There’s been a lotta whining and bitching about WONDER WOMAN ’84 (2020) which tells me that there will be a lotta bitching about any and every DC comics film forever. The bitching about the first was that it was too dark and so they lighten things up for this one and now that’s wrong too. I think the age of the internet is its own worst enemy. Anyway….
I enjoyed this brighter, lighter story that seemed to want to bring a little of the tone of the 1970’s television series to the big screen. It’s a little sloppy and a bit silly but it also has its heart in the right place. There was always going to be trouble with a story that stuck close to the mythological elements of WW’s classic tales and that does seem to be where the complaints begin. Yes, the idea of magical wishes being the crux of the story means that crazy things will happen and the logical endpoint might be a hideous world destroying example of hubris - but that is what a huge percentage of WW tales revolve around! You are either along for the ride or you don’t buy the ticket in the first place. Yes, the first film was better overall but the joy with which this film flies is very fun to watch. I loved the entire arc of Barbara Minerva, finally giving one of DC’s less well-known villains a (sort of) big screen debut. The cast is wonderful, the action fun and Gal Godot has become the embodiment of a great Wonder Woman so all I want is more adventures of this character for the next ten years or so.
The List
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. RX (1942) – 6 (rewatch)
SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER (1977) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
WONDER WOMAN 1984 (2020) – 7
LIVE LIKE A COP, DIE LIKE A MAN (1976) – 8 (fast and violent Italian police thriller)
BLACK BOOTS, LEATHER WHIP (1983) – 8 (Franco noir)
THE CRIME DOCTOR’S STRANGEST CASE (1943) - 6 (solid entry in the series)
EXORCISM (1975) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
MR. MOTO TAKES A VACATION (1939) – 7 (last of Lorre’s Moto films is fast and exciting)
MR. HERCULES AGAINST KARATE (1973) – 3 (Margheriti and comedy do not mix)
NORTHWEST TERRITORY (1951) – 6 (RCMP and Chinook the killer dog strike again!)
OLIVIA (1983) – 7 (odd drama from Ulli Lommel)
THE COLLECTOR (2009) – 7 (more improbable as it goes along but suspenseful)
BRITISH AGENT (1934) – 5 (uninvolving drama centered on the 1917 Russian Revolution)
SILENT HILL REVELATION (2012) – 3 (pointless series of set-pieces)
YUKON GOLD (1952) – 6 (Mountie murder mystery)
CALLING DR. DEATH (1943) – 7 (Inner Sanctum mystery) (rewatch on Blu)
THE MONOLITH MONSTERS (1957) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)
POSSESSOR (2020) – 8 (excellent, creepy sci-fi)
THE PANTHER’S CLAW (1942) – 6 (interesting if creaky PRC mystery)
AD ASTRA (2019) – 8 (thoughtful, intelligent science fiction)
ABBOT & COSTELLO GO TO MARS (1953) – 5 (barely OK effort)
THE PENGUIN POOL MURDERS (1932) – 6 (first Hildegard Withers mystery film)
WIERD WOMAN (1944) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE MASK OF DEATH (1984) – 7 (Cushing has one last turn at the role)
CURTAINS (1983) – 7 (rewatch)
SCREAMERS (1996) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
DEAD MAN’S EYES (1944) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)
THE LITTLE THINGS (2021) – 7
NOAH’S ARK (1928) – 8 (incredible silent epic)
S.O.S. TIDAL WAVE (1939) – 6 (news/crime drama with wild effects ending)
THE OKLAHOMA BLUES (1948) – 6 (Monogram B-western)
4 comments:
Gotta agree with you about the bitching about the DC movies. This past month I watched Justice League and Suicide Squad, and I gotta say I enjoyed the hell out of both of them. I was able to keep track of the characters, and the VFX weren't so visually overwhelming that I was able to enjoy the action as well as the characters. I can't say the same is true for the Marvel movies I've seen. Heck, I need a freakin' scorecard/cheatsheet, or at least someone sitting beside me who can tell me who this is and that was. I never even bothered to watch Endgame (and to be totally honest and fair, this is the same reason I stopped watching CW's Supergirl).
So why do the DC films get so little respect?
The bitching about the DC movies stems from their more dark tone and concentration on the more serious elements of the superhero idea. The whining about the 'Grim-Dark' tone I find to be hilariously stupid.
That's really sad, especially since both Justice League and Suicide Squad were really enjoyable to me. Avengers: Infinity War turned me off of superhero movies, and it was the week-long winter storm here in Kentucky (with plenty of time on my hands) piqued me into watching both JL and SS. I'm glad I gave both a try.
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