Genre: Action/Superhero/Comedy
Directors: Phil Lord and Chris Miller
Writer: Chad Taylor
Based on DC Comics characters
Cast: Billy Magnussen, Scoot McNairy, Dan Stevens, Emmy Rossum, Jessica Rothe, Kenneth Branagh, Cynthia Erivo, Sam Neill, Kumail Nanjiani (voice), Nicolas Cage (cameo)
Plot: In a discreet futuristic location, Rip Hunter (Dan Stevens) paces nervously while Bonnie Baxter (Cynthia Erivo) stands thinking in the background. Dr. Cave Carson (Kenneth Branagh), cybernetic eye and all, sits bemused at a table as he reviews the charges that the Time Masters are planning to punish Michael Jon Carter for affecting static events in a time before his own. Carson and Baxter agree that Carter must be reprimanded for his disruptive time-travel actions that pose a threat to their timeline. They determine he will need to stand before the court of the Time Masters at the Vanishing Point, a metaphysical dimension existing outside of the current timestream. Rip, who has remained silent up until now, finally speaks and says that he will go back in time and retrieve Carter himself. Knowing Rip’s determination, Carson is comfortable with this plan and gives him the go-ahead.1
1 Welcome to my third and final writer's commentary for the Booster Gold series! I figured that since I did the first two, I might as well round out the trilogy. This is a film that I hold dearly close to my heart so hopefully I can provide some nice insight here on this rewatch.
When Carson leaves, Bonnie corners Rip and asks why he is willing to take on such a task. Staring at his feet, he is adamant that he is the only man for the job. She takes his hand and tells him to be safe but he pulls his hand away quickly. He looks into her eyes and says that he cannot fail this mission.
1881. As ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ plays and the opening credits roll, Booster Gold (Billy Magnussen) rides through the Old West settlement of Metropolis in slow motion sporting a giant cowboy hat.2 The townspeople are bewildered by his presence, with the women fawning over him while the men tip their hats and wish him luck. He reaches main street and dismounts his horse. There, he finds a bandit with bandana covering the lower half of his face, eyeing him down for a staredown. At the climax of the song’s chorus, Booster wins their showdown with the quickdraw and injures the bandit. He cockily struts over to his opponent as the townspeople cheer him on. After taunting the fallen man, he gets down on one knee and rips the bandana off - revealing it to be Ted Kord (Scoot McNairy). Ted tells him the fake gun hurt worse than advertised and they both laugh.
2 I believe this is the first scene/moment that I conceived for this film, believe it or not. When working on the BG series, the soundtrack is usually integral to my writing process. I mentioned in the commentary for the first film that the grunge/ska gag was the first idea for that film as well. Here, I knew I wanted to make a comedic bit out of Michael and Ted traveling to a different time period. And then, when listening to the Glenn Campbell classic, I thought that it perfectly fit the tone of the series and could slot in nicely to them acting out an western scene.
After a festive night of drinking at the local saloon, the two of them wish the town farewell and load up in the Time Sphere. Ted jokingly complains to Booster “You always get to bask in the glorious spotlight, you should have let ME win and get MY moment in the sun!”. Booster promises him his time will come…eventually.3 Ted murmurs to himself that he’s the older of the two. Booster types in the return date and the Time Sphere starts up.
3 With this film, I knew that I wanted there to be a lot of callbacks. Throughout the film, you'll find moments that recall events in the franchise's past. Here, I wanted to firmly establish the dynamic between Michael and Ted - Michael being a glory hog, Ted being the more humble of the two - because it is crucial for the emotional impact of the third act.
2099. Upon realizing his mistake, Booster bangs his head against the wheel and as Skeets reminds himself of his familiar mantra: Don’t Drink and Travel Time. As he is typing in the correct date, he starts to panic upon realizing that Ted is no longer with him. He exits the Sphere and searches in heavy night time rain for him. He’s approached by a bulky security robot - an early prototype of Skeets. The robot warns him that he is trespassing and four more robots gather around Booster. He says he needs to find his friend, shrugs and punches the robot - obviously hurting his hand more than his enemy. He starts fighting them successfully but realizes he is in trouble when human police officers arrive. He scrambles back to the Sphere and tells Skeets that he is worried about Ted’s safety but Skeets is scared for his own safety and is adamant that they leave the area ASAP. To himself, Booster promises to Ted that he will be back to get him and they head back to present day.
