This 2017 feature of Wonder Woman did $504.9 million in profits, with many mixed reviews which led to the slow-growing sales. Wonder Woman is the second hero of the Justice League to have a solo movie. This film starts out in the present day, sometime after Superman’s funeral in Batman V Superman. Lex Luthor knew of Diana’s presence and chronological age through a photo taken back in World War 1. This film deals more with that time period instead of the present day.

The original photo was later obtained by Bruce Wayne and given to Diana as a gift of good faith between the heroes. The audience is taken back in time where Diana is growing up on Themyscira. Beginning from an early teen, Diana is secretly training to become a warrior against her mother’s wishes. When this was later found out, Diana was admitted to further training, only on the conditions that her training will be harder than what any Amazon has faced. Later, Themyscira is accidentally discovered by the opposing teams of the current world war. Upon receiving information on the world war, learning the deaths of millions especially woman and children, Diana concluded Ares is the main culprit to the world issues. Diana chose to leave her home hoping to defeat Ares, thus ending world conflicts forever. What Diana learned after Ares’ defeat was mortals could no longer be influenced by the Gods of the past and had the free will to decide peace or war among themselves.

Diana’s mission to defeat Ares was reminiscent of Captain Rogers during his crusade against the Red Skull. In the cinematic timelines of DC and Marvel Comics, Captain Roger’s heroic past was during World War 2 while Diana was in the first World War. Captain America is a biological experiment that was able to dominate the battle field. He turned the tides of the war, seemingly destroying the infamous Hydra, thus spreading his name worldwide. Wonder Woman is a demigod warrior, who easily prevailed during battle because of her powers passed down from the Gods. Her love for the innocent kept her actively involved through the decades protecting the freedoms of the innocent.

After the release of this film, Batman V Superman seemed to flow nicely with the story line of Wonder Woman. Diana took witness of the rise and fall of Superman, an alien with similar strength levels to her own. Batman was someone Diana is impressed by because as a mortal with no powers, his commitment a world hero is common with her core beliefs. More than likely, Batman reminds Wonder Woman of Steve Trevor, a mortal soldier willingly to put his life on the line for the innocent. As such, Diana helped Bruce find the meta humans that were found in Lex Luthor’s computer files. Diana grouped herself with exceptional men once before to take down Ares, now she will do so again. This time the threat is coming from deep space and her band of warriors are standalone heroes like herself that will unite together in the upcoming Justice League movie. Was Wonder Woman educated about universal beings in Themyscira, or will this become a whole new experience for the Amazon to face? What are your thoughts for this Wonder Woman release? Leave your comments below and Check Out Side Show Collectibles for exclusive statues of Wonder Woman!!!

MOVIE REVIEW!!!

Captain America: Civil War is the biggest film among the character’s two films: The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier.This film brought in $678.4 million on its first weekend possibly because Civil War felt more of an Avengers film, with for the exception of Thor and The Hulk. Their absence from the film can only suggest that during this cinematic battle, they were on Asgard, a spoiler for the upcoming film Thor: Ragnarok. This Civil War film is based on the comic book stories leading up to Captain America battling with Iron Man. What makes this year in comic films exciting is iconic characters in battle with each other thus introducing new characters into the cinematic universe. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is another film in which the iconic characters of DC Comics battle on screen, also heavily based upon comic stories. The cinematic version of Civil War shows how a team of heroes can be split apart by governmental influences and personal loyalties to friends. Which side did you choose? Which live battle sequence did you favor between Dawn of Justice and Civil War?

Black Panther‘s feature in this film is his big introduction to the cinematic universe. 17 years ago, Wesley Snipes had set his sights on bringing the Black Panther to the big screen. Since its derailment, Wesley’s success for Marvel Comics came with the Blade film series. Actor Chadwick Boseman portrayed the African Prince of Wakanda. His costume design was superior, able to withstand high-caliber bullets without flinching. Could his costume be much stronger than Iron Man’s? The Black Panther’s fighting style and physical feats brought the warrior in a live action sequence perfectly. Battling both Captain America and Bucky took little effort for the warrior. Black Panther was able to damage Captain’s shield with his Vibranium claws and Thor couldn’t dent the shield with his own hammer. Black Panther has his own solo film, released in November of 2017. Was Civil War a perfect introduction for Black Panther or could fans have waited for his solo film?

