This movie is much much better than the first on. I love it. Amazing.
Great film!
Lessons:
1. Don't be greedy
2. Don't wish … instead pray for it.
3. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36 KJV
Have Faith, Hope, and Love.
okay so i personally dont get the hate for this movie i watched it over christtmas weekend twice i mean sure its not perfect but was diana prince the hero of 2020 id say yes indeed its action packed and humor filled i wouldnt recommend for sensitive viewers but its fantastic besides that
I am so glad I subbed to HBO MAX so I could enjoy this in my own home with my precious cat. Awesome movie!!
I'm so excited by the Linda Carter cameo!
After this year, this movie is what I needed. It has flaws, but the message of love and truth is enough. Pedro Pascal as Max Lord is brutal.
It's refreshing to see a old school standalone superhero movie with out the silly team ups or interference of another character.
A excellent film. Maybe the best film by DCEU so far!!
Really excellent sequel.
It has plenty of story in it - with some real analogies to today's world and our societal views - and there's enough action to keep it moving along.
I liked that it was 2h30 and we didn't need 1 hour of it to begin everyone's stories. Time was spent on the Kristen Wiig character and she turned out to be excellent in the role (for the first time in a long time).
Gal Gadot is mesmerising to look at in this film more so than at any other time. She was flawless throughout.
I loved the opening section (no spoilers). Anything on the island is fantastic.
And I thought the nod to an aspect of another DC hero towards the end just about tread the line of being cool not cringe.
1984 is a cool time to set it and the music didn't go overboard. They used it really well without flooding it like MTV.
Overall, I loved it. Just the sequel we needed.
8.75/10
I think WW/WW84 are the best DC have. The rest have been crap for the most part.
So great to see all her Sisters who later fell in battle, Steve, Asteria...the interaction between nerd and popular girl (and, for me, seeing the Ms. Wiig rocking those gold FMP's was totally real and satisfying, even the action scenes)...and to see People being great in times of conflict. 9/10, based on my emotional responses, YMMV.
I have a super power...really feeling it when I watch movies.
Great beginning. Ok action. Don't understand why people gave low ratings to this.
I quite liked the movie.
Kind of reminds me of Bond movies: A lot of stuff that doesn't really make sense if you think about it.
But its cheesy and fun - not to be taken too serious. And at that it excells.
The description of the movie is however a bit odd - where does she come into conflict with the soviet union? The whole movie was about Cheetah.
Did they forget to put a new description out after they scrapped an overloaded script?
All in all I think its a great example how you can write a female led action movie without going overboard with issues.
Its a breathe of fresh air in an oversensiticed world.
P.S.: A few years back this would probably have got a 7/10 from me, but after Disasters like Charlies Angels (only one amongst many) I feel I have to give extra credit for female led (and directed) movies not making people feel bad for the gender and color of skin they are born with (I phrased it this way intentionally!)
I actually really liked it.
Not a Dc fan, but the four main characters just nailed it. Liked this one a lot better than the first one in every way. It started slow but in the end the whole movie felt complete. Enjoyed it a lot.
my first reason to watch WW84 is Gal Gadot, second was the VFX and Surround. I got it, watched in IMAX. I am a happy man.
yeah I agree that the ending could have been better but apart from that, all good. rarely some sequels are better than than the prequels, so go easy on my Gal, ok?
In the end it’s been a Christmas miracle! :christmas_tree: :star2: :santa:
Good action.
Nice characters.
Wholesome story.
Loved it!
Embodied the era was set in when it comes to movie cheese and I love that. Great use of the BvS theme 'Beautiful Lie' for the climax there, especially considering the theme of this movie is truth.
It was a bit long like the last one but i did love the beginning. To see Diana as a girl and doing that competition but i like how Antiope showed young Diana a lesson in about being a true hero with the truth. She was super fast and loved how she used that lasso plus this whole wishes was something to be learned, i did feel bad that Diana had to lose her wish of Steve being back cause that is the one thing she always wanted but cant have cause her destiny is to help the world from badness.
Cheesy, hammy, hopeful, optimistic, warm, fun. It delighted me.
Lucky enough to watch it on the big screen here in Australia.
I heard a lot of bad stuff about the second installment of Wonder Woman but after watching it I thought it was actually pretty fun. It definitely was quite different than the first one but I was never bored which is not always a given when a movie has a runtime of over 150 minutes. One negative thing for me were that the special effects did look a bit strange as if the movie was from 20 years ago. But maybe this was intentional, I don‘t know. Still overall I enjoyed the movie.
Okay it teetered on 7, especially through the top long part of morality (if you watch it, you'll know what I'm talking about). But in typical comic book fashion, it ends with a moral message with a happy ending. If you're expecting or hate gothic comic book endings, well DC never falls to end in the high note. Don't turn it off before the credits are over. You find out what happened to Asteria.
This was a pretty dope movie just wish cheetah
girl was more involved
The first one is better.
It was good. earnest still which is great. Gail Simone said she cried three times and I can see it. It has some very successful emotional scenes that don't feel manipulative. The soundtrack was missing TIna Guo's electrio cello which were so distinctive in the last movie. I don't like Kristen Wiig and yet I enjoy everything she's in. It's a weird dichotomy and while I think they went a little hard on the "oh she's unsexy because she's wearing baggy clothes" I think Wiig does an admirable job of being the schlubby Dr. Minerva and being the empowered Cheetah.
I've heard there are negative feeling about the movie but I can't imagine where. The final fight between Wonder Woman and Cheetah looks good CGI wise (RIP Black Panther) though it lacks in choreography. It's directed well enough I never lose track of where WW and Cheetah are in the space but I have no idea why if WW is trying to get into a facility she's spending so much time going in essentially big circles dangled on her lasso. There's a hilarious scene in the white house fight between them where Pine's Steve Trevor is fighting some guards in the background and you can see them essentially dancing as the camera focuses on the main combatants.
