sjarja Reviews

The Reading (I) (2023)

missing he mark

[5/10 · 13 February 2023]

Starting as an occult drama... continuing as a slasher... ending as a comedy?

Ok, so - the comedy part happened due to abysmally choreographed fight scenes ... i mean .. bad - like really BAD. Kirk vs. Lizard guy bad. Slapstick .. with overacted punches. I was almost expecting one of them doing "the windmill" with their arms.

There is always a suspension of disbelief - of course .. and while i actually like the very simple reason for the twist - i found it kind of hard to imagine this antagonist to actually terrorize all the other people. It was a bit too much "convenient".

There is also the fact that the twist happened fairly early ... and the later (around 2 thirds) of the movie kind of dragged on. It was very clear from the start that ... maybe the protagonist alone would survive .. so it was just counting down, from the least important character to the more important ones ... very much "by the numbers".

All the while - i wonder ... was it necessary for the protagonist to be a "real" psychic? .. that almost made it worse. (well, not really, it had little to no impact in my opinion)

So my conclusion:

This was not a total waste of time .. but also not really very good. I would give it a medium score of 5/10 .. mostly for good acting (excluding the fights)

For the story .. i would give it a 2/10 .. because the story was bad

For the fights .. i give it a 8/10 .. because - hey, its so bad, its good .. however, the movie surely did not want me to laugh in those situations.

I cannot recommend this movie ... it is neither suspenseful, nor does it make sense. At the core, it is a very simple .. (too simple) concept.

Deus (2022)

Cliche, insufficient creativity

[1/10 · 5 January 2023]

Set design / artistic design ...

This really comes up first in my mind. What has happened here? There are touch-screen pads but also ancient keyboard with CRT screens as if it was the 80s "Alien" Nostromo. There are holograms and seemingly face to face communication between mars and earth (still i think 20 minutes delay) .. but on the other hand, there are crappy CCTV that are just meant to malfunction. (in glorious VGA, because we can build spaceships of that magnitude but no cameras in 4k or 8k it seems) There is AI and automation, but then we see an engine room that fits in the Titanic with steam punk valves and a boiler of sorts.

While not particularly "bad" .. it is an odd mismatch that looks / feels like the production team just got "anything" and tried to build a set, but everything looks out of place and more like bad cosplay.

Add to that the cavernous rooms illuminated by sometimes no light source at all. WHO builds a ship that is in perpetual darkness? Also - is that a second hand ship? It looks like a highschool after 20 years of "use" and minimal maintenance and cleanup.

My little rant aside .. i love Claudia Black, but her performance here feels phoned in, flat and just lazy - it does fit with the rest of the "crews" performance though ... perfectly boring.

As for the story .. sadly, it is full of tropes and archetype characters. All types of characters that are a liability for even passing out fast food, mental wrecks without any skills to be near a space mission. And that is a problem .. none of the characters is a believable scientist. It is a soap-opera of incompetence in space .. hence not making me root for any of them, or the mission.

The movie wants to be deeper than it is. Even a typical "monster of the week" episode of X-files is MUCH deeper, philosophically and also character wise.

It is a 1 star from me, because i am almost angry at how bad it is.

Matriarch (I) (2022)

good enough

[6/10 · 22 October 2022]

To get that out of the way .. i rate this movie to be a bit above average.

If i wanted to describe a feeling in one word .. i would probably go with : uncomfortable

A bit like a Lars von Trier movie, but only half way.

Acting is good - although not very nuanced. Cinematography is sometimes good .. but not stellar - and characters act in a very artificial way .. only to support the plot, not in any way realistic (on the basis of the supernatural that is going on)

The CGI was poor ... i mean, Playstation 2 cutscene poor. It was kind of rare .. and i wonder why the movie did not use practical effects .. those would not have been too hard .. and may not have broken immersion as much as those really terrible CGI scenes.

All in all, it was worth watching - for me. But other than that ... a fairly forgettable movie without much depth or meaning (well, unless you are into rural folklore of that region or so .. maybe than there is more to get from it)

Hellraiser (2022)

Sadly full or holes and typical horror tropes

[5/10 · 8 October 2022]

A word in advance - i have not watched the original.. so no nostalgic comparison from me.

I did not like the protagonist. She was a needy and utterly insufferable person - and to be frank, i wished her to die. (yes, i know she was meant to be that .. but i dont quite understand the decision to make such a person carry the movie) Adding to that .. she had an unnatural attachment to the box from the very start - despite not knowing anything about it. She finds out more about it later .. but a real human would have ditched this box (or rather completely forgot about it) with all that had happened.

