The film revolves around a small South American island who had been taken over during a coup where American intelligence officer Amanda Waller sends two groups of anti-heroes to infiltrate the island to destroy a lab known as the Jotunheim and all of its secrets unaware of what it’s hiding. It is a film that explore these band of misfits, criminals, and anti-heroes who are given a chance to reduce whatever prison sentences they have by helping the government destroy this lab created during World War II by the Nazis. Yet, complications arise where one team lead by Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) with his old teammate Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) are ambushed with Flag and Quinn both captured forcing the other team lead by the former mercenary Robert DuBois/Bloodsport (Idris Elba) to finish the mission with his own band of misfits that includes the jingoist killer Christopher Smith/Peacemaker (John Cena), a man-eating shark-human hybrid known as Nanaue/King Shark (Steve Agee/voice of Sylvester Stallone), an eccentric man in Abner Krill/Polka Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) who uses polka dots as weapons, and a thief who can summon rats in Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) like her father before her.
James Gunn’s screenplay doesn’t go into anything that had happened in the previous film as it is more about what is happening at the moment with DuBois being reluctant to take part of this government-led task force run by Waller because he admits to not being a good person. Yet, when he learns that his estranged 16-year old daughter Tyla (Storm Reid) might be going to prison because of stealing a TV watch. DuBois accepts the tasks unaware that his old friend Colonel Flag is leading the first task force that got ambushed because one of its soldiers sold them out to the army of Corto Maltese with only Colonel Flag and Quinn surviving. Still, the group that DuBois is leading are an odd bunch as he also has a phobia for rats which makes him uncomfortable in his interactions with Cazo even though she is a kind-hearted person who likes to sleep a lot. The military dictatorship of Corto Maltese are hoping to be taken seriously with this mysterious weapon that is overseen by a scientist Gaius Grieves/the Thinker (Peter Capaldi) who is the man that Waller wants DuBois and others to take and bring them into the Jotunheim to destroy whatever Grieves is working on leading to many revelations for those working for Waller.
Gunn’s direction is definitely stylish as it doesn’t just play into some of the cartoonish elements when it comes to some of the film’s graphic violence but also in the fact that it is an anti-superhero film grounded by compelling characters who are all just a bunch of misfits. Shot largely on location at the Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Duluth, Georgia with flashback shots of Cazo as a child with her father (Taika Waititi) in Portugal and some of the streets of Corto Maltese shot on location in Colon, Panama. Gunn does play into the stakes with the first shot revolving around a criminal in Brian Durlin/Savant (Michael Rooker) playing handball with accurate bounces where he is called upon to take part in a group that is led by Colonel Flag with Quinn, Digger Harkness/Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and other anti-heroes such as an idiotic mercenary in Richard “Dick” Hertz/Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Cory Pitzner/T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion), Gunter Braun/Javelin (Flula Borg), the alien mass-murderer Mongol (Mayling Ng), and a weasel named Weasel (Sean Gunn). The usage of wide and medium shots has Gunn playing to the scope of the group shots as well as the island that is Corto Maltese as it has a grimy look that is colorful but also in decay.
Gunn also play into this air of dysfunction within the group as well as what goes on in Waller’s main base with her own team of people who are troubled by some of her decisions but also how she runs things. Even in Gunn’s usage of the close-ups as it play into the way characters interact with one another such as Cazo telling her story to DuBois while asking him about his phobia for rats. The film does have a structure but also some non-linear narratives in the script that includes the film’s third act where it does play into revelations into what is inside the Jotunheim. It adds not just a conflict about what this band of misfits is fighting against but also question on who they’re forced to work for. Even when the weapon that is unveiled proved to be bigger than anything or anyone has expected. Overall, Gunn crafts an outrageous yet insane film about a bunch of antiheroes who go to a small South American island to kill some people and destroy some old fortress as well as what is inside.
Cinematographer Henry Braham does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it has elements of style with its usage of vibrant colors, heightened lighting for some of the daytime exteriors, and some unique lighting for some of the interior scenes at night. Editors Fred Raskin and Christian Wagner do excellent work with the editing as it does have some style in some slow-motion work for a fight scene involving Quinn and some soldiers in a hallway as well as jump-cuts and other stylish cuts to play into the story. Production designer Beth Mickle, with set decorator Lisa K. Sessions and supervising art director Alan Hook, does amazing work with the look of the buildings of the island as well as the prison where many of the people of the Suicide Squad live in as well as the club that Grieves visits. Costume designer Judianna Makovsky does fantastic work with the costumes as it has different looks for many of the different members of the Suicide Squad including Krill’s polka dot costume, the helmets that DuBois and Smith’s helmets, and the red dress that Quinn would wear upon her dinner with one of the dictators.
The special makeup effects work of Greg Funk, Shane Mahan, Brian Sipe, and Matt Sprunger do incredible work with the look of some of the characters with Krill and the polka dot rashes he has on his face as well as Quinn’s own look. Special effects designers Ethan Carney, Peter Carney, and Bailey Eller, along with visual effects supervisor Kelvin McIlwain, do phenomenal work with the visual effects in the design of Nanaue as well as a big thing that would occur in the film’s climax. Sound designer David Acord does superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects created in some of the weapons the characters create as well as some of the places they go to. The film’s music by John Murphy does wonderful work with the music as it has elements of orchestral bombast to play into the action and suspense along with somber pieces that include a theme for Cazo’s story while the music soundtrack features an array of pieces from Johnny Cash, Pixies, the Decemberists, Kansas, the Fratellis, Ceu, K.Flay, Grandson with Jessie Reyez, Louis Prima, Culture Abuse, and the trio of Drik Barbosa, Gloria Groove, and Karol Conka.
The casting by Yiniva Cardenas and John Papsidera is marvelous as it feature notable small roles and appearances from Lloyd Kaufman as a man at the club, Pom Klementieff in an un-credited performance as a lead dancer in the nightclub, Natalia Safran as the villainous inmate Kaleidoscope, John Leland Gore as the incarcerated villain Double Down, Lynne Ashe as Krill’s mother whom he sees whenever he gets really angry, Sean Gunn in a dual role as the strange animal creature known as Weasel and a convicted villain in Calendar Man, Mikaela Hoover as General Suarez’s secretary Camila, Julio Ruiz as a contact for the Suicide Squad in Milton, Maya Le Clark as the young Cazo, Storm Reid as DuBois’ teenage daughter Tyla who hates her father yet is facing a possible prison sentence, and Taika Waititi as Cazo’s father who is the original Ratcatcher who taught his daughters about the worth of rats. In the roles of Amanda Waller’s team who survey over the whereabouts of the Suicide Squad, the performances of Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Tinashe Kajese as Flo Crawley, and Steve Agee as John Economos are terrific as the trio who question Waller’s intentions and methods as well as discovering what the Suicide Squad had discovered.
Juan Diego Botto and Joaquin Cosio are superb in their respective roles as the villainous dictators Silvio Luna and General Mateo Suarez as two men who want to prove that their island is nothing to laugh at with the former being a romantic that is in love with Harley Quinn while the latter is just a man of power. In the roles of members of the first Suicide Squad group shown early in the film, Mayling Ng as the alien murderess Mongal, Flula Borg as the athletic Gunter Braun/Javelin who uses a javelin as a weapon that Quinn would later use, and Nathan Fillion as Corey Pitzner/T.D.K. who can detach his arms as weapons are fun to watch in what they can do despite being betrayed with Pete Davidson in a fine small role as the idiotic mercenary Dick Hertz/Blackguard while Michael Rooker’s performance as Brian Durlin/Savant and Jai Courtney’s performance as Digger Harkness/Captain Boomerang are a joy to watch with Rooker being the most deadly despite the ambush he had to encounter. Alice Braga is fantastic in her small role as a Corto Maltese rebel leader in Sol Soria who helps out DuBois and his team in overthrowing Luna and General Suarez while also being aware that something worse is happening.
