DCTV’s Arrowverse Episode Roundup: Season Finale Edition

Welcome back to the DCTV Arrowverse episode roundup! This week in The CW’s superhero universe, our heroes dealt with victories, goodbyes, and final battles with enemies.

You can check out all of my previous DCTV Arrowverse episode roundups here!

On Supergirl, Kara took on Rhea in a trial by combat and said goodbye to Mon-El, The Flash showed compassion to Savitar, Barry’s hero arc came full circle and Iris saved the day, and Arrow took on Prometheus with the help of friends and foes, and the final moments circled back around to the show’s pilot episode in a nicely done fashion.

The unifying theme for the shows this week is that each superhero took on their enemies without stooping to their level and for at least two of the three shows, certain storylines came to a nice close.

Each episode roundup recaps the show’s main plot points, with a section for commentary. This will be the final episode roundup for the 2016-2017 season.

Let’s get started! Click through the gallery to read through each episode!

Up next: Supergirl

The post DCTV’s Arrowverse Episode Roundup: Season Finale Edition appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

‘Arrow’: ‘Lian Yu’ Review

Arrow opens up with right where we left off with Oliver and Slade talking as the Emerald Archer asks his former enemy for help in taking down Prometheus. Oliver is also planning on getting Digger Harkness a.k.a. Captain Boomerang on his team too. Once Slade is filled in on everything, he agrees to help Oliver. Oliver brings Harkness and Slade to Malcolm and Nyssa as an RPG comes out of nowhere and blows their plane up.

Oliver and his team finds some of the Team Arrow members locked up in cages, along with Samantha Clayton, William’s mother while Thea is shocked to see Deathstroke with Oliver. Talia and Evelyn emerge and threaten Oliver to not move, otherwise William will die. Harkness reveals that he is working with Prometheus as Slade appears to be working with them too. But Slade is faking it as he tries to take Harkness down. Nyssa shows up behind Talia who gets away with Harkness. Oliver gets everyone out while locking Evelyn into a cage as she refuses to tell them about Adrian’s plan and where the other half of the team is being kept at. Oliver orders Malcolm to take Curtis, Samantha, Thea and Felicity to a plane somewhere on the island so they are kept out of harm. Thea has a side-talk with Oliver as she is furious that he was willing to team up with Slade and Malcolm. Oliver gets Thea to agree to leave the island with the others before Felicity gives Oliver a kiss, in case things go bad. Malcolm and the others leave while we see Black Siren taking Quentin and Diggle to where Rene and Dinah are being kept prisoners. Dinah tells the other members that she can’t use her powers as a sonic dampener is active in the room.

Elsewhere on the island, Oliver, Slade and Nyssa are still looking for Talia and Harkness. Slade and Oliver have a heart-to-heart as the two men share with each about how their respective pasts are haunting them. Slade explains to Oliver that he has to eventually learn to forgive himself as Nyssa comes back to tell them that she found a trace. Meanwhile, Samantha tells Felicity that she isn’t getting on the plane without William. Malcolm and Thea have an argument before Thea accidentally steps on a landmine that will go off if she takes her foot off from it. Malcolm decides to take Thea’s place by pushing her to the side as he shares some fatherly words before Boomerang and his squad catches up with them. The others run while Malcolm decides to take on Boomerang and his men by detonate the landmine. Felicity is comforting Thea as she is mixed about her father’s apparent death. Curtis finds the plane before they all realize that they don’t have a pilot. Thea discovers there are C4s lying around as Felicity sees that the whole island is loaded with them.

Nyssa, Slade and Oliver discover where their team members are being kept. They head into the building with Nyssa going one way before Oliver gets knocked out by Slade. Siren shows up as Slade tells her that he has a gift for Adrian. Oliver gets taken to the other team members as they discover that Slade is working with Adrian. Oliver asks where William is, but none of them knows where he is as they didn’t know William was taken to begin with. Oliver hands Dinah the sonic enhancer that Curtis built so she can use her sonic scream as she gets them out of their chains. Nyssa goes to confront Talia as the two Al Ghul sisters have a showdown. Deathstroke shows up to take out Talia’s men, as we learn that he and Oliver were in on the double-agent act. Nyssa has the chance to kill Talia, but decides to knock her out before Oliver and the others join them.

