3.5 Acting 4.0 Production 4.0 Story 4.0 OVERALL with a ♥
This, this, is a Suicide Squad movie. This is what was advertised and promised for the first one (such a piece of dreck).
Light-hearted except when being murderous. Light-hearted even when murderous. Bloody humor, and humorous blood. Enough smattering of character trauma and systemic corruption and even apocalyptic threats to make the mass murderers actually seem like heroes to root for.
The selection of characters, from the conventional to the quirky, was lovingly done. The nature of the Squad (high, random mortality rate) is respected. You’ve got bad guys, kinda bad guys, and bad guys who manage to be sympathetic. It literally hits all the notes that make up the best Suicide Squad tales, nearly all of which was missing in the 2016 film as released.
Heck, we even get a decent Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman). Who is actually the same actor from the 2016 film. Which in turn shows you how much a difference writing and direction make.
All the actors though, from the famous (Margot Robbie, John Cena, Idris Elba, Viola Davis, Peter Capaldi) to the relatively obscure do their job splendidly. There’s nothing too deep here demanded; it’s not “King Lear.” But to the extent that they are there, they do rock-solid jobs.
The story as full narrative is pretty straightforward, the magic being in the thousand little details, character asides, and overall zaniness.
The production values are remarkably high: great stunts, flawless CG (big and small), an excellent sound track, and gorgeous, expansive sets.
Throw in an delightful BBEG villain (delightfully rendered), and it makes just a freaking fun movie.
If I have to be critical about one thing, it’s that Davis’ Amanda Waller gets just a bit too shrill and out of control. Playing the control team for laughs doesn’t work quite as much for me as for some, but it was, at least, done well.
And I’ll give them those flaws in return for getting that fabulous Harley break-out, flowers and all.
In short? This film, in a small way, redeems the DCEU, it makes up for the 2017 Suicide Squad (or allows it to be well and truly forgotten), but best of all, it bodes well for James Gunn’s shepherding of the rebooted DCU in the years to come.
I love this take on old action-adventure paperback covers.
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This review, in an earlier version, was posted to LetterBoxd.
I keep wanting to think that WW84 is a bad movie, but the fact is that it’s bad mostly in comparison to the original Wonder Woman movie. It is a very mediocre movie, though, to the point where it’s as if setting it in 1984 rubbed off that particular decade’s silliness in TV shows (1984 was home to classics like Airwolf, V, Hunter, and Charles in Charge) onto the plotline here — which runs along at a breakneck pace, hoping the viewer won’t notice the duct tape and paper clips holding it together.
The original Wonder Woman captured both a strong mythology and a remarkable historical moment, all of it gorgeous and richly realized, coupled with a story about hope, heart, naivete, hatred, duty, and sacrifice. WW84 … doesn’t. Its emotions are, at best, greed and selfishness and the dangers that come from them, handled with the nuance of an Afterschool Special. WW84 just uses some of the props and pieces from the original film gave us to provide lots of chases, shooting, punching, and occasional tears.
More notes …
¶ The posters for this film were pretty — rich rainbow metallic / glass / neon color loveliness. That color loveliness is nowhere in the film.
¶ The initial sequence with young Diana competing in Amazon Ninja Warriors feels over the top, turning the the highly trained warriors into the Cirque du Soleil. There’s some sort of entitlement and self-gratification and cheating trope that’s supposed to relate to the decisions Diana and the world have to make later — but the connection never really gelled for me.
¶ The tone and period aesthetic are established by setting the initial “current day” action sequence in a shopping mall. Man, I remember those.
¶ Diana having a collection of old photos of her old friends who have since died sets the ground for how her relationship with the revenant Steve Trevor will go. That has a few good moments in the film — and Chris Pine does his utmost — but the personal relationship element gets squashed under a series of action sequences and dealing with the Bad Guy, punctuated by melodrama. All that dilutes what should be the heart of this movie: Diana is alone and isolated and unhappy, and has chosen that course (and will remain on it until we get to at least Batman vs Superman, decades in the future).
She does, eventually, “gets over it” to a degree, by letting Steve go — but the final scenes show that she is now alone and isolated and accepting, rather than unhappy. Not a great improvement. I mean — she couldn’t have invited the body dude for some hot chocolate or something?
Some Golden Age Duke of Deception here
¶ Pedro Pascal IS Maxwell Lord (with an accent). I also insist on bonus points for actually saying the words “Duke of Deception” to myself way early in the film.
¶ Hit-on culture is something I am glad we have (largely) moved on from since 1984. Or, at least, is restrained by social and legal forces a lot more than it was.
¶ Something not touched on with Diana’s wish: what happened to the original guy (or his soul, or whatever) whose body and life Steve (Steve’s ghost?) takes over due to Diana’s wish? If Steve hangs around, what happens to his job, his rent check, his friends, his family? Heck, his soul? No, Steve staying in that body is never a long-term option, but nobody ever seems to realize that.
I also learned, in researching this review, that there was some criticism raised about what sort of hi-jinx Steve got into with his host body without the owner’s consent — from sex with Diana to getting into gunfights. The answer that this is a “body swap” trope, like Freaky Friday, is unsatisfying on a couple of levels, not least of which is where’s the other body that Steve’s new body got swapped into? A light scattering of old much over Belgium, as I recall …
¶ I do love that Diana lives in the Watergate.
¶ There’s a lot of namedropping going on in this film, with Simon Stagg and Bialya both showing up, even though there’s only passing similarity to their originals in the comics.
¶ So Diana fights crime (occasionally?), but zaps security cameras (in this pre-cellphone world) so that her identity remains a mystery. That’s because Superman, thirty years later, is supposed to be the dawn of (known) superheroes in the DCEU, but it’s still a bit goofy. If she’s swinging into action even once a week, enough people will eventually see it that the secret of her existence will become known.
¶ There’s a lot of madcap adventure that seems to happen in this film, to keep it all hurtling along faster than the characters (and viewers) can consider what’s actually happening. The whole trip to Egypt/Bialya feels distracting. Part of that is intentional, to keep the central characters chasing after things and distracted from the problems around (and within them), but it adds to that sort of mindless 80s action-adventure feel to the whole film.
¶ Whom did they steal that jet from (that Diana has a cardkey for the grounds)? Why did they steal it? Why are they in a plane that (a) really looks like it should require air masks (for a non-pressurized cockpit) and (b) really looks like it should not have anywhere near the range for a cross-Atlantic + cross-Mediterranian flight?
I mean, wouldn’t it be hysterical (and a scosh more realistic) if Diana’s Invisible Plane were a Herky Bird or something?
Also, flying through fireworks, even if you are invisible, is NOT recommended. Stupid, distracting padding.
¶ The big highway gun/truck fight feels like someone randomly filled in the blanks for “Insert big action sequence here.” I mean, it does begin to hint that Diana’s powers are waning, but it’s mostly ten minutes of vaguely Indiana Jones-style action.
Also … why do Diana’s powers fade? I initially thought that Barbara was gaining powers as Diana lost them, but it seems to be tied to her Steve wish. But why? Diana wished (silently) on the stone, so did the stone just take her most obvious asset in some weird way? Was Diana’s wish predicated on a sense that her powers made her an outsider with responsibilities that kept her apart from others, and therefore she needed to sacrifice those powers to get Steve back?
And how is it that the sacrifice for the wish is kept a secret until after it’s granted? The point of the Monkey’s Paw isn’t that “Oh, dear, I have gotten my dead son back, but it seems all my stocks and bonds are owned by the Monkey’s Paw now,” but, “Oh, dear, I have gotten my dead son back but I failed to ask for him back alive and recovered from rotting in the grave.” The unexpected twist.
The rules of the wishcraft are really unclear, and never actually addressed in the film, so it all become part of the sloppy plot magic.
¶ I appreciate the pseudo-Reagan in the White House, whose wish is for MOAR NUKEZ! It’s wildly stupid, but in keeping with the era.
Now with wings!
¶ Anton Chekhov ought to get writing credits for this one:
If there’s (out of nowhere) armor of an Amazonian warrior-martyr who gave up her life to protect humanity, up on the mantle in Act 1 …
or
If there’s a pilot giving instructions to a non-flying super-hero about how easy it is to fly planes, up on the mantle in Act 1 …
¶ Asteria’s armor is … just dumb. I mean, it’s modeled after the armor Alex Ross designed for “Kingdom Come,” so it’s not dumb in that way, but it’s never quite clear why Diana goes and gets it and puts it on. Except that it will add a new visual element to the impending battle against Cheetah. And then Cheetah rips the invulnerable golden wings to shreds, so now it’s just golden body armor Diana wears for the rest of the main action of the film. Dumb.
¶ Why didn’t Diana just take down the broadcast tower to cut off the broadcast?
¶ The Diana/Cheetah battle was not good CG. The team knew this, which is why it’s 100% at night and 50% under water.
¶ I do appreciate their seizing the 80s zeitgeist of personal improvement movements and “Why not more?” excessive consumerism. It was the most realistic aspect of the movie.
That said, Diana’s little speech about how the world is actually a beautiful place just as it is and we don’t need wishes to make it better is all well and good for an upper middle-class professional woman living in an expensive apartment in Washington, DC. A starving kid in Ethiopia or a war refugee in Afghanistan or a dying AIDS patient in New York City in 1984 might feel a leeeettle differently.
But, then, “Wishes Bad! No Wishes!” is a silly TV trope that dates back to the 60s with Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. It made no more sense then than than it does in 1984 or today. Wishes driven by anger or greed or envy or fear or selfishness are probably not going to be good wishes. With great power comes great responsibility, to quote a different comic book.
¶ The denouement credits scene was just the right level of cheesiness for this film.
In conclusion …
Net-net, this film was shallow, unfocused, and facile in the motivations of its characters, and heavily laden with action sequences that had only a passing connection with the narrative. In short, it was very 1980s.
Worse than that, though, there seems no reason for this film. The events impact neither the world (nobody in any other DCEU movie has mentioned the time when Everyone Got Their Monkey Paw Wishes And How Horrible That Was) nor the titular character. Diana can smile now, but she isn’t any more sociable. She’s been given a talking to by Steve about living life, but when we see her again thirty years later, she’s still isolated, cleaning statuary by day, punching bad guys at night, studiously solo.
So why, exactly, does this story deserve to exist, other than the fact that in the 1980s, TV was still episodic, and no matter what happened in one episode, it would have no impact on the next? That’s a lot of what this film feels like. And that’s one disappointment in WW84 too many.
(I’m skipping Aquaman (2018) and Shazam (2019), as it feels like I’ve recently rewatched and and reviewed them both (3/5, Shazam 3/5)).
3.0 Acting 3.0 Production 2.5 Story 3.0 OVERALL with a ♥
Fluffy, violent, surreal, misanthropic, and fun. It’s like eating a whole bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos in a sitting — you know you shouldn’t, but, every now and again, you know you will.
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I previously watched this, and here was my lengthier opinion of it on LetterBoxd.
Wherein I praise ZS’ film and set aside (mostly) objections to the whole #ReleaseTheSnyderCut cult.
Part of my DCEU Rewatch. First Watch? Yes (sort of).
3.5 Acting 4.0 Production 3.0 Story 3.5 OVERALL
There will be spoilers.
The Starting Point
1. I am not, in general, a fan of what Zack Snyder did with the introductory chapters of the DCEU.
2. I felt the effort by Snyder’s fans to get a “Snyder Cut” of the film was ridiculous (if not occasionally abusive).
3. I certainly had no interest in watching four hours of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
But here we are, Bob.
And I will say this: Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a significant improvement on the theatrical Justice League release. No question about it. If (given the time) I were to rewatch one or the other of them, Snyder’s is the one I’d choose.
The (Literally) Big Picture
The basic reason is obvious: it’s a more coherent film, with one creative direction, vs. the theatrical release which was in post-production from Snyder, then was substantially rewritten, re-filmed, and re-edited.
The secondary, interlocking, but at least as important reason is that the theatrical release, by WB diktat, was only two hours long. The Snyder cut is four hours long.
Snyder doesn’t waste that extra time, either. He has longer scenes, more backstory, more exposition, more opportunity for character development. Very little of that is wasted time, though some of it is less necessary than others. Much of the slack is taken up with expanding the Flash and Cyborg stories (and a bit for Aquaman, Batman, and Wonder Woman). There are scenes I could imagine being cut, but not two hours worth.
And that’s the key. If the tragic death of Snyder’s daughter had never happened, and he had remained as director, we still would not have gotten the Snyder Cut as the release. We would have gotten literally half of it — selected by Snyder, to be sure, but, also, literally half the movie that Snyder had in the can (he only shot an additional five minutes for this edition). It would not have been the Snyder/Whedon/WB chimera, and that would be to its advantage, but it would also have been savagely chopped down (with maybe ten minutes given back for an “director’s cut” a year later).
Would it have felt hollow? Choppy? Would there have been protests about characters getting a short shrift? We will never know.
Which, ultimately, makes the comparison between the two releases unfair, at least when it comes to the little apples and the twice-as-large oranges. You’d have to travel to the Elseworld where we got Snyder’s two hour cut to really make that judgment.
Tonally, I’ll say that Snyder’s four-hour extravaganza is not as grimdark as I’d imagined it would be (except for, maybe, the Knightmare bits). There is substantially less banter, not surprisingly, but there’s still some. There’s arguably more violence (Steppenwolf’s fate standing out there), but though the movie ended up (both for violence and for language) being rated “R”, it’s not awful for either.
The Big Battle
For all that Snyder makes use of his four hours to further flesh out scenes and individual stories, the biggest difference between the films is in the BBEG Fight in the final act. Where the Theatrical Release is just a repetitive slugfest, the Snyder Cut has a much better narrative through-line, as well as a more exciting conclusion.
The one thing the Theatrical Release has that I think is better is a set of human stakes. Snyder clears the entire region of people, so he doesn’t have to worry about them. Whedon leaves refugees in the area, with a focus on a particular family terrorized by parademons and then threatened by the expanding Unity effect. I’m not sure the actual execution is optimal, but it keeps the affair from being totally a battle of SFX, giving us a focus for the human stakes beyond Our Heroes.
Another change in the BBEG battle is the nature of the conclusion. In the Snyder Cut we get a boom tube arrival by Darkseid (eep!), just in time to receive the stabbed and decapitated body of Steppenwolf — and we get the promise that Apokolips will be coming to invade soon (which then ties into the Knightmare scenes elsewhere).