In 2019, Booster races to find April (Emmy Rossum) and seek her help in finding Ted. However, upon reaching her, she says that she just talked to him and he is at his office. Michael and April pay a visit to Kord Industries and is relieved to find Ted there. It becomes clear that Ted has no memory of their recent trip to the past or the future. As the three of them talk through the confusion, Ted hypothesizes that time travel only allows people to go backwards from their own time and not forward. And then accidentally attempting to send Ted beyond 2019 erased his memory of their trip to the 1880s. Booster says it’s all too confusing for him but he gives his friend a hug and says he was genuinely scared one of his stupid mistakes came back to bite him for once. Ted says “Not this time.” and smiles.4
4 There are a few things I want to note about this scene. For one, I made the decision to bring April back into the fold because I felt like I had done the character wrong by excluding her from the sequel. In that one, I just couldn't really find room for a romantic subplot. Here, however, I felt like closure was needed on her relationship with Booster. Additionally, this whole early sequence is meant to really establish that, although he acts all cocky on the outside, that Booster really does care about the people close to him.
After Michael and April leave, Ted is alone in the office working on multiple projects. It is eerily quiet when he hears a door crack open. As soon as he turns his head, three men burst through the office ceiling and surround him. In a scrum, the men take control of Ted and force him to the ground.
As Michael flies home in his Time Sphere, Skeets enters alert mode and tells him that Ted is in grave danger. Michael is quick to turn the Sphere around but, within seconds, it is rammed into by a different Time Sphere - sending both crashing onto a city rooftop. Rip exits the other Sphere and tells Booster “You should’ve just listened to me the first time.” Michael squints and asks “Who are you?”, making Rip laugh in a “is this guy for real?” way. They begin an intense fist fight on top of the roof.
At Kord Industries, an ominous man walks through the door and the other men all get on their knees. He introduces himself as Brother Blood (Sam Neill). He says that Ted has been brought before the Serpent King and that the Church of Blood is here to enforce his punishment. When Ted asks what he’s being punished for, Blood tells him that it is for his role in aiding the metahumans in the impending War of the Gods. Ted is confused and tells them that he’s just a crippled man with no powers or anything. Blood informs him “This is for your past misdeeds...Blue Beetle.” He puts a gun up to Ted’s head.5
5 Looking back on it, the Brother Blood aspect of the story is probably the most undercooked portion of the film and could've been built up a bit more in prior films. I did put a little teaser for it in Martian Manhunter but I could've done more. Unfortunately, this film is pretty long as is so this was about all I could do. That being said, I really enjoyed convincing Sam Neill to play the part. My first encounter with him in a non-Jurassic Park role was in Omen III: The Final Conflict so I knew that he had a villainous side to him.
On the roof, Michael gains the upper hand and they spill into Rip’s Time Sphere. Michael types in the Year 1 and promptly exits the vehicle before sending Rip to the past. Upon arriving at Kord Industries, he is shocked to find a pool of blood with Ted cold on the ground. Sad and angered, he immediately alerts authorities and is startled to find Rip in the doorway. Michael says no more Mr. Nice Guy and he is ready to make him pay for preventing him from saving his friend’s life. Before he reaches Rip, he stops and says he has a different idea. Rip, seemingly alert to Michael’s train of thought, tells him that he must come back to the future with him immediately. Michael is intrigued to hear that Rip is from the future, like him, but flips him off and says he has a different idea. He hops in his Time Sphere and dials back to 20 minutes earlier.
This time, Michael heads straight back to Kord Industries. He bursts into Ted’s office, scaring the shit out of him. Seconds later, the men drop from the ceiling but Booster is dressed in full gear and is ready to defeat them. Ted is shocked, while Booster is pleased with what he’s just done. They are both curious as to who these people are and discover snake tattoos on the inner forearm of all three of them. Booster asks them where they’re from and one of them says that the Church of Blood will find glory.
At the discreet location from before, Rip hangs his head in shame in front of Cave and Bonnie. Carson tells him that he truly believed in him, which is what makes this so disappointing. It is time for Plan B.
