Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Director: Patty Jenkins
Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig
Runtime: 151 minutes

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.

Verdict: Unlike its predecessor, "Wonder Woman 1984" garnered mixed reactions upon its release. With it being one of the rare blockbusters that stuck to their 2020 release, Gal Gadot's return as the Amazonian warrior was awaited by many but didn't meet the expectations set by both audiences and critics alike. For that reason, I went in expecting the typical, messy superhero movie that has been consuming theaters for a decade now... only to get a pleasant surprise out of a film that despite being two and a half hours long, never felt like a drag to get through.

While still suffering from tired tropes regularly found in the genre, one wasted villain, and an underwhelming finale, I found this sequel's biggest strength to be its personality. It knew exactly what it wanted to be and never pretended otherwise. An entertaining blend of fun setpieces, homages to 1980s action flicks, critiques of human greed and involvements of superpowers in foreign affairs, as well as a little sprinkle of fan service for those who are familiar with the Wonder Woman lore make the watch one that perfectly encapsulates what I expect from a movie like this one. Clearly inspired by a certain world leader, the villainous Maxwell Lord, played by the talented Pedro Pascal, was a worthy opponent for Diana Prince whose over-the-top behavior fit splendidly the movie's tone. However, it was Kristen Wiig's Cheetah that could've benefited from more development and screentime as she came across as a wasted liability whose only purpose was to drive the narrative forward. I do hope she gets a chance to better display her capabilities in a future installment and wish that she was omitted from this particular entry.

"Wonder Woman 1984" is certainly not perfect, but I can't deny the fact that I had fun with it. It's the type of movie I can see myself revisiting down the road despite its imperfections and mixed reception.

FINAL GRADE: 6/10