disappears to avoid being exposed. It takes earth being threatened by General Zod to get Clark to reveal himself to the world, but only because he knows once he does the world, his and ours, will change forever. Many elements of MOS rubbed long-time fans the wrong way, most notably the still controversial neck snap that ended Zod’s plans for worldwide genocide. Although I myself was not bothered by Superman killing Zod because I understand that sometimes real heroes have to make the impossible choices for the greater good, I know that to hardcore fans of the classic Superman, this was blasphemy. These people are forgetting however, that Superman has been forced to kill before, in fact he once executed alternate versions of Zod, Faora and another Kryptonian with Kryptonite after they murdered billions on a parallel earth. Considering that this is what Zod wanted to do to this earth, it’s understandable that this completely novice Superman would make the hard choice to save humanity. People like to argue that Man of Steel lacks the uplifting moments that made Superman: The Movie so inspiring. To this I say, yes overall Man of Steel is an edgier and grittier version of the Superman world, but Cavill’s Superman is still ultimately an inspiring figure, just not as over the top as Reeve’s version. As a fan, how can you not feel elated and inspired when you witness Clark’s joy at soaring through the sky for the first time? How can you not feel inspired when he first reveals himself to the world, floating gracefully in the sun, the flowing red cape of his people billowing in the wind behind him? How about when he emerged from the wreckage of the locomotive in Smallville, with all the soldiers looking on realizing that he’s not their enemy and Hans Zimmer’s beautiful and haunting score playing? Or how about when he saves the entire planet by destroying the world engine, defying the gravity of his home world and resembling, for the briefest of seconds, Chris Reeve as he soars up into the machine and destroys it. What about when he turns up at the Daily Planet, ready to fight for his adopted world as Superman and lay low as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent with the help of his new love, Lois Lane.

            Man of Steel showed for the first time Clark Kent really becoming Superman. After a lifetime of laying low and keeping himself in check, he finally can be himself, but that means being the only one who can fight off a global threat from the last of his own people. With no training or experience, he defends us against Zod and his soldiers and chooses his adopted world, a world that might ultimately reject and hate him over the last of his own people. One of the big but shallow complaints against Cavill’s Superman is that he doesn’t smile enough and that he doesn’t convey the essential lightness of Superman. This is something that Tyler’s Superman alleviated in the season 2 premiere of Supergirl by beaming triumphantly just about every minute. I don’t understand what smiling or winking has to do with being a hero, but even so, to say that Cavill’s Superman never smiles is not only a very petty complaint it’s also wrong. He does smile at several points in both films, it’s just that the circumstances surrounding him, particularly in BvS don’t warrant him smiling constantly like an idiot. At what point in BvS should he have been smiling; the moments when he sees that many of the people he’s trying to help consider him to be a threat or a false god? How about the moment when he has to watch helplessly as the people around him in the Capital building are incinerated by Lex’s carefully hidden bomb? How about when Lex reveals that he’s kidnapped Martha Kent and will burn her alive unless Superman kills Batman? The fact is that Cavill’s Superman is the same Superman we all know and love, but it’s not the same world it was in the Reeve films. It’s a world that would be irrevocably altered by the presence of an alien being with god like powers, a world that all too often resorts to panic and hatred when it’s faced with the unknown. Cavill’s Superman is trying to do right by everyone, but knowing how to do that is nearly impossible when you live in a world where what’s right for some isn’t right for the rest.

            There’s no doubt that Tyler’s Superman is a continuation of the version portrayed by Chris Reeve. He’s effortlessly charming and heroic, is always smiling and witty and even delivers some of the same lines as Reeve’s, particularly the bit about air travel statistically being the safest way to travel. Unlike Cavill’s Superman, he’s also been doing the superhero thing for many years and has it down like clockwork. It serves as a nice tribute to Reeve and the classic image of Superman, but it leaves a lot to be desired for character development. As a fan of Superman as a living, breathing character and not just a caricature, I prefer to see him struggle and grapple with being a hero in a world that either sees him as a devil or savior when in reality he’s just a guy trying to do the right thing. What makes his ultimate triumphs more triumphant is watching him stumble and fall at first, make mistakes and learn from them so he can pick himself up and be the hero we know he is. This is what constitutes the heroes journey in classical mythology, the human struggle from everyman to Superman. Physiologically, Superman might be an alien, but emotionally and mentally he’s more human and therefore experiences real human doubt and desire. It’s how he handles these doubts and insecurities and still tries to do what he feels is right for the greater good that make him a hero, not whether he smiles or not.

            Fans who are still criticizing Cavill’s Superman for not being “heroic” or “light” enough seem to be forgetting that since he first revealed himself in Man of Steel he’s saved the entire planet at least three times. He destroyed the World Engine at great risk to himself, preventing the entire population from being flattened into dust, then he stopped Zod from killing every single person on earth like he promised to do unless Kal stopped him. With great hesitation, he was forced to break Zod’s neck to stop him from killing just one family, an act which caused him to scream in agony. After saving the world twice, he has to contend with a large percentage of the population who fears and hates him despite his continued heroic acts all around the world, including rescuing one girl from a factory fire in Juarez, Mexico. When Lex unleashes Doomsday in a last ditch effort to destroy Superman, Superman sacrifices his life to stop Doomsday and once again saves the planet even after we nuked him and he did all this in only two years as being Superman.

            Having said all this, I’m still happy to see Superman back on television and understand that the tone of the show is deliberately lighter in order to appeal to a wider demographic. There’s nothing wrong with this; the fact that people are still talking about Superman and enjoying his exploits in any form is a great thing and the show satisfies those fans seeking a simpler, more straight forward version of these characters. Tyler’s doing a great job conveying the classic mannerisms of Clark/Superman which are ingrained in our culture, but for me his version is a bit like Diet Coke, a watered down version of Cavill’s Superman, who has the full flavor of Coke. One isn’t inherently better than the other, it’s all about preferences, I just don’t feel that anyone can discount Cavill’s Superman because they think he’s too brooding or doesn’t smile enough; if you just don’t like him that’s fine, but don’t stoop to shallow reasons like that to put him down. Superman’s about so much more than what’s on the surface; it’s about his heart and his ability to always do what’s right in the end despite grappling with the same shortcomings and failings as the rest of us. Superman represents all humanity and the desire to take what’s best in each of us and use it to make the world a better place.          

