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I didn’t have high hopes for WW84 but there is a really decent 90 minute movie buried in there. Here are my thoughts you didn’t ask for...
The good:
1. Pedro Pascal: I like that the villain isn’t just a lunk that needs a beating or a slow pacing fop that’s two moves ahead...
The good:
1. Pedro Pascal: I like that the villain isn’t just a lunk that needs a beating or a slow pacing fop that’s two moves ahead...
...In fact as a bad guy, I’d say he’s more compelling and than at least half of the Marvel villains we’ve seen over the last 5 years. His performance has a cocaine mania that’s works for the time frame. He’s actually memorable which is more than I can say for most foes
2. The conflict: I think Diana getting what she wants about halfway through and then avoiding the having to pay the price for it is decently satisfying. This isn’t elegantly tied up at the end but as far as a hero’s struggle through a second act it works well. Especially...
...since she’s up against a main foe who isn’t a match for her physicality. I wish Lord had thrown more in her way as she tried to catch up to him, or Barbara be a bigger burr in her saddle, but I like we actually see Diana struggle.
3. The end: I really like that Lord isn’t blown up, killed by his own hubris, or shown plotting in prison. He simply has a change of heart. It’s actually a lot harder plane to land than “we’ve got to time this shot just right to reverse the big laser aimed at earth” and so forth
4. The tone: some people have dogged this but I kinda liked the Christopher Reeve era Superman goofiness of it in parts. They also really pulled back on the rough DCish humor thank god. Moments of levity felt good. Ok now The Bad...
The Bad:
1. Length: Jesus me this thing is so bloated it’s criminal. Most useless cold open in history. Never film the cold open and use the money to buy the rights to more 80s music. Stop looking at fireworks and stop the bad guy!!!
1. Length: Jesus me this thing is so bloated it’s criminal. Most useless cold open in history. Never film the cold open and use the money to buy the rights to more 80s music. Stop looking at fireworks and stop the bad guy!!!
2. Acting: In such stark contrast with Pascal, Gadot never never conveys the emotional weight of any situation. In fact it’s almost creepy how unfazed she is by both good and bad things that happen. It’s rough and wish it was better.
3. Pacing and Character Dev: you can fix some the length issues with this. Some edits - cut cold open - show a tender scene up top with Lord and his son that shows he loves him and wants to be everything his own dad wasn’t. Ah! Now the movie is Lord’s overcorrection - satisfying!
If you slide all this up, you can spend more time showing Lord having fun going Wolf of Wall Street while Diana deals with the idea of hanging up the lasso...
Maybe that’s her hero story in this one: Steve is back, her powers are fading, she has the out to be happy and lead normal life, let the Green Lantern deal with this shit etc. Ah! But she has the lasso, she knows the truth and her gains are ill gotten. She must renounce!
4. Fight Scenes: with all the money in the world you’ll never make CGI swinging look cool. It’s hard to surprise us anymore with super hero visuals that we’ve seen nonstop since 2008. Wish this had used Diana powers and her fading powers in a resourceful way.
Overall it’s a superhero movie. They’re like this by and large. I enjoyed some things, I didn’t others. But I know one thing, if you’re going to show Chekhov’s golden armor, do it in act one and have it make a difference in act three
