Within the glut of modern superhero fiction on the big screen, Matt Reeves’ The Batman is a stylish, revitalizing tonic. A coming-of-age story grafted onto a pitch-black noir, the film plants the seeds for The World’s Greatest Detective and strikes at the beating hearts of Batman, the Waynes, and Gotham City. Under a slowly unspooling mystery and a bevy of comic book influences, Reeves launches the Caped Crusader back into the limelight of his own franchise, delivering a new, definitive Batman mythos. Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz shine. Minor spoilers ahead…

The seventh entry in the DC Extended Universe, Shazam! continues Warner Brothers’ quest to find its footing among superhero features. Bringing in a remarkable sense of humor and fun, the film is the DCEU’s best installment yet. Shazam! coasts on the charms of its young cast plus the shenanigans of Zachary Levi in the title role, and is able to transcend its cookie-cutter villain and third act doldrums with an upbeat confidence. Mild spoilers ahead…

James Wan’s foray into the DC Extended Universe is a poorly paced and corny cheese-fest, but it never pretends to be anything other than fun. What Aquaman lacks in finesse, it makes up for in Jason Momoa’s attitude and charming commitment to the role. Leaps and bounds better than Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, the film is a flawed spectacle whose sole purpose is to entertain - an old-fashioned fantasy yarn with likable characters and frenetic underseas action. Mild spoilers ahead…

The home stretch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Three is finally here, and the Russo brothers deliver an epic, brutal, and oftentimes scattered showdown with the Mad Titan Thanos. Buckling, even if never caving, under the weight of the preceding 18(!) films, Avengers: Infinity War can't quite live up to the high-water mark year the MCU has had, but it damn well tries and it's a minor miracle that the film works as well as it does. Mild spoilers ahead...