I skimmed Max Lord's wiki and can't find a connection to Wonder Woman beyond neck-snapping.
I skimmed Max Lord's wiki and can't find a connection to Wonder Woman beyond neck-snapping.
I wouldn't call this movie campy. Sure, the excess that we see and the colours carry some of the elements of camp, but it's not held up as a source of comedy. Those elements are instead a backdrop and time marker that's taken—and used—seriously.
I'm not entirely sure where the shots of the city landscape and the exploding wall (starts at 1:33) are supposed to be. If I had to guess, I'm thinking of Beirut and the aftermath of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, but I'm not sure the movie will go that political (especially with Gal Gadot in the lead role).
«Speaking generally, it is because of the desire of the tragic poets for the marvellous that so varied and inconsistent an account of Medea has been given out» (Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History [4.56.1])
That's literally the only connection they have. Diana wasn't even on the Justice League when Lord was working with them.
For some reason, DC is just obsessed with that neck snap storyline and insist on pushing it as some kind of epic rivalry between Diana and Max.
I'll admit, I still would've preferred a different central villain, but I trust Patty and Pedro Pascal to give us something interesting.
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
--Lord Alfred Tennyson--
This is the biggest problem I have with the film. They could've modified any of Wonder Woman's actual rogues from her series, but instead they chose to use a character who is a tiny blip in her own series.
Thomas Randolph (White Magician) would've been a better choice for me.
As for the trailer, I am mixed. I really liked it, but didn't love it. I mean, Diana is always amazing. Love Kristen Wiig in the trailer but wish we had more of her (I really hope Cheetah will end up blowing people away).
And the whole 80's aesthetic was fun, but I'm not sure I wanted something THAT fun for a sequel. I think Cheetah deserves a much darker film for her own. And shoe-horning Max Lord into it does take a lot away from her. That said, Pedro Pascal looks really fun.
Was Johns still an advisor when they made this movie? That's my first thought when I saw Max Lord being used but having only that one connection in the comics.
Depends on what is meant by "made", but I think he was still around in the early scripting stages, and those are probably what matters here.
Even if think that it's probable that they could easily swap out Maxwell Lord and insert Doctor Psycho in the movie without any sort of hiccup.
«Speaking generally, it is because of the desire of the tragic poets for the marvellous that so varied and inconsistent an account of Medea has been given out» (Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History [4.56.1])
I also wish that the writers had chosen a main baddie that is more closely associated with classic WW mythos than Max Lord, but I guess it is what it is.
If i had been up to me, the second WW film would have featured Dr. Psycho and Silver Swan, and the third one would have been Circe and Cheetah (in my opinion, it would make sense to connect the witch who turned men into animals with Barbara Minerva). Oh, well.
I still loved the trailer and it left me very intrigued. Is Diana running after Cheetah in that scene where we see her zooming down the highway? What is going on when she rides the thunderbolts? What exactly is the deal with Max? Is he really Max? I find it odd that they revealed the identity of the alleged main baddie so early after they kept Ares so close to the vest for so long during the first movie's marketing blitz. Maybe he will end up being Dr. Psycho after all, and "Max Lord" is just the fake identity he chooses.
Lord also fits the 80's excess as well perhaps. Amoral self-serving businessman and all that. Especially since they seem to have really made him channel 80's Trump here as well.
I wonder if Max Lord is actually Ares reborn, hence the lightning bolts in the trailer. And there's even a precedent for that in Earth One.
I think the lightning might be there to show how Diana has improved as using her abilities over the decades.
Scripting sounds right. Whichever stage where he can suggest who can be the villain.
He's created in the 80s for JLI. 3 1987 to be exact. Just 3 years after this movie's set.
So that's three reasons why I guess. JLI is unknown to the DCEU, but Wonder Woman is, so they use Wonder Woman instead.
This is where my head has been going... The possibility that Steve is real and brought back from the dead and Lord is a seemingly-real, psychic/ectoplasmic construction of Doctor Psycho. The 80s fit the time period of where third wave of feminism fought against the establishment of patriarchy and began to define itself versus the issues they saw and experienced in second wave feminism.
I can see Doctor Pyscho fearing and hating that and creating a charismatic and handsome persona to try and combat it and seek to punish women for it.
Barbara Minerva could fit into that storyline as a young woman living through that era and searching for herself and her power in juxtaposition to Diana and Wonder Woman. (Who may not have been heard from in a while or only in whispers since WWI.)
In 80s pop culture and movies, women characters were still largely arm candy or the "girlfriend" in film, and possibly the only lead or major supporting character in a cast that was overwhelmingly about men characters and their relationships. Tokenism was just starting dissolve and yet I can remember a bunch of films where the action heroine got maybe one scene where she punches a bad guy or is set up for a "cat fight" scene against her opposite number villainess in the film.
I kinda hope WW84 says something interesting about this via film.
What I like about the movie
No sword and shield
Music
Pedro Pascal one of my favourite actors
Her lassoing lighting
Cinematography
Using lasso as a weapon
Her not killing anyone
Gold armour looks great
What I don't like
Cheetah is clearly sidelined like Dr Poison in first movie. Not even glimpse of her in trailer
There is no reason for the movie to bring Maxwell Lord and find a ridiculous way to make him Godlike when they could have brought Circe or any other Greek Gods.
There was no reason to bring Steve Trevor back instead of introducing character like Wonder Girl, Cheetah or Artemis to be Diana's partner
The way Cheetah is defeated according to leaks is really bad in my opinion
WW is still not a public hero
Amazons are ignored
Last edited by Geraldofrivia; 12-09-2019 at 09:42 AM.
I mean this is the first trailer. Maybe they don’t want to give us everything. Also we do see the Amazons and Diana as a little girl training with antipope.
I’m curious since WB they will be doing reboot for certain things. You guys think Steve will come back or at least stand alive.
There are rumors that they might just start quietly, ignoring, a lot of what Snyder did. But I'm not sure how true that is.
And given how different Diana is characterized in BVS and JL vs. The end of her first film, I can see why they might do that.
And like I said before, perhaps they're holding off on showing Cheetah in her cat form, they did show Barbara several times after all, until they're sure the effects are done well enough.