Wonder Woman Review

I have a confession to make. Before last week, I had never seen a DC movie. I've never seen a Superman film. I've never seen a Batman film. *holds out card* Here's my Nerd Cred. Take it away from me. I don't deserve it. Or, maybe you could be lenient because I did see Wonder Woman? You don't have to give it back right away... Why don't I tell you my thoughts and then you can decide whether or not I deserve my Nerd Cred back?

If you've seen the trailers for Wonder Woman, then this review won't be too spoilery. If you want to avoid all of the spoilers of ever, then I suggest you see the movie and come back here at a later date. 

Plot: Diana grows up among the Amazons—a society of women trained for war—on the secret island of Themyscira. In addition to being the daughter of the queen, she is also the only child on the island. Despite her mother's hesitation, Diana learns to fight, and she also learns that the gods created the Amazons to protect the world from Ares, the god of war.
One day, a plane flies through the barrier hiding Themyscira from the rest of the world. It contains Steve Trevor, a World War I spy. He explains the Great War to the Amazons and Diana is convinced that Ares has returned and that she must fight him. And So. Diana leaves the protection of Themyscira and travels to London and the trenches with Steve Trevor so that she may meet Ares in battle and destroy him once and for all so that the hearts of men will no longer be corrupted by his evil.

Wonder Woman spends a long time setting up the story. There is a lengthy introduction before the inciting incident (AKA Steve Trevor, if we're going to name names) happens. I felt that this threw off the pacing of the movie, as the audience spends a lot of time watching Diana grow up without having a reason to root for her yet. Also, throughout the movie, there is a lot of telling instead of showing. The Dump Truck of Exposition unloads several revelations on the audience instead of letting the Paver of DISS* smooth the information on the audience over a period of time.

*Disseminating Information Super Slowly.
Friend, Abby. Text message to author. 7 June 2017. (<---- This is my attempt to cite my source in MLA format. I think I deserve my Nerd Cred back now. Thank you.)

While I didn't enjoy the pacing of the movie, I thought that the plot and sub-plots were well done. I enjoyed the plot twists, too! They actually managed to surprise me.

Characters: Diana Prince (AKA Wonder Woman, if we're going to name names) is a lovely blend of innocence, femininity, and kick-butt deadliness.

She is innocent because she grew up in an ancient civilization while the rest of the world advanced for 2,000 years. She knows nothing about the world outside of Themyscira, which is humorous when she reaches London. Her innocence also shows itself in her mission. Her goal is to find Ares and she won't let herself get sidetracked, even if that means messing up the plans of others and looking like a fool. She doesn't know what constitutes acceptable behavior in WWI-era England, and so she does what she knows is right despite cultural standards. This turns her innocence into strength, for it allows her to stand up for her beliefs. I think we've all had times when we don't stand up for what we believe it because we are afraid to look foolish. Diana is a good example of standing strong in one's beliefs, even when everyone else is against you.
And she does it in a dress.
Despite being a warrior princess, Diana (and all of the Amazons) remain feminine. And their costumes aren't too revealing/distracting either (at least, I didn't think so)!
Diana is not only strong in conviction, but also in muscle. Countless times in the movie, she is the one to save her friends or march into battle first. She is no damsel in distress. While I have no doubt that she would have marched into battle just as quickly if she wasn't searching for Ares, her motivation is to find Ares. Her enemies stood in the way of her ultimate goal, so she fought them. Her determination and courage are just as inspiring as her strength of mind and confidence.
I think Wonder Woman is an excellent role model.
While it was hinted throughout the movie that she has more power than she thinks, it does not appear until the end. I wish that they had done a better job of building to this moment rather than giving her a Rey-like explosion of sudden power at the end.

Steve Trevor is a spy, soldier, and flying ace. Like Diana, he has a mission to accomplish.

Steve's mission is to destroy a new form of poison gas that can break through gas masks.

Are you my mummy? (I'm so sorry. I've been watching Doctor Who, and I couldn't resist.

