Wonder Woman 1984 Review

'Wonder Woman 1984':

Sequel sinks, hooks on to cliche

By Keanu Silva, News Editor

Warner Brothers brings a brand new look at Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince with the first sequel in the DC extended universe in “Wonder Woman 1984.” Patty Jenkins (Director) focuses on Prince’s ’80s lifestyle while still grieving from her past adventures and trying to stay under the radar. This time, the studio decided to adapt the story and characters to the decade’s trends and appearances, from parachute pants to absurd impersonations of the generation’s habits, and as a result, the action-superhero side of the movie is almost forgotten throughout the entire run of the film. Gadot’s acting is still on point, but with a few absurd takes on the idea of being in the ’80s, living life and still trying to embody the decade’s TV acting performances. Since the plot is based around the basic, overused theme of “I will make your dreams come true, and I will take something from you,” the audience already knows what is supposed to occur later in the movie. In spite of the foolish plot, Pedro Pascal’s performance as the power-hungry infomercial tycoon Maxwell Lord is, without a doubt, the best part of the movie. He was able to combine the role of the luxurious overlord with the almost broke dad that wants nothing but a happy life for his child masterfully. The movie takes the advantage of Wonder Woman being a powerful goddess to the point where nothing seems to align with what is happening with the story. One scene shows Diana hook to a plane thousands of feet above the ground, and suddenly the character is able to fly as if the air suddenly turned to water. Kristen Wiig's performance as Cheetah was not so bad, but the studio tries to once again bring to the screen the overused, cliche, nerdy character with extreme jealousy going to extremes to be accepted. And once again, it fails: Wiig’s envious take on the villain is Poster for "Wonder Woman 1984" featuring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince. "WW84" was released virtually on DCFanDome on Dec. 15 and its U.S. theatrical debut was on Dec. 25

PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS PICTURES

often poor and the once-powerful character is suddenly defeated after nothing. Another thing that makes the film ridiculous is the need for a romantic partner. So much for having Wonder Woman demonstrate strength on her own.

Lastly, Warner Brothers took the concept of the ’80s too far. The movie becomes foolish, and there is no more superhero left in the character. The one action sequence with the tanks brings a small balance to the table, but it doesn’t give any more reasons for the silliness to even exist. Pascal’s performance is the highlight, and the post-credits scene cameo gives the audience hope that the character still has more to explore, but the movie looks like it needed some more work to be more acceptable instead of looking like an unplanned cash-grab.

‘Palmer’: Inspirational story of acceptance

By Aaliyah Evertz, Staff Intern

Justin Timberlake’s latest movie “Palmer,” released on Apple TV on Jan. 29, is a sweet, sad and subtly funny film about learning to accept yourself. Playing alongside newcomer Ryder Allen and Shadowhunters star Alisha Wainwright, Timberlake’s portrayal of the dark and brooding Eddie Palmer makes the drama an enjoyable watch. Set in the small town of Sylvain, Louisiana, the movie opens with a now formerly incarcerated Eddie Palmer making his way back to his childhood home, where he was raised by his grandmother Vivian Palmer (played by June Squibb). Palmer soon gets reacclimated to life in Sylvain – with a grandmother who makes sure he goes to church every Sunday and a parole officer who keeps him on his toes about finding a job. He soon meets his neighbor Shelly (Juno Temple) and her son Sam (Ryder Allen), who stays with Vivian whenever his mom – an addict who comes and goes for weeks at a time – bails. Sam is a boy who doesn’t adhere to society’s ideals of what boys and girls should act and dress like. He plays with dolls, wears tutus, has tea parties and routinely watches a show called “Penelope’s Flying Princess Club.” Though Sam is seemingly content with who he is, the people of Sylvain are not. He’s bullied by kids at school and gets picked on by adults. A good move on screenwriter Cheryl Guerriero’s part was making sure to give Palmer that same “traditional” mindset as everyone else in Sylvain. When Vivian unexpectedly passes away in her sleep, Palmer finds himself as the only person left to take care of Sam. He soon gets over his reservations about the young boy’s not-so-normal habits and becomes a surrogate father to him. Palmer learns to become a parent, with the help of Sam’s teacher Maggie Hayes (Alisha Wainwright), otherwise known as “Ms. Maggie.” Sam and Palmer are almost one in the same. Sam is an outsider because of his nonbinary ways and Palmer is an outsider because he’s an ex-convict. Their unconventional father-son relationship is the most endearing part of the movie. Together, Palmer and Sam teach each other to accept themselves for who they are and to not take anything from anybody for it.

Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake) mentors his neighbor Sam (Ryder Allen) in the movie "Palmer," released on Apple TV+ on Jan. 29.

PHOTO COURTESY OF APPLETV+ ‘WandaVision’ attracts fans with mystery plot

By Aaliyah Evertz, Staff Intern

Marvel’s “WandaVision” is a major success. As the first Marvel Cinematic Universe project following “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (both released in 2019), the show had a reputation to uphold. The opening of the first episode, “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience,” introduces

Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) dance in a scence from the first episode of the series WandaVision. WandaVision started streaming on Disney+ on Jan. 15.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) – two side characters in the Avengers movies – as a newlywed couple within the universe of a ‘50s sitcom. Wanda and Vision are aware that she is a witch, and he is a machine, but they can’t seem to remember any details about their lives, or even their relationship, before they moved to the town of Westview. As their perfect suburban life begins to glitch, so to speak, they start to realize that not all is as it seems. It’s clear from the end of the pilot that Westview is not reality, it’s an alternate universe. As each episode airs, a new decade takes place: The pilot starts in the ’50s, the next episode goes to the ’60s, and so on. Almost as if in reference to how much time has seemingly passed, each episode presents a new

milestone in their marriage. The alternation of time periods brings a sense of nostalgia to viewers, with the “Bewitched” and “The Brady Bunch” styled intros and camerawork. It brings together Marvel fans by keeping the same concepts and characters but adds an old school sitcom twist that makes it an enjoyable watch for the whole family. Olsen’s performance as Wanda makes the show so oddly comforting. She is able to portray the witch as both a stereotypical, eccentric housewife and troubled young woman. Viewers’ attraction to the show mostly comes from the mysterious plotline. Who is behind this? Is it all Wanda’s imagination, or Hydra, a longtime Marvel antagonist that aims for world domination? Every week, old questions are answered and new ones arise. thetornadotimes.org < February 2021 > Entertainment | 13