Suicide Squad: Bad has never been this good.

Photo Courtesy of heroichollywood.com

They say a hero is only as good as their villains and when it comes to great villains, DC Comics has no shortage of the world's most infamous and iconic bad guys. From Lex Luthor to General Zod, Two Face to the clown prince of crime himself, the Joker, the DC universe is teeming with countless rogue's running the gamut from crime bosses, assassins, rogue super-humans, megalomaniacs, tragic figures and downright psychopaths.  In addition to these well known rogues, DC is home to many lesser known yet still badass villains and antagonists who keep our heroes busy on a daily basis. Now that we've taken our first giant step into DC's connected cinematic universe and seen DC's three biggest icons, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman on screen together for the first time ever, laying the groundwork for the Justice League, it was about time to introduce DC's most infamous group of super villains, Task Force X, or as they're more commonly known: Suicide Squad.
David Ayer's Suicide Squad is the third film in the DC cinematic universe which was kicked off by 2013's Man of Steel and followed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While those two films laid the groundwork and established the grittier, more realistic tone of the universe, Suicide Squad  introduces the viewer to a few of the key meta-humans and anti-heroes lurking within the vast depths of the DC Universe. The film is a great comedic and thrilling counterpoint to the more serious and mythic tone of the previous two films while building upon the grittier, edgier tone already established.
For those not familiar, Suicide Squad is a team of anti-social bad guys brought together by master manipulator, Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis. After Superman's heroic sacrifice in BvS: Dawn of Justice, Waller worries that the next being with god-like powers won't share Superman's values and seeks to form a team of enhanced people whose "unique" skills might come in handy when the next threat arises. The Squad consists of a few well known DC villains, most notably the Joker's girlfriend, Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie. Harley's been in the comics for a few decades, but we've never gotten a live action version of her until now. Harley Quinn started out as Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who was given the task of analyzing the Joker. Instead, Joker crawled his way under her skin and she became infatuated with him, ultimately joining him in his crusade of chaos and death. The film picks up with Harley already confined at the notorious Belle Reve prison, providing a few flashbacks showing her being seduced by the Joker and ultimately being apprehended by the Batman, played once again by Ben Affleck.

Jared Leto's shocking new take on the Joker
Photo courtesy of www.elheraldo.hn

Imprisoned along with Harley at Belle Reve are the other core members of Task Force X. Chief among them is Deadshot (Will Smith), the world's greatest hit man for hire who's trying to make a life for his daughter before also being apprehended by Batman. Smith does a great job conveying both Deadshot's razor sharp humor and his underlying heart. Next up there's Captain Boomerang, an aussie who's known primarily as an enemy of the Flash. As his name suggests, he commits crimes using a variety of deadly boomerang gadgets. Jai Courtney plays him with quirky humor which never veers into campiness. He's portrayed as seriously as can be for someone named Captain Boomerang. Then there's Killer Croc, a.k.a Waylon Jones, a fairly well known Batman adversary born with a rare skin condition that left him covered in crocodile scales. Further experimentation turned him into more of a croc than a man and at Belle Reve he's kept in an underground sewer cell. Next up is the aptly named El Diablo, a former gang member with pyro-kinetic abilities who in a fit of anger inadvertently killed his wife and children. Since being imprisoned at Belle Reve, he's sworn off violence forever, that is until he's unwittingly recruited into Task Force X. Finally we have Enchantress, a.k.a archeologist June Moone, who becomes possessed by an ancient sorceress who overtakes her whenever she utters the word "Enchantress."  Toss in Katana, a Japanese super-heroine with a sword that traps the souls of its victims and the group's handler, Colonel Rick Flag and you have the Suicide Squad.
Using entertaining and informative flashbacks, the film does a great job of concisely showing how each of these people ended up in Belle Reve and demonstrating their unique skills. Not good at playing nice with others, they're each coerced into working together for Waller to prevent a supernatural threat. The film's appeal lies in how these renegade characters and their extreme personalities clash, often to humorous effect. Margot Robbie shines as the wildly unhinged and mercurial Harley Quinn, providing most of the film's humor while Will Smith knocks it out of the park as Deadshot without stealing anyone else's thunder. Each character brings something unique to the table. Whereas DC's two previous films were epic, almost mythical explorations of what it means to be a hero in the real world, Suicide Squad is a burst of pure thrills, all out action and humor which comes across naturally given the charismatic and extreme nature of these characters.
Undoubtedly, the film's most anticipated character is the one and only clown prince of crime, the Joker, played by Jared Leto. It's been almost a decade since Christopher Nolan's masterpiece The Dark Knight, but the comic book world is still reeling from the late Heath Ledger's unforgettable take on the Joker as a psychopathic terrorist of anarchy and death. While Ledger's portrayal was the Joker stripped down to his raw, terrifying essence as an unstoppable force of chaos and devastation, Leto's seems a bit closer in spirit to the classic Joker of recent comics. He's still brutally unhinged, psychotic and unpredictable, but rather than wanting to watch the world burn, this Joker feels more like a sadistic crime boss who's main priority in the film is getting Harley back. In the little screen time he had, Leto did a great job conveying Joker's sadistic creepiness, but he wasn't in the film enough to make an impression anywhere near as impactful as Ledger. Still, Harley Quinn with her beloved "puddin" Mr. J was something right out of the comics. I'd like to see more of their crazy relationship explored in future films. The Joker acts as a wild card in this film, following his own separate agenda and the main focus is the Squad as a way to introduce this assortment of wild and unpredictable characters. Ultimately, Suicide Squad didn't have the same intense impact on me that Man of Steel or BvS had, but that's mainly because I have such an emotional investment in Batman and Superman. Suicide Squad's not a movie that'll have you contemplating for days after seeing it, but in this case, that's a good thing. The characters don't warrant super serious attitudes because they're anti-heroes who don't play by the rules and embrace the absurdity of life. Superman and especially Batman on the other hand have traditionally always been more serious characters because of their consciences. Suicide Squad is a great counterpoint to DC's previous two films, an indication of the thrilling fun and excitement to come in the DC universe now that our heroes have come through the existential darkness and will soon be doing what we all know they do best, going head to head with the countless villains and anti-heroes who make up the vast world of DC comics.

