DC Movies- if at first you don't succeed...

[Greywind]

 

[Spence]

6 hours ago, Greywind said:

 

Looks like DC movies are improving...

[archer]

6 minutes ago, Spence said:

Looks like DC movies are improving...

 

I enjoyed it more than Dawn of Justice. Not quite up to Wonder Woman levels.

 

Though if they'd found a way to mix Apache Chief into the storyline to even up the count of Native Americans between the two movies, it'd be a close call.

[Lord Liaden]

A long piece, and not about live action DC, but great for fans of the Justice League cartoons. Main topic starts around 6:30, which will also avoid most of the NSFW language.

 

 

[archer]

I watched Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day on HBOMax. I'd gotten 3 months free of the streaming service for re-upping my satellite TV plan.

 

For the first hour of the movie, I got to watch three minutes of movie then experience a minute or two of buffering. (Pausing the movie for a while to give it a chance to load didn't seem to make a useful improvement to the viewing experience.) On the bright side, I got to go for snacks and bathroom breaks often. And I got to really take the time to look at the costuming and attention to detail to see that they really nailed the 1984 era (which would be highly meaningful if you are a big fan of 1984 office equipment and fashion).

 

As a way to convince me to sign up for HBOMax to watch Warner Brothers movies, it was a massive fail. I imagine they won't have such major problems with everyone who has the streaming service wanting to watch the same movie all on its opening day since not all movies are blockbusters premiering when almost everyone has the day off to watch it.

 

But damn, this was a major fail considering I was stupid enough to not schedule any other possible family entertainment events because I was counting on HBOMax to be able to come through for me.

 

After the first hour of the movie, I got to watch ten to fifteen minutes of movie at a stretch before it would stop to buffer. 

 

I also got a lot of time to contemplate how I would have changed up the movie to make it better: (minor spoiler)

 

 

 

 

I think it would have been a much better movie if Matter Eater Lad had shown up and eaten Maxwell Lord (also not a fan of the unspoken Miracle Max inside joke which I guess they thought would appeal to some segment of DC fandom). I really didn't like this version of Lord as a villain and he didn't add anything meaningful to the movie other than being a walking, talking plot device who was given WAY too much of very unexceptional dialogue. Getting eaten would have given more time for Minvera, WW, and Steve.

[mattingly]

I imagine the buffering was because of the AT&T backbone bomb in Nashville, and its wide repercussions? I wouldn't necessarily attribute it to HBOM.

[Starlord]

There are several more reviews in the 'Recently Watched' thread.

[pinecone]

I watched it yesterday, with no problems. As a movie...I would rate it as average. A big step down from WW the first. Not terrible, but the villian was not convincing, the preaching interfered with the action, and there was way to much talking in general. On the plus side the action was exelent. If I had to pay to see it, I would have been mildly disapointed, but on cable? It was just fine.

[Lord Liaden]

If the reaction here mirrors the broader popular consensus, I feel really sorry for Patty Jenkins. After the success of WW she could have had her pick of directing projects, and deservedly so; but she chose to commit to the sequel, and that may damage her future prospects.

[zslane]

At the moment Patty Jenkins is feeling no pain. She's got Cleopatra for Paramount and Rogue Squadron for Disney keeping her busy for the next 3+ years. After that she's got the third Wonder Woman movie--which WB has already greenlit--to look forward to. Seems to me that the divided reception of WW84 isn't likely to slow her roll much, if at all.

[Old Man]

2 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

If the reaction here mirrors the broader popular consensus, I feel really sorry for Patty Jenkins. After the success of WW she could have had her pick of directing projects, and deservedly so; but she chose to commit to the sequel, and that may damage her future prospects.

The broader popular consensus seems to be more positive than here, given the $80M opening weekend and the instantaneous greenlighting of WWIII. 
 

 

Yes, I’m aware of the inappropriate abbreviation. 

[Matt the Bruins]

I enjoyed it well enough, but mainly because most of the screen time was spent with intensely charming people. Maxwell Lord was so badly written that Pedro Pascal couldn't save him, and there were lots of contrivances and plot holes that would have really bothered me if they happened in a movie with less charming leads. At least this time the awful videogame-y CGI fight was short and wasn't the actual climax of the action—I thought the way Diane resolved the overall situation was how the FIRST movie should have ended, and it worked well here.

 

The opening scene and mid-credits scene were awesome, and pretty much worth the cost of subscribing to HBO Max for me this month. (Once I binge watch Doom Patrol and the first season of Westworld we'll see if I want to keep it around longer.)

[Spence]

1 hour ago, Lord Liaden said:

If the reaction here mirrors the broader popular consensus, I feel really sorry for Patty Jenkins. After the success of WW she could have had her pick of directing projects, and deservedly so; but she chose to commit to the sequel, and that may damage her future prospects.

