The 1984 in the title to this Wonder Woman sequel makes it feel like that’s the last time any of us went to the movies regularly. In fact, this movie was originally slated to release this time last year, then pushed to the, eventually doomed, summer here in 2020. Warner Bros has now just given up on unpredictable movie delays and are making it available on open theaters and the same day on their streaming service HBO Max. Considering how this system is the way releases will be handled for the foreseeable future, the question for you, the viewer, is your willingness to see something on the big screen, pay $15 for another steaming service, or just wait till it’s available to rent a few months down the road.
With Wonder Woman 1984, Gal Gadot returns as the hero that made her mark in the original 2017 movie. For her character, it’s been nearly 70 years since we last saw her cross enemy lines in WWI. Diana now spends her time performing random acts of saving the day for those in Washington DC. While she is content, she cannot let go of the past and the love she had for Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). Her world is altered as a coworker, Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) stumbles on an artifact that has the ability to grant wishes.
Meanwhile, Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) has his own plans for the artifact that he intends to use for selfish gain, but his actions have far-reaching consequences that Diana may, or may not, be able to stop.
Gal Gadot once again proves just how inspired her casting as Wonder Woman is. She is now past the fish-out-of-water elements of the first film and she proves just how effortless her heroism is. There are three pivotal scenes in WW84, where I was pulled in to the anguish and triumphs that Diana experienced. She has truly come into her own as the character that audiences have clearly embraced.
Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) plays Maxwell Lord as a wannabe 1980s capitalist that gets in over his head. The story of the movie is largely built around him and his choices. There are many times where I questioned if the decade this movie takes place in was actually necessary for the story, but Maxwell Lord is someone that fits so well in “Greed is good” era. Pascal is such a shining light in the movie. He’s so easy to hate, but it’s fun to see where his selfish desires take him with each scene.
I absolutely had my reservations about Kristen Wiig as the comic-famous, Cheetah. From the get-go, there’s no missing Wiig’s love-it-or-hate-it comedic delivery. Though, she must eventually go through her evolution, which simply starts as her just wanting to be noticed. I’m surprised to be saying this, but this movie underutilized her character. When she gains more strength and loses more of herself, the movie is immediately more watchable. It’s her scenes that bring us the action and violence that I definitely wanted more of.
Which brings us to the action and pacing of WW84. This is a 2 hour 31 minute movie. You’ll forget about that runtime by the second half of the movie, but the first half is relatively action-lite. It’s complete character set-up. And I’m not saying character set-up is a bad thing. In fact, the opposite is true. It’s important to see how Diana and Steve reunite and continue their love story. It’s completely necessary to see how Maxwell Lord and Barbara Minerva devolve. But for those wanting straight-up action, you’re going to have to dig through a lot of globe-trotting and dialogue.
Director Patty Jenkins returns to the chair for this sequel, though at times it seems like she tried to make a wildly different movie than the original. This movie features a very 1980s-infused mall scene of heroics pulled right out of a Donner Superman movie. It feels like Jenkins is trying to please fans who just want a happy-go-lucky hero who will rescue kittens from a tree. The intentional Donner-esque opener does fit the camp of the decade its set in, so I’ll give it that. Diana swinging around with her lasso just feels so different than the focused combat where she crashes through walls and deals methodical damage to the German forces in WWI.
It’s been a while since I’ve nitpicked so bear with me. A small percentage of the CG doesn’t work and it’s not even the parts you’d imagine it to be weaker. Cheetah’s final form is pretty fantastic. Her fight with Wonder Woman was a highlight and I wish it were longer. Instead, there are noticeable flaws with a few slow-motion scenes of Wonder Woman running, gliding, or saving children that don’t feel real at all and were strange directorial choices. That said, it’s hard not to be gleeful when you see Diana lasso lightning bolts.
Where many felt that the third act of the first Wonder Woman was an overblown CG fest that didn’t fit the rest of the movie, I’m happy to report that the third act of WW84 is the best portion of this movie. The characters are all where they need to be, emotionally and physically, and the surprising final showdowns feel different to what we typically see in other standard movies in this oversaturated genre. By the end, you’re left with a feeling that is desperately needed this year – hope.
Wonder Woman 1984 is not the huge step forward this franchise could have taken, it may even be a step back. The cast is having a blast here and the villains contribute so much to the campy enjoyment. It literally doesn’t have quite the same punch this time around as far as action goes, but it is the most family friendly movie in the modern DC movie roster. I watched this at home on a large TV, but I’m interested to see how seeing this at a theater will affect the experience. C+
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