Then there are the typical horror tropes. The characters simply do not communicate with each other like real humans. They talk in half facts, never really explaining things to .. what are supposed to be their closest friends. (or the brother .. )

The little twist also makes no sense considering how the story progressed.

At least it does not rely on silly jump-scares - but all in all, i felt very little suspense (none); it was not scary, nor was it gross. (well, a little gross)

In conclusion .. great costumes, good set designs .. and the most infuriatingly useless and needy protagonist. A nice and average movie for my taste - mostly ruined by the terrible protagonist.

The Visitor (2022)

bit of a predictable mess

[2/10 · 7 October 2022]

This was a nonsensical plot. A ridiculous story turned up eleven with a ... twist? Is it a twist when already utmost silliness drifts beyond the madness horizon accelerating?

Also - what is it with people yelling into other peoples faces? The old lady, the doppelganger .. is that supposed to be scary?

Imagining that in real life seems just very awkward and somewhat rude.

Soo - lets get into spoilers or sorts.

I couldnt help but sense "Hereditary" vibes of sorts .. a secret cult of half naked people, an heir - a family heritage.

Well, i say Hereditary .. if it was a Dollar-Store version of it.

It was not scary - lacked any suspense and lacked characters that could have been able to carry this mess.

The idea that he would see himself in images of the past .. was plain stupid - because most painted images showed either a very generic man (who really looked nothing like him) .. or were poorly photo-shopped ... like really poorly.

Still 2 stars out of 10 .. because i have seen worse.

Vesper (2022)

Intriguing .. but depressing

[6/10 · 1 October 2022]

The world seems very interesting and organic - organic in a way that it does not feel totally out of place.

What did i not like?

Many of the characters are one dimensional archetypes that lack any redeeming quality or complexity.

The world is drowned in very drab and depressing colours - one might say .. filthy. And that is one of my criticisms. People do not tend to live in mold and filth. It looks good for a scene, but not for a world.

I mean .. it shows how the world is meant to be for the story .. but it does not make sense when it comes to believable living.

It reminded me a bit on "Annihilation", but there it was an anomalous zone that was not meant to "live in". In this movie, people live in places that seem way too filthy.

All in all - i rate this an above average movie, but not stellar or a revelation.

In terms of story and storytelling, it reminded me less on cinema and more on a weekly series on demand.

Prey (I) (2022)

good - for the most part

[7/10 · 8 August 2022]

I have not seen the original Predator - or any other Predator movie of that franchise. I did see the Predator vs. Alien in the Antarctic thing long ago. With that said, it should be clear that i am not the target audience. I find the Predator as a character rather stupid.

But i was dragged into this movie because my friend IS into Predator.

So - the tone of the movie is nice. It is a coming of age story that is shot beautifully with an engaging protagonist and a tribe that "feels" to be waaay too small. (but i guess it might be expensive to have a large cast to represent an actual size of a tribe .. just for reality - in a movie with an alien that travels the galaxy to hunt)

What i liked was the believable chemistry between the protagonist siblings. What i did not like was the bully-type antagonism by the other warriors (they behaved like "Stephen King Bullies")

What i also did not like was the emotional disconnect from death. Multiple warriors die - sometimes pretty gruesome deaths ... and it seemed to have very little impact on the other people.

While that is common in action movies (after all, you do not want to go through shock and PTSD) - here it was noticable how little people were phased by death.

I must say - this would have made a great movie .. without the Predator. A history piece .. a tribe against encroaching trappers - a modern western type of movie from the perspective of the tribe.

So .. for me, the Predator was kind of sidelined when it came to the story. Sure he is a centrepiece, but i never understood why he would be there.

In Alien vs. Predator it was said that they love to hunt, the bigger the game, the better .. so what was the Predators point in a pre industrialized America? Pretty much none of the things there were remotely a threat to him (except that he allowed them to be one intentionally, when he could have killed everything and everyone from afar)

Maybe he was one of the loser Predators and this was a sort of Predator Kindergarden/Daycare program for the less fortunate?

But all in all .. it wasnt boring - and with above average cinematography and good characters (except the one dimensional bullies) it was OK.

Luck (I) (2022)

by the numbers - average but enjoyable

[6/10 · 7 August 2022]

All in all, there is nothing - nothing at all - surprising. The story goes the exact way you would expect it to go... .

... but one should keep in mind that it is made for children who do (most likely) not have a huge library of movie history and experience. So for them, it may well be fresh.