Spiderman also made a big appearance in this film. Spiderman is portrayed by Tom Holland this time around and is played as Iron Man’s understudy. Fans were able to see Spiderman in action with other heroes other than himself. His adolescent behavior and physical feats, much like in his other films, were a crowd favorite. Iron Man created a new version of Spiderman’s original costume, but with new enhancements, notably the new mechanical eyes on his mask. In the comics, Iron Man created the Iron Spider Armor for Spiderman and not his famous red and blue outfit. Since we have seen this original version of Spiderman’s costume many times in other films, would Spiderman’s entrance in this film have been even monumental if his armor was create instead? Will Tony Stark appear in Spiderman’s upcoming film? Will Tom Holland take the crown as the new Spiderman?

Another crowd favorite was the return of Ant Man in the cinematic universe. His solo film became a big success for Marvel Comics and his cameo in Civil War help bridge his on screen appearance until his next solo film. In Civil War, Scott learn to manipulate his suit even further thus creating Giant Man. It is confirmed that the Avenger films are leading up to the Infinity War Movies. Ant-Man was not apart of the comic book series Infinity Gauntlet, but will this be one of Marvel’s many changes by including him?

The Rise of Skywalker is the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga. Since the adventures of Luke, the galaxy is at war with the Empire, later becoming the First Order. In this final installment, Darth Sidious has returned to attempt his ultimate plan of controlling the galaxy. The theme of this film is similar to that of Return of the Jedi. To date, The Rise of Skywalker grossed $1.074 billion dollars. Since the release of this film, the world was introduced to Disney Plus, featuring all Star Wars films including mini-series that will tie the films together such as the Mandalorian and Obi Wan Kenobi.

Sidious transferred his consciousness to a clone body before his destruction on the Second Death Star. Since then, Sidious struggled to bring his cloned body to full power and mobility. Even in his weaken state, the Emperor is able to continue his reign in the First Order through Snoke. His final design was a massive fleet of Sith Destroyers, each with the power to destroy planets like the Death Star and the StarKiller Base. What the Emperor needed most was a way to keep the Sith alive, so he attempted to get Kylo Ren to kill Rey or have Rey kill himself. In either case, the Emperor was attempting to shift his consciousness into a fresh Force sensitive body. Instead, Sidious accidentally discovered the power to absorb the pair’s Force connection to restore his own body and it strengthen his power substantially. Since Palpatine has achieved different forms of survival, why would he allow himself to be taken down by his own power, in the same fashion that scarred him when he battled Mace Windu? Before Palpatine was destroyed by Rey, did he still transfer his consciousness into her as he originally planned to do if she slayed him?

Kylo Ren’s path continues deeper in the dark side. Still desiring to become equal with Vader, his journey brought him face to face with the fallen Emperor. Palpatine insured Ren that his power could be even greater than Vader if he obeyed him, a feat Ren didn’t consider for himself out of respect for his grandfather. Sidious also revealed to Ren that it was he who has been impersonating the spirit Darth Vader, a voice Ren has been following through this entire series. Even though Ren has Sidious in his head, he still wants to take the power for himself and recruit Rey by his side, as the Sith Rule of Two tradition states. During the span of this series, Ren and Snoke didn’t know of the Sith Order or how it should be operated. They only knew of the dark side, and they were the only two at the time wielding the dark force. The death of Leia broke his connection to the dark side, and he used his power to help Rey against Palpatine at the cost of his own life. Ren strived to become Vader’s equal, but he didn’t know he his actions was already running parallel to his grandfather’s path of the dark side. Fans want to know…, why didn’t Ben Solo appear as a Force Spirit with Luke and Leia, like his grandfather did along with Yoda and Ben Kenobi when he returned to the light side of the Force upon his death?

Poe and Finn both have risen within the ranks of the Resistance and their dynamic partnership on missions created a strong friendship. We’ve seen Poe begin as a top fighter pilot, then becoming a General in the Resistance. His success in missions is backed with his super confidence and arrogance. As a Stormtrooper, Finn was trained to be an obedient soldier, but his rising powers within the Force helped him divert from the dark path the Order set for him. In this film we see Finn’s sensitivity to the Force growing to the point of clairvoyance. Will Finn’s character develop even further to the level of Jedi, in possible future film or TV series with Disney Plus?

Rey is training to strengthen her powers within the Force, primarily the art of communion with Jedi spirits of the past. During the course of the film, Rey discovers her ability to heal the injured and instinctively wields Force Lightning. Rey is the granddaughter of Palpatine, a result of Palpatine’s clone escaping confinement and finding love. Now that Leia and Kylo Ren has passed, Rey is now the last Jedi. Before burying Luke and Leia’s lightsaber in the Tatooine desert, she constructed her own saber which represents being a Jedi Sentinel. If the galaxy is now at peace, why would Rey need to construct a new lightsaber? Now that the Skywalker Saga is complete, what new direction will Star Wars take?  What were your thoughts on this film? Leave your thoughts below and check out Sideshow Collectibles for Rise of Skywalker memorabilia!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a great film! New imagery and vision by a new director brought Star Wars to a new generation. To date, The Force Awakens grossed 2.071 billion dollars, making this film the start of a great trilogy that will last a lifetime. This film has similarities to the New Hope film, let’s begin:

