Is 'Wonder Woman 1984' Worth an HBO Max Subscription?
by EG
On Christmas Day, Wonder Woman 1984 will become the biggest movie so far to debut directly on a subscription streaming service. The movie will be available on HBO Max the same day it debuts in theaters, and it will be free to watch for subscribers of that service. But if you're not already a subscriber, is the movie alone worth the cost? Read on for details.
Patty Jenkins' stirring 2017 stand-alone feature debut for the popular character who made her first DC Comics appearance in 1941, Wonder Woman, came along at just the right time to shake up the male-dominated superhero screen universe, reinvigorating the genre landscape with amped-up estrogen in her fight for peace, love and equality. The movie, like Black Panther the following year, was significant in terms of its step forward in representation; for many of us whose appetite for superhero sagas has its limits, these two films remain high points. The feverish anticipation around this sequel at the end of a pandemic year that's been lean on blockbusters will automatically generate an enthusiastic welcome, even if it doesn't avoid the sophomore trap.
As the first high-profile feature from the delayed Warner Bros. slate to go out simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max ahead of the studio's full roster in 2021, Wonder Woman 1984 has a lot riding on it. No doubt, big-screen consumption that includes Imax in some locations will benefit the viewer experience. But safe access at home will be a welcome relief for many more, with the potential to do for the WarnerMedia streamer what Hamilton did for Disney+.
Jenkins' first entry, written by Allan Heinberg, was a powerful origin story that followed the protagonist's self-discovery with ample breathing space for character development between action sequences that mixed visceral sword-and-shield clashes with exciting superhuman feats. Gal Gadot's physically commanding demigoddess Diana led a ragtag team of men to bring down a World War I German chemical weaponry plot. Her chief ally against evil was Chris Pine's American fighter pilot Steve Trevor, also providing a dreamy romance that humanized her without ever reducing her to swooning mush.
Where the 2017 film invoked the gods, the over-complicated, two-and-a-half-hour sequel — written by Jenkins, former DC Comics president and CCO Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham — invokes … The Art of the Deal?
Get the rest of the review at The Hollywood Reporter.
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