- Gist: A teen in the Philadelphia foster system has great power thrust upon him at the same time he has to deal with life stuff.
- Bright, optimistic tone?: Check!
- Shamelessly fake muscle padding?: Check!
- Believably bad DC baddy?: Check!
- Product placement?: Check, check…lots of checks written.
- Positive portrayal of multiethnic fabulous foster family?: Check!
- Existential angst?: Nope.
- Superman?: No, not really.
- Batman??: Not really, no.
- Wonder Woman???: Other than the delightful animated outro, no, but that counts for me.
- Moral compass?: Check–no one is purely good, but anyone can choose courage and self-sacrifice, just as anyone can choose selfishness and cruelty, no matter how much your background pushes you one way or the other. You know, DC stuff.
- Socially conscious?: I mean, it’s up to about 2012, so that’s ok for a movie based on the epitome of young-white-male-power fantasy, isn’t it? Isn’t it?
Conclusion: Avoids the pitfalls of DC movies and stays with a PG-13 parallel to Deadpool. See it unless comic-book clowning is inherently catastrophic to you.