In the Theatrical Release we got the “parademons sense and are enraged by fear” setup early in the film, which means they turn on Steppenwolf when he finally get scared of the League. It’s an easier if cheaper conclusion — but that might have been the reason for it. WB was deep, deep into the hole with this film (the Theatrical Release clocked in at $300M). I suspect the full CG setup of Darkseid and his court were part of what got cut in the final effort, and were part of the 2700-odd SFX shots that Snyder added back in (to a tune for the WB of 2021 of another $30M).
Along those same lines, I believe, Snyder took Steppenwolf and his armor — which was in the Theatrical Release an easier and less expensive rendering compromise from the original design — and restored it to what he originally intended, which was glorious.
Steppenwolf in 2017 vs Steppenwolf in 2021
Snyder also turns the environment at Steppenwolf’s lair and surrounding town much darker, much more ruddy, than the Theatrical Release … which seems very Snyderian. Most of the film is done in a visibly desaturated color palette, again very Snyder (there was even a full black-and-white edition released). And he chose to do it in 4:3 rather than the original’s 16:9 widescreen.
And, why not: Snyder restores the film score he had done by Junkie XL (who also worked on Man of Steel and Batman v Superman), replacing the score Whedon had replaced it with from Danny Elfman.
That Uniform
Superman in the Black Suit
Another very visible change, of course, was the Black Uniform for Superman. It looks very cool, and is all CGI. WB never cared for the black uniform concept. As a result, everything was shot with the regular red-and-blue (or whatever subdued tones Snyder preferred) outfit, but he made some tweaks to its form and the S-crest to make it easier to CG it to black (and filmed some footage to precede the uniform pick), on the chance he could get WB’s permission.
So, of course, the Theatrical Release stuck with the (filmed) blue-and-red (because WB wasn’t going to change their mind, esp. if it cost money), and Snyder spent a bunch of his CG money on the uniform change.
And, yes, it is, in fact, very cool, but … for purposes of the film, it’s unclear why Supes changes into it, as it doesn’t seem to include the functional aspects it had in the comic. And nobody actually comments on it. It’s just cool looking.
The Newcomers
Flash and Cyborg
The greatest benefactors of the four hours are the two noobs on the team — Victor Stone (Cyborg) and Barry Allen (Flash). Victor gets a lot more story time here, comes into his powers earlier (if in a bit more hand-wavey a fashion), and operates at a higher infodumpy level. The serious trimming in the Theatrical Release is unfortunate, but the primary impact, to my mind, is just on the character (and, perforce, his actor), not on the overall film (and, again, consider the context of needing to cut half the run-time here).
With the Flash we get more super-speed shenanigans with the added screen time, including an intro to Iris. Barry is portrayed a bit less dysfunctional, personality-wise (though we lose the coaching Bats gives him before the first battle, which is kind of a shame). But overall, the added time for Barry doesn’t give a lot of added value to the movie as a whole …
… except that the climactic battle depends on it, as, given we see more about turning back time when Barry moves super-fast, it means that in the Theatrical Release, we don’t get the brief moments when the team loses in its race to undo the Unity, which Barry is able to, just barely, turn back. It’s a nice bit, and adds to the strength of the last act of the film.
In theory, Aquaman is also a noob to the franchise (as this came out before his first solo movie). But he’s a mostly pretty straightforward character, and his role as a heavy hitter doesn’t much change in the Snyder Cut. We get a bit more about (ho-hum) Atlantean politics, but that adds little value.
Notes from the Movie Watch
Recapping Superman’s Death in BvSDoJ.
¶ In case you forgot Superman died, we get to see it again as part of our 4 hour experience, complete his his cry of “No!” (or whatever anguish it was) circling the globe and triggering the Mother Boxes to activate. Why does it trigger them to activate? Why did they not activate before Kal-El’s arrival on Earth? No idea.
¶ Why, oh why, when a powerful, dangerous, legendary artifact starts acting squirrelly, does someone feel obliged to touch it?
Part 1
¶ Again, a steadier, slower, longer, more detailed pace for the world-wide mourning of the fallen Superman. Which, to my mind, still doesn’t make sense.
¶ Wonder Woman’s introduction — at a nihilist / neo-Luddite terror attack — is (of course) longer and a bit more sensical — and also reinforces her inspirational nature.
¶ The fight of the Amazons vs Steppenwolf is longer, bloodier, more imaginative fight. I’m not sure that adds that much, but if you have four hours to kill, go for it.
Note to our non-archer viewers: perpetually drawn bows do not work well.
We get more references in this film to “The Great Darkness” rather than just “Unity” (which becomes solely about the joining of the three Mother Boxes). We also get (vague, but that’s the nature of the beast) discussion of the Anti-Life Equation. All of that makes the Apokoliptian stuff more comics-aligned, and adds some personality to the threat, but also complicates things; I can see why the Theatrical Release simplified it.
PART 2
¶ Unless I again missed some dialog in the original, we get a much clearer motivation for Bats to be less broody, less angry, in his “I made a promise to him” speech. But … nah, we need more dots connected to go from the cynical rage machine that is Batman in BvSDoJ to the earnest team-builder of this film. How did Kal’s self-sacrifice against Doomsday affect Bruce that profoundly? Why?
¶ Also, Luthor warned of the coming of the Great Darkness? Weird element to leave out (a) footage of and (b) the Theatrical Release.
¶ More Aquaman story detail helps. In the Theatrical Release, all the Atlantean politics bits were largely incomprehensible. We get a bit more here, which is helpful, but also time-consuming for its value.
Also, the Icelandic singers were nice, but only possible with the longer run time.
Darkseid, with DeSaad and Granny Goodness
¶ The Theatrical Release very much left out all the Darkseid and Apokolips stuff. Snyder’s cut — through CG — brings it back in. I think it helps the story immensely, but I’m that kind of comics nerd. I can imagine WB choosing to leave it out, even if partially complete, to save money on the finished product.
One change that gets made in the Snyder Cut is an extended version of the big Age of Heroes battle against the Apokaliptian invasion (starring King Leonidas as Zeus!). In this case, the invasion is spearheaded (so to speak) by a young Darkseid, not Steppenwolf, and is the point where he realized Earth held the Anti-Life Equation (and then promptly lost track of what planet that was, which seems like sloppy plotting). The change adds depth, esp. as Darkseid is (or should be) a more interesting character than Steppenwolf.
(On the flip side, the Apokalips gang never look quite right right to me in their CG guises.)
The CG scenes with De Saad showing up as an in-between help re-summarize the goings-on from the villain perspective, and so are helpful — but, again, also expensive, and time-consuming.
In retrospect, this brings new impact to the throwaway of the old gods (the Greek ones, at least) being killed by Ares that was part of Wonder Woman‘s backstory. In that film, it was explained that Ares was the only god still around, ah well. In this film, where Zeus, Ares, Apollo, and others fought alongside the forces of Earth against Darkseid in the primordial past, it makes that subsequent conflict all the more tragic, on the assumption that they would be pretty helpful were they still around.
At least this viewing around, the Human army in the Age of Heroes contains warrior groups from around the globe, not just Europeans. Nice.
The Snyder Cut leans a bit more into the idea that, in forming the JL, Batman and Wonder Woman are trying to recreate that Golden Age of Heroes alliance. Which is also nice.
Speaking of which, I do miss some of Diana’s introspection from the Theatrical Version. The arc it presented for her was a bit facile or at least quick, but it played on the character and what we’d seen going on with her before, in a way that the Snyder Cut does not.
Part 3
¶ We get more intro for Barry, including the aforementioned Iris intervention.
¶ Steppenwolf interrogates Atlantean guards. I mean, okay, fine, but another scene that doesn’t add much and was justifiably trimmed from the Theatrical Release.
¶ Lois is still mooning about Clark’s death. I thought the Theatrical Release handled Lois better — mournful, but not in a Staring At His Old Coffee Cup kind of way.
¶ Victor Stone is a Data God and can take over any computer in the world, bwah-ha! Okay.
¶ Alfred instructing Diana on tea making was lovely.
Cyborg meets Wonder Woman, 2017 vs 2021
¶ The way Victor and Diana get in contact is actually fleshed out more in the Theatrical Release. By this time, Snyder Cut Victor is out in full armor and flying around. In the Theatrical Release, he’s still lurking about in his hoodie. The former makes Diana’s speech about opening up fit better.
¶ J K Simmons is a great Jim Gordon.
¶ Mera is a lot more bad-ass in the Snyder Cut, but, then, she has more screen time to be.
PART 4
¶ The battle on the harbor island is fine (though “I didn’t bring a sword” is a better line than “Now it’s my turn”). We get a bit more with Barry and, esp., Victor, and everything’s tinted a lot more red. It seems a little weird, though, that after escaping captivity and torture by unearthly creatures the freed hostages just sort of absently mill around outside the building.
¶ So I remember the brouhaha when it came out (with the Snyder Cut) that Martha Kent was really the Martian Manhunter. But it’s not clear to me at all that she is in any other scene but her one discussion with Lois. Though that also begs the question of why the Martian Manhunter is having that discussion with her.
I, for one, am always glad to see the MM, and there’s some payoff in the Epilogue for that, but, honestly, the appearance here is just confusing.
¶ Even more than in the Theatrical Release, Batman is bound and determined here to use the Mother Box to rez Superman. But while in the Theatrical Release, it seemed more pragmatic (they need Superman against Steppenwolf & Co.), here it’s mixed with wanting save Kal’s life. The Theatrical Release also has, it seems, more debate over whether such a resurrection is doable, desirable, or dangerous. I have to go with the Theatrical Release, here.
PART 5
¶ The whole evacuation of STAR Labs is fine, but not really needed. It seems mostly there to set up another Silas Stone scene, leading to his eventual death.
I don’t actually recall Silas’ death in the Theatrical Release. Oh, that’s because it didn’t happen; in that version, we see Silas working with Victor on cybernetic upgrades, reconciled at last. Snyder, on the other hand, loves distant, destructive, or dead parents. The Snyder Cut fridging of Silas adds to Victor’s tale, I guess, giving him more reason to whomp on Steppenwolf, but it also does this with a strange “Oh, if we hit things with an X-Ray laser they get weirdly super-hot inside, as we see with this piece of Kryptonian Ship, and which I’m sure will also happen with the Mother Box” thing, to allow the tracking down of Steppenwolf, which is just not a good plot element.
¶ The fact that the JL knows and discusses that activating the Mother Box will let Steppenwolf know where it is makes their forgetting all about it to go hallooing after the resurrected Clark even worse in this edition.
¶ Funniest sight gag in the film: the Force Majeure Pregnancy Test.
¶ Ooh, Victor is getting Knightmare visions, just like Bruce.
¶ Barry reverses time, just slightly, to coordinate his touch of the Mother Box perfectly. This is mostly to tee up the time-reversal he’ll use in the BBEG Battle.
¶ The confrontation with Superman post-resurrection is (of course) a bit longer in the Snyder Cut, but I’m not sure it’s any better. The Theatrical Release predicts uncertainty about his mental state as one of the factors the JL considers, causing Batman to invite Lois along as a “big gun” — something that narratively works better for me than her just happening to be there for her morning mournfulness. The Snyder Cut also has Supes being fired upon by, and then blowing up, some military vehicles, which … has complicated implications that never get addressed later.
I see you …
Both versions contain my favorite Barry moment: Supes is grappled with Diana, Aquaman, and Cyborg, and Flash comes racing over with super-speed (in slow motion) … and his eyes widen like saucers as he sees Superman tracking his movement.
PART 6
¶ Clark’s intonation while he is getting his bearing is still a little weird, but the Snyder Cut doesn’t turn him into the slightly patronizing father figure for the team that the Theatrical Release does. Which, honestly, is good, except that I really loved aspects of his interplay with Barry in the Theatrical Release.
¶ Martha showing up at the farm while Clark and Lois are there still strikes me as weird — unless Lois called her. (Though the Theatrical Release dialog sort of counter-indicates that.)
And again, is this actually Martha? Or is it Martian Manhunter Martha (Marthian Manhunter?). Why would it be? Why wouldn’t it be? How do we know?
¶ I’m glad Steppenwolf has some motivation beyond “I kill things and am angry I didn’t get to kill things once upon a time.” I mean, wanting to impress Darkseid, and get out of his long exile, aren’t exactly novel motivations, but they are motivations.
Also, the Unity Effect stuff looks better this time out.
¶ Clark stopping by Bruce’s house and meeting Alfred is nice, but, again, a scene easily cut if you were making a real movie with a real duration limit.
Parenthetically, Whedon, of course, is known for his banter and quipping in dialog, and that was both fun and irritating in the Theatrical Edition. The one place I miss it in the Snyder Cut is with Alfred. Several of his under-the-breath comments aren’t here, and they were (as part of the long Alfred tradition) great.
¶ In this version, the assault on Steppenwolf’s lair is at night. Of course.
¶ Victor’s line: “I’m not broken, and I’m not alone.” Very nice.
¶ And it wouldn’t be a Zack Snyder edition without Steppenwolf being gutted with a trident and decapitated by a sword, both wielded by Our Heroes.
EPILOGUE
¶ Luthor escape and meeting with Deathstroke scene: check! Though … different ending here. Since both versions are setups for (different) future movies (neither of which will happen), I have to assume the Theatrical Release one was WB’s plan, and the Snyder Cut version is what Snyder would have done if he’d stayed in effective charge of things.
¶ We get (as in the Theatrical Release) the “Let’s set up old Wayne Manor as JL HQ” sequence. Fortunately Bruce has the money to replace all the water-damaged plaster and flooring, and clean up the bird poop.
¶ We also get in the Epilogue a very, very long Knightmare sequence, this time with Bats, an armored Flash, a pissed-off Mera, an unarmored Deathstroke (!), and … a Jared Leto Joker, in an Injustice-style world where Lois was killed by Joker, Superman joined up with the invading Apokolips forces, and everything’s gone to shit. Ho-hum.
I know (believe me) how seductive dream sequences are for teasing a future to be avoided. In this case, it was all interesting enough, but … did it advance the film it was in? Not really.
