Review: Wonder Woman 1984 Is The DCEU’s ‘The Rise of Skywalker’

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

2017’s Wonder Woman is in my top three of my favorite films in the DCEU. The acting from Gal Gadot, and the action and storytelling made that film stand out after the poor reception of the last few DCEU films at that point. I was looking forward to the sequel Wonder Woman 1984 especially since Patti Jenkins directed the first film. But my anticipation soon turned into disappointment.

Wonder Woman 1984 should have been a great movie. On paper, the idea of the film taking place during that year with a mix of 80’s cliches, comedy, and action with a good superhero story is great. But the execution is bad. The first twenty minutes made zero sense. Is there a point of showing us the younger version of Wonder Woman competing in the games for her to be screwed out of the game when it added nothing to the movie? I was puzzled by that and I thought about that for the entire movie.

Can we also talk about why Wonder Woman 1984 needed to take place that year? There was literally no plot-related reason for the movie to be set in the 80s at all. Terrorists? Oil Barrons? Snake Oil Scammer? Wishing stone? The entire movie could have been set in 2019 and it would have made no difference to the plot whatsoever. Talk about a wasted opportunity. X-Men did a better job with the 60s, 70s and 80s than WW84 did. And this is something I have to nitpick with every movie and television series that takes place in the 1980s and that is, not everyone was dressed like they were auditioning for an MTV music video.

There were a ton of plot holes that opened the floodgates of endless questions on Wonder Woman 1984. How does Steve Trevor know how to pilot that jet model? Where was Maxwell Lord when he found out about the stone? How does Maxwell talking into the camera gives him the ability to grant wishes worldwide? Along with some of the inconsistencies with some of the products that were in the film that were released after 1984? Sorry, but historical accuracy matters to me. These decisions will never be expanded on in the future.

Gal Gadot is perfect for the role as Wonder Woman. But on Wonder Woman 1984, I did not feel the aura and presence of the Wonder Woman character at all. I believe that is because she is much toned down and grounded on Wonder Woman 1984. But there are some good scenes that I did like including the big brawl at the White House.

Kristen Wiig as Cheetah/Barbara Minerva is a good casting choice. But just like Suicide Squad’s Joker, we did not get much out of the Cheetah character. The fight between Cheetah and Wonder Woman gave me flashbacks to the Daryl and Negan vs. Beta fight on The Walking Dead. It should have been a big climactic fight, but it ended up being over before it started with rope physics that are laughable compared to the physics on The Last of Us Part II. And there is something very off about the horrible CGI in most of the film. Wonder Woman 1984 was delayed a few times and they could not even make the CGI better in that time?

Maxwell Lord is a great character in the comics. But here, Maxwell is too cartoonish and not a believable threat. When he appeared on the television granting wishes, I wanted to wish that his character would be dead. In fact, I find it strange that nobody actually wished for that. However, I loved that they gave him a reason to be good again, like yes it’s hamfisted but it works so well. Everyone can relate to a guy who wants to be number one and give his son the world but he takes it to far and realizes it and fixes it. There are some things that I like about Maxwell, but as a villain, I could not buy into him.

Wonder Woman 1984’s final scene is at Christmas. Think about that for a second. The film started in the summer. Then it led to July 4th where the invisible jet could not be detected during the fireworks for some reason, and finished at December. Can I also add that Barbara told the homeless guy to stay warm in the hot summer night? Where are we? Could they not keep track of their own timespan? I have been to Washington, D.C at the summer weather and it is as hot as New York.

Wonder Woman 1984 is a massive disappointment and I did not need to be tied up to her lasso to tell that truth. What set the stone for a badass Wonder Woman on the first film, is not to be found anywhere on the sequel. I wanted to like Wonder Woman 1984, but the script, the awful pacing, and the bad CGI turned me away. Ladies and gentleman, Wonder Woman 1984 is “The Rise of Skywalker” of the DCEU films and I will stand by it.

