Wonder Woman
This movie had a lot of negative buzz with the
months leading up to its summer release. Although
Gal Gadot was one of the standouts in the notvery
well-liked “Batman v Superman: Dawn of
Justice” (I thought it had its bright moments and
was ambitious, but maybe too much so), DC has
had a rough time matching Marvel Studios. That’s
a high and unfair bar to set for any major franchise.
I was blown away at how right DC finally got it. I
enjoyed “Man of Steel.” However, this movie took
all that is good about the character and put her
in interesting worlds. It takes place decades ago
and, in that, it’s like “Captain America: The First
Avenger,” and “Thor” but superior. It has heart
and fish-out-of-water humor, but the action is also
pretty superb minus a couple of rough CG scenes.
Chris Pine is another highlight of the film.
The bond the two leads form is touching and it’s
something that has been missing in DC. More
heart. And it took way too long to give Wonder
Woman, an A list superhero, her own film. More of
this, please.
Logan
Calling this a traditional superhero movie would
be misleading. Yes, Hugh Jackman has played
Wolverine in the X-Men universe since 2000 and
he has claws that come out of his hands and self
heals. But “Logan” really brought the violence in
this one. It is unique because it’s one of the few
R-rated films for such a popular comic character
among kids, but the result is a terrific and
sometimes unsettling adult action flick.
This one isn’t for the squeamish, but some of
the sequences aren’t just about showing blood.
The director finds creative ways to make these
scenes exciting and new. Jackman, who claims
this is his last movie as Wolverine, goes out with
an impressive bang, as does Patrick Stewart.
The film mixes action, western, and a drama. It
should make you cry. And kudos to the breakout
performance of Dafne Keen as Laura.
Thor: Ragnorak
Again, a movie that’s a comic book flick that is
not what it seems. Perhaps that’s why the genre is
still popular. Past Thor films have had their funny
Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers
Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers
Photo courtesy of Fox
Photo courtesy
of Marvel
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WINTER 2017 9