But I Digress...Genius or Madness? The Evil Within (2017)

By Cat

Movie Name/Year: The Evil Within (2017)
Tagline: You Can't Run From a Nightmare
Genre: Horror
Length: 98 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Production Companies: Supernova LLC, The Writers Studio
Producers: Michael Luceri, Scott Putman, Robert Stark Hickey, Kent Van Vleet
Director: Andrew Getty
Writer: Andrew Getty
Actors: Fred Koehler, Sean Patrick Flanery, Brianna Brown, Dina Meyer, Kim Darby, Francis Guinan, Tim Bagley, Michael Berryman, Matthew McGrory
Stunt Doubles/Coordinators: Cheryl Lynn Albrecht, Hank Amos, Jennifer Cobb, Brycen Counts, Colin Follenweider, Meegan Godfrey, Leigh Hennessy, Peter Iacangelo III, Karine Mauffrey, Cassandra McCormick, Peewee Piemonte, Felipe Savahge, Marc Schaffer, Jim Vickers

Viewing Options: Amazon Instant Video (Available on Prime), YouTube (Purchase), Vudu, iTunes
Trust the Dice Rating: R

Blurb from IMDb: The sadistic tale of a lonely, mentally handicapped boy who befriends his reflection in an antique mirror. This demonic creature orders him to go on a murderous rampage.*
* Blurb truncated to avoid spoilers.

For today’s digression, I bring to you a tale of inspiration, passion, darkness, and obsession. That’s not even touching on the movie yet!

I thought I’d change things up a bit and give you a review for a movie I have been eager to see since an article crossed my Facebook feed in March, titled “You Need To Know About THE EVIL WITHIN Right This Minute.” I took that click-bait and became intrigued with the story about this movie – both in its making and the film, itself. 

I’ll get to that. For now, the movie!

This film certainly satisfied my craving for a horror movie. I haven’t seen one quite like this in some time. Though, usually when I’m cocking my head to the side and uttering ‘what the hell?’ it’s not for good reasons. That wasn’t the case here. I couldn't look away - even when I wanted to.

Upfront, I’ll tell you that this film is a mind-fuck. It blurs the lines of dream and reality. One has to question if there’s actually a supernatural presence involved or if it’s all in the main character’s head. Either way, the story is fundamentally disturbing. There's also some gore; but honestly, the movie doesn't rely on that or even the traditional 'scares' to get under your skin. It's highly creative and original.

Frederick Koehler (Death Race, Victor, American Horror Story) was able to switch gears with eerie ease in his role as Dennis. Sometimes you see actors portraying a mentally challenged person, and they play to all the tired tropes – often losing the quality of truth that allows you to suspend disbelief. Not so, here. He captured that essence of being trapped in your own head that is likely why so many are uncomfortable with mental disabilities. How much is really going on behind the challenged person’s ability to express themselves? 

There’s some really heady stuff blended in here – but it doesn’t (or shouldn’t) make you feel like you’re being bludgeoned with it. There are some nuances that are masterfully laced into this film that make for some interesting ‘lightbulb’ moments as the story climaxes and events begin to spiral. 

This movie might not be for everyone. It’s trippy, to say the least. Some of the elements are downright insane. But that is quite likely to be entirely on purpose. 

While the film is heavily centered on Dennis and his struggles between dreams, reality, a possible supernatural element, and his own mind; it also explores a bit the roles of family members as caregivers and how it can impact their lives. There were a few spotty bits in this underlying plot involving Dennis’ older brother John, played by Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints, Dexter, The Devil's Carnival), and his girlfriend Lydia, played by Dina Meyer (Starship Troopers, Saw, Turbulence). Overall, I think it adds more to the film than the itty bitty missing pieces of the puzzle take away. These were really the only scenes that didn’t feel as connected and seamless as the rest. 

So why is the making of the movie so intriguing? Well, see that’s what I was talking about at the beginning here. This is the sole film credit for writer/director Andrew Getty (1967–2015). His last name might be familiar because he’s one of the heirs of the industrialist John Paul Getty (1967–2015) of Getty Oil, the Getty Foundation, J. Paul Getty Museum, and the like. There are several other well-known family members, but let’s focus on Andrew. 