Attack of the Clones: The beautiful weirdness of Orphan Black

 



Welcome to Clone Club: The clone sisters of Orphan Black

What would you do if you came face to face with someone who looks just like you? What if you found out that this person was not your long lost twin but was instead a genetic copy of you, one of many living all over the world? This mind melting concept is the basis of Orphan Black, which just recently began its fourth season. The show follows a British orphan named Sarah Manning, a punk rock street urchin and con artist with a shadowy past. After a year in London, Sarah returns to Canada with the intention of getting away from her shady past and starting fresh with her 8 year old daughter Kira and foster brother Felix. Arriving at the train station, Sarah sees a woman who appears to be in distress, taking her shoes off and leaving her purse and jacket on the ground. Sarah approaches the woman who then turns around to face her and Sarah comes face to face with herself. Before she can say or do anything, her mirror twin leaps in front of an oncoming train. Amidst the commotion, a stunned Sarah quickly grabs the woman's purse and flees the scene. This is how Orphan Black begins and it only gets more wonderfully weird as it goes on.
I have a bad habit of being a latecomer to many acclaimed phenomena, both in television and film and Orphan Black was no exception. I'd heard of the show and caught random episodes here and there, always intrigued but unsure how to get into it. Finally, I found all three seasons available On Demand and from the second I watched Sarah and her doppelganger on the train platform, I was hooked. What begins with Sarah stealing her dead doppelganger's identity in an attempt to get a clean start turns into a quest to solve the mystery of her origins after she discovers that she and her doppelganger (named Beth Childs) are just two of several genetic clones. She soon meets Alison and Cosima, two more clones who bring her into what is affectionately referred to as "Clone Club." Knowing that there are more clones out there, some of whom have been murdered in Europe and some who are dying of a mysterious illness, the three clone sisters attempt to get to the truth of how and why they were created.
The show is a terrific blend of thrilling Fringe-like Sci-Fi, creepy suspense, drama and dark humor. Playing these various and varied clones is the brilliant and beautiful Tatiana Maslany who so thoroughly embodies so many uniquely different clones that you continuously forget you're watching only one person. All told, Maslany portrays or has portrayed up to eleven clones, also including the feral and unpredictable Ukrainian Helena, the German Katja Obinger and the cold, calculating Rachel Duncan.  Maslany is a clone chameleon, disappearing entirely into each one she's playing and imbuing them with their own quirks, mannerisms and speech patterns not to mention very varied accents and tones of voice. Watching Maslany shift from one clone to another, often in the same scene, is like watching a master's acting class.
Despite Maslany's almost constant presence on the show, she doesn't take anything away from the supporting cast, all of whom manage to seem like fully realized and multi-dimensional characters off of whom the many clones play in very different and fascinating ways. Chief among the supporting characters is Sarah's cheeky but loving foster brother, Felix. Both raised by a woman named Siobhan Sadler or Mrs. S as they call her, Felix and Sarah have an unbreakable bond punctuated by biting humor. Felix is an artist and painter who lives in Galerie Rimbaud, his beautiful bohemian paradise that's often a safe haven for Sarah and her clone sestras (sisters). Being a devotee of Arthur Rimbaud's poetry, this reference was another immediate hook for me.
Being a Canadian show rather than an American show allows Orphan Black a freedom and frankness it otherwise might not have enjoyed on an American Network. Both Felix and Cosima are gay, but this fact is not the defining trait of either character; their sexually is depicted as openly and honestly as it should be, as just one of the many aspects which make them who they are. The themes of identity and the idea of self are crucial to the show and are represented by the extreme variations among the clones, particularly the idea of these concepts being fluid and dependent on perspective rather than being fixed and static. Identity exists on a wide spectrum containing an endless variety of forms. Orphan Black does a wonderful job of challenging and questioning our predisposed notions of identity and individual sense of self, showing how we're all composites of both our genes and our environments and therefore slave to neither entirely.
Given their often drastic differences, it's natural to at first play favorites with the clones, but the show does a great job of developing each of them and imbuing them all with their own motivations for doing what they do. Given their vastly different upbringings, each can be at least understood if not condoned for their actions, even those which might hurt the others. Each clone has at least one redeeming quality although it may not always be readily apparent. Most of this goes back to Tatiana Maslany and her total absorption in each character's motives. Over the course of three seasons, the show twists and turns and dives deeper into conspiracies and long buried secrets regarding the clones and the reasons behind their creation. Although still Science Fiction, the show's science basis does seem grounded in reality, especially given our real world advancements in the realm of cloning. The show's a treasure trove of scientific concepts sure to fascinate hardcore science geeks, but it's still grounded enough for regular viewers to understand the basics. Orphan Black is a weird and wild rollercoaster ride full of surprises and secrets and at the helm is the wonderful and versatile Tatiana Maslany whose clones continue to venture further down the rabbit hole to unravel the mysteries behind this thing we fans call "Clone Club."