I liked the final fight with Max Lord they clearly didn't have the studio force a CGI fight on the movie like with the original movie with Aries. But this was a fight of earnestness and sincerity which is what Wonder Woman is all about. The fact that a TV transmission doesn't count as touching to the point where even the President says "it's just a phrase" made me laugh. I'm willing to buy that he can take your wishes over the TV. I'm not wiling to buy that he's limited to physical contact and this special TV signal counts. I feel like the movie was leaning in the right direction when Max took the TV slot from the faith leader. I figured this would be the start of his I can take your wishes over the TV and it would have snowballed easily.
I think the homage to the invisible Jet was fun and when she learned to fly that was as I already hinted earlier super emotional. The stinger nod to Lynda Carter was excellent.
“It’s easy. It’s only wind and air... and how to ride it. How to catch it.”
I feel like the term guilty pleasure isn't cutting it anymore. Not only do I know that this movie is pretty much hated, I even know why. And I agree it has too much plotholes, cringe and bad acting. But I enjoyed it nonetheless, because it managed to work somehow(?!)
Where Birds of pray managed to redeem the film pretty much completely by the end at least for me Wonder Woman 1984 is sadly just ended up been ok film.
It's pure camp. I loved the way they used 80s theme, where people expected throwback to just the colours and clothes they went straight into politics and oil crisis and it was handled with such finesse I'm joking that it felt refreshing to see nostalgia being smashed in the face by "reality" that was turned up to 11. I like the way they returned a character back, I wish they would show it more thought out the movie. Pine is the glue apparently, before he appeared movie was cringy as hell because cheesy just works in this franchise, ok? After the Return cast started to mix together quite well. Their chosen acting styles started to finally fit the movie. The repeat of "fish out of water" also fit well cup and fireworks lines almost woke up my brain again, but thankfully it was lulled back to sleep right until cringy last scene Two "villains" worked great aka fight-fight villain and talk-fight villain. Them not being villains worked too. Hell, even the Speech did! All stuff surrounding the Speech was ridiculously done but the message itself and the scene didn't bothered me. And finally action scenes were fun and creative to watch! I cared about the characters well being in them, random guards included The way action scenes were done on technical level - not. But cgi in the first one sucked too so I'm used to it
Plot is fine. The only problem is that characters just knew stuff and appeared where they need to be the most by the power of said Plot... which is horrible almost irredeemable sin. But on the other hand Pine safed the movie: jokes started to land or at least didn't derail the flow. By the way, the first 30 minutes were the most cringiest rom-com thropes combined with horribly written lines delivery included Lead actor should be able to carry the movie even against Electro's cosplayer... thank god Wig picked up performance after the Wish cause that was painful to watch sadly Gadot needed cast help in alot of scenes. But the Speech worked I swear!
TL;DR idk what exactly made it work for me at the end. I liked characters, cast managed to show up eventually too. Decent amount of creative action scenes. Passing felt just right, it didn't drug. I appreciated the hell out of period appropriate economical and political issues at the front and center of it all.
Proceed with cautions - my brain managed to turn itself off half and hour into the movie. And apparently this is the only way (c) to watch and enjoy it.
Yes, now I know it for sure. DC can't make comics and this was the last one for a long long time for me. I wasn't sure if to even watch this but I did and I regret time spent. Could've used it better. Directory, screenplay, acting, CGI, action...all of it is not even average. Yes, I rated five stars because I saw worse movies. If I rate only in DC universe, then I'd go for three stars rating.
Slow moving, not as good as the first movie.
If you liked the original Wonder Woman (2017) you will most likely enjoy this. Although the new movie is not as good as the first one.
I think part of the disappointment (at least mine), is that we were made to wait so long till it was finally released - i feel that maybe just maybe if they had released it to streaming a lot earlier the build-up and anticipation for the movie would not have ended up being a slight disappointment.
Anyway - Max Lord is virtually a carbon copy of Trump except Max Lord saw the light in the end and renounced his bad, errant ways very much unlike Trump. They claim this similarity was 'not' intentional.
Also, it would have been nice to see more of Cheetah. By the time the Cheetah incarnation of Barbara appears she disappeared all too soon.
And while I'm at it - they had plenty of time to fix the Cheetah CGI but they did not - sadly we don't see too much of her but what we do see is not up to today's CGI standards and had to be shrouded by night and a lot of darkness.
All-in-all this was a slightly disappointing follow-up, but definitely enjoyable.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
I give it 7/10. The pacing was just too slow and the plot overall is pretty weak. Also, I am mad they didn't give Max proper powers like in comic books. I prefer the first movie to this.
However, opening Themyscira is on fire! Thoroughly enjoyed that part!
Not as good as the first movie, but it is still very entertaining.
This is definitely a step back, this is Spider man Homecoming level, it's entertaining but nothing else.
i have a soft spot for anything 80s and this is 80s on steroids. the plot and action is typical of a standalone superhero comic book adaptation for sure but the cast is likable and engaging. i agree with the sentiments that gal gadot's acting is a little mediocre but on the bright side that makes her good moments very noticeable (her chemistry with chris pine is excellent, for example). i liked the fx, the cgi was good enough that i didn't get jolted out of the movie at any point. i'm loving this one month availability thing through hbo max too—i can't say i have any interest in purchasing this franchise OR renting it for $20 during these covid-19 times. hope more production companies do partnerships like this in the future!
This didn't give me the same vibe as the first film, action was good to watch but could of been more, felt the plot was a little cheesy along with Kristen's & Pedro's roles that i didn't think they suited, I enjoyed watching thought and it had some decent moments, cool effects and some good work from the beautiful Gal Gadot too.
A pretty good movie, with some decent action and a half-decent script. The logic went out of the window at times but this wasn't a major issue, and the same could be said of any number of comic book movies. Reminded me a little of the early Superman movies in its storytelling and feel, and not only because of the decade in which it is set.