Peter Capaldi is excellent as Gaius Grieves/the Thinker as a scientist who has been experimenting with a mysterious being inside this old Nazi lab/fortress where he is also this man that isn’t afraid to talk shit as he brings a lot of humor to his performance. Viola Davis is brilliant as Amanda Waller as an intelligence officer who organizes the missions and watches over the Suicide Squad as well as playing to their fate in concealing her own intentions for the government. Joel Kinnaman is amazing as Colonel Rick Flag as a military leader who lead one task force of the group until an ambush ruined everything where he is later saved in his capture where he reunites with his old friend DuBois where they both make a discovery into what is inside the lab that questions Flag’s own role for the government. David Dastmalchian is hilarious as Abner Krill/Polka Dot Man as an experiment gone wrong who gets polka dot rashes and uses polka dots as weapons where Dastmalchian has a sensitivity to the way he portrays the character but is also someone with an offbeat sense of humor.
Daniela Melchior is incredible as Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2 as a thief who can summon rats like her father before her as she is also someone who is kind to everyone while also being accompanied by her pet rat named Sebastian who takes a liking towards DuBois. Sylvester Stallone is a fucking hoot in his voice performance as Nanaue/King Shark with Steve Agee doing the motion-capture work as this human-shark hybrid who doesn’t say a lot of words yet eats a lot of people while also learning the value of friendship. John Cena is phenomenal as Christopher Smith/Peacemaker as this douchebag version of Captain America with a jingoist attitude who says a lot of funny and profane shit while also being someone who feels like something has to be done in which he causes a lot of conflict with those he’s with including DuBois and Colonel Flag.
Idris Elba is sensational as Robert DuBois/Bloodsport as a mercenary with unique nanotech that allows him to create weapons as he’s a great marksman but also someone who is reluctant to lead since he doesn’t consider himself a man with redeeming qualities where Elba brings a lot of nuances to the character. Finally, there’s Margot Robbie in a tremendous performance as the famed criminal Harley Quinn who helps out Colonel Flag only to be captured where she deals with surviving an ambush and being a crush for one of the dictators where Robbie brings a lot of energy and wit to the character who is crazy but also someone who cares about her friends and the world in general.
The Suicide Squad is a spectacular film from James Gunn. Featuring a great ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, its exploration on a gang of misfits trying to save the world, a fun music soundtrack, and its refusal to take itself seriously. It is a film that isn’t afraid to be profane nor is it willing to play nice in favor of just being a violent film with lots of cartoonish elements that allows itself to be ridiculous and fun. In the end, The Suicide Squad is a tremendous film from James Gunn.
James Gunn Films: (Slither) – (Super (2010 film)) – Guardians of the Galaxy - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Superman (2025 film) - (The Auteurs #76: James Gunn)
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Aquaman - Shazam! - Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) - Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (The Flash) - (Blue Beetle) - (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom)
© thevoid99 2022
Following events that lead to death of Superman (Henry Cavill), the film follows a group of superheroes who band together to retrieve a trio of powerful boxes before a godlike being gets it to bring in a much more menacing figure who plans on destroying the universe. It’s a story similar to the 2017 theatrical film version of the film but what screenwriter Chris Terrio and his co-writers in Zack Snyder and Will Beall presented isn’t just grander but also focuses on themes of loss, redemption, and identity. Notably as Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) feels guilty for not making peace with Superman sooner following their brief fight and their battle against Doomsday that lead to Superman’s death. That battle would have serious repercussions as it would awaken these three Mother boxes and also brought attention to dark forces that realize that the boxes are on Earth. Both Wayne and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) become aware that there are these forces are coming as they would recruit Barry Allen/the Flash (Ezra Miller), Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher) to form a team.
What Terrio does with the story is flesh out more development in not just these individuals who would form the Justice League but also the motivations of its antagonist Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) who is also seeking redemption for his master/uncle in a god-like being known as Darkseid (Ray Porter) who had found an anti-life equation on Earth hoping to destroy the universe. The script is broken into six chapters plus an epilogue as it help play into the development of characters as well as explore the themes of grief and redemption. For Bruce Wayne, forming the Justice League is him trying to redeem himself as his attempt to recruit Curry in its first chapter yet Curry is reluctant having felt more like an outsider by his own people despite a later plea from his mentor Nuidis Vuklo (Willem Dafoe) to take up the mantle as King of Atlantis knowing that something wrong is about to happen. The script also does more to showcase who Barry Allen and Victor Stone are as the former is a young man trying to find a job as his power is running faster than the speed of light while channeling electricity as he says yes to Wayne’s offer. The latter is a once-promising football player/student who was nearly killed in a car accident that also killed his mother as his father Silas (Joe Morton) had tried to save his son only for Victor to feel resentful as it’s why he turned down Prince’s offer to join the team.
Terrio’s script does have some exposition as the second part reveals about what Wayne and Prince have to face in Steppenwolf and the bigger threat that is Darkseid as the first two parts serve as the first act while the second act play into the next two parts of the series where it does flesh out the characters but also play into their motivations to fight but also take the time to know each other as both Allen and Stone find common ground in their own lack of direction in life while Curry gets the chance to cope with his own identity and be part of a team. The third act is about not just resurrecting Superman but also dealing with the stakes of what they have to face in Steppenwolf and the looming presence of Darkseid.
Snyder’s direction definitely aims for something grander while he chooses to present the film in a completely different tone than the theatrical version which had a look that emphasized on something overly stylized in its desaturated color. Snyder chooses to pull a back a bit on the visuals while the entire film in seven parts and a four-hour running time is given a different aspect ratio presentation of 1:33:1 that does manage to showcase a broader look and feel that felt lost in theatrical cut. Snyder’s compositions are straightforward when it comes to the non-action scenes as he does take the time to let shots linger for a bit and know when not to cut while the action scenes do feel more fluid while allowing the shots to linger as a way for the audience to understand what is going on. There also moments in some of the slow-motion shots such as Allen saving the life of a young woman who nearly dies in a car accident as Snyder goes into great detail of what had happened as it is told largely from Allen’s perspective when he’s running fast. There are also scenes where Snyder allows Stone to be his old self in a hyper-digital world to figure out a location or a scenario that showcases a man who is struggling with new identity and his old one but is trying to find acceptance in this new role.
The added element of profanity and gore does give the film a bigger edge as it play into the stakes and what the Justice League has to face as Darkseid is someone that is absolutely uncompromising in what he wants to do as he is giving Steppenwolf the chance to redeem himself following their loss in the past when Atlanteans, Amazonians, humans, and other warriors defeated Darkseid. The stakes are bigger and the violence is more intense as it does play into the brutality of what the Justice League is dealing with as it would also concern one of the mother boxes that Victor’s father Silas (Joe Morton) had been hiding as he had figure out what to do in case it falls into the wrong hands. It would play into its third act while there are also these brief moments that allude to a vision that Wayne had as Stone would see it as well which would relate to the film’s epilogue. The film’s epilogue is a mixed-bag where it does feel overstuffed and overwritten as it relates to these dark visions that Wayne and Stone had about a possible future as it relates to Darkseid and the Anti-Life equation where Wayne, Stone, and Allen team-up with Mera (Amber Heard) and two unlikely figures.
Yet, the epilogue also include an appearance from a mysterious figure who visits Wayne as it plays into the idea of hope which does carry into the members of the Justice League. Though it is a big flaw in the film, it doesn’t overshadow the journey into what Snyder wanted as it plays into these heroes working together and taking the time to get to know each other. He makes the most of the near-four hour running time as it does play into this story of redemption, unity, identity, and hope that would emerge in the most trying of times. Overall, Snyder crafts an exhilarating and riveting film about a group of superheroes who come together to fight off a powerful being who wants to destroy everything and everyone.
Cinematographer Fabian Wagner does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as the desaturated look of the theatrical cut is given a cleaner look as well as do a bit more with the dark colors and the film’s look as it does have some vibrancy to emphasize some of the dramatic and action scenes in the film. Editors David Brenner, Carlos M. Castillon, and Dody Dorn do amazing work with the editing as it definitely has a more fluid tone in establishing much of the action and drama without the need to do any fast-cutting or jump-cuts in order to let shots linger on for a bit while it also has these stylized slow-motion shots that doesn’t just help add a lot to the action but also in establishing what Allen sees when he is running super-fast. Production designer Patrick Tatapoulos, with art directors Beauchamp Fontaine, Samuel Leake, and Andrew Palmer, does brilliant work with the look of the Wayne estate and his lab as well as the lab that Silas Stone works at. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson does fantastic work with the costumes that include the look of Superman’s black suit as it does have this menacing look as a hero who isn’t here to play.