¶ The Knightmare ends when Bruce wakes up. He heads out to the deck over the lake to unexpectedly encounter the Martian Manhunter (not looking like Martha). MM says he’s ready to join the JL, introduces himself, then flies away. Bruce takes it with strange aplomb, asks him no questions (not even “How do we reach you?” let alone “Couldn’t you have reached this conclusion a few weeks ago?”), and that’s end of the film. Whuh?
Net-Net
Snyder’s film, though not without flaws, is a quite decent piece of work. It’s impossible to compare it to its theatrical variant because of the sheer amount of time he had to play with. The best that can be said is that he fills the time pretty well, letting some moments be slower than any theatrical release would allow, and letting in some scenes that make the tapestry richer but that could only show up in this longer format.
I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for longer cuts, but I don’t expect (and don’t know that I want) studios to go to a four hour format for pretty much anything.
In some ways, it’s more helpful to think of this, less as a film, than as a mini-series, or a short-episode-count TV show. The main difference is that it doesn’t end on a dramatic beat the end of each part.
A more significant difference is that someone starting a miniseries will say, “I have four hours of air time. I can take my time with things.” That can lead to bloated productions (as any number of shows on streaming TV demonstrate). Snyder didn’t think he was making a four-hour movie. He knew he was going to have to cut his work in half. So while he filmed some things that maybe he knew wouldn’t make that final cut, he didn’t approach anything with a “well, I’m short five minutes of runtime for Episode 3, how can I stretch things out?” attitude.
Looking back on it the next day, I’ll offer the criticism that there are still some awkward plot moments in the Snyder Cut, and the character development (and display) is still pretty simplistic; Victor’s story, for example, is certainly longer, and arguably more interesting, but not any more sophisticated than in the Theatrical Release
But if you’ve got four hours, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a pretty good superhero experience, definitely above average among such films. It’s been a while since I could say it of a Zack Snyder production, but I’m glad I watched it.
A cool video comparing the visual FX of both version of the movie (though they often forget the whole “Snyder had four hours of run time for this stuff” aspect, as well as “Snyder took an extra year of post-production for ZSJL” and “Snyder had 4-5 years of advancement in CG tech to draw on”).
So I feel a bit of schizophrenia about this movie. Because the bottom line is, I sort of like these iterations of the characters (at least Superman and Batman) better than I do the ones that came in the solo movies before them … but I also really dislike that they are so out of character from what came before … even though they are out of character-that-I-didn’t-like.
Okay, let’s take a step back.
I have to say I’m surprised on this rewatch. I haven’t watched this film since it was running in theaters, and my reaction then was kind of disappointed. And I understand where I was with that. The characterization here is part trope, part banter, always with that Joss Whedon quipping that worked so well on the first Avengers, struggled a bit in Avengers 2, and here …
… well, here, it’s hard to judge. Because this is a grim universe. And these are grim characters. And hearing them doing the Avengers-style quipping is jarring. Bats is no longer a bundle of violent rage. Supes comes across like Christopher Reeves with next to zero PTSD (after coming to his senses) from having been dead, tossing off patronizing banter and apparently more powerful than everyone else here combined. Diana processes her century-old trauma over losing Steve Trevor right before our disbelieving eyes. And Victor and Barry get their “Here Is My Tough Story” moments that effortlessly pivot into “Hey We Are Part of a Bunch of Super-Friends.”
It jars. It’s irritating. It’s also kind of fun. As I said, I sort of like these JL folk better than I have in previous films, in part because I love the first Avengers movie. But it’s such a set of differences from previous DCEU that everything is dragged down by cognitive dissonance. I really have to wonder what I’d think about it if I hadn’t just watched the Trinity movies before this one .
This is the film, of course, that got handed to Joss Whedon in post-production, after tragedy in Zack Snyder’s family pulled him away from the production. Whedon rewrote a bunch and re-filmed a bunch, both by his own doing and with reported insistence from WB execs who weren’t happy with BvSDoJ‘s numbers.
The result is a weird hybrid, and not one with vigor. I can clearly see the churning Snyderian bitterness and anger and darkness and cynicism brewing beneath the surface (Cyborg’s alienation, Flash’s desperation, Diana’s isolation, Aquaman’s also-isolation, Superman’s post-resurrection trauma, any sense of character Batman had in the last film), but all of it is thickly spackled over by Whedon’s glib humor and desperate need to make the film shorter than it was already sitting at. Add the tarnish of what was reported about Whedon’s behavior by some of the cast (here and in other productions), and it’s no wonder it all sort of turned out a mess.
SPOILER ALERT!
And yet … it does kind of stand on its own half-way decently (and, almost sadly, teeing up a future DCEU that will never actually exist). And, honestly, I’m happy to see a film that gives us a Flash vs Superman race (or two).
On the other hand, the whole Fourth Act BBEG Fight is … way too much, and too repetitive, punching and counter-punching and counter-counter punching, lather, rinse, repeat. And all that takes place in the middle of very vague stakes. There’s glowy CG stuff creating more glowy CG stuff that is going to destroy the world in some glowy CG way, or so we’re told. And there are local human lives in the balance, though we really only see a family of four. But even with that hand-waving threat, the JL holds their own pretty well within the parameters of such a fight — and that’s before Smug Superman shows up (who so unbalances the fight that the movie has to send him off repeatedly to go save faceless civilians). Bah.
Outside of that battle, though, and some other somewhat choppy pieced-together plotting, I’ll give a solid middle-of-the-road score, with disappointment for a franchise flagship should have been bigger and badder and less stereotypical (“Heroes come together! Heroes clash and fight and bicker! Heroes come through when the chips are down and learn they have a new level of trust in their mutual family!”). The actors here do decently enough with what they’re given, some of the quipping is actually funny, some of the set pieces are interesting in and of themselves. It just eventually doesn’t rise above a third-rate Avengers remake. Which, if that’s what you’re expecting, isn’t bad.
In short, I’m not sorry I rewatched it. Indeed, I might conceivable rewatch it again, sometime in the distant future. Because for my money, the murky, smoggy morning of Justice definitely beats the Dawn of Justice, hands down.
4.0 Acting 4.5 Production 4.0 Story 4.5 OVERALL (with a ♥)
Wonder Woman remains a delightful movie — hopeful and brave where Man of Steel is fearful and reserved, graceful and loving where Batman vs Superman is brutal and distrusting.
It’s not without flaws. The battle with the BBEG feels too unreal, and reuses too many moves, and ultimately David Thewlis makes a much better Sir Patrick than CGI-enhanced Ares.
But that said, there’s very fine stuff going on. Gail Godot nails Diana’s passion, confidence, determination, and strange blend of sophistication and naivete. She is a warrior — but, ultimately, like the Amazons, she is even more a protector. She punches, she stabs, but even more she shields. The more she learns that, the greater she becomes.
Sameer, Steve, Diana, the Chief, and Charlie
But we also get a great supporting cast for Diana: an overprotective Mom (no, really, lying about stuff to shield your child from what is inevitably going to come rarely works out well) and a so-very-buff extended family; Chris Pine’s noble, knowing, naïve (complementing these traits in Diana) Steve Trevor; the three amigos, demonstrating men aren’t all bad (and can be, in fact, victims as well); and indeed pretty much everyone in the cast who, with good writing by Allan Heinberg and excellent direction from Patty Jenkins, make for a much richer and enjoyable experience than any of its DCEU predecessors.
The fight choreography is amazing (except when it gets a scosh too CG), the period placement is excellent, and the Horror of War aspect is properly played. This is one of the only DCEU films I’d put in the Top Ten of super-hero flicks I’ve seen to date.
Do you want to know more?
This review was in an earlier form posted on LetterBoxd.
Also on LetterBoxd, my previoustwo viewing reviews.
That looks like a fun, exciting, kinda zany movie! Looking forward to it!
I don’t have a lot more to say about “Suicide Squad” (the 2016 edition) that I haven’t previously said on previous watches. It keeps dragging me back though, out of love for the concept and for at least some of the characters — and then leaves me to wake up the next morning, in a bathtub full of ice, missing a kidney.
I will confess that it gets a bit better with rewatching, turning into a sort of popcorn movie you can enjoy / groan at with friends. Once you expect the erratic editing of two or three “creative” visions blerged together, and the subsequent oddities of character development and herky-jerky plotline, it stops being quite as bothersome.
Acting-wise, this thing is all over the map. There are some good points — Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller is properly sociopathic, even if the denouement with her feels way out of character. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is delightful even if the story sexualizes her to a ridonculous degree. Jay Hernandez’ Diablo is lovely, if underserved.
On the other hand Jai Courtney’s Boomerang, Adam Beech’s Slipknot, Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag, and Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress are evidence of something profoundly wrong in the casting, acting, writing, and/or directing.
Will Smith plays Will Smith, as always. He does a decent job of it here, even with the tonal chaos.
Oooh, fun and pretty and light and artsy. Looks like a great movie!
I actually don’t mind Jared Leto’s Joker (method acting shenanigans aside). I don’t think it’s my favorite Joker of all time, but it’s a legit interpretation. Unfortunately, a whole bunch of it got left on the cutting room floor, rendering a good third of the movie’s narrative interest kaput. They either needed to make this a Joker/Harley movie, or cut the Joker/Harley stuff way back; they instead made decisions with a machete (very Joker-like) and duct tape, ending up with the worst of both worlds.
The other actors are simply reading from Tropes for Dummies, and we’ll leave it there.
Muddied stakes, plot threads that come up then disappear, dizzying tonal shifts, FX that range from fairly cool to conventional to just plain bad … it just all ranges from somewhat interesting (the introductory backstories, while they last) to teeth-grindingly frustrating.
As a reminder, this is what we were promised in the trailer:
I really wish we’d gotten to see that movie. Instead, we got the (supposedly grimdark) movie WB already had in the can from Ayer, lots of panicky meetings by WB execs about the critical drubbing that BvSDoJ got, reshoots and re-edits and fun adverts like this, all to give us something that shows the coherency of mood and tempo and narrative dependability of … well, of the Joker.
Ah, well. Nothing that more bourbon can’t fix.
Again, looks like brightly colored fun! I want to see that movie!
UPDATE: With that perverse sense of timing that the universe sometimes has, rumors are once again a-swirl that we might get the “Ayer Cut” of SS16 released by WB, the version Ayer had put together before all the studio interference made it into the dog’s breakfast it ended up as. Will that actually happen? Will it produce a more coherent (if more relentlessly gritty) film? Who knows?
If “Man of Steel” was a gorgeous movie with some deep flaws, BvSDoJ is a movie with a bundle of flaws and a few gorgeous moments. Originally meant to be a Batman movie, then retooled to introduce and unite the Trinity of the Justice League (Get it? “Dawn of Justice”? Yeah, I know …), the whole thing is a muddled mess, focused on a very old trope: “What if the bad guy got the good guys to fight each other, but then they have to get together to fight an even bigger bad guy?”
Which is like Issue 1 or 2 of every comic book ever.
As MoS gave us a Superman haunted with fear of rejection, BvSDoJ gives us a Batman haunted with terrible, terrible anger. Ben Affleck’s Bats lives in/under a shell of a manor, perpetually reminded (by himself) of, apparently, Robin’s death at the hands of the Joker. He’s become a “Watchmen”-style character, raging and brutal, branding villains with his insignia.
He’s also full of anger at Superman for the damage and killing done during the Zod battle in Metropolis, esp. how it impacted the people in his large Metropolis office.
Not surprisingly, Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor (quite nicely played, for my money) plays the two of them off against each other — Supes looking to stop a violent, savage vigilante, Bats looking to stop a god-monster-in-waiting.
Luthor overplays his hand (of course) and kidnaps the only surviving parent in the cast, Martha Kent, and uses that as the final lever to force Superman into a lethal battle with Batman, who is now in powered armor and armed with a Kryptonite-tipped spear. Big, violent battle ensues, which ends only when we all (characters included) realize the coincidence of both Bats and Supes’ mothers being named “Martha,” which stops the battle, still-weirdly enough.
Which is okay, because it’s time for them to shrug off their dire injuries and bitter feuding and join their new BFF Wonder Woman in fighting Doomsday, a Kryptonian revenant resurrected by Lex using General Zod’s body and some of his own blood. Go figure.
At least we still have that Kryptonite-tipped spear! Bet that will come in handy!
Oh, and Superman dies. Bravely. Very sad. The world mourns. We get to escape from the theater.
A few more thoughts:
¶ Zack Snyder has some mordant, if facile, things to say about celebrity.
In fact, this is a far less thoughtful, far more shallow film than MoS. And while the former was (of course) mostly fought in bright daylight, this one is (of course) mostly fought in claustrophobic night darkness, which ends up highlighting the exploding cars, etc., far more. It is a film lit by flames, and just as ephemeral.
¶ “No one stays good in this world.” (eyeroll)
¶ “Bruce Wayne / Batman is a law & order fascist” was bold and interesting and fresh when Frank Miller did it in “The Dark Knight Returns” in 1986. Affleck’s Batman comes across thirty years later as less a hero, more someone to be scared of (whether you are innocent or not).
¶ The “Martha!” reveal is … so bad. So cheesy.
¶ Cavill is so frowny, so, so frowny, so much of the time. Much more so than in Man of Steel. Result: he looks like an angry god. Way to play into the type you’re trying not to be, Clark.
¶ Yay for the Wonder Woman music.
That said, Diana’s presence here is never fleshed out quite enough. I mean, her name’s not on the movie, but she plays a pretty prominent role. I could just ask for a bit of clarification as to what she’s doing, even if this was before her own solo effort.
“Oh, crap, all these posters are too depressing! We better paste Wonder Woman and some sunlight into one of them!”
¶ Again with the zillions of dollars of “Disaster Porn” damage. Yeesh. Maybe Bruce Wayne will appreciate it more this time, since he’s in the middle of causing it.
¶ Superman’s nigh-instantaneous transition from “super-powered guy that we’re a bit unsure about because he’s an alien and was part of a battle that nearly destroyed a city” to being the subject of a state funeral feels a bit weird. I realize it’s part of Snyder’s Superman-as-Christ thing, but it needed more build-up. I mean — how do the people of Metropolis feel about the guy who was recently involved in demolishing half of the city on two different occasions getting a big fancy-dancy send-off?
This is a film that could really need a “Two Years Later” caption.