So I was expecting it to be bad, but as it turns out it wasn’t. Wonder Woman 1984 doesn’t have kick-ass action sequences like in the first movie, but it still manages to be charming regarding its characters and the story. Particularly the story was pretty interesting with the stone reminiscent of The Monkey’s Paw, which turned the entire world into a real hot mess by granting wishes with a price.
The villain, Max Lord, is a clear stand-out too. Comical, entertaining in a way but also smart, and in the end, the true troublemaker who spreads the influence of the stone by absorbing it into himself. It was interesting too to have a villain who becomes so strong that Wonder Woman can only make him give up on his powers by appealing to his humanity and heart.
The movie is also reminiscent of the Golden and Silver Age of comics with a more absurd storyline and portrayal of characters, but the actors for the most part played their part well enough to sell the charm of this approach well enough. Steve Trevor also returns once again, and I enjoyed his scenes with Diana and him getting used to the modern world and being amazed by it. (What Marvel should’ve done with Captain America, let’s be honest.)
7.5/10
6.5/10 - I was so excited for this ever since the trailer with that special "Blue Monday" version! I was so excited for the first Wonder Woman movie as well as the concept is so promising. Unfortunately this movie wasn't as good as I hoped. I really hoped that the second movie would be better but it was likely even worse (not sure since I didn't have enough motivation to rewatch the first movie).
The soundtrack was nice but I really missed "Blue Monday". Tbh that song was the main reason I was so excited to watch this (I don't think I've heard it before the trailer).
The intro started off really well and I thought everything could work out this time. A nice short monologue by Gal Gadot, beautiful nature shots, young Diana (she was my hero of this movie!), very athletic Amazons - it was awesome! Young Diana did so well and I can really understand her frustration when her spear was taken away for "cheating" (technically it was cheating but I'd call it improvising).
Unfortunately it rapidly went downhill from then on.
The robbery scene was kinda fun but I wish we'd have seen even more of the robbers emotions (the others still seemed decent). The woman screaming "gun!" was a bit strange - I thought that scene took place somewhere in America but I didn't pay attention and given that reaction I guess not?
Diana "flying" around was nice. I thought of flying when I saw those scenes but then she was literally flying at the end.
Steve's return made things a bit better. It was just grounding the show and it was so cool to get to see his reactions to new developments - I really loved that part. And also many fun dialogues ("Well, shit, Diana." xD).
Diana has some cool new powers like making things invisible and later even flying.
And then came two really annoying characters: Barbera and Maxwell.
They're both so cliche and lame...
Nothing new - I feel like I've already seen these two characters in countless other movies and I'm tired of it! At least the moment with Maxwell and his son at the end was sweet but I basically was predictable as well.
Anyway, this movie was just not grounded at all and so over the top IMO! The world basically ended and then magically recovered...
I would've really preferred a simple adventure story with far less extremes. I feel like I don't need anything special - just give me a few cool/funny/etc. Diana moments. Like those scenes at the beginning with young Diana. That was so nice! Why not try to make a whole movie like that? I feel like I don't need a typical and boring story arc with some mighty villain (or other challenge) that basically any movie uses.
And regarding that mid-credits scene: Who the f** is Asteria??? Should I know her? Probably something from the comics(?) which I never read?
PS: So cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEMIKBiDHeo
PPS: And thanks Amazon Prime for making me choose between 4K and the OV... I obviously chose the latter (even though I love 4K) but why can't I watch the OV in 4K (the 4K version was only available in German :o)?!?
A big, dumb superhero movie. Yes, there are plenty of plot holes and things that don't make sense to nitpick at, but that's what made watching this movie fun for me. Get some buddies together and do your best MST3K impression. And really, none of them were so dealbreaking as to wreak the movie for me.
Also, I'm not the biggest WW fanboy, (in fact, I'm more of a Marvel guy) but I really enjoyed all the fan-service/reference bits like the invisible jet. Like, sure, the reasons why are a real stretch, but I appreciate them going to those lengths to squeeze it in.
Be careful what you wish for because it can be fulfilled.
Wonder Woman 1984, it's fair to say, has received something of a mixed reaction. When the initial reviews came in, the critics loved it, but as more and more set their eyes on the film the enthusiasm waned. Even general audiences have been a little divided, with some appreciating the movie's aims and others taking issue with some of the ideas presented within the screenplay.
Personally I enjoyed it. Whilst it may not have quite reached the heights of the first Wonder Woman, there's plenty to appreciate here. The opening sequence, for one, is stunning. This sees a young Diana Prince competing in a major sporting event in her home land of Themyscira. It's a really breathtaking segment that draws you into the movie from the start, and the accompanying narration by Gal Gadot as the Adult Diana works well with the imagery.
Similarly the opening battle of the film in the shopping centre makes for a thrilling action sequence. I always like it when we see a superhero fight what is essentially an everyday crook for them, as it shows that they have their own mundane days in their field of work. It's not always big universe-shattering events, sometimes it's just a pair of thieves. There's a greater meaning too behind seeing Wonder Woman save a kid being dangled from a shopping centre balcony rather than an entire world or nation. It's a more personal touch, and it helps to ground the heroics significantly.
The bigger threats do come later into the film however, as Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) gets his hands on the mysterious wishing stone, and wishes to become the stone itself. Maxwell is a fun character; he's a TV personality who craves power, and takes it from those who cross his path. He's kind of what I'd imagine an evil Stephen Mulhern would be like, if his TV persona wasn't an act he obviously put on for the cameras. I really like the monkey's paw aspect of the wishing stone, and its human embodiment; the idea that you get what you wish for but at a cost always holds for some great dramatic potential, especially when our hero is granted her wish, at the cost of her powers weakening.
Talking of Diana's wish, this is an element I have seen some critique over. The base of her wish fulfilment involves her boyfriend from the previous film Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) returning from his death - albeit in a different man's body - but as mentioned, the price paid is her powers growing weaker. Some have taken issue with how Steve is essentially using a random stranger as a vehicle, which means that when Diana and Steve sleep together she is essentially doing stuff to his body without his consent. I don't see it that way however. The body, in my view, is the vessel, it's not the person inside. When Diana was with Steve, she wasn't with a random stranger. She was with Steve. Diana wasn't, therefore, forcing herself upon anyone.