While Diana is single-mindedly trying to find Ares, Steve is single-mindedly trying to find Dr. Poison and her concoction. He and Diana help each other, but they remain very focused on their own missions, which I liked. They understand that they will need to sacrifice even their friendship to save the world.
I loved the way they wrapped up Steve Trevor's storyline. It's not one that I've seen much before, and I highly approved.

There are many other characters in this movie. There are the Amazons (namely Hippolyta, who is Diana's mother, and Antiope, who is Diana's aunt/teacher), Steve Trevor's secretary Etta Candy, and Steve Trevor's friends Sameer, Charlie, and Chief. Because we spend so much time with the Amazons at the beginning of the movie, Steve Trevor's entourage aren't developed very well. They are more like caricatures than actual characters. I felt the same way about the villains.

Setting: As my dad's friend pointed out, Wonder Woman is set during World War I, which is odd for movies, since they usually focus on World War II. As someone who thinks World War I is more interesting than World War II, I loved the setting! I liked the historical touches, such as the fashions and the inclusion of chemical warfare. The characters even visit the trenches and No Man's Land (I loved that part). There were some jokes and slang that seemed a little too 21st century for the 20th century... but, mostly, I thought they did a good job representing the time period (especially since this is a superhero movie and not a historical film).

Themes: I was not expecting there to be such a deep theme in Wonder Woman. The main theme is that even though humans are evil, there is still good in the world and love conquers all.
According to the Amazons, humans were basically good until Ares came along and corrupted them. He is behind every war and every mean comment and every evil deed. Diana's worldview is shattered, and she realizes that humans are evil without Ares' help. She also realizes, however, that there are decent and kind human beings out there, too. And, ultimately, love conquers.
This is a message that needs to spread in today's day when terrorist attacks are normal, weekly occurrences; when homeschoolers are no longer the anti-social ones (I'M JOKING! DON'T LYNCH ME), but everyone feels lonely; and when the only way to win an important position is to attach your opponent's name to wild horses and have it dragged through the mud. In this kind of world, messages like Wonder Woman's are hopeful (and hopefully helpful).
While the moral of Wonder Woman is not an intentionally Biblical parallel, we can draw a parallel anyway. Humans are sinful, but there is still kindness in the world. Jesus' sacrificial love conquers evil and it conquers death.

Wonder Woman has its faults, but its titular character and its theme are strong. If you like superhero movies, or stories with strong female characters, then check out this movie!

Have YOU seen Wonder Woman? What did you think of it?

Doctor Strange Review

I recently saw Doctor Strange (twice!) and loved it so much that I thought I should write a review!

 

Beware spoilers.

The Plot
Stephen Strange is a highly successful and highly paid surgeon. He is also highly arrogant, which is why a car accident that disables the use of his hands is hard for him to come to terms with. He spends his fortune trying experimental treatments to heal his shaky hands. Finally, nearly out of money and options, Strange travels to Nepal to find healing in mysticism. Instead, he kinds Kamar-Taj, a magical order that protects earth from attacks from other dimensions. He learns magic initially to heal his hands but then finds himself involved in something much bigger: the protection of earth from a dimensional being called Dormammu.

While I loved this movie, the plot was my least favorite part.
Doctor Strange is a little like a salad. The plot is the lettuce, but not just any kind of lettuce. No, the lettuce is the kind of lettuce that you get in a grocery store kit whose expiration date is tomorrow. Despite its wilted lettuce, however, the salad still tastes good because of what you put on top. By adding fancy dressing, nuts, dried fruit, and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds, the salad is no longer sad and droopy, but it is exciting and fresh. For Doctor Strange, the cinematography, characters, and theme are the dressing.
The reason that the plot is the lettuce is because it's a plot that I've seen before: a successful man loses what makes him successful and goes on a journey to heal/find himself; he realizes in the end that he's a part of something much bigger than whatever made him successful in the beginning.
Marvel managed to make this storyline interesting because of the other elements of the film, so let's examine them, shall we?