Special effects supervisor Mark Holt and visual effects supervisors John “D.J.” Des Jardin do terrific work with the visual effects as the look of Steppenwolf is given a cleaner and more menacing look while Darkseid does have this look of a figure that is out only for destruction as much of the special and visual effects add to the film’s visual look as it does play more like a world that is coming apart by Darkseid with the Justice League going into war. Sound designer Scott Hecker does superb work with the film’s sound in creating sound effects of how the Parademons and their weapons sound as well as the atmosphere in some of the action scenes as it help play into the stakes. The film’s music by Tom Holkenborg is incredible with this mixture of orchestral bombast and somber music pieces that includes some work co-written with Hans Zimmer including a variation of Wonder Woman’s theme as it has this air of urgency and knows when to appear while the soundtrack features covers of songs by Leonard Cohen and Tim Buckley as well as pieces from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and a traditional Icelandic folk song sung during Wayne’s meeting with Curry.
The casting by Kristy Carlson, Lora Kennedy, and Kate Ringsell is tremendous as it feature cameo appearances from Marc McClure as a police officer Lois Lane often says hi to, Harry Lennix in a dual role as General Swanwick and a mysterious individual, Karen Bryson as Victor’s mother Elinor, Michael McElhatton and John Dagleish as a couple of terrorists Diana defeats early in the film, Sergi Constance as Zeus, David Thewlis as Ares, Robin Wright as Antiope, Billy Crudup as Barry’s father Henry, Kiersay Clemons as the young woman Barry saves in Iris West, Lisa Loven Kongsli as Diana’s aunt Menallipe, Ryan Zheng as a scientist in Ryan Choi who helps out Silas Stone, Jeremy Irons as Bruce Wayne’s longtime butler Alfred Pennyworth who helps out the Justice League, and the voice work of Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner in their respective roles as Jor-El and Jonathan Kent. The appearances of Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, and Jared Leto as the Joker for the film’s epilogue are fun to watch with Leto at least given something to do in his brief appearance. Amber Heard’s performance as the Atlantean princess Mera is not very good largely as Heard often speaks in a weird accent as it never sounds right.
Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons are terrific in their brief appearances in their respective roles as Curry’s mentor Nuidis Vuklo and Gotham police chief James Gordon as the former tries to get Curry to fight despite Curry’s issues with the Atlanteans while the latter helps the Justice League in locating where the parademons have taken some of Silas Stone’s staff hostage. Peter Guinness is superb in his small role as Darkseid’s enforcer DeSaad as someone who is reluctant to have Steppenwolf back in the fold due to Steppenwolf’s past failings while Ray Porter is fantastic in his brief role as the evil god Darkseid as a being who is the intense force of destruction. Connie Nielsen is excellent as Diana’s mother Hippolyta who fights off Steppenwolf and later sends a warning to Diana as she copes with what is at stake while Joe Morton is brilliant as Victor’s scientist father Silas as a man who admits to being an absentee father as he tried to save his son’s life while dealing with the power that is in one of the Mother boxes. Ciaran Hinds is amazing as Steppenwolf as he is given more to do to flesh his character more than in the theatrical version as it showcases his own motivations for redemption as well as be this massive threat to the world.
Amy Adams and Diane Lane are incredible in their respective roles as Lois Lane and Martha Kent as two women both in mourning and dealing with loss with the former just unable to return to work and the latter having lost her home as they both would eventually regain their way. Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot are phenomenal in their respective roles as Arthur Curry/Aquaman and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman as two heroes with the former being a reluctant half-Atlantean who is aware of what is happening but doesn’t want to be involved as he also copes with the prejudice of the Atlanteans while the latter is an Amazonian warrior who is also trying to restore some faith in people while aware that the stakes of what their facing is much greater than everyone realizes.
Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill are remarkable in their respective roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman with the former being a man consumed with guilt as he decides to form a team and acting on faith and hope while the latter is the Kryptonian superhero who had died and then be resurrected as he copes with returning to the world and dealing with what is at stake. Finally, there’s the duo of Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher in sensational performance in their respective roles as Barry Allen/the Flash and Victor Stone/Cyborg as two young men with different powers as the former is someone trying to get his father out of prison and find his own role in the world while the latter is a man who was nearly killed in an accident and is given unlimited access to technology with Miller providing a bit of humor as Allen yet it is Fisher that is the heart and soul of the film as someone dealing with his identity and what he could do with the power he’s given.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a marvelous film that manages to live up to what a film about the Justice League superhero team needed to be. Thanks to its ensemble cast, bombastic music score, dazzling visuals, and its emphasis to explore themes of redemption, loss, and hope in a dark world. It is a film that doesn’t just have a lot of thrills and spectacular action scenes but it is also a film that also explore people trying to keep hope alive amidst a dark threat emerging. While it does have flaws with a four-hour running time that is demanding, it at least does give the audience time to invest in characters who are all trying to do good in a world that is facing impending doom. In the end, the director’s cut of Justice League is a remarkable film from Zack Snyder.
Zack Snyder Films: (Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)) – 300 - Watchmen - (Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole) – Sucker Punch - (Army of the Dead) - Rebel Moon
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Aquaman - Shazam! - Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) - Wonder Woman 1984 - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2021
Set in 1984 during the Cold War, the film revolves around Diana Prince who works at the Smithsonian as an anthropologist while doing hero work as Wonder Woman in secrecy as she and a gemologist discover a mysterious gem that grants wishes as a failing oil baron gains access to the stone and becomes the stone to gain power prompting Prince to stop him. It’s a film with a simple premise of sorts yet it explores the idea of wishes but also the lesson about the cost of a wish. Patty Jenkins and co-screenwriters Dave Callahan and Geoff Johns do explore the themes of wishes in the form of this object though there are some spotty moments in exploring that theme but also in some of the character development for a few characters. The film begins with a brief sequence of a young Prince (Lilly Aspell) who takes part in a multi-stage athletic competition that plays into lessons she would have to learn from both her mother Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) and her aunt Antiope (Robin Wright) as it would play into everything Diana would have to face.
The antagonist in Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) is an oil baron who is also a TV personality who wants to present this idea of success as a way to improve the life of himself and everyone else but is already in debt as he hopes to obtain this ancient stone to make himself rich and powerful. Lord isn’t an evil person as he has a son in Alistair (Lucian Perez) he cares about but his desire for greed and power makes him lose sight of things. Another person who becomes entranced by that stone’s power is a gemologist in Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) whom Diana befriends as Minerva is this shy and awkward woman that wants to be like Diana yet the wish she makes has her becoming a stronger, confident, and sexier person but there’s some flaws into the development into how she sides with Lord. The story about this stone is a strange MacGuffin of sorts as Trevor, who returns because of Diana’s wish, believes that the stone is a variation of a Monkey’s Paw where whoever grants the wish is forced to sacrifice something and the only way it can be stopped if that person renounces its wish. For Diana, she is forced to make some difficult decisions just as she copes with what she has lost upon the wish that she made.
Jenkins’ direction has these elements of something grand in its opening sequence of a young Diana to this weird sense of nostalgia set in Washington D.C. in 1984. Shot on various locations at the Warner Brothers Studio at Leavesden, England as well as location shoots in Washington D.C. and its nearby areas as well as parts of London, the Canary Islands, and Almeria, Spain. The film does play into this air of 1980s Cold War but also what the 80s was like in America as one of its early sequences involve a robbery at a jewelry store that is foiled by Prince as Wonder Woman as it has this element of humor but also nostalgia for those times. Jenkins does use a lot of wide shots to establish these locations but also in the world that Prince ventures into including Egypt and other parts of the world in some broad action set pieces. Still, the film is grounded by some close-ups and medium shots to play on this sense of loss that still looms over Prince as it relates to Trevor as her wish, that she unknowingly did, to have him back would come true but it also plays into the fact that she’s had trouble moving on and still holding a torch for him as he’s inhabiting another man’s body as it does play into some of the humor with Trevor being the fish out of water as it relates to 1980s culture.
