Wonder Woman 1984 hit HBO Max yesterday, but arrived in many international theaters in mid-December. That means many critics who weren't sent screeners by Warner Bros. have now been able to weigh in with their verdicts, and that hasn't done the sequel any favours on Rotten Tomatoes.
Earlier this month, the DC Comics adaptation hit the review aggregator with an 89% score and a consensus that read, "Great Hera! Wonder Woman 1984 is an epic dose of heart and vibrant escapism that proves there are still unexpected thrills to be found in superhero cinema." That score later dropped to around 80%, but stayed there long enough for the movie to be "Certified Fresh."
Now, a total of 266 reviews have been counted, and Wonder Woman 1984's score had plummeted to a still decent 68%. Unfortunately, that means it's no longer "Certified Fresh," and the edited consensus now states, "Wonder Woman 1984 struggles with sequel overload, but still offers enough vibrant escapism to satisfy fans of the franchise and its classic central character."
It's not like this will hurt the movie at the box office (though many screenings reportedly sold out on Christmas Day), but it's definitely a surprise, and will likely force Warner Bros. - who have been touting that "Certified Fresh" accolade in TV spots - to make some changes to Wonder Woman 1984's marketing.
What was our take on the sequel? You can read our review by clicking here.
Click on the "Next" button below to check out a
spoiler-filled breakdown of Wonder Woman 1984!
10. Return To Themyscira
Like the first movie, Wonder Woman 1984 kicks off in Themyscira with a young Diana Prince competing in an athletic competition against a group of much older Amazons. Initially taking the lead with ease, the future Justice League member is knocked from her horse and forced to improvise.
Taking a shortcut to reclaim first place, Diana is stopped from claiming victory when she's grabbed by Antiope who lectures her on not taking the easy way out and the importance of truth.
It's a cool opener, and the message here is an important part of the sequel during its final act.
9. Wonder Woman Saves The Day
Moving to the 1980s, there's a quick montage featuring plenty of nods to the decade as Wonder Woman stealthily saves a number of people who are inadvertently put in harm's way.
In a nearby mall, a group of thugs are robbing a jewellery store because they've heard that some priceless artefacts are being sold illegally out of the back. With the police closing in, one of them grabs a young girl and threatens to throw her off a balcony. Luckily, Wonder Woman intervenes and makes short work of them...despite destroying the security cameras, the hero doesn't exactly hide!
From there, it's time to meet Dr. Barbara Minerva as we catch up with Diana in her life as a civilian.
8. Diana Prince Meets Dr. Barbara Minerva
In Diana's home, there are photos which shed some light on what she's been up to all these years, and we even get to see what became of some of the characters from the first movie (she was a bridesmaid at Charlie's wedding and is shown on a ship with an elderly Etta Candy).
The hero works undercover as a senior anthropologist at the Smithsonian Institute, and it's there that Barbara shows up as her new co-worker. No one really notices Barbara, and even the women who interviewed her for the job can't remember the doctor who specialises in the relics that the police have brought to the museum from the shady jewellery store we mentioned earlier.
Diana doesn't ignore Barbara, though, and is intrigued by one item, in particular: the Dreamstone.
7. The Dreamstone
After a visit to the museum from new benefactor Maxwell Lord (who is clearly struggling financially), Diana finds her new friend working with a strange rock, and she explains that it's rumoured to grant the heart's desire of anyone who hodls it. One guy picks it up and wishes that he could have a coffee right now, and when he walks away, an intern suddenly arrives with extra coffees.
Coincidence, right? Well, Diana picks it up and says she knows what she would wish for, and back in her apartment, Steve Trevor's watch (which she's kept all this time) springs to life.
Diana protects Barbara on a night out, and upon returning to the Smithsonian, she wishes she could be more like her newfound friend. The next morning, the doctor is surprisingly nimble...everyone appears to be taking notice of her as well, a big change after spending so much time being ignored.
6. Steve Trevor's Return
Lord puts on a good show, but his fancy office is empty and one of business associates, Simon Stagg, wants his money back. Lord's son hears all of this, and it's clear that while Maxwell isn't a bad guy, he is one willing to do whatever it takes in order to make the youngster proud of him.
That includes hosting a party which Diana attends. While there, she's bugged by a guy who knows her name, but means nothing to her. However, he puts his watch in her hand and repeats his farewell from Wonder Woman, and from that moment on, both Diana - and the audience - see the guy as Steve Trevor (despite the fact the war hero is clearly inhabiting someone else's body).
Lord, meanwhile, seduces the new-look Barbara, and manages to convince her to let him have the stone. With it, he wishes to gain the powers of the stone itself and becomes all-powerful.