 

1 hour ago, zslane said:

At the moment Patty Jenkins is feeling no pain. She's got Cleopatra for Paramount and Rogue Squadron for Disney keeping her busy for the next 3+ years. After that she's got the third Wonder Woman movie--which WB has already greenlit--to look forward to. Seems to me that the divided reception of WW84 isn't likely to slow her roll much, if at all.

 

Like I said above, I haven't finished it. 

 

It is not bad or anything, so far it just hasn't been interesting.  I felt like I was watching a ugly duckling romance movie instead of a Wonder Woman movie.  

 

Nothing wrong with a romance movie if that is what you are looking for.  But I haven't seen one in over 20 years and have not real inclination to see one.  Having a good rounded movie that has elements of romance is actually good in making a drama.  But a straight up romance is not anywhere near my choice of things to watch. 

 

For me WW84 was just stuck in the "ugly duckling, sob sob sob" and it just didn't look like it was ending and getting on with an actual WW story is seemingly not any kind of priority.  And the thought of suffering through two and a half hours of one is just not something I wanted to suffer through. 

 

So instead I watched a K-Drama I had been meaning to finish. 

With all the tepid reviews I don't know if I will make the time to revisit.  Maybe I shouldn't have re-watched the first Wonder Woman in anticipation.  But I had thought that with the second movie being made by the same people that made the first it would have the same awesomeness. 

 

 

[Spence]

23 minutes ago, Old Man said:

The broader popular consensus seems to be more positive than here, given the $80M opening weekend and the instantaneous greenlighting of WWIII. 
 

 

Yes, I’m aware of the inappropriate abbreviation. 

 

Opening weekend only means something if the following weeks show a good trend. 

We have seen movies that failed to live up to the hype nosedive after initial release before.  I'd guess since this was released in the home instead of just theaters it will have a boost since people do not go out to see it.  But then is is also easier to switch channels.

[Old Man]

I found a deeper dive into WW's opening weekend performance.

 

Quote

–The top 10 locations were: 1. District Megaplex Salt Lake City, 2. Victoria Ward Stadium Honolulu, 3. AMC Disney Springs Orlando, 4. Jordan Commons Megaplex Salt Lake City, 5. Santikos Palladium San Antonio, 6. Thanksgiving Point Lehi Megaplex Salt Lake City, 7. Cinemark West Jordan Salt Lake City, 8. AMC Thoroughbred Nashville, 9. Santikos Casa Blanca San Antonio, 10. Geneva Vineyard Megaplex Salt Lake City.

 

Is your theater on this list?

[Ranxerox]

1 hour ago, Matt the Bruins said:

 

The opening scene and mid-credits scene were awesome, and pretty much worth the cost of subscribing to HBO Max for me this month. (Once I binge watch Doom Patrol and the first season of Westworld we'll see if I want to keep it around longer.)

 

I also got HBOMax to watch WW84, but after hearing about the download problems I opted to watch Doom Patrol instead.  I have only watched the first two episodes so far, but IMHO they were excellent.  If the show maintains this level of quality, it is going to wind up on my list of favorite TV shows.

[Spence]

30 minutes ago, Old Man said:

I found a deeper dive into WW's opening weekend performance.

 

Article can really go both ways.  Straight dollar'wise it is a disaster, but they don't mention views.

With a dual release the theater is just part of the story.  With WW1, it wasn't just who saw the movie, but how many saw it multiple times.  For WW84 I'd really like to know how many people actually watched it all the way through on HBO in addition to the box office.  Normally with box office numbers you can figure average meat bodies were actually in the seats by dividing the take by $20.  Definitely not a accurate number, but a loose ball park number.  But with WW84 we really know nothing.  Sure the BO take is tiny compared to WW, but how many actual people watched it via HBO Max?  Heck, it could have had more people watch it than the first movie, but we just can't see the numbers. 

 

Just because I wasn't impressed doesn't mean the rest of everyone isn't loving it. 

 

With the screwy way things are now we may never know. 

[Iuz the Evil]

From what I’ve heard, I’ll probably wait for a free opportunity on Amazon down the road. Or maybe Hulu. Doesn’t sound like it’s really aimed at my comic movie interests.

[Hugh Neilson]

We'll probably watch it on New Year's.  Local cable has it on demand for $30, and we'd spend more than that for three movie tickets at the theater (and the popcorn and drinks are cheaper at home).

 

I'm curious what the future holds for movie distribution.  If the services will pay for first-run access, that will cut into theater attendance, which could be the death knell for movie theaters. 

 

Smaller screen, maybe the sound's not as good.  But less expensive (especially for larger groups or families), no fighting the crowds, no whining kids, teens with their feet on the back of the seat, yappy moviegoers or "that person" who will not shut off their phone, pause the movie if you want to go to the washroom or grab a snack, back it up if you missed a scrap of dialogue...there are advantages to at-home viewing. 