Special Effects
I think everyone agrees that the special effects in Doctor Strange are very impressive. The fight scenes in the mirror dimension looked like they were taking place in a kaleidoscope.

I loved the parts where Doctor Strange was in another dimension. He first experiences this at the beginning of the film when the Ancient One shows him her power. The doctor is shown some strange stuff.

I bet it was intentional that they used Doctor Strange's hands for this part, seeing as he came to Kamar-Taj to heal his hands.

The second experience in another dimension is at the end of the film when Strange goes to bargain with Dormammu. The colors are gorgeous.

 

The effects in this movie can be really weird and slightly psychedelic so not everyone may enjoy them. Personally, though, I loved them.

Characters
Doctor Stephen Strange is, like the plot, pretty basic. He does, however, have good character development. He starts out the movie as arrogant, self-centered, and self-sufficient.
Doctor Strange's self-interest is evident throughout the movie. When he first loses the use of his hands, he refuses help from his friend Christine. He prefers to do things, such as shaving, himself. When his hands shake too much for him to shave, however, he lets his appearance fall into disrepair.

When he first comes to Kamar-Taj, he is skeptical first of the magic that they use—preferring to stick with his knowledge of science—and second of his own abilities. It takes a life-threatening situation to motivate Strange to use magic. Later, he only fights and kills someone to save his own life.
By the end of the movie Strange has changed, though. This is most evident during the climax. Rather than a big fight scene, Strange goes to bargain with Dormammu, who is trying to consume earth. Doctor Strange sacrifices himself by containing himself and Dormammu in a never-ending time loop. Instead of thinking only of himself, he decides to save earth. I loved this ending because it showed Strange's character in two ways: first, in his growth. Second, in that he is an intelligent man and not necessarily a fighter. It makes sense for his character to outsmart Dormammu rather than destroy him.
One thing I did not like about Strange's character is that once he starts believing in his abilities to use magic, he quickly becomes one of the most skilled sorcerers in Kamar-Taj, yet as soon as he is thrust into a real fight, all of his alleged skills are nullified and it is apparent that he is still a novice. I hate it when stories do that. If your main character is great in training, make him or her great in battle, too. This works the opposite way as well: if your main character is horrible at fighting in training, make him or her horrible in battle (or, you know, if they've never had any training, don't let them win against their highly trained opponent *coughcoughReycoughcough*).

Christine Palmer is a nurse at the hospital that Doctor Strange works at. It is hinted that they were romantically involved at one point but are still friends now. I liked her character. When Strange insulted her friendship she demanded an apology. When he didn't respond she left and didn't come back. She didn't even respond to his emails.

Girls, if a guy treats you like a jerk, look to Christine as an example of what to do. Distance yourself emotionally (and physically, if need be) from him until he not only apologizes, but also shows in his actions that he has changed.
Although there is not enough screen time to show Strange's changes toward Christine, he does apologize to her. She is willing to forgive him and help him again.

The Ancient One is the leader of Kamar-Taj. The only things that we learn about her are that she is very old, Celtic, and doesn't like to talk about her past.

She is an interesting character because she is protecting earth from dimensional threats while drawing power from the Dark Dimension (where Dormammu lives) to keep herself alive so that she can keep protecting earth. The Dark Dimension is a negative thing, as the villains are also drawing power from it, yet the Ancient One feels that the risk outweighs the outcome. She thinks that she is doing the right thing. Other characters do not.

Mordo is Strange's friend and mentor at Kamar-Taj.

C'mon Internet, let's make this picture into a meme!

From something he says early in the film we learn that he came to Kamar-Taj to learn how to defeat his enemies. What kind of enemies, I wonder? Because the Ancient One deceived him about her connection with the Dark Dimension, Mordo is disillusioned with the sorcerers and he leaves. An end-credits scene shows us that he has created for himself a mission to rid the world of sorcerers as there are "too many." I'm looking forward to seeing what Marvel does with him as there is a lot of potential for his character.

