₦airaland Forum

samistry:
Having Dana Brooke at the top of your division isn't a good look. I've also seen enough to say HBK fumbled Jordynne Grace and Ricky Saints badly.

Has he thought, Jordynne hasn't been pinned clean yet.

pu7pl3:
Congratulations to Dana Brooke

That's Dana Brooke? I was going to look up Ash later but I forgot. I really liked her performance in the match and she still fine asf 😋

ValeeLove:
You think they don't have a point clowning on wrestling? It's even more in the other parts of the world. You can't suspend your disbelief when logic isn't put in place.
Those things you highlighted that they consume is called fiction. And at the beginning of every fictional story, it's logic is established so nothing goes out of place in it. Wrestling doesn't use fiction. It uses sport. In fact there is no space for any genre to be applied because it's not a full blown movie as half of it's programming is real sport. The elements of entertainment are the presentation of the combatants as good guys or bad guys. So yes, they reserve the right to clown on wrestling because it's promoters have made it a joke for years and it's not funny.

As long as someone gets punched, kicked and slammed multiple times and then casually goes home after the match, it's fiction.
UFC fighters have to get medical attention after their fights, both winner and loser.
Wrestlers only need that after a hardcore match when they go through a table or drop from a significant height.
Pro wrestling is fiction. Make peace with that.

BlackManta:
I watched Superman again, and as much as I liked the movie, I can’t shake the feeling that James Gunn tried to do too much.

The plot isn’t strong enough, and the pacing is off. This movie lacks proper build-up.

Emotional scenes fall flat because they’re just thrown at you with no setup. And without build-up, there can be no payoff.

Take one of my favorite scenes, for example, Clark talking with his dad. That moment could have been powerful, but the Kents barely got any screen time. They appear at the start of the movie, then disappear until the end of Act 2. So why should I care?

The twist with Jor-El’s message didn’t work for me either, because the movie never showed us that Superman is who he is thanks to his human parents. Clark Kent’s background is completely ignored. In fact, Clark doesn’t even exist in this movie, it’s all Superman. And in a film stuffed with characters, Clark gets the least amount of screen time.

To address this, I'd like to take you back, if you'll indulge me, to 2020. I was discussing Avengers: Endgame with some friends and I talked about how Endgame was a great conclusion to the Infinity Saga but not a great standalone movie. To which one of my friends countered that it made no sense to view Endgame as standalone movie because it being the conclusion to a series was very vital to it.
I wouldn't bother with the average movie goer but knowing that you know that Superman is not just a movie but the opening chapter to a shared cinematic universe should provide context to how you view the movie.

Now, moving forward, on the matter of the scene with Pa Kent, I don't think it was meant to be this powerful, emotional scene you're looking to it to be. It instead is a scene that establishes Clark's relationship with his family, especially his dad in this case. One thing I know for sure, watching James Gunn over the years, if he wants a scene to be powerful, he'll put in the work. Even if the scene doesn't eventually resonate with you, you'll not be able to miss the buildup.
The fact that there wasn't any buildup to that scene is evidence that Gunn wasn't going for something largely significant with it.

Like I mentioned before on a previous counter argument, I believe the twist with Jor-El is something that will continue to be addressed in subsequent films.

Not going to argue on the lack of Clark, I think that's a fair point.

James Gunn clearly thinks introducing the DCU is more important than telling a standalone Superman story.

And I agree with him. This movie got more people interested in Mr. Terrific and Hawkgirl than any amount of trailers, press conferences and media appearances could have done for those characters. Instead of drumming up an audience from zero for the next movie featuring these characters, a significant amount of the audience that watched Superman are already looking forward to seeing these characters on screen.

I couldn’t care less about the Boravia–Jarhampur conflict because this movie commits one of cinema’s greatest sins: telling instead of showing.

