Wonder Woman 1984 was scheduled to be a Summer blockbuster in 2020 but, due to COVID-19, it was delayed until Christmas Day, when it was released simultaneously on HBO Max and in theatres.
I had been waiting for this movie the whole year (or pretty much any new movies) because there weren’t any superhero movies released in 2020. I watched it at home rather than in theatres because it felt safer, and it was actually a pretty good experience! The quality of the film on HBO Max was really good, with 4K clarity and Dolby digital sound. It did feel a bit odd watching the movie at home, but it was so nice to see something new. It makes me excited that Warner Brothers is releasing all their new movies on HBO Max for 2021. I am a big fan of the movie theatre experience, though, and I will go back when it’s safe!
Now on to the movie! Wonder Woman 1984, as the title suggests takes place in the 1980s. It benefits from the fun, colorful ’80s outfits and aesthetics. The main plot has to do with a stone that can grant all your wishes… But those wishes come at a cost. This element of the movie is a little eccentric, but I think that the magic component added to the fantasy of the film and made the world more interesting. The creative way these wishes are executed adds humor and amusement to the film.
Gal Gadot is perfect, as always, and truly embodies the strong but sweet Diana Prince. She truly shines in this movie, not just when she’s beating up villains but also as an archaeologist working in D.C. I hope young girls who are interested in science and history will appreciate seeing a strong woman (and a literal superhero) take up the mantle. It’s cool to see how she uses her long life to better preserve history. She also inspires hope in her heroic speeches. If you like Gal and her interpretation of Wonder Woman, you will definitely like this movie.
Another standout performance is Pedro Pascal as Max Lord. He is stellar in this and, while he seems like the typical scheming businessman (his hair in this movie is very Trump-esque), he actually has a lot of depth to his character and goes beyond the surface-level comic book villain. A lot of the DCEU’s villains before him are just big grey CGI monsters that get introduced in the third act, but it’s nice to see a real human person’s journey to becoming a villain and how Diana has to fight him not just with her strength but with her words as well.
While Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah is touted as the villain of the movie, I didn’t like her character that much. She’s funny and charismatic at the beginning, but becomes unlikeable and not just a typical villain unlikeable, a character who’s not interesting. This may be intentional on the part of the writers but it didn’t land for me. The charming nature of her character is great in the beginning, though, but I feel that the ‘nerdy girl who takes off her glasses and transforms’ trope has been done to death (we’ve even seen Catwoman from Burton’s Batman movies go through a similar transformation).
Similarly, while Chris Pine’s character Steve Trevor was fun in the first movie he feels out of place in this movie and not just because he died in the first one! I was worried about the way that they would bring him back but it actually makes sense within the plot. Diana introducing Steve to the “modern” world of 1984 the way he introduced her to England in the first movie is a fun role-reversal and also adds some comedy to the movie. Altogether, however, I don’t think it was necessary to bring him back in this movie and his role could’ve been accomplished in other ways.
One of my favorite aspects of the movie was the big action scenes. I think that they were all super entertaining and kept you on the edge of the seat while watching the movie. Gadot and Wiig nail their stunts and Diana’s power and strength really shine through and make the movie that much more exciting to watch. Part of the reason we watch superhero movies is to see the action and the fight scenes, and that element of the movie felt really solid to me.
While the whole ‘wishes’ plot of the movie is very much outlandish comic-book-fare, the performances and colorful aesthetic make this movie a fun watch. While it’s definitely not as good as the first Wonder Woman movie, I still really enjoyed watching it and had a great experience! I would check it out if you are a fan of superhero movies and/or Gal Gadot, and want something fun to do!