Adrian arrives with Siren and more assassins as he isn’t planning on letting them go anytime soon. Oliver keeps asking where William is, but Adrian still isn’t budging. The two teams start fighting, with Dinah and Laurel using their sonic screams against each other. Laurel gets knocked out by Quentin from the behind. Adrian and Oliver take the fight further into the building as Oliver puts Adrian in a headlock as he wants to kill Adrian off, but can’t do it before he knows where William is and he doesn’t want to prove Adrian right. As Team Arrow has taken out all of Adrian’s assassins, Oliver lets Adrian go before giving him a speech on how he is done blaming himself anymore. Adrian breaks down the news to Oliver that William is dead, but Oliver refuses to believe him. Felicity gets a hold of Oliver as she tells him that if Adrian dies, the bombs will go off and blow the whole island up. While Adrian gets away, Oliver tells the others to get to the plane as he plans to find Adrian and William.

In the flashbacks, Konstantin discovers that Oliver has escaped from his cell as he is trying to get to his arsenal as time is running out before his plan with Anatoly is put into motion. Konstantin’s men chase him through the woods as Konstantin wants to put an end to this. Oliver takes out a few of his men before seeing a helicopter begin shooting at him, with Konstantin flying it while Oliver tries to get cover. He manages to shoot the helicopter down before taking off further into the woods. Oliver finds Konstantin all damaged as he is ready to kill him, but his gun is out of bullets. The two men clash once again until Oliver eventually gets the upper hand as he snaps Konstantin’s neck. Oliver rushes to his arsenal and puts on the wig to make it look like he has been there for years. He arrives at the beach and fires an arrow towards his stack of wood to make a signal to the fishermen as we relive the scene from the pilot when Oliver was rescued from the island. On the boat home, Oliver calls Moira to let him know that he is alive as she doesn’t believe it is him first. Eventually Oliver gets through to her as she is stunned that he is alive. Moira asks Oliver if Robert is alive as Oliver breaks down the tragic news about Robert and Sara. Oliver says he is on his way home and that he loves her.

Oliver rushes through the forest and finds Adrian taking off on a boat as Oliver catches up with him. Adrian drags William out and put him in a headlock as he gives Oliver two choices. Either he lets Adrian live so he can see his son die in front of him, or he kills Adrian whose death will cause the death of everyone on his team back at the island. Oliver fires an arrow at Adrian’s leg and gets William out of his lock. However, Adrian isn’t out of tricks as he puts a gun to his head and dies. Oliver and William witness the whole island blowing up before the episode cuts to black.  With so much going down in tonight’s explosive (pun intended) episode, there is a lot we have to discuss and breakdown. Hit the next button below and let’s go through some of the highlights and important moments of the Arrow Season 5 finale episode: “Lian Yu”

#5: The Flashback Finale

#4: Slade Wilson’s Return

#3: A Father’s Sacrifice

#2: The Amazing Fights

#1: Adrian’s Final Surprise

The post ‘Arrow’: ‘Lian Yu’ Review appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

‘The Flash’: ‘Finish Line’ Review

The Flash opens up with where we left them off as Barry and the team believes that Iris is dead, but we suddenly see two drumsticks falling out of her jacket while H.R. arrives on the roof with Joe. It is revealed that H.R. used the piece of Savitar’s spear to find Iris and rescue her from Savitar. While they were being changed, he uses the face-change device on her so that Iris looks like H.R. who changes into Iris. H.R. tells her that it was because of him that Savitar was able to kidnap Iris to begin with and chooses to sacrifice himself. Killer Frost catches up and knocks out “H.R.” while taking “Iris” back. We cut to the present again where “H.R.” turns back into Iris while “Iris” turns back to H.R. before he passes away.

We cut to Vibe and Killer Frost still battling each other before Savitar shows up and tells her that they need Cisco so he can fix the Speed Force bazooka. The group comes together at Star Labs the next day as they start realizing that a paradox has now been created because Savitar killed H.R. instead of Iris. The evil Barry will soon cease to exist as Julian arrives and tells the team that he and Caitlin’s mom managed to create a cure for Caitlin. We cut back to Savitar’s lair where Evil Barry is demanding Cisco to adjust the Speed Force bazooka that would allow this Barry to create infinite time remnants of himself across time. While Cisco refuses to, Barry threatens to kill Caitlin and preventing her from getting the cure if he doesn’t help him.

Back at Star Labs, Barry tells Iris that he is going to do the last thing that Savitar expects him to do. He goes to see his evil self to try and get through to him. As our Barry shares a childhood memory with Savitar, he offers him help, to save him before it is too late. They return to Star Labs as Barry explains to the team that Savitar won’t hurt Iris. Barry hopes that Tracy will help them, but she refuses as she is upset that Savitar took her future away and storms off. Iris suggests that they go get Harry from Earth-2, hoping he can get through to her. Harry approaches Tracy and tries to convince her to help the team, for H.R.

