I think Arrow is having an absolutely stellar season. Legends of Tomorrow is surprisingly good. I thought Heatwave an utterly pointless character on The Flash, but he has completely stolen Legends as comic relief and even managed to make me well up. His character arc has become the best thing about that show. The only thing I'm not happy about is how long it's taking to get Captain Cold back as anything but a hallucination or hologram.
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"freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order."
- Justice Robert Jackson, West Virginia State Board of Ed. v. Barnette
Supergirl could do without Project Cadmus turning into Project Acme, it's like they took lessons from Whil E Coyote or something.
I would have loved for the bad guys to run off after sticking something to a screen and have the characters go "Don't worry, that was just a screen, they didn't get any data." Or *boom train track falls down* *someone checks their phone* "Don't worry the next 834 to Springfield wont be through for another hour, we can deal with this and have plenty of time to call the Transit Authority to reroute the train." Cadmus has the power of plot urgency it seems.
I have been recently watching old episodes of Justice League on Netflix. I forgot how awesome the show is. I'm seriously not regretting signing up for an account.
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Allan Glenn. 1984-2005 RIP
Under no circumstances should Quentin Tarantino be allowed to befoul Star Trek.
Wonder Woman. It's everything Gadot's cameo in BvS promised and more. Sometimes less. More importantly, it's everything the still fledgling DC Movie Universe needs it to be.
If it were a Marvel film, I'd say it's about average. As a DCU film though, it's worlds better than Man of Steel and that other movie. Honestly, the Justice League does not deserve Diana Prince.
As an origin story it's just okay. We've seen so many over the last couple of decades I feel somewhat desensitized to them. The saving grace here is that it's not one we've seen on the big screen.
The action sequences are the real reason you're going to see this movie. Lovely Gal Gadot and charming Chris Pine notwithstanding. Except for the last one, they are all p stellar.
For me, it hit that gooey Captain America spot. If you liked that one (the first that is), you shouldn't have any problem with this.
I'll second that opinion. Wonder Woman doesn't stand up to the better Marvel movies, but it's far better than Man of Steel or [ugh!] Batman v. Superman.
It's still a comparatively dark movie, but unlike Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins seems to understand that superheroes are supposed to be inspiring, not jerks who regard us mere mortals with indifference at best, if not outright contempt. This gives me some slim hope that Justice League will at least be watchable.
It's not so relentlessly, depressingly joyless as were Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman; in fact, there were several moments that had people in the audience laughing out loud. Nor is it anywhere near as cynical as MoS and BvS. Diana is altruistic because it's the right thing to do, and because she understands that -- for all their faults -- humans are capable of love and honor and decency, and are ultimately worth saving. As such, she's a welcome contrast to Snyder's take on Superman and Batman.
In fact, can we just make it a law that Snyder is not allowed to have anything whatsoever to do with superhero movies -- any superhero movies -- from now on? That'd be a really good idea, if you ask me.
[Oh, fyi: don't wait around for an after-credits teaser; there isn't one.]
This version of Wonder Woman isn't as noble as the comics version, nor is she quite as compassionate, but she's such a breath of fresh air after the dreadful depictions of Superman and Batman. And on those rare occasions when Gal Gadot smiles, you really do believe -- if only for a moment -- that she's the optimistic, kind, loving, and selfless hero[ine] that we've been longing for.
Just an aside, but am I the only one bugged by how inconsistent writers are regarding Diana's [in]vulnerability? If she can stand at ground zero of an artillery shell exploding and not get so much as a scratch, then bullets should just tickle.
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“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
Diana was almost too compassionate for her own good. In a familiar analogy, she was at one point being assaulted with a number of distracting side quests. I should help those people with their horses! Not now, Diana. I should help that soldier who is in pain! Not now, Diana. I should help those people who lost their village! Not now, D... Where are you going?
Patty Jenkins did a great job building up to that moment, too. The scenes in London, some played for that fish out of water trope (tropes aren't inherently bad). Small diversions, slights against what Diana believed to be right and true tried to chip away at her code.
In games we have the luxury (and often times, actually lack the flexibility) to have an unbendable code. Where nothing much bad happens if we're unwaveringly righteous, and not terrible consequences when we're unrepentantly evil.
I appreciate the softer touch they gave Ares here. In other WW media, he actually inspires and influences violence in those around him. I like that here he says he gives them ideas, but the doing of the malice is still humanity's choice.
Minor spoilers here:
I am a touch sad that Diana had to go Amazon berzerker before she realized that mortals weren't like the stories said; not true good or evil but capable of both. But at least it was against soldiers who were trying to kill her and her allies.
That alone sets her ahead of this universe's Man of Steel, and way out in front of Earth is for Humans Batman.
Wonder Woman was everything I want in a movie about heroes. In terms of comparison to Marvel movies, I'd put it as above average. Certainly, better than most of the individual hero movies.
