Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

If it wasn't for Wonder Woman, I probably wouldn't have found much time for the DC Universe.  I never really got Superman until I saw the Christopher Reeve movie, and that experience was ruined fairly quickly when I later saw the ridiculous and buffoon-like slapstick sequels.

Similarly Batman never did it for me, I found the original Adam West television show more than a little silly (that buffoon-like slapstick that I wouldn't come to appreciate until I was well into my 30s) and although I loved the re-imagining of the Dark Knight series, I still had not real love for the character.

Should anyone play the Wonder Woman theme song, however, and you will find me dancing joyously along with her in her satin tights, fighting for our rights, and the old red, white and blue!

I have always been fascinated with that character and spent endless hours of playtime with her.  I once found an old comic book in a milk bar (corner store for you US readers) whilst on holiday in Tawonga that had a WONDERMAN character in it, and I was super excited that I could go back to school and not get teased about wanting so desperately to play this iconic female role.  Still got teased though.  Still didn't stop me from playing with the girls.

Now to accuse me of only seeing the new DC Film Dawn of Justice because it had the outstanding Gal Gadot play my all time favourite superhero character in it would be a little churlish however I can't help but wonder (no pun intended) if I'd have liked it as much if it did not have this glorious Amazonian cameo.

Now first off the bat (yeah, total pun intended here), I have to counter all those critics and fans who have slammed this movie.  First off - it's not ridiculous because it is a comic book (seriously, wtf is wrong with people who view outlandish fantasy genre films and then complain that they are not "realistic" enough????).

Secondly, Zac Snyder has not destroyed the DC Universe and does not require sacking prior to the making of the Justice League movies.  He has attempted (and I think succeeded) created a super hero world that is distinctly different from the Marvel Universe(s) - I've mentioned the Dark Knight re-imagining earlier.  DC have deliberately chosen their world to be darker, grittier, grimier and ergo this will always end up pissing off people who want that buffoon like slapstick experience.  I applaud Zac and the producers of the DC films for their attempt (and success) at differentiation.

As for Ben Affleck, yes, the Sad Affleck video was amusing but I have always been a fan and am happy to admit that I actually enjoyed his performance in Daredevil and always found the man to be super sexy - so getting him to play a handsome billionaire with a bad-boy attitude and a bat fetish was never going to be a problem for me.  Henry Cavill reprising his role from the 2013 movie The Man of Steel (which I haven't actually seen yet), gets no complaints from me.

Script wise I think the producers tried to cram far too much into this 2.5 hour film.  This could easily have been 2-3 films if they would have taken the risk.  It's almost like popping in Wonder Woman just wasn't enough for them - they had to introduce us to the whole DC cast of characters, and the way they chose to do was a little cringeworthy, a tad bit pretentious thought I, but David pointed out that I may be overusing that word a little as of late, and possibly not always correctly.  They really should have popped this in as end of credit bonus material - or perhaps as webinar specials.  Somebody in the publicity department needs to rethink the strategy here.

I cannot finish without mentioning Jesse Eisenberg, a young man who first caught my attention over a decade ago when he played Walt Berkman in (the seriously fabulous) The Squid and The Whale. What I love about Jesse is that he is the kind of actor who turns up, does his job, and then walks away and never bothers to pay attention to any of the media blitz that follows.  What I'm trying to say is that he is a most wonderful professional actor who will continue to do great things, not only with this role.

So to finish?  IMDB gives it a 7.1.  I'm happy with that.  Go see it in the cinema if it's still showing - it's worthy of a big screen.

The Huntsman: Winter's War

The Huntsman: Winter's War

First film to watch was Cedric Nicolas-Troyan's debut feature film The Huntsman: Winter's War.  

What first struck me about the title of this movie was that it really looked like it was a sequel or at least the start of a new series.  Turns out I was correct - somehow, somehwere along the way I'd missed Rupert Sander's (also debut feature film) prequel back in 2012 - Snow White and the Huntsman.  So as I haven't seen that film so I've no idea if it was any good but clearly it was successful enough to have a sequel made, and a sequel that easily stands on its own as I enjoyed it immensely.

I can also declare to you now that I'll be watching out for future films from Cedric - he's a visual effects man and he worked on Maleficent and Sander's prequel as a Second Unit Director as well as Visual Effects Supervisor on Snow White and the Huntsman. Listed first and foremost on his CV are Cedric's visual effects work so you get the idea that this is what people come to him for and boy can you really see that a man such as this directing own debut movie has really been able to communicate his vision so wonderfully to the team.

Witches fighting - oh! so flamboyantly splashing their magic across the screen is certainly something to behold, as are the goblins who are truly terrifying in all their apish goat-like glory! Everywhere you look the visuals never fail to deliver themselves with pure fantastic joy. This is a great fantasy adventure.

As for the story - this is a fairy tale so don't expect the most intricate of plot details. I was impressed at how Cedric managed to get his sequel to be a prequel to Sander's film (with hindsight I can see where his movie slots into the timeline). The first half is the Huntsman's genesis story and along the way we're introduced to Sara (played by Jessica Chastain) who is actually the Huntsman's long lost love.  Jessica does a fantastic job at this, but this is not really her movie at all.  Nor is it the Huntsman's, the title is quite misleading - sure it pretends to be about Helmsworth's and Chastain's characters but this is a story about the witches and it is their actions and desires that drive and motivate every other character in the story.  

Ian at work asked me if it was "Frozen" for grown ups.  I have to admit that it very much is but the effects are just ding dong divine and there's no Idina Menzel overplayed karaoke classics to accompany you through it.  Charlize Theron plays Evil Queen 101 and adds an almost salacious seductive touch to it all that she easily steals every scene she oozes into.

Emily Blunt plays the younger sister's fragility so delicately you can feel the eggshell foundations crumbling every time Theron's dominating older sister so effortlessly smashes her flat. When Freya becomes the Ice Queen and begins to show that wonderful quiet confidence through the raging barely contained madness she becomes quite demonic but all the time, like Vader's little spark of goodness that saves the day at the end of it all, Emily never fails to show us Freya's mother love within. She may steal children and turn them into ruthless killers to conquer all the realms surrounding her kingdom but by golly does she love those children once they become her own!

The last time I checked, IMDB gave it a score of 6.2.  I rarely disagree with an IMDB rating, I'd easily give it a 6.5 (add a couple of more points if you love the Fantasy genre).  This one is definitely worth taking the time to watch on a bigger screen.

This is not a children's movie, you shouldn't (as one woman did) take in a child under 12. Not unless you want them to see people get impaled and some damn scary monsters to give them nightmares for quite a while afterwards, that is.