Savitar converses with Barry and Iris as he wonders what will happen with him after they save him. Barry and Iris tell him that they will figure it out eventually. Savitar takes off to let Cisco and Frost go, before an alarm goes off in Star Labs. It’s the Philosopher’s Stone that is getting ready to explode as Barry and Wally gets everyone out to safety before the explosion goes off. Savitar returns to the lair as Cisco has completed adjusting the bazooka. He orders Frost to kill Cisco, but Gypsy arrives and saves him. Gypsy brings Cisco to Iris and Barry’s apartment. Savitar and Frost head to the waterfront as he opens up a breach to the Speed Force as Black Flash arrives to kill Savitar. But Frost manages to kill the Black Flash. Frost uses the bazooka on Savitar to make him immortal, but it doesn’t work and Savitar suddenly gets punched by a speedster as Jay Garrick emerges from the Speed Force.

The two teams begin to battle with Savitar and Flash clashing while Gypsy and Vibe try to take down Killer Frost. Cisco manages to get the upper hand at Frost who tells him to go ahead and kill her. But he refuses as Cisco gives Frost the cure that will make her Caitlin again. Savitar runs back and grabs Cisco as he is about to stab him before Frost attacks her former master. Barry shows up and tries to stop Savitar, but gets knocked down. Savitar swears to him that he will kill the Wests before he ceases to exist, but Barry gets back up and manages to vibrate himself into the armor and getting the Evil Barry out of it. The time remnant tries to fight back, but stands no chance against the armor as Barry almost kills him. But Barry doesn’t go through with it as he destroys the armor and tells his remnant that he will never become like him before knocking the remnant out. Barry walks to his team, with Savitar trying to attack him from the back before he gets shot in the head by none other than Iris. As Savitar dies, his body ceases to exist.

The next day, the team buries H.R. while Cisco is told by Barry that H.R. gave him a message before he died, that Cisco inspired him to sacrifice himself for Iris. Barry sees Caitlin from a distance and goes to see her with Cisco and Julian. Caitlin explains that she doesn’t know who she is anymore and needs to figure it out as she hands back the cure to Julian. We cut to Barry and Iris having a moment together at their apartment where they are talking about their upcoming weeding. The conversation is cut short as a lightning storm is happening all across the city. They regroup at Star Labs and realize that it’s the Speed Force that is causing this because Jay got out of it. A speedster needs to stabilize it and Barry decides that he will do it. A portal opens up in front of them as the Speed Force arrives in the form of Nora Allen who tells them that it’s time for Barry to finish his race.

Barry walks around to give his goodbyes to everyone, including Iris who he shares one final kiss with as he goes to grab Nora’s hand and together they walk into the Speed Force before the portal closes behind them. As they disappear, the storm comes to an end before the episode cuts to black.

With so much happening in tonight’s episode, there is a lot that we need to discuss and breakdown. So hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through some of the important moments and highlights of The Flash Season 3 finale episode: “Finish Line”.

#5: H.R.’s Sacrifice

#4: Caitlin Snow’s Next Quest Begins

#3: The Fall Of Savitar

#2: A Speedster’s Sacrifice

#1: Verdict & Other Thoughts

The post ‘The Flash’: ‘Finish Line’ Review appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

‘Baywatch’ Review: Big, Dumb Fun Always Has Its Place

*Spoiler Free Review*

Lieutenant Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) takes his job as the head of Baywatch — a team of lifeguards who go above and beyond to protect and serve the beachgoers of Los Angeles — incredibly seriously. When the team is looking to recruit new lifeguards, Mitch takes umbrage when cocky disgraced two-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Matt Brody (Zac Efron) shows up expecting the job to just be handed to him, but before Mitch can whip the new recruits into shape, the team discovers a criminal drug conspiracy taking place in their very own bay.

With Baywatch, the goal of this film is to do exactly what Phil Lord and Chris Miller did with the 2012 hit 21 Jump Street, to take the general idea of the original TV show (in this case, the original Baywatch, which ran from 1989 to 2001) and use it as a jumping off point for making a big, dumb, fun R-rated comedy. Did this plan succeed? Read on to find out…

Also read: ‘Baywatch’ Official Red Band Trailer Released Online

First of all, let’s talk about the cast, because a movie like this might not have even come to fruition in the first place if not for a cast like this. There’s a pretty great team assembled here. Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron make for a terrific pairing. The two have a ton of chemistry. Sure, it helps when Johnson has enough charisma to cover the bases of the entire cast, but Efron really brings it in the comedy department as well. I’ve never really been a fan of Efron’s, aside from some of his other comedic roles (like Neighbors), but I thought he was really funny here. On the other hand, I’ve been a massive fan of Dwayne “He’ll Always Be The Rock To Me” Johnson since childhood and I’ll watch damn near anything he’s in. Did we need a Baywatch movie? Probably not. But we got one and it’s starring The Rock, so I hope you have your wallets handy.