Even within the world of the movie, the Boravia-Jahanpur conflict is a distraction. A smoke screen generated by Luthor to further his goal of destroying Superman. You're not expected to care about it any more than you care about the kaiju that was released in Metropolis.

The film is weighed down by exposition, especially in the first hour.

Take the interview scene, for example. That’s where we learn Superman interfered in global politics by stopping the invasion of Jarhampur and threatening the Boravian president. This ends up being a major part of the plot, yet the movie never shows us what Superman did in Boravia.

Instead, everything is crammed into five minutes of exposition. Why?

Funny enough, this is actually a good use of exposition in storytelling. First off, people tend to go overboard and personalize show-don't-tell. SDT doesn't apply to every aspect of a story. If it did, the average novel would be 2,000 pages and the average movie would be 7 hours.
SDT applies to the aspects of your story you want your audience to feel and, like I previously pointed out, the story isn't interested in making you feel much for the Boravia-Jahanpur conflict beyond it being a metaphor for the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
Superman does describe what he did in Boravis to Lois (smashed their tanks and flew their president into the sky then threatened him).

I thought the Justice Gang was okay, but let’s be real, the only reasons they’re in this movie are:

1. Gunn wants to establish that the DCU is a shared world with other heroes.


2. Gunn loves throwing teams of D-list characters into his movies and could not resist doing it again.

1. Which he should. One of the criticisms that eventually became a meme the MCU used to get was about how a superhero would be facing a world-ending threat in their solo movie and no other superheroes would show up. If it was later established in another movie that the Justice Gang was in Metropolis when a dimensional rift appeared, everyone would start asking why they didn't help at the time.

2. Don't think there was much need to resist anything here.

The worst part for me was when Superman gets captured and poisoned with Kryptonite. The movie then shifts focus to the Justice Gang so they can get some spotlight in a Superman movie where they had no business being in the first place.

Mr. Terrific was great, Guy Gardner was fine, and Hawkgirl had her moment when she killed Netanyahu. But this was the wrong movie for them.

They got way too much screen time, time that should have gone to Clark and the Kents.

I'd argue that when Supes is imprisoned, the focus shifts to Lois actually. We see the Justice Gang because she goes to meet them and we see more of Terrific because he's the one who goes along with her. So if we didn't have the Justice Gang, we'd still just get screentime of just Lois instead, unless you're trying to say Lois Lane should not get screentime in a Superman movie.

When the movie first came out, people said Superman was weak and lost too often. I defended him.
But after a second viewing, I can admit those complaints are not completely wrong.

The movie tells us Superman has been around for three years and is the most powerful being in the world. But if that’s true, the world is cooked. Who’s protecting Metropolis when Darkseid invades? The same guy who got beaten by Hammer of Boravia? Definitely not.

Lex Luthor countering Superman in a fight should not even be possible. Superman has superhuman speed. In the comics, he’s fast enough to race the Flash. But here, it feels like this Superman has not even unlocked his full speed, which makes no sense after three years.

Clearly, Gunn intentionally nerfed him. Otherwise, how would the Engineer have time to fill his body with nanites?

And don’t get me started on how easily Superman got captured. He sees Kryptonite and immediately collapses. His heat vision just stops working. A stronger Superman would have at least tried to break the glass with heat vision. This one didn’t even try. If Metamorpho hadn’t switched sides, he’d still be trapped.

Speaking of heat vision, I almost forgot he had it until the third act. He spends most of the movie just flying around and throwing punches instead of using his full power. No wonder a mindless clone pinned him down until Krypto bailed him out.

James Gunn needs to fix this and make Superman stronger. I want to see him unlock his full potential. Because right now, Omni-Man would rip him apart in seconds. It wouldn’t even be close.

How do you fall for weak ass propaganda after a second viewing? How is a Superman who is only matched in strength by a clone of himself weak? Are we also going to say MOS Supes was weak because he struggled against fellow Kryptonians?
Everybody else in the movie was small pickings for him, except Ultraman who is literally him.

