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alias_sqbrBelow the cut: Wonder Woman 1984, Heaven Official's Blessing/TGCF Season 1
So! Here's two things I watched recently and enjoyed...except for the rampant Islamophobia. Middle Eastern/Central Asian people are depicted as violent, mindlessly expansionistic, xenophobic, grudge-filled warmongers/terrorists who shout about having been invaded as an excuse to murder/bomb/oppress innocent people.
Wonder Woman 1984: I really liked the film this was trying to be: a parable about the importance of truth and compassion in the face of greed, selfishness, and self-delusion, in the style of 80s superhero movies about shonky business-men, the Cold War etc. It had some lovely moments, and a very shippy friends-to-enemies arc between two women. Unfortunately it felt underwritten, with plot holes, unexamined ethical messes (there's a MASSIVE issue with sexual and other consent it 100% glosses over) chunks of boring and pointless dialogue etc. And it wallowed in racist cliche instead of following it's own moral and being honest and compassionate. Also the female villain's arc is dropped like the scene wrapping it up was cut. So...I overall am glad I watched it but YMMV.
Heaven Official's Blessing/TGCF Season 1: This is a well made and very shippy animated adaptation of this first section of the book (a m/m fantasy romance), including brief but memorable appearances by my secondary character faves. Unfortunately, this section of the book is Islamophobic! I am less confident judging Chinese media but it sure looked a lot like Western style Islamophobia, and given that the Chinese government is currently committing genocide against people from the specific region it's set in...nnng. Luckily this plot doesn't come up again much for the rest of the story, but it is what it is.
So! Here's two things I watched recently and enjoyed...except for the rampant Islamophobia. Middle Eastern/Central Asian people are depicted as violent, mindlessly expansionistic, xenophobic, grudge-filled warmongers/terrorists who shout about having been invaded as an excuse to murder/bomb/oppress innocent people.
Wonder Woman 1984: I really liked the film this was trying to be: a parable about the importance of truth and compassion in the face of greed, selfishness, and self-delusion, in the style of 80s superhero movies about shonky business-men, the Cold War etc. It had some lovely moments, and a very shippy friends-to-enemies arc between two women. Unfortunately it felt underwritten, with plot holes, unexamined ethical messes (there's a MASSIVE issue with sexual and other consent it 100% glosses over) chunks of boring and pointless dialogue etc. And it wallowed in racist cliche instead of following it's own moral and being honest and compassionate. Also the female villain's arc is dropped like the scene wrapping it up was cut. So...I overall am glad I watched it but YMMV.
Heaven Official's Blessing/TGCF Season 1: This is a well made and very shippy animated adaptation of this first section of the book (a m/m fantasy romance), including brief but memorable appearances by my secondary character faves. Unfortunately, this section of the book is Islamophobic! I am less confident judging Chinese media but it sure looked a lot like Western style Islamophobia, and given that the Chinese government is currently committing genocide against people from the specific region it's set in...nnng. Luckily this plot doesn't come up again much for the rest of the story, but it is what it is.
