It’s slightly difficult to describe this movie without using some very strong and absolute terminology, and the reason for that is very simple. Wonder Woman 1984 is all hype and no substance. The film is a complete waste of time, and these words are genuine because this is coming from someone who is, in his personal time, a massive fan of the DC Universe.
There are many problems to point out, but let’s begin with the positives. There are very few of these to point out, but one of them as usual, is Gal Gadot’s acting. I maintain what I have always believed when I say that there is no actress who would have been a better fit for the role of Diana. Apart from that the opening race sequence of the film is a very good watch too, as is the way all the action sequences, which is a marked improvement not only from the previous film but across the entire CBM category.
That however from where it all starts to go a bit wrong. The opening race for starters, while a lovely watch in isolation, is absolutely pointless. There is a genuine lack of words to describe whatever happens in the movie because the script writing and overall production is so catastrophically bad, it’s hard to work this out in a completely sophisticated manner.
If we were to talk about the plot of the movie itself, it could have been so much more. The premise that the entire story was based on a godly artifact corrupting a mortal who has been in search of it his entire life is an absolutely brilliant foundation to build the plot of a Wonder Woman film around, but to turn into what is effectively a two-hour long ego trip and subsequent moral correction for the villain is the most cliché and non-DC direction that this film could have taken. There is also the massive issue of the film having a run time of just about 2 hours to tell a story that could have easily been covered in 20 minutes. The re-incarnation of Steve (call it what you will), the appearance of the invisible jet, Wonder Woman learning how to fly, revealing multiple new battle items and the powers of the lasso of truth as well as the dream stone are central parts of the film. However, when looking at it in line with DCEU and where it is heading/is supposed to head, this movie is the most irrelevant thing possible. There is no tie up to a major storyline, no establishment of a universe or world of sorts wherein the grand scheme of things the plot can be orchestrated for further sequels as well as the DCEU. This movie is more irrelevant to the overall storyline of not only the Justice League, but Wonder Woman as well, than the DLC of a game to the main storyline of the game.
With the budget that this film surely had despite the pandemic, the editing, cinematography, shooting locations, and the overall visual aspect of the film was obviously going to be good, and in all fairness it was better than good. The portrayal of Themyscira, the fireworks sequence, as well as an accurate portrayal of the 80’s was done very well. This means that the film did pretty well in the visual aspect.
Unfortunately, all of that effort and let’s be honest, brilliance, is completely let down by the thematic aspects of the film. It is very simply, incredibly horrible. I admire Patty Jenkins for trying with this one, I really do, but you just have to watch the film only for a little while to understand why it is that bad. Wonder Woman, to my incredible surprise, has snuck into my list of worst films for 2020 right at the buzzer. I will honestly be shocked if it doesn’t get nominated for a Razzy.
Hopefully the DCEU makes a significant recovery with the Snyder Cut and Dwayne Johnson with Black Adam, because those are two pieces of cinema that I genuinely believe will be amazing to watch. Wonder Woman 1984 on the other hand, I’d suggest saving your time and money and watching something else.