Gal Gadot

Wonder Woman 1984

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Wonder Woman 1984
  • IMDb: link

Wonder Woman 1984 movie review2017’s Wonder Woman proved to be the pleasant surprise to shine some light in DC’s otherwise gloomy extended universe. Director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot reunite for a sequel set in the 1980s (apparently primarily for the purpose of making fun of the decade’s fashion sense). Gadot seems more confident in the role, hits the right emotional beats, and the sequel taps into primary motivations of the character while introducing one of the Amazon’s most famous possessions in the Invisible Plane. So why isn’t Wonder Woman 1984 more successful?

The choice to bring back Wonder Woman‘s lost love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) is a controversial one, but the wishing stone that also turns Kristen Wiig into Cheetah and provides Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) with near unlimited power does work as a catalyst to get things rolling. Trevor’s return forces Diana to confront her own feelings as does the dread that defeating Max may mean saying goodbye to Steve again. It’s a clever way to bring the character back for one more film but other than the personal turmoil it causes Diana, I don’t think the script is helped by Trevor’s inclusion.

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Justice League

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Justice League
  • IMDb: link

Justice League movie reviewBuilt from the worst foundation possible laid by the disastrous Man of Steel and the trainwreck which was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it’s a wonder that Justice League is even watchable let alone entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, the latest from “visionary” director Zack Snyder is beset with multiple problems, but thankfully being a dumpster fire isn’t one of them. Despite issues with character, plot, editing, acting, and cinematography, Justice League does produce a flawed yet entertaining film bringing DC heroes together against a common threat. It’s not the follow-up to Wonder Woman DC fans were hoping for, but it’s a fair bit better than I expected from Zack Snyder and company.

The threat chosen by the four (count them four) credited screenwriters is the film’s first major obstacle. A C-List villain at best, Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), a poor stand-in for the more imposing Darkseid, is almost entirely forgettable while his plans for uniting three disco cubes to destroy the Earth is goofy as hell. At least his legion of fear-eating Parademons gives someone for Batman (Ben Affleck) to hit (as the Dark Knight is pretty impotent against the big guy).

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The Top Ten Movies of 2017 (so far)

/ / Top Tens & Lists

best-of-2017-so-far

Is the year really half over? You know what that means! It’s time to look back on the year to find the best movies released so far this year. This year’s list includes a pair of animated movies, monsters, sequels, heroes, talking cars and appliances, a remake, mutants, a heist film, and more. Here’s a look at The Top Ten Movies of 2017 (so far).

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Wonder Woman

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Wonder Woman (2017)
  • IMDb: link

Wonder Woman movie reviewIt took four movies, but the DC Extended Universe has finally delivered a true super-hero movie. With Wonder Woman, for the first time, DC gives us a protagonist who is actually a hero (rather than one brought up to be selfish about his gifts, a group of killers brought together for a good cause, or one obsessed with murder and vengeance). I doubt the limited input of Zack Snyder or the lack of involvement from David Goyer is a coincidence. There’s a lesson to be learned there, if anyone at DC or Warner Bros. is paying attention.

Credit goes to director Patty Jenkins and screenwriter Allan Heinberg in taking the best aspects of Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor and merging them into a film better than either of the two. Wonder Woman isn’t without its flaws. It drags on (especially during its CGI-heavy final act) and it can’t quite shake free from Snyder’s hard-on for slow-motion action scenes (although Jenkins is mercifully more adept and not prolonging or overusing the technique). What it gets right is its choice of stars and, for the first time in the combined DC movie universe, a willingness to give the central character heart (something sorely lacking in DC’s previous films).

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Criminal

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Criminal
  • IMDb: link

CriminalThe premise behind screenwriters Douglas Cook and David Weisberg‘s Criminal is fairly ridiculous, even for B-movie action flick. Sadly, it’s not nearly as entertaining as the pair’s 20 year-old collaboration – The Rock. Set in present day, the death of Agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds), who alone has vital information to keep backdoor access into the missile command of the United States out of the hands of a terrorist (Jordi Mollà), causes the CIA to attempt an experimental procedure to implant Pope’s memories into a brain-damaged convict named Jericho (Kevin Costner).

Costner is an interesting choice for a remorseless cold-blooded killer forced to deal with unexpected feelings for a wife (Gal Gadot) and child (Lara Decaro) who are not his own and a mission he never signed-up for. His casting looks to be a huge misstep in the early scenes before Jericho’s operation, but the more conflicted the character becomes over the course of the film Costner’s performance begins to become one of the movie’s biggest strengths.

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