Danielle Hart (Jessica Rothe) finds herself in the midst of a quarter-life crisis. With her college partying days behind her, she is becoming more unsatisfied with her career and up-and-down love life. As she and her roommate scroll through the channels, they see a TV news segment covering the Justice League International and they debate who is the hottest of the group. Suddenly, they hear two portal sounding noises in quick succession from within Danielle’s bedroom. They load up household items as their weapons and nervously open the door but no one is there. They instead find a a sleek superhero suit in her closet. They wonder about how it got there but Danielle says its too ugly for her and the roommate agrees. They donate the suit to a local thrift store. We see Cave and Bonnie in their conference room, shaking their head.6
6 So this character is a bit of a new invention for the film. There is a Supernova in the comics with a similar backstory but that one is a male by the name of Daniel Carter. I remember initially planning this third film and one of the first things I'd written down was a female villain. It could create an interesting dynamic as, knowing Booster, he would probably have an attraction to his enemy. And that's where the thought then came to make Supernova a female ancestor of his. I loved the work of Jessica in Happy Death Day and that is what landed her this role.
Danielle and her roommate see a TV news segment covering the Justice League International and they debate who is the hottest of the group. They come to a consensus on Green Arrow. Suddenly, they hear two portal sounding noises in quick succession from within Danielle’s bedroom. They load up household items as their weapons and nervously open the door but no one is there. They instead find a glowing chic superhero suit in her closet. They both fawn over the suit’s style and Danielle says she’ll try it on. When she does, she pulls it off well but it seems to have an effect on her. She soon discovers that her Supernova suit gives her the ability to both fly and time travel using the suit itself. Her mind goes on autopilot mode, sending Danielle’s consciousness to 2013 and she starts reliving her glory days in college. In present day, the new Supernova – eyes glowing - leaves her apartment on a warpath.
In Ted’s lab, he and Michael investigate the previous attempt on Ted’s life. They realize that the snake-worship is similar to something that J’onn J’onnzz had previously encountered in Texas. Ted’s intel is able to discover that the Church of Blood are an underground cult capitalizing on anti-metahuman sentiments. The Brother Eye incident is their latest example of how metahumans are leading Earth into a massively-destructive global war that will be the end of life as we know it. They look to the ancient reptile of Basilisk for strength and guidance but Ted is unable to find out who their leader is.
Suddenly, Supernova bursts in and says she is here to reprimand Michael Jon Carter and take him into custody. Michael sighs and says “Here we go again. At least this one’s kinda hot?” She swiftly blasts Ted to the ground, signaling to Michael that she is not here to mess around. He hurriedly tells Skeets to summon the Time Sphere and hops in it, where he puts on his outfit. He types in a different date as fast as he can, opting for 1111. Meanwhile at the Vanishing Point, Rip sneaks out from the sights of Cave and Bonnie and loads back up in his Time Sphere.
Year 1111. Booster lands in a vast uninhabited open field. He finds this boring so he goes to England. He immediately sticks out with his glossy suit and fancy technology but he is not the only one: Supernova has followed him here – Booster’s first foe who can also time travel. She chases him through Medieval London, eventually winding up at the Tower of London. Before they fight, he compliments her on being his most attractive opponent yet but he might change that very shortly. However, she is successful at first but chooses not to finish him. Instead, she grabs Skeets and destroys him with her bare hands, sending Booster into an angered shock. Briefly, we check in on Danielle’s mind where she is drinking margaritas on a beach on Spring Break.7
7 One thing that I wanted to do with this film was really utilize the time-travel element to set up unique action set pieces. Putting them here in medieval times could re-live some of the fish-out-of-water elements that are missing from the second film.
In a fit of rage, Booster gains the upper hand in the fight, while also fending off the alerted Tower guards. He says that is ready to hand her a defeat. Once again, Rip Hunter intervenes and wrangles him into his Time Sphere. Booster is pissed since he had that won. Rip tells him he can’t gravely injure her. “Because she’s a girl?” he asks. “No, because she’s your ancestor. Great-great-great-great-great grandmother, to be exact.”
