Finally being released one year late, “Wonder Woman 1984” hit the screens Dec. 25 unlike any other superhero movie has before. With an option of no lines or strangers to distract, “Wonder Woman” continues to break barriers on screens and in the real world all from the comfort of the couch.

Starting off strong, young Diana Prince (Lilly Aswell) is seen learning a valuable life lesson while proving she has always been as smart as she is strong. Aswell does a great job in the opening scene portraying Prince’s ambition and the rollercoaster of emotions she experiences only within a few minutes. After one scene it jumps into the future to the older Prince (Gal Gadot). Just as she did three years ago, Gadot continues to bring a character full of kindness, power, ambition and love to life. 

Going into the movie, I had high expectations as “Wonder Woman” is one of my favorite movies. I was disappointed that DC took one of its few major female superheroes and revolved her personality around her boyfriend. In the beginning, she is grieving after 74 years and shares she never goes out and isn’t happy. She comes from a place where men don’t exist, yet so much of her existence revolves around the first man she ever met. In the few scenes Prince does have her moments of power, they are very well executed.

The movie fell short on many aspects of a typical superhero movie, creating a unique addition to the DC Extended Universe. The movie is fueled by ordinary people attaining their greatest desires, but at a cost of what they value most. It’s a superhero movie built on individual people’s greed, instead of a typical fight between hero and villain. It makes sense that the movie featured more of Diana Prince than Wonder Woman, however, there is not enough Wonder Woman content to fill the film’s two and a half hour runtime. 

Although Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) feels like an unnecessary addition to the already very long movie, the villain’s human persona, Barbara Minerva, has an intriguing plotline that nicely compliments Prince’s. While both characters are seen constantly being sexualized by men, Minerva is also seen feeling insecure and powerless compared to Prince. More time should have been spent watching the once hilariously awkward Minerva develop into the aggressive and dark character of Cheetah. 

Despite the length of the movie, there isn’t enough time to get to know each character. From catching up with Prince or Steve Trever (Chris Pine) to meeting Minerva or Maxwell Lorde (Pedro Pascal), the movie is constantly in a rush, creating a predictable storyline with an unsatisfying ending. After a super-strong start, there were just too many characters and worldwide plotlines to successfully cover everything leaving many plot lines to disappear.

“Wonder Woman 1984” taught the valuable lesson that sometimes someone’s greatest desires could become their downfall. Instead of focusing on Prince’s powers as a Goddess, it focused on her fragile emotional state, intelligence and kindness. While those aspects are important, more of a balance is needed as Wonder Woman is in the title of the movie. Even though it was not truly a superhero movie, it was still enjoyable to watch for the holiday season.

“Wonder Woman 1984”: ★★★☆☆