¶ I already mentioned I was cool with Eisenberg’s variation on how we normally see Luthor, even if he’s channeling the Joker a bit much. But having Luthor blood be part of the “mix” to create Doomsday was silly — though not as silly as trying to tie it to all into Apokalipsian hi-jinx via Steppenwolf as yet another “Hey, wait until you see the really cool Justice League movie coming real soon” forced promo.
Net-net, someone took the “Two superheroes meet for the first time, so of course they fight” dial and cranked it up to 11. Snyder does try to give some rationale for the hostilities — unfortunately, 90% of it boils down to Batman being a big, violent asshole, which ends up meaning that when it comes down to Batman v. Superman, the audience is going to have a favorite.
(Wonder Woman, of course. Which is why more recent posters for the movie highlight her prominently.)
This was my second watch of BvSDoJ. I don’t anticipate a third time.
In Color! (Which is pretty desaturated most of the time in the actual film.)
Do you want to know more?
This review was, in a previous revision, posted on Letterboxd.
My first-viewing of Batman vs Superman is reviewed here.
Good Lord. It’s been a decade since this film came out. That feels … way too long (it was just yesterday! or the day before!) and way too short (this movie has been one of the definitions of super-hero films forever).
A brief digression
So … the infamous Zack Snyder flick that started the whole … Zack Snyder DC thing. Stray thoughts scribbled during viewing.
So here’s my 30-second Zack Snyder thing. I loved Watchmen. I enjoyed and appreciated 300. I’ve had problems with all of the DCEU stuff he’s done that I’ve seen because it’s been relentlessly grim — or, when hopeful, it’s been about hope in a sea of grimness and human frailty. Administered with a bunch of (truly beautiful) explosions.
I would rather not watch a DCEU that Zack Snyder was running. That’s an aesthetic choice, not a moral judgment.
I’m also of the opinion that an activist core of Snyder fans (in the most fanatical meaning of the term) did more to bring down the DCEU than either Snyder or people who had creative visions different from Snyder.
Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the movie?
¶ The whole thing sets up life-as-struggle, starting with Lara-El suffering through the first childbirth in centuries on Krypton, alongside her husband, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Action Scientist!
(To be fair, Russell Crowe makes for a great Action Scientist. It’s just that Superman’s origin tale is usually more talky-shouty than punchy-kicky.)
The presentation of Krypton and Kal’s origin is nicely re-imagined, with some new bits to add to the standard narrative.
¶ “He’ll be a god to him.” The movie tees up its conflict of Clark-as-alien-monster vs Clark-as-Christ vs Clark-as-human early. And often.
¶ Kevin Costner does a decent job as a Jonathan Kent who is … a man driven by fear, but love, but fear. Scared for his kid (based on how bad humanity is), to the point of being willing to sacrifice his own life to keep his son’s identity from being exposed.
This was a red flag for me. Jonathan Kent should be inspirational. What he’s inspiring here is Clark staying in the closet.
¶ Trademark Snyder serious HDR-level contrast, with dimmed/tinted light, deep shadow, and suppressed color.
¶ I mean, bottom line, this movie is like a Superman story, but one framed to be sad, depressing, cynical, and unhappy. Yes, it all ends (mostly) well. The accusations that Zack Snyder doesn’t believe in super-heroes is wrong. But he also doesn’t love myth, and wants to complicate every tale with shadows and disappointment and flaws and cynicism and fear.
This is an Elseworlds tale of Clark Kent’s life as a tragedy.
¶ Clark is meant to be a force for good. But here he’s been raised in isolation, alone, fearful. He spends the first part of the movie as much in hiding as anything else. His dad really did a number on him.
Henry Cavill as Superman
¶ Given the film, Cavil really does a hell of a job. Big bravo there.
¶ And, for what it’s worth, the movie is beautifully crafted. The visualizations, the FX, all of it is done with a dear love for portraying the worlds that are encompassed. Big bravos there, too.
¶ “If the world figures out who you are, they will reject you.” Thanks, Dad.
¶ “I’m worried they’ll take you away from me.” Oh, Martha …
¶ The very powerfully visual connection between Jesus (in stained glass) and Kal-El in the pew is … a bit on the nose.
¶ Mad props to Edna Mode: the capes in this film look … dorky. It’s all so hyper-focused, high-contrast, gritty-reality feeling of a film, that someone wearing a cape (esp. when it’s not blowing in slow motion) looks goofy.
¶ The one FX shot that looked unreal: the CGI Kryptonian ship jets away from the human military defenders, blowing sand and dust in their face in a reverse shot … and nobody told the extras to flinch.
Michael Shannon as General Zod
¶ Michael Shannon really does a fine job as Zod. He’s a bad guy, clearly, but he very much fits that “Everyone is a hero in their own head” mold, and his speech about being existentially, genetically tasked to protect Krypton, and how that’s now been taken from him, is beautifully done (and beautifully chilling).
But why, WHY, if we have Zod, do we not have as the female and big male Kryptonians who get into prominent duke-outs, Ursa and Non. WHY?
¶ While the movie is criticized (not without justification) for the Disaster Porn of the Kryptonian attack and the El/Zod fight in Metropolis, it’s worth noting that it’s the US military that fires the first cityscape-destroying shot in Smallville.
¶ Best human touch of the film: MAGNETIC PHOTO ALBUMS from the Kent farm for the win.
¶ With all due respect to the Daily Planet, I’ve visited New York City: nobody has a vista that shows everything going on in the city like the offices of the Planet.
¶ Nice parallel struggle between Kal El vs the World Machine and Perry White trying to save his intern.
¶ As mentioned above, Disaster Porn. The visual destruction and implied multi-thousand body count in Metropolis is beautifully crafted, fits with the story, and is very, very real, except for the lack of bodies and the weeks of sifting the rubble to find them.
¶ Sorry. Spidey failing to save Gwen has made me very sensitive to the physics and physiological impact of Superman rescuing a lot of people laterally at super-sonic speed.
¶ “They say it’s all down-hill after the first kiss.” This move is, if not actually deeply cynical, set in a deeply cynical world. Also, after the mass destruction, Clark smooching Lois just calls to mind Niven’s classic essay, “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex.”
¶ Superman kills Zod. That was the breaking point for a lot of people, and with reason. It violates the mythic role of Superman. The point of which is not that Superman would never kill anyone, but that no writer would ever put Superman in a position that to kill someone is the only solution.
Yes, yes, we want “impact.” We want this to be burned indelibly into Clark’s mind as the most horrible moment of his life (the mass casualties around him notwithstanding). Which might make more sense if we got him moping around with guilt for the rest of this and the next few movies he was in. Except that doesn’t happen, so … I guess it wasn’t the most horrible moment in his life.
¶ After all that disaster porn, plus some murder, the denouement moment with the US military feels … unjustifiably glib and light-hearted.
Net-net, a thoughtfully and beautifully crafted film that fails to satisfy me because I simply don’t accept the tone, the message, the forced narrative. “Man of Steel” is a gorgeous diamond with deep, value-draining flaws.
Do you want to know more?
An earlier version of this review appeared on LetterBoxd.
My review from my first viewing is also on LetterBoxd.
A last look before the DCEU goes off to the recycle bin of movie history
To be fair, I’ve never been a big fan of DC’s movie-driven logo, either.
UPDATES BELOW
Given it’s slow, tottering, if self-inflicted, demise, and with a fresh DC Universe coming on line (which I face with both anticipation and dread), I thought I would take the opportunity while my wife is away this week to watch (in a few cases rewatch) the DCEU.
I’ll kick that off by asking, once again, what the heck this is:
While the initial appearance of a standard DCEU intro clip for all its movies got me excited peering at the fuzzy images in the final tableau to figure out who they were, I very quickly got kind of ticked off that they weren’t actually making use of the characters in the form they were making movies of them.
That’s not Henry Cavill as Superman. That’s certainly not Superman’s suit. (What is with those gauntlets, people?) That’s definitely not Jason Momoa’s Aquaman. Nor is it Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern (own it, DC!).
This is, in fact, your father’s Aquaman.
Now, obviously, they are meant to be generic versions of these super-heroes, perhaps alluding to DC’s rumored liberality with how their characters are visually represented in comics. But why introduce an Aquaman movie — heck, an Aquaman sequel movie — with an image of Aquaman that doesn’t align with the movie the audience is about to see? Especially when only a small percent of that audience has ever seen or read the comic book version of Aquaman?
Branding, people! That’s why you have this universe in the first place!
(Marvel, for all its sins, understands this. It’s studio intro is, itself, too long, but there’s never any doubt that it’s focused on the MCU, complete with scripts, and, more brilliantly, it evolves with time as new movies come out.)
Anyway, with that off my chest for likely the last time, on with the movies!
Update!
And, eleven movie (re)watches later, I am done.
Here’s an index to the reviews here on the blog, linked to the individual entries. Due to time constraints, I did not rewatch Aquaman (2018) or the first Shazam! (2019); I have included links to my previos Letterboxd review to them.
* 4-hour event; ** Did not rewatch; numbers from previous viewing
Do I have any conclusions from all this?
¶ The above judgments are my own; your mileage almost certainly varies.
It is ironic (and wholly unintended) that the top two and bottom two are Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad films.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed some movies I hadn’t seen before, and also by how much I disliked some of the movies I hadn’t seen before.
¶ The DCEU ultimately failed because there wasn’t a strong leader guiding the creative and meta-creative process, creating an actual shared world, analogous to a Kevin Feige on the Marvel side of things. They had Zack Snyder, who wanted that role, and de facto sort of held it (but never officially, in WB’s eyes), but whose vision was not shared by a majority of the viewing audience (just a very vocal and dedicated fraction of it).
As a result, the DCEU became more about creative wrangling, toxic fandom, and nameless suits in the studio trying to micromanage creativity in the worst possible way: as a reaction to the previous film released, not in pursuit of a coherent narrative. “Order, counter-order, disorder” became the DCEU way, and the desire to create movies people would want to watch was thrown overboard in trying to avoid more losses.
¶ Executive turnover at WB didn’t help things any. Some of these movies went through three different regimes at the studio, each with its own priority, budgeting, and desire to tinker. Creativity and good movie-making is not improved by all that.
¶ The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — in terms of delaying movies, delaying the release date of movies (surely the plague will be over then and people will want to go out to the movies!), and the mish-mosh of theatrical and streaming releases certainly hurt any creative momentum and net profits.
¶ Ironically, just as I do my (re)watch, one of the ultimate DCEU films is finally dropping into theaters, Blue Beetle, and its predecessor, the much lambasted The Flash, falls into streaming in a week. Aquaman 2, assuming it is ever released and isn’t simply written off for taxes by WB, comes out later this year.
A more-than-worthy successor to the first film, full of fun, drama, and spectacle.
I won’t talk specifics, but this is a sequel that is at least an equal of the first film, possibly its superior.
By having a commitment to a third film, the creative team could lean into richness of characterization, and creating a cast with depth and texture. Presumably the production was all of a continuum (the third film comes out next year), and that allowed some powerful development to be teed up and fulfilled.
Visually, the film is stunning, playing with color, texture, medium, style, focus and orientation. The animation is amazing in its variety and quality, truly cinematic in everything from quiet dialogue scenes to crazy four-dimensional action sequences.
Writing-wise, the story arguably more complex than Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — again, leaning into having two films to follow up from that first film. But the through-lines are strong — growth, autonomy, destiny, truth, lies, identity. All the primary characters (and there are several) face challenges and conflicts, sometimes with each other. The dive into Spider-Man lore and creating a meta-narrative out of is brilliant.
At the same time, as serious as things get (and they do get damned serious), there is also a tremendous amount of fun, playing with a vast array of Spider-folk (many from canon, many invented for the purpose), as well as others people and places. That contrast between fun and wonder and gut-wrenching drama makes this a pretty special movie, even without its merits as animation or as a super-hero tale.
The music isn’t necessarily my personal cuppa, but it works with the imagery and the action. The voice talent, as with the first film, is top-notch.
All in all, I couldn’t ask for anything better, other than that “To Be Continued” at the end.
This review first appeared, in an earlier form, on Dropbox.
As a D&D player, I had a lot of fun. But this was not a great movie.
I’d heard that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was a brilliant homage to the classic Fantasy Role-Playing Game, full of easter eggs and fun and great action and lovely bits and bobs.
I’d also heard that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was a scattershot fantasy action that had some nice minutes but awful quarter-hours, with an incoherent plot, poorly sketched characters, and little for a non-player of the game to latch onto.
Which have I learned is the truth here?
Yes.
For someone who’s been immersed in D&D since the early 80s, D&DHAT is so steeped in lore and in-jokes and setting that it all begins to precipitate out like a passing, meaningless shot of rust monsters arguing over a scrap of metal. From funny spells to dire threats to factions to cities to name-drops of famous figures throughout the history of Faerun, D&DHAT tries to out-LotR LotR in its eye to detail and endless, endless fan service.
And, heck, I’d love to make it a table requirement that every player in a new game of mine watch that movie as a means of setting tone for the sort of game I want to run.
At the same time, desperately taking a step or three back, the movie is something of a narrative mess, from flashing back in sometimes confusing fashion, to throwing new obstacles and perils in just because they are cool, not because they are needed or pay off. Things happen, jokes are japed, battles ensue, banter is banted, the heroes win by the skin of their teeth, and we move on without any meaningful consideration of what it all meant. In a very real way, that’s the worst part of D&D, an endless series of Random Encounter Table rolls, with only the most threadbare plot to go with.
Alongside that threadbare plot are characters whom we root for because they are the characters we are clearly meant to root for, and who have backstories that, with maybe one exception, are simply sketched in, hand-waved, and thrown into the action. It’s less the stereotypical “Let me share with you my novella about my character’s origins (the index is on the last five pages)” and more a Pick-Up Group’s depth.
Even the main character — Chris Pine’s Edgin — who gets more backstory time than all the other characters combined, is such a fast-talking nobody that all the dramatic beats that the movie pretends to provide — love, loss, self-sacrifice, parenting, oath-breaking, regret, redemption — feel rushed and shallow in order to get to the next incredibly geeky-cool action moment.
The acting is all fine for the roles (one of these days, Hugh Grant is going to wake up and realize he’s been a laundry list of character actors over the decades), the SFX are quite good, the attention to lore is astounding (see your reviewer squealing “OMG IT’S GRASSY FIELDS OF THE DESSARIN VALLEY!!!!!”), and I had a tremendous amount of fun watching it. The Rotten Tomatoes scores for critics and viewers were both highly respectable.
