Just when it was looking like the horrendous year of 2020 was coming to an end with nothing to show for, Diana, Queen of the Amazon swooped in to save us all. Over the restful break, Warner Bros. released one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, “Wonder Women 1984” to the streaming platform, HBO Max.
Audiences had been itching to see whether or not the film would fall into the familiar sequel curse. Beloved actors such as Gal Gadot and Chris Pine returned to reprise their roles as Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor, along with some new additions to the cast such as Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal as Cheetah and Maxwell Lord.
Upon watching, audiences are met with a burst of vivid colors and cheesy retro references that will make you feel nostalgic, whether you experienced the ‘80s or not. Not only that, but the movie itself has the added bonus of a grainy filter, which captures the visual effect of an ‘80s movie down to a science.
Audiences are sucked right back in with a flashback to Wonder Woman’s childhood. Young Diana, played by Lilly Aspell, can be seen taking part in an obstacle course made for the gods. She swings, glides and showcases her superhuman powers to the whole arena. She performs exceptionally well for a mere child and almost surpasses her competitors.
But alas, Diana is intercepted by her mother, Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) when she learns a valuable lesson and viewers are further reminded of the reason for her whole existence: Diana must always use her powers for good and to protect the innocent, so she lives in the human world to fight crime, all while trying to retain her normalcy working as a museum curator in Washington D.C., 1984.
She does a good job at blending in until duty calls. Diana must retrieve an ancient artifact, a magic stone that can grant any wish and keep it from ending up in the wrong hands. In order to save the world, you need a sidekick, right? Well, this is where Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) comes in, but his presence is never fully explained.
Other than being comedic relief, his character fails to add much to the plot this time around. In fact, it takes away from the clear message that made the first movie so popular: feminism. The Goddess, Diana is reduced to being a sappy, lovesick and emotional puppy who can not cope without her love. But all is well, once they are reunited and together they go on to do what superheroes do. All the while, the movie continues to be jammed with rushed and silly plot points.
At times, the movie felt slow, overfilled and dare I say it, lackluster. But the leading ladies, Gadot’s and Wiig’s charming performance are redeeming, to say the least. It seems as though “Wonder Woman 1984” has indeed fallen victim to the sequel curse, but not all hope is lost. If you’d enjoy a nice distraction from everyday life or just want to procrastinate on your homework, I’d suggest this movie versus anything else out right now.
Photo credit: Warner Bros/IMDb