Andrew Getty created this movie as a passion project. He funded the film with his own personal fortune, but unfortunately died before he could see the final production released. It’s a shame, really, considering this movie was 15 years in the making. Filming began in 2002, and Getty committed himself to making the movie perfect. He had a hand in every aspect of production, and took meticulous care with camerawork and effects. Getty, himself, created all the sets, elaborate animatronics, and camera rigs. 

Long after principle photography had ended, he was furiously editing and agonizing over every film cell – which is what he was still doing at the time of his death. There had been a few other hiccups along the way that stalled production, but Getty was undaunted. Luckily, producers had enough to run with to finish after his passing and finally option the film for purchase and release. So here we are! 

Was this movie a work of genius or madness? I say both – mad genius. It was amazing in its own quirky way. It delivered on my expectations and then some. It won’t be for everyone, but I think fans of the genre will appreciate it. I have hopes this will become a cult classic.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – N/A

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 33%

Metascore – N/A

Metacritic User Score – N/A

IMDB Score – 5.8/10

Amazon Score – 3.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5

Movie Trailer:

But I Digress... is a weekly column for trustthedice.com that can't be pinned down to just one thing. It's Cat's celebration of tangents, random references, and general fan geekdom that both intertwines with, revolves around, and diverges from our movie-review core. In homage to the beloved Brit comedians, we want to bring you something completely different!

Blue is the Warmest Color (2013) - Foreign Film Friday

Number Rolled: 7

Movie Name/Year: Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

Tagline: None

Genre: Drama, Romance

Length: 179 minutes

Rating: NC-17

Production Companies: Quat'sous Films, Wild Bunch, France 2 Cinéma, Scope Pictures, Vértigo Films, Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF), Canal+, Ciné+, France 2 (FR2), Eurimages, Région Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), Pictanovo Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France Télévision, Le Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique, Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Scope Pictures

Producer: Brahim Chioua, Laurence Clerc, Francois Guerrar, Abdellatif Kechiche, Vincent Maraval, Olivier Thery Lapiney

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Writer: Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalia Lacroix, Julie Maroh

Actors: Lea Seydoux, Adele Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Aurelien Recoing, Catherine Salee, Benjamin Siksou, Mona Walravens, Alma Jodorowsky, Jeremie Laheurte, Anne Loiret, Bonit Pilot, Sandor Funtek, Fanny Maurin, Maelys Cabezon, Samir Bella, Tom Hurier, Manon Piette, Quentin Medrinal, Peter Assogbavi, Wisdom Ayanou, Stephane Mercoyrol, Lucie Bibal, Baya Rehaz, Marilyne Chanaud, Camille Rutherford, Michael Skal

Stunt Doubles: None

Blurb from Netflix: Determined to fall in love, 15-year-old Adele is focused on boys. But it’s a blue-haired girl she meets on the street who really piques her interest.

Selina’s Point of View:

We only have a few films on our queue that fall into the NC-17 category, so I don’t really bother to look at the MPAA rating before I start watching. I really regretted that choice here because I had no clue I was walking face-first into a three-hour long porn.

Now, I have no problem with sex scenes in movies. Sometimes they add another layer to the film. I mean, could you imagine American Pie (1999) without the scene where Jason Biggs (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Orange is the New Black, Two for One) gets intimate with some apple filling? Sure, there are more sweet and genuine examples, but my brain stopped working about forty-five minutes ago.

This film didn’t just use sex to elevate the story, though. It made sex the core of the story, and, yes, it was graphic. It earned that NC-17 rating and then some. It was pretty much just an emotional porn… which I feel cheapened the romance between the two main characters.

That’s what I took away from the film.

Technically speaking, it was a beautiful film. But that’s technically speaking. We don’t really rely on that here at Trust the Dice. We don’t write about whether or not a room full of directors and writers would enjoy the film, we want to know if a room full of general audience members would. People who’ve never been to film school.

My thought is that, no, a general audience wouldn’t enjoy this film.

