Movie Review - Wonder Woman (2017)

Wonder Woman

2017

Production Companies:  DC Entertainment, Warner Bros, Atlas Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Wanda Pictures, Tencent Pictures, & Cruel & Unusual Films

Finally, the DC Movie Universe has made a film they can be proud of.  This film is definitely a step in the right direction for the DC Superheros, though, it doesn't make up for the travesties which came before it.  They should use this as the mile stick with which to measure their up and coming films.  Though I cannot help but feel Justice League will be taking a few steps backwards from this film.

I liked the fact that the writers decided to use mix the origin stories up and have Diana coming to the world of man during the First World War; this strengthens the concept of her being immortal.  As well as allowing for some nice special effects in the dog fight scenes and other period specific weaponry.  Zeus created the Amazons to bring love and peace to mankind, though mankind corrupted by Ares enslaved them.  Hippolyte led a revolt to free the Amazons and when Zeus brought the god to help in their defence Ares killed them.  Zeus with his dying breath crippled Ares and created Themyscira to hide the Amazons from mankind.  So here is the first error, Zeus is dead but yet he later breathes life into a clay-shaped human effigy to create Diana.  All is well on the island until Steve Trevor's plane crashes off the coast and Diana dives in to save him.  Trevor has the secret poison book of Dr, Maru; the Germans hot on his trail shoot him down,  Here comes a second error, there's a group of Germans in a rowboat looking for the wreckage of the plane, they stick their head through the fog which hides the island and then attacks the Amazons... and lose, of course.  Though I did wonder where the battleship they came from and the one which had shot Trevor down has disappeared to... as we see no more Germans (sloppy writing).  Believing Ares is to blame for the ongoing war, Trevor describes, Diana takes it upon herself to hunt him down and kill him, with the God Killer sword.

As I stated there are a couple of obvious errors in the opening set up and this continues throughout the film.  It would have been nice if somebody had pointed them out so they could be taken care off.  Most of them are small issues and easily resolved but they do hinder the film a little.  

However, they are only small and the movie is pretty massive so the good does outweigh the bad.  Though Gal Gadot does a good job in the Wonder Woman persona, she's not too great as Diana Prince.  Saying she's coming from an island where the main way to travel is by horse and foot, where they are trained in sword fighting and archery, and the main food is fresh fish, vegetables and fruit she doesn't appear too surprised by automobiles, aeroplanes, ships, and the modern weaponry... let alone the "new food".  Though they include the "Ice Cream" scene it would have been nice to have seen a little more childish enthusiasm and awe in this character.

Chris Pine fits the Steve Trevor character like a glove and gets his persona down pat, though a little more womanising, or even hints at it would've added strength to it.  Lucy Davis is splendid as Etta Candy, Steve Trevor's secretary, and actually has the air of awe I wished Diana Prince to have.  The bad guy Ludendorff and his crony Dr Maru are brilliantly played by Danny Huston and Elena Anaya, respectively.  They give a creepy and flesh-crawling performance in their roles.  David Thewlis was an inspired choice for Sir Patrick, though I have to admit I'm not too sure that he was completely right for the part, though I do know what the writers and director were doing when they cast him.  Not a completely genius move, but close.

Patty Jenkins does a marvellous job of the directing.  She keeps the action tight and fast paced though has the nerve to slow it down at the right times to emphasize an action, a movement, or a special effect.  This keeps it interesting for the viewer.  Though in the more drama based sets she opts for a more standard style of camera work.  A few differing camera angles would have been nice.  Though this is a lighter film in atmosphere to other DC adaptations there are a lot of scenes shot in dark atmosphere's  A little normal lighting and brighter sets would've strengthened the darkness and grimness of the front line, which was filmed with the same filters as their entry into London.  So the front line could have been a muddy football field in London.  It would have been nice to bring DC out of the dark fully.

That said this is a really entertaining film, which sticks to the characters basic ethos.  It is a spectacularly nice waste of time which I would recommend anybody to see and unlike previous DC Universe Movies, this one is really worth watching... and may even be worth keeping.  As stated before, I hope they take heed of this movie and implement this style of film making and storytelling into their upcoming films.

This is why the 1975's Wonder Woman theme is still the best...

...and just because it's AWESOME...

Series Pilot - Wonder Woman (2011)

Wonder Woman [PILOT]

2011

Production Companies:  DC Entertainment & Warner Bros. Television

It's good to be surprised, which is exactly what I was after viewing the leaked pilot episode of the axed-before-release series of Wonder Woman.

