Superman & Lois Season 2: Bizarro Bugaloo

 As far back as I can remember Superman has been my favorite superhero.  Which is why sometimes I can judge his adaptations more harshly than some others.  When Tyler Hoechlin was announced to play Superman in the second season of Supergirl I was unfamiliar with the actor.  After seeing his first few episodes I thought he did a fine job as the Man of Steel, but not great. Plus, he seemed a little short. Then the announcement came that he was getting his own show beside his Lois Lane co-star, Elizabeth Tulloch.  Again, I wasn't thrilled with these versions of the characters, but I was happy Superman was getting some attention after Henry Cavill's portrayal left Warner Bros treating the character almost like a pariah.  

The first season of Superman & Lois was a pleasant surprise to me.  We saw Clark and Lois moving back to Smallville, being parents with teenage boys, and one even developing his own powers.  It still had that CW/Arrowverse feel to it, but with a little more in my eyes like better effects.  Plus, the series seemed to distance itself from the rest of the Arrowverse with almost no references aside from a brief appearance by David Ramsey playing John Diggle. A cameo that didn't even need to be in the episode.  I think my enjoyment from this series really owes a lot to my age.  As a Superman fan I'm now at the point in my life where I am raising my own child and juggling a work-to-family life balance.  Much like how Smallville related to me being a teenager navigating my way through the world at the same time Tom Welling's Clark Kent was.  

As I said, the first season of this Superman series left me enthusiastic about a second season, especially with the additions of John Henry Irons and his daughter; Natalie. And much like how season one tried to trick us into thinking The Stranger was Lex Luthor, the creators also tried to trick us into thinking Doomsday was coming.  And fell for it hook, line, and sinker.  I didn't like the idea of bringing in such a definitive character so early in the series, and apparently neither did the showrunners.  It was revealed that the creature giving Clark headaches was a version of the character Bizarro, that set-up this season's overall story arc.

In season two a character known as Ally Allston is looking to merge with her alternate self from another world, and bring the two worlds together, thus merging every two people into one.  But we were never told what actual consequences this would have.  Would each one be as powerful as Ally? Would someone need the pendant to have that power?  I just never truly got the big ramifications of making the two worlds one, or why Ally even wanted to do it? After she had merged, she was all-powerful.  What else does she want?  Why merge the worlds?  The idea just doesn't sit right with me.

One the other side of this season is the Lane family dealing with Lucy, who was brought into Ally's cult and believed in her to the point of turning against her family at every turn.  I was honestly disappointed when Ally turned out to be the big powerful villain Superman has to defeat in this season.  Ally started off as someone who Lois was trying to deal with to get her sister back, but then became Superman's problem, leaving Lois kind of in the dust for the rest of this season.  

Season 2 saw our supporting characters struggle as well.  Jordan was dealing with whether to tell Sarah his secret or not.  Jonathan had to accept being the powerless brother, and the Cushing's struggled to get back together as a family after Kyle's deceit. Lana, Sarah, and Chrissy also all learned about Clark's secret identity. This is a story point that doesn't sit well with me. Arrow and The Flash started to lose its luster when so many people knew the main hero's alter ego, and their homebases became very crowded.  I'm glad Sarah knows about Jordan because after many seasons of Smallville I've see the teenage hero hide his secret from his would-be-girlfriend already, and that went on for too long as is.  But Lana and Chrissy knowing I think could hurt the series in the long run as it's only a matter of time before all the main characters know Clark is Superman, which is really just Kyle at this point.

However, the real short coming of this season was the release schedule.  I count almost five breaks in twenty-five weeks for the 15-episode season. This kept me having to try and remember what was happening in the series after weeks of not having a new episode.  I think it interrupted the flow of the season, and possibly lessened my interest in the story. I also could never remember when new episodes aired. 

But don't get me wrong. This season had some great moments like the submarine save, and Lois reminding Clark that Superman isn't just about saving people, he's about giving them hope.  I'm very interested in what's to come for season 3.  What's Tal up to in the other world?  Will Clark's major exposure to sun rays affect him long-term like in Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman?  Is John Henry and John Diggle about to team-up like an 80's action movie?  And how does Aquaman feel about Superman setting up his new clubhouse in the middle of the ocean? I don't expect that last question to be answered, but it'd be cool if it did.  This season I felt wasn't as strong as its predecessor but was still solid enough to get me to watch season 3.  I just hope that as The CW and Arrowverse seems to be falling, Superman & Lois continues to fly up, up, and away.

Lightyear Flies Us Into The Future

To Infinity and Beyond.  That phrase was etched into pop culture back in 1995, and there isn't a person alive today who doesn't know it's a Toy Story reference.  If you look at the audience ratings, box office, and even merchandise sales, the Toy Story franchise is one of the best in history.  In 2019, it looked like the franchise may be coming to its finale with Toy Story 4, but it seems Pixar was just looking for a new angle to play on this Disney legacy.

Lightyear is supposedly the movie little Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear action figure for his birthday in 1995.  Instead of Tim Allen coming back to voice the Space Ranger, Captain America himself, Chris Evans, takes over the vocal performance for this spin-off.  I will say there were moments in the film I couldn't help but think I was watching an animated Steve Rogers.  Buzz seems so noble and heroic like Evan's Cap it was hard to not see the similarities.  Especially when he meets an older version of himself, or Old Man Steve as he is affectionally called.  But Buzz in the film is different enough from Steve that separation can be achieved. Captain Lightyear is so set on completing his mission and correcting his mistake it blinds him to everything else happening around him. Namely the lives being lived, and the one he isn't living because of his tunnel vision of achieving light speed.

