“Wonder Woman 1984” Movie Review

Andrew Dawson, Staff Writer |

“Wonder Woman 1984” (2020) follows Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) as she becomes accustomed to the changing world and all the challenges it brings. The film was highly anticipated after the success of the original “Wonder Woman” (2017) movie. Fans of the DC comics hoped the latest Wonder Woman movie would push the DC Universe towards the right direction. However, unlike the first film, there is less action, leaving viewers unsatisfied with the ending.

“Wonder Woman” broke the narrative that a stand-alone female superhero movie couldn’t be successful. It brought major success to the DC Universe and helped open doors for other stand-alone female action movies like “Captain Marvel” (2019) and the new Star Wars trilogy. It showed that female action movies can have realistic fighting scenes that could drive a storyline.

The film is two hours and thirty-one minutes long, with very few fighting scenes. The first scene showed Diana as an Amazon, giving a detailed backstory on how a true warrior carries themselves. It showed that a great warrior needs patience, determination and the ability to do the right thing. These three characteristics were a common theme throughout the film.

Chris Pine reprised his role as Steve Trevor helping Diana as she tries to save the world from near destruction. Their relationship is the heart of the movie, but unlike the first film, it lacks the connection it once had. Some of their scenes even subvert the best scenes from their original film. Both Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig own their roles as the main antagonists in the movie. Pascal’s character, Max Lord, shows the maniac behavior of a person who was once determined in becoming rich, but ultimately wanted everything the world could offer. Wiig showcased her range as an actress while redefining the role of Wonder Woman’s arch-nemesis, the Cheetah. Wiig played a socially awkward and lonely character at the beginning of the film as Barbara Minerva but quickly shifted to the cold-blooded villain Cheetah as portrayed in the comics.

“Wonder Woman 1984” revolves around the dream stone created by the god of treachery and mischief. The stone grants one wish to each person, but it costs a price. Every person who makes a wish loses something in return. The movie showed a great representation of greed and how it affects the world we live in.

The climax of the film didn’t represent the heroics Wonder Woman once possessed. In the climax of the first film, Diana had to fight an actual god, but violence didn’t resolve the main conflict in “Wonder Woman 1984.” The main battle in the story was with Diana and how she needed to become a perfect warrior. She struggled to do the right thing and to make sacrifices that would help save the world. In order to save the world from the dream stone, Diana had to make several unfortunate sacrifices. Diana felt the power of greed and had to overcome it to become the perfect warrior the world needed.

“Wonder Woman 1984” shows the relationship between desire, greed and doing the right thing. Despite the problems with the messy timeline of the film and the DC Universe, it’s worth watching. It shows the actions people make and how they can affect others, something that is relatable in today’s society.