Stylistically, it is playing it very safe. There is no design, no world building that is in any way novel or daring. (compared to similar "by the numbers" movies like eg. Mitchelles vs. The Machines or so)

However, the design is cute, the story flows without boring stretches. The characters are mostly likable.. and i expect them to be well received by kids.

In contrast to some of the better Pixar/Disney movies, i would consider this a pure "kids movie" .. not boring for adults but not tailored to a mixed audience of children and adults alike.

Rubikon (2022)

uninspired

[3/10 · 2 July 2022]

Well, that says it all. There is zero surprise when it comes to its story. It feels ... old.

Delivers only tropes and old story ideas of so many movies before. (small isolated group in a hostile environment confronted with a moral dilemma)

Nothing out of the box .. and pretty non innovative for 2022.

Crimes of the Future (2022)

well, i am into this ..

[8/10 · 27 June 2022]

What can i say - i find this movie utterly fascinating. This movie is bizarre - like an art movie - odd, disturbing and often nonsensical.

Many a movies show very little to create a picture in ones imagination .. this movie however does the opposite, shows .. well, too much - in an almost pornographic manner. That means the gore becomes mundane just like sex becomes mundane in porn.

Blood, gore and everything else does not stimulate a reflex anymore.

This movie reminded me VERY much on eXistenZ, a Cronenberg movie with Jude Law from 1999. Not in terms of story or so, but more in terms of how mundane organic "gore" is handled - well, i cannot really explain it.

Is that a good movie though?

I think not. It has a very abstract story - and despite good acting (it is a good cast..) - there is very little chemistry and character about it all. There is social commentary (of course - and very strong and not subtle) - there is a story - but it is very thin.... .

So why did i like it? - It is absurd, and i like absurd. I do not know how one can call this genre. Maybe Cyberpunk? Body horror? This is not the Fly, nor is it the Thing. Those are character and story driven movies.

This is a very abstract, artistic movie that does not take the audiences´ hand and guides them, but rather rejects norms and tropes.

Well, on a more objective note.

The acting was good. The characters are nearly cartoonish versions of humans, not multilayered - but single minded. There is little to no character development (by choice, i would assume) - and they are just odd - for the sake of being odd. (reminds me a bit of french art house characters)

The setting, scenery and environment is imaginative - but feels like a budget necessity rather than an artistic choice.

For the actors, i would assume that this was less a paycheck movie and more a passion project.

Watcher (I) (2022)

good visual storytelling, very lackluster dialogue

[7/10 · 26 June 2022]

Why did this movie not work for me? .. by and large, the visuals, although limited to very few locations, are good. Framing, storytelling with very long tracks of not much but visuals ... works.

The dialogue(s) however do not work. There are not many - and they are very much clichéd. In other words .. this is not how people communicate - a very typical trope of suspense/horror movies; because if people talked like real life, most of the story could not / would not happen. It should not be overdone though .. and it is clearly overdone here.

Protagonists play the "pronoun" game, avoiding speaking directly. The other problem is the chemistry between the protagonists (the main couple) - or the lack of it. It is very hard to believe they love/loved each other so much that she would follow him to such a foreign country for nothing to gain.

If you take the terrible communication as an artistic choice - this is not a bad movie with a good build up of suspense. It is way too predictable though. There was just too much foreshadowing.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

Good, but not "original"

[7/10 · 22 January 2022]

Two things that i miss with the new Matrix

• an original style
• a thought provoking plot

about the plot. I think there COULD have been a new - reality questioning plot .. based on the Matrix world - but it was not found.

So i doubt there is anyone leaving the cinema thinking the hard question about actual reality - which is not necessarily a big minus for a sequel.

About the style .. the original one had a style that almost defined a certain subgroup of a generation. A new cool based on leather, looks and. Never before seen moves, copied by so many following movies, iconic scenes and ideas.

This sequel does not even remotely come close to that.

But

Is it bad? I think not. It is a competent sequel .. even a smart one. It takes the very hard job building on a trilogy that terminated. It builds on the world building of not just the trilogy but also the accompanying other media (animatrix, the computer game etc.)

It does so in a solid way ... but all it can ultimately achieve is a let down.

I would rate this 4th iteration of the Matrix as slightly above average. No wasted time watching it ... but it is about as useless as the 2nd Space Jam movie. (much better though)

I have watched the Matrix several times .. and i always enjoyed it. It holds up very well even in 2022 ...