But this is not a great movie. This is not even a great fantasy movie (compared to, say the Lord of the Rings trilogy — indeed, one might easily argue it’s a bit more The Hobbit trilogy in tone and content). I enjoyed it, and it’s arguably the best D&D movie I’ve watched since Conan the Destroyer (1982). But the folk who were surprised that it didn’t do better in theaters shouldn’t be: I strongly expect that, were I not someone steeped in D&D myself, I’d not be nearly as likely to have watched it, nor to want to watch it again.
I collect and research quotations, to a degree that some might deem obsessive. The fruits of my amateur labor are stashed at my Wish I’d Said That (wist.info) website.
The other day I was doing a deep dive into quotations by Judith Martin, a one-time journalist who shifted into a columnist and bookwriting career as “Miss Manners.” Martin’s etiquette work is witty, thought-provoking, grounded, and delightful to read.
I’d pulled together a (large) number of quotations by her, grouped by books she’d written, and decided to find URLs to those books online so that I could provided proper, linked citations for them. A quote without citation is nearly useless; a citation without a link to prove it exists is merely problematic.
While I’m a longtime fan of Google Books, I’ve of late become an even bigger fan, as a researcher, of the Internet Archive. Among its many other invaluable resources, its online collection of scanned eBooks is invaluable in finding or confirming the existence of quoted text, in a way that access to the biggest research library would find challenging.
So I searched at IA for books by “Martin, Judith,”, and amidst the various Miss Manners books (and books by other people with that name), I ran across a volume that made me do a double-take:
An oddly familiar cover
Huh, I said, looking at it. That reminds me of a play I was in back in … 2nd grade, I think.
And it was, in fact, my stage debut. Not that I have an extensive theater career, but I did a lot of plays in school, and in college, and even a couple of things since then, and this, this reminded me of that very first play.
I didn’t remember the title, but I remembered cardboard cutout trees that looked like that.
And I opened the book — and, by golly, this was in fact the book (and script) for that play. The Tree Angel, published in 1962.
It’s a frothy bit of children’s theater silliness, about a trio of trees chopped down by a woodcutter, rescued by an angel who gives them legs, letting them out-run the woodcutter who comes back to drag them off.
While written for three kids (as trees) and a couple more as the angel and woodcutter (which can actually be performed by a single person), it can also be expanded to fit a full class, with three speaking trees, a bunch of relatively silent trees, and (in the case of Mrs. Bogosian’s class) two woodcutters.
I was Woodcutter #2. And I had one line. And here it is, as illustrated by Remy Charlip:
“Trees can’t run!”
“Trees can’t run!”
Of such lines are great theater careers made. Or not, but it stuck with me all these years, so we’ll say great memories of theater careers, instead.
We woodcutters didn’t have actual axes, of course, but painted, corrugated cardboard cutouts (I had the green-handled axe, much less exciting than the red-handled axe, but I was, after all, only Woodcutter #2.)
Fortunately, given the fragility of corrugated cardboard, and the propensity of 2nd grade boys to want to chop at things with a prop like that, it was a one-night show, suitable for parents. I have to wonder if there are pictures lurking in my Mom’s photo albums somewhere.
As it turns out, the author of the play was not Judith “Miss Manners” Martin, but a child theater artist named Judith Martin who passed away a decade ago. She co-founded the Paper Bag Theater in 1960, focused on contemporary theater for children using everyday themes and props. It looks like she had a marvelous career.
I was a bit disappointed to learn in the end that a seminal literary and theatrical experience for me wasn’t actually crafted by “Miss Manners,” providing some sort of subliminal influence over me all these years — but it was still amazing running across the book unexpectedly, and the backpaths of memory it took me along.
Because the trailers are sometimes half the fun. (Though the movie was definitely a lot of fun.)
Trailers that were showing before our Friday-of-opening-weekend showing of GotG3.
Elemental – A charming-looking Disney film about anthropomorphic figures who live in a fascinating city and society that resembles our own, but cunningly adapted to the traits of its denizens, who must learn to live in harmony and perhaps, even, love. Which, if it sounds a lot like Zootopia, that’s the reaction I have every time I see the trailer, which is cute, but not enough to really motivate me.
The Flash– You might be confused if you thought this was a Batman movie at first. Or … multiple Batmans. Batmen. Or maybe Superman, er, Superwoman. Fighting Zod. Oh, yeah, the Flash is in there, too, and supposedly it’s his movie. Oh, and there’s a bunch of Flashpoint stuff in here, too, the series that really screwed up the DCU and the Flash, and which Warner Bros. hopes will unscrew-up the DCEU, or whatever they are calling their movies these days. Also, Flashpoint was done on the Flash TV series, and a number of DC animated movies, and can we please move on from this storyline? Unlikely to go to this, even without considering the Ezra Miller drama.
Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – I’m not sure who thought the idea of a HG prequel was a good one, and whether they are any more clueless than whoever thought this was a title that would attract an audience. This is the movie I am least likely to see this year.
Fast X – If this were a series I watched, I would probably be highly interested in it. As it is not, I am not. At all.
Dune, Part 2 – I have heard plenty of admiring things about the first one, except that it all seemed to be a setup for the second one. So maybe once the dust settles on the second one, I’ll do a Dune-a-thon weekend with the two new movies, the classic Lynch, and the Syfy mini-series. Or maybe not.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – I am seriously jonesing (ha!) to see this. Yes, I was burned by the The Kingdom of the Glass Skull (which, to be fair, had a much better title than this one), but the Indy series is clearly in a “odd movies good, even movies bad” cycle, so we should be due for a final hit.
The Marvels – The most predictable trailer for the set (hello, MCU!), but, y’know, I am so there for this. I like the three title characters, I like the quantum entanglement that gives them an immediate problem to resolve, and I like that we don’t know much more than that right now. Plus I want this to succeed to spite the fanboiz who hate these three characters for a variety of disturbing reasons.
(NO SPOILERS) A fun, frenetic, somewhat frightening finish to the GotG saga.
The Series in Review
GotG 1 was about a band of misfits thrown together by chance to form a family. There was humor, and there was banter, and there was some crazy space stuff, and there were some dark moments, too, but it was a great intro.
GotG 2 was about challenging that family, re-defining it, expanding it. But it was also about cranking up the already-high level of humor to 12, and going bananas with the special effects. It had some serious threads, too (salute to Yondu), but it was overall pretty frothy.
(Insert a few other appearances here and there — holiday specials, cameos in other MCU movies, and so forth. Fun, but relatively shallow, leaning into the tropes, music, the mayhem, and the humor. )
GotG 3 … brings us back to the first installment in a good blend of tone. It’s dark in a lot of places, especially toward the beginning, to the point of being sort of even grim in tone. I would hesitate to bring a kid to this one, and people sensitive to body horror should probably steer clear.
Repeating that note: this is NOT kid-friendly.
The violence, suffering, and (I’ll use the word with consideration) atrocities that are shown or hinted at, and the level of (cartoon) violence in some of the battles, are very intense for an MCU film.
But it’s not gratuitously not-kid-friendly
A lot of the more gut-wrenching stuff is setting the stakes, teeing up the villain and one of our hero’s reactions toward him. That ties into a theme here: paying off past outstanding threads, some going all the way back to the beginning of Vol. 1 (Quill’s flight from his Earth family, and the tight-lipped secrets of Rocket’s origins), others being shaped neatly for the other characters.
It’s not always comfortable to watch, but it serves the narrative.
By the end, after trial, travail, confronting old ghosts and getting ready to confront new ones, we reach a satisfying set of reasons as to why this is the final volume of the Guardians, at least as we know them. Stories are wrapped up — or, if not wrapped up, set on new courses, some of which we may never see, others of which … who knows?
Heroes need a villain
The MCU hasn’t always done well with villains, and GotG as a series is an example of that. Vol. 1’s Ronan (Lee Pace) was a grim non-entity (and a lackey at that). Vol. 2’s Ego was, with the rest of the movie, equal parts humor and jerk.
The main heavy here is (I doubt this is a spoiler) the High Evolutionary, a self-created mad genius of great power and greater ambition to produce perfection in living things. What that looks like, what he’s willing to do, re-do, discard, try again, etc., makes him in his own way a deeper, darker adversary than your Thanos or your Ultron (or Ego, for that matter), perhaps because in some ways his motivation reverberates off of too many of humanity’s own darker moments.
But it also tees up a bunch of Marvel backstory fun, including places and groups that the High Evolutionary of the comics is associated with (i.e., Easter Eggs a-plenty here). The HE of Marvel Comics has always been a mix as a villain — very much the “everyone is a hero of his own story” and more of a bad guy because of his dispassionate pursuit of perfection than because of twirling mustachios. The HE here (Chukwudi Iwuji) plays up the zeal and ego a lot more, and it works pretty darned well.
Indeed, all the actors play their roles well, in parts great and small. There are no real weak links in this ensemble. And I have to give a big shout-out to Bradley Cooper, whose voice work for Rocket is a key to so much here, and carries so much of the (superbly animated) character.
The Special Effects
Fun and detailed and much more transparent, in many ways, than in Vol. 1 and 2. Practical, makeup (a world record in prosthetics), and CGI all blend together delightfully and such that I really stopped noticing it, even with creatures and characters that were a mixture or were all-CG.
We watched in the theater in 2D. There was stuff that I’m sure was very cool in 3D, but it wasn’t necessary to pay the extra money or headache.
The Music
The film score was done by John Murphy, replacing Tyler Bates from Vol. 1-2. The ever-present pop songs seem to have trended a bit more modern (though there are still some good rock classics in there).
Openings and Closings
The Marvel Studios opening sequence is a tribute to the GotG, rather than the current standard. It’s nicely done.
There are two credits scenes, at the usual spots. Both are worth watching for their own reasons (esp. since the credits themselves are a nicely done scrap book of photos — from the movies and not — of the characters we’ve come to know and love over the series.
A few minor bits of glee
1. After getting just a passing glimpse in the Collector’s collection, I am so glad to see Cosmo the Space Dog getting some decent screen time.
2. Rocket learning his secret origin — not just the origin that he remembered but never wanted to talk about (and with reason), but the origin behind that — was delightful, esp. in its payoff.
A few minor quibbles
1. I’ve follow Adam Warlock’s career from the beginning (as the cosmic “HIM”) to his Roy Thomas Counter-Earth Christ-figure days, to becoming another Jim Starlin cosmically wise / clever / menacing type. Will Poulter’s rendition here is pretty much nothing like any of those, which is kind of a pity — but the character does line up well both with his Vol. 2 origins and with the general theme of the Guardians.
2. I love the Guardians comic-style uniforms, and to the extent that they have been trying to be an organized force to protect the galaxy, sure, makes sense. That said, they do seem to come out of nowhere during the film.
Overall
I was a bit worried about Vol. 3 continuing the trends from Vol. 2 (make it louder! make it funnier! make it more psychodelic!), but James Gunn has made a movie that is both a great wrap for the saga, send-off for our characters, and a good film in its own right. Bravo.
Time for another review of movie adverts at the movies
So, what sorts of movies do Big Media think will attract possible customers who are there for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania? Here are the trailers we saw this evening:
Super Mario Bros.: The Movie— This just looks plain silly, but neatly crafted in its silliness. A moderate chance we’ll see it when it comes out (if my son has any say in the matter).
Air — (a) Who would have thought that the decision of a struggling Nike shoe company to back untried rookie Michael Jordan would lead to so much money being made? (b) Who wants to see a movie about it? (c) So, which is a bigger number, (a) or (b)? (d) Who cares?
John Wick 4 — I saw the first JW film and decided that, while it was fun, it was about all the John Wick I needed for a lifetime.
Flash — I’m more and more convinced that the only reasons this movie is finally being released are (1) it’s already complete and probably fully depreciated by WB, and (2) James Gunn is too much of a geek to miss the chance to provide a canonical excuse for the DCEU timeline being changed. I have no interest in seeing this in the theaters, but I might stream it some time.
Fast & Furious 10 — I’m sure the trailer will excite F&F enthusiasts. I just see a franchise that’s both winding down and is becoming its own self-referential parody.
Elemental — A new Disney/Pixar flick about a world just like ours, except everyone is made of earth, air, water, and fire. Amusing hi-jinx and a heart-warming forbidden love ensue. Um … for whatever reason this just didn’t do it for me.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 — This trailer has been out for a little bit, but it’s nice to see on the big screen. Another sub-franchise winding down to an exit (along with its writer-director), and I am very interested in how it turns out.
We also saw two different segments in the pre-show and an ad during the trailers tied into Creed 3, which I have utterly no interest in.
There was also some pre-show chatter for Shazam 2, which I would be a bit more interested in if they had actually pulled in some of Capt. Marvel’s Shazam’s classic villains for, rather than … “the Daughters of Atlas”? Which, even with Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren, doesn’t get me excited.
So, net-net, only one real win for me (GotG 3), though some mild interest in a couple of others.
So here’s the bad news: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (AMWQ) is not one of the best Marvel movies of all time.
But, and unlike the early press and folk who are beginning to enjoy piling on Marvel, it is not one of the worse.
Instead, it falls pretty square in the middle: entertaining without influencing the genre; pretty but sometimes too in love with its own prettiness; some humor that works, some that doesn’t quite; too much of some things, too little of others; decent integration with the MCU; a great villain but too many faceless mooks getting killed; some nice personality moments but a rocky plot; etc.
If I had to compare it, I’d say Guardians of the Galaxy 2, or Shang-Chi, or maybe Captain Marvel. Good, not great. But not bad.
Plot
So take first a reminder that the Ant-Man franchise has always been — well, not lighter, but not pompous or overly serious. Drama occurs, but plenty of humorous moments, too. AMWQ doesn’t balance this quite as neatly as the earlier two installments, but it has its moments, and it helps explain why the aside vignettes during action scenes feel to me like they largely work here, where they would have to be a lot fewer and shorter in a more conventional MCU film.
There’s a lot going on in this film: The Lang/Pym extended family is five all by itself, and that doesn’t account for a ton of secondary players, a major villain with lots of backstory, a significant side villain, multiple rescue missions and guilt trips, a big battle, and a gorgeous world to explore.