• At the beginning of both films the Empire is searching for information in an invasion type manner against civilians believed to be a part of the Rebellion. In the New Hope, the Empire was searching for plans for the Death Star while in The Force Awakens, the Empire is searching for a map with Luke Skywalker’s location…
• The main character in this film named Rey also originated on a desert type planet like Luke. Both characters are showcased as excellent pilots. Rey became more in tune with the Force way before Luke…
• Finn and Rey escape the desert planet in the Millennium Falcon like Luke and Obi-Wan, but this time, the escapees where the pilots of that ship…
• The ultimate threat of the Empire once again is a planet size weapon capable of destroying other planets. In the Force Awakens, this weapon was the size of an actual planet, with atmosphere and an Earth like landscape. The weapon on A New Hope was the size of a small moon. A In both films, the Empire’s weapon is tested on planetary systems connected to the Resistance, a demonstration of their destructive power……

There were differences that left the movie interesting. Interesting enough to leave fans wanting the following films of this trilogy. Let’s begin:  

• Han Solo is killed by his son, who happens to be the main villain of this film. Rey becomes Chewbacca’s new companion….
• The villain Kylo Ren is the grandson of Darth Vader. His behavior is that of the early Anakin Skywalker…
• Finn was apart of the Empire as a Stormtrooper, then later joined the Resistance…

Is the Sith Order gone or is this a new wave of the dark side? Will we ever see Luke Skywalker in action in the future? What will become of Finn? Star Wars The Force Awakens is a great beginning to a new era of Star Wars and a must see for everyone! 

Wonder Woman 1984 released Christmas of 2020 in theatres and streamed on HBOMax. WW84 had multiple release delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing the film to generate $154.6 million, below the budget of $200 million. WW84 takes place in 1984, where Diana works in an antique museum as we see her in Justice League but in 1984 she is stationed in Washington D.C. The Dream Stone makes its way to the museum, creating chaos that Wonder Woman must bring to order. What type of power do you think the Infinity Gauntlet would have if the Dream Stone was apart of the stone settings?

While in presence of the Dream Stone, Diana inadvertently wished to be with Steve Trevor again. His spirit returned, embodied inside another man. Despite this, Diana could recognize Steve as if he were in his original form. During their reunion, Diana made a successful attempt to shield a stolen fighter jet from radar, an art she learned from her father. With this cinematic perspective, comic fans understand that Wonder Woman could render any object invisible, instead of the belief Amazons had the technology to create invisible warcrafts. Diana’s inadvertent wish came with the negative effect of taking away her powers. After renouncing her wish, she gained back her powers, thus losing Trevor indefinitely. Flight became a new addition during Diana’s power restoration, a feat she had yet to display on film.

Until this film, we’ve seen Diana’s areal feat as extended leaps, similar to The Hulk in various films or Faroa in Man of Steel. In WW84 we also see Diana use the Lasso of Truth as a grappling hook to jettison into the air or stream along lightning currents in the higher altitudes. Does Diana gain a new level of power each time she is restored from depletion? Can we get a crossover cinematic visual of Wonder Woman traveling to Asgard to offer an alliance with Themiscyra, merging Greek and Norse Mythology? What about Diana’s attempt to wield Mjölnir? With her warrior’s might and Asteria’s armor , do you think Diana could lead the Valkyrie?

Pedro Pascal, actor as the Mandalorian, plays Max Lord in WW84. His life is filled with ambition with minimal success in business and personal life. This causes disorder when he wished to be the Dream Stone in the flesh. Max Lord’s character seemed focused on the fundamentals of the Law of Attraction and how greed among humans have devastating consequences on many levels. Was the power of wishes and dreams the theme of the movie? Is there a negative effect when we have positive dreams for ourselves?

WW84 presented Diana’s next foe, the feline humanoid Cheetah. Barbara gained her animalistic powers from the Dream Stone, after replacing her first wish of wanting to be like Diana. This is different from the comic blueprint where Barbara gained her powers from Urzkartaga. Its assumed that Barbara renounced her wish, but did she? It appears that Max Lord renounced his wish of being the Dream Stone before Barbara could renounce her wish. Because of this, is it possible her powers remained but can only return at night like Werewolf by Night? Will there be another film to bridge the time of 1984 to 2016 when the Trinity battled Doomsday? What were your thoughts on this film? Leave your comments below and check out SlideShow Collectibles for WW84 memorabilia!!!