There’s also a lot of great female talent on board, which makes sense because aside from David Hasselhoff, the show was known more for its female stars. I’ve liked the lovely Alexandra Daddario, who plays one of the new recruits Summer, in just about everything I’ve seen her in and I thought she held up her end of the film’s main trio quite well. Kelly Rohrbach is also delightful as CJ Parker, the role Pamela Anderson played in the original TV series. Priyanka Chopra is fine as Leeds, the film’s stereotypical villain. She wasn’t the most impressive villain, but this role very well could have gone to a man and that could have been even blander, so I at least appreciated the direction they went with it here. The only main cast member that I felt got short-sided is Ilfenesh Hadera, who plays the other veteran lifeguard Stephanie Holden. I liked her in what she got to do in the film, but I felt like she probably could have been utilized better. I wouldn’t really say that they should have made her Johnson’s love interest, even though it seemed like that might be a direction they were headed, though that never went anywhere, but it would have at least been something more for her to do.

One of the funniest characters in the film is another new recruit Ronnie (played by Jon Bass), who has a hilariously unsubtle crush on CJ. Not all of his shenanigans landed for me, but when they did, they were a lot of fun. The rest of the cast features a few other terrific comedic performers, like the always hilarious Hannibal Buress, Rob Huebel and Oscar Nuñez. However, the real standout for me was Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who plays Police Sargeant Ellerbee in the film. The actor, who I’ve personally never seen in anything before (he’s in The Get Down), is set to play Black Manta in the upcoming Aquaman movie, so it was nice to get a good look at him on-screen so I could get my bearings on him as a performer. The best part, though, is that he is really funny in the film. He’s one of my favorite characters.

There are a few nods here and there to the original television show, and for the most part, those worked. I was never a fan of the show, but I didn’t really feel like I needed to be to catch what few references I picked up on, like the slow-mo jokes or references to episode plots from the show, which are pretty much spelled out in the film for the uninitiated. It’s no surprise that a remake of this nature will feature cameos from the original cast, but the ones featured here were a bit uninspired. For one of the performers that appeared, it’s not even their best cameo in a film this year (hell, this month even). Another one of the cameos felt especially tacked on, almost like an afterthought. I get why they did them, but honestly, with the way the cameos were shoe-horned in, they didn’t really add to the film.

Also read: ‘Baywatch’ And ‘Wonder Woman’ Dominate Social Media Buzz

Overall, I thought Seth Gordon, known primarily for the first Horrible Bosses (which I loved) and Identity Thief (which I did not), did a fine job directing the film. There are a few action-y beats that easily could have been pretty dull in the hands of a lesser filmmaker. As I said before, the goal of this film was to capture the same magic that 21 Jump Street did, and in that regard, I think Baywatch succeeded. Is it a perfect film? God no, not by any means. It’s chock full of the usual tropes of the genre, but the source material here isn’t exactly Shakespeare, so the fact that Seth Gordon and company managed to create an enjoyable and most importantly, a funny film out of it is a win in and of itself. This trend of turning old TV shows into big screen comedies has been going on for quite a while now, and they almost always suck, but thankfully, this film falls into the minority for me alongside 21 Jump Street, its sequel and pretty much nothing else.

At the end of the day, Baywatch was a lot better than I had anticipated. I had little to no expectations going in and was pleased to find that I had a smile on my face for the majority of the film, which granted, at just shy of two hours was a little on the longish side, but not overly so. It’s no masterpiece, but there’s a lot of funny here, so for me, that more than makes up for any of this film’s shortcomings. Big, dumb fun always has its place. Also, did I mention The Rock is in it? I’d watch him beat my mother with a steel chair for two hours and happily fork over $15 bucks to see it.

Score: B-

Baywatch hits theaters Friday, May 26th, 2017.

Top 10 Movie Trailers From This Summer That Will Fire You Up

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Every year, an avalanche of trailers, teasers, TV spots flood the Internet, trying to grab the attention of busy and overstimulated audiences. It’s gotten to the point where now, trailers are such a commodity, that the trailers themselves have teasers. There’s a reason: trailers, when they’re good, can be an artform all their own.

I love trailers, being the guy who is always rushing his friends and family to the theater early “so we don’t miss the previews.” Every summer, I make a YouTube playlist of my favorites that acts as my own personal radio station because frankly, sometimes, I vibe more to how the trailer is cut than the music in it or, in bad cases, the movies themselves when I finally catch them on-screen. It’s gotten to the point that I imagine and dream in a trailer format, with music setting the pace for a smash-cut of scenes that I want to write or just enjoy the fantasy of.