There’s about 15% too much stuff here, which ends up somewhat short-changing some of the characters and some of the “family matters” arc that it starts out with. As it stands, there are some occurrences in the film that seem to reference stuff that isn’t there in the release any more. It makes matters a bit rocky in places when you try to catch a breath and consider what’s going on.
Further, from a suspension-of-disbelief stance, there are odd scaling issues. Kang has amassed a massive army, sure, but nothing he could actually conquer the universe with, given his opposition (and, well, the sheer size of the universe). Conversely, it does seem like he has an army in at least the hundreds of thousands, given the size of his fortress complex — and there’s no indication that the doughty refugee / rebel alliance has anywhere near the numbers to take that on, even with the assistance they receive. Kang’s forces are simultaneously too small and too large to be believable (ironic in a tale of super-heroes who shrink or grow huge).
In short, the plotline for AMWQ does not hold up under close scrutiny any more than the physics and biology do. Just go with the flow.
Acting
We saw it in 2D and it was fine.
The main players all do a decent job amidst the flurry. Michael Douglas feels a bit more relaxed, having gotten all the shoutiness out of his system in the previous two films. Michelle Pfeiffer makes up for it by being positively grim and driven. Paul Rudd is his normal amiable self, still the grounded, sane guy amidst a bunch of zanies (though, sadly, we get no more of his San Francisco buddies). He’s become a bit more of a parent/worry-wart than before, but it feels in character.
Kathryn Newton, taking over as Scott’s daughter Cassie, fills the role well, and the movie provides support for what one hopes will be an eventual Young Avengers movie. Evangeline Lilly gets something of the short end of the stick here — she’s present, and she does stuff, but her character arc is pretty flat.
Everyone is express rave reviews for Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, and they are well-deserved. Majors plays the alternately world-weary, egomaniacal, manipulative, and frustrated-beyond-all-understanding super-villain in a way that makes him a top-tier MCU antagonist. He picks up and seamlessly expands on the multiversal metaplot of the MCU from his variant in the first season of “Loki” without dropping a beat. Majors makes us mostly hate, kind of fear, but also occasionally sympathize with Kang, no easy feat.
I applaud the job he’s done here. He’s a great catch for Marvel, and a great lynchpin for the whole “Kang Legacy” focus of the upcoming MCU phase(s).
Beyond all that, there are, as you may have heard, some unexpected cameos. They worked well, even the one I most worried about.
Production
AMWQ is visually stunning, and that’s almost a problem. The early time in the Quantum Realm harkened back strongly to Disney’s unjustly lambasted Strange World, only a lot more photo-realistic and, therefore, a lot more distracting. When everything looks amazing, nothing looks amazing, if you will.
But besides that, the imagination and execution of the alien wonders of the Quantum Realm (and a coherent look for the dark blot that is Kang’s presence) are impeccably done, as are the shrinking/growing being done by Team Lang/Pym.
A nit to pick: everyone who had one of those quick-deploy helmets (Scott, Hope, Cassie, Kang, and MODOK) spends way too much time with it off when it should just stay on (complete with zippy deployment / undeployment). Yes, I realize that’s a conscious decision to let the actors’ faces be visible to emote but the masks on to more easily stunt / CG the action, and perhaps it was even the right decision, but it also happened with such frequency as to create a distraction.
Comic Bookiness
Underutilized helmets
Most of the focus here has to go on Kang, whose costuming and make-up are as exquisite as Jonathan Majors’ portrayal. The only thing missing are his gigantic inter-changeable super-future-guns.
Tip of the hat to the renditions of other Kang-related characters, recast into the framework of the MCU from their original form.
Another tip to the way the MCU has pulled in elements of Marvel’s Microverse to make its Quantum Realm, both conceptually and in the form of characters like Jantorra.
The MODOK character looked pretty cool, though almost entirely divorced, besides his final appearance, from the comic book version in identity and personality. Still, it was a better revision than, say, “Black Widow”‘s Taskmaster, and infinitely superior to choosing a near-nameless mook to be the obligatory lieutenant / hatchet man.
In Sum
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania poster – the kitchen sink visual approach, which you could accuse the movie of taking, too.
I’ve no regrets springing for movie tickets. I’m not sure if it’s in 3-D anywhere; 2-D was just fine.
There are the standard mid-credits and post-credit scenes. They are worth staying for, just for their MCU tie-ins.
The headlines for early reviews of the movie have been brutal, but if you look at them carefully, they are largely coming from critics who think anything superheroic of coming from Disney/Marvel is commercial hackery from the get-go, and are therefore happy to point out every cinematic flaw in detail without going into the basic popcorn enjoyment of the thing.
For viewer ratings, we’re getting a grade of “B,” which isn’t a sign to me of “Marvel fatigue” or the demise of super-hero films, but of the end of the amazing 15-year cinematic honeymoon the public has had with the MCU. A “B” is an accurate, but quite respectable grade. That this is somehow a wildly embarrassing flop seems greatly exaggerated.
I enjoyed going to AMWQ. I expect I will this film again at home. ‘Nuff said.
Earl is the recipient of more GOP awards than you can imagine. Also, he’s a deadbeat.
Some time in the shadows of the past … the Republican Party decided I was Earl.
I am not, in fact, Earl. But, based on my mobile phone number, receiving texts, they think I am. Oddly enough, they also think I live in the ZIP code where I work.
After a week or two of getting 5-6 texts a day, I set the texting number to spam, so it didn’t show up in my notifications … but it continued to download, and when I upgraded my phone, the spam setting got lost, meaning I was subject to a flood of Earl texts.
Looking at them this time around, they’re actually kind of fascinating. Yes, I have gotten enough Democratic Party texts to realize that this is not just a GOP thang. But on reviewing them in bulk, a few fascinating trends still stand out:
MONEY. The important thing is getting money. Not swaying Earl to particular partisan positions, or rooting for (or against) particular people, but getting Earl to send the GOP … MONEY.
But, for the most part, that’s not done by appealing to Earl as a recruit in ideological beliefs. It’s done by making Earl part of the team … the few … the chosen … the elite.
There’s lots of urgency, though. Earl must donate right now or else he, and the country, but most importantly he, will lose something important.
There’s a fair amount of shaming that goes on. When Earl doesn’t answer the call, the disappointment, the sadness, the bewildered loss, is palpable.
On the other hand, there’s plenty of carrot to go with the shaming stick. No matter what Earl does (or, in this case, doesn’t) donate, the GOP is always willing to honor him for purported past glory and as someone really important to the cause.
In short, it’s a campaign very little about politics, and very much about tribes, and the shame of not supporting the tribe, or the righteous and acknowledged joy of doing so.
Bear in mind, Earl’s texts have been coming to my phone for months, 4-5 times a day. Unless he’s giving through other paths, he hasn’t been a Loyal, Stalwart Supporter from this firehose. But the algorithm throws out carrots and sticks regardless of what Earl does. Earl is just a cog in the Great Money Machine that is the Republican Base.
Here is the saga of Earl over the course of January, with links and other identifying markers (except the name!) scrubbed.
Ronna McDaniel: Happy New Year from everyone at the Republican National Committee!
May 2023 be a year filled with blessings & good fortune.
One of a passing few messages without a link to send money.
You’ve been given a 30 MINUTE EXTENSION to activate your 5000% IMPACT INCREASE! What are you waiting for?? CLAIM: (link)
Only 30 minutes more to give money? Noooooo!
Guess what Earl?? YOU WON! Accept your Lifetime Achievement Award & Impact Increase NOW >> (link)
Wow! A Lifetime Achievement Award & Impact Increase! I’ve always wanted to make an impact …
In recognition of all you’ve done for the GOP, please accept this GOP Golden Elephant! It even comes with a 300% IMPACT INCREASE: (link)
Oh, no! I lost my 5000% impact increase. Oh, wait, three hours later …
Your 5000% IMPACT INCREASE was just extended. Claim it NOW & help CRUSH our Extended End-of-Year Goal! Act NOW >> (link)
You’ve been granted access to our 2023 Platform Audit before almost ANY OTHER PATRIOT. Make your voice HEARD >> (link)
I guarantee that, after I audit the platform, the party will ask me for money.
Earl, YOU’VE BEEN UPGRADED! To confirm your Republican Diamond Club Status, press HERE >> (link)
Republican Diamond Status! Wow! I wonder what it takes to actually confirm that …?
Guess what Earl?? YOU WON! Accept your Lifetime Achievement Award & Impact Increase NOW >> (link)
Again?
We CRUSHED our End-of-Year fundraising goal! To show our gratitude, we’ve EXTENDED your 5000% IMPACT until MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. ACT: (link)
Hey, I’m back to 5000% Impact!
OFFER EXTENDED! There’s still time to claim your 5000% impact increase & help CRUSH our Extended End-of-Year Goal. Act: (link)
INFORMATION REQUESTED: Your response to the Republican Verification Canvass will represent the ENTIRE (ZIPcode) area! Answer: (link)
I find it interesting that the GOP thinks I (Earl) live in the ZIP code of where my office is. It is, indeed, a fairly high-income and likely Republican population. Which makes it a bit weird that I (Earl) will get to represent the entire ZIP code’s population in myh answers to the Republican Verification Caucus.
Republican leaders have selected YOU for our Lifetime Achievement Award! Your award even comes with a 250% INCREASE! 1 HR to ACCEPT: (link)
Only one hour! Eek!
You’ve been given a 30 MINUTE EXTENSION to activate your 5000% IMPACT INCREASE! What are you waiting for?? CLAIM: (link)
Wait, that’s a bigger impact, but a different time of increase, but it isn’t part of a Lifetime Achievement Award. I feel so confused!
DON’T MISS OUT! We need YOU to take the Presidential Preference Poll & help select our NEXT Republican Presidential nominee. ACT >> (link)
Are you suggesting that the national party actually selects the candidate, not the state primaries and caucuses? Weird!
EXTENDED OFFER: Claim 5000% IMPACT on ALL contributions to prepare the Republican Party for 2023! DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT >> (link)
My 5000% is back! But with a new, even closer deadline!
In recognition of all you’ve done for the GOP, please accept this GOP Golden Elephant! It even comes with a 300% IMPACT INCREASE: (link)
Another GOP Golden Elephant? Or is this the same one? Is it 300% of 5000%, or is this a different offer? It’s all coming too fast (or too slowly, every 3 hours or so).
Your 5000% IMPACT INCREASE was just extended. Claim it NOW & help CRUSH our Extended End-of-Year Goal! Act NOW >> (link)
FINAL REMINDER
Your Republican Advisory Board offer will be REVOKED unless you ACT >> (link)
Oh, no! I will be thrown out of the tribe!
You won! The GOP selected you to receive a 5000%-IMPACT extension! We only give out a few per month! Active for 30 MIN. CLAIM PRIZE: (link)
I feel very special. One of the very few to get that 5000% Impact Extension Prizes!
CHOSEN, Earl. The Republican Party chose you for a personal 5000%-IMPACT Extension. Are you going to claim it? Donate NOW: (link)
At last, an actual call to Donate.
We trust that YOUR opinions represent the ENTIRE (ZIP code) area! Take the 2023 Republican Platform Audit NOW >> (link)
I suspect MY opinions, in fact, do not.
ATTENTION CANDIDATE: Complete the GOP’s Official Survey to join the Republican Advisory Board. DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT TONIGHT >> (link)
The Republican Advisory Board? I will be able to advise Republicans if I just complete an Official Survey? Wow!
You’ve been given a 30 MINUTE EXTENSION to activate your 5000% IMPACT INCREASE! What are you waiting for??
CLAIM: (link)
What, in fact, am I waiting for?
You didn’t respond to our last text. We selected the BEST PATRIOTS for a 50X-IMPACT Extension. You’re the last 1 remaining! Donate: (link)
Oh my God! Of all the BEST PATRIOTS, I am (and I am sure I can believe this) the only one who didn’t respond to that 50X (or 5000%, whichever sound more impressive) impact extension. The shame of it!
Guess what Earl?? YOU WON! Accept your Lifetime Achievement Award & Impact Increase NOW >> (link)
But even if I didn’t give any money from this number for many, many months, I get a Lifetime Achievement ( and all-important Impact Increase) … this feels like a mixed message.
Is this still Earl’s number? You STILL haven’t told us. Who do you want to see in the White House?
Respond HERE>> (link)
Oh, no! They’re onto me!
Membership Pending: Complete the GOP’s Official Survey & secure 1 of the last remaining spots on the Republican Advisory Board. >> (link)
But I’m still being offered one of the last remaining spots!
PLEASE CONFIRM
To accept your GOP Gold Club Membership, press HERE >> (link)
ABBOTT OR BIDEN: Who do YOU think is handling the border crisis better? Tell us HERE >> (link)
Ooooh. Tough call. I’m sure that Earl would be a much more impartial observer of this than me.
You’ve been given a 30 MINUTE EXTENSION to activate your 5000% IMPACT INCREASE! What are you waiting for?? CLAIM: (link)
Take the Congressional Agenda Survey & tell us what Republicans should focus on! 1 HR.
Act NOW >> (link)
You are officially invited to join the Republican Diamond Club. Claim your membership HERE >> (link)
My cup runneth over.
This is your opportunity to provide the GOP with critical insight into YOUR AREA! Complete the 2023 Platform Audit HERE: (link)
Better late than never! Welcome Biden to the border for the FIRST time by signing our Southern Border Postcard! Add your name NOW: (link)
INFORMATION REQUESTED: Your response to the Republican Verification Canvass will represent the ENTIRE (ZIP code) area! Answer NOW: (link)
As a respected conservative leader, we need to hear from YOU. Fill out your Republican Sample Ballot NOW: (link)
Republican leaders have selected YOU for our Lifetime Achievement Award! Your award even comes with a 250% INCREASE! 1 HR to ACCEPT: (link)
Looking to make a HUGE difference for the Republican Party? Join the GOP Gold Club before your invitation EXPIRES: (link)
Audits! Post cards! Sample ballots! Lifetime Achievement Awards! Gold Club invites! Who can possibly deserve all this attention?
Is it time to end Biden’s FAILED POLICIES & secure our southern border? 1 HR to respond. Take the poll NOW >> (link)
I suspect this may not be a broadly representative poll.
