Christmas day had a lot of excitement in store, including the drop of Wonder Woman 1984. The long awaited and highly anticipated sequel had been rescheduled a few times to ensure a safe release due to the pandemic. But, on December 25th the movie had finally been released in theatres and on HBO Max’s streaming platform.
This time around Gal Gadot returns as Diana Prince, who is living in Washington D.C. during the 1980’s. A different time and different world than where she was in the 2017 film. Working at the Smithsonian, Diana encounters Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) who works in the geology department. When the two discover a magical gem designed to grant wishes, the pair and sleazy businessman, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), find that when you get what you wished for it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Through a bevy of twists and turns Wonder Woman has to figure out how to save humanity from itself.
I was so excited for this release, the promos were enticing, Gadot is captivating, and we
love to watch Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth in action. Unfortunately, WW1984 didn’t live up to the expectations that the first movie set. One aspect of the film that threw the story off was having two villains. Minerva and Lord would have been great villains on their own, if they had been fleshed out with a full storyline and motive. While they were telling Diana’s story, they were telling two villain stories that, at times, felt jumbled and messy. Minerva’s jealousy over Diana’s life was relatable and seeing her transform into the villain was intriguing, but her character was in so much of the beginning and then gone for so much of the middle it’s as if we missed seeing the full development of her villain-self. With Pascal’s Max Lord, we got a lot of his descent into madness but it would’ve been great to understand why he felt he needed the gem and why his plan spun so far out of control. There was a mini montage at the end of the movie that showed him in grade school and starting his business but it felt out of place and like a cop-out. A way to give him a back story without actually having to give him a back story.
The film’s message of humanity and working together to fight against our own selfishness would be so inspiring, especially for a year where we all have to do our part to fight this pandemic. That did not come through. The story felt forced, as if they were trying really hard to make something work when it just wasn’t there. By the end of the film (which was 2 and a half hours long), it felt as though the message was being rammed down our throats. It felt hokey and a little patronizing.
Lastly, Gadot herself. Diana had such power, humor, and heart in the 2017 film. This time around, the character of Diana Prince felt cold and aloof. She’s giving off major sad girl vibes and still pining over her beloved pilot, Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine. Diana’s disconnection to the world felt like a disconnection to the audience as well. The wide-eyed wonder she had in the first movie was gone and replaced by cynicism. Which is realistic, but something that I missed about her.
The production, sets, costumes, and cast were all amazing. Everything looked beautiful. But the surface level appearance couldn’t carry the movie where I felt it needed to go. Just like the year 2020, I was expecting a lot but ended up disappointed. You can stream Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max now.
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