If you love a good trailer like I love a good trailer, this list is for you. Here’s what I consider the top 10 trailers for the summer 2017. Click Next to start!

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VIEW IN GALLERY

The post ‘Baywatch’ Review: Big, Dumb Fun Always Has Its Place appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

’Supergirl’: ‘Nevertheless, She Persisted’ Review

Supergirl kicks off with right where we left off last week as Superman is attacking his own cousin, thinking that Kara is the enemy. Supergirl fights back and learns from Rhea that she used Silver Kryptonite on the Man of Steel who thinks Kara is his worst enemy….General Zod. They use their heat visions at each other before taking the fight into the city. The D.E.O. gets alerted that Kara is in trouble as Alex and Maggie rushes over. The two Kryptonians continue to fight as Kara tries to get Clark to fight through the Silver Kryptonite in his system. Eventually Kara manages to get her cousin back to his senses. Kara wakes up the next morning with Mon-El at her side, but it’s just a dream as Supergirl is actually at the Fortress of Solitude with Superman and Alex. Kara is still recovering from the battle with her cousin as Clark wakes up and is back being himself.

Meanwhile, Lena gets visited by Lillian who lashes out on her daughter for teaming up with someone like Rhea. Lillian apologizes for her recent actions and tries to convince Lena that she wants to be a better mother. Mama Luthor shows Lena the mystery weapon from Lex’s vault as Lillian asks her to make it work in order to save the world. Clark finds out that Rhea used Silver Kryptonite on him as he has never heard of it before. Clark thinks he has a way of stopping Rhea as he uses the Fortress’ database. They all fly back to the D.E.O. as Winn is geeking out about Superman being there. Clark learns about Mon-El and Kara’s relationship as they had never met before. Kara tells Mon-El about the solution that they discovered at the Fortress, but Mon-El freaks out when she brings it up. Back on Rhea’s ship, the Queen gets challenged by the Girl of Steel through a video transmission as she declares for a trial by combat. Rhea accepts the challenge to fight Supergirl.

Mon-El tries to talk Kara out of it, but Superman believes in his cousin and that she can take Rhea on. Alex goes to see J’onn who is still down and suddenly we see Miss Martian by his side. M’gann kisses him as J’onn wakes up and he starts wondering where she is, but Alex assures him that she is still on Mars. J’onn gets informed on what has been going on. Over at CatCo, Cat is furious as she is wondering where Snapper is before Kara and Clark shows up in front of her. Kara starts to explain to Cat that Supergirl asked her and Clark to ask for a favor from Cat. Before they go, Cat asks Kara if she thinks Supergirl is ready for this and Kara thinks she is.

The two cousins fly over to see the Luthors as the two women show them the weapon that will make Earth dangerous to Daxamites when it sends out a trace amount of lead into the atmosphere. Supergirl realizes that Mon-El would have to leave Earth as well. Kara and Clark heads back to the D.E.O. and tell the team about the weapon that the Luthors have at their disposal. Mon-El asks Kara to let her be there when she goes to see Rhea. Kara and Clark decide to spar a bit to get her ready for the battle. Kara gets a pep talk from Clark before she and Mon-El goes to face Rhea. As the two women remind each other what happens if the other loses, Rhea and Kara begin to fight. Kara manages to get Rhea down, but Rhea isn’t playing fair as Daxamite ships begin destroying the city.

Mon-El flies off to stop the chaos in the city, with the help of Superman and Martian Manhunter. Rhea gets punched by Kara once again when she sees Rhea’s face bleed Kryptonite. Over at L-Corp, Winn and Lena are working Lex’s device together. Lillian tries to activate it before Lena reveals to her mom that only Supergirl can turn it on. Mon-El fights off several Daxamite soldiers in downtown while J’onn and Clark fight off a bunch of soldiers on their end. Rhea and Kara battle through the whole city while Superman goes after a ship. At CatCo, Cat and James are almost attacked by a Daxamite soldier before Superman shows up to stop him. J’onn is joined by M’gann who has brought several White Martians with her to stop the Daxam Invasion. Kara gets the upper hand on Rhea before Mon-El shows up and gives Kara the signal to activate the device. Kara activates it as lead is spread into atmosphere. Rhea begins to die as she turns into dust. Mon-El starts having problem breathing as Kara knows the atmosphere is no longer safe for him. Kara tells Alex to get her Kara’s rocket as they fly to a field where Mon-El tells her how much he loves her before sharing one final kiss. Mon-El gets Kara’s necklace before he gets into the pod and leaves Earth, with Kara crying.

