The DC Cinematic Universe seems to have found another success with “Wonder Woman 1984.”
Reviews began to flood in on Tuesday, with the majority of the critics favoring the film for its escapist qualities and director Patty Jenkins’ take on the 1980s. The movie, releasing in theaters and on HBO Max on Dec. 25, finds the titular character (Gal Gadot) in a world of hope and positivity as her love interest from the first film (Chris Pine) returns. And while “Wonder Woman 1984” has earned an 89% rating from Rotten Tomatoes after 71 critic reviews, many commentators noted that, while fun, the movie often felt overindulgent or cliché.
“Movies don’t solve global health crises, but they can distract and inspire us,” wrote Variety‘s Peter Debruge. “They can bring us together when we’re apart and heal the divisions that define our times. I suppose ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ can achieve some of those things, but mostly it reminds us how badly we could use a superhero right now — a fantasy turn-back-time and fix-the-situation savior — and in that sense, it’s at once a fizzy pop-art distraction and a major downer.”
See what else the critics are saying below:
Variety‘s Peter Debruge:
“Like Jenkins’ original ‘Wonder Woman,’ this sequel spins out of control once the villains gain their full power, shifting from engaging character-based comedy to eye-crossing, CGI-bloated super-battle. (Cue Hans Zimmer’s typically overzealous thunder score.) Jenkins is an enormously talented filmmaker on whom the studio took a chance — one that’s seldom questioned when conferred upon men — and she proves her worth by never letting the spectacle drown out the performances. Unlike so many of DC’s impossibly chiseled leading men, the undeniably gorgeous Gadot makes Wonder Woman’s qualities seem relatable — and therefore worthy of aspiring to.”
Time’s Stephanie Zacharek:
“Why do we always have to be reminded of Wonder Woman’s purpose? Why can’t she just be? The 2017 ‘Wonder Woman’ held some promise that a new breed of superhero movies directed by women, and starring women, might actually be less formulaic than the guy-centric ones. Jenkins and Gadot built some wit into the thing: Diana, having been raised in a society of fiercely self-sufficient women athletes and warriors, had never seen a man before Steve Trevor dropped into her sights, and she had some fun figuring out the mysteries of this adorably inferior creature. Now, in addition to swinging her magic lasso around now and then, she’s saddled with a few too many dull, lofty speeches about truth. This, apparently, is the equality we fought for.”
Vox’s Alex Abad-Santos:
“The best moments of Jenkins’s ambitious and hefty sequel, ‘WW1984,’ engages with Wonder Woman’s very human problem. Diana is a goddess — in appearance, morality, strength, invulnerability — living among mortals, but she is otherwise alone. But superhero movies, even those with the emotional promise of Wonder Woman, are unfortunately never fully about the emotional fragility our characters can’t punch their way through. Superhero movies are supposed to be big, expensive, loud, and fun. And WW1984 is stuffed to its cinematic seams, sometimes to its detriment.”
Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson:
“Undoubtedly, ‘WW84’ would have played better on a big screen — because of the added scope and scale, and because it would be that much richer experienced among a supportive crowd. Sitting on your couch in your cramped domestic bubble (and, in my case, with a critic-screener watermark splashed across the screen), the effect is not quite so transporting. It has its moments of pure popcorn transcendence, but struggles to maintain an air of blockbuster grandeur. That is partly appreciated — in being so unconnected to the gravity of a cinematic universe, the film is freer, more nimble — but it’s also perhaps a sorry indicator of what’s to come, as Warner Bros. takes all of its tentpoles and shrinks them down to backyard size.”
BBC’s Nicholas Barber:
“Jenkins has said that she would have liked the film to be 15 minutes longer. Some viewers might have liked it to be 15 minutes shorter. But, for most of the running time, they will be happy to be in Wonder Woman’s uplifting company. In its old-fashioned, uncynical way, ‘WW84’ is one of the most enjoyable blockbusters to be released since 1984.”
Los Angeles Times’ Justin Chang:
“If what you wish for this season is high spirits, earnest emotions and the unironically delightful sight of Chris Pine in a fanny pack, well, consider it granted. This extravagant, genially overstuffed sequel may be a product of 2020, but its spirit feels gratifyingly in sync with 1984 — a year that, for all its Orwellian associations, predates the chaos and cynicism of our pandemic-stricken, politically deranged moment. And our comic-book movie craze, too: Jenkins (who wrote the script with Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham) channels a moment when blockbuster imperatives, while hardly absent, had not yet pummeled the industry into submission.”
Mashable’s Angie Han:
“What’s never in doubt is that ‘WW84,’ like its heroine, has its heart in the right place. The emotions work even when the calculations behind them don’t quite add up, and nowhere is this truer than in Diana and Steve’s rekindled relationship. Their romance has the proportions of a myth (she’s a goddess in love with a mortal), but it’s grounded in relatable pain (she’s a lonely woman who’s never gotten over her first love). Gadot and Pine smolder with an intensity that you believe could carry on for decades, and the very best of her performance shines through in the scenes when she’s rubbed completely raw.”
USA Today’s Brian Truitt:
“The biggest problem with ‘1984’ is there’s just too much of, well, everything. An extended Amazons-centric opening featuring kid Diana is cool but takes too long to get the movie humming, and some iffy visual effects mar the more massive, blockbuster-ready scenes. Still, the action-packed, heartwarming flick hits more than it misses, especially for fans waiting through a year full of release delays.”
Screen Rant’s Molly Freeman:
“At its heart, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ tells a very human story about love and loss that feels especially prescient in 2020, but the film never loses hope or faith in the ultimate goodness of the world and those who live in it. Gadot’s Diana embodies that hope and optimism in every way – sometimes to the point that it feels far too unrealistic in a year filled with so much loss, but that blind idealism is also comforting in its steadfastness. Gadot again brings an equal amount of vulnerability and strength to the role of Diana that gives Wonder Woman a uniquely dynamic screen presence. ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ is further buoyed by Pine’s turn as Steve Trevor, working well to ground Diana in a humanity that could be tough for an Amazonian princess.”