It would appear that the writer, David E Kelley, had quite a different take on the Wonder Woman mythos by bringing her into the present day and giving her all the troubles that go along with it.  This is a much darker character than seen before.  Let me state that I don't usually like this kind of thing because writers can easily get carried away and kill off the characters main and basic characterisations, which is what happened in Batman Vs Superman - An old Batman was not very clever and easily lead, while Superman had no problem killing anyone,  However, Kelley actually manages to keep the essence of Wonder Woman.  I even think if this had become a series it may have strengthened the character for an older audience.

In this present day, Diana Prince runs a company that, not only, helps her to fight crime but helps everyday people.  This in itself is a nice take on the Amazonian ethic.  In this story, she's up against Veronica Cale, who is brilliantly portrayed by Elizabeth Hurley (not an actress that I would usually rate - talk about surprise - she's one of the strongest characters in the show).  Cale runs a cosmetic and pharmacy business and one of her products to enhance the human physique may be killing people.  Can Wonder Woman stop her before it kills more people?

Though this sounds like it could be a story out of the '70's series it does lend itself to the present day especially with a number of supplements out there that we can take to increase body mass.  Kelley does an admirable job of making this relevant as well as adding a twist or two, which you, unfortunately, can see coming.

It's the direction which hurts this show though as the story and its execution on screen are very jagged and harsh.  Though I cannot be too harsh as this is not a finished item, there would have been plenty of trimming and cleaning to be done before airing (so a pinch of salt there)  What the director does show in this "Dirty" episode is how good at action he is.  The opening sequence where Wonder Woman is in pursuit of a criminal through the busy streets is fantastic.  Not only do we have running on cars (I always wanted to do that - even now I can't walk down a street of parked cars with out thinking... what if?) but jumping over vehicles and from one car to another.  This also has one of the most believable faster-than-humanly-possible running sequences I've seen.  Then there's the main fight scene towards the end of the show when Wonder Woman takes on a group of enhanced humans.  This is also one of the best-choreographed TV fight scenes.  At the end she actually kills a guard,  I loved this as it adds to her true character, she is an Amazonian Warrior and warriors kill.

However, there are some drawbacks, the main being the characters.  Though Elwes is good as Henry Johns, the character isn't actually needed and feels like a third thumb as all his jobs are also carried out by Etta Candy, played well by Traci Thoms.  Candy also has a stronger and more filled out character.  Then there's Steve Trevor, who Diana left to find herself, when he appears he's married - he didn't wait a year before getting hitched (not such a great bloke then).  These issues would have been addressed and built upon in the series but here they don't work.  What would have been better would be if Wonder Woman had brought Steve Trevor back to Washington in the second World War, as was the case with the '70's series, and he's now on his death bed - because there are a couple of scenes where it's been hinted she's been around for a long while.  This would open up issues of love and her feeling of being alone on a planet of billions.

This wasn't as bad as I'd read it had been.  If you're a DC or Wonder Woman fan then it is definitely worth one watch.  I would have loved to have seen the complete series on this version of the Amazonian Warrior as Adrianne Palicki was perfect for this role.

Fan Created Trailer

Movie Review - Wonder Woman (2009)

Wonder Woman

2009

Production Companies:  DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation, & Warner Premiere.

Though Wonder Woman has seen a tried and failed TV Series and a popular three season TV Series in the '70's the character never had the recognition she deserved after that.  So we saw her in the Justice League animation, though not until 2009 did she get a feature length animation to herself.  While both Batman and Superman had series and movies to their credit.  Not such a good thing for one of DC's Trinity.

This film goes to show that both DC and Warner were wrong to shelf the Amazon Wonder for so long.  I still cannot believe that there wasn't a series on the back of this movie.  The story which the writers give the audience is one based on the current mythos.  After the Amazons help Zeus to defeat Ares - the God of War, Zeus and Hera entrusts them to hold him prisoner on an Island created for that sole purpose - Themyscira.  Mystical bracelets shackle him against using his powers.  After years of guarding Ares, Diana is born out of her mother's love and Zeus' will, after Queen Hippolyte forges her from clay.  More years go by and Diana grows into a young woman learning the ways of the Amazons. until their peace is shattered by a jet fighter crashing on their Island.  Under the lasso of truth it's deemed that the pilot, Steve Trevor is no threat and should be returned to his world. During the Games to find an emissary to accompany Trevor, Ares is set free by his guard, his secret lover, Persephone.  Now Diana has two missions to accomplish.

The director does a wonderful job of keeping the action sequences coming thick and fast while interweaving some very good drama sequences (of which I particularly like the Steve Trevor lasso interrogation scene and Diana's introduction to Ares).  The great thing about animation is that you have a broader scope of what you can bring to life.  In this case it's the monster, demons, and ghosts.  If this had been made in live action it would have required a much bigger budget.