Rip formally introduces himself and his job as a Time Master, someone who must regulate the timestream to make sure static events aren’t changed. His fellow Masters are Cave Carson, his Quantum Physics professor (and archaeology enthusiast), and Bonnie Baxter, his bright classmate in Carson’s class who Rip had a fling with. He was supposed to bring Booster to justice for the mischief he has caused through time traveling. But obviously they failed so his colleagues sent Danielle, someone Michael had no choice but to lose to (or else risk his own existence). To add insult to injury, they equipped her with the Supernova suit that Rip designed himself.
Booster asks why Rip doesn’t take him in now that he has him in his custody, to which Rip says right now his top priority is protecting him from Supernova. Booster then asks if this is all because he ruined that guy's movie career.8 Rip says no, the one event that Booster must let stand is Ted’s death. Booster is angered and confused, saying he already saved his friend’s life. To prove his point, Rip takes to ten years after Michael saved Ted’s life.
8 Some of the callbacks are the in the form of jokes like this one here. If you recall, Rip first visits Booster at the end of Booster Gold II. Hence, this is why Booster tries to connect the dots and assumes that this has something to do with Clayface.
The world is gloomier. Ted Kord lives in hiding due to the escalating support for the Church of Blood. After the failed assassination attempt, the cult’s followers re-tooled their methods and put their efforts into finding ways to replicate the powers of every meta-human on Earth. The public opinion swayed in the favor of the Church’s teachings and metahumans were viewed as a nuisance to society given the mass damage they bring with them. Rip takes Michael to the newly-opened Hero Hall, built in this timeline to honor the many fallen heroes from the devastating past decade: Batman, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, the list goes on. Because Booster saved Ted, Brother Blood never showed up to finish the job and Kord Industries security system was never able to identify their leader.
Rip takes Michael back to Ted’s office. Ted asks who the girl was and who Rip is. Michael introduces Rip as a friend from the future and says the girl might be his toughest challenge yet. Ted says she is pretty good-looking though, which Michael shuts down quickly – revealing that she’s his ancestor. Ted jokingly says maybe he’s Michael’s Great-great-great-great-great grandfather. Michael laughs at first, then looks worriedly to Rip who lets him know that is not the case.9
9 Knowing this would be the last time I was going to get to write banter between Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, I really tried to milk as many jokes as I could out of this. Ultimately, I think this helps the film overall as it adds some levity to the action and emotional moments of the film.
At home, Michael is contemplative about all of the major decisions that he is facing. He doesn’t go into specifics with April but says that if feels like a lose-lose. She talks him down from the ledge a bit, saying that she knows he will make the right decision. He puts on the bravado show on the outside but, after knowing him for years, knows that he is selfless at heart. These words sit with him and this sparks a lightbulb above his head. He says he’s about to face the biggest challenge of his life and that he loves her for now and forever. She reciprocates and lifts her into his arms, taking her to the bedroom.
The next morning, Booster baits Supernova into chasing him again. This time he travels to a more isolated location: Machu Picchu, 1791.10
10 The directing team and I put some real thought into figuring out where to set this climactic battle. Ultimately, Machu Picchu felt like something that was both visually inspiring while also being recognizable to most.
Almost instantly, Supernova has Booster cornered. He actually drops to his knees and surrenders, telling her is ready to punished. However, when she prepares to take him to the Time Masters, he pulls a special penny from behind her ear and says “Oldest trick in the book, I hear.”11 She falls to the ground, stunned, and he takes to the edge of a nearby cliff. She tries to talk him down, saying that if he kills her - it could erase everyone he has ever loved. His parents. His sister. Himself. Booster reflects on this and realizes how insane he is acting. He lets her off free and says he now realizes what he really must do. He will close his own time loop, so no one before him will be affected. He then closes his eyes and leaps off the cliff.
11 A call-back to The Prankster! Hopefully some of you were able to get a good laugh out of that moment. I want to use this as an opportunity to wish Bob Odenkirk a speedy recovery from his recent health issues. I'm looking forward to the final season of 'Better Call Saul'!
