Travelling the Multiverse
So I mean honestly what else was there to talk about this week but the long awaited Snyder Cut! Join Jim, Rob and Michael as they pick it apart and give you their honest opinions on how the original vision of the film came out!
Also there is some Earth9 news, things are changing a little, take a listen to find out what!
For this animated movie we head to the seas and meet Arthur Curry who is down and out while mourning the loss of his Dad. This film should be used as a template for origin films. It was so much fun, so entertaining and what I appreciated the most is that as someone who hasn’t ever really been that interested in Aquaman as a character, it changed my perspective.
Throne of Atlantis takes place after the affects of Justice League: War and there’s commotion in the ocean as Prince Orm (Ocean Master) believes they have been attacked by land dwellers. He teams up with Black Manta to over throw Queen Atlantis but perhaps takes things a little too far. One thing I always appreciate about these DC animated films is how the animation, story telling and actors come together so well and once again there’s some perfect casting with Sam Witwer and Henry Lennix as Orm and Manta. The two of them together make a great double act.
As soon as Arthur meets Mera you can feel the spark. Their connection is instantaneous and this film does a brilliant job in conveying this really subtly. Matt Lanter and Sumalee Montano inject these characters with loads of personality and allow them to become people you connect with and care about. Arthur’s journey is pretty similar to Jason Mamoa’s live action version but the biggest difference is that both his parents are dead. The fact that he was minutes away from meeting his Mum properly for the first time really saddened me. Portraying just how strong and powerful he is and how awesome his trident is, makes you take him seriously which may not have always been the case and now I’m on a mission to read more about him.
As always, I love having the other Justice League members along for the ride. They’re just finding their feet as a team, avoiding bad team name choices and making connections with each other. Superman and Wonder Woman particularly make a strong connection which again follows on from what we saw at the end of Justice League: War. I loved the scene with Lois crashing their date and the under tones of jealousy both these women have towards each other. The other stand out character for me was Green Lantern and Nathan Fillion wonderfully breathes so much fun and humour into him.
Throne of Atlantis really is a superb DC film which brings Aquaman to the forefront and shows him off fabulously. I genuinely can’t think of a reason why anyone wouldn’t love this.
Based on the Justice League Origin comic, this film introduces us to The Justice League in quite a spectacular way. This is 79 mins of non stop action as we see some of our favourite DC heroes meet each other for the very first time, take on a huge villain and eventually come together as a team.
As the film starts we discover that this is set in a period of time where heroes are just surfacing and the general public are not keen on them at all. After a few sightings in public they think Batman is an evil vampire and as Wonder Woman takes a more public stance, she’s labelled a whore and bimbo. What I enjoyed most about this was the interactions between all of these great characters. Most of them do not like each other to start with and they don’t realise that they shouldn’t be fighting each other as they actually have a common goal. Each character’s skill set is really shown off which serves as a great introduction to viewers who aren’t so familiar with them.
I really felt like I was watching a comic brought to life as the animation style is visually pleasing. Add this to some really great talent from actors like Sean Astin, Jason O’Mara, Michelle Monoghan and Shemar Moore, it s a winning combination. Shemar does a great job in portraying Cyborg’s origin story and the complexity of Victor’s relationship with his Dad gives the film some heart. Darkseid acts as the big bad in this and whilst he looks completely grimacing and indestructible, Steve Blum’s vocals make him appear even more threatening.
You instantly feel the connection between Superman and Batman and tracks are laid for a more interesting relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman (much to the upset of Steve Trevor). Whilst Cyborg is quite intense, The Flash, Shazam and Green Lantern provide some humour and light relief. Justin Kirk gives us a Green Lantern comparable with what we saw from Ryan Reynolds. It was also interesting to have some pop culture thrown in for laughs with references to things like True Blood and World of Warcraft.
Overall, Justice League: War is a really enjoyable animated movie which made me want to watch the next one straight away. It uses a fantastic villain to bring together a group of superheroes who figure out a way to use their awesome powers together and save the world. I loved it.
Welcome to our first podcast of the new year! And the biggest thing in the DC Universe right now has to be Wonder Woman ’84 so join us as we discuss everything and we mean everything (spoilers) about the movie, then we talk about what DC stuff we’re looking forward to this year! (some slight audio issues with this one, Jim’s audio was taken from his webcam not microphone because sometimes computers go crazy!!)
So its finally here, one of the most anticipated DC movies ever, release date pushed and pushed to the point that I thought it might never be released! But its out, here in the UK we’ve had it for a couple of weeks in the cinema although most of those are closed currently! But for everyone in the US the cinema and HBO Max dual release has happened and people are having thoughts! So here at Earth9 we like to throw our hat in the ring with thoughts, here are mine!
Wonder Woman 84 is unapologetically a comic book movie, everything that happens is over the top and the story could be ripped straight from the pages of a Wonder Woman graphic novel, this is its strongest but also its weakest point.
Lets talk the good first Gal Gadot is once again amazing as Diana Prince, we know this it’s not news, Chris Pine is back and is still fantastic as Steve Trevor but we have new kids on the block with Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva/Cheetah and Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord and they are awesome! For someone who’s more known for comedic roles Kristen Wiig really turns it up and is totally believable in her role as mild timid Barbara turning super villain and the introduction of Maxwell Lord to this universe is great and Pedro plays him with such intensity and at times desperation that he just works!
Now lets talk the bad, the story can feel rushed and disjointed in places, there are worldwide events going on that seem to happen almost off screen, then while the character development for Barbara and Max are good but there is not enough Cheetah in this film, as one of Diana’s biggest enemies in the comics I expected more, however it does feel like an origin story to build to a further sequel. Also I felt that Wonder Woman’s character development seemed a little counter-productive she’s a saviour, a god, the best of us, but seems to be pining after Steve Trevor to the point that him coming back makes him her saviour and kind of pushes her to be Wonder Woman, that doesn’t really sit quite right with me. I get that he’s kind of her weakness but it takes away a little from her badassary.
Overall though I did really enjoy this film, it looks amazing, the opening scene is awesome and we do get an absolute ton of fan service so for someone like me I’m picking up all the little things its just great and builds a larger universe. the music is great her new redone theme is excellent and with this being set in the 80s the visual aesthetic is tremendous, there’s a part that gave me the opening of Superman 3 vibes which I think is a good thing lol.
Is it as good as the first film? I don’t think so, but it is a enjoyable sequel that is a fun watch and one that I would happily watch again once its out on blu-ray or if we ever get HBO Max in the UK!
