good god capeshit sucks

  • Ericthescruffy [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    4 years ago

    Hot take:

    The movie is an indictment of the 80s culture of excess and the belief that we could continue to have more and more and never see any consequences. It's the society of the self that Chris Hedges taks about. How we retreat into dreams and positive thinking in a inoculating culture of optimism that isn't equiped to deal with the real issues we face, and how we continue to make ourselves and the world worse by not addressing reality.

    Hotter take: Superhero Movies like wonder woman 84 are basically designed so you can read whatever side of the political messaging you want....so don't give it more credit then it deserves as a corporate product.

    • vfC [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      I think your hot take opinion is fair and basically what I got out of it.

      My hot take on the post credit scene:

      WTF says it's from my cultural about their name like that? EGOT Cringe Award right there.

      Also it just takes a little practice and weight control, not these magic bracers or my Amazonian DNA or anything.

    • zifnab25 [he/him, any]
      ·
      edit-2
      4 years ago

      The movie is an indictment of the 80s culture of excess

      More an embodiment than an indictment.

      Superhero Movies like wonder woman 84 are basically designed so you can read whatever side of the political messaging you want

      Eh. It's vague to the point of being inoffensive, but there's definitely a message the movie tries to sell. The theory that you can't "cheat" to win and have it mean something is established at the start.

      But the message gets lost in all the nostalgia and pablum. In the end, all I real know is that using a magic wishing rock to get things is bad.

      • Ericthescruffy [he/him]
        ·
        4 years ago

        More an embodiment than an indictment.

        Eh...only in the sense that there is an unavoidable Irony in attempting to critique the culture of self and excess in something as loud, bombastic, and inflated as an American Superhero tentpole film. I think that criticism is unfair but it certainly shows the limitations of the medium.

        Eh. It’s vague to the point of being inoffensive, but there’s definitely a message the movie tries to sell. The theory that you can’t “cheat” to win and have it mean something is established at the start.

        But the message gets lost in all the nostalgia and pablum. In the end, all I real know is that using a magic wishing rock to get things is bad.

        Sure, but that's the point: the messaging for these movies is kept just vague and universal enough that you can kinda read whatever you want into it. Remember: every ideology that's ever existed fights for "freedom". Defining "freedom" is the tricky part.

        "A world built on lies cannot last" is a decent theme/moral for a movie...and it gives you a wide berth on how to define truth and lies.

        Sidenote: there's a lot to criticize this movie for but I fucking love that the villain in this movie is a magic rock because it ties into the idea of crystals, faith healing, and self help culture.

        • zifnab25 [he/him, any]
          ·
          4 years ago

          Sidenote: there’s a lot to criticize this movie for but I fucking love that the villain in this movie is a magic rock because it ties into the idea of crystals, faith healing, and self help culture.

          I'd missed that reference. Definitely an 80s vibe, though.