Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern is widely regarded as one of the worst comic book movies of the modern era, with the $200 million intergalactic blockbuster going down in history as one of the biggest box office bombs of all-time, and the leading man has spent the better part of a decade reminding people about just how terrible it is. In fact, he’s even got co-star Taika Waititi in on the act.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, meanwhile, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman was instantly lauded as the best installment in the DCEU, and Gal Gadot’s solo debut as Diana Prince is still the highest-rated entry in the shared universe with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%. Most fans were expecting the sequel to improve upon its predecessor, then, but the reactions have been a lot more lukewarm than anyone could have predicted.
Wonder Woman 1984 is currently sitting at 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, and with the movie having dropped on HBO Max this past weekend, millions of people have now checked it out for themselves. And though a lot of folks seemingly enjoyed it, some are comparing it pretty unfavorably to Martin Campbell’s notorious misfire, as you can see below.
What’s Worse? Green Lantern vs. WonderWoman1984! pic.twitter.com/jihKxLup29
— Abogado Gomez (@AnchorBaby1) December 27, 2020
I know I am late but I have to admit I am awestruck by how bad large stretches of #WonderWoman1984 were. Whew… I haven't laughed this hard since Green Lantern.
— Void Tweeter (@Sam_Not_Wise) December 27, 2020
Green lantern and Daredevil were actually better that the shit show called #WonderWoman1984 https://t.co/rtsvsjz6kx
— Corporal Gen X (@ThatGenXGuy) December 27, 2020
I like Green Lantern much better than Wonder Woman 1984.
— sentient 6 (@sentientsixp) December 27, 2020
#WonderWoman1984 is the worst movie since The Green Lantern. 🙅🏿♀️
— Stop Killing Us!!!! (@Its_SheLAm) December 27, 2020
The Green Lantern movie was better than Wonder Woman 1984. I said it! #WonderWoman1984
— J.Wind (@Hotvle) December 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/HonestlyClever/status/1342982776400711680
Wonder Woman 1984 makes Fantastic Four and Green Lantern look good. Poor storyline. Poorly put together. Disappointing
— Gery (@gpoetx) December 26, 2020
They finally made a worse DC movie than Green Lantern. #WonderWoman1984
— Magnus Stjernstrom (@magnus72) December 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/3ang_A_7ang/status/1342854733653037057
https://twitter.com/iMolina10/status/1342742561878913025
Based on the reception from fans and critics, Wonder Woman 1984 is proving to be a much more polarizing experience than the first one, with many praising the sense of hope and optimism that permeates almost every frame, while others are blasting it for terrible dialogue and overwhelming cheesiness.
Regardless of what side of the divide people fall on, the simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release has certainly got folks talking, which is good news for the studio because it more than likely means they’ve signed up to the streaming service or braved a trip to the cinema, putting money in their pocket either way.