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“Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Drizzt & Guenhwyvar (Hasbro Pulse Exclusive)”

Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Drizzt & Guenhwyvar (Hasbro Pulse Exclusive)

Pre-order 

$39.99                                         

Product Description

Limit of 2 per customer.
Fans and collectors can finally add one of the most popular and recognizable Dungeons & Dragons characters to their action figure collections with the Drizzt Do’Urden figure!
Imagine epic battles from the Forgotten Realms with this Drizzt & Guenhwyvar 6-inch-scale action figure 2-pack! Featuring multiple points of articulation, these highly poseable figures feature premium design and deco, inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance video game. Drizzt & Guenhwyvar come battle-ready with 10 accessories, including iconic swords Icingdeath and Twinkle, 6 cards featuring exclusive artwork, and an oversized Icewind Dale d20. And with custom artwork by Max Dunbar, the Dungeons & Dragons Drizzt & Guenhwyvar package will make a mark on shelves. Available exclusively through Hasbro Pulse.
Includes: 2 figures, 10 accessories, 6 cards, and Icewind Dale die.

A drow from the Underdark city of Menzoberranzan, the third son of Matron Mother Malice of House Do’Urden — born on the eve of battle

The highly poseable, fully articulated Drizzt and Guenhwyvar 6-inch-scale figures feature premium deco, inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance video game

This Drizzt action figure comes with 10 character-inspired accessories, including 2 swords — Icingdeath and Twinkle — and the Figurine of Wondrous Power  

This Hasbro Pulse exclusive action figure 2-pack features custom artwork created by the talented comic book and concept artist Max Dunbar

This Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Drizzt & Guenhwyvar action figure set is available exclusively through Hasbro Pulse, and comes with 6 cards and an oversized Icewind Dale d20

Michonne’s Best and Most Memorable Moments on The Walking Dead

Michonne of The Walking Dead is a fan favorite of the series. The kantana wielder has slashed her way through walkers into the hearts of the fanbase for close to a decade. On her time on The Walking Dead, Michonne had several memorable moments that will never be forgotten. Whether if it is her leadership, or raising Judith and RJ, or even helping the communities take out the fire in the forest, Michonne is everything that The Walking Dead stands for.

Today, I am going to revisit Michonne’s most memorable moments. The selected moments are based on the impact they had on the show, and with the fans as well. Danai Gurira has been phenominal as Michonne and she is missed within the fan community.

Putting Down Penny

Michonne’s brutal fight with The Governor was building up on the first half of the third season. Before that fight took place, The Governor found Michonne in his room of walker heads, and his daughter Penny who is zombified. This lead to one of the most visually striking walker kills at the time as Michonne struck Penny through her back to take her down right infront of The Governor. Everything about this, is awesome.

Richonne Becomes Official

I will have to admit, I did not think that Rick Grimes and Michonne would ever become a couple. But that happened back in season 6 after the walker invasion at Alexandria. Their relationship set the foundation for the Grimes family to have a future in this world. Their relationship not only featured sleeptime, a carnival with a CGI deer, and killing walkers along the way. It also showcased how they both challenged eachother strengths and weaknesses on each level. Even Negan’s reign of terror did not break up their love. Plus RJ Grimes is an added bonus! Michonne became a well-rounded leaded during, and after their relationship.

Her Debut

Michonne making her debut on The Walking Dead at the end of the second season was a surprise to me at the time. That is because I really thought that her character debut would be at the prison like it was in the comic book series. But this worked on so many levels as it got me excited to see her on the third season. Her debut is a memorable one, and it set the tone of the new surprises that were coming.

The Field

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Chloe Garcia as Judith – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

Even though this scene foreshadowed the doom that was coming, The Grimes Family spending the day together like this without the worry of walkers is a nice scene. The visual of the swarm of crows flying around like this is something I appreciate what the directors were going with. I was really happy to see them all together like this during the opening of season 9.

Slicing off the Walkers

Walkers and Michonne (Danai Gurira) – The Walking Dead _ Season 4, Episode 9 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

By now, we seen Michonne take down walkers without caution. But back on season 4 after the fall of The Prison, this sequence really stands out. What The Walking Dead knows how to do, is to bring out emotions of characters in ways that the viewer could sympathize with them. This happened this way as I felt everything that Michonne felt while she was taking down those walkers. The feeling of sad and lonelyness is all displayed here without Michonne ever saying a word.