... i am unlikely to re-watch the reincarnation part IV again though. It is forgettable in a sad way.

Encanto (2021)

Emotional, colourful - but oddly bland

[6/10 · 9 January 2022]

The positive:

• gorgeous colours
• rich design of a very organic village
• very emotional storytelling
• no silly animal side-character (yes, that is a positive for me)

the negative:

• very simple characters (including the protagonist)
• disconnect between the peril/problem and the solution
• nearly no world building
• this being localized in Columbia seems random as the same thing could be playing out anywhere else (but if the candle miracle is a Columbian thing, a little background/lore may have helped)

My conclusion: I liked the movie. It was a lot more musical than recent Disney movies - almost musical like (as in very little story in between the songs). The songs were OK, but not as memorable as like Frozen (the original one, not the sequel).

The character design of the protagonist was exceptionally charming (the other family members sadly were a lot more stereotypical)

The whole environment made no sense in terms of world building, but looked great non the less.

I thought the message about family was a little twisted - as in .. there was hardly any remorse for what can only be considered terribly things happened in the past. The problem was not the protagonists problem or journey .. it should have been the family heads journey! (the way it was told, there was an epiphany but no learning experience for the one that actually caused it)

I thought the movie was NOT up to Disney/Pixar standards .. but average at best.

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

I guess i am not the target audience, nor suffering from nostalgia

[1/10 · 21 July 2021]

I do remember the original Space Jam. It was a light entertainment movie that was kind of fun to watch - but certainly no more than once.

This new movie felt worse .. significantly worse .. than even the Emoji Movie (if anyone remembers that train wreck)

No effort in story, characters or personality/creativity. No original message, nothing.

Now, this is more a movie for Americans, i guess, because i have no idea who the protagonist is. Possibly a basketball celebrity like the last one? (that Micheal Jorden at least was known internationally) - anyway, never heard of him.

But even unknown actors might do good movies of course - so lets look at the storytelling. A flash of loosely connected scenes that portrait Warner Bros pop culture property - or in short .. a movie length advertisement for WB - how .. erm .. subtle.

I can only hope the movie hit the nail in the USA - because it certainly missed it BIG time here in Iceland. Its references simply do not hit the mark at all, its protagonist is unknown and the toons seem not to adhere to the established personalities that they had in the shorts.

All in all - a terrible waste of time - that does not satisfy nostalgic adults, nor teens/children at all.

Black Widow (2021)

Mediocre

[3/10 · 11 July 2021]

I was quite excited for a Black Widow movie. An avengers movie with a whole different take .. dabbling less in the good vs. Evil - and more in the grey area, where the goals justify the means.

But what did i get. A movie that satisfied the "summer blockbuster" requirements .. in a bad way. A flat story with fairly one dimensional characters (what a crime! .. a black widow movie with one dimensional characters!!) - a story that offered good vs. Evil .. and a protagonist that showed very little conflict when it came to "doing what needs to be done .. or does it?"

One also often says that a hero is only as good as the villain .. and this villain was - boring. Boring and unsurprising. The villain was not even a villain! (that is a villain that has his agenda that the viewer can understand)

Maybe the problem is that there is little more than Thanos for Marvel at that time. It is hard to "escalate" from a point where half the universes´ population was exterminated.

All in all, i was very disappointed with the movie. It was not "boring" per se .. but it felt like a lazy effort at best.

Nobody (I) (2021)

not my cup of tea

[2/10 · 19 April 2021]

I should say in advance that i actually did enjoy John Wick - but i am not quite in love with action movies.

Nobody seems to follow a very predictable .. kind of old-ish formula. >Underdog_with_exceptional_past_cannot_retire_a_normal_life< ... an action movie formula seen countless times.

Add in an unremarkable bad guy - who must of course be a super brutal russian mob guy .. and you get a string of very unlikely co-incidents.

Along watching it .. i got flashbacks of the old A-Team/McGuyver shows. The bad guys always underestimate the good guys, they are always more numerous .. and the good guys show compassion and ingenuity by using the environment for their purpose (aka .. building stuff). The bad guys have exceptionally poor aim .. so much that it must be a very special effort not hitting.

The first side plot-line seems absolutely irrelevant for the story - and in the very end of it .. in hindsight - we can probably put the blame squarely and confidently on the bus driver (for she made a decision that was absolutely against any logic and put it all in motion).

That aside .. the action itself was - fine. Not exceptional. There was no real style to it. The camera work was just the bare default. No very long and elaborate takes (Oldboy or alike) .. and no silly dozens of cuts (Taken).