But, reviewing it on its own merits, I loved the film. The casting could not have been better, especially Gal Gadot. It was good to see a hero smile an actual joyful smile.
Some spoiler talk
Wonder Woman came across as a noble hero, with an appreciation of humanity, even if she didn't fully understand them. It was awesome to see her motivation go from ending a threat to saving the world. She transformed from being a sword to a shield.
At first, I didn't think they had a good reason for going with WWI instead of the comic canonical WWII, but after watching the movie, it made sense. The world at the time of WWI was very different than the one today, definitely moreso than WWII. Scenes like Diana in the meeting room with men, really work with the mores of that time. Also, the international aspect of her allies (as well as other soldiers in the background) work really well for the Western Front.
The setting of WW1 does seem odd, as you say, we're all so familiar with the Golden Age coming alive in the 1940s. But WW1 feels like a really pointless and pointlessly brutal war. Also likely it was an attempt to differentiate itself from the other really big WWII hero from that other major franchise. Which it didn't succeed in doing as even before the big ending there were shades of the First Avenger. I do love her version of the Howling Commandos. The Singing Scotsman, the Mouthy Moroccan and the Laconic Lakota (my names for them) were a great addition for WW lore.
Quote:
She transformed from being a sword to a shield.
wei yau is very smart and I agree with everything he says.
It was Robbins who brought the female force for good back to her origins, as first envisioned by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston. “When DC [Comics] asked me, ‘How would you like to do a series of four Wonder Woman comics?’ I said, ‘Well, I’d like to set them in the Golden Age,’ and they said okay.
I was recently watching an episode of Justice League Unlimited where Supergirl, Hawkman and Green Lantern end up in the 30th century after being summoned by the Legion of Superheroes. There's a scene where Supergirl grabs Braniac 5 and when questioned on it responds by saying maybe she was using it as an excuse to feel him up.
The joke was mildly amusing, but what struck me was how it got past the censors. The show was nominally aimed at children, so I find it amusing that bit of dialogue made it into the episode.
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Allan Glenn. 1984-2005 RIP
Under no circumstances should Quentin Tarantino be allowed to befoul Star Trek.
By our "standards" that is p mild. But bt comparison, Stephen Spielberg's Animaniacs was more directly aimed at a younger demographic (which did nothing to deter me) and slid in a number of racy asides. How those got past censors is a mystery.
Things aren't looking too promising where Justice League is concerned. Reportedly, an early cut of the movie was deemed "unwatchable," so they're doing extensive re-shoots.
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“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
Wow, I can't believe how shitty DC is at making movies. With the exception of Wonder Woman of course, which I really enjoyed.
But come on, Marvel has this figured out, even their crappier offerings are usually enjoyable. What is wrong with DC?
Edit: I didn't realise Joss Whedon is taking over for Zack Snyder on Justice League. Even if Joss isn't perfect he is 1000000 times better than Snyder. There is hope for this movie yet.
Indeed. Let's hope that DC learns an important lesson from this: It's a bad idea to put your movies in the hands of someone who doesn't understand the characters and indeed, seems to hold everything that makes them beloved and iconic in contempt.
On the other hand, Zack Snyder's response to complaints about the truly awful Batman v. Superman was to insist that the problem was with the fans -- because they just didn't "get" that he was making a brilliant "deconstruction" of the characters, and that the movie would someday be seen as a true work of art. Oh, and since it made a lot of money, there's nothing to complain about, so stop your whining.
So, despite the fact that Wonder Woman was excellent (and possibly the exception that proves the rule), I'm not yet convinced that The Powers That Be at DC know anything at all about how to make a good superhero movie.
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“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
It's a problem with the massive name recognition the franchises have. Mediocre is good enough to bring in a profit because people who don't pay attention to comics will see it and go, let alone all the fans that will go. Hopefully WonderWoman has shown them what can happen when you do it right.
It's been kinda sad watching them attempt to follow Marvel whole multi movie universe thing by just planning multiple connecting movies as if that was the secret. One thing Marvel did do however was completely dump the personal identities of their most iconic Avengers for new ones. I mean, who doesn't love hyperactive talkative but lovable young genius Tony Stark and Thor, who's control over his hammer only grows the more innocent child skulls he smashes with it...
I can't believe I didn't mention this on here before.
November of 2016, DC animation released the show Return of the Caped Crusaders. It featured the old school Batman and Robin, circa 1966, voiced by the originals (those who were still alive at the time). It was as perfect a thing - being what it is - as you're likely to find anywhere.
Fortunately for us before his passing Adam West had just finished recording lines for a follow up to that: Batman vs Two Face. It's available for download today and Blu-Ray (etc) shortly after. My plan is to watch the shit out of it.
Justice League ... didn't totally suck. It was way better than anything else in the DC movie universe -- except, of course, for Wonder Woman. But that's faint praise indeed. If it had been a Marvel movie, it would have been a major disappointment, but it was nice to to see a DC movie that sort of gets the characters and what drives them. [Again, Wonder Woman being the noteworthy exception.]