Punching Rick Grimes Back to his Senses

Michonne had to do this to Rick. Just like any couple would in this situation (Not with their hands, but with words). Although Rick Grimes’ was right at the time of what he said about everyone at Alexandria, he needed that cooldown. Good thing that she was there at the moment because who knows what would have happened if she was not there.

Cheese Wiz With Carl Grimes

Michonne and Carl Grimes had a unique chemistry. Their scenes together is an example of comedy on The Walking Dead done right in a situation that is believable. Michonne cheered up Carl Grimes by spraying Cheese Wiz into her mouth while also acting like a walker. This got Carl to smile and crack up laughing. A genuine bond that is also missed are these two. I still feel sad when I see Carl’s last conversation with her.

These are some of my favorite moments. I also took to social media to ask everyone about their favorite Michonne moments on the history of The Walking Dead.

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Star Wars Titles Announced on Disney Investor Day

The LucasFilms portion of Disney’s Investor Day stream made the major headlines for Star Wars fans. After weeks of speculation, all of the questions were answered today as the vision path of the Star Wars franchise were revealed today. From Obi-Won Kenobi, to Ashoka, there is a ton to look forward to within the next few years. I will go over each announced project of LucasFilms and give brief details of what they are.

Rangers of the New Republic and Ashoka Series

Two spinoffs of The Mandalorian are coming to Disney+. Popular Star Wars character Ashoka Tano is getting her own spinoff on Disney+. This comes after she made her live action debut on the current season of The Mandalorian. And will also focus on Ashoka’s wherabouts after her appearence on The Mandalorian. Rangers of the New Republic is the second spinoff that was revealed. The two shows will be executive produced by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.

Andor

Andor will be a spy thriller. It will serve as the prequel of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Andor will be a 12 episode Disney+ series. On the teaser trailer, We got a glimpse of what everyone can expect from the prequel series. Diego Luna will return to reprise his role as Cassian Andor.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series has been in the talks within the year. The news of Hayden Christensen reprising his role as Darth Vader made this announcement great as he will be the co-star. Production of the series will begin in the spring of 2021. Obi-Wan Kenobi will take place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith. The big question, is if we will see Anakin Skywalker in his Darth Vader outfit.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Star Wars: The Bad Batch will follow characters on various missions in a rapidly changing galaxy. The crew of clone warriors, known as Clone Force 99, will be the central focus. The animated series will take place at the beginning of the Empire based on the teaser trailer.

LANDO and The Acolyte

LANDO will be produced and written by Justin Simien. Simien’s most notable work was producing Netflix’s Dear White People. Lando is about Lando Calrissian himself in the Star Wars universe. Casting announcements were not been made

A Droid Story

C3PO and R2D2 will have their own miniseries. Titled A Droid Story, is produced by Lucasfilm’s visual effects team, Industrial Light & Magic. A Droid Story will introduce a new droid to the Star Wars Universe, and feature an adventure with C3PO and R2D2.

Rogue Squadron

Rogue Squadron is what Star Wars fans wanted. Not only that this news confirmed the upcoming Star Wars film, Patty Jenkins will direct Rogue Squadron. Patty Jenkins most recent work, is Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984. This is an interesting decision, and I am looking forward to see how she will shape Rogue Squadron in her vision.

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The Mandalorian NERF Blaster Pre-Orders Are Now Live

Every Monday morning, Disney reveals their new product line for The Mandalorian. The event is called Mando Mondays and today, there was a great reveal that nobody was expecting. That is, the Ambam Phase-Pulse Blaster, the signature weapon of The Mandalorian.

This replica blaster is produced by NERF and you can pre-order the awesome replica today. The blaster is over four feet long, and has the sound effects of the blaster that you see on The Mandalorian. It also comes with ten darts that you can load one at a time. The electric scope has a illuminated lense inside of the scope. Hasbro provided me with images for me to share.

