Michael's Movie Grade: C
This new superhero film is serviceable but nothing more.
This is the type of superhero movie that if it was released 20 years ago, people would think it was fine. However, after the MCU and the Nolan Batman films (and even the wonderful direct to video animated DC movies), people simply except more from a superhero movie these days. While not a bad movie, this is still below the standard an audience expects from a superhero film these days.
Where this movie works is the four main characters. While they are not exactly complex characters, they are very likable. Not only this but they are truly fun to watch together. The teenage girls have fun chemistry with each other and seeing our adult hero being coming frustrated with these teenagers for being teenagers is very entertaining. I also enjoyed how none of these characters feel like they had grasped even the basics of this whole superhero thing. This gave surprisingly grounded and relatable feel. With our main adult character, the movie does a great job of putting us in her shoes. She has the ability to see into the future. However, she has no control over it and when this first happens, she has no idea what is happening. Though some admittedly clever filmmaking we see things the way she does and figure out what is going on along with her. This clever filmmaking also allows for some very suspenseful scenes, including a really well-made suspense scene in the subway.
Like many modern movies, the humor can be quite hit and miss here. There are some truly funny moments here as well as many that fall flat. The action scenes are serviceable and do their job well enough. However they lack the excitement that many audiences expect from superhero films now of days.
The worst thing about this movie is the villain. He has no personality outside of wanting to kill the heroes. He would be completely forgettable if so many of his scenes weren't so embarrassingly bad. I don't know what was going on with his voice but when he was onscreen, I felt like I was watching a bad English-langue dub of a foreign film. The voice does not fit what I was seeing on screen at all. Not only this but the lines were delivered as poorly as possible. Not that these lines could work if delivered well. In fact, there is quite a bit of very awkward dialogue throughout this film. This movie also had a real pacing problem with certain scenes going on too long, while some plot points feel very rushed. It also can be a problem when most of the film is the origin story.
This is a decent way to pass two hours but still many superhero fans expect more today.
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