SUPERMAN (2025)

Superman (David Corenswet) goes into action

SUPERMAN (2025). Director: James Gunn.

David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman and Nicholas Hoult (of The Menu) as Lex Luthor give fine performances in this new Superman movie that trades on some nostalgic references while trying to stay somewhat contemporary in its approach. Kyrpto, the super-dog, more an artifact of silver age comics, shows up, and we've got Steve Lombard and Cat Grant -- both of whom work for the Daily Planet -- from the seventies. Superman's robots occupy the Fortress of Solitude. Instead of a phantom zone there is a prison that exists in a pocket universe and in which Superman is temporarily imprisoned. 

Hoult as Lex Luthor

In addition to bad guy Luthor, there is a clone called Ultra-Man, and a mammoth, if silly-looking monster that attacks Metropolis. As well there are appearances from members of the "Justice Gang," including Metamorpho, Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Mr. Terrific, and Hawkgirl. Oddly, Ma and Pa Kent are pretty much portrayed as hillbillies! Superman is entertaining enough, Conrenswet makes a swell, good-looking Man of Steel, but while this by no means a bad movie, it's still lacking something. 

Verdict: Okay only. **3/4. 

DARK PHOENIX

Sophie Turner as Jean Grey

DARK PHOENIX (2019). Written and directed by Simon Kinberg. 

Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) sends a team of X-Men out into space on a rescue mission, and telepathic Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is irradiated by what everyone thinks is a solar flare but is actually a powerful energy source. While this energy affects Jean's mind, some hostile shape-shifting aliens led by one Vuk (Jessica Chastain) come to earth to take this power away from Jean and use it for their own evil purposes. Angered that Prof X has kept secrets from her -- she thinks both of her parents were killed in a car accident but her father, who blames her, is still alive --  Jean lashes out and accidentally kills one of her colleagues, leading Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to declare war on her. But the aliens may prove a bigger threat and the mutants may find themselves in an alliance ...

James McAvoy as Professor X

Dark Phoenix was apparently excoriated by fans and critics alike, even though it is by no means a terrible movie. Unlike other recent X-sagas, Dark Phoenix at least has some well-choreographed battle scenes, and there's an eye-popping sequence on a train that is vivid and exciting. McAvoy and Fassbender offer the most memorable performances, and Turner is professional enough. Nicholas Hoult also makes an impression as the hairy Hank McCoy (better known as the Beast). Jessica Chastain really only has to show up and affect an attitude but she's still a striking presence in the movie. 

Jean Grey turning into "dark phoenix" was one of the best and most beloved storylines in the X-Men comic books, and this is the second time it has been sort of adapted -- and very much changed -- as a movie. (The first was in X-Men: The Last Stand.) In the original stories, Jean is manipulated by a bunch of evil characters called the Hellfire Club. She becomes so drunk with power that she wipes out an entire solar system of living beings, and then is taken to task by extraterrestrials and dies during battle via suicide. (It later developed that the Phoenix was a separate being from Jean, and she returned intact, more or less, in the comic books.) Many X-fans wondered why Fox bothered to do another version of this story if they weren't going to use more elements from the original tales?  

Michael Fassbender as Magneto

Dark Phoenix also creates some continuity problems if you are to take the X-films as being part of the same series of stories, which they obviously can't be. The events in this movie reignite anti-mutant feelings in society, bringing us full circle to the very first X-Men movie, but Jean Grey is very much alive in that film whereas in this she sort of goes off into the ether at the end. In any case, I found Dark Phoenix to be entertaining and better than the last couple of X-Movies, if not as good as the best films in the series. 

Verdict: Colorful X-fun if not all it could have been. ***. 

THE MENU

Ralph Fiennes

THE MENU (2022). Director: Mark Mylod. 

Obsessive foodie Tyler (Nicholas Hoult of Dark Phoenix) and his last-minute date Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) are one of several diners at the highly exclusive restaurant on Hawthorne Island. The other diners include a faded movie star (John Leguizamo) and his entourage, an older married couple (Judith Light and Reed Birney), a food critic and her sycophantic date and others. As the evening progresses things start getting weirder, as the head chef, Slowick (Ralph Fiennes), berates and even insults his customers. As the diners begin grumbling about their treatment, things take a decidedly dark turn when one of the assistant chefs, Jeremy (Adam Aalderks), abruptly commits suicide and no one aside from the shocked diners seems to care. The people who have simply come to have a fantastic meal soon realize that none of them may be getting off of the island alive. 

Hoult and Taylor-Joy

Taking its cue from those bitchy reality show celebrity chefs, The Menu presents Fiennes as a bitter man who toils in a restaurant he does not actually own, and resents the stupid rich people he has to feed. With all the craziness in the world today, who knows if this kind of bizarre scenario could occur or not. The Menu reminds me very much of Knock at the Cabin in that it also has an absurd if irresistible premise, becomes increasingly strange and violent, and is more of an allegorical black comedy than anything you can take seriously. 

Aalderks and Riennes

Also like Cabin, Menu is very arresting and suspenseful, is extremely well-acted by the entire cast, beautifully-shot, and pretty much falls apart at the end. Again, it all depends on your tolerance for illogic and short story ideas stretched out to feature length. The Menu would probably have worked better as an hour-long episode of a dark anthology series. The characters in the film are not really developed beyond types, and Margot, who has a few secrets of her own, is an odd choice for heroine. A special commendation goes to Hong Chau, who plays Elsa, the ice-cold woman who oversees the restaurant and is complicit in everything, along with the staff. 

Verdict: Take-Out next time! **3/4.