Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

[Cap]

 

ITS FINALLY HERE!! ALL SIXTY EPISODES OF WONDER WOMAN IS AVAILABLE ON HBO MAX!!!
 

Let’s Do what we do best and start ranking our favorite epi —

 

oh, what is this I am hearing?

 

This is about Wonder Woman 1984!! They are finally releasing it.  Oh, okay, we can talk about that too, I guess. 
 

[charlie Jatinder]

WW84: You know Wonder Woman third act was awful right. Well, this is the film of just that. 1/10.

[lilmac]

Wonder Woman 2017 was an anomaly among DC comics films. The sequel was very much in the vein of the Zack Snyder films with all the hallmarks of nonsensical plot devices, unearned moments, lackluster villainy, plot holes, an underwhelming hero/heroine, caricatures, and bad acting.

 

Grade: C

Edited December 27, 2020 by lilmac

[excel1]

terrible, WB truly inept, good grief 

[filmlover]

Definitely a big step down from the first movie, and many of the criticisms are valid. Suffers mainly from a script that's awkwardly structured and makes it feel like it should've been called "Diana 1984" instead. Also is saddled with two of the weaker villains in recent years, even though Pedro Pascal is clearly enjoying himself as he chews on the scenery and Kristen Wiig does well until she becomes a full-blown baddie (nor does it help she's replaced in the climax with a CGI hybrid that looks only slightly less ridiculous than the Cats monstrosities). But it delivers the goods action-wise (which made it worth seeing on the big screen via buying a small private watch party showing) and Gal Gadot kills it and has great chemistry with Chris Pine (fun as the fish out of water this time around) once again. Looking forward to a third movie. Didn't take advantage of the 80s setting as much as it should have though. B 

[Webslinger]

Despite the clear ambition and confidence of all parties involved, I am a bit disappointed to report that Wonder Woman 1984 is just a diverting albeit messy sequel whose solid qualities more than outweigh the areas in which it falls short. I suppose that for me, it occupies similar territory as Spider-Man 3: a hugely anticipated and highly ambitious superhero sequel that has noticeable drawbacks that will simply be too large of a turnoff for many viewers, but also does so many things well and has so much effort thrown behind it that I still find myself enjoying it far more than I don’t – warts and all. I suppose that the biggest difference between this film and its predecessor is that where that film felt like a carefully calculated and calibrated effort to ensure that it would work near-flawlessly as proof of concept for a female-led superhero film (because patriarchy, sexism, double-standards, and the like), this film feels like a much looser endeavor whose story and themes are not quite as sharp nor as focused because it doesn’t *have* to be in order to make big money – or at least it didn’t have to be prior to the pandemic throwing traditional box office metrics out the window. Like the aforementioned Spider-Man sequel, it’s a film with a whole lot of elements that work, and it takes some big swings with how it addresses superhero film tropes that its predecessor played straighter; and like that aforementioned film, it’s also an overstuffed affair that tries to be several different films at once and suffers to some degree as a consequence. However, despite the messiness of the story, it moves at a quick clip (like the first film, it feels significantly shorter than its running time would suggest), has several excellently staged setpieces, resonates in key moments, and gets plenty of mileage from its casting and performances. I heard some podcast – Blank Check, I think? – say that Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman isn’t necessarily a traditionally great performance, but rather one of those cases like John Wayne in his cowboy roles where the performer is just perfectly suited to their character, and that idea remains true here. Gadot still inhabits the title role with grace and confidence, and she brings enough humanity to the role to make it feel believable even when the script makes her motivations seem a little questionable. Her chemistry with Chris Pine is still solid, and Pine brings his A-game in a gender-flipped take on a love interest sidekick role. Kristen Wiig proves adept in a casting decision that originally had me skeptical; the issues with her character arise more from the script than from her performance, in which she actively and effectively works to subvert viewer expectations as a demure character turned confident and cruel through extraordinary circumstances. Pedro Pascal is also clearly having a great time as antagonist Maxwell Lord; he’s over-the-top, sure, but he throws himself into the role with reckless abandon. Though I certainly hoped for something more along the lines of its predecessor, and though I couldn’t help but compare the messiness of this film against the tightness of the earlier one, Wonder Woman 1984 is ultimately “just” a pretty solid popcorn flick I liked more than I didn’t - an ambitious film with admirable qualities and noticeable shortcomings that falls short of capturing the zeitgeist as effectively as its predecessor, but succeeds in delivering an entertaining viewing experience.

 

B

[lorddemaxus]

13 hours ago, lilmac said:

Wonder Woman 2017 was an anomaly among DC comics films. The sequel was very much in the vein of the Zack Snyder films with all the hallmarks of nonsensical plot devices, unearned moments, lackluster villainy, plot holes, an underwhelming hero/heroine, caricatures, and bad acting.

