Gal Gadot aka Wonder Woman lassoes her way into theaters and HBO Max for the final big budget film of the pandemic year, Wonder Woman 1984 (WW84). She re-teams with Chris Pine in this much awaited sequel for the beloved DCEU franchise.
Should you skip it or watch it? Read on this review to find out.
In Full Control
Studios have long been in scrutiny for interfering with the creative team. The same thing happened apparently with the first Wonder Woman with Director Patty Jenkins (also directing the sequel) famously revealed that the Warner Bros executives insisting on that awkward Wonder Woman vs Ares battle.
I don’t exactly know this for a fact, but things seemingly have changed for Wonder Woman 1984; with Director Patty Jenkins clearly more in control of her craft. And it shows right from the get go. The opening scene with all its flair as well as the direction throughout the duration certainly feels natural and in synch with what it has established in the first movie. But, at the same time, sets up the movie for an even bigger and wider reach.
Fully-Embraced Roles
Gal Gadot has fully embraced her Wonder Woman persona in this film. She was good the first time around but this time, she’s great. There’s much more certainty with the way she moved, talked, fought ore even laughed in this iteration. Gadot has starred in four DCEU movies so far but Wonder Woman 1984 is definitely the best version of Wonder Woman we’ve ever seen yet.
But what’s a good hero without a good villain? WW84 goes in the right direction again by giving us not just one but two great actors to play them. Kristen Wiig shows off her versatility once more with her smooth interpretation of Barbara Minerva/Cheetah.
But of course, my personal favorite Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) nails it once again and quite frankly steals the thunder from Wonder Woman herself for a moment. This time, he plays Maxwell Lord, a dangerously potent enemy of our heroine.
Then, there’s Chris Pine (Star Trek), who mysteriously returns as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman’s love interest. As usual, Pine’s charms are off the charts and his chemistry with Gadot is as spicy as ever. And do note, Steve Trevor’s presence in the movie is vital to the story and is more than just a cameo of sorts. That said; let’s keep his mysterious return a mystery.
So Many Things, Mostly Good
Expect great things in WW84. Director Jenkins’ freedom in her creative choices is just one of the film’s core strengths. Characters are well-developed and the film really took the time to introduce the audience to the characters even when their back stories aren’t that convincing or even necessary.
The climax is quite a letdown though. I honestly expected a lot more and perhaps it’s a bad case of over-development of the movie’s major villains that had me expect more. Maybe a major reveal or a major plot twist towards the end would have helped, I don’t know. I just felt that there was still a lot of room for the creative to go crazy considering the lengths they went through during the build-up.
Visuals are great too. I would recommend watching this in IMAX if there is a safe one available in your area.
Overall, the movie as Wonder Woman herself puts it is “so, so many things” and most of it is good.
Skip or Watch?
Good character development or over-development, whichever way you look at it, Wonder Woman 1984 is still a good follow-up to the original 2017 version even when its ending is a little anti-climactic that it leaves you wanting for more.
VERDICT: WATCH!
Here is salida|etc’s rating for Wonder Woman 1984.
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