Wong is the librarian of Kamar-Taj and one of my favorite characters. A running gag throughout the movie is that he doesn't laugh which creates humor for the audience.

 I don't know if Doctor Strange's cape counts as a character, but I'm going to mention it anyway. There is some magic that is too powerful for a human to use, so the sorcerers imbue items with magic. The Cape of Levitation is one such relic.

It chooses Doctor Strange to be its master and spends the rest of the movie taking care of him. It rescues him when he falls from high places, it helps him fight, and it even wipes away his tears (much to his chagrin). It reminds me of the Magic Carpet in Aladdin. I can't wait to see more of the cape!

As far as villains go, Kaecilius is pretty much Anakin Skywalker. He's a good-guy-gone-bad who betrayed his magical order in order to follow a dark lord who has promised him life.

Dormammu, like Kaecilius, is a standard villain. He is a dimensional being who wants to take over earth.

My only question is: why do people always want to take over earth? Aren't there other planets out there?? Are they having as much trouble as earth is with aliens and creatures from other dimensions??? I mean, not only does earth have to deal with all the creatures from the Marvel universe, but it also has to deal with the Goa'uld, the Borg, and every single Doctor Who villain ever! Can't we get a break??!

Themes
One of the biggest themes in this movie is that there is more to life than what makes you successful. Doctor Strange finds his identity in his work. When he loses the use of his hands, he has no identity anymore. His whole life becomes a search for a way to get his hands back. Christine tells Strange that there is more to life, but he doesn't understand that until the end of the movie. I really like the ending scene of the movie because Strange lifts up his hands and they still shake. He has not fixed his disability, but he accepted it, and he has accepted that there are other paths in his life that branch off from the main one that he thought he would walk on forever.

Another theme is where power comes from and how one uses it. The sorcerers draw on power that lets them interact with different planes of existence, but there are some powers that have too dangerous of consequences to explore. One of these is the power of time, as contained in the Eye of Agamotto. Another of these is the power contained in the Dark Dimension. Still, the Ancient One uses power from the Dark Dimension to keep herself alive so that she can do good throughout the centuries. Doctor Strange uses power from the Eye of Agamotto to save the earth. The use of both of these powers is forbidden, yet good characters use it for good purposes. This raises the question do the ends justify the means? If someone is using prohibited power for good, does that make the power good? How much of this power can be used before it corrupts someone?
Marvel often poses questions of morality and power in their movies, and I love it. Such questions are fascinating to contemplate.

Two other themes that I noticed were science vs. belief (when Doctor Strange first comes to Kamar-Taj) and taking lives vs. saving lives (Doctor Strange, as a doctor, has taken the Hippocratic Oath—has this changed into a Hypocritical Oath now that he is fighting and killing villains?).

Humor
Finally, I want to say a note about the humor in this film. Marvel's humor is great and although it is subtler in this movie than in previous movies, it is still there. One of my favorite moments is when Wong's stolidity is finally broken and he bursts into laughter after Doctor Strange defeats Dormammu. My other favorite moment is this exchange:

Finally, a disclaimer: there is some language in this movie and an allusion to characters sleeping together. Additionally, there is some mystical/psychedelic stuff that some people may not like. Otherwise, Doctor Strange is a pretty clean movie (besides some intense scenes, that is).

This may be my favorite Marvel movie yet! (Though I do love the Thor movies... Speaking of which, I can't WAIT for Thor: Ragnarok!)

Have you seen Doctor Strange? What did you think?

