First, I like this model where movies are released for streaming concurrently with the theater release. As someone who rarely goes to the theater anymore, and usually just waits for the movie to come out on streaming anyway, it’s a very cool change. I know Warner Brothers is taking a lot of heat from people in the industry for it, but I hope it sticks around.
I have nothing against theaters but…well, that’s not true, I do. Theaters are a hassle. We’re forced to arrive early, sit through commercials and trailers we can now catch on Youtube, pay stupid prices for snacks, there are no bathroom breaks, and getting out afterward is a hassle. So, sorry movie theaters, but I’d just assume you weren’t mandatory anymore, although I hope you’re able to find a business model for people who still want the experience.
Anyway, the movie is something of a slow boil. It has a lot of set up, but it does pay off pretty well. As the title indicates, it takes place in the 1980s, and we’re pretty much hit in the face with 80s motifs. Diana now works for the Smithsonian as an anthropologist. She’s still mourning Steve Trevor several decades after his death.
The story centers on her, and two other characters that, at the beginning, are both in unhappy circumstances. Not being up on my Wonder Woman lore, I wasn’t familiar with their names, so the foreshadowing wasn’t obvious, but it probably will be to hardcore Wonder Woman fans. All of their lives are upended, and gradually the entire world, from an ancient artefact that appears to grant everyone a wish (hey, it is movie based on comic books), with all kinds of unanticipated consequences.
What follows has its ups and downs, with continually escalating action. It gradually becomes clear to the audience that Diana is going to have to pay a terrible cost to save the world, and what that cost will be. Despite knowing it, I still felt it when it came time to pay.
DC has had a lot of struggles with their movies. I never thought the worst performing ones were as awful as many made them out to be, but DC definitely wasn’t hitting it out of the park the way Marvel could. The first Wonder Woman movie seemed to finally get them out of dark and edgy mode (a formula they kept applying long after it was obvious that what worked for the Christopher Nolan Batman movies wasn’t necessarily applicable to everything else).
I wouldn’t say this one was quite as good as the first movie, but all in all I enjoyed it. If you like superhero movies, I’d say it’s definitely worth your time to check out.
SelfAwarePatterns 
I hate the theater experience, myself. Well, I love the theater experience, if I’m (we’re) the only ones there. People ruin the theater. But I love the sound and sensory overload.
I even figured out the perfect distance to pick a seat: hold your hands out at arm length with your thumbs and pinkies extended. Touch your thumbs. Now wander to and fro in order to place the screen’s width just outside the end of your pinkies. Sit there. This will be where you don’t have to move your head to see everything, but be engulfed by the action.
But yeah, I won’t miss the theater and the people who have to pee four times in two hours, or the crinkle of wrappers, the slurping of soda, the lights from cellphones and the sneezes and coughing and murmuring.
WW1984 — will add it to the list.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree the media experience has value, but not as much as it once did. Most of us now have large screens and sound systems at home. Granted, unless you have a dark room, it’s not completely the same.
That’s a good rule on seating. When I go with someone, they often are concerned with sitting in the center, both horizontally and vertically. I’m personally not too picky, as long as I’m not sitting too low.
When I go by myself I’m more likely to grab an aisle seat so I escape quickly, or if necessary go to the bathroom without a fuss.
LikeLiked by 2 people
With my wife, I’ve been relegated to the aisle for decades. With my kids? I command the center, two shakas wide.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m afraid I’m among those who don’t find much merit in the DCU films. I’ve tried unsuccessfully to watch the first WW. If you say the second isn’t quite as good, that doesn’t bode well for me. (Neither are on any of my streaming platforms, so it’s kind of a moot point anyway.)
I gave up movie theaters years ago. Sticky floors, filthy seats, worse bathrooms, disinterested employees, technical issues, high prices, awful food (no beer), putting up with strangers (some of whom don’t know how to behave in public),… what’s to value?
Movie theaters existed and thrived when there was no other way to get the experience; now there is. One thing that’s left is the communal experience, which many do value, especially when seeing comedies. As an introverted misanthrope, that isn’t a draw for me. 😉
I do like those rare ones set up with comfy couches, tables, and wait service for a full-ish menu that includes drinks. That’s my idea of a movie theater!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, if you couldn’t watch the first movie, it’s hard to see this one working for you. Both movies are fantasies of a certain flavor, and I can see them not working for someone who prefers things more rational.
I have noticed that an increasing number of theaters have the spacious couches, with reclining foot rests. Along with stadium seating, there have been improvements over the years to the theater experience. But as an introvert myself, it’s not enough.
Interestingly enough, I did get a call from one of my cousins yesterday, after I’d seen the movie. He and a group of others were getting together and renting a theater. (It’s a service theaters are offering right now.) Their plan is to see Wonder Woman that way, even though my cousin has HBO Max. So there are definitely people who crave the experience.
LikeLike
It isn’t the fantasy flavor but the storytelling. I just don’t think DCU movies are very good.
Renting for a private showing would be cool! I’ve thought of renting a private box at a baseball game for a party; same kinda thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not a fan of movie theaters either. The prices keep going up, and I feel like the quality of the experience keeps going down. I’d much rather stay home and stream something.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think that’s a good point, the quality of the experience. Maybe if theaters don’t have a monopoly on the content, they’ll have incentive to make the experience better. I wouldn’t mind them staying around for when I do want the experience, but I don’t want it to be something I have to put up with just to see the movie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am hoping to see Dune in the theater when it comes out. I have a feeling that movie will deserve to be seen on a movie theater sized screen. But otherwise, I am perfectly happy to watch most movies on my laptop.
LikeLiked by 1 person
At this point, I watch even Star Wars movies at home. So I’ll likely stream Dune. (It helps to have a moderately big screen and sound system, so the experience is theater like.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
If I had a chance to see the original Star Wars movies (non special edition) in a theater, I’d do it. Anything else, though, I’m happy to watch at home. My laptop has a pretty good screen, I think, and I’ve come to really like watching movies in bed.
LikeLiked by 1 person