WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STONE // A FILM REVIEW OF "WONDER WOMAN 1984"

BY MATEO MORENO

2020 has been a rough year for everyone and nearly every film heading to theatres has been postponed or taken off the schedule entirely. So it was a welcome surprise that, after several postponements for theatrical release, WONDER WOMAN 1984 has finally been released, in select theatres (if a theatre is open near you) and for everyone else it's streaming exclusively on HBO MAX, at no additional charge (as long as you have the channel, that is). It's about time that 2020 gave us something. Much less of a controversial move than HBO MAX's next decision to release all of their 2021 Warner Bros releases on streaming, this move was cleared by everyone involved and will help this mammoth of a superhero sequel see the largest audience possible. So is it any good?

All of the right ingredients are here: returning is director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot as Diana/Wonder Woman, as well as returning costars Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright, each of who made the first WW so unique and fresh. Joining the cast is Pedro Pascal and SNL legend Kristen Wiig. We open on a young Diana (played by Lilly Aspell, also returning from the original) excited to be in a competition against other amazons on the all-female island of Themiscyra. This is the only moment we spend in the island, but it makes for a thrilling beginning to the story. Once we leave there we head to 1984, where the rest of the film takes place. Diana now works during the day as an archaeologist at the Smithsonian and at night she is secretly Wonder Woman. In an early action sequence, set at a mall of course (this is the 1980's), she disables the cameras so that her image isn't splashed all over the place. Ah, what you could do in pre-internet, pre-smart phone days. All of this time however, she has been alone, still mourning the loss of the love of her life Steve Trevor. He died heroically in the first film when he sacrificed himself to help save the day.

When a fellow colleague Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wigg) is tasked with identifying a rare stone, Diana becomes intrigued. She reads it and see that in Latin, there's an inscription saying that it will grant the wish of whoever wishes upon it. Diana smiles, knowing exactly what she would wish for, though she doesn't say it out loud (but we the audience know exactly what it is). Barbara makes a halfhearted wish on it as well: to be as strong and confident as Diana. Suddenly the next day, like magic, Barbara has a new skip, more confident than ever. Something else happens. Somehow, right here in 1984, Steve Trevor has reappeared, the same age as when Diana last saw him. She is overjoyed, having once again the only thing she truly longed for. But if this stone can actually make wishes come true, what's the downside to the wishes, and what else is it capable of? The slick snake oil salesman Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) has been searching for the stone and as his pyramid scheme of a business is falling apart, he reaches for the stone to rescue all of that and to give him the life he thinks he deserves. And so the battle for the stone, and putting the "genie back in the bottle," so to speak, takes its course.

As most superhero sequels go, WONDER WOMAN 1984 is stuffed to the brim. It's too long (the movie clocks in at 2 hours and 35 minutes when it easily could be a breezy 2 hours flat) and the storylines do get a bit convoluted. And though it doesn't quite live up to the extremely high bar the original sat at, it is a very fun film, one that still has a big CGI finish but is far more satisfying than the mashed up ending of the original (the only real downside of the first film). Gal Gadot is still a sly and exciting Diana/Wonder Woman, turning in a performance that showcases great chemistry with not just Chris Pine (and they do have great chemistry again and he is again very charming) but with her new friend Barbara. Wiig and Gadot have a great rapport and Wiig brings a great comedic charm to the film while also nailing the darkness that is her future. Her evolution into Cheetah is too rushed sadly, and unfortunately thought of as an afterthought. Which is a shame, since Cheetah has been a very important part of the WW comics over the years. Chewing up all the scenery around him is "The Mandalorian" himself, Pedro Pascal. A far cry from his stoic TV persona, Pascal has a ball playing the snake oil salesman and gives him an underlying humanity underneath all of the wonderful mugging. While it doesn't reach the heights of the original, WONDER WOMAN 1984 is a fast paced and exciting middle chapter of the Jenkins/Gadot trilogy, a bit more silly than the original and one that I believe will get a bit too much unjust criticism but will be seen in time as a really fun (though overstuffed) entry into Diana Prince's legacy.

GRADE: B

BASED ON THE CHARACTERS CREATED BY William Moulton Marston WRITTEN BY Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Dave Callaham DIRECTED BY Patty Jenkins STARRING Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen, Lilly Aspell, Lucian Perez NOW PLAYING IN SELECT THEATRES AND STREAMING EXCLUSIVELY ON DISNEY +. 

BACK TO THE DRAGON BOARD // A FILM REVIEW OF "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2"

BY CHRISENA RICCI

As far as animated series go, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is one of my favorites. Quippy, heartfelt, and highly imaginative, this sequel did not disappoint. As with the original I found myself giggling like a little girl at the idea of having a dragon as a pet. This storyline, although darker that the first film, was interesting and lived up to the high standards set with the first. One of my favorite things about both ‘Dragon’ films is that it doesn’t shy away from serious issues.

In the first film we face the serious loss of an appendage and in this one we focus on what it means to stand up for your beliefs. Hiccup realizes he must stand up to his father, once again, to do what is right, no matter the cost. Then we find out that Hiccup’s mother left the family because she knew her husband would never listen to her opinions on the true gentle nature of these dragon “foes”. It’s oddly reminiscent of Henrik Ibsen’s A DOLL’S HOUSE. Except Ibsen didn’t have such a phenomenal score.

Just like the first film, the score gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. In animated film a good score is crucial, especially when you’re telling a borderline ridiculous story of teenagers who ride on the backs of their dragon companions.

The pace of this film seems to drag a little more than the first, which I credit to the heavier subject matter. This definitely could have been trimmed a bit more. I understand that this is primarily a film for young audiences, but come on guys. Even kids can imagine how weird it would be for parents to reconcile after years apart. Especially kids these days. Audiences, even young ones are smart enough to understand the gravity of the situation after the first few lines of dialogue. We probably all could have lived without that random love duet that the reunited parents sang.

Another issue I have is that all of the “bad guys” are black. It truthfully, caught me completely off-guard. Dreamworks was ready to face amputations of children’s legs, parents splitting up and even supported a suggestibly gay character. So why were the villains all black and the heroes all white? For a company that is clearly socially conscious it was a rather large thing to overlook.

CHRISENA'S GRADE: C+

Directed and Written by: Dean DeBlois Starring: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, and Kristen Wiig. RATED PG

FINAL THOUGHTS: I laughed. I cried. True, I did get a little bogged down, but the score was just as good as the first.

CHRISENA RICCI once went to a costume party dressed in an all black dress and black wig. No one there could guess who she was. So she shouted out, "I'm Christina Ricci, without the T or I and add an E!" Everyone stood there confused, she was annoyed, so she stormed off. She never returned to that apartment ever again. Which is fine, because she later realized she was at the wrong party. She now lives in New York City.