The Steve aspect of the narrative is overall a lot of fun. Essentially you get the same fish out of water aspect from the first film, although this time the roles are reversed. This time it's Steve out of his comfort zone, in a different time period he is used to, and it's very entertaining seeing his reaction to 80s clothes or escalators. I'm always a sucker for that kind of fish out of water stuff, so personally I got a lot of enjoyment from watching Steve's perspective on this new world.
I do feel it would have worked better narratively speaking, however, had Steve not been played by the same actor from the previous film. We are told Steve looks different, and that he's a different man - but he spends the majority of the film looking exactly the same, precisely because it's Chris Pine. I get that the film is told from Diana's perspective, so it's essentially what she is seeing, but it does just make you wonder why they even bothered with the Steve Trevor body swap if they weren't going to do anything with the concept. We get the odd glimpses of the stranger - played by Kristoffer Polhala - such as when Steve is looking in the mirror, but the point that in reality he doesn't look the same as the Steve Diana knew isn't really shown to us enough as the audience. In fact, you end up even forgetting that Steve Trevor is using another man's body. Instead of telling us that this is Steve in a different man's body, how about showing us by having Kristoffer Polhala effectively playing Steve Trevor, with odd flashes of Chris Pine instead? In any story the idea should be to 'show, don't tell'. But here it's 'tell, don't show'.
One of my favourite aspects of this film is Kristen Wiig as Barbara/Cheetah, and in a largely straight role for an actor largely known for her comedic roles, Kristen Wiig totally knocks it out the park. She is endearingly awkward as Barbara before she makes her wish, and later shockingly cold when she loses her humanity as the cost for her wish to be like Diana. You really buy into Barbara's wish to possess the strength and confidence of Diana Prince, and it's hard not to agree with her to an extent when she asks Diana why she should be forced to give her newfound strength back. Kristen Wiig was a very solid casting choice for sure.
If the film is let down by anything, it's how surprisingly little there actually is of Diana Prince fighting as Wonder Woman. For a film entitled 'Wonder Woman 1984', Diana actually doesn't do that much vigilante work. Whilst this decision does mean we get some great character moments that help to build further on the relationship dynamics between Diana and Steve, it does mean that most of the action is stuff that was already shown in the trailers or on The Graham Norton Show. The film could perhaps have introduced more moments for Diana Prince to show off her skills, and give us more of the 'Wonder Woman' that the title promises.
On a more positive note, Wonder Woman 1984 has perhaps one of the best mid-credits scenes of any film to date. This features the original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter as the 'Golden Warrior' Asteria, and it's a very cool moment for sure. It does make you wonder if they're planning for Lynda Carter to have a major role in the upcoming third Wonder Woman film, as this mid-credits sequence seems to suggest. Could two Wonder Woman actors collide?
Overall, Wonder Woman 1984 is a highly enjoyable follow-up to the first movie. Whilst it perhaps doesn't feature as much 'Wonder Woman' action as you would typically expect, and the decision to keep Chris Pine as Steve Trevor in the context of the film may seem a little strange considering the body swap concept, it features some truly stunning sequences, and two great villains in Maxwell and Barbara. Wonder Woman 1984 is a film that doesn't quite reach the heights of the original, but it gives it a damn good try.
Usually I'm the one bucking the trend, but I saw this the same as many. Starts strong, but then forgets it is ultimately an action film and dives into the main plot driver ("wishing") which turns into an anal exam. Had they held the momentum of the first half, this would have been great. Another superhero movie that forgot we are still interested in the hero, not just the villain. Had a lot of wasted potential on this one.
Pros :
- Challenging Demi-God Antagonist with stakes.
- Good character development. Diana overcame her grief, she taught Steve how to behave in the human world like he did in the 1st movie and she learnt to fly.
- Nice and original scenario overall where the antagonist is not clearly defined and no mcguffin. Sometimes risky. Almost the first gay relationship in a superhero movie that wouldn't have been too overdone.
- Exciting "God complex" scenes.
Cons :
- Actions scenes are cringe sometimes. Cheetah fight scene could have been way better
- Inconsistencies. Anachronisms. Lots of inconsistencies. The full fuel plane scene because steve doesn't have a passeport but he has. Or Diana sleeping with Steve in someone else body. The "book of the mayas" even though mayas didn't write books. The 3rd world war nuclear event before Batman Vs Superman. And Christmas ending. Seriously writers...
- The moral of the story is kinda off. Except for Diana, the world still sucks for everyone at the end (and we are supposed to accept it ?). The world is even worse than before with all the crazy shenanigans.
- "Meh" Ending. Stupid win. Max Lord was almost a God. He could have used a wish for his son instead of renouncing to his power.
I really thought I wouldn't like it, but then... I guess I did? I mean, Barbara and Diana had such a great chemistry (much more than with Steve imo). I absolutely adored Barbara's role and wish that she was in the final scene, I think it would have been amazing to see their relatioship after all of that, to see Diana (finally!) moving on from that guy
The film's not over 'til Lynda Carter cameos. :wink:
The first half was too slow with boring storyline seems like a knowing story from previous dc movies. And should have more action to see. It's an action movie though. :expressionless:
Kinda campy. Really boring and predictable all throughout except the ending. The resolution was very Wonder Woman and honestly, saved the movie for me. The mid-credit scene was also a surprise addition.
Sneaky Hans thought I wouldn't notice Beautiful Lie playing when Diana was giving her speech to the world. If only he'd re-score JL for the Snyder Cut.
Movie was ok but I preferred the first one. This one felt more adventurous while the first one felt more heroic. That's not a bad thing but it's maybe just not my thing. Cheetah got a bit too close to Cats territory but thankfully avoided it narrowly. Max was just a weirdo with no real plan and the whole thing with the kid just felt like a crutch to justify his redemption. Guess I just didn't enjoy Diana being nerfed for half the movie.