Surrounding Evans in this cast is a voice talent that includes fellow Marvel alumni, Taika Waititi.  This group of misfits helps Buzz in his journey and provides laughs along the way.  Some comedy relief can be distracting in these Disney animated films, but I think the characters in this movie weren't too much.  I even thought Sox the cat was enjoyable; and I hate cats.  Maybe I just need a robotic cat that serves more as an R2-D2 than arrogant pest.  

It was Buzz's relationship with the Hawthrone family that tied this film together.  As Buzz races through time, he saw his friend get older, have a family, and eventually team-up with her granddaughter to stop Zurg.  I thought the moment at the beginning of the film when Buzz walks into an empty office would get me, but it was the end of the film when Izzy says, "I'm finally a Space Ranger, grandma," and then Buzz lingers for a moment to remember is friend, that made me go, "awww."  

From the moment Buzz's first line of dialogue mirrored his first words in the franchise I was looking for the Toy Story Easter Eggs.  Sadly, we don't get a "falling with style" line, but that's because he actually flew in this movie.  As he collected his laser, his wings, and even he space-ship packaging, the 12-year-old in me smiled at every reference.  

The only negatives I have in this film is the cookie-cutter story.  There weren't much as far as surprises, even when Old Man Buzz showed up, their conversation immediately had me thinking of the one between Mr. Frederickson and Charles Muntz from Up, consumed by the mission and not thinking about who it hurts.  Buzz is a man-out-of-time who sees everyone else get older.  Like I said, it's a somewhat familiar Chris Evan's character basis. But I do think this film gives it's self a lot of room for sequel potential.  

The end of the film, and the very last post-credit scene (past the Disney logo), sets up the further adventures off Buzz and his new team of Space Rangers, and one that I wouldn't mind seeing where it goes, if the film performs well. As of right now it seems a lot of critics are torn on how they feel about Lightyear, so it'll be up to the audience and the box office to see if this is a new direction Pixar can take the Toy Story franchise.  I don't really want to see a Woody's Round-Up film, but a serious animated western could be interesting.  To me, Lightyear is not top Pixar, but it's of the quality worthy of the Pixar brand. 

Jurassic World Dominion Is More of The Same

 I remember the first time I saw Jurassic Park.  I was a little kid, and my interactions with dinosaurs had been mainly with the animated series Dino-Riders (check it out) and the legendary animated film, The Land Before Time.  What I got from that first Jurassic film is a childhood trauma that to this day scares the hell out of me.  These dinos were not Little Foot and Ducky.  They killed a lot of people, and were scary, and I used to imagine a T-Rex was outside my window at night as I tried to sleep.  But as I grew up more of these films came out and they became less scary to me, and less entertaining.

In the sixth film of this franchise the current cast and the old cast unite to take down a corporate billionaire who is trying to exploit the dinosaurs, but something goes wrong, and they are all running for their lives trying to escape the scary dinos.  Which is pretty much the plot to most of these Jurassic films.  But that's why we see these films. To see the people get eaten by the T-Rex, and hunted by the Raptors. 

The first Jurassic Park film was mind-blowing in both effects and story, but the others that followed lacked the same originality.  When Jurassic World came out, I felt like the franchise had something new to say, at least to me, but has since gone back to being stale popcorn films.  Jurassic World Dominion is no different.  The basic premise of the film branches off from the previous installment, Fallen Kingdom, but when you try to build a story on top of one that wasn't so great, it makes your story not so great either because you're not starting on solid ground.  

Let's start with the OG cast.  Sam Neill and Laura Dern return as Alan and Ellie, once former lovers who have lived their lives and now looks like are going to reconcile.  They are on a mission to prove Jeff Bezos, I mean Elon Musk, I mean some super rich guy is using mega locust to take out crops that aren't his so he can control the world's food supply and get even more wealthy and crazy.  Jeff Goldblum is also back as Malcolm and is pretty much there just for jokes and quips.

What I missed from this film however was the jokes and quips of Chris Pratt.  He and Bryce Dallas Howard are back from a third time to try and protect their foster daughter Maisie and try and get Blue's baby back from the evil rich dude.  This film also lacked my boy Blue.  Pratt played it pretty serious the entire film and I don't think he cracked one joke the whole film, which not why I go to see Chirs Pratt in films.  I mean, I enjoyed The Tomorrow War without a lot of Pratt jokes, but I think that film is better than Dominion.

I'm not saying the film is bad.  It was just what I've come to expect from a Jurassic film.  But really, I also felt like nothing happened.  At the beginning of the film the dinosaurs are out in the world, and humans are trying to integrate them into the society.  By the end of the film nothing has changed except the locust problem was solved. Fallen Kingdom wasn't great in my opinion, but at least it changed the franchise rules to where tinstead of the dinos being on the island they were set free in the world.  And that's still where we're at by the end of Dominion.  

I don't believe this is the end of the franchise.  It's just the end if the actor's contracts.  In less than ten years we'll get a new Jurassic film with a different cast.  These movies make way too much money to just go away.  We watch them to see dinosaurs eating people, and as long as we get that, that's all we need to see to part with our money. But if I can make a suggestion for a Dino-Riders spin-off, I think we can see something really bonkers!