Wonder Woman 1984

Wonder Woman is not wonderful.

This wasn't the horrible movie some reviewers make it out to be. 1 & 2 stars is a bit exaggerated-- I save such ratings for worst of the worst. At the worst this is simply a disappointing, poorly-written, badly-directed comic-book movie (emphasis on comic book writing... and there have been better comic books).

Still, believe the negativity. This movie has so very many flaws. I'll sum the entire movie up in one scene: roping a lightning bolt and swinging from it.

Seriously?

WW'84 made me feel like I was watching the 1970s Wonder Woman with all its ridiculous camp. With almost 2000 reviews here I don't need to spend a lot of time writing this one. A bunch of people are going to see this movie. Some are going to love it because well... that's some people. Some people will like it because of Gadot or Pine. A whole lot more are gonna be justifiably disappointed.

There are worse movies out there. Wonder Woman is bad, but remember Batman and Robin? Electra? Catwoman? Some movie writers and directors need a lot more talent.

I saw the first Wonder Women and kind of enjoyed it, even though I didn't grow up knowing the WW canon. But it was a fun film that played with the fish-out-of-water aspect. But this - WW1984 - what in the hell was this? Again, I don't know that much Womder Woman history, but this seemed like a huge conglomeration of crazy story line, special effects, philosophical ramblings... it was a total mess.

Gal Gadot and Chris Pine are pleasant, appealing actors, and certainly pleasant to look at. And Kristin Wiig had a great role that I'm sure she had fun with. But overall, this was just a total mess of a movie. And Pedro Pascal...I can't figure out if he was great, or just did one of the most over the top performances in recent memory.

Wonder Woman 1984, directed by Patty Jenkins, significantly underperforms compared to its predecessor, delivering a sequel that lacks the coherence and emotional depth of the original. Despite its vibrant 1980s setting and a promising premise, the film struggles with a convoluted plot, uneven pacing, and underwhelming character development.

The story follows Diana Prince, played by Gal Gadot, living in 1984 Washington, D. C., working at the Smithsonian and performing heroic deeds in secret. The plot centers around the Dreamstone, an artifact that grants wishes but at a significant cost. Diana's wish brings back her deceased lover, Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, whose return feels forced and undermines Diana's independence, making him a "masculine crutch" rather than a supportive character like Peggy Carter in the Captain America films.

Gal Gadot continues to shine as Wonder Woman, but even her strong performance cannot save the film from its narrative flaws. The script fails to give Diana the same level of complexity and growth seen in the first film, reducing her to a more passive figure. The return of Chris Pine's Steve Trevor, while charming, dominates the storyline unnecessarily and detracts from Diana's heroism.

Kristen Wiig's portrayal of Barbara Minerva/Cheetah and Pedro Pascal's Maxwell Lord add some intrigue but ultimately fall flat. Wiig's transformation from a meek scientist to a powerful villain is one of the more interesting arcs, but it is rushed and lacks depth. Pascal's Maxwell Lord starts strong but becomes increasingly cartoonish, failing to provide a compelling adversary.

The film's pacing is uneven, with long stretches of exposition and meandering subplots that detract from the main narrative. Key themes about truth and the consequences of wish fulfillment are lost in the cluttered storyline. The over-reliance on CGI, especially in the climactic battle scenes, makes the action feel less grounded and more cartoonish compared to the original.

Visually, the film has its moments, with vibrant colors and some well-executed action sequences, but these are not enough to compensate for the lack of a cohesive and engaging story. The opening sequence featuring a young Diana in an athletic competition is a standout, but nothing else in the film matches its visual cohesion or emotional impact.

Wonder Woman 1984 is a disappointing sequel that fails to capture the magic of the original. The film's convoluted plot, underdeveloped characters, and uneven pacing result in a lackluster viewing experience. While Gal Gadot's performance and the nostalgic 1980s aesthetic provide some highlights, they are not enough to overcome the film's significant weaknesses. Wonder Woman 1984 earns a 4 out of 10 for its missed potential and overall execution, leaving fans yearning for the brilliance of the first film.

I am no expert in comic books myself, but what I expect from a comic book movie is to be striking, visual, stereotypical and above all, consistent with its past and its planned future. WW84 was neither of these! It wasn't awful for a random movie made by students, but it was really bad for a film made by a major studio and starring talented people and having so much material to draw inspiration from.

First of all, Gal Gadot had a supporting role in this film. She may save the day at the end (well, sort of), but the main character of the story was Max, the villain. Then every other supporting cast member had a development arc, while Gadot had about half of one if I am being generous. Second, the story pushed in the invisible jet and that Wonder Woman can fly (!?) in a clunky and hard to stomach way. You almost saw the outline of the executive shouting "she needs to fly in the next movie!!!". And third I am wondering if this film was misandric or not. Men were consistently portrayed as weak, abusive, violent, lacking impulse control and heartless. If it weren't for three male characters whose only quality was they were not evil - and that includes Steve Trevor and the random guy he inhabited, I would have seriously felt under attack the entire film.

The result was something that felt like a draft story for a writer class, with bad CGI, improbable deus ex solutions to problems that were hard to swallow in the first place, underwhelming characters, poor action scenes, pointless Trevor appearance, unnecessarily physical solutions to problems that could have been tackled by simply talking to a person on a phone or something and so on. And the ending was about how nice the holiday season is after a catastrophe that affected every person on the planet and almost destroyed the world!

So no. No! I am not taking it anymore. I am tired of movies that are not made for children but assume I am one, and a dumb one to boot. I want good stories, I want compelling characters, I want people who do their damn jobs!

For me this was unwatchable really good actors who let the director turn this franchise into a joke