For fans of the surprise 2017 hit “Wonder Woman,” the sequel couldn’t come soon enough. “Wonder Woman 1984” was originally set to debut on Oct. 2, but it was pushed back to Dec. 25 due to COVID-19.
After a long wait, the movie was finally released in theaters on Christmas day. But for moviegoers who weren’t willing to risk COVID-19, another somewhat unique option was available.
Warner Bros., the production company behind the movie, decided to release the film simultaneously to HBO Max for free to all subscribers. In early December, they announced that they plan to release their entire 2021 lineup directly to HBO Max as well — a decision that wasn’t without controversy.
Walking into a Warner Bros. superhero movie, one can never be quite sure what they’re going to find. While the studio is famous for some of their hits — like “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight Rises” — they’re also infamous for some of their flops, such as “Justice League” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
While Warner Bros. movies are often either instant classics or complete and utter failures, “Wonder Woman 1984” fell, surprisingly, somewhere in between.
The movie lacked the novelty and underdog factor that made the original such a splash, but it was still an entertaining film that’s worth the watch if you already have HBO Max.
The movie, set in 1984, follows Diana Prince, otherwise known as Wonder Woman, on her journey to stop a mysterious stone and an egomaniac from taking over the world.
While the movie follows a pretty tried and true superhero movie formula, it does what DC movies do best by avoiding Marvel’s algorithmic superhero atmosphere and giving off a refreshing feel that’s sorely needed in superhero movies.
Ironically, where the movie really falls short is that it’s just too long ‒ the 151 minute runtime is excessive, especially for the simplicity of the plot, and the pacing of the movie throughout is just off. None of the scenes feel like they really matter, making it tough to stay engaged all the way through.
Add onto that the fact that most of the scenes feel like they’re designed solely to bludgeon you over the head — repeatedly — with the same relatively simple moral of the story in scene after scene, and it becomes somewhat of a trudge through parts of the movie.
Ultimately, the saving grace of the movie was its acting. The core cast carried this movie from “unwatchable” to “mediocre” with their strong performances and conviction, and while the writing wasn’t spectacular, it was good enough that the actors could do their jobs.
Gal Gadot and Chris Pine produced the same chemistry that made the first movie a success, and Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal played the somewhat tropey and confusing villain duo as well as could be expected of them.
Ultimately, “Wonder Woman 1984” was what we’ve pretty much come to expect from superhero sequels ‒ a somewhat disappointing and mediocre experience that feels like something’s missing, but that’s still an enjoyable watch for fans of the series.
