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Reviews
Blue Beetle (2023)
If I had $1 for every cliché, I could fix Rudy's Tacoma
This movie has just about zero surprises. The plot is cookie-cutter, the acting is mostly fine, but nothing particularly special. The humor is meh, the antagonists are meh. The best thing this film has going for it are its stunning visuals. It has great cinematography and production design, the city of Palmera is incredible just to look at. The great CGI is a nice break from what The Flash gave us a few months previous.
The story is fairly engaging and funny, but not particularly compelling. There weren't many crazy twists or layered plot points, and it was quite predictable. Enjoyable setup, leading to a payoff that was decent at best.
The musical score is in a class of its own and definitely adds plenty of emotion to the scenes. It has some really powerful moments that make the film more enjoyable.
Looking back at the film, there were no performances from any of the actors that particularly stuck out, but I'd go far enough to say that the acting has consistent quality, and never pulled me out of the viewing experience.
In closing, it was a lighthearted, funny, fun-filled adventure about a reluctant young superhero, but calling it more than a popcorn film would be generous.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
That's just a trash can
This movie is really a mixed bag. It can range from exhilarating to just plain stupid. I loved seeing young Diana on Themyscira in the opening sequence, and it was a really well done scene. However, it was followed immediately afterwards by a cheesy, ridiculous, in-your-face 80s mall sequence with terrible action and acting. From there, the film took a while to pick up the pace, while somehow leaving us with very little knowledge of the main characters. Eventually we were rewarded with a few great scenes, including the Egypt car chase, which had some of the best action in the movie. However, the damage was already done. While I can't honestly say I didn't enjoy the movie, it definitely wasn't a very layered story, and the high stakes and enormous consequences present in Wonder Woman (2017) were absent in this chapter. In terms of the entire DCEU, this is a movie that didn't need to happen. Nothing in this movie benefits the rest of the universe that it is set in. But in closing, it was a fun and entertaining popcorn movie that you might soon forget.
Wonder Woman (2017)
State of Wonder
This film is beautiful in almost every way. It has a powerful musical score, impressive cinematography, and realistic characters that you care about. The action was incredible and the story is layered. Setting the movie in WW1 was an excellent choice, and there were many times that I forgot I was watching a 'superhero' movie, because Wonder Woman felt right at home. Instead of being a flawless female fighter, Diana was a very interesting and lovable character, with her own flaws as well. She was strong and driven, and always had the desire to help literally anyone she could. She enjoys the small things, like eating ice cream and seeing a baby for the first time, but has an endearing amount of naivety, due to being raised on an island without living any of the true human experience. This movie does a great job of making the men feel important rather than overshadowed, which can be difficult to do when telling a story about a godlike woman. Diana may have defeated Ares and ended the war, but it was Steve Trevor's sacrifice that saved thousands of innocent people from deadly gas. I really enjoyed this movie. It's the first DCEU movie chronologically, and it did a great job introducing Diana.