Some Fans Have A Bone To Pick With Wonder Woman 1984
The long wait for Wonder Woman 1984 is finally over, but not everyone is celebrating Diana's return to the big screen. It seems some fans aren't convinced the sequel lives up to the storytelling standards set in 2017's groundbreaking Wonder Woman, despite the return of Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins. The biggest complaint? Fans on Twitter are criticizing the '80s set film for a number of perceived plot holes.
As the title suggests, the sequel finds Wonder Woman in 1984, where she has carved out a quiet and lonely life for herself in Washington, D.C. decades after she joined the modern world during the World War I era. When the movie begins, Diana is working as an anthropologist at the Smithsonian alongside Kristen Wiig's Barbara, and when the two discover an ancient artifact that grants their deepest desires things get complicated fast.
It's a fun setup for what is essentially a standalone movie within the DC Extended Universe. However, some viewers had trouble going along for the ride due to the lingering questions left behind once the credits on the film rolled. One fan, @CSUHurstSoGood, tweeted their frustration, writing: "Wonder Woman 1984 made up for the lack of 80s nostalgia with plot holes. Bold move."
Another viewer called out the movie for forgetting that Batman would one day do a deep dive into Diana's history and completely miss her '80s-tastic adventure. "Batman (the greatest detective) found none of this #WW84 history when he researched WW, Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman in the JL movie? So many plot holes..." @RdyPlyOne tweeted.
Not all Wonder Woman fans agree that Wonder Woman 1984 suffered from too many plot holes
Even though Wonder Woman 1984 has faced far harsher criticism than the first Wonder Woman movie, it still has plenty of fans. Even some of the viewers who called out the movie for having too many plot holes admitted that it was overall a fun, popcorn movie — and the perfect way to end 2020.
"With the dearth of movies & inability to go to theaters it was exactly what I needed. A cheesy superhero movie with lots of plot holes and a schlocky romance. Also I have a girl crush on Gal Gadot so there's that," @debinithica tweeted.
Meanwhile, some critics praised the movie for focusing less on its standard superhero plot and prioritizing delving into its characters' interior lives instead. Slate critic Dana Stevens gave the blockbuster a positive review, and noted that even the film's two hour plus runtime was put to good use. "I don't think I need even a good superhero movie to be 2½ hours long, but it's worth noting that what makes for this movie's long running time is not collapsing buildings or exploding spaceships but conversations between people," she wrote.
While Wonder Woman's '80s adventure may create a few plot holes in the larger DCEU, the very fact that it's largely a standalone, character-centric movie is what makes it appealing to some fans. In a year where the world has been particularly emotionally taxing, watching Diana finally mourn her lost love and begin to build a fresh start for herself against the vibrant backdrop of 1980s America is exactly what movie fans need — imperfections and all.