Overall, it wasn't bad, but the movie felt rushed, and too many plot points were poorly explained or not explained at all. Similarly, most of the characters (with the notable exception of Diana, and to a lesser extent Batman) seem poorly-developed to the point of being one-dimensional.
Maybe it will finally get through the heads of the people in charge of the DC movie universe that the less Zack Snyder has to do with the movie, the better it is.
I appreciated the Deathstroke cameo, but I still say that casting Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Freakin' Luthor was just ridiculously poor judgement.
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“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
-- Socrates
Last edited by The Lone Ranger; 11-19-2017 at 03:40 AM.
Justice League: Single sentence snippet review: It didn't suck.
I wasn't looking forward to it. Personally, if it were up to just me I probably wouldn't have gone to see it. I was dreading another bleak and dreary mud toned drag through the worst of all possible worlds. You know, what BvS told me this cinematic universe is.
In general terms this was a step closer to the characters as I know them.
Bruceman is somewhat better. Though still perplexing in his commitment to being Superman's best friend forever after wanting to kill him. He makes at least one more equally baffling leap in logic in this movie. Despite how he's being asked to play the character, I do like Batfleck.
Wonder Woman continues to be the bright beacon of hope and light and, well, wonder of the assembly. Far more than what the (S) ((IT'S NOT AN S!))) on Clark's chest says it's supposed to be. I'm looking forward to the many hundred sequels because apparently the Bat isn't the only game in town any more.
Newcomers The Flash, The Aquaman and The Cyborg are also in the movie. Being the second fiddles, a lot of the funny punchy dialog is handed off to them to good enough effect.
Playing a half decently written The Flash should be easy mode for any actor worth their salt. Ezra Miller is definitely worth his salt. Distinct from other The Flashes but still retaining an over-arching resemblance to the Flash-type. He plays both smart, but still young and a little inexperienced. Out of his league initially but he, uh, gets up to speed quickly enough. His desire and ability to be friends with the different personalities goes a long way.
I like Jason Momoa. I was good with his casting as Aquaman. Here, he plays him more as the Thor type than King of the Seven Seas and Atlantis. By "Thor" I mean the Frat Boy who relies on his station more than for anything he's done. But, see, this is a failing of the DCEU. If we'd been introduced to the individuals one their own maybe we'd have a better sense of them than having Bruceman playing Ocean's 6.
And newest newcomer Mr Cyborg in the house. Here he's given a lot more pathos than my previous experience (Teen Titans, animated) with the character. But even though he's as much machine as he is man, his heart shines through. In spite of the obvious reminiscence to another science armored guy from another franchise, I got as much of a Blue Beetle-ish vibe.
Brief Spoiler that really no one should be surprised by
Superman. Death did a lot of good for the guy. Gone is Captain Woe Is Me and now we get someone beginning to resemble more of the Christopher Reeve type.
This was the guy we were supposed to see in Man of Steel. This is the guy we were supposed to mourn when Doomsday killed him. This is the guy that wins over the gloomy gus Batman. He's not the final figure that makes the Justice League complete. This is the guy who starts the Justice League because he inspired others to do good because doing good is right.
Zach Snyder doesn't understand that. He did everything bass ackwards.
But I digress.
I didn't hate it. I didn't love it to be sure. I thought it was okay.
A curious thing about Justice League is how it pretty blatantly rewrites the history of the DCEU.
I'm not talking about things like Victor Stone claiming the Mother Box that was used to reconstruct him only became active after Superman's death -- despite the fact that Batman v. Superman clearly showed that this was not the case. No, I'm talking about how they completely re-wrote Superman's behavior and how he was/is viewed by the people of Earth.
It was repeatedly claimed in Justice League that Superman was viewed as an inspiration to the people of Earth, and a source of hope. But pretty-much the entire point of Batman v. Superman was that this very-much was not the case: that Superman was viewed as a hero by some -- but most people were mistrustful of him, suspicious of his motives, and often resentful of his very existence.
Similarly, we can't say that Superman's new and improved attitude is a reaction to being restored to life, nor can we say that his much-brighter costume is something new -- because the "flashbacks" in Justice League showed that he had always had a positive and friendly attitude, and a brightly-colored costume.
So never mind that both Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman went to great lengths to demonstrate that Superman very-much did not have a cheerful and optimistic personality prior to his death, and that his costume was very-much darker than the one he wears in Justice League.
I'm guessing that this re-writing of history is largely due to the negativity that Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman engendered. If it means that Snyder and company have learned their lessons, then great. But I can't help but suspect this is really just a cynical attempt to re-write history on their parts, with the hope that most viewers won't notice.
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“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
How it Should of Ended on YouTube has an excellent idea of about how things should have been done. This would have been a very interesting series of movies to see.