Border numbers are in, and the crisis is continuing to spiral out of control! Is it time to END THE BIDEN BORDER CRISIS? Vote NOW >> (link)
Gosh, if the crisis is continuing to spiral out of control … well, yeah, I guess it’s time to end the crisis.
Earl, it’s time to fill out your Republican Sample Ballot. You can do that HERE >> (link)
Guess what Earl?? YOU WON! Accept your Lifetime Achievement Award & Impact Increase NOW >> (link)
I am, in fact, a winner! The GOP texts tell me so!
Are you awake, Earl? We chose YOU to join the Republican Advisory Board, but you FAILED to accept the spot! Hurry & claim: (link)
I feel so ashamed!
Republican leaders have selected YOU for our Lifetime Achievement Award! Your award even comes with a 250% INCREASE! 1 HR to ACCEPT: (link)
Wait, I’m down to only a 250% increase! Oh, no!
We are sending results from the Presidential Preference Poll to GOP leaders in 1 HR. Can I include your name, Earl?
Act: (link)
Wow … the GOP leaders will see my name? Wow!
This is SAD! We selected YOU to complete our 2023 Audit, but you NEVER RESPONDED. Take the Platform Audit NOW >> (link)
I feel so ashamed. The GOP doesn’t love me any more.
Earl, YOU’VE BEEN UPGRADED! To confirm your Republican Diamond Club Status, press HERE >> (link)
The GOP loves me again!
As a respected conservative leader, we need to hear from YOU. Fill out your Republican Sample Ballot NOW: (link)
That feels a bit blunt.
Is something wrong? You were SELECTED to represent the GOP in your area & never responded! Fill out your Republican sample Ballot: (link)
OMG, I was SELECTED but never responded! What madness seized me?
Your Congressional Agenda Survey is ENCLOSED. We need your response in 1 HR! Complete HERE: (link)
Guess what Earl?? YOU WON! Accept your Lifetime Achievement Award & Impact Increase NOW >> (link)
They love me.
IS YOUR PHONE OFF? You were HAND-SELECTED to represent the (ZIP code) area & NEVER RESPONDED! Take the 2023 Platform Audit NOW: (link)
They love me not.
LEVEL UP!
You’ve reached ELITE company by qualifying for the Republican Diamond Club! Join NOW >> (link)
They love me.
We’re sending results from the Presidential Preference Poll to GOP leaders in 1 HR. Can I include your name, Earl?
Act: (link)
Again, my name!
This is SAD! We selected YOU to complete our 2023 Audit, but you NEVER RESPONDED. Take the Platform Audit NOW >> (link)
I am ashamed!
You satisfied all the criteria for an RNC MERIT BADGE! Accept your award, and 200% INCREASE, before it EXPIRES >> (link)
Republican leaders have selected YOU for our Lifetime Achievement Award! Your award even comes with a 250% INCREASE! 1 HR to ACCEPT: (link)
As a respected conservative leader, we need to hear from YOU.
Fill out your Republican Sample Ballot NOW: (link)
Earl, YOU’VE BEEN UPGRADED!
To confirm your Republican Diamond Club Status, Press HERE >> (link)
We chose YOU! As our BEST PATRIOT, we want you to represent your area & take the Congressional Agenda Survey. Take it NOW >> (link)
Ha! Even though I never responded to the 2023 Audit (SAD!), I got a merit badge, a Lifetime Achievement Award, a Sample Ballot, A Diamond Club Status, and was chosen as a BEST PATRIOT! So there, 2023 Audit!
MISSING INFORMATION: Your response to the Republican Verification Canvass will represent the ENTIRE (zip code) area! Complete NOW: (link)
This is SAD! We selected YOU to complete our 2023 Audit, but you NEVER RESPONDED. Take the Platform Audit NOW >> (link)
Wait, has the 2023 Audit seized control of GOP opinion of me?
Guess what Earl?? YOU WON! Accept your Lifetime Achievement Award & Impact Increase NOW >> (link)
Nope! I won! HA!
Should gas stoves be BANNED!?! 1 HR to take the official GOP Poll.
Act NOW >> (link)
So is this policy decision to be based on … polls? Let’s take a survey on the speed limit, too!
But, credit where credit is due, this is an actual policy question. Wow!
Is something wrong? You were SELECTED to represent the GOP in your area & never responded! Fill out your Republican sample Ballot: (link)
Are you awake, Earl? We chose YOU to join the Republican Advisory Board, but you FAILED to accept the spot! Hurry & claim: (link)
They’re onto me!
Republican leaders have selected YOU for our Lifetime Achievement Award! Your award even comes with a 250% INCREASE! 1 HR to ACCEPT: (link)
I get an increase? Wow! Such a gift for my lifetime achievement!
We are sending results from the Presidential Preference Poll to GOP leaders in 1 HOUR. Can I include your name, Earl? Act: (link)
Did Biden LIE about the “misplaced” classified documents? Poll closes in 1 HR! Vote NOW >> (link)
I’m sure that poll will be considered very important.
And the award goes to … YOU, Earl! Accept your GOP Golden Elephant HERE >> (link)
This is the HIGHEST rank the Republican Party can bestow, Earl. Accept your RNC Merit Badge HERE >> (link)
The HIGHEST rank!
INFORMATION REQUESTED: Your response to the Republican Verification Canvass will represent the ENTIRE (zip code) area! Answer NOW: (link)
Wow!
This is SAD! We selected YOU to complete our 2023 Audit, but you NEVER RESPONDED. Take the Platform Audit NOW >> (link)
Oh, no!
Jim Jordan has announced plans to investigate Big Tech’s COLLUSION with the Biden Administration. Sign the petition NOW & SUPPORT >> (link)
I’m sure that Jim Jordan will base his strategy on what Earl has to say.
Is something wrong? You were SELECTED to represent the GOP in CO & never responded! Take the Republican Verification Canvass: (link)
Oh no!
You satisfied all the criteria for an RNC MERIT BADGE! Accept your award, and 200% INCREASE, before it EXPIRES >> (link)
Tell me more about those rigorous criteria!
The (ZIP code) area will be KEY to taking back the White House. Will you take the Presidential Preference Poll? 1 HR: (link)
Conservatives are working to EXPOSE the Radical Left & need your help. Sign up for the Republican Diamond Club before it’s too late! (link)
Are you awake, Earl??
We chose YOU to join the Republican Advisory Board, but you FAILED to accept your spot! CLAIM >> (link)
This is the HIGHEST rank the Republican Party can bestow, Earl. Accept your RNC Merit Badge HERE >> (link)
INFORMATION REQUESTED: Your response to the Republican Verification Canvass will represent the ENTIRE (zip code) area! Answer NOW: (link)
Earl, we’ve never done this for anyone. We reopened the Patriot Life Membership list for the next 20MIN. Claim your spot: (link)
“20MIN!”
The results you provide us will play an important role in our CO strategy. Help stop the Democrats’ agenda! >> (link)
We’ve texted you SO MANY TIMES! Please, Earl, we NEED your name on our Petition to FIGHT Big Tech COLLUSION!
Sign HERE: (link)
Republican leaders have selected YOU for our Lifetime Achievement Award! Your award even comes with a 250% INCREASE! 1 HR to ACCEPT: (link)
There are those mixed messages again.
Have a drink on us! Celebrate America & the GOP by showing off these elegant GOP Whiskey Glasses! There’s a limited supply, so ACT: (link)
There’s actually been a remarkable lack of swag solicitation until this text. Kind of weird that the GOP is pushing drinking as their gauge of elegance.
MISSING INFORMATION: Your response to the Republican Verification Canvass will represent the ENTIRE (ZIP code) area! Complete NOW: (link)
Wow. so not asking many people, I guess.
We’ve texted you SO MANY TIMES! Please, Earl, we NEED your name on our Petition to FIGHT Big Tech COLLUSION! Sign HERE: (link)
Should gas stoves be BANNED!?! 1 HR to take the official GOP Poll. Act NOW >> (link)
Guess what Earl?? YOU WON! Accept your Lifetime Achievement Award & Impact Increase NOW >> (link)
HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK? Submit your Republican Sample Ballot! We’ve asked you SO MANY TIMES!
Act NOW >> (link)
But will you ever stop asking?
Do you want Pres. Trump to return to Facebook & Twitter? Vote NOW >> (link)
Wait, I get a vote on that? Has someone told Zuck and Elon?
To: Your GOP Nominee
From: Earl
Happy Valentine’s Day!
*Autograph your name HERE -> (link)
Wait … how do you know who my choice of nominee is?
Republican leaders have selected YOU for our Lifetime Achievement Award! Your award even comes with a 250% INCREASE! 1 HR to ACCEPT: (link)
Can I get a list of those leaders?
This is SAD! We selected YOU to complete our 2023 Audit, but you NEVER RESPONDED. Take the Platform Audit NOW >> (link)
This is the HIGHEST rank the Republican Party can bestow, Earl. Accept your RNC Merit Badge HERE >> (link)
Mixed messages, Ronna.
Earl, we’ve never done this for anyone. We just reopened the Patriot Life Membership list for the next 20MIN. Claim: (link)
Never done it for anyone!
Guess what Earl?? YOU WON! Accept your Lifetime Achievement Award & Impact Increase NOW >> (link)
Understandable how I won such an award, since you also reopened the Patriot Life Membership list!
Republicans MUST achieve success in 2024! Support the BRAND-NEW Take Back the White House Fund! Donate NOW >> (link)
This message seems positively pedestrian.
We’ve texted you SO MANY TIMES! Please, Earl, we NEED your name on our Petition to FIGHT Big Tech COLLUSION! Sign HERE: (link)
Is something wrong? You were SELECTED to represent the GOP in your area & never responded! Fill out your Republican sample Ballot: (link)
Oh, no!
This is the HIGHEST rank the Republican Party can bestow, Earl. Accept your RNC Merit Badge HERE >> (link)
This MUST be wrong, right? We have you marked as “Not Listed” for holding Big Tech ACCOUNTABLE. If this is wrong, fix it here: (link)
GOOD NEWS: A spot opened up & you’re officially invited to become a Patriot Life Member. Claim offer NOW >> (link)
Are you awake, Earl??
We chose YOU to join the Republican Advisory Board, but you FAILED to accept your spot! CLAIM: (link)
Getting whiplash here. Am I a disgusting, unawake (un-Woke?!) layabout, or am I a recipient of a Merit Badge, an invitation to be a Patriot Life Member (filling that rare open spot!), and an invitation to join the Republican Advisory Board?
FIRST Democrats wanted to BAN your gas-powered vehicles, NOW they want to BAN your gas stove.
Had enough? ACT: (link)
And those disgusting Democrats managed to do those things without actually doing them! The nerve!
Is something wrong? You were SELECTED to represent the GOP in CO & never responded! Take the Republican Verification Canvass: (link)
We’ve texted you SO MANY TIMES! Please, Earl, we NEED your name on our Petition to FIGHT Big Tech COLLUSION! Sign HERE: (link)
You were nominated over almost ANY OTHER PATRIOT in CO for the GOP Golden Elephant! Why haven’t you accepted? CLAIM >> (link)
This is SAD! We selected YOU to complete our 2023 Audit, but you NEVER RESPONDED. Take the Platform Audit NOW >> (link)
I feel so ashamed, because you wanted me so badly and I never called.
The RNC Award Committee selected YOU for our highly coveted GOP Golden Elephant! Claim your benefits HERE: (link)
All is forgiven!
Ronna McDaniel: I’m proud to share I was re-elected to run the RNC for another cycle! Will you help build momentum for 2024? ACT >> (link)
Why is it you’ve lost momentum, Ronna?
Is something wrong? You were SELECTED to represent the GOP in your area & never responded! Fill out your Republican sample Ballot: (link)
Earl! Where’s your response to the Presidential Preference Poll?? Complete HERE: (link)
Uh-oh!
You’ve been PRE-SELECTED! Claim your 600% INCREASE & help CRUSH our End-of-Month Goal! 1 HR >> (link)
Well, if you’re only going to offer a 600% Increase, rather than a 2000% Increase like earlier this month, why should I pay any attention to you?
You were nominated over almost ANY OTHER PATRIOT in CO for the GOP Golden Elephant! Why haven’t you accepted? CLAIM >> (link)
HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK? Submit your Republican Sample Ballot! We’ve asked you SO MANY TIMES!
Act NOW >> (link)
I’m beginning to think you’re onto me!
We’ve RARELY do this, Earl. You’ve been CHOSEN to become 1 of the FIRST to receive the GOP’s 600% IMPACT Offer.
Claim: (link)
I’m not sure it’s all that rare, to be honest, looking at your history over the course of the month.
Are you awake, Earl? We chose YOU to join the Republican Advisory Board, but you FAILED to accept your spot! Claim NOW: (link)
Oh, no! Will they still have a quorum?
NOTICE: The GOP upped your impact to 650% for 1 HOUR. Don’t share. This special link is for you only, Earl. Donate: (link)
Oooh … I get my own, special, unique link, which is incremented one tick from the link on the previous text message.
Is something wrong? You were SELECTED to represent the GOP in CO & never responded! Take the Republican Verification Canvass: (link)
How exactly would I have represented them?
For the FIRST TIME in 2023: We’re activating an End-of-Month IMPACT INCREASE!
Find out how much: (link)
Yes, it’s incredible how at the end of the first month in 2023, you are activating an end-of-month fundraising thing for the first time in 2023!
Earl, we never do this for anyone. We just reopened the Patriot Life Membership list for the next 20MIN. Claim your spot: (link)
“20MIN!”
We just released our FINAL LIST of Lifetime Achievement Award Nominees! See if you made the cut >> (link)
I’ll betcha I did, if I donate something.
You were nominated over almost ANY OTHER PATRIOT in CO for the GOP Golden Elephant! Why haven’t you accepted?
CLAIM >> (link)
Does it come with an actual elephant? Because that would be awesome.
Earl, Our End-of-Month goal is CRUCIAL to taking back the White House. EVERY CENT counts. Will you chip in? 700% Impact: (link)
That is a remarkably mundane fund-raising request.
HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK? Submit your Republican Sample Ballot! We’ve asked you SO MANY TIMES! Act NOW >> (link)
You’re in the 95th percentile of ALL our supporters. Will you keep your TOP spot? Contribute ASAP for a 700% IMPACT! HURRY >> (link)
Oh, no! I might lose my top spot of contributors! Eeek!