I see why WB released it online,if their 2021 movies like that i say put it online and save us the trip to theaters,you can see in the this movie the difference between MCU & DC,Marvel have their way in making you accept the comics logic without it looking like childish movies, infinity stones, quantum realm ok i will buy that..but in DC ww84 granting & renouncing wishes and how wonder woman flying;you find yourself not buying it and looking very childish & stupid. I hate to see the talent of Hans Zimmer wasted on DC movies like this that, someone take him to MCU please.
PS.kudos on lynda carter cameo,one of the few things i liked in this movie.
Some scenes could have been edited out to make the movie shorter. In the first half Kristen Wiig feels like she was type cast from Ghostbusters as a goofy and clumsy genius.
Wiig at least feels less like she is phoning it in as the movie goes on. Pedro Pascal (the Mandalorian) Maxwell Lord though feels like a villain of the week.
The films strength is the chemistry of Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. As well as just Gal Gadot period.
The weakest aspect is the plot that really isn’t worthy of Gadot’s Wonder Woman. The movie isn’t bad though. Since despite being too long. It isn’t an overlong bleak mess, like Batman v Superman.
However it is too long to simply give us another Christmas message of “be happy with what you have.”
The trailer looks bad ass...the music. Amazing.
[5.8/10] So many movies don’t get the basics right: characters who want something, themes to grapple with, setups and payoffs. Too often, those essential building blocks to storytelling are just set aside for reasons beyond me. That should make it refreshing when a movie like Wonder Woman 1984 comes along, with a story specifically founded on what its characters want, centered around a clear theme, that establishes details before they become relevant later in the film.
The catch is that while WW84 checks all those boxes, it doesn’t do any of these things terribly well, let alone advance to the next level and really make magic out of the combination of people and events that make up the movie. Particularly when it comes to superhero franchises (or sub-franchises), the first movie has to introduce the main character and their world, while the sequel can use that as a springboard to really play. This movie aims to do more than its 2017 predecessor, built around those core storytelling components, but then proceeds to make a mess of its wider ambit.
That starts with the hamfistedness of pretty much everything in the movie. There is absolutely no subtlety or nuance in WW84. The characters practically announce what they want (the conceit of the film all but demands it). An authority figure essentially declares the film’s moral in the opening segment. And if that all weren’t enough, Wonder Woman herself basically looks directly at the audience and tells us the point and overall message of the picture. If you missed what Wonder Woman 1984 was trying to do or say, you were either asleep or, more understandably, lost in the hash it makes of these ideas despite its directness.
The theme boils down to some combination of “Don’t take shortcuts,” “Be careful what you wish for,” and “Think about the wider costs of your individual wants.” Director-writer Patty Jenkins and co-writers Geoff Johns and David Callaham oversimplify those notions in the script, but there’s worse stars to steer by. The problem comes from two extremes: one is the bluntness of how plainly the film states its thesis on these topics and the other is how it loses itself in purple prose trying to dress them as something profound rather than trite. The mix leaves all three central ideas feeling under-realized over the course of the film.
Part of that is the premise. The central MacGuffin in the film is a magic rock that grants people wishes, but as is eventually revealed, also extracts a price for it. As silly as that sounds on paper, it’s a perfectly acceptable comic book-y idea to deploy here. There’s even potential to explore the costs of getting what we want by taking this shortcut, both to ourselves and to our communities.
But the rules are confusing and seemingly arbitrary, and divined by hero and villain alike with little logic. People have to be in contact with the stone to make their wish, but apparently can undo the effects by simply declaring “I renounce my wish!” a la Michael Scott. The legend of the stone says that it takes what you value the most in exchange for granting the wish, but when bad guy Maxwell Lord “becomes” the stone, he can apparently just decide what to take from people when they make their wishes. And the contact rule also goes out the window when Lord takes advantage of vague “particle” technology that makes seeing him on the TV screen as good as holding his hand for some reason.
Any single one of these things would be a stretch but perfectly tolerable within the outsized confines of a superhero movie. But stacking them on top of one another, in addition to plenty of other smaller contrivances and conveniences and headscratchers, leaves the film feeling like it doesn’t play by its own rules, and instead just makes up whatever it needs to in order to hurry things along to the next scene.
Some of that’s understandable, because the plot quickly becomes the least interesting part of the movie, WW84 finds an excuse to bring Chris Pine back as Steve Trevor and, as with the 2017 film, every scene of Wonder Woman and Trevor together is better than every scene without the two of them. Pine and Gadot continue to have great chemistry, and the combination of reversing the “fish out of water” dynamic from the last one, and the inherent joy and tragedy of reunion and loss, makes them the strongest element of the film.
Alas, the same can’t be said for the villains. Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah is a “baby’s first” version of Michelle Pfeifer’s Catwoman from Batman Returns. The homage seems to be a deliberate one, replete with power lines, but that just makes Barbara Minerva’s cartoony affect and transformation all the more lacking by comparison. There’s the germ of something good with Minerva feeling invisible and unsure, seeking popularity and poise, but it’s lost in a bunch of over-the-top moments that dampen any humanity at the center of the idea.
The same goes for Pedro Pascal’s Maxwell Lord, who seems part a commentary on Donald Trump and part a rejection of the “Greed Is Good” ethos that WW84 hopes to combat when invoking this era of American History. Pascal goes for broke in the performance, but the character is so thin, with a last minute depositing of backstory and presto-changeo change of heart that leaves him like so many other characters here -- more one-dimensional than he should be.
Some of the film’s more substantive failings would be easier to ignore if it were just more fun to watch and nicer to look at. Despite a solid opening sequence where a young Diana runs through a Themyscira obstacle course, most of the action here is unavailing at best. The CGI, frankly, looks pretty terrible, with tons of obvious green-screening and movements that lack weight or recognizable fluidity.