Booster wakes up suddenly in a cloudlike location, clearly some form of Heaven. From behind him, he hears someone say “hey, big guy”. When he turns around, he is shocked to see his idol: Superman (Nicolas Cage) – wait, no, it is Nicolas Cage as Superman. Michael is awe-struck and tells him he loved his work in Con Air. He asks why his favorite actor is dressed up as his favorite hero and Cage tells him that he also looks up to Superman. They have a heart-to-heart conversation where Cage asks Michael if he really thinks this is all what Ted would want. Ted is a man who always believed in doing things the right way and that includes letting his death stand in order to uphold the greater good. It would be Ted’s ultimate sacrifice. What ultimately earns him a place in the Metropolis Hero Hall. Nic Cage’s Superman seems to get through to Michael, in some way.12
12 I was so happy when I thought of this idea in the writer's room. It accomplishes multiple things. It calls back to Booster's love for Con Air and Superman from the first film. It allows for him to finally meet Superman, something that has been a consistent thread throughout the franchise. And it acts as a "come to Jesus moment" in the film's arc, so to speak. Once I realized that I could put Nic Cage in a Superman suit, all these years after Superman Lives, was a dream come true. I'm so glad he said yes to this part and I look forward to working with him again in the near future. Now, mind you, I do believe that John Malone's Superman film was in very early development at this point and so I ran the cameo by John first to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes.
Booster wakes suddenly to find himself in Rip’s newly-repaired Time Sphere, flying in the valleys beneath Macchu Pichu. Booster is bummed and asks why he didn’t let him just die. Rip finally tells him why he can’t let him die: Booster is Rip’s father. Although Rip is one of the Time Masters, he had to break rank to protect Michael and bring him back in one piece, ensuring that Rip’s existence wouldn’t get erased (as it would have if Booster died in the past). And that’s why he tried to prevent the release of Booster’s movie, which alerted the other Time Masters to his activities. For once, Michael is at a loss for words.13
13 Is this a Fast and the Furious movie or Booster Gold? Because, damn, I forgot how big of a storyline that "family" is in this film. From Danielle to Rip to his extended family of Ted and April, this is a film about Booster fully coming to terms with being a superhero and actually giving a damn about the people around him.
Before he can get something out and have a father-son moment, their Time Sphere is violently rammed into by another. When they step out, they find that Supernova now has company: Cave Carson and Bonnie Baxter. Cave says that he is disappointed that Rip has shown his true colors. It is now time for them both to be brought to justice. Bonnie kisses Cave for good luck before the battle, leading to a stoic look in Rip’s eyes.
Booster and Rip face off against their three foes. Rip says he will take on Bonnie and Carson while Booster faces Supernova for round three. As Rip fights, he sees Booster gain the advantage in his fight with Supernova. He shouts to him that he will need to remove Supernova’s outfit from off of her. Booster looks at him puzzled, as if to say “do I have to?”. In a tussle, he removes the costume while constantly apologizing. In her mind, Danielle’s Spring Break comes to violent halt and she now finds herself back in her current state. The spell of the Supernova costume is broken and her eyes stop glowing. Confused, she asks what’s going on and then realizes she’s only in her bra and underwear at Macchu freaking Pichu. Booster closes his eyes and promises he’s not looking and then tells her to go to the Time Sphere and he will explain it all later.14
14 This is another moment that felt like it could be used as a platform to combine the comedic and action elements of the franchise. I struggle to recall much other climactic battle sequences where the hero is trying to take off their enemy's clothes (respectfully).
Now evenly matched, Booster and Rip defeat Bonnie and Cave. Rip, having invented the Time Sphere, disables the one used by his colleagues. Booster tells Rip that he’s come to the conclusion that he is going to accept fate and let Ted’s death stand. When Rip asks what finally convinced him, Booster says the man upstairs. Rip informs his former colleagues that he is sorry but he’s leaving them in the past. As he drops Michael off at his home, Rip says “So I’ll see you around?”. Booster affirms. “Do you promise?” “I’m not a parenting expert but it kinda feels like the roles are reversed. And yes, I do promise.” They give each other a nod.15
15 I wish I could've had more father-son bonding moments/jokes in the film but leaving the reveal until the third act meant that I had to limit it to here. I like the chemistry between Billy and Dan and I look forward to seeing Dan continue the role in Justice League Unlimited.
