Wonder Woman debuted back in 2017 and immediately established itself as one of the great DC Comics page to screen efforts from Warner Bros. Its sequel is finally here, after months of Covid related delays that find the film opening on HBO Max.
As the film’s title indicates, Wonder Woman 1984 lands in the mid-80s, and although pastels and parachute pants permeate the fashion landscape and Patty Jenkins’ film embraces the fashion of the age, it never does so without overbearing its presence. What is also appreciated is it doesn’t hit you over the head with songs from that era. Usually, filmmakers resort to a soundtrack chock full of 80s hits that supposedly instantly sweep you away to the Decade of Decadence. Sure, she throws in a fantastic nod to the era with Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Welcome to the Pleasure Dome, but that is pretty much it.
Jenkins achieves her 80s timeline by the technology showcased, the production design, the clothes, and the palpable feel of an era gone now by almost 40 years. Have to give it to a filmmaker so confident in her ability to capture a timeline without resorting to the greatest hits of an era long gone.
Gal Gadot is back as Diana Prince and her super alter-ego, Wonder Woman. The film commences back on the island of her birth. She is a child competing in an athletic competition against warriors more than twice her age. She learns a valuable lesson on that day, that no success can be achieved through cutting corners and it is a message that will permeate the entire film.
The story flashes to the titular year and Prince is working in antiquities at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., where she meets a new employee, Kristen Wiig’s Barbara Minerva, who is put right to work after a mall heist gone wrong (thanks to Wonder Woman) has revealed a storefront that truly served as a facilitator for moving stolen ancient artifacts. They land at Minerva’s desk and one is seemingly innocent, except its not. It’s an ancient wish maker and one of the first wishes comes from the holder herself. Minerva desires to be more like Prince. Boy oh boy she has no idea what she was just granted. Incidentally, while holding it and almost unaware she did it, Diana wishes for the return of her pilot Steve (Chris Pine), who died in World War I in the first film.
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Pedro Pascal arrives as a literal snake oil salesman with dollar signs in his eyes, all without the desire to put in the hard work. He knows all too well about the wish relic and while wooing Barbara, he “borrows” it. His wishes are more nefarious and spin the entire globe into utter chaos. As Minerva starts to gain Wonder Woman’s powers, Pascal’s Maxwell Lord has a formidable sidekick in her, but he also holds the key to the item’s wish power and its exponential power potential for the entire globe.
Gadot proves yet again that she is the perfect Wonder Woman and Diana Prince. That’s the key in any superhero casting is the hero and the alter ego. It doesn’t always work. Here it does in spades as the Israeli-born actress proves to be a gift from superhero heaven. As seen in the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer, Pine’s Steve does come back—and it’s explained beautifully and with heaps of heart-pounding longing. What becomes apparent with this wish, and so many others, is that the old saying about the Monkey’s Paw is inherently true.
Every wish granted comes with a cost. It is one that is unforeseen at the time of granting, but one that will rear its head more sooner than later. Remember that lesson from the beginning of the movie about cutting corners and cheating fate? That has grown into a global conundrum that will require Wonder Woman to channel all of her power and even some she never knew she had to at least move the needle a little bit on returning the earth to its rightful place morally… and in its deepest of collective hearts.
Jenkins has woven another Wonder web that not only showcases the innate gifts of her star, but also this world she has built. What’s fascinating about her choosing 1984 as the time and place of her sequel is that it is before the days of Justice League. Wonder Woman is still in the shadows, a mysterious figure who happens to show up and save the day—albeit on a smaller scale like busting that robbery at a very 80s mall earlier in the film. That is a smart move as it allows the storyteller to keep this entire series all about the Amazon woman with powers to save the world, all while suffering the heartbreak that is knowing your one true love perished almost seven decades prior. It is a fascinating landscape that is painted in 1984 and it works impeccably within the framework of the DC Universe.
Her direction is flawless, yet again. She keenly has a finger on the pulse of when to push the ebbs and flows of emotion, action, suspense, intrigue, and of course, the narrative with all its emotive power. There even is a moment or two where one might find themselves getting a wee bit misty-eyed and that, my friends, is a sign that these characters and the emotive pool they play in are one the audience will innately bask in wholeheartedly.
Wiig, some worried, might be miscast. The comedienne is funny as all get-up, we all know that. But as the character that will eventually morph into Cheetah, that is exactly the personality required of the character—at the beginning. She’s awkward, almost humorously. When she slowly, but surely, becomes what she wishes for, a stark personality change occurs, and it is mesmerizing to witness it in the hands of the normally comic actress. Oftentimes, comedians make the best dramatists and although I wouldn’t heap tons of praise on Wiig here, she does her job and does it successfully.
Pascal, who recently wowed us in the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian and first blew us away in Narcos, is a dreamer with a penchant for taking shortcuts and up until now, that has blown up in his face. With the legendary wish maker in his possession, the world is at his fingertips and all he wants is more and more. He has a son, who he basically ignores and there is a message for the conclusion there that we just know is getting telegraphed from miles away! But it still doesn’t lessen its impact once that scene arrives.
The actor embodies the villain as almost a reluctant villain, a man imprisoned by his desires and shaped by his shameful youth and past.
He may be a wild villain, with a penchant for eloquent and deranged speeches, but he is very much a man of today. I wouldn’t say he was like Trump—after power, the presidency, technology to keep him young, and an ego that consumes him and will likely be his downfall. Well, actually he is a perfect allegory for our current White House resident! In the hands of the Chilian-born thespian, he rises to the occasion of portraying a superhero movie villain.
Superhero fans are a wise bunch and we’ve seen it all, from the villain world. What Pascal brings bridges an emotional connection to his son with his disappointment over his father who withheld love and passed judgment around every corner. There’s a psychological element to his behavior that Freud would have a field day with. Instead, he acts out, he craves absolute power and when he gets a taste of it, the entire Wonder Woman 1984 world turns on its head and it appears there is nothing Diana can do to make it right, especially with her wish’s price tag tearing her apart.
Quickly, because don’t want to give too much away. But let’s give a shout out to Chris Pine and his return as Steve. He provides such a comedic and awe-inspiring turn as a fish out of water, time-wise, that is such a bright light in this film that can teeter towards darkness and the end of days.
The action sequences are stellar and simultaneously pack an emotional punch. Jenkins once again shows that she is a helmer who can weave emotion and action in a perfect dance that allows the viewer to oscillate between feelings throughout. As a director, Jenkins has grown and as such, brings an elevated mettle to the experience that permeates throughout. The story, she co-wrote with Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham, feels a bit bloated at times. I have no problem with a two-and-a-half-hour movie if it rocks on all cylinders. It’s just that Wonder Woman 1984 sputters on occasion, but it does quickly get up, dust itself off, and race ahead.
Gadot is a find. From the moment she put on the suit, she was Wonder Woman. More importantly, she is firmly Diana Prince, a product of an Amazon island with special gifts that go beyond anyone who her island has produced. This time out, she is a bit lost but finds her purpose in the demands of the day—beyond busting up robberies and saving lives in secret. This endeavor has put her on the global map, and it is will be fascinating to see where the character goes from here.
The Israeli actress has such a subtle command and care to her turn that those are the perfect touches for a Wonder Woman of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She gets the nuances of the soul and brings them to life in a way that is riveting, incredibly emotional, and at times, a tad tragic. It’s a combination that is fitting for a superhero of this century. Our larger-than-life cinematic heroes—what with all audiences have seen in the last 20 years—need to set themselves apart. With what Gadot (and Jenkins) brings to Wonder Woman, she is exactly the hero that we need right now.
Grade: B+