The story, on the whole, is strong and both the writers do a great job with the Amazons and their time period.  The many references and quotes go along way to set an atmosphere and a believability for the audience.  The only thing I found wrong with the film was Steve Trevor's character who comes of week and unassured at times.  Even Fillion helps to give the character a "Wimpy" feel.  Steve Trevor should be the complete opposite of these, with more than a smattering of cocky to boot.  I think a rewrite of the character and a voice change would have worked better - David Boreanaz'ish or Ryan Reynold'ish.

I also don't believe that Molina had the strength to voice Ares, who actually comes off kinda Meh!  It needed a darker and richer voice, somewhere between Brian Blessed and Tim Curry (circa Legend) to give the God the power he deserves.  Russell does a great job as Wonder Woman and in the scene with the ice cream brings out the child in Diana superbly - a very nice scene.  Though the stars for me were Virginia Madsen, who was surprisingly brilliant as Hippolyte, and Oliver Platt for his magnificent take on Hades.

I would recommend this for all as it has something for everybody.  A strong story, good animation and direction, good acting, fast paced and action packed.  This is one film I would be happy to watch again.  All DC and Wonder Woman fans shouldn't miss this film.

Movie Review - Wonder Woman (1975)

Wonder Woman

The New Original Wonder Woman [Pilot]

1975

Production Companies:  Douglas S Cramer & Warner Bros. Television

Back in the days of my youth the comic books and their relevant television shows were lighter in emotion and humour and were aimed at the youth market.  These programs usually aired between six and eight in the evening.  And I will hasten to say was better for it.  Though there were adult matters expressed in the story there were watered down so we had good family entertainment.  Something I think the DC Universe is missing at the moment.

And at the top of the pile of superhero shows on offer was Wonder Woman.  I was happy to watch the pilot movie once again and it brought a smile to my face once more.  There are some cringe-worthy moments in the show.  For example the Amazon's view of men, which today doesn't ring so true as it's not just men who commit evil and atrocious deeds.  Then there's the invisible plane.  I loved the concept of the plane, though you can see Wonder Woman in the pilot seat; it's more like a plane of glass than invisible.  As a kid I saw nothing wrong with it now with adult eyes I see it for what it is and though it makes me laugh it still fills me with nostalgia.

However, the story pretty much sticks to the Origin Story that was in the comic books at that time, before the Greek Gods became involved in the Wonder Woman Mythos.  Steve Trevor (ace pilot) crashes in the Bermuda Triangle while engaged in a dog battle with a German pilot.  He is found by Diana on Paradise Island (no Thymiscira at this point in history) and his wounds are tended to until he is well enough to travel.  Queen Hippolyta decides he needs to leave the island as soon as possible, to keep the island and its inhabitants secret from man and the outside world.  She then holds a "games" where the winner will be charged with returning Steve Trevor back to his life and to make sure he is well.  Diana, in disguise, takes part in the games and wins.  When she drops off Trevor at the hospital she finds herself pitted against the Germans and their scheme to bomb a secret base in the heart of Washington DC.  

The way that Leonard Horn directs this story is to keep it light, full of humour, and to make it resemble a live-action-comic along with dialogue boxes.  This makes it a rip-roaringly-enjoyably movie to watch.  Horn is also great at using differing camera angles to help with the fight scene's and to create more believable Wonder Woman effects as well as give interest to the viewer.  This is one well-crafted movie. 

As for the cast; I totally forgot how good an actress Lynda Carter is.  There's a reason why she made this role hers and why she will be remembered fondly for it and it's not because she fit the costume so beautifully, it's that she actually brought the character to life and made her appear realistic and believable, even in the face of some absurd lines and, at times, goofy story telling.  Lynda Carter will always be Wonder Woman for me.  Lyle Waggoner is perfect as Steve Trevor, who has just the right amount of ego and charm for the character.  This is a guy you can believe has a girl in EVERY port.  The other surprise in this pilot movie is Red Buttons as Ashley Norman.  He pulls the character off perfectly.  However, it's John Randolf as General Blankenship that start to let the film down a little as his character is more like a jovial uncle rather than a General.  Then there's Stella Steven, who fluctuates between being really good and really wooden.  It really is a strange thing to witness and does hinder the film as it breaks the link between movie and viewer.  Though, besides Lynda Carter, my favourite actor and his character in the movie is Nikolas who is portrayed brilliantly by Henry Gibson.  His portrayal of a faithful German Soldier come Butler come American Spy is well crafted and so funny to boot.