Batman v Superman: Darkest before the Dawn

First off, let me start by saying that this post contains major spoilers from the film, so if you haven't seen it, you shouldn't keep reading. Since it's release on March 25th, it's been nearly impossible to avoid the shit-storm of negativity surrounding Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, first in the form of largely negative critical reviews and more recently in the onslaught of attention given to the fact that the film's viewership has dropped substantially in the two weeks since its release. Rather than focusing on the fact that it's already made north of $700 million dollars worldwide in less than two weeks, haters are only focusing on the negative, unfairly comparing it with mass appeal Marvel blockbusters like The Avengers. First off, comparing BvS to any of the Marvel Universe films is a mistake. The Marvel films, while highly entertaining and filled with action and humor (sometimes too much), are not really the type of films that challenge people to think and contemplate what they're seeing on screen. For me at least, the Marvel films tend to be one and done, the type of film that I can see once and not dwell on afterwards. Not that there's anything wrong with this and if you're just looking for an action flick to watch while munching down popcorn, then the Marvel films are perfect.

As a life long DC Comics fan, what I so thoroughly enjoy about all the DC films thus far, (with the exception of Green Lantern) is how deeply they delve into the real world implications of having beings like this in our midst. The Dark Knight Trilogy first set DC's more serious tone with its grounded and realistic portrayal not only of Batman and his friends and foes, but also the world they inhabit. Setting these fantastic characters in a world just like ours makes the situations that much more relevant and believable. We can look at these iconic characters as flesh and blood, multi-dimensional people with real flaws and doubts, which allows us to relate to these previously un-relatable Gods among men. Zack Snyder continued the grounded tone established in the DK Trilogy when he reintroduced Superman to the modern world in Man of Steel. Given how much more implausible Superman is, Snyder did an excellent job making his presence in our world believable, although it meant ditching some of the more absurd Superman trappings of the past.

I've seen BvS: Dawn of Justice five times now, and every time I see it I become more convinced that it's one of the greatest superhero films ever made, especially because it defies the usual formulaic trappings of many other comic book films, hence one of the main reasons why it's come up against so much flack. The masses seem to crave easy to digest, predictable entertainment that doesn't leave them wondering. This is why the masses, by and large, are narrow minded morons. Not being creators of any kind, all they can do is critique.  If you're hoping for a mindless wall to wall action film, then BvS will be a disappointment. If you're ideas of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are confined to their film and television incarnations from the 70's and 80's, then BvS will be a disappointment. If you're simply hoping to watch a film and then forget about it rather than be immersed in the story and left contemplating the plethora of real world themes that the film grapples with, then BvS will be a disappointment. The difference between the Marvel films and this film in particular is the difference between entertainment and art. Entertainment reassures what we already believe about the world and ourselves; art challenges us to question our preconceived notions about ourselves and the world.

Above all else, this film is a love letter to fans who've spent their lives thinking of these characters as more than just 2 dimensional cartoons on a page. To us, these characters, no matter how fantastic their abilities are, are who they are because of their human failings and flaws are how they consistently rise above these for the greater good. If that means occasionally getting their hands dirty or blurring the thin line between hero and anti-hero, then they take it on to do what they know in their hearts is right. The versions of these characters in the film feel as if they exist among us, grappling with the same moral gray areas that we as a society deal with. The major theme of BvS is the idea of absolute power and if it can in fact be used for the greater good or if, as the saying goes, "absolute power always corrupts absolutely."

In relation to Superman, who's been revealed to the world as an alien with god-like power, the question is can he be trusted to always use his powers for the greater good despite having human emotions and attachments. Affleck's Batman, an older, more cynical crime fighting veteran, naturally distrusts anyone with such power and worries that one day he might be our enemy. This outlook makes sense given that at this point Batman's seen the worst humanity has to offer; he's seen friends killed and allies become enemies and its slowly drained his faith in humanity. The existence of Superman defies the world of logic and order that Batman has fought for. Lex on the other hand, sees Superman simply as a threat to his own narcissistic sense of power; he wants to be the smartest, most powerful one on the planet, believing that his vision of the world is right. In some ways, the film shows how both Bruce and Lex start out feeling that Superman is a threat, although for very different reasons.

One of the hallmarks of the Marvel films is their (over) reliance on humor, the apparent lack of which in the DC films seems to be a point of constant criticism. Yes, the Marvel films are much funnier and lighter, which is a nice addition but should not be the main selling point of these films, just like humor is not really a selling point of their comics. If I want to laugh hysterically, I'd watch The Hangover or Bridesmaids. There's nothing wrong with humor in these films, but only if it flows organically from the situations and is not forced like it often seems to be in many Marvel films. The fact is, the situations in the DC films tend to be much more dire and intense than in Marvel films and therefore having the characters trading jokes would betray the feeling of intensity these films aim to create. Also, unlike Tony Stark or Ant-man, Batman and Superman have never really been known for their humor, despite a few chuckle worthy instances here and there. Batman especially has always been a darker character with a tragic past, so it would be uncharacteristic for him to be cracking jokes like Iron Man. In BvS, much of the humor comes from supporting characters such as Alfred, Perry White and Lex Luthor, who manages to avoid becoming too campy like Hackman's version (sorry Gene). Alfred's humor is dry and witty like in the comics, Perry's humor comes from being the tough but fair editor-in-chief and Lex's comes from him being an egocentric genius who's deeply psychotic. The film's more subtle humor flows from who the characters are.

Some diehards fans probably complain about some of the liberties the film takes will famous DC storylines and characters, most notably Doomsday's changed origin and the film's altered interpretation of The Death of Superman storyline. First off, Doomsday's origin had already been drastically changed in season 8 of Smallville, where he's the genetically engineered offspring of Zod, which the film pays homage to by having Lex use Zod's body to create Doomsday. As for the film's version of the Death of Superman, it wouldn't be the first time a classic storyline was altered to fit a film (i.e. The Dark Knight Rises interpretation of Knightfall in which Bane breaks Batman's back). In both, the end result is the same, with just a few more or less minor changes. Aside from Superman dying at the end, the details of his fight with Doomsday in the comics is not that unique or exciting and therefore the changes in the film aren't really that drastic. The end result is still that he sacrifices himself to stop Doomsday from destroying all life. I thought his film death was handled with the gravity and significance it deserved and it also served to not only restore Batman's faith in good but also acts as his incentive to seek out, with Wonder Woman's help, the others with incredible abilities and form the Justice League. How Superman's return will be handled cinematically is the next question, but I feel the ending opens up many satisfying possibilities.