Back at the D.E.O., everyone is celebrating the victory while Kara is dealing with Mon-El’s departure. Clark goes to see her as he has to fly home to Metropolis, but comforts her before doing so. J’onn asks how M’gann knew that he needed help as they catch up on what she has been up to. Alex goes out to the balcony to comfort her sister where Kara tells Alex to go and be with Maggie as she should cherish what she has with Maggie. Kara flies off when Maggie shows up from behind to see how Alex is doing. Alex decides to follow Kara’s advice and proposes to Maggie who seemingly accepts it.

The next morning, Kara goes to see Cat who knows that something is wrong with Kara who tells her boss about Mon-El and how their relationship just came to an end. Kara starts talking about that maybe she can’t have it all, but Cat tells her that she is wrong as she believes Kara has accomplished so much and will continue to do so. Kara sees the news that she has to go save the day before thanking Cat as she takes off, as we discover that Cat knows that Kara is the Girl of Steel. Supergirl flies into the city, with a broken heart while we see Mon-El supposedly on his way home to Daxam. But suddenly a worm hole opens up and sucks Mon-El’s ship into it.

The episode concludes with a flashback to 35 years ago when Krypton was destroyed. We see black cloaked figures putting a baby into a pod that is leaving Krypton too. They keep referring to the baby as an “it” that they claim will reign over Earth before the episode cuts to black. There was a lot that went down in tonight’s huge episode that we have to discuss. So let’s go through the top 5 highlights and important moments of the Supergirl Season 2 finale episode: “Nevertheless, She Persisted”

#5: Superman Vs Supergirl

#4: Rhea Vs Supergirl

#3: Farewell To Mon-El…For Now?

#2: The Next Threat

#1: Verdict & Other Thoughts

The post ’Supergirl’: ‘Nevertheless, She Persisted’ Review appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

’Gotham’: ‘All Will Be Judged’ Review

Gotham opens up with where we left off last week as Penguin and Riddler are now trapped together in cages at the Court of Owls. Nygma makes sure that Oswald isn’t a hallucination by hitting him on the head. The two former friends aren’t happy to see one another as they keep bickering before Nygma gets Oswald paralyzed while he tries to escape. Oswald won’t give up that easily and starts making noises so that Nygma can’t get past the guards. Court members show up and starts beating him down before Oswald passes out. Oswald wakes up later as Nygma starts barking at him for busting his plan to escape. None of them are certain why the Court is still keeping them alive. Oswald proposes that they work together to escape and Nygma agrees to team up, only if they establish some rules first. The two villains come to an agreement as they start conducting their escape plan.

Back at Wayne Manor, Bizarro-Bruce gets confronted by Selina who tries to take him down and manages to stab him. Alfred breaks up the fight as the clone knocks her out. Alfred notices the stab wound as he is fully aware that this isn’t the real Bruce and asks the clone where he is. The clone refuses to give up the information and tries to take Alfred down as the butler fights back before getting knocked to the ground. Later on, Alfred and Selina compare notes about the clone as she brings up what the clone told her. Alfred is convinced that their Bruce is still alive as he orders Selina to help him find her. Selina refuses as Alfred lectures her to get over what Bruce did to her regarding Selina’s mom before storming out.

Elsewhere, Bruce and the Shaman are back in Gotham City. The next morning, the Shaman goes over one final step that Bruce has to complete. The Shaman wants to take away Bruce’s pain from the night his parents died as he injects one of his magic needles into Bruce’s forehead. He explains to Bruce that in order to become Gotham City’s protector, he has to look away his pain as Bruce struggles with placing his mother’s pearls into the lock. As Bruce isn’t able to go through with it, the Shaman reveals that it is time for him to learn the truth. The Shaman injects Bruce with another needle as he wants to show Bruce his truth. Bruce is taken to one of the Shaman’s memories where he witnesses that the Shaman was aware of the Court being behind the murder of his parents. The Shaman explains to Bruce that the Court has to pay for all their crimes.

At GCPD, Bullock and Jim are trying to figure out how to stop the virus bomb that the Court is planning to unleash to the whole city. They head over to one of the locations and discover a secret door as they look for the bomb. When they discover a crystal owl, they also find a map over Gotham City that may contain the secret locations to where the bomb might be. Their investigation is cut short as someone tosses in a grenade at them and it’s none other than Nathaniel Barnes who is suited up as The Executioner. Bullock tries to fight back, but stands no chance against Barnes who proceeds to knock Jim out. Later on at the station, Bullock talks with a witness that claims to have seen Barnes escaping into a delivery truck with Jim.

