Review: Wonder Woman 1984

*Possible Spoilers*

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “I wish they would release Wonder Woman already!” Little did I know I would be getting It for Christmas and that wishes would surround the plot. 

Wonder Woman 1984 begins with two heart-pumping action scenes. Unfortunately, It goes from 60 to 0 too fast too soon, and sadly it does that more than once.

We begin with a flashback of young Diana on Themyscira, fighting in an Amazonian competition. When she tries to cheat her way to the top of the scoreboard, her Aunt reminds her that “The truth will always win.” 

After that, we jump into the neon-soaked campy world of the 80s. Now a fully grown Diana (Gal Gadot) as Wonder Woman stops a jewelry heist and saves the day. The new setting feels like they’re now trying to move the DC world into the comedic stylings of the Shazam! Film. 

The robbery reveals the “Dreamstone,” an artifact that can grant you your grandest wish. But as we all know, magic always comes with a price. The gem serves as a plot device and clever way to bring back Diana’s love, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). 

The stone is set to be studied by Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), who is introduced almost the same way as Michelle Pfeiffer (pre-Catwoman) in Batman. It was a nice throwback. 

Diana is everything Barbra wishes to be. And so, her wish is granted. She gradually starts to lose her frumpy ways and becomes strong and confident. In doing so, she slowly starts to lose her humanity, which ultimately leads to her Cheetah transformation. 

As Diana searches for where the Dreamstone was created, it’s also being hunted by Max Lord (Pedro Pascal). Lord steals back the Dreamstone, and thus, another villain origin story begins.

Wonder Woman 1984 has some major pacing issues. The first Wonder Woman film may have been serious, but it had a set tone and understanding of all of its characters, and we knew who she was going to fight. 

The sequel tries to juggle a slew of characters and never really identifies a true villain. Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah was severely underused, a travesty because Wiig completely transformed in this movie. She brings humanity to what could have been a caricature of a DC villain, and I hope we get to see her again in any future DC film. 

Wonder Woman 1984 is definitely geared toward a younger audience but falls short when it comes to comedy. Chris Pine nails the comedic moments in the wardrobe montage (which having a guy do a wardrobe montage was a nice addition). But the campy scenes mixed with the serious ones throw off the momentum and feel out of place. 

That being said, when Wonder Woman 1984 gets into the action scenes, it’s a wild ride. They were the best and most satisfying moments in the film. In the first film, she never knew the true extent of her powers, so seeing her at her full potential in this made my heart soar. 

In conclusion, Wonder Woman 1984 is colorful and will take you on a ride for 2 and a half hours. It has some tonal problems and does get a bit campy, but it’s fun and definitely something the whole family can enjoy. It may even spark a bit of hope and inspiration in a little one. And that’s the true magic of Wonder Woman. 

Also stick around for an extra scene that will have you jumping for joy at the end.