Earl, we never do this for anyone. We just reopened the Patriot Life Membership list for the next 20MIN. Claim your spot: (link)
Didn’t you just do that a few days ago?
Make your FIRST EVER contribution of 2023 & help Republicans keep pace so we can CRUSH our fundraising goal. Act NOW >> (link)
So it’s good (for certain values of “good”) to know that the texts aren’t completely random, but that there’s some tracking of contributions going on.
We’ve authorized a 750% IMPACT for the NEXT HR to help CRUSH our End-of-Month goal! This offer is for YOU, Earl.
Claim: (link)
Where’s that 2000% one? I know you can do it, GOP!
Earl! Where is your response to the Presidential Preference Poll??
Complete HERE: (link)
This is the HIGHEST rank the Republican Party can bestow, Earl. Accept your RNC Merit Badge HERE >> (link)
Is something wrong? You were SELECTED to represent the GOP in your area & never responded! Fill out your Republican sample Ballot: (link)
And again with the mixed messages.
One final note. The link on each text was slightly different, incrementing alphabetically (/aca, /acb, /acc, /acd …). Thus, if Earl clicked on a given text, the GOP would know which one made him actually click.
I’m sure there’s nothing they’d do with that information.
At any rate, while I suppose I should feel faintly guilty for keeping Earl from his Very Important Texts and Opportunities to Accept Rewards and Respond to Surveys and Give Money … I can’t also help feeling that Earl might be a bit more relaxed without the GOP sending his text messages every 3-4 hours.
Until he sends them money and gives them his actual mobile number.
Neil Gaiman works some magic … as do Penn and Teller
There are two main threads. The A-plot has a dozen subplots to it, most of them delightful. The B-plot is more straightforward, and a bit more difficult to grok.
A-Plot
The Brakiri on B5 arrange to rent part of the station, in a such a way that it legally becomes “their territory” for one evening, sunset to sunrise. This isn’t just a diplomatic embassy kind of thing — weird magic stuff is going on for the “Day of the Dead,” which only happens every few centuries, son one of the Brakiri on the station want to miss out. As part of the process, that section of the station will be somehow metaphysically moved to Brakir, so that it partakes in the festival. As this includes some sleeping quarters sections (a weird thing to rent out around), some of the crew members learn a lot more about the Day of the Dead than they wanted, as they are visited by ghosts left behind during the show.
Lochley: Lochley is visited by a friend, Zoe, from when they were teenagers. Lochley apparently had quite the while JD life, living rough, involved in petty crime and drug use.
LOCHLEY: We were cold, sick, and we were hungry all the time. We did thing to survive I’ve done my best to forget. We lived in that burned-out hotel. I was scared all the time my father was going to find me. No, it was bad.
ZOE: Yeah, but … we still had fun.
It was only when she found Zoe dead of an OD (and covered in cockroaches) that she got “scared straight” — back to her overbearing Space Marine dad, back into school, and then into the military, and into the world’s most stiff-spined, upright life. It’s still a trauma that haunts her (we learn her sooper-sekrit passcode is “Zoe’s dead”). The visit ends up serving as a reconciliation between the two, and closure for Lochsley when she finally confirms that Zoe’s OD was suicide, not her being a good enough protector and friend.
ZOE: Lizzie, I do remember my death. I didn’t want to hurt you, but … yeah. I did do it on purpose. I just couldn’t go on. Don’t hate me, okay?
LOCHLEY: I could never hate you.
One added creepy note here is Zoe passing a message for Sheridan on from Kosh (!): “When the long night comes, return to the end of the beginning.” It’s been so long since we got some of Kosh’s unintelligible warnings, I’d forgotten how much I both loved and hated it.
Garibaldi: Our erstwhile security chief is visited by Dodger, the Marine that he loved and lost in ep. 2×10, “GROPOS”. As then, she’s looking for a good time, he’s busy being paranoid about what’s going on. Eventually they both relax and spend time … demonstrating you can recite Emily Dickinson poems to the tune of “The Yellow Rose of Texas.”
Londo: Just as Garibaldi is visited by a former lover, Londo meets with Adira, the Centauri dancing girl he once, truly, loved (ep. 1×03 “Born to the Purple”) … before she was assassinated (ep. ep. 3×15, “Interludes and Examinations”). She was killed (by Refa, probably, possibly with Morden’s connivance) to snap him out of his personal funk and back into leading the Centauri to greatness.
It’s a tragic re-meeting, even as Londo takes it all much more at face value than any of the others. It gives us a final chance to see Londo before his trip back to the Centauri homeworld and throne change him forever — something he is very much aware of, and rues. Because the fact is, Londo could probably have been very happy being a minor, fringe noble at a thankless diplomatic posting, if he’d had Adira by his side.
ADIRA: Normality will return soon. And when this night is done … so am I. And you? You will go on to become Emperor Mollari.
LONDO: I don’t want to become emperor. I want to stay here with you.
ADIRA: Londo, I’m a dream. In the morning, I’ll be gone. And you will rule 40 billion Centauri. But not one of them will ever know you the way I know you.
Lennier: Lennier, taking a quick break from training to actually see the long-rumored Brakiri “Day of the Dead” (and, not-incidentally, wanting to visit Delenn), shows up on B5 … and is visited in the night by Mr. Morden (Ed Wasser with sharp but distressingly short hair). After learning he can’t punch the ghost out, Lennier is informed that he will end up betraying the Rangers and, by extension, Delenn, and likely die in the process. Lennier is either the smartest or dumbest person in the tale, because he chooses to ignore everything Morden has to say and sits down to meditate, leaving Morden to read the newspaper.
Interestingly enough, dead Morden actually gets an answer from Lennier that he was unable to get from Delenn, so long ago: What a Minbari wants.
LENNIER: Why did you come back here?
Mr. MordenMORDEN: I’m dead. It’s my job. Why did you come back here?
LENNIER: I came for wisdom.
MORDEN: You don’t come to the dead for wisdom, Lennier. […] Wisdom. Let’s see … Delenn does not love you as you love her, and she never will.
LENNIER: I know that.
MORDEN: No, you don’t. Not in your heart. That’s the problem, you see? No one should ever want to talk to the dead.
LENNIER: Go away.
MORDEN: Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. You raised a ghost, now you have to listen to him.
Interestingly enough, most of the ghosts — Morden, Zoe, Dodger — deny they’re actually ghosts.
Sheridan shows up a bit in this story — interrupted from the B-Plot, he personally investigates the un-enterable Brakiri zone (since apparently Security is all asleep), and nearly gets beaned by a fire extinguisher he throws at the interface. Okay.
One of the weirder, less explicable parts of the plot here is G’Kar, who has some funny moments, but … well, he seems to know what’s going to happen, warning Lochsley not to “sell” the station to the Brakiri (even if it violates their religious rights), warning Garibaldi, and finally choosing to sleep in the bridge rather than his own quarters … but he gives no details, no actual reason to listen to him, just portents and alarums. To make matters worse, he later expresses regrets about having missed it all. It’s kind of sloppy writing for the character.
B-Plot
Rebo and ZootyThe most famous entertainers in the galaxy, Rebo and Zooty, come to visit B5. They’re played by Penn and Teller, and knowing them from thirty years later, they haven’t changed much. The show does a nice job of modifying their schtick, slightly, for a different pair of stage magicians.
The pair charm everyone on the station, except for Capt. Lochley, who apparently doesn’t enjoy humor and silliness (there should be some time here to her A-Plot, but there really isn’t). Even the aliens all enjoy the stage-magical hijinx of the pair (in part because R&Z have widely studied alien humor); all you have to do is say “Zooty-Zoot-Zoot!” to anyone on B5 (except Lochsley), and they burst into the equivalent of laughter.
In reality, R&Z are here to talk with Sheridan and Delenn about … going into politics. Giving up being comedians and doing something “worthwhile”. It’s an interesting take, looking back over the decades, as we see folk like Jon Stewart becoming political forces, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy leveraging a career that has included comedy to become President of Ukraine — and holding it together under their darkest hour.
Ultimately, it’s the least effective part of the episode, as we get a little homily about how important humor is, both socially to hold people together during hard times, and politically, to speak truth to power (and to serve as a canary in the coal mine). Not bad lessons, and some of the personal interplay in the scenes works well, but in the end it’s all a little preachy.
Other Bits and Bobs
As a guest-written episode (and one that written early days in the season, before Joe had the full timeline charted), it wisely avoids tying too much to live troubles in the B5verse. The telepath problem, political stresses in the Alliance … all are put into a soft focus in the background, making this a somewhat standalone (if prophetic) tale.
Meanwhile …
If this seems very non-Joe Straczynski — being a guy who is okay with writing about telepaths and aliens who wield the power of gods and technomancers who create magical effects from technology and the like, but who would never write about straight-up magic — well, you’re right. This is the single episode in seasons 3-5 which wasn’t written by JMS. Instead, it was a long-term commitment fulfilled to have fabulist Neil Gaiman write it. And Neil Gaiman writes magic.
In the end, it’s not too glaring of a matter. Suspension of disbelief — hey, we all believe in destinies prophecies and Centauri seeing their death, after all — is already established. It does create a different tone for it all, but I was able to handwave the more overt use of “magic” for purposes of an episode.
ZoeA bit of trivia: Gaiman has noted elsewhere that Lochsley and Zoe were also former lovers (perhaps another reason she ran away from home). There’s certainly that aspect to be read into their interplay, but anything overt, if it ever existed, was filed off by JMS on editing the story. If it were so, it would make Lennier the only one not visited by an ex-lover (likely because the only one he’s ever loved is still alive and otherwise involved … which then ties to Morden’s prophecy …)
There is some controversy as to where “Day of the Dead” should be placed. It was written early in the season, after only four scripts had been completed by JMS, and before all the detailed chronology was figured out; it was originally shot 11th, but shuffled to 8th during the original run because of conflicts with the NBA playoffs, and so as to let a more solid sequencing of episodes occur. This creates some minor continuity conflicts, and some oddness with G’kar and Londo being (still? again?) on B5, but other recommended options have their own inconsistencies as well. Since it’s all relatively trivial, I’m going with here, as in the original broadcast and on the recent HBO Max run.
Not only does this ep give us an opportunity for a long-promised Gaiman episode, but series consultant Harlan Ellison “shows up” as the electronic voice of Zooty (thus allowing Teller to remain mute).
Moments
Most Dramatic Moment:
Lochley — who is usually a staid rock — practically falling apart talking to Zoe about what their life together was like, how bad it was — and about finding her body.
Most Amusing Moment:
SHERIDAN: Okay, captain, let me get this straight. You sold Babylon 5 to an alien race for the nighT, who somehow transported a square mile of this station to their Homeworld, while apparently filling it with people temporarily returned from the dead?
“I thought it was a metaphor, sir.”LOCHLEY: Yes, sir.
SHERIDAN: Well, do you have an explanation as to why you did this?
LOCHLEY: Yes, sir. I thought it was a metaphor, sir. I’ll try to be more literal-minded from now on, sir.
Most Arc-ish Moment:
Surely Morden chatting with Lennier.
LENNIER: I know what kind of a man you were.
Morden and LennierMORDEN: Give a dog a bad name and you can hang him with it. You shouldn’t listen to everything Sheridan tells you. I’m surprised he’s not here tonight, since he died at Z’Ha’Dum. […] So … do you like being a Ranger, Lennier? Would you like it any better if I were to tell you that you will betray the Anla’shok?
LENNIER: You are lying.
MORDEN: I wish I were. No?
LENNIER: Sheridan did not die at Z’Ha’Dum. If you do not know the present, how can you know the future?
MORDEN: I’m talking about the future. So what if I’m not up on recent history? I’m prophetic, not infallible.
LENNIER: I think you are neither. But at least you have shown me there is truly life beyond death.
MORDEN: Not necessarily, but you’ll find that out soon enough.
LENNIER: I am Anla’shok and shall remain so until I pass beyond. I could no more betray the Anla’shok than my fingers could betray my hand. Our talk is done.
MORDEN: Your loss.
The Bottom Line
Some great dialog, some dubious plotting, a welcome break from Byron and the Telepaths.
Overall Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 — Good-to-Great stuff in the A-Plot, Interesting but Mixed stuff int he B-Plot, great lines, but also a clear sense of filling in.
Next episode: 5×09 “In the Kingdom of the Blind” — The Telepath Problem heats up, and Londo learns there’s something rotten in the heart of Centauri Prime.
David Byrne’s interactive show about unreliable reality was fun
David Byrne
My wife, being a fan of David Byrne of Talking Heads from way back, had her attention caught by an article and ads for his (and Mala Gaonkar’s) odd-looking show, Theater of the Mind (directed by Andrew Scoville). It had its world premiere in Denver last September and, we found, was carried over into this month before moving on to new locations.
Theater of the Mind
Three things to know about the show:
While it’s a DCPA production, it’s not held downtown. Instead, it’s at the York Street Yards, a light industrial area off Steele, north of City Park.
That’s because this is an interactive show, with small groups of sixteen moving from room to room over 75 minutes, delving into the (light) story and (fun) perceptive experiments / neurological parlor tricks.
We’re glad we went.
David Byrne and the thesis statement
Without going into spoilers, the show is about questions of identity, reality, and personality. That sounds very deep, and while there are deep questions raised, the audience is encouraged to do most of the raising themselves “over a coffee or a beer.” (The show provides a digital program after the fact, talking about the science involved.)
The experiments and demonstrations of how our perceptions, memory, and worldview are both unreliable and change over time are relatively simplistic, especially in the social media world of today. But in aggregate, and in context of the narrative (which seeks to engage the audience by giving them all new names and a bit of slowly developed backstory), it leaves a sense both of unease (who am I now, and how might that be different tomorrow?) and encouragement (we have at least some control, if only of acceptance, as to all of that).
One of the “David”s in an early scene
Again, while the tone glides from breezy to absurd to briefly serious, it’s meant mostly to be thought-provoking, not gut-wrenching, and it succeeds in that. That’s helped by a large and (presumably equally competent) case, each playing the single role for a given group: a semi-autobiographical David Byrne (even if none of them, quite intentionally, look like him). Our “David” (Steph Holmbo, I believe) was quite good, and I expect all of them are.
An enjoyable show and experience, worth going to see.