Jim wakes up as he finds himself chained, with Kathryn and Barnes present. Kathryn reveals that she knew what Jim was up to as she expresses her disappointment in his actions. Jim refuses to answer any of her questions as he calls Kathryn out on the Court having his father killed and how she drove Frank to commit suicide. As Kathryn leaves Jim to Barnes, the former captain starts to hold a trial against Jim. As Barnes is getting ready to decapitate Jim, the detective tries to get through to his former boss, but he won’t hear it. Barnes mentions to Jim that Leslie came to see him when he was locked up at Arkham to ask about the virus. Jim asks for one final request to have his badge when he dies and Barnes agrees to it. As he puts the badge on Jim, the detective manages to set off one of Barnes’ grenades as Bullock and his men show up to save Jim. Barnes jumps out of a window and lands on a van before getting away. Back at the station, Bullock gets the call that Kathryn is being taken to the station. Alfred shows up and informs them that Bruce has been kidnapped before Jim realizes that the Court is behind it. They start comparing notes as Alfred reveals that the clone has replaced him. The three men start coming up with a plan on how to find Bruce and the virus bomb when they talk about the crystal owls.

Kathryn shows up at the station as Jim begins to interrogate her, but Kathryn isn’t being cooperative. She also finds it amusing that Jim thought this whole time that she is the leader of the Court of Owls. Alfred brings Bullock the smashed pieces of the crystal owl that he and Bruce found earlier in the season. Bullock accidentally blurs out that Jim is interrogating Kathryn before Alfred rushes into the room to find out where Bruce is. Kathryn still doesn’t take the situation seriously by the three men before Alfred stabs a knife into her hand. As this is going on, Barnes show up and drops a smoke grenade in the station. Alfred continues to torture Kathryn before they discover that something is going on in the station. Bullock goes out and finds Barnes before rushing back into the interrogation room to warn them that they have company. The three men try to take on Barnes before he gets orders from Kathryn to stop this and take her to safety. Barnes lashes out and decapitates Kathryn as he tries to execute Jim. Jim grabs a shotgun and blows of Barnes’ ax-hand before getting knocked out.

Back at the Court, Oswald and Nygma are tricking the security into opening up their cages as the two villains take the two guards out. They manage to get out of the building as Nygma and Oswald are reminded that their partnership is now over. However, Nygma mocks Oswald that he stands no chance against him before Oswald drops the news bomb on him that he has assembled some of Hugo Strange’s Indian Hill inmates. The two villains go their separate way.

Later at the station, Leslie shows up to get some of her things while arguing with Jim for a bit. While the crystal owl is being pieced together again, Bullock and Jim are still curious about who the real leader is behind the Court. Once the crystal owl is assembled, the three men discover the map and hopes this will lead them to both Bruce and the bomb. A GCPD colleague shows up to inform them that Barnes escaped his transfer to Arkham while also showing them that the virus that Strange gave them, is missing. Jim realizes that Leslie has taken it as we see her injecting it on herself.

Meanwhile, Bruce and the Shaman are back in the Wayne Manor through the magical needle as he tries to convince Bruce to lock away his pain once and for all. Bruce goes through with it and places his mother’s pearls in the vault before it’s closed. The Shaman thanks him and when they return to reality, he asks Bruce how he feels when thinking about the murder of Thomas and Martha. Bruce states that he doesn’t feel anything when thinking about their death. The Shaman starts telling Bruce about the purpose of the Talon that has served the Court for nearly 200 years as they have recruited orphans and trained them into Talons. He reveals to Bruce that he has gone through the same training as the training that the Court has put the Talons through. The Shaman orders the Talon to cut off the smallest finger on his left hand, demonstrating that the Talon doesn’t feel any pain. The Shaman gets Bruce to swear that he will follow any order that he is given, hinting that Bruce might be under some sort of control.

A lot happened in tonight’s episode of Gotham that we want to break down and discuss. So hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through some of the highlights and important moments of the Gotham Season 3 episode: “All Will Be Judged”.

#5: Barnes As The Executioner

#4: Penguin & Riddler Team-Up

#3: Death Of Kathryn

#2: Leslie Decides To Go Wild

#1: Shaman’s Fishy Moves

The post ’Gotham’: ‘All Will Be Judged’ Review appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

‘Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ Review: A Pirates Gotta Pirate

I’m not ashamed to say I get sea sick out on the open water, but I am ashamed to say that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is much better than I thought it would be.  Not only does it feature some great action sequences but each character has a strong emotional arc that makes keeps viewers invested in the film.

Let me preface this review by saying I tried watching Pirates 4 for the first time a few days before I saw Dead Men Tell No Tales and it put me to sleep about halfway through. So I wasn’t expecting too much from the fifth outing of this now 14 year old franchise. Jeff Nathanson, who has written amazing Tom Hanks movies like Catch Me If You Can and The Terminal and flops like Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, wrote the screenplay so I didn’t know what to think. Fortunately, Nathanson delivered a sharp, funny script and directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg brought a renewed sense of energy and freshness to the film that kept me entertained throughout.

