This turned into a different movie compared to what I thought it would be based on the first 20-25 minutes. The fact that Jennifer Lopez's character, Sharon, is a police officer is a prominent aspect of the film for the first third or so, featuring arrests, criminal scum, chases and a drive-by, but some of that seems unresolved. It feels like a romantic comedy in parts that doesn't really fit but in other areas it's melodramatic. At times I also thought it was going to have supernatural themes with the way James Caviezel's character, Catch, was acting, who is quite odd. He just seems weird a lot of the time and if I was Sharon I would've been running away as quickly as I could a number of times throughout this. The whole thing just doesn't gel together very well. The acting is good, Jennifer is a joy to look at and I can't say I was ever bored but this isn't one I'd recommend. 2.5-2.

Looking at the plot and the theme of this movie it is very clichéd and nothing much will/should surprise you. A gangster in the drug game (Stick) after finding out his girl is pregnant tries to get out of the game and plans to lead a clean life. Obviously this isn't going to be as simple as it sounds. What is unique about this movie is that everything is rapped. Every scene is backed by a beat and the actors all have rhyming conversations - It is like a live concept album. Maybe there is/are other films like this but I haven't come across any. Some songs/rhymes are quite nice and others, along with some of the voices of the cast leave a lil' to be desired, but I felt most worked. Worth checking out if you're a fan of hip hop and are looking for something different.

There is some okay stuff here, with the members of the parody rap group 'Gangsta Rap' offering some occasional good lines and parody tunes. However, the whole thing feels fairly cheap, is poorly cutup-seems to get worse the further the film goes on-and from the word go Damon Coke Daniels-who plays the director-rubbed me the wrong way and made it hard to enjoy scenes where he has a part in. The part of the manager isn't played brilliantly either. It also borrows a few aspects from the movies mentioned below such as a story about all their previous DJ's dying whereas it was managers in 'Fear of a Black Hat', but doesn't do anything as well. You're better off checking out 'Fear of a Black Hat' or CP4' for better similar films.

I'm going to be lazy and write a dot point review. Some of these have been cited in other reviews, but what the hell. [b]Pros:[/b] •Batman still packs a punch. No superhero makes for better films. Going from this trilogy to other superhero films is like going from your momma's homemade cuisine to fast food. •I'll admit it, the twist got me. •While no Godfather, the story was engrossing. •Bale got the balance of Batman's voice in this film better. In TDK he probably went a tad overboard. •The acting/casting, particularly Joseph Gordon-Levitt impressed me as I haven't seen much of him. •As with most Batman films, when it was trying to be funny it pulled it off. "So that's what that feels like."-Batman after Catwoman disappears. •The action was again done well (football game), although maybe not matching the previous film's action sequences. In saying this, I always feel like the fight scenes, where the goons are just holding their guns aloft while Batman obliterates them, could be improved. •Bane. Ditto to the above. No villain can beat Ledger's Joker but I liked the voice and he provided a brilliantly menacing figure. It restored some respect to the character after how he was portrayed in 'Batman & Robin'. •Alfred/Michael Caine added a lot of heart. •The amazing score by Hans Zimmer, once again. •I like how the ending was kind of open. When another Batman film eventually gets made, I wouldn't want another beginning. It isn't necessary. Just give us another chapter. That's part of the reason why I'm not anticipating 'Man of Steel' too highly. We just had another reboot. Likewise for the Spider-Man series. •And the most important of all, it had me hooked in for almost three hours. [b]Cons:[/b] •Bane's incomprehensible speech. I've never had to concentrate so much in my life. I missed a lot of what he said on the plane at the beginning before I realised that this was going to require focus. Some have said that they had no problem understanding him, so it could be a cinema sound issue... Edit - It was mostly my dodgy cinema. •To follow on from the above point, the opening scene on the plane doesn't match Joker's bank robbery from TDK, or even the other opening action sequence from TDK, with Batman jumping on the van. •A bit of dialogue. There were a couple of times where I thought, [i]is that the best that they could come up with? I can't remember what was exactly said, but the instance that comes to mind is before Bane and Batman have their final fight. In saying this, the movie is a superhero film, so it's not a large issue. •The pacing is more like 'Batman Begins' than TDK. For me, TDK got the mix between action and building the plot almost as good as an action movie can. •I don't think they showed Bane after he got torpedoed? Was it so it wasn't conclusive as to whether he died or not? It felt a bit anticlimactic. •I'm not completely up with the origins of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, but I'm not sure how I feel about her teaming up in more ways than one with The Dark Knight. •The kiss. The city is about to be blown to shreds! Ain't nobody got time for that! •Bullets and multiple punches to the face do not cause the human body to bleed? We need an M/R rated Batman film. •The 'Nursing home' or 'The Hell', wasn't as bad as it should've been. Also that a young girl could make the jump, but grown men can't. This is the biggest plot issue. They should have mentioned that erosion had occurred or something. Overall, there are some small issues with the movie, and it probably doesn't match certain aspects of TDK, but if you don't try to analyse it too closely and dredge for faults to pick out, it is another great Batman flick, and a very absorbing action film from beginning to end. TDK is widely considered one of the greatest movies and the greatest superhero film, so it's not a fair comparison.

Definitely better than the previous reboot. Largely because the villain is a true foe unlike Lex, whose only weapon is the good old green element unless he is creating Nuclear Man or something. It also creates more tension and eye-catching action. In terms of Superman himself, there is still the problem of him being so strong that even being near defeat doesn't seem to be close in this. The older Superman films did this better. In terms of the characters, no one can top Reeve, but Cavill does a good job as the protagonist. To my surprise, the main adversary General Zod isn't as fearsome as the 'Superman II' version who is a brilliant villain. Apart from the odd quip, Amy Adams doesn't quite feel like the Lois Lane we all know based on how she has been portrayed in numerous mediums in the past either but fits the role fairly well. I was glad they didn't go too heavy on Clark's origins, where it is instead weaved into the story through memories as an adult Superman. Overall, it doesn't add much to what we have seen before, especially when you consider the movie with the same villain from 30 odd years ago is a more engrossing film. For 150 minutes though it didn't feel long and moves along at a good pace. When you think that Superman has been around for about 80 years and has fought countless enemies, it does surprise me that from the six feature films we have seen from Superman, we have had Zod twice, and Lex 4 times + Nuclear Man. Give us something new! Films don't have an expiration date! 3.5-3.