WW84

Scott Hardie: “It ruled.”

I was disappointed at how dumb this movie was in parts -- superhero movies in 2020 are so much smarter than this that it feels a bit like a throwback to a pre-MCU, pre-Nolan era, somewhere around the time of the campy Raimi Spider-Mans that looked down at their source material -- but it made up for those problems with its many other qualities, most of all its villain. This version of Max Lord is not as cruel or vicious as his comics inspiration, but there is something very recognizable in the insatiability of his lust for "success," and the eagerness of everyone else around him to give in so quickly to his will. I don't want to pile on with the think-piece authors online who insist that this is a deliberate Trump satire, because there's little overtly Trumpian about him that didn't come from decades-old comics, but damn if those particular aspects of Lord's portrayal didn't ring a lot of bells after four years of a Trump presidency. His rapid ascendancy and the chaos that follows in his wake are genuinely, hairs-stand-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck frightening for how very real they now seem.

The action scenes are satisfying. The special effects are mostly pretty good, much more specific and detailed where the last film became a muddled fog of CGI at its climax. The airborne scenes are slowed down to give them a dreamlike quality that is very pleasing. I enjoyed Hans Zimmer's music; I'm glad that he came out of retirement from scoring superhero movies because he's pretty good at it. It's a shame that the movie doesn't have more of a sense of humor; Diana's fish-out-of-water comedy was a big part of the last film's appeal, and though there's a little of that here, it's not nearly enough to lighten what is mostly a serious film. I have a few quibbles with the ending, but not enough to diminish the overall experience. I was fairly pleased with this.

− December 26, 2020 • more by Scott • log in or create an account to reply

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Evie Totty: “It was ok.”

I'll really keep this one short and sweet, as I have much more to say in the discussion section.

Had potential, then just ended really fast with a lot of stuff that didn't make sense.

Perhaps I let my own self down, given I'd been waiting for this movie for a very long time.

− December 28, 2020 • more by Evie • log in or create an account to reply

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Erik Bates: “It was ok.”

More to come. I’m tired but want to get my review in.

− December 28, 2020 • more by Erik • log in or create an account to reply

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Samir Mehta: “It sucked.”

I cannot believe how phenomenally miscalculated this movie was. I LOVE Monster and I very much like Wonder Woman. This was not those. I spent most of my time watching the movie wondering what caused it. I have two theories:

1. They wanted to create a movie that’s faithful to the cheesy/bad style of the early 1980s. In some senses, this succeeds. It is cheesy, poorly written, and the characters are thinly drawn. It seems like an arch high concept... maybe?

Or
2. They coasted. Yeah it’s this.

− January 19, 2021 • more by Samir • log in or create an account to reply

Scott Hardie: Or 3. They rushed it. The first Wonder Woman was in development for years. Work began on this sequel a few weeks after the first film's release. − January 19, 2021 • more by Scott

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