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Star Rating:
Wonder Woman 1984 is the sequel to the first Wonder Woman movie. It was released in 2020 and is set during the 1980s, as the title suggests. Diana is alone and lives an inconspicuous life, working at a museum while fighting crime and saving people discreetly. Ultimately, she struggles to live without others, and she still grieves Steve Trevor’s death.
The movie is entertaining and interesting to watch, but it lacks the charm of the first one. The first one is well-written and features a great cast of characters. The dynamic between those characters, as well as Diana’s first experiences away from Themyscira make the first film, but the second movie doesn’t have those elements. Diana’s comfortable in the world now, and it’s her who helps others adjust. While it’s great to see Diana grow, it does take away some of the comedy.
The acting is excellent. Kristen Wiig’s character feels a lot like other characters she’s played, but her transition into Cheetah shows a personality I’ve never seen her play before. Cheetah’s physical appearance disappointed me because she doesn’t resemble the comic book Cheetah. Cheetah has the orange coloring of a cheetah in the comics, but she appears white or even blue at times in the movie (I believe due to the lighting). My brother said that he couldn’t even tell it was Cheetah.
The fight between Wonder Woman and Cheetah is a little underwhelming. The lighting was dim and I had difficulty seeing what was going on. I wish the scene was a bit longer and had better lighting so I could have seen more of it. There are still a few good action scenes, though, such as the fight on the road. That is one of my favorite parts of this movie. It’s well-shot and choreographed.
I also think the final scenes are a bit anticlimactic. The reason for it is understandable considering the theme they convey at the end, but since the Cheetah fight is difficult to see, I was left feeling that there needed to be more to the climax, especially since it’s a superhero film. There seems to be a lack of consistency in the primary villain’s motivations as well. They are clear at first, but they clash with his persistent attempt to do what he does, and his continued effort to do what he does contradicts how the movie ends. Nonetheless, the ending was touching and heartfelt.
There are also some plot holes, and the film doesn’t entirely fit with the DCEU’s continuity. Wonder Woman 1984 takes place after the first Wonder Woman and before the Justice League, yet she uses certain powers in 1984 that she doesn’t use in the Justice League. It makes you wonder why she doesn’t use them in the Justice League. Would you not use your entire arsenal if your world was in grave danger?
Wonder Woman 1984 has a few flaws, and it isn’t as good as the first one. Nonetheless, despite all I have mentioned, I still enjoyed watching it. It has a few issues, but I didn’t think about them while watching the movie, just afterwards because I knew I was going to write a review. The majority of the continuity and plot hole issues are easy to overlook and do not distract from the story. I think it could have been a bit better if they fixed some of the issues I mentioned that show up at the end, but I believe others will still like it. The mid-credits cameo appearance was a sweet addition, too.
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