Wonder Woman 1984

Details: Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, Kristen Wiig

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Release Date: December 25, 2020

Pros: Wonder Woman 1984 came out on Christmas on HBO Max as the first of many blockbusters slated to release on the streaming platform. WW84 had many things going for it. For starters the star studded cast with Gal Gadot as the title role all lived up to my expectations. Every one of the actors and actresses in this movie did really really well with what they had, especially Pedro Pascal as the primary antagonist. Additionally, Chris Pine reprising his role as Steve Trevor initially raised some concern from me as I didn't know if his arrival would make sense or would flow well with the rest of the movie but surprisingly the chemistry between him and Gal Gadot were still there and carried a lot of this movie. While there weren't nearly as many action sequences as in the first movie, the 4 that were in there were executed pretty well. Unfortunately, that's where the pros stop.

Cons: My expectations for this movie was very high. Due to the commercial success and the quality of the first movie, I expected WW84 to at least deliver somewhat but this was not the case. For starters the movie is a hefty 2hr 30min. In this almost 3 hour movie, it is filled to the brim with cheesy lines and forced emotional moments all which take away from the authenticity and novelty of the movie. While the actors did well with what they had, they should not have been given this script in the first place. Along with the terrible script, the plot itself made no sense at all, and the things that did make sense were very predictable. The entire motivation of the villain made sense yet the execution of his master plan were riddled with plot holes. Additionally, at least 30-45 min of the film were riddled with expository sequences doing some not-so-subtle foreshadowing. Finally, there were only 4 action sequences and none of them were very good. The CGI was very poorly made, the stunts were cliche and I felt no real tension or worry towards the characters in the movie. A good action sequence is one that causes the audience to be invested in the character's safety. In the 4 action sequences in the movie, I felt nothing for the characters which led to a very disappointing movie going experience.

Star Rating: 5.5/10

Final Thoughts: WW84 is painfully mediocre. Filled with a cliched script, more plot holes than action sequences, and very shoddy craftsmanship, it barely stays afloat due to Gal Gadot and Pedro Pascal's acting. If the rest of the DC movie lineups are like this one, I would be truly worried.