While the film does have some humor as well as light-hearted moments in the action, there are still this air of suspense and danger that Prince does encounter as it relates to what she sacrifices upon making her wish. Especially during the film’s second half where Lord gets more powerful to great extremes though some of the execution relating to his development does get spotty as well as the development in Minerva who would make another wish that leads to the film’s climax. The climax is grand though it has some clunky moments as it relates to what Minerva has become where the visual effects don’t really do justice despite the stakes of what Prince has to do. Her confrontation with Lord in that scene does say a lot about the fallacy of wishes and the need for truth though its execution is clunky despite its good intentions. Overall, Jenkins crafts a compelling and thrilling film about an Amazonian princess battling an oil baron and an unexpected foe to save the world from greed and lies.
Cinematographer Matthew Jensen does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of vibrant colors for some of the daytime exterior scenes in Washington D.C. and Cairo as well as the usage of low-key lights for some of the interior/exterior scenes set at night. Editor Richard Pearson does terrific work with the editing as it has some stylish rhythmic and jump-cuts to play into the action as well as some of the suspense and drama. Production designer Aline Bonetto, with set decorator Anna Lynch-Robinson plus supervising art directors Alex Baily and Peter Russell, does amazing work with the look at some of the places that Prince goes to including her own apartment in Washington D.C., the interiors of the Smithsonian, and at a communications base for the film’s climax. Costume designer Lindy Hemming is brilliant for not just the design of the 80s clothes of the times that feature some funny and awkward moments but also in some of the designer dresses that Prince and Minerva wear as well as a legendary costume that Prince wears for the film’s climax.
Hair/makeup designer Jan Sewell does fantastic work with the look of the characters including the look of Minerva from her nerdy look to being this confident yet dangerous woman. Special effects supervisor Mark Holt and visual effects supervisor John Moffatt do some superb work in the visual effects in some of the set dressing and action set pieces though the design of Minerva’s final evolution as Cheetah is one of the clunky aspects of the visual effects where it doesn’t feel like it’s finished. Sound designer Michael Babcock, along with sound editors Jimmy Boyle and Richard King, does fine work with the sound in creating some sound effects as well as maintaining a raucous atmosphere for some of the big scenes in the film. The film’s music by Hans Zimmer is wonderful for its bombastic music score as it play into the action along with serene orchestral textures for some of the dramatic moments of the film while music supervisor Carmen Murlaner provides a soundtrack that largely features the music of the 1980s from Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Duran Duran, Gary Numan, Clinton Shorter, and John Murphy doing a piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The casting by Kristy Carlson, Pat Moran, and Lucinda Syson is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Gabriella Wilde as Lord’s secretary, Natasha Rothwell as Minerva’s boss, Kristoffer Polaha as the man Trevor inhabits, Amr Waked as an Egyptian oil baron that Lord makes a deal with, Stuart Milligan as the U.S. president, Oliver Cotton as Lord’s frustrated investor Simon Stagg, Kelvin Yu as a colleague of Minerva at the Smithsonian, Ravi Patel as a mysterious man who knows about the history of the stone that Lord wants, and Lucian Perez in a grating performance as Lord’s son Alistair as a kid who just whines all because he wants to be with his dad. Lilly Aspell, Connie Nielsen, and Robin Wright are excellent in their respective roles as the young Diana, Queen Hippolyta, and Antiope with Aspell reprising her brief role as the young Diana for the film’s opening sequence while Nielsen and Wright’s sole scenes in the opening sequence do provide some gravitas to the lessons that Diana would instill on her journey.
Kristen Wiig is alright as Barbara Minerva as a geologist/gemologist who admires and wants to be like Prince as the wish she makes would have her go from awkward geek to a strong yet cold woman as its development is hindered by the fact that Minerva is underwritten in how she loses some of her humanity and how she would become the villainous figure that is Cheetah. Pedro Pascal is amazing as Maxwell Lord as a TV personality/oil baron that wants to succeed as he believes that this ancient stone would give him everything he wants as Pascal displays some charm but also a man who loses his own humanity that makes him a complex villain of sorts. Chris Pine is incredible as Steve Trevor as Diana’s former lover who returns mysteriously due to a wish as Pine gets to show a lot of humor in his interaction with 1980s culture but also some truth about why he is back as it is a grounded performance that allows Pine to be someone that has to remind Diana about some of the darkest realities of the world but also the good aspects.
Finally, there’s Gal Gadot in a phenomenal performance as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman as the Amazonian princess warrior who moonlights as an anthropologist at the Smithsonian while secretly being a superheroine as Gadot brings some charm but also some vulnerability as a woman still driven by loss and the reluctance to let go. Notably in her scenes with Pine as it plays into a woman that still carries a torch for Trevor as she does come to terms with this loss as Gadot brings in these somber moments in another defining performance for the famed superheroine.
Wonder Woman 1984 is a remarkable film from Patty Jenkins that features a towering performance from Gal Gadot. Along with the strong supporting performances of Chris Pine and Pedro Pascal as well as grand action set pieces, some humorous moments involving 1980s nostalgia, and its exploration of greed, wishes, and truth despite a few spotty moments. The film is still a heartfelt superhero film that does bring in a lot of adventure but also wonderment and the need to accept what people have instead of what they want. In the end, Wonder Woman 1984 is an incredible film from Patty Jenkins.
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Aquaman - Shazam! - Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the DC comic series by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Chuck Dixon and the Harley Quinn character created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is the story of an anti-hero who teams up with other women to protect a young thief from a Gotham crime boss who wants to take over the crime world of Gotham and get rid of Joker’s former flame. Directed by Cathy Yan and screenplay by Christina Hodson, the film explores the character of Harley Quinn following her break-up with the Joker as well as trying to find herself and be part of a team with different women who all feel out of place with society as Margot Robbie reprises the role of Quinn. Also starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, and Ewan McGregor as Roman Sionis/Black Mask. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a dazzling and exhilarating film from Cathy Yan.
The film explores the journey of Harley Quinn following her break-up with the Joker as she tries to find herself only to realize that all of Gotham’s criminal underworld want her dead as she makes a deal with the mob figure Roman Sionis to retrieve a diamond in exchange for protection. Yet, the diamond is in the hands of a young pickpocket who had swallowed the diamond as it leads to chaos but also Quinn gaining a conscience to protect this young girl leading her to get the help of three other different women who get involved with this young girl. Christina Hodson’s screenplay is largely told from the perspective of Quinn who narrates the film and breaks the fourth wall at times but also play into the events that lead to her trying to find herself and embrace the idea of not needing the Joker. The first act establishes the events in Quinn’s life that lead to her break-up with the Joker as it doesn’t become known to the criminal underworld despite her sullen behavior until she destroys a major symbol of their relationship where everyone discovers the truth.
Among those that discovered a key evidence of this breakup is Gotham detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) who has spent years building a case against Sionis as well as wanting to capture Quinn but is often passed over for a promotion as well as not getting credit for the work she gets. Sionis’ club singer/chauffeur Dinah Lance/Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) turns informant when she learns that the young pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) had stolen a diamond that Sionis wants as Montoya tries to protect Cain. The second act revolves around Quinn taking Cain as well as learn of the bounty on Cain for half a million dollars while it’s open season on Quinn who is trying to not get killed. It is also the moment where Quinn learns about Cain where she hopes to use her as a deal with Sionis but then becomes conflicted and gets to know Cain. Adding to this growing chaos is a mysterious assassin known as the Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) whose family was killed by various mobsters including Sionis’ right-hand man Victor Zsaz (Chris Messina) as she would find herself involved in protecting Cain as she, Montoya, and Lance would team up with Quinn to deal with Sionis who hopes to rule Gotham.
Cathy Yan’s direction is definitely stylish as it play into this crazed world of crime and mayhem as it relates to the chaos that Harley Quinn surrounds herself in. Shot on location in Los Angeles, Yan plays up into a world that is separated into camps where one is the criminal underworld and the other is the streets where not much is happening and people are struggling as Quinn is in the center of both as she was part of the underworld but is living in an apartment above a Chinese restaurant with her new pet hyena named Bruce. While there are some stylish compositions that includes a hand-drawn animated sequence that narrates Quinn’s life with the Joker, Yan does manage to create some straightforward compositions as well as emphasize on the characters where she does manage to allow audiences to get to know Montoya, Cain, Lance, and the Huntress though it does remain Quinn’s story.
