zkonedog

I think that when everyone reaches the age (give or take a few years) of Michael Douglas' lead character in Falling Down, they sort of look around and realize the world has changed from their remembrances of childhood and adolescence. Some embrace the change--others are terrified by it. This is the story of the latter.

For a very basic overview, Falling Down tells the story of a man known only as D-Fens (Douglas)--who snaps one day and abandons his traffic-locked vehicle. He simply walks away--and his subsequent on-foot voyage through early-90s Los Angeles brings him (on multiple occasions) face to face with a world he no longer understands. Not exactly a 100% stable individual, this has harsh repercussions for those who get in his way. Meanwhile, last-day-on-the-job police detective Prendergast (Robert Duvall) is keen enough to avoid distractions and put together the pieces of exactly what is transpiring on D-Fens' reign of terror.

Falling Down is primarily a solid film because, in many ways, D-Fens is actually a very relatable character. I mean, haven't we all groused up increasing prices, corporate lying/greed, the "rat race", and/or just the nagging sensation that things around us are getting worse rather than better? When D-Fens complains about a can of Coke's pricing or goes ballistic when his burger doesn't look like the one pictured on the menu board at Whammyburger, it humanizes him.

Of course, what director Joel Schumacher (he's not just the "bad Batman movies" guy!) manages to thread the needle on here is the overall messaging of D-Fens not properly putting the pieces into context. As the film plays out and Prendergast does his digging, viewers learn along with him that D-Fens has some serious PTSD and potentially other mental illness triggers. That and--at the base of it all--he's just plain terrified, which is why he's offloading much of his pent-up frustration on foreigners, youths, and corporate structures. This is all a tough line to walk, and Schumacher pulls it off quite well.

It helps, of course, that Douglas and Prendergast are their typically-brilliant selves in front of the camera. The former's role steals the show and provides the iconic scenes that have stood the test of time, while the latter is the audience surrogate for slowly unraveling the mystery behind D-Fens.

It's interesting to watch a film like Falling Down--one that deals in such universal personal and societal themes--from the 2025 perspective, in which many of Douglas' character traits/thoughts have been co-opted by political parties. Like I said, here Schumacher makes it abundantly clear in the end that D-Fens' actions are wrong and he needs help. That's not necessarily the messaging behind diversity, the economy, and big business today.

Falling Down is a tad too weird and perhaps even a tad too violent to be a 9 or 10 star film. But its messages will remain evergreen as long as capitalism reigns and that (combined with some great actors) will largely allow it to stand the test of time.

For a syndicated series that produced a LOT of bad-to-average episodes over its 4-season run, when Superboy hit on a great concept it REALLY hit! Bodyswap is one of the finest Superman vs Lex Luthor tales you'll find in any medium.

For a very basic overview, Bodyswap tells the story of a nefarious "switch-er-oo" in which the consciousness of Lex Luthor (Sherman Howard) is transferred into the body of Superman (Gerard Christopher)--and vice versa. This of course leaves Lana Lang (Stacy Haiduk) caught squarely in the middle of both figures' seemingly impossible pleas.

If there ever was a doubt that Christopher is the definitive Superboy portrayal, this episode should put it to rest. His Lex-as-Supes performance is utterly spectacular--a 180-degree difference from his normal fastidiousness. The same can be said for Howard--no longer the cackling madman but now an earnest compatriot of Lana. Haiduk is--as usual for this series--also superb in sussing out her suspicions.

I was absolutely entranced by this episode as a child--and that feeling hasn't changed all that much as an adult (hahaha). In the grand tradition of Superman vs Lex Luthor battles in comic books or on the big screen, this one holds a rightful place right near the top of the heap.

I am an enormous fan of the Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve Superman canon, of which this Superboy series tries to take its cues. Unfortunately, this first season is of such poor quality-and featuring such miscast acting (bar one)-that it is absolutely nothing more than a slog to get through and ultimately skippable within the confines of the overall series.

Using a suit very similar to Reeve's iconic 1970s look and featuring the same wirework/effects team that made you believe a man could fly, Superboy promises a Superman origin story, with young Clark Kent (John Newton) learning the journalism trade at Shuster University and flexing his superpowers as the titular hero. Alas, almost none of it works in these initial 26 episodes.

The biggest culprit is the acting. Right from the jump, Lex Luthor (Scott Wells) is embarrassing in a perplexing role. T. J. White (James Calvert) also is just sort of hanging around to fill the Jimmy Olson shoes (this time with a more famous last name). The weekly villains are largely over-acted caricatures that will induce more eye-rolling than emotion. Perhaps most importantly, Newton doesn't seem to pull off a good Superboy/Clark combo here. I'll pull my punch a little on this point, as Newton is saddled with some horrific auxiliary plots and thespians while trying to pull off a specific portrayal, but either way it simply "doesn't work".

Also unhelpful: most episodes are extremely thin on the plot and/or little more than after-school-special PSAs. Later seasons of Superboy would improve on this considerably, but here in S1 there is little to get excited about.

A few things do work within these 26 episodes:

-"Bringing Down the House" crackles with a 1980s energy that S1 could have used an enormous infusion of.

-Michael J. Pollard has a fun guest role as the mischievous imp in "Meet Mr. Mxyzptlk".

-"Hollywood" is a decent Superboy-back-in-time plot.

The season's biggest bright spot: the casting of Stacy Haiduk as Lana Lang. Haiduk is absolutely electric in the role, bringing her A-game in every scene no matter how ridiculous (and that notion is challenged many a-time in S1). Her piercing blue eyes, infectious personality, and level head make her the easy standout. It's no wonder that she was held over into S2 while all other principals were replaced.

Alas, only those snippets are S1 positives. There was not a single episode here that garnered over 6/10 stars from me-and many received 1, 2, or 3 stars. As much as I hate to say it as a Superman fan, this is bottom-of-the-barrel TV for the overwhelming majority. Hard-core completionists will watch anyway, but S1 can easily be skipped in search of the better Superboy material that is on its way.