Rather than throwing one action scene after another at us, one of the unique aspects of the film is how it slowly weaves together a few separate subplots which come to fruition in the end. I'm happy that Lois had a crucial part to play in the film by unraveling Lex's hidden agenda and is not just sitting on the sidelines waiting to be rescued. Snyder has strong female characters who are a crucial part of the action; it isn't all about Batman and Superman. When we finally see the two of them fight, it's clear why it's come to this; both have been unknowingly pushed to the edge by Lex's manipulation and both feel they're out of options. The film does a great job of laying the groundwork of why these two would find themselves at odds with each other. Of course, the fight itself is epic and adrenaline pounding, although I imagine that for some people it's unnerving seeing Batman and Superman beating each other up. For comic fans it's not really anything new.

Critics have also complained about Batman's reason for finally working with Superman against Lex, citing that his learning that Clark's mother is also named Martha is a flimsy reason for him to believe Superman's no longer a threat. Although hearing the name Martha initially causes Batman to reconsider ending Superman, it's not the sole reason. The entire film Batman's been looking at Superman as an alien being with no real ties to earth. When he learns from Lois Lane that Clark's mother is also named Martha, it suddenly humanizes Superman in his eyes; he has a human mother who raised him, he has a connection to earth and its people. Lois revealing this to him and pleading for Clark's life is another reason why Batman reconsiders things given that he knows Lois's importance to future events and trusts her. Once Superman gets the chance to explain that Lex threatened to kill Clark's mother if he didn't kill Batman, Bruce realizes how Lex has been manipulating them both from the start, fanning the flames to get them to fight and take each other out. It's at this point that they put aside their existential differences to take down the real threat: Lex Luthor.

Once Bats and Supes team up and Wonder Woman appears, it makes for arguably the most iconic team up in comic book film history. Just seeing them all together finally makes the audience feel like they earned it. Their showdown with Doomsday is as visually close to the chaos of a comic book battle as I've ever seen before. Even if the rest of the movie had only been a setup to this part, it's totally worth it once we see them in action. It's frustrating to see Cavill's Superman still getting a lot of hate from viewers when he twice saved all of humanity from extinction. Makes me wonder what else he has to do to win some people over. I know that some people just straight out don't like Superman as a character and these people will never be won over. As for others who seem to want him to be lighter and more carefree like Chris Reeve's version, they have to accept that Cavill's isn't simply mimicking Reeve's version. We all saw how that went in Superman Returns. Cavill's version may be darker and more troubled, but he has more legitimate troubles than any past version. He has the same heart and wants to help everyone, but this time around he has to contend with a large faction of the population that fears and hates him, blaming him for what happened in MOS even though he saved the entire world. Someone who feels responsible for everyone like Superman would naturally have a tough time being regarded with fear and mistrust. Even so, he still tries to do right by everyone, impossible as that is, and feels guilty for every person he can't save. Cavill's version is in many ways closer to the Superman of the comics for the past decade or so.

When it's all said and done, BvS may not be the comic book film that everyone was expecting or hoping for, but ultimately I think this is a good thing. The film bucks so many of the formulaic traditions of most superhero films and gives us a film that's for the mind as much as it is for the eyes. Like all great art, the film gets us to address fundamental human questions without simple, black and white answers. These iconic characters grapple with fundamentally human issues, allowing us to relate to and sympathize with them and even ask ourselves what we would do in their position. More than any other comic book film, BvS feels like it's happening in our world, where things aren't simple. Sure the film's gritty and dark, but the realism makes the fantastic elements that much more fantastic when we see them. As the title indicates, the night is always darkest just before the dawn, and now with BvS I can assure you...the dawn is coming.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: A Dream Come True

The holy trinity of superheroes in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Photo courtesy of http://www.i.ytimg.com

In the pantheon of comic book superheroes, no two characters are as iconic and well known as Superman and Batman. Superman is of course the world's first superhero, introduced to the public just shy of 78 years ago in Action Comics #1, released in June, 1938. Batman, the legendary nocturnal crime fighter, made his stunning debut about a year later in Detective comics. Since then the two have been the pillars of the DC Comics universe, creating the spectrum for just about every other superhero that followed. In the decades that followed their creation, we've seen them meet on countless occasions, first as unlikely partners in World's Finest and later Justice League and even more famously as foes in Frank Miller's classic The Dark Knight Returns. Despite their many comic book meetings, super fans like myself have never seen them meet on the big screen and began to think we never would. Well, thanks to Zack Snyder's epic film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, released March 25th, fans can now say that they've seen these two titans meet on the silver screen...and the result was exactly the stuff that comic book dreams are made of.
I was one of the lucky people who got to see the film in IMAX 3D at a special Thursday night screening. The excitement I radiated going into it was like none I've ever experienced for a film (or just about anything else for that matter). Being such a fan of Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, Man of Steel, the thought of Henry Cavill's Superman meeting the Dark Knight of Gotham City was almost too much to take in. Add onto that the first big screen appearance of Wonder Woman, arguably the third most iconic DC hero and certainly the greatest female superhero, and my head was ready to explode. I came out of the epic film shaking, adrenaline coursing through my veins. So intense was the film, I couldn't really talk about what I'd seen for a few days. Now that the dust has mostly settled, I knew I had no choice but to discuss how Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, while having some unexpected surprises, is the epic comic book showdown that fans have been dreaming of since they were kids.
The film takes place about two years after Superman's cataclysmic battle with Zod, in which he saved the entire human race from extinction by hesitantly breaking Zod's neck. We find out that Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), an older, more seasoned version than we're used to, was in Metropolis during the battle trying to get his employees out of the Wayne Enterprises building as Superman and Zod battled inside. As buildings collapse around him and people are buried under rubble, Bruce watches the aerial battle with a look of intense anger on his face. When we cut to eighteen months later, we find the world still struggling with the ramifications of having an alien with god like powers in their midst. Half the world seems to view him as a savior and the other half with fear and mistrust. One of these people is Bruce Wayne, who's seen the worst evil humanity has to offer in his twenty year career as Batman. He's about to hang up the cape when Superman shows up and his arrival slowly compels Bruce to once more don the cowl to determine whether this "Superman" can be trusted. Since Batman's origins have been so thoroughly explored on film, BVS just gives us the highlights in the opening credits. This Batman is one who's been through the ringer and is understandably worn out and deeply cynical. Affleck does a great job of conveying Bruce's world weariness and the fact that he's still living in the shadow of the Bat.
Meanwhile Clark Kent/Superman, now working at the Daily Planet and living with Lois Lane, is trying his best to prove to a suspicious world that he's really here to help. We can assume he's been doing everything he can to save people and make up for the loss of life his battle with Zod caused. The film continues the grounded, real world tone established in Man of Steel, by showing the media debating the Superman question and the issues raised by his existence. Meanwhile, over in Gotham City, Metropolis's sister city which lies across the river, reports of the Batman terrorizing and torturing criminals gets Clark determined to expose this brutal vigilante who thinks he's outside the law through investigative journalism. Lawrence Fishburne returns as Perry White and does a great job of establishing White as the tough but fair Editor-in-Chief, often to comic effect as he tells Clark that people just aren't interested in "Clark Kent taking on the Batman.

