SPOILERS - Wonder Woman 1984 - Review Thread

[Ovation]

Having had time to reflect on the movie, it is very much designed as an eighties movie. The plot very much reflects that aesthetic in terms of both story and pacing. The plane, taking over the body of some random guy, the long build up are all things that would not have been out of place in that decade.

My wife made much the same point, saying it was the first modern movie she’s seen that reminded her of movies from high school and college (I was in D.C. in the spring of ‘84 in my senior year of high school. Guess my visit to the Smithsonian just missed the theft of the jet ).

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Having had time to reflect on the movie, it is very much designed as an eighties movie. The plot very much reflects that aesthetic in terms of both story and pacing. The plane, taking over the body of some random guy, the long build up are all things that would not have been out of place in that decade.

I love 80s movies and have seen this critique of WW often enough, but I'm not sure I see it unless you mean the really awful movies that shouldn't be homaged anyways? Because looking at my bluray collection, I'm not seeing movies with this level of absurd leaps in logic. I see surface level similarities to Superman and one sequence from Raiders, but that's it. The rest can be seen from any modern superhero movie. I get a bad 90s vibe from the characters and story, really, when you take away the 80's look.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I think you need some lessons on reading comprehension. I specifically said that she fought for the flashback opening to stay in the film. It was Warner Bros who wanted it cut out to speed up the pace. This is the last I am acknowledging you. You often show that you bring your preconceptions to everything you review whether positive or negative.

Get your ass off of your throne and understand that no one needs you to acknowledge them, whether responding to posts about a bad film, or any other subject.

And who among us has never done that?

...okay...

I like movies where the main character grows and changes.I kind of take your point, but look back to the opening monologue. She wishes she had paid more attention.

The point is that her growth throughout the first WW film was derailed by selfish behavior of any kind in '84 that she previously rejected in humanity, then the film ends with her giddy and interacting with anyone in general when her future--the 21st century of Dawn of Justice and the framing scenes of Wonder Woman--shows that she's still in a depressed place and has largely isolated herself from social interaction (and her alter ego) before being forced out of said isolation in BvS' final battle. '84 is not character growth, but the character not following what is now the book-ended natural flow of development from her origin film to what she was going through in her earliest present-day appearances.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Anyone suggest that the “other guy” was really a reincarnated Steve Trevor and the Dreamstone brought back suppressed memories of a previous life. That occurred to me and saw someone else post that and thought maybe a I am not crazy. I can understand why people do not like how they brought him back. They could have had him appeared out of nowhere. They must of had a reason for doing it this way. Though we have not been told yet. So repressed memories of a previous life returning occurred to me. It is a world of gods and magic. So it’s possible. Better explained? Certainly. But I have been watching stories of body swapping since I was 9 and usually they require willing to take huge leaps to ignore the massive holes in logic.

 

[Mudd]

Has anyone considered what a horror show I Dream Of Jeannie was? Jeannie was history's greatest monster, and Barbara Eden should be cancelled.*

*Except, I suppose, that she was blonde, underdressed and called Tony "Master." That's probably enough to keep the usual suspects off her case.

 

[Booji]

Well, I suppose the nicest thing I can say about this film is that it wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen.

 

[Trekker4747]

Watched this this afternoon...

Thought it was fine, the first movie was better but I think the negative stuff I've seen about this movie is a bit extreme. The negative stuff on it I also understand, like the question on what happened to the guy Steve possessed?

I also thought the lead villain chews scenery too much and the movie doesn't quite pass the Bechdel Test, for 60-70 years Diana's entire passion was on Steve and she never met a man who was equivilant to him? Seemed like too much just to bring Pine back.

But, I dunno. I liked it well enough. B-

 

[Trekker4747]

So, why did Barbara get two wishes?

 

[ToddKent]

So, why did Barbara get two wishes?

Didn't Max Lord use one of his many "Monkey Paw Payments" as a way to give Minerva her powers? Although the rules of how the whole thing works still seem a little squishy.

 

[wayoung]

Didn't Max Lord use one of his many "Monkey Paw Payments" as a way to give Minerva her powers? Although the rules of how the whole thing works still seem a little squishy.

Yeah, on the plane he makes it clear that he'll take the abilities from others and then give them to her as payment. It's not another "wish" like the others per say. I'm pretty sure you actually see him saying what he's taking from others to give to her during the broadcast, although I may be wrong on that one.

Still doesn't make sense unless he took, like, the life essence of Carole Baskin's big cats and transferred them to her, but I thought it was pretty clear it wasn't a other wish.

 

[Trekker4747]

Thinking about it, is it possible for him to just "give" her a wish at the cost of nothing?

 

[LaxScrutiny]

Thinking about it, is it possible for him to just "give" her a wish at the cost of nothing?

I don't think it's impossible. The original stone would have been "pre-programmed" but Max actually became the stone.

 

[theenglish]

Thinking about it, is it possible for him to just "give" her a wish at the cost of nothing?

It was others wishes he was granting somehow--and the cost was to take some kind of essence from them to empower Barbara.

 

[Kor]

I enjoyed it. I found it quite entertaining, and that's the main thing I want from this kind of movie. I might have found the narrative a little more satisfying if there was a truly reprehensible villain who met a grisly end (rather than just some misguided shyster who got to go back to normal life), but oh well. The WW character is supposed to be all about love and stuff.

Kor

 

[Gordie]

I started the film but haven't got into it yet. They are doing the one thing I hate. They are exaggerating the things from the 80's. Drawing too much attention to that. Clothing, hair cuts etc. Production companies need to look at Stranger Things. They represented the 80's perfectly.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

I started the film but haven't got into it yet. They are doing the one thing I hate. They are exaggerating the things from the 80's. Drawing too much attention to that. Clothing, hair cuts etc. Production companies need to look at Stranger Things. They represented the 80's perfectly.

I only really noticed it in the mall scene, and of course Steve modeling outfits which was tongue in cheek. Other than that I barely noticed.

 

[Kor]

That whole aspect of WW84 was hard for me to get through. I couldn't even stand Stranger Things when I first tried watching it, because I have an automatic gag reflex toward 1980s settings.

Kor

 

[Anwar]

That whole aspect of WW84 was hard for me to get through. I couldn't even stand Stranger Things when I first tried watching it, because I have an automatic gag reflex toward 1980s settings.

Kor

Stranger Things was relatively subtle with the 80s stuff in it's first two seasons, WW1984 was a theme park version of the 80s.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Stranger Things was relatively subtle with the 80s stuff in it's first two seasons, WW1984 was a theme park version of the 80s.

My first reaction to the film's setting was they learned all of the wrong lessons from Stranger Things about 80s nostalgia and then cranked it up to 11, without irony.

 

[Trekker4747]

I kind of agree with Jay from RLM, the '80s didn't seem to play much of a role and after the mall scene and the fashion montage it'd be pretty easy to forget what decade the movie takes place in besides the occasional minor fashion thing and the lack of certain technologies like cell phones and the shots of old technology.

But the movie didn't seem to make too big a deal of the '80s like most movies would.