The images that were provided, showcases the accuracy and attention to detail of the blaster that is seen on The Mandalorian. This will be a hot item to own next year during Comic Con season, or during the 2021 holiday season. The NERF brand has produced many Star Wars products and it is no surprise that The Mandalorian would be on the list. I also hope that there will be a variant color to match the colors of the actual one on the series so that way, anyone can have a accurate costume of The Mandalorian. NERF collectors and Star Wars fans will be happy to have this in their possesion.

You can pre-order the Amban Phase-Pulse Blaster via the link below. The price will be $119.99 and it will be expected to ship in July 2021. I suggest to order quick because it is now sold out on Amazon. Also to note, this blaster will hit the retail stores in the fall of 2021. Season 2 of The Mandalorian is on Disney+. New episodes of The Mandalorian airs each Friday morning.

Pre-Order on Entertainment Earth

Be sure to check out Mando Mondays to check out the latest product announcements.

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2020 Gaming Holiday Gift Guide For Under $100

The holiday season has been great to the gaming community for decades. This holiday gift guide for gaming will be beneficial for the parents that do not know what to buy for their children when it comes to gaming. It will also be great for the ones that can get someone they know something that they do not have. Since it is gaming related, the person receiving the gift will be happy.

What I will also add, is that this holiday gift guide will have reasonable prices that are under $100. There is no way I would have a $500 price tag for any of these gifts. All of the items that are featured, will have their respective links.

SEGA GENESIS MINI ($85 at Walmart)

Nintendo had a successful run with the NES Classic and the SNES Classic Mini. There were others that tried to duplicate the same success, but none of them were at the level of Nintendo. Only one of the many retro-mini consoles outside of Nintendo was well received by fans and that is the SEGA Genesis Mini that was released in 2019. SEGA Genesis Mini remained faithful to the original and has a great lineup of classic SEGA Genesis titles.

elago AW5 Airpods Pro Case GameBoy Edition ($16.99 at Walmart)

There are tons of variations of airpod cases that are on the the market that are video game related. But none capture the feel of a GameBoy than this one. It is also reasonably priced and it also supports wireless charging.

Lexma Phantom Gaming Starter Kit with Headset ($67.99 at Target)

The Lexma brand produced a number of great successful gaming keyboards. But this starter kit not only comes with the keyboard, as it also features the headphones and mouse. This is a great starter kit on a great budget level if you are getting this kit for someone that would like to break into PC Gaming.

Go Retro! Portable Game Player ($34 at Target)

A portable game player with over 200 games is a nice deal. Of those retro games, the most popular ones are Mega Man 2, Burger Time, and Tetris.It is essentially NES on the go!

Fortnite V-Bucks ($7.99-$79.99)

Fortnite rised to become one of the most popular games in the world. It is also free to play and you can play on any device as possible. Gifting someone V-Bucks would save the person money and time grinding for the in-game currency. With the amount of events per season Epic Games has with Fortnite, the V-Bucks would be beneficial!

Pull-N-Go Case for Nintendo Switch ($29.99 at Gamestop)

The carrying case for Nintendo Switch is expensive. But havig a two for one case that can also store controllers and accessories for the same price, is a steal right there. Nintendo always gets it right when it comes to cases for portable devices. You would not want to miss this on your shopping list.

PAC-MAN Arcade Alarm Clock ($13.99 at Gamestop)

In today’s world, our phones can be our alarm clock. But having an arcade alarm clock that has PAC-Man sound effects is awesome and I would want to have it on my dresser next to my bed.

Star Wars themed Custom XBOX One/PS4 Controllers ($39.99 each at gamer2go)

Gamer2go produces custom controllers for XBOX and Playstation. You can make one to whatever artwork you like for a little over $100. But their current sale, is all of their XBOX One and PS4 controllers that are Star Wars themed. All of the controllers are $39.99 so I would get this good sale if I were you.

Avolusion 3TB HDD ($68.88 at Walmart)

Storage is important. Especially when it comes to gaming consoles. In today’s landscape of gaming, there are so many updates and DLC’s that one console can handle. Extra storage is up to 3TB is worth the investment. You would not have to worry about deleting a large amount of data just to download a game. And what is also great about this, is that it can expand the lifecycle of your own console. Compare this price to the others that has the same number of storage, this is the best option.