Yes, the Lex calling commands thing was dumb. Whoever came up with that BS should be fired from the DCU

On the subject of who's protecting Metropolis if Darkseid invades, Blackmanta, stop fücking acting like you're new to this shît. This is not the first time you're seeing a Superman story. Bats is the one who preps. Supes shtick is juicing up on yellow sun and the conviction to protect his loved ones. He struggles against his opponents, then he stops holding back and beats them or flies to the sun, recharges and then beats them.
Unless you're saying Omni-Man is beating a Kryptonian, I don't understand the Supes disrespect.
You're going to see him unlock his full potential. But if he unlocks his full potential in the very first movie, wetin come remain again?

At this point, Superman is my least favorite James Gunn project. All three Guardians of the Galaxy films, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker are better. Gunn is clearly at his best when working with D-list characters, which makes it surprising he insists on writing and directing a Superman sequel.

That said, I still like the movie. Gunn did capture Superman’s kindness, boy scout naivety, hope, and optimism.

But after my second viewing, I give it a decent 7/10.

If you look at the other movies, you'll notice that they're basically standalone movies. The Guardians of the Galaxy barely show much connection to the MCU. Hell, we only see them interact with other MCU characters in Infinity War, Endgame and a cameo in Love and Thunder.
I believe if someone else was overseeing the DCU and Gunn was simply contracted to do a Superman movie, we'd be watching a different movie, one that would be more satisfying as a standalone movie.
I'm not going to hold anyone to anything on their opinions about the movie itself because I realize that I'm looking past the movie to the world Gunn's building and I like what I'm seeing. Better still, I like the reaction of the audience to that world.

oyaskii:
Superman (2025)


I fear there might never be a truly great CBM blockbuster for a very, very long time…

I’m greatly at odds with this film because, with all the weight of expectations riding on it, there were so few things I liked and so many I disliked and it all stems from James Gunn being the maker of this movie.

The little things I liked:
For all the talk about the unusual CC and grading in the trailers and teasers, the final cut was a visual marvel. The whites of the snow were absolutely whiting, the green Kryptonite was bangingly greening, and Supes’ iconic red trunks were brilliantly red. It reminded me of GOTG Vol II's colour palette 🎨, no surprise since the same cinematographer worked on both.

David Corenswet as Superman was an all-timer casting choice. He looked born to play the role, and in the hands of a visionary filmmaker, his talents would have been put to much better use. Sadly, that’s where the positives end.

Now to the bad:
The plot was a clunky mess. From the opening scene, it felt half-done like we were supposed to have watched a previous film to understand what was going on. Crucial details had already happened off-screen, killing any chance of suspense or buildup that a good CBM needs. From there, it all went pear-shaped.

The most important part of Superman’s lore is his identity crisis wrestling with the weight of being the most powerful alien who wants to save everyone, while still being a Kansas farm boy working at the Daily Planet. We see none of that. For what’s supposed to be an origin story and the new DCU’s kickoff, his personal struggle is completely absent. Even his relationship with Lois Lane, another key arc, had already happened off-screen..zero buildup.

It's not completely absent here, just not the focal point of the story. Learning the second part of his birth parents' message is part of his personal struggle in this movie. I'll accept that it wasn't explored fully in this movie but I believe it'll still be explored in subsequent movies.

A relationship arc isn't over when 2 people start dating. Like we see in the movie, Lois and Clark are still working on and ironing out different aspects of their relationship, so there's definitely still a lot of stuff to be explored in their relationship arc.

Worse, the story shifts focus away from Superman in a Superman movie to the “Justice Gang” (a goofy name, but hey, it’s James Gunn). Ironically, I was impressed with Mr. Terrific, he showed up and actually got things done, while Superman was constantly getting his butt kicked by every random goon Lex Luthor threw at him. It made the whole thing feel like a Justice Gang movie that happened to have Superman mumbling in the background. Superman is supposed to be larger than life, but Gunn stripped away the soul and essence that makes the character iconic. If he weren’t in the film, you’d barely notice, despite the title card saying Superman.