The heroes finally face off

Another person who's threatened by the Superman question is none other than Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). This is not the older, real-estate obsessed Luthor of previous films, but rather a young, self made dot com billionaire akin to Mark Zuckerberg, although infinitely more sinister. Many diehard fans might not like Eisenberg's Luthor and the film didn't get the chance to delve to deeply into what really makes him tick, but I felt he had a good mix of creepy sociopath narcissism and intellect and felt closer to the comic book Lex than previous Luthor's, with the exception of Smallville's Lex. Whereas Batman sees Superman as a potential threat that must be addressed, Lex sees Superman as a dire threat to his own sense of power and influence, one that must be destroyed at any cost. This is where Kryptonite comes in, the glowing green remnants of Krypton which are found imbedded within the wreckage of the World Engine from Man of Steel. Both Lex and Batman want the Kryptonite to use against Superman when the time comes. Eisenberg does a good job of showing how truly psychotic and narcissistic Lex is even while masquerading as a defender of mankind.
At times the film seems like it takes a while for things to get moving, but this is really just because fans like myself couldn't wait to see Bats and Supes finally face off and once they do, it's mind meltingly epic. The film takes it time artfully setting up a few different subplots which come together in the end. It's clear that Zack Snyder is himself a fanboy and therefore this film is really a love letter to the fans, filled to the brim with DC Easter eggs and references to the larger universe (and multi-verse) that only eagle eyed and hardcore fans will pick up on, chief among them being a chilling nightmare sequence in which we see Batman in a dystopian future world ruled by a despotic Superman. For this reason, your average moviegoer will probably come away from the film thinking it was confusing and boring, but if you're familiar with the universe, odds are you'll be giddy as a schoolgirl seeing all these foreshadowing hints. When Batman and Superman finally face off for the first time, it's like something ripped right from the comics (especially The Dark Knight Returns) and brought to glorious life with stunning action and adrenaline pumping fight scenes. I haven't seen enough of Batfleck to say I like him better than Bale (and the Dark Knight Trilogy will always be a masterpiece), but as far as fighting goes, I have to say Batfleck has even Bale beat. Even in his advanced age, he's faster, stronger and more agile, making for some epic fight scenes. With the help of Kryptonite and his brilliant mind for strategy, Batman brings Superman down to earth in a brutal fight scene which is a fanboy's dream.
Of course, fans knew that Batman and Superman would eventually team up to face a bigger threat and eventually form the Justice League, with a gargantuan push from Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman, played wonderfully by relatively unknown beauty Gal Gadot, is in many ways the highlight of a film teeming with highlights. It takes her a while to show up as the Wonder Woman we all love, but when she finally does, the audience feels like they earned it, hence the slow build up. When earth is threatened by an unstoppable killing machine created by Lex Luthor, the three heroes combine their abilities to take it down. Seeing the holy trinity of superheroes standing together on screen is something we've waited our entire lives to see and the audience applauded wildly when it happened. Wonder Woman was everything we hoped she'd be: fierce and fearless, strong but elegant and a battle tested warrior not afraid to jump right into battle. The film does an excellent job of teasing the future members of the Justice League, including quick but awesome cameos by Flash, Aquaman and the lesser known Cyborg. Given the herculean task of introducing these characters into the world in a natural way, the film does a great job of making them feel like they're already part of the world. Watching the three titans battle together felt like being in a war; you're that engrossed in the action.
Despite the film's many revealing trailers, it's still filled with several surprises and turns, some of which took even me a while to process and figure out, but once I did it made me love the film even more. This is not the kind of film you watch once for easy entertainment and then forget; this is a film you savor and dwell on for a while, especially if you have no life like me. It's important to remember that this film is something of a jumping off point, a transition into exploring the larger DC Universe and the myriad heroes and villains who occupy it. Therefore, the film has several lingering aspects which will no doubt be explored more deeply in future films. The film does a great job of setting the stage for all these wonderful things to come. In many ways, the film is still really a Superman story, showing him continuing to struggle with how he fits into the world and whether or not he should bother helping people given that people will always find something to blame him for. His presence in our world acts as a beacon, drawings other with abilities out of hiding. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, while not flawless, does a great job of establishing Superman and Batman's different world views while also getting them to put aside their differences for the greater good. With Wonder Woman jumping in and the other superheroes ready to be revealed, we super fans have taken our first giant leap into seeing the DC cinematic universe that we've been picturing since we were five. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a gargantuan step into a much larger world.    

