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Wonder Woman vs Elastigirl

Making A Feminist Film

Let me just say up top I appreciate what Wonder Woman represents in its genre and that, sure, if you’re a fan of CGI and out looking for some Snyder-esque fight scenes, then it is a great watch for you. The point I am making, however, is that in terms of making a feminist film in the immensely popular superhero genre, Incredibles 2 does a better job. Also, it does a better job of literally everything else a film can do, sorry if you’re one of the people who are capable of ignoring the third act and two-dimensional characters.

The real crux of my argument comes from the fact that the superhero genre is more than a little bloated. In the year of its release, Wonder Woman was accompanied by seven other blockbuster superhero films, including The Justice League set in the same cinematic universe. This is why it is important for films of such a bloated genre to reinvent themselves and do something new the way the unstoppable MCU train has done time and time again.

Personally, I don’t think a female character in a film that is otherwise entirely generic is all that different from what we’ve already seen. The film is literally just Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) except with a female captain. Even in appearance, both protagonists have shields, similar colour schemes, and eyes that are just so damn piercing.

No doubt I would have found Wonder Woman groundbreaking ten years ago when the genre tropes weren’t played out.

Now! Let’s talk about the real superhuman woman to rally behind. Elastigirl is back with a bang after fourteen years and she’s bringing her family with her. She’s strong, likeable, determined, compassionate, intelligent, funny, rational, and morally incorruptible. In other words, she has more to her personality than repeatedly talking about her male adversary.

The main underlying theme I picked up on in this film is the impossible task women are faced with having to balance a work life with their home life. Almost the entirety of the male protagonist’s involvement in the film is supporting his wife by stepping up as the homemaker and coming to accept that she is the one working.

The film cleverly places the goal of superheroes being reinstated in society as a surrogate for women succeeding in the workplace. So rather than simply putting a female character in a film and claiming it as a victory, Incredibles 2 actually chooses a specific feminist issue and discusses it in a fresh and interesting manner within a film that is itself fresh and interesting.

There are many other reasons Incredibles 2 succeeds as a feminist film. These include a female villain to show that female characters are not limited to protagonist roles (strength can take many forms including intimidating), a woman shown to be attractive with a voluptuous figure (yes, I know this has been talked about endlessly so I’m not dwelling on it and no, I don’t find calling an animated character attractive weird), and female characters being given comedic parts (Edna Mode all day).

There are also many other reasons Wonder Woman doesn’t succeed for me, but believe it or not I don’t want to step on a film too heavily when it is said to have empowered women. The only point I really mean to make here is that filmmakers shouldn’t be afraid to involve real feminist discussions in their work. There is definitely something to be said for casting women in typically male roles. I only mean that if a film’s only plan to stand out within a crowded genre is a feminist message, then it seems it would be better to put a feminist message in it that has more depth than “look a woman!”

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Deadpool 2 (2018)

 A Foreseeable Disappointment

Much like the film from my last review, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, this film suffered from high expectations unlike its predecessor. No one expected much of the first Deadpool, with it suffering major production obstacles as a result. Ultimately, it took advantage of these expectations to such a degree it even earned a sequel much like 21 Jump Street did. Unlike 22 Jump Street, however, Deadpool 2 is not a satisfactory follow up. In fact, let me use 22 Jump Street as my case study to show where this film went wrong. (Read on for full article *spoilrs ahead*)

First of all 22 Jump Street effectively referenced its own existence as a film in a funny way and never to excess. Such examples of this include them using the police budget as a metaphor for the film’s production budget. Deadpool 2 just openly yells, “THIS IS A SEQUEL” at you. While the meta nature of the character allows them to be less subtle, it is too often joked about to remain funny. We get it this is a sequel! Oh, what’s that? Sequels are a common thing in Hollywood nowadays? Man, that’s good satire.

Another thing the Jump Street franchise does well is blending action and comedy. This was perhaps the greatest strength of the first Deadpool too, but in this one it is painfully lacking. Generic action replaces such genius scenes as the bullet counting bridge sequence. Instead of having a playful and cartoonish feel throughout them, the only comedy is throwaway one-liners. Basically, the type of things you can stuff into a trailer to be more marketable. Although, if luring audiences into cinema seats is the only goal then its mission accomplished. Well done David Leitch, you dropped another Atomic Blonde on us. I guess you don’t need Chad Stahelski after all. See you for John Wick 3!

My third and final point (because if the filmmakers can’t be asked to put in any real effort, then I sure as hell can’t) is that this film is not emotionally engaging whatsoever and tries so hard to be. The scenes and plot drag even more because they are carrying the weight of ineffective injections of emotion. None of us cared that much about the romance in the first one, and that was fine because that’s not what we were there for and it didn’t get in the way. Take the relationship at the heart of 22 Jump Street, two friends who grow apart and come back together in the end. Nice and simple. In this film the main character’s girlfriend dies, he tries to reach a troubled child, forms a friendship with the villain, has to prove himself to the X-Men, and he learns the true meaning of family. Not one of these plotlines did I care about and they are so present.

This isn’t to say the film is absolutely terrible. I could go into how the action is actually quite well choreographed, the character of Domino is great, and the off script rants are pretty witty, but I don’t feel like it. None of them are redeeming enough to earn this film, which you’ve probably already seen, a rewatch. Not when superhero films like Infinity Wars and The Incredibles 2 are around.

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Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

The Worst Cash Grab Since Men in Black 2

First of all, I am not overreacting when I say this film is utter crap. Elton John has two fight scenes. The only reason I decided to write this review is because I needed a reason to sit through the two and a half hours.