The shift in humor and tone was strange - while the movie starts off somber and serious .. it ends extremely silly.

All in all, i would not recommend that movie.

Come True (2020)

Wonderful atmosphere and tone

[9/10 · 27 March 2021]

I love David Lynch movies - and this movie reminded me a bit on his work. Long takes, slow - steady - creeping.

The musical score is nice - the imagery ... good, very dreamlike, which i reckon is kind of hard to do - without looking cheap or cheesy. (Well, most of the sequences are well done - some do have a "playstation 2 cutscene vibe") The acting was nice, too (although the story did not require a lot more emotions than terrified horror or sorts)

As with many movies of that sort (horror/suspense) - the communication between the protagonists was very poor - normal people would talk a LOT more about those things - but i guess it would kill the melancholy of the narrative if there was a real exchange of ideas, and experiences.

All in all, this is a movie to re-watch and enjoy once more. A surprise for me to find it.

As for the conclusion - without spoilers

• had it ended around 5 minutes earlier - it would have been an immensely powerful ending of uncertainty

• had it ended 30 seconds earlier, it would have been a weird but interesting ending

• the way it did end .. was perhaps the least powerful, i have to say.

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

I liked it

[8/10 · 14 March 2021]

For one .. this is not just a re-imagining of a past Disney feature film .. so hurray for that; but - that does not mean it is an original story. In fact .. the story is a rather common 101 of "coming together to overcome the odds" plot that has been done countless times. (and also better than that..)

However .. there is nice animation (expected) - and vibrant colours, a more exotic setting (which will most certainly satisfy the large Chinese audience - at which the movie seems to be aimed at the most - not in a bad way .. Frozen was mostly aimed at a cultural audience in the west) ..

.. and most of all . it is a family film. It is mostly uncomplicated (not simple though) .. so children can understand it, along with the moral dilemma and the questions asked (as well as the answers given) .. and adults can enjoy it for pretty much the same reasons.

The humor is ... alright. I would sum it up as "fish out of water" and "funny faces" humor .. nothing witty or really smart there .. but funny for young and old alike.

The moral of the movie is a good one, a very optimistic one... however .. aside from the protagonist, most of the other characters are very one dimensional, very flat .. and they do not at all show "character development". (again, aside from the protagonists (the two))

But why 8/10 still? .. because i enjoyed my time with it .. i do not think i will watch it again .. and it certainly plays in a different league than really good movies (my taste is more D. Lynch movies) .. for an evening with the family .. it is perfect though - and that is what the movie is made for. No deep philosophical questions, no intrigue, no ambiguity, no open ending and questions ... it is a closed loop with a happy end and no questions left unanswered.

The Girl on the Train (2016)

Just watched it .. and it blew me away

[9/10 · 3 March 2021]

I had no idea what this was about .. i just wanted to watch "some" afternoon movie while doing some housework .. aaaand .. i got stuck in front of the screen.

While it was very limited in scope (very view locations, limited cast and no fancy effects of course) - the story itself, the flow of things was just so very good.

Every character is well portrait and while there is quite a large bit of "deus ex machina" to conclude .. it did not feel cheap - mostly due to the very good acting.

What can i say? .. i really liked it and i can 100% recommend watching it.

Monster Hunter (2020)

Well .. that was boring

[2/10 · 17 February 2021]

Yes, i watched it ... expecting it to be garbage. And, that is why this review should be taken with a heap of salt, because it is most probably a self fulfilling prophecy.

I actually did play the game. It was terrible (but for other reasons than the movie .. or maybe not) To me .. the game was a mixture between a grind .. and a boss fight. (and yes, i do play computer games)

The story of the game was silly. Think of default but very dumb heroism 101 .. injected with 1000% testosterone .. on viagra. The guys have muscles on their muscles and a brooding gaze, as well as a past tragedy and a sensitive spot. The girls are either tough as nails .. or tiny japanese school girl types.

They all carry rediculously large weapons.

Now about the movie.

Of course .. it is the army! .. instead of what they really do in reality .. here they are selfless, heroic and actually the good guys? even if they are clearly far from home. (no political statement there .. but it is one of those patriotic things that you usually find in Michael Bay movies)

The special effects are OK-ish for a low budget movie .. but do not extend over what a normal PC can easily do .. in-engine ... or in more words ... the monsters have poor textures, lacking movement detail (as in muscle work etc.) and move rather poorly. The particle effects are stock and the feeling of size and weight is off.