Breaking Bad: Better Late than Never

I am the danger! I am the one who knocks!

This is a post I've been meaning to write for a while now. For years I heard that I just had to watch Breaking Bad, that it was brilliant and groundbreaking. It's not that I didn't believe these people, it's simply that I didn't get into it from the start and often assumed I'd never get a chance to catch up. Last New Year's Eve I finally sat down and began the Saga of Walter White as he transforms from a nebbish chemistry teacher into the ruthless crystal meth kingpin, Heisenberg over the course of six incredible seasons. From the opening seconds of the pilot in which  an RV driven by a man wearing only his underwear and a gas mask careens wildly over a desert road, I was instantly hooked. My addiction to the show only increased as I followed Walt on his bloody rise to the top of the crystal meth empire. By the time the curtain fell on this bloody saga of crime and corruption in the American Southwest, I was finally convinced of what so many fans already knew: Breaking Bad is the most perfect show in television history.

From the outset creator Vince Gilligan's goal was to take an all around nice guy like Mr. Chips and gradually and plausibly turn him into Scarface. Over the course of the two years in which the events of the show take place, Breaking Bad accomplished this metamorphosis with frightening success. Walter White begins the series as a milquetoast man living a life of quiet desperation despite the love and support of his beautiful wife Skylar and teenage son Walt Jr. who suffers from Cerebral Palsy. Despite being a chemistry genius, Walt walked away from a life of exorbitant wealth and success and settled for teaching chemistry to a bunch of bored high school students. When we first meet him, he's about to turn fifty and has, by all indications, given up the ghost and resigned himself to a life full of regret. All this changes when on his fiftieth birthday he's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. This is the final blow, the wake up call that snaps him out of the coma which has become his life and causes him to suddenly "break bad." Fearing he won't be able to leave anything behind for his family and learning how much money can be made in the meth business from his DEA brother in law, Hank, he decides to put his chemistry brilliance to good use cooking the purest meth the world has seen.


Walt and Jesse taking a beer break in between cooking.

It's at this point where we meet Jesse Pinkman, a former burnout student whom Walt discovers is in the meth business under the name Captain Cook. When Jesse's partner is arrested by Hank, Walt tracks Jesse down and suggests they partner up, saying "you know the business, and I know the chemistry." Hoping to avoid being turned in, Jesse reluctantly goes along with his former teacher and it's not long before they acquire an RV and drive out into the desert to cook. Over the course of the show, Walt and Jesse's relationship veers wildly from periods of friendship to deep hatred, backstabbing and violence as Walt becomes more ruthless, manipulating and lying to Jesse in order to keep him on his side. Despite this however, neither one can bring themselves to kill the other; through it all Walt has a fatherly love for Jesse even as his actions continue to shatter Jesse's life. By the end of the series, their roles are reversed; Jesse is shown to be the one with the conscience and heart, unwilling to go along with Walt's deadly schemes while Walt does whatever it takes to keep the meth train running.
At its core, Walt's transformation into a ruthless criminal represents the essential failing of the American dream, the desperate belief that we in this country can have it all. Despite his incredible potential, Walt walked away from his dream life and instead played it safe, settling for a normal, middle of the road existence. Although he has a beautiful wife, a great son and a nice house in a quiet neighborhood, he's filled with the resentment of feeling that it's all beneath him, especially when he's reduced to teaching elemental chemistry for a meager wage. With Walter Jr's medical needs and an unplanned baby on the way, Walt is forced to take a second job doing demeaning work at a car wash. Walt's underlying resentment and anger at his situation lies dormant for years, building pressure until the final blow of his diagnosis. Bryan Cranston, known prior to Breaking Bad for his wacky comedic chops, is consistently brilliant in subtly emphasizing Walt's sense of failure as his real incentive for breaking bad at fifty. The more Walt attempts to provide for his family the more he hurts them by lying and being distant. When Skylar finds out what he does, she threatens to leave him and tear the family apart, which ultimately pushes him deeper into the business.

The show does a wonderful job of showing all the repercussions, both short and long term, of Walt's actions. Every decision he makes in the meth business has serious, life shattering consequences for everyone around him, especially Skylar and Jesse. Not one character is untouched by the collateral damage that Walt leaves in his wake and that's another great theme of the show: the idea that every action has ripple effects which spread outward exponentially. As Walt's soul corrodes and he slips further and further into his Heisenberg persona, all those around him are affected. Take his decision to let Jesse's girlfriend Jane overdose. Walt goes to Jesse's place to try and save him from meeting that same fate, but when Jane starts choking on her own vomit, Walt's initial instinct is to turn her on her side. Just as he's about to do so, he hesitates and we get the sense that there's another part of him, Heisenberg, convinced that it's best to let Jane die to give Jesse a much needed wake up call. More important to Heisenberg however, is the fact that Jane threatened to reveal who he really is, so it's easy to see that Walt acted in his own interest. Cranston does an incredible job of silently conveying this as the point where the old Walt truly dies and Heisenberg takes over. Walt had killed before but it was always in defense of his life.  Little does he know that letting Jane die will cause her bereaved father, an air traffic controller, to space out on the job, leading to a mid-air collision of two 737's right over Walt's neighborhood. Walt's indirectly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. As Walt transforms into a power hungry, egotistical drug kingpin, his actions gradually shatter the lives of the very people he originally intended to help.

By season 5, having successfully killed all the other threats to his position in the drug world, Walt has become the very kind of person he was terrified of in season one. When it comes to cooking his famous blue meth and raking in the dough, nothing will stand in his way. As he says in Season 5 when Jesse tries to convince him that they should take their money and leave the meth business for good, "I'm in the empire business." It's here where Walt's true motive for what he's done comes to light; despite his continued claims that he did it for the family, the truth is he did it to satisfy his own ego and get even for the life he believed was owed him. Therein lies the essential fallacy in the belief that one can have it all. To have it all, one must usually do terrible things. Throughout its run, Breaking Bad so artfully and powerfully conveyed many deep and complex human themes, giving us a main character that we initially sympathize with and gradually come to hate even as we still often find ourselves rooting for him. The characters in Breaking Bad force us to face a mirror and recognize the same impulses and frustrations within ourselves. We can see ourselves in each character at one point or another as they struggle to grapple with the shocking ramifications of Walt's actions. More than any other show, Breaking Bad shows the potential darkness that lies in the human heart and the corrosive effect of unchecked power and ego that can turn any person into the very danger that we fear.    