With some second unit work from Stahelski in some of the action scenes, Yan does manage to keep things simple when it comes to characters interacting with one another such as a scene of Quinn and Cain watching cartoons and eating cereal or all five women just talking to each other. Yan also uses medium shots in some of those interactions and close-ups that either play to some moment of drama or for something funny. Yan doesn’t go for anything serious as the film’s climax that involves the formation of the Birds of Prey and going up against Sionis and his gang as it is balls-to-the-wall action with all sorts of outlandish moments. The mixture of humor, action, and suspense is key to the film’s success with Yan also creating something where women take charge and allowing its central character to realize that she doesn’t need a man to define her. Overall, Yan crafts a riveting yet thrilling film about an anti-hero who tries to protect a young pickpocket from a mob boss with the help of three other women.
Cinematographer Matthew Libatique does brilliant work with the film’s colorful cinematography with the usage of vibrant colors for some of the daytime scenes along with stylish lights and moods for some of the interiors and nighttime exterior scenes in the film. Editors Jay Cassidy and Evan Schiff do excellent work with the editing as it emphasizes a lot on style with elements of jump-cuts and stylish montages as well as allowing shots to establish exactly what is going on in the action and humor. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with supervising art director Kasra Farahani plus set decorators Jennifer Lukehart and Florencia Martin, does amazing work with the sets from the apartment that Quinn lives in as well as Sionis’ nightclub and the abandoned amusement park where the film’s climax takes place. Costume designer Erin Benach does fantastic work with the costumes from the colorful clothing that Quinn wears as well as the black leather of Huntress, the tight pants of Lance, and the casual look of Montoya as the clothes help flesh out the personality of the characters in the film.
Hair designers Adruitha Lee and Nikki Nelms, with makeup artist Miko Suzuki, do terrific work with the look of Quinn’s hair as well as Lance’s hairstyle and the look of Zsaz. Special effects supervisor Mark Hawker, along with visual effects supervisors Yael Majors and Greg Steele does wonderful work with the visual effects as it help play into the colorful visuals as well as bringing some grit and over-the-top style to some of the action scenes. Sound designer Paula Fairfield and sound editor Katy Wood do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the way weapons sound and such as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Daniel Pemberton is incredible for its mixture of orchestral music with rock and jazz as it help play into the humor and action while music supervisors Gabe Hilfer and Season Kent create a chaotic yet fun soundtrack of music that ranges from pop standards, classic rock, classic soul, and modern music from Heart, Barry White, Ohio Players, Halsey, Megan Thee Stallion with Normani, Lauren Jaurengi, Charlotte Lawrence, and many others.
The casting by Rich Delia is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Francois Chau as a rival mob figure of Sionis, Dana Lee as the owner of Quinn’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Doc, Steven Williams as Montoya’s former partner/superior Captain Erickson who often takes credit for her work, Bojana Novakovic as a club goer Sionis humiliates, Ella Mika as a young Helena Bertinelli, and Ali Wong as Montoya’s former girlfriend/district attorney Ellen Yee who is reluctant to help Montoya but often puts Montoya in trouble in favor of saving her own ass. Chris Messina is superb as Sionis’ right-hand man who is also a fierce killer as he is also a major target of the Huntress. Ella Jay Basco is fantastic as Cassandra Cain as a teenage pickpocket who steals a diamond that Sionis wants as she copes with having a price on her head while trying to understand Quinn whom she would see as a big sister. Ewan McGregor is excellent as Roman Sionis/Black Mask as a mob figure with a narcissistic personality who hopes to rule Gotham as he wants this rare diamond to have that power to buy off anything and anyone he wants to.
Rosie Perez is brilliant as Renee Montoya as a police detective who often feels spurned by others as she often speaks in 80s cop clichés while is someone who is cynical but believes there is hope as it relates to Cain while is reluctant to help out Quinn. Jurnee Smollett-Bell is amazing as Dinah Lance/Black Canary as a singer who sings at Sionis’ nightclub while also working as his chauffeur as she is a street-smart woman who knows Cain as they live in the same apartment building while also carries a weapon that she inherited from her late mother. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is incredible as Helena Bertinelli/the Huntress as a crossbow assassin who is the daughter of a revered Mafia figure who was killed along with her entire family as she goes on a quest for vengeance while reluctantly helping out Quinn as Winstead maintains a low-key demeanor to her role. Finally, there’s Margot Robbie in a phenomenal performance as Harley Quinn as the former psychiatrist turned insane criminal who is trying to find herself following her break-up with the Joker where Robbie brings that air of charisma and energy into the character but also someone who is conflicted in wanting to create trouble but also wanting to help this young pickpocket where Robbie brings that humanity to the character as well as someone who is willing to be a team player as Robbie has great rapport with her other female cast members.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a sensational film from Cathy Yan that features a great leading performance from Margot Robbie. Along with its ensemble cast that include top-notch performances from Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ella Jay Basco, and Ewan McGregor as well as colorful and dazzling visuals, high-octane action, a witty sense of humor, and an energetic music soundtrack. It’s a film that refuses to take itself seriously while also being this off-the-wall and thrilling action-adventure comedy with some suspense and drama with a woman teaming up with a bunch of other ladies to take down some bad guys. In the end, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a phenomenal film from Cathy Yan.
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Aquaman -Shazam! - Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the DC Comics series by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck, Shazam! is the story of a teenage boy who meets a wizard who grants him powers to become a superhero to deal with a man who is also given the powers featuring the 7 Deadly Sins. Directed by David F. Sandberg and screenplay by Henry Gayden from a story by Gayden and Darren Lemke, the film is a superhero/coming-of-age film of sorts where a boy says a word that would turn him into a superhero as he deals with not just who he is but also the idea of family as he gets adopted into a kind-loving home with five different adopted siblings. Starring Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou as the Wizard/Shazam. Shazam! is a witty and heartwarming film from David F. Sandberg.
The film revolves around a teenage kid looking for his birth mother as an encounter with bullies lead him to meet a mysterious wizard who gives him the power to become a superhero by saying a magic word in the hopes he can defeat another man who has gained entry into the Rock of Eternity as he is accompanied by the forces known as the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. It’s a film that has a simple premise yet it is really about a man and a boy who both encountered magic as they’re also lost due to the fact that they never had a family. Henry Gayden’s screenplay opens with a sequence set in 1974 where a young boy named Thaddeus Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto) would encounter the mysterious wizard known as Shazam who offers the boy the chance to become a hero yet the young Thaddeus is tempted by the Eye of Sin making him unworthy of the powers. The event would later cause a car accident that would paralyze his father as the older Thaddeus (Mark Strong) becomes obsessed with finding entry to the Rock of Eternity as he would eventually gain the Eye of Sin and defeat the Wizard unleashing monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Around the time the older Thaddeus gains the Eye of Sin and its monsters, a teenage boy named Billy Baston (Asher Angel) is a foster-child in Philadelphia searching for his biological mother as he’s taken to another foster home run by Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans, respectively) where he shares the home with five other foster children in the college-bound Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton), the obsessive gaming/tech enthusiast Eugene Choi (Ian Chen), the shy and sensitive Pedro Pena (Jovan Armand), the youngest in Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman), and the superhero enthusiast Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) who walks with a crutch as he’s often the target for bullies. It is Billy defending Freddy from the bullies and an ensuing chase that would get him to meet the Wizard who gives him the powers to become the hero mainly for the goodness in Billy’s heart as well as hoping to defend the honor of the siblings that the Wizard lost many years ago due to Eye of Sin.
One of the strengths of the script isn’t just this duality between Sivana and Baston in their encounters with the wizard but what they are able to do with the powers they’re given. Though Baston admits to the Wizard that he’s not pure of heart, his willingness to at least stand up for his adopted family as well as at least wanting to reunite with his mother at least show someone who is a good person. Sivana’s motivations is someone who never felt love from his father and older brother as his obsession for magic makes him wanting to lash out at his family but also crave power with the help of the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins. The script also shows that when Baston becomes Shazam, he is given these powers but he uses it for money and mischief until he gets Sivana’s attention as he deals with the fact that he has to face off with someone who is powerful and wanting to kill him and anyone else trying to protect him.