Star Trek Beyond, a Review

Some of you may not know this about me: I am not just a casual Star Trek fan; no, I am a Trekkie. I own socks with Spock's face on them. A giant Star Trek puzzle graces the floor of my room. I have a shelf dedicated to Star Trek books (including a Star Trek pop-up book). I've bought several magazines about Star Trek. I baked Star Trek Christmas cookies. I've gone to Halloween parties dressed as a red shirt. I wore my blue Star Trek uniform to choir on the day that Leonard Nimoy died. My American Girl Dolls and my Build-a-Bear have Star Trek uniforms. The other day, I bought my first Star Trek action figure (it was Morn). I'm listening to Star Trek soundtracks as I write this blog post.
Like any self-respecting Trekkie, I don't believe that Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness live up to the Star Trek that Gene Rodenberry created. Because of this, I haven't followed any news about Star Trek Beyond. But, when I had to opportunity to see it a few weeks ago, I did. I had low expectations, so the film completely surprised me! I left the theater with a huge smile on my face, for Beyond felt like a Star Trek movie. Below is my review, so beware of spoilers!

I love how this poster mirrors the post for Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The Plot
966 (significant because The Original Series premiered in September, 1966) days into the Enterprise's five-year mission, Captain Kirk and his crew stop at Yorktown station. They have barely docked when the station receives a distress call from an escape pod. The woman inside says that her ship has crashed on a planet in the middle of an uncharted nebula nearby. The Enterprise is sent to rescue this ship, but it turns out to be a ruse! There is a hostile swarm of aliens inside the nebula who have been spying on the Federation. They are bent on destroying the peaceful organization with an ancient weapon, which they only have half of. The Enterprise, of course, is carrying the second half of the weapon.
The swarm destroys the Enterprise [I thought saucer separation wasn't supposed to happen until Next Generation?] and takes its personnel hostage. Only Scotty, Captain Kirk and Chekov, and Spock and Dr. McCoy are not captured. They must rescue the crew and find a way off of the planet before Krall—the leader of the swarm—assembles the weapon and destroys the Federation, starting with the Yorktown station!

The story turns out to be one of revenge, which is a plotline that I'm not fond of. I didn't think that Krall's motivation for revenge were strong enough to fuel his actions. The script-writers, however, managed to write a coherent and complete plot, balance several side plots, and made the story seem like a Star Trek episode in movie form, which I greatly appreciated!
One thing that I loved was that some things were left up to the audience to figure out on their own. Nowadays, people expect stories to be so simple that they don't have to connect-the-dots, so to speak. In Beyond, the writer's gave us context clues and let us figure things out for ourselves. For example, they gave us hints about Krall's identity, and I figured out who he was before The Big Reveal.

The writer's also did a fabulous job with the side plots. Hikaru Sulu, for example, has a side plot that is shown only in the background of the movie. At the beginning, during Captain Kirk's log entry, the camera pans from crew member to crew member and we see that Sulu has a picture of a little girl on his desk. "Aw, he has a family!" the audience thinks. Later, when the Enterprise reaches the Yorktown, we see Sulu, his partner, and his daughter reuniting in the background. When Yorktown is being attacked by the swarm, we see Sulu's partner and daughter running for safety. Because we connected-the-dots that Sulu cares for these people, we are worried for them, too, and hope they that get to safety. At the end of the movie, we see Sulu and his partner at Captain Kirk's birthday party, so we know that Sulu's family is safe.
Now that is how to write a side plot! Especially, in my opinion, one featuring a gay couple. I didn't feel like the writer's were shoving the homosexual agenda in my face. I could look at Sulu and his partner and feel sorry that they don't know God and have succumb to the world's definition of love, and then I could move on and admire the movie's storytelling. The writer's were smart enough to know that focusing on Sulu's relationship would detract from the main plot and from the main side plot, so they kept it in the background of the movie, while still developing Sulu as a character.

We don't know what's happened in the three years since the events of Into Darkness, and this is apparent in Beyond's main subplot, which features Spock. The movie doesn't stop everything to explain the thoughts and actions of Spock in the past three years, though, but tells us gradually through several dialogues with Doctor McCoy. I appreciated this, as an info-dump would have rushed Spock's character development.

