Reviews From the Dark Side
Wonder Woman 1984
Released 12/25/20
I think I'll start this by briefly recounting my thoughts on the first Wonder Woman film from 2017. I liked Wonder Woman. But, I didn't love it. The chemistry between Gal Gadot's Diana and Chris Pine's Steve Trevor was easily one of the standouts of the movie. They had such an ease with each other that you felt something for them as an audience. They are one of the best onscreen duos I've seen in several years. As for the movie itself, I thought it had its hits and misses. There were some inconsistencies in the first act that I couldn't wrap my mind around. I thought the pace picked up a great deal once Diana and Steve left Themyscira. The entrance into the World War II theatre was by far my favorite section of the film. Director Patty Jenkins shot so many great scenes of Diana in action, the best of which was her emergence from the trench facing down intense gunfire. Then we transition to an...adequate if not spectacular third act with Diana vs. Aries and we come full circle to my first statement. I liked the movie, but didn't love it.
That said, I can't say I was excited about the prospect of a WW sequel, but, I was enthusiastic that it would at least provide the same level of joy the first did particularly with Gadot, Pine, and Jenkins returning. Unfortunately, I have to say WW84 fell a little short for me.
I think the biggest issue I had was the movie just sort of sits there. It's very standard. It has a couple of thrills and many contrivances that don't work to advance the plot or are even necessary at all. It's just a hodgepodge of...stuff. Stuff flung against the wall to see what would stick. I expected better. Particularly since Patty Jenkins supposedly had more influence on the film outside of direction than she did in the first. It's a very different experience from the 2017 entry.
For one thing, I'm not exactly sure what setting the movie in 1984 accomplishes. It's not intricate to the plot in any way, shape, or form as its predecessor's setting in the 1940s was. Other than trying to capitalize on the Stranger Things 80s nostalgia phenomenon, the timeline has no bearing on anything. The events here could have easily taken place in 2020. Actually, it would have made more sense for it to take place in the modern day. Diana exhibits new abilities here that may have been useful in BvS or Justice League. Granted it's been a minute since I've seen either movie, but, I don't recall her ability to fly or turn objects invisible in the modern day. I'm just thinking the former might have been a nice tool in some instances. The latter? I don't know. Although it did create a nostalgic Super Friends moment. But, that's about all it did.
Another thing that made me ponder why is this a thing is the whole "secret identity" schtick that was pushed in the first 20 minutes. Okay, I get not sticking around for accolades. But, Diana is an insanely attractive woman using a glowing rope, wearing knee high boots and an armored bathing suit. Plus she's operating in daylight and doesn't have the speed of the Flash. Honey, you're going to be noticed. And the whole taking out the cameras with the tiara looked good visually. But, we're really supposed to think that's going to protect her secret? I can't say I'm a surveillance expert, but, don't these security cameras usually send images to recording equipment in a back room? Hate to say that tiara can destroy a 1,000 cameras and you'd still be on tape WW. It's not something I was annoyed by, but, it was a silly plot point that seemed to be there "just 'cuz."
Now on to something a little more substantive. Steve Trevor does return. And there is a glorious heartfelt reunion between Diana and Steve. But, the circumstances surrounding his return are a little sketchy for me. Not sketchy as difficult to understand, but, sketchy as "you two are kind of wrong for this?" I'm not heartless. Of course I understand how two lost loves would initially throw caution to the wind and become intimate. But, it bothered me a little that the gravity of what was happening didn't at least weigh on either of them a wee bit. Steve was back in another man's body. Now he and Diana did want to get to the bottom of why he was back, but, it struck me as very strange that these two heroic figures seemed to have little concern over the guy Steve supplanted. Neither had any curiosity if the subject was dead, sent to Limbo, or was still somewhere in his own body. It seemed the writers were so intent on the Diana/Steve reunion, they never stopped to think both characters are being a tad callous and cavalier about the situation. It actually would have been a more interesting plot point if the supplanted personality was either fighting with Steve for dominance or if he had a family that forced both of them to confront the chaos and ethic of what was happening. This could have been played for comic or dramatic effects. And the real kicker here is even in the end when they both know Steve can't stay, the only reason they give up the dream is so Diana can get her mojo back, not for the poor guy who had his life ripped away from him.
