Wonder Woman 1984 3D Movie Review

Wonder Woman 1984 3D Movie Review

Written By: Jacob Scarberry


3D

Throughout my viewing of Wonder Woman 1984 the 3D was wonderful. While being shot on film, you can tell they had 3D in mind when they were making this movie, and it delivers in spades. There is natural depth and spacing between the characters and background/foreground elements. This movie has plenty of particles that enter the theatrical space, and several shots with pop-out effects that manage to fully entertain and engross the viewer. One scene with fireworks is especially beautiful in 3D. In fact the 3D fully lifted my movie watching experience for Wonder Woman 1984. While not a perfect 3D visual experience, overall I really enjoyed the 3D in this movie.  


Final Verdict: Great 3D


Movie

To put it bluntly, Wonder Woman 1984 isn't as good as Wonder Woman (2017), that being said I still liked this movie. 

Let me start off with the good aspects of this film, which is the cast. Gal Gadot was born to play the role of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, as she exudes confidence, charisma and class throughout all the scenes that she is in. Chris Pine returns as Steve Trevor, this time, the roles being reversed, with him not knowing (then) modern life. It's a fun performance and the chemistry between him and Gadot retains its spark from the first film quite easily. Pedro Pascal's performance as Maxwell Lord is your typical superhero villain, over-the-top, a bit hammy and plenty of bites taken out of the scenery. What grounds Maxwell Lord to Earth is when he has heart-to-hearts with his son Alistair, it's acted perfectly. Kristen Wiig is an odd casting choice as Barbara Minerva / The Cheetah, having mainly known her for her comedic roles in films and on SNL, but she manages to make a believable foe to Wonder Woman.

The story is where it falters a bit for me, though. The story is pretty simple on the surface, where a financially troubled oil baron ( Max Lord )  has been looking for the wishing stone, to lift his fortunes and control the world and Wonder Woman has to stop him. Unfortunately the film takes it's sweet time and at two and a half hours, you feel every minute of it. The film is languidly told with several scenes running too long or are totally unnecessary. I'm not against long films, but when the pacing is this slow, it really wears on the audience. Patty Jenkins, who returns to direct as well as co-writing, should've known better to scale back several scenes or outright delete them entirely. The opening scene in Themiscyira should've been shortened, maybe a minute or two of length, not the full 15 or so minute scene. The middle portion of this movie drags. The ending itself is too long and the denouements of the villains are entirely in the realm of WTF. There's also an utter lack of action in this film. I thought this was an action movie? There are two action scenes in the opening of the film (the Themiscyira scene and the mall scene) but it's a good hour before we even get to the next action scene. Luckily this final action scene is the highlight of the film. This scene is a fun and well-executed scene, with plenty of pep and excitement, but it's not enough to save the film. Also, despite being set in 1984, besides a few cursory details in the costume and production design, the film could've been set in modern times and worked. The film just didn't do enough to make me think "Okay, this is really 1984".

Overall, this isn't the worst of the worst of the DC extended universe of movies or any comic book film for that matter, but it's a film that has too much circumstance, and not enough pomp. A fairly middling entry, with just enough entertainment to prevent it from being outright boring, but not enough for more than the occasional re-watch. Simply put Wonder Woman 1984 is a disappointing mediocre movie. 

Final Verdict: 6/10


Official Website :

https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/wonder-woman-1984

https://www.wonderwomanfilm.net/

TM & © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

Shazam! 3D Movie Review

Shazam! 3D Movie Review

Written By: Jake Jarvis


3D

The 3D has its moments in Shazam. One scene with a car crash is a real stand out regarding the 3D. Many scenes in the “Rock of Eternity” look really nice in 3D too.  Sadly the film is visually so dark and lacking contrast that the 3D effect gets lost in many scenes. Maybe it was a projector bulb situation with the presentation? Regardless I do wish that this movie were shot in more brightly lit locations. The 3D is worthwhile for hardcore 3D fans, but the 2D presentation would be just as an enjoyable film viewing experience. Overall I did like the 3D aspect of this movie, but it is hard to fully recommend.   

Final Verdict: Good 3D


Movie

Shazam, the super-hero formally known as Captain Marvel (it’s a long complicated story), returns to the big screen after a nearly 80 year hiatus and it is well worth the wait. 

 

What happens when a 14-year-old boy becomes a Superhero? This hilarious movie is the answer to that question. Casting in this movie is fantastic. Zachery Levi as Shazam, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy, Asher Angel as Billy, Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, and Faithe Herman/Meagan Good as Darla are real stand outs in a well cast film. The David F. Sandberg directed film (The HangoverWar Dogs) is based on Geoff Johns' new Shazam comic book run, with a villain swap (Sivana for Black Adam). Even though this is another Geoff John’s comic book story adaption, it doesn't feel like a cookie cutter production. This film does its own thing, but references the wider DC universe. If I had to compare this movie to anything, I'd say it was a cross between 1984 Ghostbusters and the TV show The Fosters.  