Some of that can be chalked up to superhumans doing superhuman things, but much of it just comes down to a flat weak aesthetic mixed with unconvincing special effects. The direction is largely indifferent outside of that opening triathlon riff, and the look of Wonder Woman’s lassoing and ass-kicking and flight feel neither real enough to pass muster or impressionsitic enough to feel artistic.
That’s right, Wonder Woman learns to fly here, another nod to her powers in the comics. Along with the invisible jet and her magic super armor, the movie comes up with a plausible enough bit of setup to where these developments don’t feel completely out of the blue, and yet most of them still feel underdeveloped -- pieces that wouldn’t make sense if they weren’t references to something else in the character’s publication history, with only the barest of scaffolding to keep them from being totally random. There’s at least a minor emotional resonance to Diana taking flight after accepting the renewed loss of her true love/pilot boyfriend, but it’s still undercooked.
That’s true for so much in Wonder Woman 1984. The basic foundation is there. The characters have desires and lose something in the pursuit of them. The film wears its themes on its sleeves. And however rushed the setup may be, most of the developments in the film have some minor preparation for them in the early going.
But once you move beyond those simple building blocks, Jenkins and company make a hash of pretty much everything else. The film soon becomes an overlong, over-the-top, ugly muddle of a movie. It proves that you can fulfill the basic requirements and still fail as a movie by not doing them very well, let alone matching the feats of your protagonist, and soaring above them.
Talk about underwhelming. This is some really bad writing. Like everyone else, I was excited for this, but left disappointed. Chris Pine and Pedro Pascal were the best part of it. I really root for Gal Gadot, but her lack of acting skills really are noticeable with the bad writing. As for the movie, it just got more and more absurd as the movie went on. There were so many unnecessary scenes as well. These are some of the cons just off the top of my head?
Cons:
* The beginning - it kind of made the ending predictable on what was ultimately going to happen.
* The mall scene - it felt like a scene from a tv show. Also, how did the bad guys not die from that drop?
* The highway chase with the kids. How did the kids not hear a full convoy coming that were firing guns at each other?!? Also, how were they not seriously injured from that tumble?
* They didn't give Kristen Wiig's character enough time after the initial introduction. Her final transformation comes out of nowhere.
* Fireworks scene - How the hell did he not know that fireworks existed??
* Flying a Jet - How the hell does he know how to fly a technologically advanced jet?? I don't think the knowledge transfers over quite like that.
* Was Max Lord's kid just sitting in the office the entire duration of the plot? Was he being fed? Did he sleep on the floor and wear the clothes? Where was the mother?
* How come the transformation had to happen in another person's body, but nuclear missiles can appear out of nowhere?
*How come Diana never considered the moral ramifications of her wish? Like not even for a second. Weird.
Boring most of the time. It was very predictable in terms of plot.
Alot of the things did not make sense, like why the Chetta becomes herself in the final form (I though she only had one wish?). Also the invisible plane out of nowhere and wonder woman knowing how to fly in a matter of seconds also made no sense.
The villain was entertaining in his 80s style sort of way and Chris Pine is always good.
Didnt like the plot. The whole making a wish for what you want the most, and then realising what it cost you is a boring teen girl movie trope.
Barely any exciting fight scenes. Seems like a filler movie, in the hopes of a better plot involving Cheetah vs WW?
Not a good sequel. It has its moments, but the plot is almost laughable. Very disappointing.
The fact that it was a cliche fest really didn't help but overall I thought it was ok. I expected a lot more for a movie with a $200M budget.
Even more boring than the first one
It's just boring. There is a whole bunch of other flaws (some very big - WTF where those CGI and action scenes?) but none of those matter if I'm barely paying attention after an hour because of how boring the story is.
not as good as the first one, but still enjoyable, especially for a DC movie. More actions scenes would have made it better.
I have mixed emotions about this.
the good:
Gal Gadot
Few cool scenes
the bad:
most cgi effects are horrible
the storyline itself ridiculous
many scenes you don't even get why they're there and how are they contributing to the story.
I'm truly disappointed in this sequel, The first movie was amazing and this is a huge down compared to it!
Gal is gorgeous as always, just like Pine. Pedro Pascal nailed his performance, but the plot, the writing, the story telling and some visuals... pretty bad. The real villains in this movie are the writers. Still fun to watch if you’re DC, Gadot, Pine and /or Pascal fan. 6/10
I loved the invisible jet and her learning flight. I also didn’t hate that we got a glimpse of Cheetah.
That said, I had much higher hopes for this movie. The action was great, the humanisation of the heroine was good. The villain, Maxwell Lord, was simply ridiculous.
All in all, it’s still worth a watch but 9 year old girls cannot run faster than fully grown athletic women - even if they are Amazonian!
Looks like the best jokes made it to the trailers and though i didnt get bored or knew it was too long but in the end i still dont know what is this movie all about, for instance in the synopsis it mentions that Wonder women confronts Russia in cold war, but that just never happens and we do see russians but there screen time is less than 84 seconds. The best thing is the New Republic rehashed song.
Where do I start? I believe it’s kinda of an unspoken rule that a movie must earn its runtime especially when it’s longer than 2 hrs and I don’t think Wonder Woman 1984 did that at all. This movie did not feel like it needed to be this long and even with that being said it consistently saves time with lazy storytelling. How they bring Steve back, Cheetahs powers, Maxwell Lords powers all conveniently explained with one thing. Which brings me to my next point Maxwell Lord. Just because you hire a good actor doesn’t mean they’re gonna nail the role cause at the end of the day u have to work with what they write and poor Pedro Pascal was written terrible and I don’t blame his performance but I do blame his character more than anything for this movie being bad but Maxwell Lord isn’t the only thing to blame for this movies failure. In case I didn’t make it apparent Maxwell Lord is awful in this movie, and I was actually pleasantly surprised with Cheetah not that cheetah was great but I just figured she’d be awful but Kristen Wig did pretty good. It wouldn’t be a Patty Jenkins film without a fish out of water element and a horrendous third act so let’s bring Steve back and attempt humor from something we’ve only seen a hundred times and even in the predecessor and just make the movie nearly intolerable for the third act. To be quite honest this movie probably gets a bit to much hate because they’re are plenty of superheroes films with horrible villains, lazy writing, and predictable and cheesy storytelling that don’t get trashed on like this movie but that doesn’t change the fact that it seemed this movie went out of its way to be bad. I simply think if you remove Maxwell Lord from this film you have a much better movie. Obviously some rewriting will need to be done because he is a major part of this movie simply Wonder Woman vs Cheetah would’ve been much better even without Steve Trevor.