Star Wars Strikes Back in The Force Awakens

Photo Courtesy of www.starwars.com

For Star Wars fans like myself, it's been far too long since we visited that galaxy far, far away. Yes, in the early 2000's we got the prequel trilogy, but with the exception of a few moments of satisfaction sprinkled among the three films, most fans were somewhat disappointed with how things played out in the years before a New Hope. Nothing in the prequel trilogy could really live up to the feelings that diehard fans still have when they see Luke's Lightsaber fly into his hand for the first time, see him battle Vader for the first time and learn of his true heritage or the moment when Vader comes back to the light side and tosses the Emperor into the core of the Death Star. These are but a few of the scenes from the original trilogy which still send a wave of joy rushing through every Star Wars fan; these are the reasons we fell in love with the characters inhabiting this strange galaxy all those years ago.
 With Revenge of the Sith finalizing Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader back in 2005, the Star Wars saga, at least cinematically speaking, seemed complete. Sure, there are countless novels and comic books which told of stories following the events of Return of the Jedi, but it seemed doubtful that fans would ever see any of these stories brought to life on the big screen. Well now, thanks to J.J. Abrams and crew, fans can once more travel to that galaxy far, far away in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. The film's been out for almost a month now and has already broken every previous box office record, including surpassing Avatar as the highest grossing film of all time. I myself have seen it three times and have come to love it more with each new showing. It manages to recapture much of what fans loved about the original trilogy, but with the flawless special effects of the prequel trilogy. From the first, blaring notes of the instantly recognizable opening score, I felt the same giddy excitement I felt when I was a kid; instantly I felt myself transported back into the Star Wars galaxy at light speed. Picking up thirty years after Return of the Jedi, Force Awakens gives us a new oppressive regime in the form of the First Order, which rose from the ashes of the Empire as well as the old Rebel Alliance, now called the Resistance and secretly supported by the New Republic. In the midst of all this, Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi has mysteriously vanished with both the Resistance and the First Order hoping to find him before the other does.
Despite the lapse in time between films, Force Awakens does an excellent job of bringing us back to a galaxy which feels so familiar in its strangeness while at the same time allowing new fans a chance to jump in fresh with several new characters who already seem to fit right alongside their legendary co-stars. Chief among these new faces, is the mysterious Rey, played by the adorable Daisy Ridley, fast on her way to becoming a household name. Rey is a strong, self-reliant scavenger on the desert planet of Jakku who, much like Luke in A New Hope, gets swept up into an epic adventure when she meets BB-8, a rolly-polly little droid containing info that can lead to Skywalker, and Finn, a Stormtrooper who deserts the First Order and ends up on Jakku. It's not long before Rey and Finn cross paths with a few familiar faces, most notably Han Solo and his trusty first mate Chewbacca, both looking as good as ever. The re-introduction of these iconic characters as well as the Millennium Falcon are sure to send a surge of nostalgia through any longtime fan, but what's even more remarkable is how well the new characters mesh with these legendary characters, feeling as though they're the next generation of adventurers continuing the path forged by the original characters.

Rey: a new hero for a new generation.
Photo Courtesy of www.hngn.com 

The film also introduces a couple new dark side villains in the form of Kylo Ren, a one time student of Luke's who turned to the dark side and his new master, the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke. Ren has a serious case of hero worship for Darth Vader, even having recovered Vader's burned up helmet from the forest moon of Endor. Of course, Ren has a long way to go and in Force Awakens comes across more as an impatient, moody adolescent trying to act like his idol. I believe this was a deliberate choice and one that illustrates the inadequacy we feel when trying to live up to our heroes. Ren is an interesting foil to Rey because unlike him, Rey is not trying to be like anyone; she is simply herself at all stages, trusting her instincts and strengths, which is one of the reasons she's such a crucial figure in the film. No one knows for sure yet who Rey really is, but certain clues dropped in the film make it clear that she has some deep connection to the Force and the original characters. My first thought was that she's Luke's long lost daughter given her natural force abilities, but this seems to be too obvious to be the truth. Only time will reveal the secret of her cloudy origin. 
The film has no shortage of thrilling chases and dazzling space battles reminiscent of the terrific dog fights in the original films. From the scene in which the Millennium Falcon flies again for the first time in years to a squadron of X-wing fighters duking it out with TIE fighters, you feel as though you're right back in the midst of the action. Abrams brings the same adrenaline pumping action to the film that he brought to his Star Trek films, his previous space saga resurrection.
There are so many call backs to the original trilogy, both little and small which make the film a treasure trove of easter eggs for scouring fans. From seeing Luke's blue lightsaber once more to reuniting with Princess (now General) Leia, C-3PO and R2D2, the film establishes a strong connection to the past while pointing the way forward. Even so, Rey is the highlight in a film that has no shortage of highlights and I for one can't wait to see where they take her character in future films. Her character is almost like Luke Skywalker for a new generation although she's much stronger and more independent than Luke was in A New Hope. Finn provides much of the bountiful comic relief much in a way similar to Han Solo, but even so, both characters are unique and have many of their own distinct qualities and I look forward to seeing the two of them continue the journey begun in the original trilogy. The Force Awakens is the perfect film to reintroduce the Star Wars Universe to a new generation while also bringing long time fans back to a place of familiarity and renewed excitement at the possibilities which lay in store for our beloved characters, both old and new. With The Force Awakens, much like A New Hope 38 years before it, fans both old and new can once again take their first step into a much larger world.