 

Parents beware! This film is a hard PG-13 rating, similar in tone to 80s Amblin films. A boardroom scene ends with a moment that puts VENOM to shame. Yes, this film has some scary elements, but it is balanced with humor and heart. Comedy and horror both rely on timing and pacing, and both elements are pretty much on point in this movie.  Slow burns pay off and the 2-hour plus running time flies by quickly. Stay through the credits for a mid credit scene and an end credit scene.

As much as I enjoyed this movie, there were still things that bothered me. For starters, the school scenes weren't nearly as engaging as the scenes taking place in the foster home. The best part of the school scenes was the sly comic reference in the name of the school. The school pretty much just existed to propel the plot and show these characters were children. The film is set during the Yuletide season, wouldn't these kids be out of school for winter break? Another issue is with the villain Dr. Sivana. As wonderfully as Mark Strong portrayed him, he wasn't fleshed out very well. Readers of the golden age comics of Captain Marvel (Shazam!) , particularly the Otto Binder stories, know Dr. Sivana is one of the greatest comic villains of all time. It was a pity most of his backstory was jettisoned and his motivations were overly simplistic. Some of the kids and their counterparts were little more than comedy delivery devices. The school yard bullies for example are very one-dimensional characters. The third act is sloppy and has the obligatory final battle trope. Maybe I'm nitpicking, but is Shazam a separate identity and consciousness or merely the adult super powered version of Billy? The movie doesn't really say. To be fair the comics shift back and forth on this point too. The movie has many unanswered questions. 

 

All things considered I did enjoy my time with this film. Wow Shazam is a joy to watch and it is highly recommended. 

Final Verdict: 8/10



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Official Website:

 http://www.shazammovie.com/

©2019 WARNER BROS. ENT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Aquaman 3D Movie Review

Aquaman 3D Movie Review

Written By: Adolph Vega


3D

Overall I enjoyed the 3D aspect of Aquaman. The movie takes place both inland and under the sea and the 3D quality varies depending on the setting. The inland scenes have okay to good  looking 3D. One memorable 3D scene is when photographs are taken in a bar, it just looks so gorgeous in 3D (Maybe those specific photos were taken in 3D ?) . The under the sea scenes have better-looking 3D visuals. 3D depth is used often to help identify tall cliffs or give the ocean a better sense of place.  Seeing all the fish swim around in 3D looks very nice. Occasionally the movie will have some objects fly outward toward the audience. Other times characters will point tridents outward and pop out of the screen. The 3D doesn’t feel gimmicky or silly but just a natural way to present the visuals. Some of the camera angles can be disorienting to view the action and this is especially off-putting in 3D. Some camera angels pull you into the screen and give the viewer a nice sense of actually being in the scene with multiple layers of 3D being used to make some stunningly beautiful shots. At times the 3D visuals are fantastic, and other times the 3D is fairly pathetic so it’s wildly inconsistent. Overall the 3D is enjoyable enough to recommend and is worthy of your money. 

Final Verdict: Good 3D


Movie

First of all I must state that this review will not have any ocean tomfoolery, nautical nonsense or any kind of fishy puns or aquatic cutesy word play. Aquaman has been part of the DC Comics for over 75 years and its great to finally see him on the big screen in a full length live action movie.

 

Aquaman takes place sometime after the events of the Justice League film. This is essentially a stand alone film so don’t worry if you haven’t seen any of the previous DC Comics films. Jason Momoa reprises his role and is a likeable hero . This version of Aquaman is portrayed as a dumb jock that is happy living on the land. One day the character of Mera comes to speak to Aquaman and warns him of an upcoming war. This war puts Atlanteans against the people living inland and Aquaman is the only person who can prevent this war.  Mera is portrayed by Amber Heard and she has a strong presence on screen. Mera holds her own in the various action scenes and I grew to really like her character. The movie has two villains : Ocean Master and Black Manta. Ocean Master is sadly over acted and is cheesy. Black Manta is a good villain,  but we get very little background on the character. The villains serve as plot devices and not fully realized characters. This movie feels epic and feels fundamentally different. I never seen an underwater movie like this. This is one fun action adventure movie with a nice heart.

 

Sadly the movie falters in a few key elements. The narrative is loosely tied together and some plot points aren’t fully explored. The jokes are fairly goofy and immature. The writing is mediocre and generic. This is far from a perfect movie.

 

Where the movie succeeds is in the action scenes , entrainment value and the special effects. Several action scenes are done with one take with a panning camera and it looks amazing. It can be a little disorienting at times but overall the action scenes are well executed.  The movie is fun and intriguing from beginning to end. I really enjoyed the flash backs and backstory for Aquaman. The movie has several touching scenes that work well without being too sentimental. The special effects are amazing and some of the best I have seen in 2018. I have never seen anything quite like this movie before. This is one beautiful movie that is greater than the sum of its parts. 

 

Aquaman is a great movie that feels unique. I have issues with this movie but overall I had a great time. 


Final Verdict: 8/10


Official Website :

http://www.aquamanmovie.com/

AQUAMAN and all related characters and elements © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
TM & © 2018 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

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