"Beaten by every random goon Lex Luthor threw at him" How many goons did Lex throw at him and how many beat him? The only character Supes had trouble beating was Ultraman, his own clone.

As much as this is a Superman movie, it is also consciously and deliberately kicking off a shared cinematic universe with a premise that multiple characters already know each other and have some sort of relationship. Which is why it makes sense for the Justice Gang to get a decent amount of screentime.

"If he weren't in the film, you'd barely notice" Come on now, bro. Mr Terrific would be dead if not for Supes and he's still the one who gets Terrific into Lex's aircraft to seal the rift.
The movie never takes the focus of Supes as the central character so I don't know why you're acting like this movie is similar to something like Captain America: Civil War.

All of these problems come down to James Gunn. His strength has always been ragtag bands of misfit characters and that’s fine. But translating that style to a Tier-A comic icon doesn’t work. This movie feels less like the launch of a meaningful universe and more like Gunn’s nerdy teenage fantasy of “finally making a Superman movie.” It isn’t the beginning of something grand it looks like another one-off, forgettable CBM since 2019 that just happens to feature Superman. And this was supposed to be the biggest cinematic event of the year.

This is where I'm going to have to flat out disagree. This definitely feels like launch of a meaningful universe. Why? Because if you want a long running series/franchise, you want characters that your audience want to see more of.
Iron Man had the least memorable solo movies in the MCU but he remains one of the most favorite MCU characters to this day.
Whatever issues people have with the movie's plot, they still like Corenswet's portrayal of Superman. Then you add the petitions for a Mr. Terrific movie and people wanting to see more of Hawkgirl and the DCU's future is looking pretty bright.
Hell, even someone here who was arguing with Abduleez about Supergirl now said he likes her after seeing her get barely 1 minute of screentime.

Sure it looks like a one-off, forgettable CBM now but that's because it's a prologue. Depending on how the DCU's execution plays out, this could eventually turn out to be a classic in hindsight.

I’m close to my yearly rewatch of Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019), and I fear those two films have firmly closed the door on this genre. Even in Endgame, the cracks had started to show. CBMs are never reaching those heights again, not for a very long time. All we can hope for are the occasional huffs and puffs, praying one sticks and makes it worth your while which I thought this would be. Such a shame.

Ultimately, this is a close to nothing movie. It achieves nothing, builds towards nothing, and is an unmemorable, jarring mess.


5/10

I understand your apprehensions and reservations but the thing is whether this movie achieves nothing or builds up to nothing can only be answered in the future. So we'll just have to wait and see.

bentenny:
How did Lois lane know how to fly Mister Terrific's plane?
Just asking......

The controls are intuitive. Basically, it's easy to operate.

pu7pl3:
This is true actually.
The issue now is that here is no viable solution to the conundrum in sight.

The solution is for creators to focus on creating their vision and engage with minimal criticism.
No content has ever had unanimous positive reception. There's always going to be audience members who don't like the content. As long as you get through to a significant audience, you're good. Focus on entertaining that audience.

It's really this simple.
The problem is that studios and media companies keep trying to break into multiple demographics to increase the customer base.

Hohenheim:
Erm.. actually Mr. James Gunn? The movie's a failure according to all the Snyder fans who work at Warner Bros.

You forgot the part where all of us are supposed to be crying because of their delusions

SOZINN:
Ultraman was waiting for Superman to join him in the air and Superman was struggling to come of the hole Ultraman made in the ground with his body. Didn't you see the people that came to his rescue, they just slammed him on the ground and he needed a helping hand - weak ass Superman.

Omo, na you know the Superman wey you watch

SOZINN:
Except Ultraman beat him twice, the first time they fought he nearly killed Superman and when Superman came back after charging he mopped the floor with him till he couldn't even walk, then he took off after humiliating him.