There are some faults in this version, though for me, they are all forgivable as the movie is such good fun to watch.  I would recommend this to everyone as it may just put a smile on your face as it did mine.  Well worth a watch.

An extended Network Promo for the full series.

Movie Review - Wonder Woman (1974)

Wonder Woman

1974

Production Companies:  Warner Bros. Television

So this was a different take on the Wonder Woman mythos, opting to go with a blonde version of the Amazonian Goddess.  This may have been because Cathy Lee Cosby might not have wanted to die her hair for the part or don a wig.  Whatever the case may be she does an amiable job as Diana Prince and I would've watched a series with her as Wonder Woman, it's a shame the script wasn't too brilliant, it was your average fair for '74.  Also, gone is the iconic and eye-popping costume to be replaced with a modified track suit. 

I like Warner's and McEveety's decision to use Crosby since she was a major athlete at the time she could easily cope with the action scenes... which reduced the need to bring in a stuntman in a wig.  She's also a pretty decent actor and fit this version of the character well.  It would have been nice to have the fight scenes choreographed a little better and speeded up a tad, a few special effects wouldn't have gone amiss to show her strength, as was the case with the later series.

As for the other actors, there wasn't anything too spectacular about them.  Even though I do like Montalban a lot, he is very underused here.  In fact, I think that can be said of most, though, Andrew Prime does have a bit more power behind his performance.  This could all be down to McEveety's direction, who doesn't give us anything particularly new here,

Though Black sticks to the origin pretty well, things start to get messy once we're off Paradise Island.  We see Diana Prince working as a Secretary for Steve Trevor, though secretly she's the one they send in to get the job done.  So she's undercover in her own business.  What I found really great and funny was the fact that EVERBODY else appeared to know Diana Prince was Wonder Woman; this says a lot for her company - the only spies who didn't know her secret.  Even with this unintentional humour, Black does add some intentional humour to the story by incorporating a burro to bring the top secret plans to Abner Smith.  This is one well-trained Ass...  The other thing wrong with the script is the villains' names.  I, for one, do not find either Abner Smith or George Calvin particularly frightening or awe inspiring.  Calvin is a psychotic and cold blooded killer so it would have been nice for him to be given a more fearsome name or nick-name.  This is based on a comic after all and in the 70's they were filled with evil doers with weird pseudonyms.  The Joker wouldn't have been the same if he was called Melvin Phillips...

I think that if this had a better writer and director then the end product could have been so much better than this.  It might even have made a decent television series; though I'm glad it didn't as it probably would have meant we would have missed Lynda Carter in the role that is so iconic to her.  Though, as it stands it's not too bad and is okay for kids though with what's available today it looks and feels really dated, so they might baulk at watching it.  This is worth a watch if you're looking at Wonder Woman throughout the ages, which I'm doing.  Or, if you were a kid in the 70's and you want a little nostalgia.  Apart from that, I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone.

Movie Review - Ant-Man

Ant-Man

2015

Marvel Enterprises / Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Pictures

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Walt Disney Home Studios Home Entertainment

9.5 / 10

After watching Marvel's Avengers - Age Of Ultron and Guardians Of The Galaxy, of which I was a little less than bowled over by, I was hesitant to watch this film.  I knew this had the potential to be a brilliantly visual masterpiece - which it was.  It was also a well thought out story filled with interesting characters and well-shot scenes, both innovative and ingenious.

Marvel needed this film to breathe fresh air into its universe.

Though it's not the Hank Pym Ant-Man that I remembered out of the back pages of the Hulk comic of my youth it still held up to the comic's feel and atmosphere.

Writers, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, and Paul Rudd create a good and solid story around this Ant-Man's origin and the threat which the Ant-Man tech could produce.  It could also be that the personality of Scott Lang (Ant-Man) is so steadfast and credible is that Paul Rudd who portrayed him also co-wrote the screenplay.  I've never been a great fan of Rudd's as I've found his previous work could either hit (Role-Models) or miss (Admission) - this is definitely some of his better work, and he adds quite a bit to the character and atmosphere of the movie.

Even the rest of the cast do a brilliant job with their characters.  I especially liked Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Scott's ex-wife's new man... and cop!  He adds a nice dynamic to Scott's personal life as he loves Maggie and Cassie (Scott's ex and daughter) and tries to give Scott the benefit of the doubt, even though he's an ex-con.  Then there's Michael Pena who is outstanding as Luis.  It was nice to see Evangelina Lilly in a decent roll and she carried off the role of Pym's estranged daughter, Hope Van Dyne, admirably.  She should make a brilliant Wasp in the upcoming sequel.