David F. Sandberg’s direction is definitely full of exuberance in its tone while also bringing in some dark material as it relates to Sivana and his powers. Though the film is set largely in Philadelphia during the Christmas holidays, it is shot largely on location in Toronto as Philadelphia where it play into the misadventures of Baston but also a boy just trying to find a home. Sandberg does use some wide and medium shots to establish the locations but he also create some unique compositions that do have an air of simplicity into how Baston copes with his situation or how he interact with his adopted siblings. Even as there’s these bits of drama that showcases each of his siblings and who they are as well as Shazam would interact with a few of them such as Darla who immediately discovers Shazam’s true identity once he turns back to Baston. Sandberg also maintains a light-hearted tone such as a montage of Shazam learning what kind of powers he has as there is also an air of innocence for the fact that Shazam is really a young teenager who wants to know what it’s like to drink beers and go to strip clubs.
Sandberg doesn’t just play into this innocence but also the selfishness that teenagers go through as Shazam isn’t aware of the fact that just because he has superpowers doesn’t mean he can just show them off. He also has to take responsibility once he meets Sivana as it would lead to the third act where Baston has some revelations about what happened to him as a child as it relates to his mother and what happened the day he got lost from his mother. It would be a moment where Baston has to learn the true idea of family but also show exactly what kind of man Sivana is as someone who may have powers and the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins. The film’s climax that has Shazam vs. Sivana and his army as it has this mixture of action, adventure, and humor. Most notably in who Shazam gets to help him fight as there are these small bits of innocence that occur but also moments that make fun of typical clichés expected in superhero films. Overall, Sandberg crafts an exhilarating yet enchanting film about a kid who becomes a superhero by saying a magic word.
Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography the low-key and dark colors of the Rock of Eternity lair that the Wizard lives in as well as the world that Sivana is surrounded by to the more colorful look and wintery lighting of Baston and his family. Editor Michel Aller does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward in some parts while knowing when not to deviate into chaotic editing style for the action as it does let shots linger on as well as bring in some style in a montage sequence where Shazam tests his powers. Production designer Jennifer Spence, with set decorator Shane Vieau plus art directors Brandt Gordon and Colin Woods, does amazing work with the look of the Rock of Eternity as well as the home Baston and his adopted siblings live in. Costume designer Leah Butler does fantastic work with the clothes that Sivana wears as well as the clothes of Baston and his siblings and the suit he wears when he’s Shazam.
Prosthetics makeup designer Steve Newburn does terrific work with the look of Sivana with his eye as well as the look of the Wizard. Special effects supervisors Mark Lawton and Cameron Waldbauer, with visual effects supervisors Mike Wassel, Carey Villegas, and Kelvin McIlwain, do incredible work with the visual effects from the design of the monsters as well as in the special effects to play into Shazam’s powers. Sound designers Bill R. Dean and Erick Ocampo do superb work with the sound as it play into the powers both Shazam and Sivana have as well as some of the places the characters go to. The film’s music by Benjamin Wallfisch is marvelous for its bombastic orchestral score with themes that soar into the sense of adventure and humor while music supervisor Season Kent provides a fun soundtrack of music that feature pieces from Queen, Natalie Cole, Warrant, the Ramones, Bing Crosby, Calvin Harris with Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, & Big Sean, Bruno Mars, Cheap Shot, Dean Martin, Survivor, Twenty One Pilots, Niall Horan, and Naughty by Nature.
The casting by Rich Delia is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from the voices of Steve Blum, Darin De Paul, and Fred Tatasciore as the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins, Andi Ohso as a social worker in Emma Glover, Lotta Lotsen as Sivana’s researcher Dr. Lynn Crosby, Wayne Ward and Landon Doak in their respective roles as the adult and teenage version of Sivana’s older brother Sid, Carson MacCormac and Evan Marsh in their respective roles as the school bullies in Brett and Burke Breyer, Caroline Palmer as Billy’s mother Marilyn in a flashback scene and in a key scene in the third act, David Kohlsmith as the four-year old Billy Baston, Ethan Pugiotto as the young Thaddeus Sivana, and John Glover as Sivana’s cruel father who treats him like shit in the film’s opening sequence as well as being cold to him in a sequence where Sivana confronts him. Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans are terrific in their respective roles as Victor and Rosa Vasquez as foster parents who are good people trying to give Billy and his adopted siblings a good home as well as being really kind people.
Ian Chen and Jovan Armand are superb in their respective roles as Billy’s foster brothers in Eugene Choi and Pedro Pena with the former as gamer and tech enthusiast who is also a skilled hacker while the latter is a shy and sensitive kid having a hard time opening up as he doesn’t say much but is always helpful. Faithe Herman is fantastic as the youngest foster sibling in Darla Dudley as a sweet young girl who likes to cook while is also someone that is full of innocence and sees the good in people. Grace Fulton is excellent as Mary Bromfield as the oldest foster sibling who is bound for college yet is devoted to her family as she is willing to protect them. Jack Dylan Grazer is brilliant as Freddy Freeman as Billy’s foster sibling who is a superhero enthusiast as he helps Shazam understand his powers while trying to deal with his own disabilities and desire to have what Billy has as Shazam.
Djimon Hounsou is amazing as the Wizard who is called Shazam as a man of great power and magic who gives Billy his powers in the hopes that Billy can defeat Sivana and bring hope to the world. Mark Strong is remarkable as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana as a man obsessed with his encounter with the Wizard as a kid where he finally gains access where he aligns himself with the monsters of the Seven Deadly Sins in the hope he can get Shazam’s powers to rule everything and everyone. Asher Angel is incredible as Billy Baston as a teenage kid trying to find his mother but is also reluctant to be part of a family only to realize what the Vasquez and his adopted siblings could give him. Finally, there’s Zachary Levi in a phenomenal performance as Shazam as Billy’s adult alter-ego who is a ball of energy and enthusiasm as someone trying to understand his powers but also what it means to be powerful and use them for good as Levi provides that air of innocence and exuberance that the character is about.
Shazam! is a tremendous film from David F. Sandberg. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a witty and lighthearted tone, a dazzling music score, and colorful visuals. It is a superhero film that doesn’t take itself seriously while showcasing some strong themes on family, power, and the idea of being a hero. In the end, Shazam! is a spectacular film from David F. Sandberg.
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Aquaman - Birds of Prey – Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the DC Comics series by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, Aquaman is the story of a half-human, half-Atlantean who reluctantly goes into the underwater world of Atlantis to stop his younger half-brother from uniting the seven kingdoms to wage war against the surface world. Directed by James Wan and screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall from a story by Wan, Beall, and Geoff Johns, the film is a part-origin story and an adventure story where Arthur Curry deals with his mother’s disappearance and the destiny he has to take on to save the world from destruction as he is played by Jason Momoa. Also starring Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Temeura Morrison, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna. Aquaman is a grand and exhilarating film from James Wan.
Set several months after a confrontation with an evil force where he is part of the Justice League, the film is about Arthur Curry/Aquaman dealing with his past but also a new threat in the former of his younger half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) who wants to wage war on the surface world and become king of Atlantis. It’s a film that has a simple premise that is expected with films about superheroes but it’s more of a study of a man reluctant to take on what is rightfully is as he also deals with the fact that he’s half-human and it lead to the disappearance and death of his mother Queen Atlanna. The film’s screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall opens with how Atlanna met lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry (Temeura Morrison) in 1985 and fell in love that lead to the conception of Arthur as their tranquil life was disrupted by Atlantan forces who want Atlanna to return as she reluctantly leaves Thomas and Arthur to protect them.
The script would showcase some flashbacks of Arthur growing up to understand his powers to communicate with aquatic creatures but also be trained by Atlanna’s advisor Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe) who would teach Arthur many things as he would later become Orm’s advisor only to get uneasy about Orm’s ambition as he chooses to help Arthur in secrecy. Also helping Curry with this growing conflict is Princess Mera of Xebel (Amber Heard) whose father King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren) had aligned himself with Orm after an attack from a Russian submarine. Yet, Orm has also made a secret alliance with a pirate in David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to set-up the attack as he wants to find Arthur following a confrontation at a submarine that lead to the death of Kane’s father Jesse (Michael Beach) during an attempted hijack on that sub. Though the script does have a few clunky moments in the dialogue, it does succeed in establishing the characters and the stakes with the first act being about Orm’s desire to attack and Arthur reluctantly trying to stop him while its second act is about their first duel that nearly kills Arthur and his escape with Mera as they try to find an ancient artifact that relates to a trident that belonged to Atlantis’ true king in Atlan as the person who holds it is Atlantis’ true heir.