Not only is the movie painfully long, it has very little substance outside of the stereotypical indie flick base. Nothing really gets solved in it and there’s a kind of choppy jumping around feeling to it. I know it was loved at the film festivals, but I can’t connect the movie I just watched to the amount of love I’ve seen for it on the internet.

If I look past the porny quality to it, I can see aspects of Blue is the Warmest Color that I did enjoy. I sound like I’m giving it a hard time, and I am, but I didn’t HATE it. I wouldn’t watch it again, but I acknowledge that it had some decent aspects.

To be fair, I think a lot of the film was lost on me. Bits of literature were brought up here and there, but it was always from books I’d either never heard of or never read. It’s possible that I might have caught more of the planned nuances if I was familiar with that material.

Aside from that, I found it difficult to watch the main actress, Adele Exarchopoulos (Down By Love, Insecure, Voyage vers la mere). She was a beautiful actress and she can perform a crying scene like no one else… but the way the director had her constantly eating with her mouth wide open made me a little ill.

Cat’s Point of View:

Oh geez, where do I start. I know that sounds ominous – and it should.

Before anyone thinks the worst, I don’t think this was a horrible movie. I just simply didn’t enjoy it.

First of all, the whole thing was way too long. I mean, really? Nearly 3 hours is a bit much for something like this. There were so many long and drawn out scenes of practically nothing going on. 

Some of the shots that gave you the characters’ perspectives were interesting – but did we really need all of that? The movement shots following characters walking weren’t your typical spastic shaky-cam but it was almost as bad with all the bobbing around.

It’s said that they filmed over 800 hours of footage and that a significant bit of Adèle Exarchopoulos’ (Pieces of Me, Les Anarchistes, Orphan) were obtained as the cameras kept rolling on her between scenes as she was walking around or eating, etc. This, of course, explains much. 

The filming is said to have been rather intense, so her deer-in-headlights zombie vibe at least makes sense now. Did we have to capture people eating with their mouths open? It is what it is, however.

For all of the issues I have with this movie, there are still good points. Exarchopoulos was believable in her expression of emotion and I absolutely bought in to her connection with Léa Seydoux (Robin Hood, Midnight in Paris, The Grand Budapest Hotel). The film also manages to be a think-piece without being horrendously pretentious – but only barely. There’s a lot of philosophy woven into the tale, but it’s generally legitimately plot driven.

Speaking of plot driven – there’s quite a bit of nudity in the film. It didn’t feel like it was gratuitous, but that NC-17 rating is legitimate and mostly stems from explicit scenes.

All in all, I don’t feel that my time was wasted in watching this movie, and I did find myself grudgingly sucked in to the emotions of the piece. I just don’t think I’d choose this movie for myself if I were looking for something to watch – and I don’t intend to watch it again.

Languages

Speech Available: French

Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 91%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 85%

Metascore - 88/100

Metacritic User Score – 7.9/10

IMDB Score – 7.8/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2/5

P.S.  Based on a graphic novel.

Movie Trailer:

Remember Me (2010)

Number Rolled: 25

Movie Name/Year: Remember Me (2010)

Tagline: Live in the moments.

Genre: Romance, Drama

Length: 112 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: Summit Entertainment

Producer: Carol Cuddy, Trevor Engelson, Michael Lannan, Nick Osborne, Robert Pattinson

Director: Allen Coulter

Writer: Will Fetters

Actors: Caitlyn Rund, Chris Cooper, Robert Pattinson, Tate Ellington, Emilie de Ravin, Ruby Jerins, Lena Olin, Gregory Jbara, Pierce Brosnan, Meghan Markle, Chris McKinney, Kate Burton, Martha Plimpton

Stunt Doubles: Paul Darnell, Samantha MacIvor

Blurb from Netflix: Tyler’s still feeling lost following the tragedy that’s strained his relationship with his father when he meets Ally, a girl who understands his pain.

Selina’s Point of View:

Holy balls, that took a hard left turn.

I’m writing this forty-five minutes later and my eyes are still wet. That film went in a completely different direction than I expected it to.

I’m going to stick to talking about the beginning and the middle right now, because the ending might as well have been another movie altogether.