You can tell that Star Trek Beyond—as opposed to the other two movies in the reboot franchise—was written by Star Trek fans. Both Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, who co-wrote the script, were Star Trek fans before becoming involved with the new Star Trek movies. Director Justin Lin was also a fan before making the movie. I appreciate based-on movies that are made by fans because they represent the heart of the originals. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Tintin movie, and the Lord of the Rings movies are some other movies made by fans that I enjoy.
Because Beyond was made by fans, there are many "Easter eggs" referring to other Trek characters, episodes, and lore. For a list, check out this link. My favorite was near the beginning of the film. Captain Kirk is making a log entry and he says something like, "966 days into our five year mission and things are starting to feel a bit episodic."

Characters
Star Trek Beyond was filled with so many great character moments and so much character development!
Karl Urban, who plays Doctor McCoy (very excellently, too, I must say. He was a Star Trek fan before getting the role of Doctor McCoy, and you can tell it in his portrayal), nearly didn't come back to film Beyond because he felt that Doctor McCoy had been "marginalized" in Into Darkness. When he found out the writers' and director's plan for the character, however, he decided to join the movie, and I'm so glad he did! His interactions with Spock are just like the interactions between the Spock and McCoy of the original timeline. They were my favorite part of the movie.

Jaylah is a new character and, from the trailers, she looks like a strong, warrior princess character that Kirk will definitely fall in love with. In fact, Jaylah is more like Rey (from The Force Awakens) than a warrior princess. Like Rey, Jaylah has no parents and is stranded on a strange planet. She learned to take care of herself out of necessity, rather than out of a want to be A Strong Woman Who Needs No Man. I thought that she was a wonderful addition to the cast, and I loved that most of her interactions were with Scotty, rather than with Captain Kirk.

Theme
The biggest theme in Beyond was unity vs. chaos. The United Federation of Planets is, obviously, in favor of unity and peace. The villain Krall, on the other hand, grew up as the Federation was just forming. He was a part of MACO, a military operation (watch the Enterprise TV series for more information), and believes that war, rather than peace, develops character. He raised some interesting questions and had some interesting debates with Uhura. The theme was carried out well, and throughout the story.

Humor
The humor in the rebooted Star Trek movies has always been great, and this movie is no exception. The banter between Spock and McCoy, and between McCoy and Kirk is wonderful. My favorite part was when Kirk, Chekov, Scotty, Spock, and McCoy are trying to find the rest of their missing crew and Spock tells Chekov to scan for a radioactive alloy from Vulcan.
"Why would a Vulcan alloy be on this planet?" someone asked Spock.
"I gave Lt. Uhura a necklace made out of it," replied Spock.
"You gave your girlfriend radioactive jewelry?!" exclaimed Doctor McCoy.
"The radiation is not harmful," said Spock.
"Oh, so you gave your girlfriend a tracking device?" Doctor McCoy said.
Spock looks incredulous "... That was not my intention."

Abbey teared up at a movie???
I don't cry during movies. I don't cry when I read books. But, I teared up in Star Trek Beyond.
Leonard Nimoy, who had roles in both Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness passed away before he could reprise his role as Ambassador Spock in Star Trek Beyond. In the story, Ambassador Spock has passed away, too. At the end of the movie, Commander Spock is given Ambassador Spock's belongings. He looks through the chest and finds this picture:

I was NOT expecting such a great tribute to the Original Series crew whom I love so dearly. It was lovely.

Two last notes
Usually I don't notice movie soundtracks, but Beyond's soundtrack caught my attention! It was like the Original Series music had been mixed with the 2009 movie's soundtrack and spiced up with a bunch of new chords. I liked it a lot.
One thing I disliked about the movie was the cinematography. There were too many weird angles and 360 degree camera turns for my taste. The story and the character development more than makes up for my motion sickness, though!

I felt like the 2009 movie and Into Darkness were an extremely long prologue for this movie. Trekkies: don't worry, Beyond is a good Star Trek movie, and worthy of coming out during Star Trek's 50th anniversary year.
I can't wait for Star Trek Beyond to come out on DVD so that I can watch it again (and again and again)! It is the best of the new movies, and I like it more than some of the old movies, too (*cough cough* The Motion Picture *cough cough*).

Only one thing remains to be said...