If I’m going to talk about the film’s energy I need to start at the heart of the storm, Captain Jack Sparrow himself. Johnny Depp has been going through a bit of a rough patch according to the tabloids, but he delivers another solid performance as the drunkest pirate on the seven seas. Well, hopefully it’s a performance and he wasn’t just the drunkest actor on the seven seas during shooting. It doesn’t feel like he’s just here for a paycheck because you can see the veteran actor almost enjoying himself as he waddles around making trouble. No matter where Jack finds himself, whether he’s the captain of a ship with a loyal crew or alone, facing the gallows, Depp imbues the character with a sense of naive confidence that is still a treat to watch.  

Also read: ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ Cast Appear At Disney Parks For Premieres

Oddly, all of the new, major characters are driven by their deep daddy issues. Both Henry Turner and Carina Smyth spend the entire movie searching for the Trident of Poseidon as a way to finish a personal quest related to their lost fathers. Even Javier Bardem’s undead Naval officer was originally motivated to start fighting pirates after his father was defeated in battle. As odd as it is that fatherly relationships are so important for this movie, it makes sense when looking at the franchise as a whole. Ever since the original Pirates movie, family has been a key theme for the series. As Captain Jack blundered around in the original trilogy just getting by, Elizabeth and Will Turner slowly fall in love and lay the groundwork for a family of their own. And now we see Jack blunder around some more as Henry and Carina lay the groundwork for a potential family of their own in future movies.

Just because the characters were busy thinking about their fathers doesn’t mean they weren’t solid additions to the universe. Brenton Thwaites delivers a solid performance as the newest Turner son to hit the high-seas hoping to break his father’s curse and Javier Bardem is perfect as the menacing Captain Salazar. But Kaya Scodelario’s Carina Smyth is likely the breakout character in the movie. The Pirates franchise has had its share of strong female characters but Smyth seems to be the most progressive one yet. She’s a woman on a personal mission who won’t let anything get in her way or change her strongly held beliefs. Smyth does a great job of holding her own whenever she shares the screen with Captain Jack or Geoffrey Rush’s Barbossa.

It’s fun to watch Carina’s rational, scientific-mind slowly adjust to the magical realities of the Pirates world. The science vs magic trope is used as a tool to show the audience how different Henry and Carina are despite their similar backgrounds. Instead of just sitting around and talking about their beliefs, we get to learn about the characters through their distinct actions as they work towards a shared goal.

Also read: ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean 5’ Tracking For $90M Plus Debut

There are a lot of visually engaging and fun moments sprinkled throughout the movie. The strongest moments in the movie all relied heavily on practical effects. We get to see Jack and his crew dragging a bank around town in a scene that feels like the closest thing we will get to a western crossover for the franchise. My personal favorite moment features Jack caught in a rotating guillotine that looks amazing and hearkens back to the exciting physical comedy of the earlier movies. On the flip side, there was a lot of unnecessary CGI in the movie. I have no problem when filmmakers digitally render extras or ships into scenes, but things like zombie sharks and animated figureheads take me out of the moment and don’t really strike me as necessary for the story. I’m not trying to bash CGI though. Javier Bardem and his cursed crew looked amazing and anytime we got to see his army of zombie pirates running on the water there was a pretty big smile on my face.

It’s not a perfect flick, and in my opinion it doesn’t match the fun of the original ‘Pirates,’ but Dead Men Tell No Tales is a solid addition to the franchise. Both Rønning and Sandberg have said they went back and looked at the first movie for inspiration and that sense of nostalgia and love for the lore is felt throughout the film. I have my fingers crossed that if Disney makes another Pirate movie they’ll bring this directing team back for another go with old Captain Jack.

If you want to see something with some swashbuckling adventures, understandable emotional arcs and solid mix of practical effects and CGI, go check out Captain Jack and the gang as they sail across the big screen on May 25th.

7/10

2017 Summer Movie Preview: What To Look Out For

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What do aliens, robots, superheroes, pirates, genetically-modified apes, and Will Ferrell all have in common? All of them will be visiting theaters this summer, most as perennials of the blockbusters sphere. There’s a cavalcade of riches this summer, with new offerings from both DC and Marvel, new (and in some cases, final) installments in long-running franchises, and a couple newcomers testing the waters for future sequels. Even some non-theatrical films get in on the fun, like Netflix’s War Machine starring Brad Pitt.

Here are over 20 films worth seeing over the next four months. Click Next to start!

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VIEW IN GALLERY

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