Review Detail
9.5 31 10
(Updated: October 06, 2021)
Overall rating
8.0
Audio/Video Quality
8.0
Audio Editing
7.0
Visual Editing
9.0
Narrative
8.0
Enjoyment
8.0
This is an utterly fantastic concept for a fan-edit and I applaud wakeupkeo for it! WW84 was sorely lacking in period appeal and this remedies that to a large extent. In terms of story, pacing, visuals and tone, this edit is a knockout and lets the Silver-Age silliness of the plot sit next to the Bronze-Age cold war setting in spectacular fashion. And considering how much was cut out, the fact that I didn't notice a single missing element (besides the completely unneccessary Themyscira flashback) tells you something about how bloated the original picture was.
However, I have some quibbles and/or suggestions: it seems at times like the song placements are a bit arbitrary, not leading into-and-out-of scenes, but instead dropped into sequences with one song after another, rather than letting the music dictate the shape and pacing of the scene (the back-to-back songs in the mall sequence) or with (the excellent) Killing Joke track playing over a couple of separate, unrelated scenes.
Also, while I wholeheartedly applaud the choice to excise the creepy body-snatching aspect of Steve Trevor's return, my girlfriend and I both bolted upright in shock when he returned, despite having seen the original film. In a way that's a good thing (hey, re-surprises are rare!) but the pacing of the scene didn't prepare us for that reveal in any way, so a bit more smoothing into Trevor's appearance might be desired.
Lastly, it felt as if there were a few long stretches without any 80s music, and when the hook of the edit is cheeseball rock, I want to have my cheeseball socks rocked off. Not a criticism per se, but just that I wanted more of my favourite aspect of the edit.
(Speaking of cheesy, I loved the title card explaining Max's fate, although it stuck out a bit that he was the only character who got one... maybe a second pass where each character gets one? Including over the Lynda Carter sequence? Just a thought.)
In all, this edit is very highly recommended, it's well worth a watch and elevates WW84 from "unwatchable" to "ridiculously great fun" -- and in my estimation it's just a couple of tweaks away from being of the most sublime fan edits out there.
However, I have some quibbles and/or suggestions: it seems at times like the song placements are a bit arbitrary, not leading into-and-out-of scenes, but instead dropped into sequences with one song after another, rather than letting the music dictate the shape and pacing of the scene (the back-to-back songs in the mall sequence) or with (the excellent) Killing Joke track playing over a couple of separate, unrelated scenes.
Also, while I wholeheartedly applaud the choice to excise the creepy body-snatching aspect of Steve Trevor's return, my girlfriend and I both bolted upright in shock when he returned, despite having seen the original film. In a way that's a good thing (hey, re-surprises are rare!) but the pacing of the scene didn't prepare us for that reveal in any way, so a bit more smoothing into Trevor's appearance might be desired.
Lastly, it felt as if there were a few long stretches without any 80s music, and when the hook of the edit is cheeseball rock, I want to have my cheeseball socks rocked off. Not a criticism per se, but just that I wanted more of my favourite aspect of the edit.
(Speaking of cheesy, I loved the title card explaining Max's fate, although it stuck out a bit that he was the only character who got one... maybe a second pass where each character gets one? Including over the Lynda Carter sequence? Just a thought.)
In all, this edit is very highly recommended, it's well worth a watch and elevates WW84 from "unwatchable" to "ridiculously great fun" -- and in my estimation it's just a couple of tweaks away from being of the most sublime fan edits out there.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
R