First Take: Wonder Woman 1984- insert VHS joke here, I guess

SYNOPSIS: Rewind to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.

7 release dates, a controversial HBO Max debut, and a lot of angry cinema owners later, the follow-up to 2017′s DC combo breaker is finally playing on the big screen around the world. I really wanted to enjoy this film, knowing what Patty Jenkins did with that sensational first entry in the franchise- but unfortunately this suffers from the sequel curse, as it just doesn’t reach those highs.

Jenkins obviously has a clear plan for the franchise, it’s why she has already signed to write and direct the third film (and I don’t blame her), but while the direction is decent, clocking in at 2 hours 31 minutes, it could’ve done with a few tweaks here and there, as some elements do drag on a little bit longer than they need to, with minimal action sequences too. On script duties, she is working with DC’s former studio head Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham, and again, it is decent, but there is room for improvement- on a brighter note, Hans Zimmer absolutely nails it on scoring duties, and with Matthew Jensen once again overseeing cinematography duties, visually this film has no problems at all.

As for the cast, there are no issues here. Gal Gadot continues to create a version of the character that firmly resonates with this generation, and obviously paired up with Chris Pine, the pair of them continue at the same standard we all seen in 2017. On top of that you’ve got Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright returning too, but joining the team this time is Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal, who make some good, yet underdeveloped villains. Having had a bit of time to look over the film, and with DC’s future lineup in view, I just feel that this film will make much more sense once the Snyder Cut’s dust has settled, as there are still a lot of loose ends within the DCEU that need to be tied up, and considering the quality of their more recent output (namely Shazam and Aquaman), this feels like a minor blip in their long term plan.

THE VERDICT

Wonder Woman 1984 has a major task - as the first major superhero film after Marvel wrapped up on the Avengers saga, and the first major franchise to release in Covid times, audiences simply have to be satisfied. And they are, Early figures are looking good. But in the wider DC picture, this film is just filler in a longer story, and that wasn’t the case with the original 2017 franchise-starter.

RATING: 3/5