The Suicide Squad may have come close to snatching the crown when the early reactions began rolling in, but Wonder Woman ultimately reclaimed its status as the DCEU’s best-reviewed movie ever. Patty Jenkins’ comic book adaptation is still the benchmark, even if she fought a losing battle against the studio over the disappointing CGI-fueled climax.
As a result of a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score and $821 million at the box office, Jenkins was awarded increased creative freedom for the sequel, which may not have been the wisest move in hindsight. The filmmaker had every reason to blame Warner Bros. for the first installment’s turgid climactic showdown, but Wonder Woman 1984 had many more problems.
At 151 minutes it was at least 20 too long, the questionable method of bringing back Steve Trevor drew plenty of derision, there were plot holes big enough to comfortably fly an invisible jet through, and it even repeated the mistake of the original by turning Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah into a poorly-rendered reject from Cats.
As a result, we’re hearing from our sources – the same ones who told us Ben Affleck was returning as Batman in The Flash long before it was confirmed – that there’s now some internal trepidation at WB over Wonder Woman 3. Of course, the threequel was fast-tracked into development just days after 1984 debuted so the boardroom knew exactly what they were getting into, but the real barometer will likely be Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, which has the looming shadow of Kathleen Kennedy to contend with.
If Jenkins knocks her sci-fi blockbuster out of the park, then everyone’s going to feel much more confident about Wonder Woman 3. If it’s not deemed up to standard, then questions may be asked.
