I've Finally Seen: WONDER WOMAN 1984

© by Gerald So | 6:30 AM

I liked the 2017 Wonder Woman movie very much, so I pre-ordered Wonder Woman 1984 on Blu-ray despite mixed-to-negative reviews.

Where the first movie effectively evoked the cost of war and what a superhero and an ordinary man could do to turn the tide, the sequel highlights what was overindulgent and illusory about the 1980s. However, because Wonder Woman 1984's premise is based on the world buying into a wish-granting stone, it lacks the original's impact. Because everything started by magic and could be and was taken back in the end, the adventure had no consequence, a recipe for forgettable.

I like Wonder Woman as a character and I like Gal Gadot's and Chris Pine's performances, so I was glad to see more of them, but I'd prefer an adventure not sandwiched between two others, whose outcome can't be inferred from the latest in story order.

CW's SUPERMAN & LOIS

© by Gerald So | 4:00 AM

In a rarity for me, I watched the premiere of Superman & Lois as it aired last night. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch had already proven right for their roles in previous Arrowverse appearances, but the series promises to show Clark and Lois's later life at length for the first time.

Tonally I found it quite similar to Man of Steel, which I liked. I think giving Superman a family is a great way to make him vulnerable. Parents can be the finest people trying to raise their children best. Their children must grow into different people, whom they can never totally protect.

Noir Retreats, Noir Surrender

© by Gerald So | 12:00 N

A clumsy pun, perhaps, but apropos of my latest published poem in Retreats from Oblivion, "Gray". Thanks again to editor Matt Sorrento.