Wonder Woman must work to stop a maniacal businessman
from using a mystical wishing stone to conquer the world. ACTION/FANTASY
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Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)Directed by Patty Jenkins
Written by Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Dave Callaham Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, Kristen Wiig Sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman Based on characters from DC Comics |
Nobody can fuck up a second chance like DC, I guess. With a string of subpar films at best, with only a handful of decent flicks (Aquaman, Joker, Birds of Prey, and the OG Wonder Woman in my opinion), DC has effectively squandered the most profitable and recognizable superheroes in comic book and movie history. After the constant delays even before the pandemic, the hype for Wonder Woman 1984 just kept increasing. Early critic reviews (which I'm now certain were bought and paid for) said the film was DC's masterpiece. Now, after finally being able to watch it, I am so bitterly disappointed. This sequel is a huge letdown, and showcases exactly what DC's huge problem is: Too many goddamn cooks in the kitchen.
2017's Wonder Woman was a colossal hit for one reason: Patty Jenkins was left to her own devices after DC thought it would fail. When it succeeded, I guarantee DC analyzed the sequel to death, nitpicking every little detail to try and craft another hit. The result was a disjointed, boring, poorly written superhero adventure that completely wastes the character of Cheetah (played by a terribly miscast Kristen Wiig) and spends most of the film's runtime following Pedro Pascal's over-the-top Maxwell Lord as he executes his vaguely evil plan for world domination. The ending is so cheesy and convoluted, not to mention completely unearned. It never once feels like this is the same filmmaker who gave us the first film. This one feels manufactured. Wonder Woman 1984 is destined to be a forgettable sequel that will never hold a candle to its original. It's yet another piece in the ongoing shit show that is the DCEU. It should not be that hard to make entertaining films out of these characters. Marvel has been doing it for ten years with their B, C, and D-list characters. Until DC wises up, focuses on the real problem at hand, and let's individual filmmakers have a vision that's wholly theirs, this is going to keep happening indefinitely. |