Isabela Merced Archives | Deep Focus Review

Superman

Brian Eggert — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:25:30 +0000

Listen to the audio version of this review. Punk rock may seem loud and nihilistic to some, but when it emerged in the 1970s, its performers aimed their angry sound at tyrannical mainstream ideologies. In particular, Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols, Patti Smith, The Clash, and others sought independence from the traditionalism, religious dogma, and social norms reinforced by popular culture. Their aggressive sound and lyrics condemned authoritarian politics, questioning the systems of power that keep people under control. They sang about the oppressed rising up against—or at least flipping off—their oppressors. By now, you’re probably wondering why I’m writing about punk music in this review of Superman, writer-director James Gunn’s new feature about Krypton’s last son. Gunn’s highly entertaining summer release, which might just be my favorite Superman movie yet, looks at our world and considers where a morally upright hero like Superman would fit. Would humanity embrace him as a beacon of hope? Would his presence become politicized? In the end, Gunn acknowledges that, sadly, believing in the value of all life, regardless of politics or personal motivation, as Superman does, represents a rather punkish, outsider point of view, and he weaves that concept into his film. Along […]

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Alien: Romulus

Brian Eggert — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:19:56 +0000

Note: This review contains spoilers. Alien: Romulus features a couple of inspired, intense sequences laced with arachnophobic terror. Early in the film, a ragtag crew of blue-collar miners move through a room filled with spider-like facehuggers. They learn that the sightless ovipositors cannot sense them with the heat turned up, so they raise the temperature and move silently through a room teeming with the things, trying desperately not to call attention to themselves. A moment later, the jig is up, and the skittering creatures dart across the floor in a frantic cluster, chasing after our heroes in a breathless race down a hallway that had me writhing in my seat. These moments and several other bravado sequences almost establish this ninth entry as one of the best in the Alien franchise. But director and co-writer Fede Álvarez spoils most of the goodwill one might have for his movie with a series of unsubtle callbacks, ill-advised plot developments, and a general sense that the filmmakers were trying to make a compendium of greatest hits from the series with the latest installment instead of taking the franchise in a new direction. The result is a profoundly frustrating film, given that it has hints […]

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Madame Web

Brian Eggert — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 05:17:47 +0000

Even after recent superhero movies have lowered standards, Madame Web is among the worst adaptations of a Marvel Comic ever made. Another entry in Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff universe—including Venom (2018) and its 2021 sequel, Morbius (2022), and coming soon, Kraven the Hunter—the movie is a spectacular mess. Dakota Johnson, playing an obscure and lesser-known character in Spider-Man lore, stars as a New York paramedic who develops spider-based precognitive abilities, giving her the foresight to protect three future superheroes from a dastardly spider-centric villain. But nearly everything about the production—the performances, character development, screenplay, camera movements, and editing—suggests those involved had other things on their minds besides telling a good story. They were probably busy fulfilling the demands of a corporation determined to squeeze every drop of potential out of their intellectual property. So, it’s less about thoughtfully translating a character to the big screen than supplying companies such as Pepsi with a place to hang their product placements and commercial tie-ins. The movie plays like the chaotic result of copious notes from executives and marketing committees, while director S. J. Clarkson’s work alongside three other credited writers feels beside the point. Unlike the protagonist, whose second sight allows her to […]

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