5. Maxwell Lord's Plan And The Invisible Jet
Diana and Steve go for a walk, and he reveals that he remembers being on the plane when it exploded and then waking up in bed in the 1980s. There was something in between, but he doesn't know what. They spend the night together and start digging into that mysterious stone, learning that it had actually been put to one side for Maxwell Lord by the crooks in charge of that jewellery store.
When a wish is made, there are consequences. Diana's powers are beginning to fade, Barbara is growing increasingly unstable and violent (losing the humanity that makes her special, even if others don't notice it), and Lord...well, he has a plan. To counter that, the villain gets people to make a wish, but takes something from them in return that he wants, thereby saving him from making a wish.
Diana and Steve break into Lord's office and learn what he's done. Realising that he's heading to the Middle East, they then sneak into a military base to steal a plane for Steve to fly, but technology has advanced, and the duo find themselves being pursued courtesy of radar. Diana reveals that her lasso can turn things invisible (she's only tried it on a coffee mug up until now...which she lost), and the Invisible Jet makes its big screen debut as the duo enjoy some fireworks.
4. Maxwell Lord's Plan
Lord, meanwhile, is making deals with foreign leaders, and grants a wish to magically erect a wall which will remove the Cairo leader's enemies from his lands. However, when he won't hand over his oil reserves, the villain makes off with his military instead, and decides to take the oil by force.
A huge action scene follows as Diana and Steve - who have discovered that the Dreamstone was created by the God of Treachery and Mischief - pursue Lord through the desert. Wonder Woman realises that she's become vulnerable, with a bullet that would usually bounce off causing her to bleed. She narrowly rescues two children, but knows her powers are fading now.
Granting all those wishes take a toll on Lord, and his health is on the decline. His son wishing that his father gets everything he wants helps, and he heads to the White House. There, the villain is able to manipulate the U.S. President into giving him access to a revolutionary satellite system which will allow him to grant everyone's wishes at the same time and become even more powerful.
3. White House Battle
Thanks to Barbara, Steve and Diana learn that using a wish means you have to sacrifice something important to you, hence why the hero is starting to lose her powers. The only way to reclaim them is to recant that wish, but in Diana's case, that would mean saying goodbye to Steve again. Killing Lord will do the same thing, and Barbara says she doesn't want to lose her newfound confidence.
Barbara, who now has super strength, shows up to protect Lord from Diana and proceeds to take her down in brutal fashion. As they escape in the President's helicopter, he explains that by granting wishes from all over the world, he'll take their health from them so he can be rejuvenated. Barbara, meanwhile, wishes to become a true "Apex Predator" and you can probably guess what that means!
As the world starts falling apart around them, and it becomes clear that Lord's manipulations are going to lead to nuclear war, Steve pleads with Diana to let him go. She can't bring herself to do it, but after a tearful goodbye, she recants her wish, and they bid farewell for the final time. With that, she runs away, her powers return, and Wonder Woman is able to take flight for the first time ever.
2. Wonder Woman Fights Cheetah
Earlier in the movie, Diana explained to Steve that the Golden Eagle armour she keeps in her apartment once belonged to another warrior, Asteria, who left Themyscira to protect her fellow Amazons from men. It appears she was killed in the process, and finding that armour was one of the first things the future Justice League member did when she found herself out in the world.
Donning that armour, Wonder Woman heads to the satellite where she's confronted by Cheetah. A pretty weird, Cirque du Soleil battle follows, but Diana's armour is badly damaged, and she only manages to defeat Barbara after electrocuting her after they plunge into some nearby water.
Lord is determined to get more and more power, and as he grants wishes across the world, it quickly starts erupting into chaos. confronting the villain, Wonder Woman secretly uses the Lasso of Truth to broadcast her inspiring words across the entire globe, and upon hearing them, people start to recant their wishes. Lord, meanwhile, realises that his son is in danger and rushes to find him.
1. An Emotional Goodbye
Barbara has returned to her human state (meaning she recanted her wish), Lord has given up his powers and is reunited with his son, while Diana is forced to return to her life without Steve Trevor.
In the final few minutes of the film, Diana bumps into the man who Steve was inhabiting, and they wish each other a Merry Christmas before going their separate ways. He has no memory of what happened and during a voiceover, Wonder Woman talks about having faith in people before going full Superman and leaping into the air to answer a nearby alarm and to once again save the day.
In a mid-credits scene, it's revealed that Asteria is still alive. Played by original Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter, she saves someone from a falling pillar, and has clearly been doing the hero thing for a while.