James Wan’s direction is definitely grand in terms of the visual scope he presents of the underwater world that is Atlantis but also ground it with some realism for some scenes on the surface. Shot largely in Australia and at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia with additional locations shot in parts of Italy, Canada, and Morocco, Wan does create a world that is vast not just above the sea but also under the sea. Particularly on the latter as the world of Atlantis is enchanting as well as wondrous while it also feature an array of beings, creatures, and human-like figures known as Atlanteans who live and breathe underwater while they can converse underwater as they also have powers. Yet, Wan also showcases the sense of prejudice towards Arthur yet there are a few that are willing to give him a chance despite their issues with civilization at the surface. Wan’s usage of the wide shots in how he presents Atlantis as well as the film’s climatic battle scene definitely capture a lot of coverage and establishes it in what is going on.
Wan’s direction also knows when to break away from the action in favor of character development and interaction that include scenes of Arthur and Mera on Earth traveling through the Sahara and later going to Sicily to find clues of the trident’s whereabouts. Wan keeps things smooth and help bring some nuances to the story including Arthur and Mera’s growing relationship while they have to fight off Orm’s personal guards, sea creatures, and David Kane wearing a suit as he’s called Black Manta. Wan’s approach to action and suspense add to the stakes that occur including the sequence in the third act where Arthur and Mera face off against monsters in this wormhole known as the Trench that leads to a mysterious land where Atlan’s trident is located. Wan does allow shots to linger for a bit including a few fights including Atlanna’s fights against a royal guard early in the film as it is shot in one entire take with tracking shots and other camera effects. The film’s climatic battle sequence display an air of grandeur and importance where Wan does establish what is going on as well as what is at stake as it play into Arthur stepping into his role as King of Atlantis. Overall, Wan crafts an intoxicating yet exhilarating film about half-man, half-Atlantean who comes to term with who he is and his destiny.
Cinematographer Don Burgess does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with its colorful and vibrant look for many of the exterior scenes shot in the day in some of the film’s different locations along with the usage of low-key and blue-green colors for some of the scenes under the sea. Editor Kirk Morri does nice work with the editing as it does play into conventional fast-cutting with some of the action but does stray from chaotic editing to establish what is happening as it also include some stylish cuts for the humorous moments in the film. Production designer Bill Brezki, with set decorators Danielle Berman and Beverley Dunn plus supervising art director Richard Hobbs, does amazing work with the look of Atlantis as well as the home of Thomas Curry, the bar Arthur and Thomas go to, the palace in the Sahara, and other locations including some in Sicily. Costume designer Kym Barrett does fantastic work with the suit that Mera wears under the sea as well as the clothes that other Atlanteans wear along with the more casual look of Arthur and the eventual suit that he would wear in its third act.
Hair/makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt and special makeup effects/creature designer Justin Raleigh do brilliant work with the look of some of the characters as well as how hair moves underwater as it’s a highlight of the film. Special effects supervisors Mark R. Byers and Brian Cox, plus visual effects supervisors Tim Alexander, Jay Barton, Bryan Hirota, Sebastian Moreau, David Nelson, Craig Wentworth, and Jeff White, do incredible work with the visual effects as it is a major highlight of the film with the design of Atlantis, the creatures of Atlantis, and some of the underwater effects as they’re top notch and they have this air of grandeur that the film needed. Sound designers Harry Cohen, Eliot Connors, Joe Dzuban, and Stephen P. Robinson, along with sound editor Peter Brown, do superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations as well the sound effects of some of the Atlantean weapons that are used.
The film’s music by Rupert Gregson-Williams is wonderful for its mixture of bombastic orchestral score with some electronic flourishes as it help play into the massive scope of the film as well as some soaring pieces with lush string arrangements while music supervisor Michelle Silverman creates a fun soundtrack that features an original piece by Skylar Grey as well as some inspired usage of music from Roy Orbison and Depeche Mode though the track from Pitbull with Rhea is just dumb.
The casting by Anne McCarthy and Kellie Roy is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Andrew Crawford providing the motion capture performances of the Brine King and King Richou of the Fisherman with John Rhys-Davies and Djimon Hounsou respectively providing the voices, Leigh Whannell as a cargo pilot, Julie Andrews as the voice of a mysterious creature guarding King Atlan’s trident, Ludi Lin as Atlantis’ front-line army commander Captain Murk, Graham McTavish as King Atlan via flashbacks, and Randall Park in a small performance as the marine biologist Dr. Stephen Shin who is trying to prove to everyone that Atlantis is real. In the roles of the young Arthur, Tainu and Tamor Kirkwood as the three-year old Arthur, Kaan Guldur as the nine-year old Arthur, Otis Dhanji as the 13-year old Arthur, and Kekoa Kekumano as the 16-year old Arthur are terrific in displaying the character’s growth and understanding of his powers through Vulko’s guidance. Michael Beach is superb as David’s father Jesse Kane as a leader of pirates who would confront Arthur only to be bested and urge his son to avenge him.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is fantastic as David Kane/Black Manta as a pirate who seeks to find and kill Arthur in an act of revenge while conspiring with Orm to help start a war with the surface people in exchange for weapons to hunt Arthur. Dolph Lundgren is excellent as King Nereus of the Xebel tribe who is Mera’s father as he also helps Orm with an upcoming war unaware of the truth of Orm’s intentions. Temeura Morrison is brilliant as Thomas Curry as a lighthouse keeper who meets and fall for Atlanna as he is also someone who is aware of his son’s gifts and powers but also knows about the danger that his son will face. Nicole Kidman is amazing in her small role as Queen Atlanna as a descendant of King Atlan who meets and falls for Thomas Curry as she reluctantly leaves Thomas and Arthur only to be punished for her actions leading to her possible execution. Willem Dafoe is remarkable as Nuidis Vulko as Atlanna’s former advisor who would teach Arthur about his powers while also being a reluctant advisor to Orm as he becomes suspicious of Orm’s intentions leading him to help Arthur.
Amber Heard is incredible as Mera as King Nereus’ daughter with telepathic and hydrokinetic powers that helps Arthur in his journey as she is also someone who knows a lot about the underwater world but not much about the surface as she does provide some funny moments. Patrick Wilson is great as Orm as Arthur’s younger half-brother who is the king of Atlantis who hopes to unite the seven kingdoms but also wants to start a war on the surface world as he’s not really an antagonist but someone who despises Arthur for what happened to their mother. Finally, there’s Jason Momoa in a phenomenal performance as Arthur Curry/Aquaman as a half-man, half-Atlantean who possesses some incredible powers to converse with sea creatures as well as being strong but he’s also someone that isn’t sure about ruling Atlantis knowing about its prejudices where Momoa displays some humor and charm but also a weariness as someone who is grounded and knows how to do the right thing as it’s a true breakout performance for Momoa.
Aquaman is a spectacular film from James Wan that features an incredible performance from Jason Momoa in the titular role. Along with its ensemble cast, dazzling visual effects, bombastic music score, and story of identity and family, it’s a blockbuster superhero film manages to be so much more as well as be adventurous and fun. Even as it explores a man coming to terms with who he is but also the role he chooses for an entire world. In the end, Aquaman is a sensational film from James Wan.
James Wan Films: (Saw) – (Dead Silence) – (Death Sentence) – (Insidious) – (The Conjuring) – (Insidious: Chapter 2) – (Furious 7) – (The Conjuring 2) - (Malignant) - (Fast & Furious 10)
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Justice League - Shazam! – Birds of Prey – Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the characters from DC Comics, Justice League is the story of a group of superheroes who form a team to stop a major threat from unleashing havoc on Earth as well as secure a trio of boxes to stop this threat. Directed by Zack Snyder with additional direction by Joss Whedon and screenplay by Whedon and Chris Terrio from a story by Terrio and Snyder, the film is superhero movie that feature many revered superheroes who come together and save the world as they also deal with themselves. Starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Amber Heard, Jeremy Irons, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, and Ciaran Hinds as the voice of Steppenwolf. Justice League is a thrilling though underwhelming film from Zack Snyder.
