Wonder Woman 1984 is a Warner Bros. Patty Jenkins directed film starring Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, Chris Pine, and Pedro Pascal with a short appearance by Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta. It currently is rated 62% fresh with a Verified audience rating of 73%, and the top critics rating sets at 70% at the Rotten Tomatoes website. By reading these numbers you would assume that the movie was critically successful, but I was recently shaken by two movie critics that I respect and their negative reviews of that movie.
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD: These are the criticism I heard. The narrative pacing was slow and did not make sense. The story was over the top sometimes and boring with very little action for a superhero movie. The story was not compelling enough to keep interested during the slow times in the movie to keep an emotional interest going. The reincarnation of Steve Trevor was ridiculous coming back in another man’s body. CGI inferior Wonder Woman running and Cheetah’s appearance and the fight scene very awkward.
They also used the adverb messy to describe the story as a whole. Not sure what they mean by that and wish critics would stop repeating that overused word. Be more intellectually accurate with their description. Very lazy to keep saying that word and not explaining yourself. They both ended by saying how much they loved the first Wonder Woman movie and they have not given up on Patty Jenkins and her vision for Wonder Woman.
I realize it is hard to pass judgment on another man or woman’s personal opinion of a movie, but some people may not see this movie because of it and that would be a mistake. First of all, is the pressure to duplicate a film’s original success through a sequel is not easy, and the story even with the weak points knows where it started and where it is going. It begins with a flashback to Diana’s childhood and how she deals with defeat and learns a lesson of honesty and truthfulness and how important truth is in all things.
Some stories in filmmaking don’t have direction or substance this movie really does. At the conclusion of the film, many in the world realize that living a lie and getting what you want is not as important as being sincere and honest, and truthful. Yes, it was a little hokey in some scenes with unclear motives for people’s actions, but it brought a message of hope in humankind and truth. This is something that Wonder Woman has stood for over 80 years.
Some movies are an intellectual experience, but Wonder Woman 1984 is an emotional experience. Chris Pine’s rendition of Steve Trevor is very much in love with Diana and Diana returns that love but must make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of humanity. Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord becomes a villain through wishes and it almost cost him everything. A great performance as an unusual character. Kristen Wiig plays Dr. Barbara Minerva who wants to be better by becoming someone else but does not ever realize the cost of her wish.
In my opinion, the things the movie lacks a cerebral experience it makes up for in a heart-rending story. The consensus of Rotten Tomatoes says it best, I think. “Wonder Woman 1984 struggles with sequel overload, but still offers enough vibrant escapism to satisfy fans of the franchise and its classic central character.”
For what the script lacks the overall experience is more than satisfying to the movie watchers. Why would what others think to bother me if I liked the movie? Well, it would not, and I liked the movie for very different reasons than my friends in the media. It was great to see the final release of this very anticipated movie. I was glad to see the development of one of my favorite characters and look forward to the release of Wonder Woman on screen in the future. Please let us know what you think of the movie.
Quantum Leap with Trevor’s return was weird but I guessed that was erased when WW renounced her wish.