"till he couldn't even walk", I sha don't know which movie you watched but no be the same movie I watch

pu7pl3:
They don't understand the character.
They think Superman is just one smash and pound robotic dude that doesn't give a fvck but he isn't.
And that's why that speech to lex wasn't cringe to me at all.

I don't take anyone who actually has issues with that speech seriously.

Palehair:
Hollywood still dey learn work on nepo babies for where Bollywood dey, it's getting bad in Bollywood that their government is even thinking about stepping in with regulations because regular actors just audition only to be given scraps while established actors children are given the roles even though they have no talent, at least in Hollywood, you have to be talent

Lol! I don't even want to talk about Bollywood. Bollywood was my first introduction to nepotism in the movie industry.
Funny enough, it was meta commentary about it in Om Shanti Om that put me on to it. Om mentions how he'd have been a star if his surname was Kapoor.
First thing I realized after that was the amount of Kapoors in Bollywood before branching to other families.
Bollywood nepotism is on a whole other level

pu7pl3:
This Superman was not weak either Blackmanta. Dude pulled himself out of a black hole. The only person that kicked his ass was Ultraman (his clone) and you know he was holding back cos whenever he finds out you can tank punches he ragdolls you. Did it against the Engineer, did it against Ultraman too.

You people can talk about the plot and story all you want but leave the power scaling out of it, there was nothing wrong with it, the portrayal was accurate.

I still wan address a couple of reviews later but the power scaling dey muzz me. I'm wondering whether it's the same movie all of us watched. Ultraman only beat him once in that entire movie

oyaskii:
Bruhhhh.😩😩.... not saying people don't blow up out of thin air, but nepotism is the oldest trick in the book not only in showbiz, but in corporate world as well... nothing says, this fella is a 100% fit for this job like a nepo glazed reference on one's CV.

I know it's a long stretch, but i dare say nepotism might be a greater career needle mover than actual talent and hard work ngl, and if one has all three, oh the unprecedented doors it will open.

Still in early development and data gathering, but i am currently working on a paper, roughly titled, ""How Nepotism is the Greatest Talent, there is", ooh i just know i will make some interesting finds 🙈

Not a long stretch, not even a stretch by any means. Just pure facts.
Nepotism will open doors for a C-grade talent that an A-grade talent won't even get the opportunity to knock on.
There's a reason why one of the greatest hands you're dealt in life is where and who you're born to.
Reason why I'm grinding hard to set my kids up as nepo babies

oyaskii:
Nepotism has always been a thing in Hollywood for a very long time, No? Heck, Francis Copolla inserted his daughter in The Godfather lore way back in the 70s, basically catapulting her career. M. Night Shyamalan includes his Daughters in his project even when it's clear other people could do a better job, even one of the daughters had to admit, she got the chance to adapt one of Ireland's biggest books, simply because of her last name.

My point is, nepotism exists everywhere, and i am not even mad about it. No parent who can certainly soft lunch thier kid's career, will fold their hands and not do it, because that kid being successful in any field, tells on great on their own parenting too.

DDL has always insisted on the gimmick that he his retired after bagging an unprecedented 3 Oscars, it was always gonna take, some sweet savoring nepotism to bring him back...so fairs i guess

Went down the rabbit hole of Hollywood relations and connections one day. I wan mad.
Even some of the content creators blowing up in this social media era still links back to that web.
You go see connections so tey grass-to-grace go come be you like say na whining.

So, I take it most of you didn't like the Superman movie. Been reading different opinions from the past pages from very scathing to downright ludicrous.

Just going to keep observing events unfold.

DieRich5:
There is somethings to look at not just the cost like

1) How many anime fans are there in Ghana which is a small country and I bet Nigeria fans will be 10x more than them.

