Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
Genre: Fantasy
Certification: 12A
Duration: 153 minutes
Directed by: Zack Synder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot
KRS Releasing Ltd

It’s a battle between the most popular caped superheroes in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The long-awaited follow-up to Man of Steel is here, but this time with another caped superhero in tow: Batman. It is the second instalment in the DC Extended Universe and the first live-action film to feature both characters. It is also the first cinema release to feature live-action portrayals of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash and Cyborg.

Directed by Zack Synder, the film opens with the climax of 2013’s film, in which Superman’s battle with alien General Zod (Michael Shannon) causes mass-scale destruction in Metropolis.

The loss of life and damage left many feeling angry and helpless, including crime-fighting billionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). Convinced that Superman is now a threat to humanity, an older, wearier Batman sets out to destroy Superman, crossing paths with the psychotic technology entrepreneur Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and elusive Diana Prince, the alter ego of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot).

Superman battles a growing public discourse against his actions, and a senator is determined to hold him accountable.

Even though the film has yet to be released worldwide on Friday, some fans who said they have seen the premieres have given very positive feedback, with comments such as “the best superhero movie of all time” or “a complete package”.

Costume designer Michael Wilkinson reprises his duties: he updates Superman’s suit slightly and the Wonder Woman costume. Batman dons two suits, the first of which is inspired by the one seen in The Dark Knight Returns. And Aquaman is tattooed in Maori-like patterns.

The music is composed by Hans Zimmer who was behind Man of Steel and The Dark Knight trilogy. In fact, he emphasised thechallenge to not reuse the themes he established with the Batman character from Christopher Nolan’s films. Dutch multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Tom Holkenborg, better known as Junkie XL, provides additional music.

With this film, Warner Bros sets the stage for 2017’s Wonder Woman and The Justice League Part One. Zynder is directing Justice League Part One and Two (2019) and will also produce Wonder Woman, The Flash (2018) and Aquaman (2018).

Ratings
IMDB: 9.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Empire Magazine: N/A

Zootropolis (2016)
Genre: Animation
Certification: 15
Duration: 99 minutes
Directed by: Byron Howard, Rich Moore
Voices of: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Bonnie Hunt, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Shakira
KRS Releasing Ltd

Judy Hopps finds life hard as the first rabbit to join the police force in Zootropolis.

Walt Disney’s 3D computer-animated comedy is set in a mammal metropolis where animals of all shapes and sizes live and thrive.

When Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law.

Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case. Unfortunately for her, that means working with Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a wily fox who makes her job even harder.

The film, which was also released as Zoopolis in certain countries, won a barrage of praise from critics worldwide.

Jen Chaney of the Washington Post comments: “The genius of Zootopia is that it works on two levels: it’s both a timely and clever examination of the prejudices endemic to society and an entertaining, funny adventure about furry creatures.”

Ben Kendrick of Screen Rant writes: “Zootopia is filled with lovable characters and a heartfelt message for kids, along with a layered subtext for adults, that is both timely and moving.”

The critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “The brilliantly well-rounded Zootopia offers a thoughtful, inclusive message that's as rich and timely as its sumptuously state-of-the-art animation – all while remaining fast and funny enough to keep younger viewers entertained.”

The film has, in fact, ruled the US box office for the past three weeks, and has taken in a strong $201.8 million in 17 days.

A last word on the film score: it was composed by Michael Giacchino, who was responsible for many film, TV and video game scores. In addition to her voice role of Gazelle, pop star Shakira also contributed an original song to the film titled Try Everything, which was written by Sia and Stargate.

Ratings
IMDB: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Empire Magazine: 4 stars

How To Be Single (2016)
Genre: Romantic comedy
Certification: 15
Duration: 110 minutes
Directed by: Christian Ditter
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Damon Wayans Jr, Anders Holm and Alison Brie
KRS Releasing Ltd

Dakota Johnson (right) gets some life tips from Rebel Wilson in How to Be Single.

Based on the novel by Liz Tuccillo, this romantic comedy portrays the difficulty and need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love.

How to Be Single follows four women in New York City. Alice (Dakota Johnson) has been in a relationship with Josh (Nicholas Braun) for four years since college, but she has now decided she wants to spend time alone. Robin (Rebel Wilson) loves being single and takes advantage of it whenever she can. Meg (Leslie Mann), Alice's older sister, is a doctor that has delivered multiple babies but never felt the need to settle down and have one herself and then there’s Lucy (Alison Brie) who is overbearing and a terminal neurotic and who tends to come off too strong around men.

Anna Smith from Empire Magazine likens the plot to the infamous TV show Sex and the City: “Aiming squarely at Carries, Mirandas, Charlottes and Samanthas, How to be Single is familiar but fun.”

However, Peter Bradshar from The Guardian isn’t as polite as he expresses how “this disingenuous one-star ensemble comedy about dating in New York seems to have been created by a dodgy internet dating algorithm”.

The film has fared relatively well at the box office. Made on a €38 million budget, it earned almost €46 million worldwide so far.

Ratings
IMDB: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Empire Magazine: 3 stars