The Rise of Wonder Woman

This summer was a series of major hit and misses at the box office. Huge productions that had big hype and great marketing fell flat and movies with massively talented casts like Mother floundered opening weekend. The Dark Tower and IT were two of Stephen King’s greatest works, both of which were long considered to not be viably able to transfer from book to screen. Both movies were well cast and shot, had excellent marketing, and looked amazing in trailers, but IT broke box office records and the Dark Tower never seemed to get out of the gate.

Movie goers appeared to be using the power of their wallet to make sure movie makers knew that their budgets were limited and fans were only going to pay to see movies that promised more of what viewers wanted to see.  Dark Tower’s story is amazing but not widely known whereas IT already had a made for TV movie. So viewers went to see IT because they knew what it was about. Meanwhile, movies like Mother and Dark Tower looked great, but we never got a feeling for what the movie was actually about. With so many flops movie goers were only coming out to see something they already wanted to see.

Amid this minefield, one unlikely film rose up and not only claimed the top spot, but also made film history while changing the current landscape of cinema.  On paper, Wonder Woman should have never succeeded. A comic book heroine with no major fan base taking place in the failing DCU and directed by a woman with no prior experience directing action movies. Several times in the past Wonder Woman failed to even get greenlit so for it to dominate a Summer blockbuster season was a complete surprise. So what about Wonder woman made it stand out so much?

              Well, for starters it was extremely well written. The story spends just enough time on origin backstory to fill in viewers before moving on to its epic action scenes. This helps keep the viewers interested from the start. It spends small periods developing the side characters in between series of eye popping visuals. The only fault in the story is the incredibly small amount of effort taken to flush out any of the antagonists. Most of the action centers around Wonder Woman fighting the Germans soldiers (this was WWI so no, not the Nazis!) so the story did not need it as “War” was the antagonist at its core though.  However, it would have added a whole different level of interest in the story had we had more time to really have a tangible bad guy. There are the German officer, a scientist, and Aries.  The Germans had no depth and are completely forgettable. Aries isn’t revealed until the climax and it’s not even shocking, more so rather a letdown since the character quickly dissolved to just a flashy CGI effect.  In the end you don’t get the feeling that there ever really was a boss battle but rather than a series of events that led to the conclusion.

The acting is not amazing. That being said, it doesn’t need to be. The characters are all played very well and this is a comic book movie, not Shakespeare, and that’s a good thing. The characters and acting are great filler in between the real star, the action.  The cinematography and score were designed for high paced, visually amazing action scenes and it shows. The action moves just fast enough to keep you on the edge of your seat but not so fast that like Transformers you end up missing small bits and getting an overall unmemorable feel to it.

But what made this movie stand out apart from all of the others?  We had been promised a remarkable season of high octane movies and with a few exceptions we were left wanting. This movie not only met those expectations but set a new standard as well. Prior to its release viewer weren’t really open to the idea of a lead actress in a major action or superhero role.  Women have dominated the lead roles of horror movies and have started to own almost half the lead roles in comedies as of late showing that viewers already wanted to see women in what used to be male dominated roles. In fact, several action movies in the last couple of years tried to be the first big hit with a female lead with varying levels of success but Wonder Woman not only succeeded but broke the record for highest grossing super hero origin film beating out the likes of Ironman, Spiderman, and Batman Begins.

Audiences embraced the change with open arms.  On playgrounds across the country young girls and boys alike are choosing her character to play superheroes. Grown men are wearing her image on shirts, no longer bothered by the stigma of liking female characters being associated with lower masculinity. This opens the doors for so many great stories featuring strong female leads to be given a legitimate chance at being greenlit effectively changing the way make movies.

War on Everyone!!

Written and Directed by John Michael McDonagh, this little gem starring Michael Pena and Alexander Skarsgard was released in theatres in February of 2017 to mixed reviews and a lack luster Box Office. All I knew going into watching this movie was that it was a bad cops as good guys themed comedy, I had no idea I was in for one of the freshest and most quotable movies I had seen in a long while.

This movie stands out in so many positive ways. From the gritty cinematography to the poignant soundtrack and wrapped up with the chemistry between these almost unbelievable characters that as a viewer you bond with almost immediately and root for the entire film.

The story is pretty simple. Pena and Skarsgard play Bob and Terry, New Mexico’s dirtiest cops. Best friends and partners, these two take what they want from the degenerates they incarcerate, proving that they are far more dangerous than the criminals they are pursuing. When a robbery leaves a million dollars up for grabs, Bob and Terry are quick on its trail but when the thieves push back it quickly becomes personal.

Far and away the best part of the film is Pena and Skarsgard. Their chemistry is just amazing as can be clearly seen from their on screen timing and delivery. On the surface they have an almost effortless friends for life relationship but throughout the film you see it goes much deeper. They serve as opposing sides of a Yin Yang. Bob is the family guy with a perfect wife and funny kids. Terry is the one with the dark past and no one else in his life but his partner. Instead of using this to contrast the two characters as per Hollywood usual, it’s pushed aside in favor of having the two be completely on the same page at every turn in the story.  They are the ultimate “Ride or Die” for each other friends and with the other characters close to them so seemingly ok with how seriously they haven’t taken their oaths as officers (with the exception of their Captain) it plays as the centerpiece for the entire movie.

The opening shot has them chasing down a mime who is on foot while they are driving. Bob says one simple line. “I’ve always wondered, if you hit a mime, does he make a sound.”  And with that they run over the mime and then proceed to seem to rob him.  That’s one minute into the movie and it doesn’t stop there. The pace of the movie keeps the tempo high. Occasionally they even show scenes that stop the story and focus on Terry’s dark side but even those don’t stop the tempo of the entire film. 

The attitude they bring to the screen is akin to Jim Carrey’s alternate ego from Me Myself and Irene only in a completely positive light. If a suspect gives them attitude they kick him in the nuts and then 15 seconds later they are doing drugs together.

And it doesn’t stop with them.  Their snitches, Bob’s wife and Terry’s girlfriend, the bad guy, the lackeys, hell, even Bob’s kids all share this same Zero Fucks given attitude. This lets the character’s actions go far beyond what we would normally consider rational in a movie and the audience comes along completely making it a true escape from reality. Without giving away the ending, the film still manages to pull together a decently dramatic finale that gives some of what you would traditionally expect from a movie like this but still keeping its unique style.

Best for last is the dialogue. It is fast and off the wall. As if most of the character’s lack filters and say the most messed up things without thinking or feeling any shame. Completely unforgiving and not politically correct at all, it will have you quoting lines like “I hate murder, I hate it!” and “You want to adopt a homless kid”. (and no, I did not misspell homeless) I cannot recommend this movie enough and expect it to reach a cult status. Give it a try, you won’t be sorry.