Though it's connected to the beloved Richard Donner-directed movies starring her cousin, 1984's Supergirl is seen by most as anything but a great movie. Campy, poorly written and with a general tone that screams '80s cheese, the movie has more in common with the maligned Superman III and IV than the first two entries in the franchise. Despite that, its plot was seemingly lifted for another DC movie decades later.
Wonder Woman 1984, though not quite hated, certainly had problems of its own. Seen as a vast disappointment compared to the first movie, the movie's flaws are many of the same ones found in Supergirl. Here's how two of DC's toughest leading ladies both starred in bad movies that felt like clones of each other.
Both Supergirl and Wonder Woman 1984 star super-strong, super-fast DC heroines who also happen to be able to fly, with the fact that they both wear red and blue costumes making these cosmetic similarities even harder to forget. This is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to how director Patty Jenkins' lackluster sequel was a retread of an even worse movie. They're based around mystical deus ex machinas of amorphous power, with Supergirl trying to recover the Omegahedron and Wonder Woman dealing with the Dreamstone. These objects fall into the hands of otherwise hapless and campy villains who use them for their own personal brand and gain. Selena uses the Omegahedron to somehow boost her magic, turning her into the toast of the magical town. Likewise, business failure and con man Maxwell Lord uses the Dreamstone to make everyone else's, and thus his own, dreams come true.
In the case of both films, the male love interest is mind-controlled in some way. With Supergirl, her love interest Ethan falls in love with her "normal" alter-ego, Linda Lee, due to a botched love spell from Selena. In Wonder Woman 1984, Steve Trevor is briefly revived in the body of another man, who's none the wiser to what's going on. Other shared sequences are ones toward the end where the heroines lose their powers. Kara loses hers while she's traversing the Phantom Zone, and Diana loses her powers due to the power of the Dreamstone. Likewise, they both have unexplained or amorphous powers, such as Diana's turning things invisible and Kara's random ability to transform her clothes.
Of course, shameless product placement is another commonality, with Wonder Woman 1984 having an intro set in a boisterous 1980s shopping mall. Supergirl, on the other hand, almost goes out of its way to point out that Lucy Lane, Jimmy Olsen and their friends are eating at Popeye's Fried Chicken. The logo is not only clearly visible in several scenes, but some promotional photos have Supergirl standing heroically in front of the Louisiana-based chicken joint.
As mentioned, Wonder Woman 1984 is generally seen as a step down from the quality of the first movie. This is especially the case with the movie's tone, which could sometimes be incredibly cheesy. Though the DC Extended Universe theretofore had been criticized for being dark and gloomy, Wonder Woman 1984 was for many people a step too far in the opposite direction. Jenkins was apparently inspired by the tone of the Richard Donner Superman movies, a point that the now late director noticed.
Sadly, in being so close to this older style of superhero movies, the film's plot and quality made it much closer to the maligned Supergirl movie. The latter movie, which is available to stream on HBO Max, is now more widely available than ever, and some may start to compare it even further to Diana's most recent cinematic solo film. While it likely won't change how audiences see Kara's movie, it could be even more detrimental to the legacy of Wonder Woman 1984.
Source: Trendz OH
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