Booster loads into his own Time Sphere and winds up back in Metropolis on the morning of Ted’s death, which will occur in roughly 11 hours.16
16 And so starts one of my favorite sequences I've ever written here at LRF. I wanted this film to bookend Booster's three-film journey and so I knew I wanted the last fifteen minutes to be him saying goodbye to the family that he had created in the past. I honestly got a little teary-eyed when I was writing this, which may sound corny but it's the truth.
After much thinking about what he was going to say, Michael reveals to April his need to leave this time behind for reasons outside of his control. He says that it must be done, on a level beyond his own wants and needs. Together, they go to the convenience store where they first met. April says she does not miss working here but she is glad she did that fateful day. She tells him that she will always April Carter, if not legally then in her heart. As they are walking the aisles wistfully, April finds a blu-ray of Titanic. “Do you happen to have three more hours to spare?”, she says as she shows him what he found. From behind his back, he pulls out a blu-ray that he found on the rack: Con Air. “Double feature?” he says. “Only if you promise not to cry this time.”
CUT TO: Michael crawled up in a ball with his head on April’s lap, bawling his eyes out. “Gets me every time.” It is revealed to be Con Air, this time, not Titanic.17 She endearingly smiles at his very nature, giving him a soft kiss on the top of his head. He looks at his clock and notices he only has hours before Ted’s death. He says it really is time, now. She says “but how do I live without you?”, prompting Michael to start singing that song out of key but she shuts him down, giving off a laugh at his goofiness in this somber moment. He then says she will have something that will always remind her of him and pulls out the VHS copy of The Booster Gold Story. She laughs and says she’ll always love him, the big dummy that he is. On his way out, he gives Ted a call and asks him if he wants to go on a fun adventure.
17 Once again, this is meant to call-back to the initial moments of their relationship in the first film. They go back to the convenience store where she worked that he asked her on a date. Their first date was to see Titanic, which saw Michael crying hysterically as he did not know the real story of the Titanic. Their relationship is also where he first saw Con Air, from which the song "How Do I Live?" is what Michael "serenades" her with to win her back at the end of that film. So this was really about putting a final bow on their relationship by calling back to those moments.
1881. ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ plays as a horse gallops into the Old-West settlement of Metropolis. On the horse is Ted Kord, dressed like a hero from a 1940s western film. He drinks in the adoration of the townspeople, shaking hands and kissing babies along the way. He stops on the main stretch of town, where Booster Gold the Bandit stands waiting for him. Under his bandana, Michael asks Ted if he’s feeling lucky, punk, to which Ted replies that that’s not even one of Eastwood’s westerns. In their showdown, Ted wins the quickdraw and sends Michael to the ground.18
18 And now we return to where we started. But this time...Michael lets Ted be the hero! He finally gives his friend the spotlight.
When he approaches his fallen opponent, he finds Michael trying to hide his tears by wiping them away with his kerchief. Ted asks if the fake gun really hurt that bad. Michael looks as if he is going to say something else but instead nods and says yes.19 At the saloon, everyone is having a merry time but Michael is not drinking. When Ted asks why not, he says he shouldn’t drink and travel time. Michael then tells Ted he has a confession to make: “I love you, man.” Ted cracks a smile and says he loves Michael, too. Michael puts his arm around him and repeats the line again, louder. They soon realize that they’re surrounded by a confused, angry mob who ask them if they’re lovers. A drunk Ted looks to Michael and Michael looks back to the mob and answers “Yes. Yes we are.” He gives Ted a big kiss on the cheek.
19 One thing that I wanted to really establish in this scene is that Michael has the unfortunate burden of knowing that Ted is going to die but can't tell him about it. Thus, I wanted this to be a real emotional struggle for him (even if he's also trying to have fun with his best friend one last time).
As they are surrounded by an angered mob, Booster looks at Ted: “One last…”. He holds back some more tears. “One more time?” Ted gives him a slight nod and breaks his glass on the edge of the bar. They both turn around and size up against the mob, ready for a fight.20
20 And so that is it for Booster Gold: Lost in Time! Hell, I got a little emotional just rewatching this thing. It's crazy to think that it has almost been 10 seasons since its release. This franchise will always hold a special place in my heart here at LRF and I hope you enjoyed going on this ride revisiting these films. Now I'm going to need the audio engineer to play me out to some ska music because, well, this is a Booster Gold commentary after all. So long!
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