[Ternaugh]

1 hour ago, Hugh Neilson said:

We'll probably watch it on New Year's.  Local cable has it on demand for $30, and we'd spend more than that for three movie tickets at the theater (and the popcorn and drinks are cheaper at home).

 

I'm curious what the future holds for movie distribution.  If the services will pay for first-run access, that will cut into theater attendance, which could be the death knell for movie theaters. 

 

Smaller screen, maybe the sound's not as good.  But less expensive (especially for larger groups or families), no fighting the crowds, no whining kids, teens with their feet on the back of the seat, yappy moviegoers or "that person" who will not shut off their phone, pause the movie if you want to go to the washroom or grab a snack, back it up if you missed a scrap of dialogue...there are advantages to at-home viewing. 

 

Screen is smaller but clearer, and my sound system does a better job than most of the theaters around here*. The main reason in the past to see a movie on the big screen was so that I could share the experience with friends.

 

 

 

*My set up is arranged for Atmos, with height channels near the ceiling.

[Christopher R Taylor]

From all accounts, even people who gave it positive reviews, WW84 is pretty bad: over long, poor writing, uneven.  The first one wasn't terrific but it was fun and tight enough to enjoy for most of its run.  This one sounds like its just pretty bad all the way through and over 2 hours long.

 

And yes, I think the day of the theater is over.  I think theaters will shrink in numbers and be mostly run by studios now that the rules have been changed.

[Iuz the Evil]

I like the theater experience, and once things open up again fully intend to go back for certain pictures. Basically no change in viewing habits planned there, but we will see what is available once it’s safer to do so.

[zslane]

1 hour ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

The first one wasn't terrific

 

I thought it was pretty darn terrific, excluding the uninspired final boss fight, of course, and even that wasn't bad, per se, it was just not up to the level of the rest of the movie. Wonder Woman was better than many MCU movies, IMO, and far better than any other DCEU movie. I guess it comes down to the small intangibles that either really resonate with you or don't. The first WW movie checked all the boxes for me, including a few I wasn't expecting. It is a hard act to follow, and from the get-go I was highly skeptical that Patty Jenkins could repeat that magic in a sequel. I'm not at all surprised that WW84 is a let-down; I really didn't see how it could have been anything but a let-down, to be frank. Movies like Godfather 2, Terminator 2 are extremely rare; more often than not sequels to great movies turn out like Jaws 2 or Temple of Doom. Maybe Patty Jenkins can redeem herself with the third movie and make something more like Last Crusade than Godfather 3.

[pinecone]

15 hours ago, Ranxerox said:

 

I also got HBOMax to watch WW84, but after hearing about the download problems I opted to watch Doom Patrol instead.  I have only watched the first two episodes so far, but IMHO they were excellent.  If the show maintains this level of quality, it is going to wind up on my list of favorite TV shows.

Doom patrol does rawk.

[Dr. MID-Nite]

This was my FB review.....

 

Movie Review: Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). This sequel to the deservedly praised 2017 film updates the era to the 80's. In general, I liked this effort for its entertainment value, but it suffers from a number of issues that keep it from being as good as its predecessor.

The Good:

-Gal is excellent as the character and that feel is still there in this one.

-Steve's return provides the film with both the best dramatic and comedic moments (as a stranger in a strange land) and one moment legit gave me the feels.

-Kristen Wiig is surprisingly good given the fact that she's more commonly known for her comedic roles. She pretty much plays it straight here (and to good effect), but....see below.

The Bad:

-The plot is fairly thin and is executed rather clumsily in some parts.

-The movie is WAAAAY too long for the story it tells. It's at least a half hour too long.

-While I get that Pedro Pascal's character was in some ways there to symbolize the excess of the time period, he's so over the top and thinly defined that his overall goals and endgame don't make a ton of sense(which again...may have been intentional but it just doesn't really come off very well in execution).

The Ugly:

-Wiig's transformation into Cheetah feels like a "tacked on at the last minute" job. It's a shame as Wiig gives us a decent performance, but it basically comes out of nowhere and feels heavily railroaded on the audience. By the time we got to that point in the movie...I was enjoying her character without the obvious comic tie in...and really...it wasn't necessary for the movie.

-The "plane napping" scene. That is not how any of that would work. Ludicrous in the extreme.

-Diana doesn't for a moment think about the ethical and moral issues involved in one character literally losing their life (against their will) so that another one can live.

-Nothing in the movie explains why she hasn't been seen as Wonder Woman since The Great War(as BvsS and Justice League tell us). If anything, this movie is suggesting the opposite.

This is a hard one to grade. I guess if the first one is an A, this one is probably a B. It definitely has style and some good elements, but they just don't come together as well as the first film. I didn't hate it, but it was definitely disappointing in an Age of Ultron kind of way.