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The Walking Dead World Beyond Season 1 Finale Review

Nicolas Cantu as Elton, Ted Sutherland as Percy – The Walking Dead: World Beyond _ Season 1, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Macall Polay/AMC

The first season of World Beyond has come to an end. It has been a rocky road as there has been more bad episodes than good. Believe me when I say that I did not want to come in the series with a negative mindset. But when you have too many inconsistencies and terrible dialouge during the episodes, I cannot let it slip and not aknowledge them.

The seventh episode is their best episode. I was also on the set for that episode and was also happy with the finished product. Every episode before the seventh, has been either mediocre, or just straight up bad. One of those episodes, even featured a wolf that served no purpose, and a top-tier level of cringe during that dance scene. It is reasons like that where fans would look at this as a CW Network show. On this review, I will review the final two episodes of the season into one review. Those episodes are, “The Deepest Cut” and “In This Life.”

I will have to get this out the way right now. Felix’s Boyfriend Will should have been introduced earlier this season. I like the scenes that Will had with the family and Felix. But by the time they reunited, I did not feel that emotional attachment that these two had at the final scene. It works on the other two shows because the characters were seperated for a long stretch of episodes. But here, it did not work as he was introduced at the last minute. But outside of that, I am liking what I am seeing from Will so far.

Speaking about the ending, I am curious to how the second season of World Beyond will begin. Hope is the asset that Elizabeth wanted all along. When Hope solved that CRM cipher, I knew right away that she is what they were looking for. With Hope agreeing to go with CRM for them to transport her to her father, it can finally open more to what CRM is all about. However, The acting between Hope and Huck is passable.

When I watch actors or actresses like Melissa McBride or Alycia Debnam-Carey, they can both have those emotional scenes that I can suspend my disbelief in believeing that they are feeling that emotion. All throughout World Beyond and the final episode especially, Hope has been crying way too much. Alexa Mansour is a good actress, but those scenes do not make me believe what the character is feeling. You do not need to cry for a scene to be emotional. It comes off as trying too hard rather than organic.

While I was watching these two interract, I was eager to see how Hope will deal with the undead in this situation. And her inexperience is still showing on a grand scale. The way Elton handled the undead looked silly when he taped the two together at one point, but it made sense for him. I also believe that the ninth episode is Elton’s best episode. Those hallucination scenes with him and Percy really stood out to me. His own conscious was questioning him whether if he should leave Percy or not. But he believed in himself to do it. And I love how the reveal of Huck shooting Percy was filmed and acted too. Kudos for the production team to give me a jump scare because I totally did not see it coming when he sat back up.

Alexa Mansour as Hope; single – The Walking Dead: World Beyond _ Season 1, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Macall Polay/AMC

The fight scene between Felix and Huck is great. It is one of the longest, uninterrupted fight scenes in the universe of The Walking Dead. They both were evenly matched at a few points. And the fight choreography enhanced the scene as I was really engaged with the fight. Hope had to stop the fight because she knew that she was leaving. But what will that mean for Iris on the second season? Especially since Huck does not know that CRM took out the Campus back on the first episode.

Of all the episodes, Iris also stood out on the finally as Alicia Royale did a great performance with the character. It was frustrating to even try to like Iris this season. But the last two episodes made up for it. Hope is not the only one that is with CRM. Silas given himself up to CRM in order for Percy and Elton to escape the area. Where he will be placed, is up in the air for the second season. I honestly wish that the entire group did not split up because I have seen it done on both shows. And now on World Beyond, it has happened again. I do not believe that they are all too far though.

I think there is room to fix several of the issues of World Beyond on season 2. There also needs to be more hints on how this will tie into the Rick Grimes movies. The A/B stuff is intriguing, but it did not add to anything after that scene. The Walking Dead World Beyond is a two-season show and things need to pick up fast on the second season. The finale is good. But I did not leave with the urgency of anticipating the second season. But I hope that it is better than the first season.

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