Let me address something I've heard on many an occasion particularly in the past couple of years in this age of social media warfare. It's been implied that to be overly critical of the flaws in movies such as this is silly because everything about them is made up. You should just go with the flow and enjoy. Here's the problem with that theory. It's a very true statement for all who are reading this that every superhero/fantasy/science fiction extravaganza you watch is the fantastical creation of the crew who made the film. But, you also have to realize that within these creations, particularly if you're dealing with a series, a universe within this framework is often established. Universes that have their own set of imaginary rules. So, when those rules are broken within that framework, there's an issue. To switch gears for a moment, it's the reason Rey was such a controversial figure among the fandom in the recent Star Wars sequel trilogy. WW84 has its own controversial McGuffin in the form of a magical stone that grants wishes. One set of rules is established for how it functions. Then when the plot demands something different, those rules seem to change haphazardly with little more explanation than it's another "just 'cuz" moment. There appears to be a lot of these in this sequel. This is the one aspect of the movie I found rather annoying.
Going back to my first point, there are other aspects of WW84 that are, well, pointless for lack of a better word. The opening flashback to Themyscira is my first example. It was a well shot and exciting sequence to be sure. But, what was the purpose? A lesson of not cheating to achieve your goal was taught to the very young Diana by the end of this act. But, what was the broader picture here? I guess you could loosely say it was a lesson revisited because Diana unwittingly "cheated" to get Steve back but, the connection is so cryptic that it's indeed a very loose connection to what happened on Themyscira.
You know that fancy winged golden armor you see WW wearing in many of the promos for this movie? Can I just say that it turns out to be just a grade above Stormtrooper armor? It serves no purpose. It has no special capabilities outside of giving Diana a new look. This was brought in strictly to sell new toys and collectibles. Cheetah was tearing it apart fairly easily. Diana really didn't need it to fight her once she got her groove back.
Speaking of Cheetah, she and wannabe tycoon, Maxwell Lord, are the two antagonists in WW84. Lord, played by the Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal, is the primary villain. His smarmy, manic performance was possibly the highlight of the film outside of the chemistry between Gadot and Pine. The more scenery Pascal got to chew, the more he seemed to be enjoying himself. He was a fun character who I wish had a meatier plotline. I think he could have done special things if his storyline had taken a turn more for the sinister than the silly. But, again, you could see he was really enjoying himself. As for Kristen Wiig's, Cheetah, there was nothing wrong with Wiig's performance as the feral villain. She did what she could with the part. But, for me she felt like a bit of an afterthought, a super powered foil for Diana to trade punches with because she could easily tear Lord apart with her bare hands if she wanted to. I thought Wiig played the transition from unconfident nerd to arrogant sexpot to vicious monster well. I just think she needed her own film as the primary antagonist to shine more. The CGI left something to be desired, but, the performance did not. Trust me there was a reason WW and Cheetah fought in a night setting. That CGI was a little rough.
I've gone on and on about the movie's flaws. You might think I hated WW84. I didn't. But, it was a letdown. It felt very much like a cash grab. It feels as if the producers said we struck gold with the first film so we're golden for all future endeavors. No Warner Brothers, you still have to put a little effort into presenting a cohesive story. WW84 is a decent enough entry into the superhero genre if you're not looking for anything particularly noteworthy. It doesn't really advance any narrative in the greater DC Extended Universe. I don't know. Is there still a DCEU? If so, then WW84 is the equivalent to what Iron Man 3 was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A somewhat entertaining throwaway film that adds very little, if anything, to the general storyline. It's a one watch wonder. And a very lengthy one at that. There was no reason this movie had to take two and half hours out of your life. One hundred minutes would have been plenty.
But, I will leave on a positive note. The mid-credits scene? Yes, unusual for a DCEU movie to have one. Nice touch.
The Dark Lord of the Sith says:
*** stars
0*= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me, please!
1*= Fuggedaboutit!
2*= Average/Mediocre/Nothing Special
3*= Worth a look
4*= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5*= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good
