Wonder Woman 1984 Movie Review

It was ok...

So, I just saw Wonder Woman 1984 the other day with my Dad, and it was ok. It's not great or anything, but it was ok.

I'm going to quote IMDb for the plot, "Diana must contend with a work colleague and businessman, whose desire for extreme wealth sends the world down a path of destruction, after an ancient artifact that grants wishes goes missing."

The movie came off as a little long, some of the lines fell flat, and it was pretty cheesy overall. Some of the jokes were alright, and there were a few decent action scenes. Gal Gadot was fine. The actor who played the villain, Max Lord, Pedro Pascal did a decent job. 

I'm going to start off with the good. In terms of the DC franchise, it ranks somewhere in the middle. It's not bottom of the barrel, but it's not near the top. My Dad and I laughed at a few of the jokes, and there was one that did stick out to me when I watched it. Some of the action scenes were alright. 

Gal Gadot is decent, but I would have liked to have seen a little more range from her. I think she did better in the first Wonder Woman film. Chris Pine was pretty good too. I actually enjoyed Pedro Pascal's performance a lot more than I thought I would, and there was just enough range and dynamic to his character that made him stand out. In a world where Villains in Superhero films can make or break a film, I think he brought this film up a notch. 

The pacing was kind of a slog at times. I think this movie could have easily been made 15 minutes shorter than it was at the bare minimum. There were some scenes that should have been cut or shortened. 

Some of the lines just fell flat on arrival. I don't blame the actors for this, I blame the writers. The actors did fine with what they were given. I think if there was at least two more weeks for the script to have been developed, this would have been a boon to the film.

There was some general cheesyness overall. Especially in the mall scene form the trailer. I think if they would have constructed that scene a little differently, it would have worked. The premise for the scene itself is pretty solid and would have made a great intro (after a brief prologue flashback scene), but the filmmakers didn't exactly pull it off.

One other thing I did like was Gal Gadot and Chris Pine together. I do think they carried over some over the charm from the first Wonder Woman film, but I would have liked to have seen them throw a little more emotion behind it than they did.

The best part of this film was that it provided a temporary distraction to what is going on in the world at the moment. It was nice to forget, even just for a little bit. In that way, I applaud the film for making me focus on the film itself.

Would I recommend seeing Wonder Woman 1984? Eh? If you're dying to get out and go to the theater, I would recommend considering to see it, otherwise if you can wait, wait for it to come out on TV.

final score: 3/5