Christ, this was poor. Incredibly one dimensional characters with forced boring emotional motivations. The plot was fucking dull and even the action was lacklustre. So sad, the first film is still one of my faves.
First! This didn't feel like a dc story at all, more like a corny Christmas story.
It wasn't bad! Just a huge disappointment from what i had expected. Not to mention the numerous laws of physics that were completely fucked
This was supposed to save cinemas? Oh my.
Pedro Pascal did steal the show though.
We’ve seen these villain arcs many times before (Pfeiffer’s Catwoman, Carey’s Riddler, Fox’s Elektro, Thurman’s Poison Ivy and even the Djinn from Wishmaster). Overall an enjoyable movie that could have been 15-30 minutes shorter.
Starts off well and then starts takin itself too seriously.
Wish it had the campy fun of the 1st movie.
Despite that it’s a good one time watch. Gal gadot is great.
Also, why was this movie set in 1984? No logic to it. Could have been 1994, 1974, 1964. Wouldn’t have made a difference.:smirk:
Much better than Wonder Woman (2017). The presence of Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pacal in the cast is probably part of the reason. I was also surprised by the music (then I understood when I looked at the credits).
On the negative side:
- Gal Gadot's (poor) acting.
- The final battle seems a bit sloppy.
- The end scene, for some reason, is in December (remember it was July 4 when they left for Egypt).
- The post-credit scene is pointless.
ok so I am not a DC nor a marvel Stan(even though I read my fair share of comics) and I watch these movies for fun.
I loved the first wonder woman, it had nice pace, good imagery and was overall... good. this one.........
I don't hate it but i feel that if they had focused 80% more on the script not being a whole lot of cheesy lines about wishing and truth and more about... I don't know fleshing out ANY of the characters it would have been... good?
if was just a mishmash of weird special effects ( they did Kirstin wiig dirty I'm sorry) and terrible costume and make up. as much as I love Gal Gadot as wonder woman, this one is a very meh movie.
I wish this movie was better. Ouch!
Despite DC having a pretty strong track record as of late, this is the only notable disappointment in my opinion. It’s not the worst thing in the world, just unfortunately a step behind the rest. Storyline wasn’t very engaging/original, and the action wasn’t anything special. I was hoping my opinion would change for the better on a rewatch, yet that was not the case. Will there be an audience for this? Sure. But I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone.
Rating: 2/5 - 6.5/10 - Not Recommended to Everyone
A not bad plot, destroyed by a violation of the laws of physics, excessive tolerance, as well as the MOST terrible motivation of the villain that you can think of. 6/10
DC botches yet another one of their properties with WW84. Set in 1984 (thus a prequel to Justice League), a shady businessman named Maxwell Lord uses a magic stone to grant wishes and increase his power, but the wishes plunge the world into chaos and Dianna Prince is forced to become Wonder Woman once again to stop Lord and save the world. The script is poorly written and doesn’t follow the continuity set up in the Justice League films. And the performances are pretty weak; especially Pedro Pascal, who makes for a rather lame villain (perhaps the worse of the DC Extended Universe films to date). The special effects aren’t very good either. Yet the action sequences are exciting and the fight scenes are kind of fun. Also, there are some amusing comedy moments that work. A dramatic step down from the first film, WW84 is entertaining to a point, but makes a mess out of everything.
The best thing about this movie is the cameo at the end. Skip quickly to that and don't bother with the rest of this kids movie.
Max Lord is the worst 'bad guy' ever. Cheeta is not very believable. The end is a set of stupide monologues.
Maybe fun to watch with your 13 or 14 y/o daughter..?
I like my super hero movies to have at least some level of realism. This has entirely 0.
Gal Gadot is the only positive thing about this movie, but she alone can't fix this mess.
They made Diana a rapist. Great. What a hero.
I’m conflicted about this movie. So much so that I had to watch it again before I wrote this review. After my first viewing I was just disappointed and I needed to see it again to figure out why. A couple of reasons come to mind immediately: I was a huge fan of the first Wonder Woman movie (I thought DC had finally gotten it right with their big screen offerings) so my expectations were high and fuelled by the delayed gratification of postponed release dates; secondly, there was no cinematic release of this in my area, so I watched it as a Home Release on its opening day on my 50” TV and It just didn’t deliver the immersive experience you get when sitting in a dark theatre. (Some movies should only been seen in theatres. This was one.). Then there were the things with the movie itself: the first 20 minutes were epic but from there on it was uneven, slipping in and out between silliness and majesty. When it had the big beautiful scenes it hit its mark but it failed for me in between. I hate to say it, but Chris Pine brought nothing to the chemistry or the emotional tension. It just fell flat. The Barbara Minerva character was uneven. And, the final resolve was overlong, wordy and melodramatic. So, I guess I’m underwhelmed. I give the film a 6 (fair) out of 10. [Superhero Action]
Not great, but also not as bad as the internet would have you believe. Kristen Wiig was a good addition.
This movie can be summed up in one word....MEH
Very touching ending, but overall I say MEH. Its good enough for one watch. Ill probably never watch this again unless I happen to walk in somewhere and its playing. Could have been better but I've seen worse piles of crap so people giving 1-3 really need to rethink how they grade a film.
did i cry? yes. was this a good movie?? it could have been much better.