 

Grade: C

The first film had more in common with Snyder though  

[KC7]

It wasn't perfect by any means, but I really enjoyed it. A bright and fun superhero movie, emotional but not heavy, which was most welcome to me and perfect for the current times. Diana's energy--as a superhero who's loving and hopeful and kind--continues to be what sells these movies. She, and the movie that reflects her, was/were exactly what I needed right now.

[Wormow]

The first WW is my favorite superhero origin movie of all time (would be a perfect movie if not for the Ares sub plot and climax)

 

This is a really messy movie. Max Lord and Cheetah are fine but as the expense of any characterization and development for Diana and Steve.

 

I know it was intentional but the campy tone throughout the entire movie, including the action scenes was off putting for me. 

 

I knew Diana's sacrifice was coming and expected to cry, but it felt rushed and unfulfilled by the time we got there because we barely saw anything of substance between the two. 
 

The movie is fine though, I'd say top 5 or 6 in the current DCEU saga (of 9 movies) but 2017's WW was so, so great.  I applaud them for being adventurous but going from a movie about the world war and exploring what is humanity, to a movie about a magic stone and a cheetah is too jarring and not as compelling. 

[IndustriousAngel]

B, 6/10

I thought it was ok ... the "villains" weak (Cheetah ok until CGI) but Gador and Pine very good. It suffers most from the weak plot (and script) but Gadot/Pine were able to salvage most of it by good screen presence. You know what I was thinking? The two of them would make a terrific cast for Modesty Blaise / Willie Garvin!

Edited December 28, 2020 by IndustriousAngel

[charlie Jatinder]

Surprisingly much better reception here. 79% approval & 6.7/10 avg rating.

 

[Knights of Ren]

While not as good as the first and a messy script, I still quite enjoyed the film.  Gadot and Pine are once again fantastic in their roles.  The final scene with them saying their goodbyes and then Wonder Woman regaining her powers was amazing.  Their chemistry and scenes are enough reason to go see the movie.  Hans Zimmer delivers a very impressive score, and really enhances the film.  Pedro Pascal hams it up really well as Maxwell Lord and you can tell he was having a blast in the role.  It was great to be back in the theater and while the film has some undeniable flaws/shortcomings, it still one of the better entries into the DCEU.  Anybody calling this a debacle or garbage is overexerting. 

 

7.5/10 or B

Edited December 28, 2020 by Knights of Ren

[CoolK]

did i miss it or the classic wonder woman theme was never used?

[Ms Lady Hawk]

I give it an 8/10. The only complaint was the run time. It was a bit long for my son to sit through. Otherwise, as enjoyed it. I am really not over the top excited about any movie next year- not even the Snyder cut. Well, actually I am

looking forward to A Quiet Place 2. Even so, I really wish I could have seen this in the theater where it was meant to be watched. 

A suggestion for WW3 would be to keep it to one villain. It’s a lot to try to develop all these interesting characters. Someone is bound to be under-developed. With all that said, I was fine with the movie. It’s a CBM. Frankly, I don’t see why a magic stone is more nonsensical than a gauntlet of infinity stones or three mother boxes. 

[Cap]

3 hours ago, CoolK said:

did i miss it or the classic wonder woman theme was never used?

Nope.

 

[titanic2187]

First half was ok, but it collapsed toward to end  and turn into corny third act. 

[CoolK]

17 hours ago, Wondy said:

Nope.

 

one could argue that no scene from the movie is good enough to warrant it 

Edited December 30, 2020 by CoolK

[Menor the Destroyer]

A disappointment considering the quality of the first, but I was entertained. Plot was just all over the place with a lot of holes, but it had its moments for sure. I liked Maxwell Lord's character a lot. Action was poor, and first 3/4 of the film really dragged, but I did enjoy the climax. 

 

5.5/10, D. 

[CoolK]

11 hours ago, Menor said:

A disappointment considering the quality of the first, but I was entertained. Plot was just all over the place with a lot of holes, but it had its moments for sure. I liked Maxwell Lord's character a lot. Action was poor, and first 3/4 of the film really dragged, but I did enjoy the climax. 

 

5.5/10, D. 

So happy for Pedro Pascal, Mando is already a huge success and he is getting accolades for WW84  

[RRA]

Interesting failure. Doesn't mean it's bad or isn't watchable/lacks merit, but my attention never fully connected to this beyond the passivity of TV. I was hoping this would be a sequel to a decent movie that elevates the franchise ala Dark Knight or Winter Soldier. Instead watching this I was reminded of Iron Man 2 and AOU. You might be doing something wrong here. 

 

Still I give this props for trying to do a climax where the hero/villain conflict isn't resolved with a fist fight, Jenkins trying to defy that codified spandex movie formula. I respect that. On the downside, this might explain that underwhelming final CGI fight with Cheetah. Felt like Jenkins trying to appease the studio (and said formula) with "OK here's my concession so you can put this in ads, now let me do what I actually want to do here."   

 

3 out of 5