It’s a good thing AT&T prepared for a beating by going with this sequel via streaming because 84 was another mediocre DC movie. What a pisser, I really liked the first one plus I was looking forward to the next chapter of Princess Diana’s adventures. However, it committed the number one mistake past superhero sequels have made…introduce two villains (Batman Returns, Spider-Man 3), which prevents either from getting much time to develop. Going with the Cheetah was perfect. I’m not an expert on her but I think she’s Wonder Woman’s oldest nemesis and so she’s on par with the Joker when it comes to Batman. Maxwell Lord just serves as the means to create the Cheetah, a larger menace and to remind the audience, hey, you remember the Eighties and all the greedy people like Gordon Gecko? Charles Keating and Michael Milken were the real ones yet more people remember the fictional crook.
The initial premise involving Lord using magic is pretty cool and it works due to Wonder Woman being a supernatural character. How it transforms Barbara Minerva from schlub to bad-ass cheetah-woman hybrid is confusing. Barbara just wanted to be as awesome as her co-worker Diana, how does it result in her growing fur and a tail? Bringing Steve Trevor back from the dead was another lazy move to get the easy Rip Van Winkle-based jokes and give the audience familiarity. Chris Pine barely has more charisma than Ted Cruz as his three Captain Kirk attempts proved. Honest Trailers brought up the biggest issue and source of confusion; Wonder Woman can make objects invisible? We all know and laugh at her invisible jet from the cartoons and Seventies but in 1984 it was a stretch until you wondered about how they got to Egypt on one tank in a short-range aircraft piloted by a former WWI vet.
I believe there’s a great movie trapped in this mess and after HBO Max releases the much hyped Snyder Cut of Justice League, they should look into fixing 1984. Man of Steel on the other hand, throw it in the trash and stick with Richard Donner’s movie. Wonder Woman is a pretty cool character who has been around as long as Supes and the Bat, she deserves another chance like they’ve received.