The film is a simple story in which a group of superheroes team up to face a super threat as it all takes place on Earth following the death of Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) during a major battle. For Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), he is consumed with guilt for not doing enough to help Superman as he encounters a major threat forcing him to call upon Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) to help him recruit other figures with special abilities. The film’s screenplay by Chris Terrio with additional work from Joss Whedon does play into the stakes yet it doesn’t do enough to introduce the other characters that would be part of this team and information about these mysterious boxes that the Justice League has to get to stop this antagonist in Steppenwolf. The first act is about Wayne and Prince recruiting the other supers into the Justice League with the Flash/Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) immediately saying yes while Cyborg/Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) and Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) initially decline until Steppenwolf get involved with their personal lives.
The boxes that are known as the Mother Boxes are all sources of power that Steppenwolf wants to use to destroy the world but he had been thwarted many centuries ago by an alliance of men, Atlanteans, Olympian Gods, the Green Lantern Corps, and Amazonians who agreed to hide the boxes from Steppenwolf. The character of Steppenwolf is a villain that is underwritten due to the fact that he’s not compelling and is never really fleshed out. The script also doesn’t do much Stone as there is little to know about his origin as a kid who survived a car accident only for his father Silas (Joe Morton) to have one of the three boxes to use to create a new cyborg body that Stone would use to retrieve all sorts of information. While Allen and Curry do get a bit of back story, they’re also hampered by the script’s shortcomings due to the fact that they never get a proper introduction though there’s brief mention of why Allen can run so fast and emit electricity.
Zack Snyder’s direction is definitely lavish with some dream-like compositions to play into a world coping with loss as well as a growing sense of hopelessness and danger. Shot mainly at the Warner Brothers Studios in Leavesden in Britain with additional locations around London, Los Angeles, Chicago, parts of Scotland, and Iceland. Snyder does establish a world on the brink of chaos and despair as he does create some unique wide shots for some scenes including Wayne’s meeting with Curry in an attempt to get him on board. There are also some close-ups and medium shots in the film to play into the characters interacting with one another as Snyder does know where to put a few moments of humor in the film as well as giving audiences a break for the action. It’s among some of the things that Snyder and his replacement in Joss Whedon would succeed in doing but it’s not enough to make the film more engaging than it needed to be.
Among these issues is that there is this feeling that there’s a longer film in there somewhere as Whedon had to make some compromises to make it less messy but it undercuts some of the moments with the characters as Stone isn’t given a lot to do in how he became Cyborg while the sequence about the origin of Steppenwolf and the three boxes seem to feel like there was a longer version presented. Then there’s many of the visual set pieces as it relates to the action where Snyder and Whedon try to create so much action and visual textures yet the emphasis on visual effects do overwhelm the action including the film’s climax where the Justice League faces off against Steppenwolf and his army. It also has these clunky moments where they try to do so much but ends up being overkill in moments where it wants to be funny and exciting with moments that are serious. Overall, Snyder and Whedon crafts a worthwhile but lackluster film about a group of superheroes coming together to save the world.
Cinematographer Fabian Wagner does some fine work with the cinematography in terms of setting the mood for some scenes at night with its lighting although the reliance on de-saturated colors is overkill as it doesn’t do enough to make the film visually vibrant in favor of grittiness that doesn’t entirely work. Editors David Brenner, Richard Pearson, and Martin Walsh do some good work in the editing in creating some fast-cuts for some of the action though there’s moments where there is too much fast-cutting where it doesn’t do enough to establish what is going on in these action sequences. Production designer Patrick Tatpoulos, with set decorator Dominic Capron and senior art director Matthew Gray, does excellent work with the look of the Batcave where Wayne does much of his work and serves as a temporary base for the Justice League as well as the look of the place where Steppenwolf wants to use the Mother Boxes. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson does amazing work with the costumes in the look of the characters as well as the casual clothes they would wear when they’re not working as superheroes.
Makeup designer Victoria Down does nice work with the look of the characters from the look of Cyborg as well as the tattoos on Curry. Special effects supervisor Mark Holt and visual effects supervisor John “D.J.” Des Jardin do some terrific work on the visual effects for the design of the monsters though its usage as set-dressing isn’t inspired while the look of Steppenwolf is underwhelming as well as the awkward look of Clark Kent when he smiles. Sound designer Chuck Michael does superb work with the sound in the way the aliens sound as well as some of the weapons and the layer of sounds in the film’s climax. The film’s music by Danny Elfman is wonderful for its orchestral bombast that help play into the action and suspense along with a few low-key pieces for the non-action scenes while music supervisor Karen Elliott does do some OK work on the soundtrack as it includes music from the White Stripes as well as covers of songs by Sigrid doing Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows and Gary Clark with Junkie XL doing the Beatles’ Come Together.
The casting by Kristy Carlson, Lora Kennedy, and Kate Ringsell is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Billy Crudup as Allen’s father Henry, Joe Morton as Stone’s father Silas, Amber Heard as the Atlantean Mera who knows Curry’s mother, Connie Nielsen as Prince’s mother Queen Hippolyta who would send her daughter a signal about Steppenwolf, Michael McElhatton as a terrorist Diana defeats early in the film, Diane Lane as Kent’s adoptive mother Martha Kent, and J.K. Simmons as Gotham police commissioner James Gordon who briefs members of the Justice League about the kidnappings at Gotham. Amy Adams is fantastic as Lois Lane as the reporter for the Daily Planet and Clark Kent’s love interest who copes with not just loss but also the sense of hopelessness despite the efforts of the Justice League. Ciaran Hinds is OK as Steppenwolf as he provides the voice of this menacing figure though it’s a character that is severely underwritten and not really given much to do but go after the Mother Boxes and kill good people.
Henry Cavill is good as Clark Kent/Superman as he’s first seen in an Instagram video as the superhero where he would later be part of a plan to be revived as Cavill has his moments despite some bad visual effects on his face. Jeremy Irons is excellent as Alfred Pennyworth as Wayne’s longtime butler/assistant who is the film’s conscience of sorts as someone who helps the Justice League with information as well as be aware of what is at stake. Ray Fisher is alright as Victor Stone/Cyborg as a former athlete who survived an accident that would have him sport a machine-like body as he deals with his abilities and being alive as Fisher has his moments though he’s not given a lot to do. Jason Momoa is superb as Arthur Curry/Aquaman as a half-Atlantean/half-human man that has the ability to control water and such as he is reluctant to join the Justice League until Atlantis was attacked prompting him to join as he does provide some funny moments.
Ezra Miller is brilliant as Barry Allen/the Flash as a young superhero who can run very fast and emit electricity as he is an admitted loner that has a hard time trying to get friends as he is also a fanboy of sorts in working with Batman and Wonder Woman as he is fun to watch. Gal Gadot is amazing as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman as the Amazonian princess who learns about Steppenwolf’s return as she decides to help Wayne out in forming the Justice League while dealing with her own reluctance to help out humanity. Finally, there’s Ben Affleck in an incredible performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman as the vigilante who decides to form a team as a way to make amends for his anger towards Superman while being aware of this threat as knows he’s been in too many battles but is hoping to save the world.
Justice League is a horrendous film from Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon. Despite its great cast, some nice action set pieces, and bits of humor, it’s a film that falls short in what it needed to be as this epic superhero cross-over film with high stakes. Especially as it rely too much on visual effects and spectacles that don’t really do much for the story that needed to flesh out the characters more. In the end, Justice League is a drab and lackluster film from Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon.
Zack Snyder Films: (Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)) – 300 - Watchmen - (Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole) – Sucker Punch - (Army of the Dead) - Rebel Moon
Joss Whedon Films: Serenity - The Avengers (2012 film) - Much Ado About Nothing (2012 film) - The Avengers: Age of Ultron
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Suicide Squad - Wonder Woman - Aquaman – Shazam! – Birds of Prey - Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2018