2) The anime fans in Ghana, how many will pay to watch it or even afford it? Same with Nigeria

The country that has the highest population and fans will definitely get a better result and sometimes $5 can give you a better ROI than $15 on the same goods in different locations

My brother in Christ, our middle-class or what passes for our middle-class is struggling to afford decent meals.
Kano has a larger population than Lagos but more businesses are opened in Lagos than Kano because that's where the money is.
The average Ghanaian currently has more disposable income than the average Nigerian.

samistry:
Yup, she mentioned she was 7 weeks pregnant during an interview.

So all that "Big Jim, meet me backstage" was not kayfabe? 😮

Anyways, hope the foetus never sustain injury from her matches, especially Evolution.

Tochex101:
With their small population?....... I dont agree.
Lagos and Abuja will do big numbers.

If you have 100 people that are worth ₦5,000 and 20 people that are worth ₦50,000, which group do you think will spend more money than the other, especially on luxuries?

NoonMasamune:
This is such bullshit and a huge Insult to Nigeria! How come Ghana gets this and not us!

Ghana's economy is doing a lot better than ours. They'll make more money in Ghana than they would in Nigeria

I'm seated like mad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JNGVohd9fE?si=dQndRmICAMTYC4fM

Well, I know what I'm doing this Sunday

pu7pl3:
Did Joe Hendry just appear from inside a fridge 😩

You think say, "Say his name and he appears" na whining 😂🤣

You don't really appreciate growth until you see people who suffer from a deficiency of it. Thank God for consistent growth and maturity.

See as people still dey exhibit the same behavior dey repeat the same talking patterns from 2022 & 2023 in big 2025. Nawa oooo

DieRich5:
I’m happy for DC, it’s been long back to back losing anyway 99% sure dem ain’t topping next year

"Female Thunderbolts"

Let's take a look at the team
Bucky - Male
Yelena - Female
Johnny Walker - Male
Ghost - Female
Red Guardian - Male
Sentry - Male

Lemme even be generous and throw in Taskmaster. That still leaves the ratio at 4 men to 3 women. Anti-woke propagandists no go kee me 😂🤣😂

ValeeLove:
Good card, asides the moles of course.
Who watched it should rate it. I've got a good feeling about it.

Gunther vs Punk was the only match that delivered on this card, and this is before you factor in Seth cashing in.

The women's tag match was alright.

You can just Google the result of the other matches if you care. Nothing to miss there. I started doing chores few minutes into the Roman/Yeet vs Bron² and just continued that way for the rest. No incentive to watch any of the matches fully until Gunther vs Punk.

The Night 2 card looks better sha. I'm actually interested in fully watching most of the matches there.

COOL10:
The Law of Karma just worked against C.M Punk. Drew McIntyre will be so happy right now.

I swear. The moment I saw that I just remembered Drew at Mania 🤣🤣

pu7pl3:
Jaida Parker is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters on NXT

She's getting the Bianca NXT run. Consistent No. 1 contender and title matches. Never wins the strap

Samistry2:
would you recommend to one who isn't into k-pop music or chinko movies?

Have you watched Sing and/or Encanto? If you did and you liked them, you'll probably like Kpop Demon Hunters

Samistry2:

My childhood gone, just like that. Chai!!

Hohenheim:
Please quote where anybody on this thread said the movie will gross $1bn.

You're so obsessed with this movie that you're making things up and believing them as you go. It's unhealthy you're not in a competition with anyone here. No of us is getting paid.

My guy please take it easy, you're wondering wether a movie that is expected to cross over 350m domestically is considered successful? If the movie is a failure why then are Warner Brothers putting out more from this universe? 😂🤣🤣
Just sit back and enjoy the ride instead of crying constantly.

If the movie had grossed $1bn, they'll be saying that we said $2bn. Snyderism is a terrible mental illness

armadeo:
I've been overlooking this movie. All this time. I just night see it cos reviews everywhere are good.

Stop stalling. Go and watch it now