After most blockbusters were pulled from cinemas, this was the great hope. 2/3 a good movie. All got a bit flingy and swingy. Had some good sequel development but not merely as good as the original.
If the overall message is about not taking shortcuts in life and just face reality, the reality is that this movie would do better with keeping Chris Pine away from 1984 and focusing on getting a really scary cheetah.
It was very frustrated for me. The story is full of plot holes and waste much time in the takes.
É divertido como uma montanha-russa, se você desligar seu cérebro. Gadot é uma montanha de carisma e beleza, Pine é divertido e Wiig e Pascal fazem muito bem com pouco.
Mas Jenkins como diretora tem problemas. As imagens são boas, a ação meio que funciona, mas não há coesão, não há lógica interna. Ele sucumbe ao que ela quer mostrar. Nem mesmo falando de Pine sem motivo aparecendo no corpo de outra pessoa (por que, em uma história sobre uma pedra dos desejos? É o único caso no filme inteiro, os outros desejos são totalmente mágicos), outra: por que Diana nunca se preocupa com o problema óbvio que Steve é mortal? E ela não é? Esse grande problema nunca é falado.
E Gadot não consegue atuar. Simplesmente. Pine salva a atuação dela, basicamente.
A lógica inexistente é melhor mostrada em um detalhe: o voo. Além de desenvolver uma 1ª via com o jato invisível (muito bem) (1), depois o filme mostra não uma, nem duas, mas TRÊS maneiras de Diana voar: ela pode voar por simples confiança (eu acho) (2), então não consigo entender porque ela usa o laço para ancorar / mover o voo (em raios? Nuvens?) (3) e ela ainda ela usa as asas da armadura (4) de alguma forma mais tarde. Onde está a lógica?
E é difícil aceitar que uma personagem tão antiga e experiente seja tão ingênua e tímida em sua vida normal. Ela poderia ser muito mais profunda e rica socialmente do que uma donzela esperando por Steve por décadas. Ficou meio pedestre isso. Como qualquer um sabe, é perfeitamente possível ter múltiplos interesses amorosos na vida (e desfrutar dessa velha paixão de qualquer maneira se as condições aparecerem).
It's fun in a roller-coaster way, if you turn off your brain. Gadot is a mointain of charisma and beauty, Pine is entertaining and Wiig and Pascal do great with little.
But Jenkins as a director has problems. The images are fine, the action kinda works, but there's no cohesion, no inner logic. It succumb to what she wants to show.
Not even talking about Pine for no reason appearing in others man's body (why, in a story about a wishing stone? It's the only case in the hole movie, the others wishes are full magic), and other: why Diana is never concerned with the obvious problem that Steve is mortal? And she's not? This big problem is never talked.
Gadot can't act. Just that. Surely she can looks, but that's it. Pine saves her acting in fact.
The non-existent logic is better show in one detail: the flying. Apart developing a 1st way with the invisible jet (well done) (1), latter the movie shows not one, nor two, but THREE others ways for Diana to fly: she can do does it naturally all by confidence I guess (2), then I can't understand why she uses the lasso to anchor/move the flying (in... rays? Clouds?) (3), than she uses the armor wings (4) somehow later. Where's logic?
And it's hard to accept such an experienced old character being so naive and shy in her normal life. She could be so more deeper and richer than a damsel waiting for Steve for decades. As anyone knows, it's perfectly possible to have multiple love interests in life (and enjoy that old flame anyway if the chance appears).
Max Lord wishes to become the stone, so why does he still has a human body? Can a stone walk or speak?
First off, this movie is WAY to long, for such a lame story!!! Action sequences are great, just not enough. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) plays way over the top as the bad guy. Gal does her job. They need new direction. They need a better villain.
kristen wiig please hang out with me this thursday when i am free
Can I have my 2 plus hours back? The first 1/3 rd of the movie was over the top 80's references. A magic stone granting wishes. Cheetah girl played by a horrible actress. I love you Pedro, but not in this movie. Used car salesman vibe. DC... should have kept this in the vault. Maybe the Soul movie is better. Disney plus.
I liked it, it seemed different to me, I liked the 1 more
overlong
boring
cheesy
cringe
Cheetah looked like an extra from Cats The Musical
Diana's golden armour was goofy as hell
most of the action came across as stupid and funny
The part where they said something was lame. Fits this movie. I couldn't get into it at all. Just waited for the end
I was very much interested how they going to bring back Chris Pine, and for this, I got a great answer. Sadly apart from this, everything else felt really poor.
The story was weak, the ending too cheap. The action scenes could have been better, the CGI was really bad at some points (yes, I'm talking about that scene when WW saved the two kids in Egypt or wherever they were), and they lacked tension. There were no twists at any point in the movie, and I really missed them - not that this is a bad thing, you need those feel-good movies once in a while, but we are talking about a big budget movie here.Have some courage to surprise your audience!! It can be rewarding!
At least the actors and actresses were good. You can't really say anything for Gal Gadot, she plays Diana greatly, but you have to admit, her character doesn't need a lot of acting. Kristen Wiig was a welcome, and Pedro Pascal did a great job within the limits his character gave him.
So all in all, this was not that great. I love DC, I prefer them to the Marvel, but there's something missing from their movies. I really hope the next chapter will be better.
Huge disappointment. I renounce my wish to see this movie.
Are you a DC fan? Sorry but this is not for you. It is such an ordinary movie. But I must add Pedro Pascal is saving the day. It is nice watching him at. Also nice seeing some 80s vibes. That's it.
Wonder Woman adaptations are such a mess every single time. Boring all the way. The plot is as ridiculous as her making the plane invisible in 2 minutes.
Also, still wonder why is Gal Gadot Wonder Woman, she has the face no doubt, but she's thin and not muscular at all.
Shout by Carl KristianBlockedParent2020-12-27T18:59:09Z
I don't get the the hate this movie gets. It is actually a very very good movie. Maybe give it a try, you're time watching it will be worth it.