Israeli actress Gal Gadot has mostly earned praise for her latest outing in Wonder Woman 1984 (WW84), but the film itself has been varyingly reviewed with some liking it, others not so much.
The team at ZIP Movie Hub enjoyed the Patty Jenkins-directed movie which provided bucket loads of escapism at the end of a tough year. Be gone with you 2020 (and 2021 for that matter)!
But despite that, we can appreciate the merits of lukewarm arguments made by some about the film that also starred Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal.
Given we’re amidst culture wars, there’s been some criticism about the film’s political bent i.e. it going heavy on the sexual creepy male stereotypes. Her 2017 blockbuster Wonder Woman also had a ‘smash the patriarchy’ vibe to it while some still hard-core feminists still saw it as being sexist. But anyways, culture wars aside, see some review snippets below.
JUDGEMENT
“As with the last film, the heart and soul of Wonder Woman 1984 is Gadot. Her Diana exudes grace and goodness, her power displayed with an unabashed femininity that still feels revelatory amid a crowded landscape of ripped male heroes. There’s an acrobatic fluidity to her action choreography that’s joyous to watch, a sense of weightlessness as she propels herself through the air. Superman might fly, but Wonder Woman soars.” Ben Travis, empireonline.com
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“Ultimately, WW84 is as goodhearted toward all as its heroine, which is both its strength and its weakness. Gadot’s Wonder Woman remains, like Christopher Reeve’s Superman, an attractively aspirational hero, a vanishing rarity in contemporary comic-book cinema. Yet there was a tension and pathos to the character of Superman, who as Clark Kent was as invisible to Lois Lane as Barbara was to men before turning that corner.” Deacon Steven D. Greydanus, National Catholic Register
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“Having forsaken the charred moral landscapes of Nolan/Snyder but unable to match Marvel’s sly self-awareness, WW84 (like Aquaman before it) reverts to the mode of pre-2005 superhero movies built around campy set pieces and moronic plotting. Diana, for instance, comes across the plot’s instigator when she thwarts . . . a jewelry-store robbery in a shopping mall. A mall robbery? What is she doing at this crime scene in the first place? She’s supposed to be a goddess, not Paul Blart in a tiara.” Kyle Smith, National Review
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“One of the year’s biggest films arrives this week for Christmas, and it is truly a blessing in more ways than one. Wonder Woman 1984 is director Patty Jenkins’ superhero sequel to the 2017 blockbuster Wonder Woman. As perfect a holiday gift as it surely is for us during the COVID pandemic lockdown, the relevance and beautiful thematic package it delivers is a welcome gift all in its own right. Because Wonder Woman 1984 might be the film to define 2020 and the choices we all face together now.” Mark Hughes, Forbes
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“But what’s also disappointing about the WW84 screenplay is that it feels like it belongs to a movie that actually came out in the ‘80s. Its plot-driving device would be right at home in a high-concept comedy: an ancient stone that immediately grants you whatever you wish for, resulting in both wacky hijinks and massive catastrophes. It’s a banal notion along the lines of Weird Science and Zapped!, a cautionary tale in which fantasy fulfillment ultimately doesn’t deliver the satisfaction its characters expect.” Christy Lemire, rogerebert.com
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“Most of Wonder Woman 1984 is just like that, progressing in fits and starts with a few good ideas that don’t crystalize as they should. But there are times when it soars — a closing speech from Diana (delivered with conviction by Gadot) is on point, and a killer add-on scene during the end credits is a campy treat. There’s enough creative juice like that firing up Wonder Woman 1984 that, in the end, it reminds us that a cinematic superpower can transport us away from the doldrums of reality and save the day, along with buttered popcorn.” Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