To start off with, it was pretty much what you would expect from a romantic drama. In fact, the beginning was so normal that it could have been the start of any romantic drama out there. I particularly liked the pick-up lines Robert Pattinson (The Lost City of Z, Cosmopolis, Little Ashes), as Tyler, had to issue when he first met Emilie de Ravin’s (Once Upon a Time, Love and Other Trouble, The Perfect Game) character. They were such bullshit, dorky lines. However, it’s because Pattinson’s character was not smooth that it made sense.

I hate going into a rom-com or rom-dram and watching the supposedly nervous guy be so smooth that his shit clearly doesn’t stink. That was not an issue here.

Pattinson isn’t even an actor I really like, but I enjoyed his part in Remember Me. I respected his chemistry with Tate Ellington (Shameless, The Endless, Straight Outta Compton), the actor playing Tyler’s best friend, and Ravin – but it was his interaction with Pierce Brosnan (No Escape, Survivor, The Love Punch) that had me glued to the screen a lot of the time. Not just because I totally related to the speech Pattinson’s character gave at one point… though that helped.

I’m kind of stalling because I don’t know what to write about that ending. How the hell do I do it justice?

The most I can really tell you, without issuing spoilers, is that I didn’t even consider the possibility of the ending. It caught me so off-guard that my mouth was hanging open the whole time. As I’ve said, it could have been the end to a different movie. I don’t mean it was off topic or that it didn’t fit, I mean that they took life and made this film reflect the unpredictability. That is not an easy thing to do. Especially successfully.

That’s what this whole review comes down to. Remember Me was successful. It was a tearjerker that broke my heart over and over again while keeping me riveted.

Cat’s Point of View:

Wow.

I’m actually reeling a bit in the wake of watching this movie.

That’s not a bad thing, though, I promise. I just couldn’t have seen the ending coming even if it was the speeding freight train I was standing on the tracks of – and it feels like it hit me like that, too.

I’m going to admit that I underestimated this movie a little. Scratch that. A lot. Given that this was filmed during a time when Robert Pattinson (Water for Elephants, Bel Ami, Queen of the Desert) was on top of the world because he could be broody and sparkle, I guess I expected that this would fall into the same sort of romantic drama recipe – sans supernatural glitter-bugs.

Boy was I wrong.

Pattinson really didn’t get much of a chance to shine in the tales of wand-wielding wizard school – there was just too much else going on. This movie offered up so many opportunities to show his range through a whole gauntlet of emotions – which he delivered believably. I was sucked into the story; and even found myself worried about, and rooting for his character. Not to mention Emilie de Ravin’s (The Hills Have Eyes, Lost, The Submarine Kid). She displayed her character’s strength and vulnerability beautifully.

The supporting cast here was also great.

I was jazzed that we had two Pierce Brosnan (The World's End, Urge, The Son) movies this week. Surprisingly, I liked this much more than the one we watched for Monday. Tate Ellington (The Kitchen, Sinister 2, Quantico) was an epic best friend slash roommate, as well.

I’m not saying that the film didn’t play on some of the well-established romantic drama tropes. I am saying, however, that it put a new spin on the old recipe to give it a kick – right to the feels. I really have to tip my hat to the screenwriter, Will Fetters (Georgetown, The Lucky One, The Best of Me), for this one. There were so many little nuances in the story that spell a bigger picture than was just hiding in plain sight.

I would definitely recommend this movie in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can watch it again after it already stomped on my feels already.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 27%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 68%

Metascore - 40/100

Metacritic User Score – 7.7/10

IMDb Score – 7.2/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

Movie Trailer:

I.T. (2016)

Number Rolled: 9

Movie Name/Year: I.T. (2016)

Tagline: Your life is not secure.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Length: 95 minutes

Rating: NR

Production Companies: Voltage Pictures, Friendly Films (II), Irish DreamTime, Mutressa Movies, 22h22, Canal+, Cine+, Fastnet Films

Producer: Pierce Brosnan, Nicolas Chartier, Romilda De Luca, Babacar Diene, Craig J. Flores, David T. Friendly, Valentina Gardani, Léonard Glowinski, Frank Hildebrand, Dan Kay, Macdara Kelleher, Elika Portnoy, Dominic Rustam, Sigurjon Sighvatsson, Beau St. Clair, Peter Veverka, William Wisher Jr.

