Wonder Woman 1984

• Movie

• Superhero

Wonder Woman 1984 has lassoed its first reactions from critics, and the largely positive responses are hailing Patty Jenkins' sequel as the burst of hope we need amid this terrible, awful, no good, very bad year.

"WONDER WOMAN 1984 is — forgive the term — wonderful," SlashFilm's Hoai-Tran Bui wrote on Twitter. "It doubles down on the compassion and cheese that made the first so great, as well as its tenacious belief in the best of humanity. A magical, sorely needed beacon of hope in this year."

"It’s definitely on the long side, and sometimes slathers on so much cheese that it might be a health hazard, but it’s the kind of aspirational superhero blockbuster that we need more of," she added.

That message of hope was noted in many reactions, with Perri Nemiroff of Collider writing, "I prefer Wonder Woman to Wonder Woman 1984. But I also much prefer seeing filmmakers take new, big swings with sequels and that’s definitely what Patty Jenkins and co. do here. Not everything adds up, but the value of selflessness, love and compassion do shine through."

Fandango's Erik Davis called the film "an absolute blast from start to finish" and "one of DC's best sequels," adding, "I was in tears when it ended."

Bui wasn't the only one to comment on the film's running time. (The film reportedly runs 151 minutes, about 10 minutes longer than its predecessor.) Germain Lussier of Gizmodo wrote that the film is "very long, to a fault at times," but added that "mostly it reminded me how wonderful a big blockbuster can make you feel." "The movie is hugely ambitious, incredibly exciting, and full of much needed hope," he wrote.

Several observers singled out the performances of Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig — as villains Maxwell Lord and Cheetah, respectively — for praise. "Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig are the highlights of #WonderWoman1984 for me," Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com wrote. "Pascal goes ALL IN on a wild portrayal of Max Lord, a conflicted but vile villain. Wiig's Cheetah evolution throughout the movie is heartbreaking yet epic."

Wonder Woman 1984 is set to debut in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously on Christmas Day, after repeated delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be the first release of what Warner Bros. has declared its new release strategy for 2021, as many movie theaters remain shuttered amid the ongoing pandemic.

See more reactions to the movie below.

Related content:

• Gal Gadot faces off with Kristen Wiig's Cheetah in new Wonder Woman 1984 trailer
• Warner Bros.' Wonder Woman 1984 strategy won't kill theaters, but it won't save them, either
• Watch Wonder Woman 1984 stars crack each other up discussing sequel ideas in EW's roundtable

This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Tyler Aquilina