So what is left? A story that is just so incredibly boring. Been there .. done that ... .

I actually like Milla Jovovich. I think she CAN be a good actress (not A list material, but good enough) to be a lead in an interesting story (5th Element)

But she is wasted beyond recognition in all those luke warm computer came movies like Resident Evil or now that. All in all .. this movie was not "so good its bad" .. it was just boring. Pointless dialogue, pointless story, bland characters.

However .. i am likely not the target audience. 12 year old me may have liked it better? 35 year old me likes more complex movies .. but still watched every crap .. because its 2021 .. and everyone spends their time watching movies.

Sacrifice (VII) (2020)

Lovecrafitian? .. not quite - also not the best cast...

[4/10 · 12 February 2021]

I love Lovecraftian cosmic horror. I love the madness, the fear, the unknown .. the mystery and the abstract.

I am not convinced that this movie delivers though .. It has some of the imagery of Lovecraftian monsters .. but it lacks all the circumstance.

What i disliked the most was the cast .. the protagonist couple as well as the main antagonist acted in a very unnatural way .. not at all the way "normal people" do.

Especially the communication between the couple was abysmal. They did not communicate - nor had they any hint of a chemistry together.

The other thing that annoyed me was that the Nordic culture was - once again - portrait in such a rediculous way. (i am looking at you, Midsommar)

Now i would say that the story has potential .. but its the potential of a mystery / horror story that plays out in a remote place filled with cultish weirdos - so hardly an original setting.

Compared to "the colour of space", "the void", "the Mouth of Madness", "the prince of Darkness" etc .. this movie certainly feels way too mundane and lazy - never pushing the limits playing it way too safe.

Synchronic (2019)

Surprisingly above average

[7/10 · 14 January 2021]

I liked it. The story was predictable to the detail .. but it did not fall for cheap tropes. Acting was good and even the effects were nice.

This is no cinematic epiphany or a timeless masterpiece - but i found it entertaining to the end with no slow moments.

Soul (2020)

did not expect much, was very positively surprised

[9/10 · 8 January 2021]

To clear things up. Neither American culture, jazz or even ethnics struggles or so is anything i am very familiar with. So i was not sure if that movie would speak to me.

However .. it is a Pixar movie, one that is not a franchise or a sequel but original.

All i can say is that i loved it. Such a positive message - and a great art style, too. A very tranquil, very relaxing but highly emotional movie.

Shadow in the Cloud (2020)

strong start .. but getting weaker by the minute

[5/10 · 3 January 2021]

What a strong and suspenseful start - good character introduction and increasing, claustrophobic suspense for the first 30 or so minutes.

Uncertainty of the truth makes it very tense.

But sadly it falls apart from the beginning of the end of the movie. The uncertainty factor fades away .. and so the entire suspense does. What it left is a B-movie-like action sequence.

The special effects are fairly bad - not bad as such, more on par with lower budget TV shows ...

The storyline about the relationships was ... bad, to be honest. What started as an exciting Twilightzone feature ended up like a simple action flick.

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

oh, dear

[4/10 · 29 December 2020]

Well - i really, really like Wonder Woman. I liked the 1st movie .. i really did enjoy it a lot, despite the rather average "by the numbers" superhero story line and kind of weak characters. (maybe the setting of 1st world war as well as Mr Weasely as the big (not so surprising) antagonist .. was still fresh enough)

I was expecting a LOT from ww84 .. the kind of en vogue setting of the neon-80s, a good cast .. a fresh, happy action movie.

I do not care much if the special effects and CGI is flawless .. if the story is fun. (meaning, the effects simply take a back seat) ... sadly though .. the story is kind of .... not really there - like at all - making the rest (the action and effects) take a front seat ... and sadly those two really are nothing to write home about. - Or let me be more clear ... the effects are absolutely dreadful and the action is lackluster.

I did not hate it. It was .. enjoyable. But it was also just so forgettable. So i am sad to struggle to give it the 4/10 ... had it not been WW .. it would have been a 3 at most.

My conclusion: The movie felt like an outright mess. Incoherently jumping from scene to scene with fairly poor action sequences and swallow social pieces and characterization. As a continuation of the 1st movie, it lacked its deeper meaning (not like the 1st one had a particularly deep meaning to begin with) - and did not take the character of Wonder Woman forward at all. While the 80s setting was fun .. the movie did not seem to commit fully to it .. leaving a bitter taste of cheap costumes and cardboard soundstages (that may have been used in the 80s)

but well, i certainly have watched worse movies