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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies

Oct 1, 2019

Wonder Woman (2017)

2017 | Action, Fantasy, War

8.2

(517 Ratings)

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A glimmer of hope

Contains spoilers, click to show

After a fleeting visit in Batman vs Superman (bleugh), my hopes weren't high for Wonder Woman.
But as everyone knows, it's actually pretty good.

One of the main problems with BvS is that it felt rushed, like Warner Bros were trying to pack in as much as they could in a short amount of time to establish a far reaching movie universe. Wonder Woman is a perfect example of why they should be concentrating on standalone movies first.

Given a full film to shine, Gal Gadot is a great fit as DCs First Lady. The time devoted to her backstory makes you care for her, and her surrounding team mates.
Gadot, and Chris Pine make a duo worth rooting for.

The story being set in wartime is used to great effect. The scene where Diana steps out into No Man's Land is nothing short of breathtaking. The visuals used throughout are great, and the script is a vast improvement on what we've had so far. There are no silly gimmicks like with Suicide Squad, just a good solid superhero adventure, with a good solid lead.

Wonder Woman falls apart at the final hurdle however. After Danny Huston (who is just sort of there) is set up to be Ares, it is revealed that David Thewlis' character is in fact Ares, and what follows is a climatic battle that is a dodgy CGI overload.
I have no problem with David Thewlis playing Ares, but his little mustache peeking out from underneath his Ares war helmet looks absolutely ridiculous.

But honestly, with the exception of the last 15 minutes, director Patty Jenkins has done a pretty decent job of bringing Wonder Woman to life. It's stands alongside Shazam! in terms of quality, and I'm actually looking forward to the upcoming sequel!

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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Thor: The Dark World (2013) in Movies

Oct 1, 2020

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

2013 | Action, Sci-Fi

6.4

(67 Ratings)

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The second Thor movie is a visual representation of the word "meh". It has all the right ingredients, but somehow manages to fall flat.

The general plot is an issue. It's not a terrible narrative, but it's the kind of bloated fantasy stuff you would find in an early 2000s superhero movie, not a franchise that is eight films in and includes The Avengers.
The only purpose it serves in the grand scheme of things is the introduction of another Infinity Stone. Other than that it's just stuffed with exposition and kind of bland.
Another issue is, you guess it, the villain. Malekith isn't necessarily a bad choice for the movies antagonist, but his execution feels inconsequential and boring. Christopher Eccleston does the best with what he has but the stakes never feel high with this guy, although I do enjoy his comic- accurate appearance from the halfway mark.

Visually, The Dark World looks great. The CGI is pretty decent, the locations such as Asgard are just as well realised as the first film. Returning cast members include Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba and Natalie Portman, as well as the always awesome Chris Hemsworth. Nothing wrong here, although I do feel that Lady Sif and The Warriors Three are wasted this time around.

The final set piece is pretty damn entertaining to be fair, and borders on suitable comic-book absurdity at points. The attack on Asgard by the Dark Elves is also pretty thrilling, but everything else is a little so so.

I still like Thor: The Dark World for what it's worth, it's just a little by the numbers and uninspired, and is probably my least favourite of the MCU movies to date.