If ten years of recording The Young and the Restless for my mother have taught me anything, it's that characters in serial dramas are always happily in love...until they're not
“The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. Instead of altering their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views...which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.” - the 4th Doctor
I watched Wonder Woman 1984 for a 5th and final time today before it leaves HBO Max. I find the movie absolutely perfect, and I can't wait until the next Wonder Woman adventure.
There were some small things I liked a little more about the movie. Seeing Diana and Steve with an assist from Barbara learning about this ancient artifact that destroys civilizations was truly satisfying and exhilarating. The movie so effortlessly showed Diana and Barbara's intelligence, their deductive and reasoning skills, and their ability to discover what happened to the dreamstone and how during their conversation with the Mayan descendant. Having them be coworkers at the Smithsonian was genius.
I liked the illustration we got of Duke of Deception. Since I knew what to look for, there's a small illustration at the top right of the book that shows this god/classic Wonder Woman villain. I also wouldn't mind if the Duke of Deception was reintroduced into the comic as the God of Lies.
The small ways Diana/Steve show they are a true team, with Diana often taking the lead. Diana is so far from the naive woman during The Great War who needed to be led - sometimes literally - by Hippolyta, Antiope, and Steve. Diana commands rooms and is the natural leader something one cannot just wish for. I like when Barbara is telling everyone at the Smithsonian a story, and then Diana walks into the room and everyone immediately changes into a more upright posture and gets back to work. It's like when the teacher comes into the room at the beginning of class. A natural leader.
The fashion. Barbara's teal(?) heels she puts on after her wish are so cute with the pink she's wearing. Diana's ponytail changes from the Steve modern-day montage to their inspection of Max's office.
The movie is bold and fearless as a Wonder Woman depiction should be. Jenkins shows the various ways the lasso should be considered one of the most versatile weapons in the DC Universe be if for discovering the truth, showing the truth, traversal, defense, offense. I know people don't like the VFX in this film, but I love the way the lasso animates and moves. So natural and graceful. The sword could never be so awe-inspiring.
Speaking of grace. I also noticed the grace of Wonder Woman with the ferocity of Cheetah in their battle this time. This is something I've often read people say on here that I've never really got; however, the film truly depicted their different emotional states with their contrasting battle technique. I still love seeing Cheetah use the towers for leverage and as a tool to fight Diana.
Gadot definitely carried the film and her scenes. I find it weird that people say she is dependant on Chris Pine when the sadness of Diana is so easily felt before he arrives, her elation when he returns, and her emotional healing and rebirth once she must truly move forward without him. I like how Steve, similar to Antiope and Hippolyta at the beginning of the film, refuses to let Diana lie to herself when she says, "I'll never love again." He tells her she will. She realizes that she must choose to live in the world of man again and not simply be their protector to truly experience our world. I'm confident Gadot doesn't need Pine for the next adventure because he was a clear supporting figure in this one.
It made me so ready for the next Diana adventure. I expect the next film won't come until 2025 after Cleopatra and Star Wars, but I'm ready to once again see Diana swing from her lasso to save the world from itself. I hope Gadot and Jenkins can give us some morsels unto the next film - like an animated series or video game - because I'm already feigning for my next Wonder Woman fix.
Last edited by PopQuezy; 01-24-2021 at 10:10 PM.
I enjoyed the movie.
The 80s aesthetic was a great way to differentiate the movie from the first and generally a welcome change to the settings of most superhero movies.
The first half of the movie was a little exposition-heavy, but the film really got moving in the second half. I don't really know anything about Maxwell Lord or Cheetah (I'm not super familiar with WW's rogues), but I thought they both made great villain types, though I was a bit disappointed there wasn't more closure with Cheetah.
I do think a lot of the criticism from filmgoers is a bit unwarranted here, as most everything I've read leveled at the film applies to the bulk of superhero movies, Marvel or DC (plot holes are generally everywhere, things don't make sense upon careful analysis because streamlining plot makes more sense from a story perspective). I'm guessing a lot of the criticism stems from the fact that the first movie had impeccable pacing and was nearly unimpeachable except for its ending. This movie tried to do its own thing, which in my mind was the right move.
I watched it a couple of weeks ago and I liked it.
I think Kristen Wiig did a good job but I would've liked her portrayed more to the comics as a confident and aggressive archaeologist instead of the cliche "nobody."
I think Pedro Pascal did good but I would've like him closer to his comic counterpart and made him more of an ongoing threat for the greater DCEU. My sis and bro-in-law did not enjoy the movie and my sis basically said it was Pascal that soured it for her as he didn't sell his character. We both agreed actors like Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr, or Michael Fassbender would've devoured the Max Lord character.
This film gets major points for the nod to the Duke of Deception... I really appreciated that. That's actually a door that can be fully opened later.
All-in-all, I gave it a B- and I hope we see Kristen's Cheetah in the greater DCEU.
The mall scene, her flying and the battle with Cheetah are the highlights for me.
Last edited by Silver Phoenix; 01-26-2021 at 07:58 PM.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."- Jesus
John 14:6
I agree wit just about everything you stated.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."- Jesus
John 14:6
HBO Max Reaches 37.7M, Including 17.2M "Activated," Subscribers
The final few weeks of 2020 proved invaluable for WarnerMedia's HBO Max. The streaming service, buoyed by an eight-months-in-the-making distribution deal with Roku and the Christmas Day release of Wonder Woman 1984, ended the year with 17.17 million activated users, twice as many as at the start of the fourth quarter, AT&T disclosed on Wednesday.
HBO Max now reaches 37.665 million total subscribers. That compares with 28.7 million subscribers, including 8.6 million activated users, as of the end of September.
Combined, HBO and HBO Max had 41.5 million U.S. subscribers as of the end of 2020, compared with 38.0 million as of the end of September.
"The release of Wonder Woman 1984 helped drive our domestic HBO Max and HBO subscribers to more than 41 million, a full two years faster than our initial forecast," said AT&T CEO John Stankey.
Full article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...scriber-update
What a fantastic, welcomed, and surprisingly objective critique. Thank you for that! I hope this movie encourages you to seek some Cheetah story lines out, as there are some great ones! I'd be inclined to advise you to avoid any Max Lord/Wonder Woman stories, though. Trust me!
Peace and Love to ALL!!!
Ray
**=w**=
https://deadline.com/2021/01/wonder-...en-1234683058/
‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Soars To Christmas Streaming Win On Updated U.S. Nielsen List, With 35% Margin Over ‘Soul’
More evidence that WW84 was a success for ATT/WB. Now that movies are starting their slow rescheduling again this year, I'm so happy I was able to watch this film for Christmas. Can't wait for WW3!
How much of views in the opening week was due to hype? Batman v Superman crushed its opening weekend, but then fell off a cliff.
I'm glad that the third movie was greenlit, but that Deadline story seems like a small piece of the picture.
Maybe it is a small piece of the picture. ATT/WB have the whole picture, and apparently, it's great enough for them to confirm a sequel with Patty and Gal returning.
It's also great enough for them to specifically credit WW84 for their subscriber growth.
https://deadline.com/2021/01/hbo-max...-t-1234681277/
HBO Max Activations Double In Q4 To 17.2M, Driven By ‘Wonder Woman 1984’
Last edited by PopQuezy; 01-29-2021 at 11:50 AM.
Despite all of Wonder Womans successes, WB still appears to do the bare minimum with her. Why not set forth an Amazon series on HBOMax or the spin off film that Patty wanted to do?