REVIEW: Wonder Woman 1984 Is A Good Addition To The DC Universe

The year is 1984 and our heroine, Diana is an anthropologist at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. She spends her days working at the museum while also saving the day as Wonder Woman and her nights alone. Life is as normal and routine as can be for this super hero until gemologist doctor Barbara Minerva arrives at the museum. Her task is to help examine an artifact for the FBI. Diana, curious about the artifact, strikes up a friendship with Minerva to learn more about this mysterious artifact.

This artifact is actually an ancient stone believed to grant the wish of whoever who touches it. Believing the stone to be a farce, the pair make their wishes and go about their days. However, it soon appears their wishes are beginning to come true. For Diana, it’s the return of Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and for Barbara, her wish is to become powerful and confident like her friend, Diana. The duo soon realizes every wish comes with a heavy price and they must decide if they’re willing to give up their wish or continue to pay the heavy toll of the results.

All the while, con man Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) is also in the picture, on the hunt for this stone and uses Minerva to get it. Lord’s desire to use the stone to gain more and more power leads Diana and Steve to try and stop Lord from destroying the world. Proving there are no shortcuts in life and the truth may be more beautiful than it may seem.

Unlike the first film which flew along at a consistent pace sharing the origin of Diana, this second film feels unnecessarily cluttered and rushed at times. The focus of the film is constantly switching between Diana, Lord, and Barbara; while the shifting in focus itself is not the issue, as it’s clearly done to move the plot along, the issue instead is the lack of fluidity throughout. It’s almost as if the story never spends long enough with any character to build a solid foundation, flitting off one moment to the next without building on the other.

Despite that, there is much to like about this second installment in Wonder Woman’s world. The film is entertaining and a much needed bright spot to end this awful year. The small Easter eggs dropped throughout the film alluding to Lord’s metahuman abilities will leave die hard comic book fans cheering, along with the introduction of some of Wonder Woman’s iconic powers and accessories.

Gal Gadot returns as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and she is just as amazing as she has been in her numerous appearances as the DC superhero. Gadot has clearly become more comfortable and familiar with the Amazon princess that the role is now second nature to her. Diana’s arc in this film is more emotional which Gadot does well to bring to life.

Kristen Wiig takes on the role of Wonder Woman’s arch nemesis, Cheetah/Barbara. For many, Wiig was a strange casting choice for an action film, but her performance as the feline foe will change most opinions. Her ability to slowly shed Barbara of her mousy exterior and don a more confident and villainous coat is a sight to be seen. Pedro Pascal’s performance is a tad bit over the top, even for a comic book film. It’s almost too theatrical at points that it does distract in some scenes.

Wonder Woman 1984 has everything you would want from a superhero flick. It’s fun, campy, and the hero wins in the end. And compared to the rest of the DC slate, it is a wonderful addition to the world. However, when your predecessor is Wonder Woman, a film that left women and girls everywhere feeling as though they could change the world after leaving the theater, Wonder Woman 1984 doesn’t quite fill those shoes.

Grade: B+