Really lame special effects and “The Department of Paranormal Something,” lends a light touch to the CBS series. But it stinks of camp and, while it may appeal to (they hope) some younger people, the core DC fans–or, maybe just me– are likely to be a little insulted by this, which seems to mock superhero fans in an attempt to appeal to them. But, then again, that’s what The Big Bang Theory does, so what do I know. Disappointed. I figured, surely by now, Hollywood understands the more seriously you take this genre, the more money you make.

10 AM Monday, cold, heavy rain, figured it was safe to venture out. As I mention, I Hate Going To The Movies. Theater mostly empty, the way I prefer. A trio of loud teens a few rows back gabbing loudly and digging through noisy candy boxes wrapped in cellophane (why do they allow cellophane wrapping for movie candy?!?). A row ahead: some geek brought his toddler. *Shakes head* Right on queue: every quiet moment, the talking scenes, what have you, the toddler starts talking and has no “indoor voice.” Eeba waddle doo hickle muddy daH? EEBA WADDLE DOO HICKLE MUDDY DAH!!!

Just kill me, now.

Micro review: liked it more than the first AV film, really surprised by how “grown up” it was and by Whedon’s (Marvel Studios’) redefining of the genre specifically to know the difference between humor and camp; having the audience laugh *with* the heroes and not *at* them. That paradigm shift, in and of itself, may extend the super-hero film genre from a passing fad to a permanent industry staple (along with Westerns and Science Fiction, etc.). Much of the film’s plot will sail way over the heads of the average eight-year old, but, like Bugs Bunny cartoons, the kids were never invested in that stuff anyway. *Marvel* comics were never, ever, written for eight-year olds to begin with, and pandering to the lowest (and shortest attention span) common denominator is what has traditionally crippled attempts to build successful SH franchises.

I’m sure 8 million other people have pointed this out by now, but Joss missed a huge opportunity in the hammer-lifting contest by not having the final contestant, Black Widow, simply pick up the coffee table and effortlessly carry it (and Mjolinir) off-stage. As demonstrated by the Vision, *people* can’t lift or move the hemmer, but you can presumably move whatever the hammer is resting upon/embedded within.

Pleased by the Black Panther groundwork in Ultron by the Ulysses Klaue cameo.

Would be nice if, eventually, parents figured this out and stopped bringing toddlers to these things, but that’s not likely to happen until the Adam West Batman generation dies off (including me).

Batman vs. Robin: DC Comics – A follow-up to the recent Son of Batman direct to video movie, which I liked enough to take a chance on this one.  And this was…okay.  It had some pacing and storytelling problems, but since I never read the comics it’s adapting, I can’t say if the structural flaws were in the original or a result of the adaptation process.  The main antagonists, the Council of Owls, never really struck me as a good idea.  They felt like someone trying to hard to explain Owlman’s identity as something more than “picked a different nocturnal hunter,” and even implying that they might have been behind the death of Bruce’s parents feels too much like a writer trying to claim they’re better than all Batman writers before them.  But, given that this movie isn’t to blame for the story it’s adapting, it’s a decent way to spend an hour and a half.

Mildly recommended.  Price varies by store and format.  Batman statue included with the high-end bundle  didn’t look remotely worth the extra $15+.