In Wonder Woman 1984, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) finds herself in the year 1984 and has adjusted nicely to the "modern" world. A mystical stone that has the power to grant wishes (for a price) is about to throw everything on it's ear. When broke business man/con man Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) comes into possession of the gem, the future of civilization is threatened. Diana, along with a newly resurrected Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), will have to set things right.
Gal Gadot continues to fit the role of Diana Prince incredibly well. She excels in a few emotional scenes and is always incredible in her action scenes. Pedro Pascal makes for an incredibly charismatic, likable, and sympathetic/empathetic villain. He starts the film as a man on the edge, about to lose everything, and he only grows more unhinged and desperate as Wonder Woman 1984 progresses. His quest for success, power, and MORE might lead to his self-destruction. Maxwell Lord's villain arc is a satisfactory one, and he makes for a memorable character.
Chris Pine, once again, might be the strongest part of this latest outing for Wonder Woman. His awe and wonder at how far flight technology has advanced is adorable as hell. Here, he plays a fish out of water, constantly awed (and sometimes thrown off balance) by just how much the world has changed and progressed since his passing. He is still the beating heart of the Wonder Woman franchise (though it's best if they lay his character to rest for good after this one) and acts as a bit of a moral compass for Diana this time around.
Kristin Wiig plays Barbara Minerva/Cheetah, a mild-mannered, milquetoast, warm-hearted worker at The Smithsonian Institute and close friend of Diana's. Wiig sells her role pretty well, and it's interesting to watch her character slowly turn into a villain. Her interactions with Diana are also very entertaining, and there's a nice poetry to the changes undergoing her character and Diana's. That said, she doesn't feel like she belongs here, and let's be honest, she's only here so that Wonder Woman will have a super-villain to fight in the last act. Barbara Minerva/Cheetah is definitely a good character, she just would have been better served if they had saved her for a later film (or maybe just have her be Barbara, and save her transformation into Cheetah for another outing).
Wonder Woman 1984 is set in 1984 (duh), and the visual palette and score are very appealing. This is a colorful film that pops off the screen, and the score has some synth vibes to it (always appreciated). There are also some nice set pieces (like a shopping mall) that are utilized to good effect. That said, the aesthetics of the 80s was not the only reason they chose to set this sequel in that decade.
Wonder Woman 1984 is a film that condemns the virtues of excess (the theme of excess and material culture play a role here, hence the 80's setting. The choice to set this film in the 80's was, in retrospect, an obvious one) , yet one of it's biggest problem is that there's too much here (ironic, no?). The film's first two acts work very well, and are very entertaining, though you can't help but feel it's more often than not bogged down in sub-plots, like it has too much on it's plate or that it's trying to do too much. There are also some scenes that feel like they could have been easily excised with little to no negative impact on the proceedings.
The third act is what ends up bringing an otherwise very good film down to the level of just good. The last 30 minutes just flat-out sucks. The final battle with Cheetah is murky, dark, and unsatisfying. The big showdown with Maxwell Lord quickly turns into a schmaltzy, preachy, unfulfilling message-fest. The final holiday segment was clearly done in a self-aware attempt to market towards the Christmas time demographic (it feels like execs knew this flick would be released around the holiday time). It's a shame that Wonder Woman ends up falling flat on it's face on the pavement, breaking it's nose, and cracking it's skull wide open as it nears the home stretch (I'm serious, the last act really is that bad. It makes all of Wonder Woman 1984 feel like a message movie....ugh).
Wonder Woman 1984 is a mixed bag. If you reach inside you'll find some Skittles and Blow Pops along with some lemons and TaB soda. In the end, Wonder Woman 1984 is not a strong film. That said, it's not really bad. I would qualify it as "good". Go in expecting some popcorn munching, soda slurping fun and you should be fine. It should have been better, but it could have been worse.
3 STARS
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