Coming off the heels of an incredible first movie, as Wonder Woman arguably did the heavy lifting for the DC cinematic universe, being the first great film in the superhero series, Wonder Woman 1984 had some big shoes to fill.
With Patty Jenkins returning as director, an exciting premise set in the 1980s, and the promise of Wonder Woman’s most famous foe, Cheetah, the hype couldn’t have been bigger. However, the movie has received a rather polarizing reception, with fans being completely split down the middle, as it clearly has huge production values, but also has its fair share of missteps.
Did Live Up To The Hype: The Prologue
The world building is one of the ways Wonder Woman 1984 is better than its predecessor, especially with the opening scene, as it expands on the hero’s background and growing up in Themyscira. Though it might be a little overly long and add to the drastically meaty runtime of 2.5 hours, the whole prologue is not only endearing as it features a stadium full of women cheering and taking part in death defying stunts, but it’s the most epic the movie gets too.
Didn’t: The Nonsensical Plot
The whole movie is full of confusing plot points around every corner, but at the very center of the movie and the reason behind everything is the dreamstone, which grants the wishes of any of its users, but each wish comes at a terrible cost. The dreamstone fundamentally doesn’t make sense, especially when characters start renouncing their wishes, which results in a contrived ending and loads of loose ends not tied up.
Did Live Up To The Hype: The Cinematography
Matthew Jenson was the director of photography for the movie, and there isn’t a better-looking film in the DC cinematic universe. The cinematographer is one of the most sought after in the industry right now, as he has gone from Game of Thrones to The Mandalorian to 2015’s The Fantastic Four, and though that might not have been the most well-received movie ever made, it still looked great.
Continuing the period drama after the war setting in the first movie, the cinematography makes the '80s style pop more than anything since Stranger Things.
Didn’t: Copious Amounts Of Continuity Errors
As Wonder Woman 84 obviously predates her first appearance in the DC series by over 30 years, as Diana (Gal Gadot) first featured in 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, there are a ton of discrepancies in the timeline and so many things that don’t make sense. When it comes to her powers, Diana couldn’t fly in Dawn of Justice, but she has the ability to do just that in 84, and the same goes for the fact that she never had an invisible jet in any of the movies that are set after the Wonder Woman sequel.
Did Live Up To The Hype: The Score
With Hans Zimmer yet again at the helm when it comes to the musical score, it’s impossible to not have high expectations when it comes to his work. With Wonder Woman 1984, the composer outdoes himself yet again, as the music has such a sense of grandeur and it’s almost operatic during the prologue in Themyscira. What’s better is that the music is so good that it doesn’t need to rely on "Wonder Woman’s Theme,” as the tribal percussion and shredding guitar-driven songs have become some of the most exciting music in the entire DC franchise.
Didn’t: Maxwell Lord
From his obsession with the dreamstone, to his questionable endgame, to what happened to him after the climax of the movie, Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) is the subject of many of the questions we still have about the movie. While the acting itself is phenomenal, the character doesn't always make sense, and is often overplayed and unrealistic.
Did Live Up To The Hype: Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor might not have been the very best thing about the first Wonder Woman movie, as there were so many great things about the 2017 movie, but considering how that film ended, it was unlikely the character was going to return for the sequel. However, after taking a ton of liberties with the narrative to get him involved, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) is back, and is as mild-mannered and hilarious as ever. The actor also has great on-screen chemistry with Gadot, which is fantastic to see.
Didn’t: The 1980s Setting
The biggest question fans have about the movie is why the title so heavily emphasizes the time period - and why the '80s vibe is so heavily over exaggerated.
For the most part, though there might be a lot of great '80s costumes and an entertaining scene in a shopping mall that’s full of references to the flares and shoulder pads-wearing era, the movie is completely unrelated to the 1980s. The title is completely unwarranted, and the '80s time period is fairly disappointing, but still charming at points.
Did Live Up To The Hype: Still One Of The Better DC Movies
Not linking to a larger story arc is one of the reasons the movie pushed the series back, as the setting of the movie is completely unrelated to the series at large. And it seemed like the movie was set in 1984 just so it could be more of a standalone movie and not have to worry about connecting to the current DC timeline.
However, being part of a series that includes Batman V Superman, Justice League, and Suicide Squad, it’s still in the top tier of DC movies, and if it wasn’t for the incredible first movie, 84 would probably be considered a much better movie than how it’s being reviewed.
Didn’t: Cheetah
In the comic books, Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) is to Wonder Woman what Joker is to Batman. She is Diana’s arch-enemy, only she’s sidelined in Wonder Woman 1984 and reduced to a henchwoman. Though only wanting to be accepted is one of the reasons viewers are sympathetic to the character, her story arc is getting a ton of comparisons to Catwoman, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. And when the big fight between the two of them does finally arrive, they become two very elastic looking CGI figures flying around the screen.