Director: John Moore

Writer: Dan Kay, William Wisher

Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Jason Barry, Karen Moskow, Kai Ryssdal, Brian F. Mulvey, Martin Hindy, Rico Hizon, Anna Friel, Stefanie Scott, Clare-Hope Ashitey, David McSavage, James Frecheville, Olivia Romao, Adam Fergus, Gina Cervetti, Austin Swift, Melissa Veszi, Fionn Walton, Robyn Dempsey, Roy Nini, Steve Harland, Jay Benedict, Michael Nyqvist, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Bruce Johnson, Rico Simonini

Stunt Doubles: Aoife Byrne

Blurb from Netflix: An embittered IT consultant launches a stealthy attack against a wealthy businessman by turning his state-of-the-art smart home against him.

Selina’s Point of View:

I’m a little on the fence with this film.

To begin with, the film was definitely thrilling. In this over-connected world, I.T. exploited the idea of people gaining control over others through technology. It exposed a firm lack of privacy and reinforces the fact that no one can do anything about it if they don’t have an extreme amount of knowledge in all things tech.

All the actors did very well and the antagonist was intensely creepy… but there was a decent amount of cringe, too… and we all know that is beyond not my thing.

I had some minor issues.

Among those issues were accents that were used that really weren’t necessary and a few little plot holes. All-in-all, though, it still wasn’t that bad. It just wasn’t as good as I had been hoping it would be either.

I guess my final opinion is: although the film isn’t for me, it’s a perfectly legitimate choice for someone a little more interested in the plot, the creators, or one of the actors involved.

Cat’s Point of View:

I was pretty stoked that the dice gave us this movie. I was intrigued by the trailer, and it was #9 on my list of Movies to Look Out for in September of 2016.

I enjoyed this movie. It makes for a slight cautionary tale about the power of technology and those we trust to access that modern aspect of our daily lives.

Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mia!, The November Man, No Escape) never fails to disappoint, for me at least. He slips as easily into the skin of the debonair super spy as he does family man. It is a bit more exciting to see him in action-driven roles than the romantic ones, but this film gives a little sample of everything. There’s action, romance, family dynamic, and a little of that spy feel.

I appreciated how some of the scenes were set up, and how the weather was even utilized. It made one particular scene of the movie quite memorable for me. Unfortunately, I’m unable to explain why in more detail because of spoilers.

Let’s talk a minute about James Frecheville (Animal Kingdom, Adore, The Stanford Prison Experiment). Can we say ‘creeper’? Of course, I mean his role in this movie. His portrayal of the I.T. guy hit on all the right notes to have me tilting my head to the side, squinting at him, and wondering what it was that was ‘off’ from the outset.

I certainly don’t want to ignore the ladies in this movie. I didn’t have any problems with their performances. There was one particular scene around the climax of the film where I was particularly impressed with Stefanie Scott (Frenemies, Caught, 1 Mile to You). Again, I don’t want to spoil things for you – but when actors are able to say so much with body language alone, it’s fairly powerful. It’s good to see that the young former Disney actress is spreading her wings.

I liked the movie. It was enjoyable enough that I’d recommend it and just might watch it again.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English, Spanish

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 10%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 26%

Metascore - 27/100

Metacritic User Score – 4.4/10

IMDB Score – 5.4/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: R

Movie Trailer:

Wonder Woman (2017) - Through the Eyes of Selina

Number Rolled: N/A

Movie Name/Year: Wonder Woman (2017)

Tagline: The future of justice begins with her.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Length: 141 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: Atlas Entertainment, Cruel & Unusual Films, DC Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Tencent Pictures, Wanda Pictures, Warner Bros.