The other star of this film is the Director, Peyton Reed, who seems to effortlessly weave CGI and reality together.  The scenes where Scott pops from miniature to actual size while fighting could have been so bad but thanks to the direction and the animators they're believable and very effective.  Reed is also good at switching pace to give his audience a rollercoaster ride of a movie.

The special effects are superb and seamless - respect due to all involved.  And it is truly wonderful that Thomas the Tank Engine is finally breaking into the big time.

This film is a must for all comic book and action movie lovers alike.  If you've not hopped into the Marvel universe yet this is one hell of a good place to start... though it may make the rest of the films look a little pale by comparison.  This is one film I will watch again... and again...

Movie Review - All Star Superman

All-Star Superman

2011

DC Entertainment / Warner Bros. Animation / Warner Premiere : Warner Home Video

8 / 10

This is probably the best adaptation of a comic book to date.  Director Sam Liu and writer Dwayne McDuffie take the best elements of Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly's graphic novel from the story, feel, and pace and bring them to the screen expertly with the help of the animators and the vocal talents of the actors.

The animation is up to the high standard of the Warner Bros. Animation but I cannot help but wish that the studio would catch up to the way that the comics are now being rendered in high intensive colours and shading.  This would just add that extra oomph to the movie.  They've done a good job of bringing Quietly's artwork to life.  Their Superman is of the same mountainous physique as Quietly's but it's the subtleties of his artwork that add a depth of warm feeling adding to the reader's enjoyment.

That's about all I could find wrong with it.  James Denton does a wonderful job of adding warmth and feeling to the man of steel in his final days.  While Anthony LaPaglia adds a cool and calculating air to Lex Luthor.  Edward Asner is perfect as Perry White.

The only reason this didn't make a full 10/10 is because it isn't the best Superman story, it's good, though I did have issues with it, such as the Sampson character and his sidekick which turns up.  I found this to be an annoying and pretty irrelevant section and I still feel the same way after seeing it in the movie.  I've never been able to understand why Morrison chose this character when there were so many others to choose from.

If you've read the graphic novel you don't need to see the movie, though you should enjoy it.  If you haven't read the novel then check out the film if you like superheroes or animations, then read the novel, it's better.

Movie Review - Justice League: War

Justice League

War

2014

DC Entertainment / Warner Bros. Animation / DC Comics : Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group / Warner Home Video

7.5 / 10

This is a strange little film in the fact that it has so much wrong with it... but it also has so much right.

So what's wrong?

Batman's voice.  There's just no conviction, power, or menace in it.  This is one of The Bat's main features, other than his lack of super powers.  It's one of the main talking points when a new Batman a character is cast.  Everybody loves Kevin Conroy from The Animated Series, I really liked Anthony Ruivivar in Beware The Batman (it has the best vocal talents of the Batman series), now Will Arnet has done a brilliant job in The Lego Batman Movie.  Unfortunately, Jason O'Mara doesn't do the character justice.

Cyborg's origin.  Though it follows the lines it's blue goo which I didn't like as it took the blame off his father, Silas Stone creating The Cyborg out of his dying son.  This made Victor Stone more a casualty of Darkseid's attack rather than the love of an estranged father.

The appearance of Shazam, who wasn't in the original story.  The choice to use Shazam instead of Aquaman, in my eyes, was not a good one.  Aquaman was instrumental in the defeat of Darkseid and his Parademons. There's also the brilliant scene when he has the whales and sharks erupt out of the ocean to devour the Parademons.

The Parademons.  I really do like the original design, the ones in the movie are too bulky and appear to be more machine than living entity.

What's right with the film?

The Green Lantern, voiced brilliantly by Justin Kirk, has the right amount of bravado and ego and his relationship with The Batman and The Flash helps to give the movie more power and a sense of humour.

Christopher Gorham does a great job of voicing The Flash and adds the joy and wonder that the character exudes in the comic.

Wonder Woman, though you don't know her origin story for the New 52 in the movie this could make her strong character feel a little strange, to begin with as she's like a child in a toy shop... if you knew that she's new to the real world after leaving Themiscyra would've helped there - however it's this scene which gives the character heart but as soon as the Parademons attack, her sword starts swinging and the no-nonsense female warrior we know and love come to the fore, and Michelle Monaghan who does a great job at voicing all aspects of the character.

Though the thing that really makes this film work is the story and the action, for which Director Jay Oliva does a great job.

These elements nullify the bad ones make the film enjoyable and watchable, though it isn't the best of the Justice League films.  Still worth a watch though.