The main obstacle this film had to overcome which its predecessor didn’t was the expectations. We all went into Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) thinking, ‘Yeah, it looks alright’ and left saying, ‘Wow, that was so much better than I expected.” It was a lighthearted good time with stellar action.

The sequel is not. Samuel L. Jackson’s ominous villain is gone and replaced by, well, no one really. Supposedly, the main antagonist is Julianne Moore’s Poppy, but the character is so absent that she’s never all that threatening. The same goes for her henchmen and robot dogs. Posh boy Charlie is back from the first one with a robot arm and that’s pretty much all you need to know about him. Also, there’s some guy called Angel, but he (like so many of the characters) is so forgettable that I’m not going to discuss him. Oh, I almost forgot there’s ANOTHER villain. Pedro Pascal plays the double-crossing Whiskey, who betrays the heroes for…reasons…maybe.

If you think the villains are the only pointless parts of the cast though you’ve got a thousand unimportant, uninteresting, unmemorable things coming. Like with so many cash grab projects, the producers decided to get every A-list actor they could and jam them in the film for five minutes each before either killing or ignoring them. These include Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges. Seriously, the trailer oversold their involvement in the story.

Not to mention the romance. Never has a love story been so underdeveloped in cinema history as the one between main character Taron Egerton’s Eggsy and Hana Alstrom’s Princess Tilde. The only reason the previous film gave us to believe this couple is compatible is that she was up for anal. You can’t make this up.

The main story is left regularly to visit the numerous uninteresting side stories such as this romance. This kills what little momentum the thin plot had. Clearly, the studio didn’t want to take the time to cut down the bloated piece since they were worried audiences would forget the previous film before release.

Speaking of the previous film, if you liked it, enjoy having all your favourite moments rehashed and ruined. The previous film had two bar fights, which followed the same formula, this film decided to make it three. Also, they reference anal sex in exchange for saving the world twice more, because that’s the most important part of these films apparently.

As I wrote earlier, numerous characters are brought into this film. Did I also mention that Colin Firth’s character is brought back to life? If you think this reduces the emotional impact of his death in the first one, you’re right, it does. Fortunately, the film decided to make space for all these characters by killing the ones we all liked from the previous film. The worst of these was Roxy, played by Sophie Cookson, who is blown up early on. A real kick in the balls that one, because if any genre needs more powerful female characters its spy films.

I have a lot more complaints about this film (I didn’t even mention that Eggsy becomes a Swedish Prince) but I will limit myself to only one more. It is so American. The previous film was an honest yet lighthearted look at class divides in England. While it had all the action and comedy of a Hollywood blockbuster, it felt British at its core thanks to the joyous use of slang, dry comedy, and English stereotypes. The sequel can’t stop itself from throwing every celebrity, expensive set, and cringe worthy joke at the screen. We should have seen it coming.

In conclusion, Elton John is a main character with TWO FIGHT SCENES and this film is terrible.

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When you only want to write certain parts of your story, but in order for those parts to make sense and have any impact you need to write other parts connecting them and you just don’t… wanna…

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The Neon Demon

Style Over Substance Done Well

When I think of style over substance I think of it as a negative. The words conjure memories of the boringly slow Only God Forgives or Paul Hollywood’s criticism of Steven in the last season of The Great British Bake Off. When done properly with a tonally focused piece the style becomes the purpose over the plot. Whether done intentionally or not. Read more for full review (mild spoilers for trigger warnings)

The film delves into the world of professional modeling, following Elle Fanning as the new girl in town. She finds overnight success only to be met with rivalry and unwanted attention. As I said, the film lacks substance. The plot is predictable, conforming to typical story structures with the exception of the twisted third act – but no spoilers here. If the typical structure is thought of as a blank canvas, however, it serves a purpose for the style it seeps. Imagine an even darker descent into wonderland than Tim Burton’s as we follow Fanning’s Jesse down the rabbit hole.

When watching The Neon Demon you never become truly immersed. This is partly due to a lack of empathy with the surreal world of modelling, and partly because you’re too busy admiring its many clever visuals. Whether it’s the vibrant, neon colour palette, the hyper fashionable costume design or the at times regal set design each frame is captivating. At times though, it resembles a Topshop catalogue more than a Vogue piece.

Each character has an unspoken depth. From Christina Hendrick’s siren singing talent agent to Bella Heathcote and Abbey Lee Kershaw���s ominous girl gang. The film isn’t lacking in the bitch factor. Even Keanu Reeve’s star power and overt aggression takes backseat to the fierce females. Creators of the Bechdel Test would be proud. The only performance leaving something to desire is Jena Malone’s overacted nice girl. While more obvious acting isn’t inherently bad, opposite Elle Fanning’s understated lead act, it sticks out like a sore-manicured-thumb.

The biggest stars are behind the camera though. Natasha Braier’s cinematography and Nicolas Winding Refn’s direction compliment each other better than pink shoes and blue skirts. Together they inject photo shoot scenes with eroticism, and those surrounding them with alien humanity. I don’t know what I mean either. At times the obvious vying for artistic praise is heavy-handed, but I choose to consider it symbolic of the fashion industry.

One-thing audiences should be aware of going in is that there are harrowing scenes. Even when approached with a purpose and artistic vision, sexual assault, necrophilia, and what can only be described as extreme violence are difficult to stomach. Extreme trigger warning for those effected.

While it underperformed at the box office, making back under half its estimated $7,000,000 budget, it has found a new home on Netflix. If you’re interested in having a bizarre time, this dreamlike and at times nightmarish spectacle is perfect.

No one can deny Refn knows how to shoot a film beautifully. Although he may be better suited to the director’s chair than the writer’s desk.