Producer: Jon Berg, Wesley Coller, Tommy Gormley, Geoff Johns, Stephen Jones, Curt Kanemoto, Charles Roven, Rebecca Steel Roven, Enzo Sisti, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Richard Suckle

Director: Patty Jenkins

Writer: Allan Heinberg, Zack Snyder, Jason Fuchs, William Moulton Marston

Actors: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, Eugene Brave Rock, Lucy Davis, Elena Anaya, Lilly Aspell, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Ann Wolfe, Ann Ogbomo, Emily Carey, James Cosmo, Martin Bishop, Eleanor Matsuura, Josette Simon, Doutzen Kroes, Hayley Warnes, Samantha Jo, Brooke Ence, Madeleine Vall, Hari James, Jacqui-Lee Pryce

Stunt Doubles: Georgina Armstrong, Adam Basil, Joanna Bennett, Richard Cetrone, Caitlin Dechelle, Harley Durst, Mickey Facchinello, Gary Grundy, Bobby Holland Hanton, Antal Kalik, Gary Kane, Chelsea Mather, Monia Moula, Ian Pead, Christiaan Schodel, Alicia Vela-Bailey

Blurb from IMDb: Before she was Wonder Woman she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained warrior. When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, she leaves home to fight a war to end all wars, discovering her full powers and true destiny.

Selina’s Point of View:

My mom was the one that stoked my interest in films. She didn’t really watch any herself, though, she just never had the ability to sit still long enough. I made her take me to see Titanic (1997) in theaters, it must have been hell for her.

With my breathing issues as a very young child, that lasted up until about half-way through middle school, I wasn’t able to do all that much. I was on a ton of medication and I spent a good amount of time at home, in bed. Keep in mind, this was before the internet we all know and get devoured by. I didn’t even have my Amiga yet, let alone a computer that could fit into the palm of my hand.

(It actually turned out I was on too much medication and that was what was causing the issue, so things worked out for me after my next doctor took me off 95% of them.)

But I digress.

To keep my mind off the fact that I couldn’t really do everything the other kids could, my mom would buy tons of movies on the way home from work and she would sit with me and we’d watch them and her favorite shows together. I was exposed to episodes from Bewitched (1964-1972), I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970), Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996), M*A*S*H (1972-1983), and – of course – Wonder Woman (1975-1979).

My mom and I would sit and watch the beautiful Lynda Carter take control of situations and beat the bad guys and it was a huge inspiration to me. I was thrilled when I heard they were going to make a modern feature film for her.

Needless to say, I went to the very first showing I could manage.

Gal Gadot (Kathmandu, Furious 7, Triple 9) was an amazing Wonder Woman. She absolutely looked the part and had the confidence to pull off every aspect of the role.

I must admit that I’m not as familiar with the comics as I’d like to be (I’m more of a Marvel girl) but I can say that I enjoyed the way DC formed the origin story they told. I liked getting a look into Amazonian life in Themyscira and I enjoyed watching Diana get acquainted with the rest of the world when she traveled out of her homeland for the first time.

The way the Ares portion of the story was done was decent and I loved who they got to play him. Actually, the entire cast was chosen well. My only issue with it was that I spent roughly a half hour trying to remember where I knew Steve’s secretary from.

Lucy Davis’ (The Family Lamp, Maron, The TV Set) voice told me I knew who she was but she looked completely different than she did in Shaun of the Dead (2004).

There were some minor issues with the film. The final battle didn’t quite have the amazing flow expected, and there were some bits of dialog that made me sigh and shake my head… but as superhero origin films go, DC did right by Wonder Woman and all of her many fans.

I do have to acknowledge the fight scenes in general – even the final one with rough flow. The battle choreography was absolutely insane. I honestly believe that this film beat out the other superhero films where that choreography was concerned by miles. I’d re-watch the entire film on mute so that I could properly appreciate the fights.

In a world where some people are blaming the slump in comicbook sales on diversity, I can’t help but hope that Wonder Woman kicks a whole load of ass in its opening weekend. The best revenge to nay-sayers is always to do, and be, the best possible.

I think this film can pull it off.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 93%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 99%

Metascore - 76/100

Metacritic User Score – None Yet

IMDB Score – 8.5/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4/5

P.S.  No after-credits scene. If you get the signature 3D glasses to watch the film in theaters and you already wear glasses, get a normal pair too. The signature 3D glasses do not fit well on top of prescription lenses.

Movie Trailer: