No Spoilers.
In an attempt to simultaneously recreate and pay homage to movies of yesteryear, Wonder Woman 1984 inadvertently succumbs to the worst tendencies of those movies.
It scores highly on several metrics one associates with many beloved movies of the 1980s – optimism, simplicity, camp. But it is also unfocused, lacking in depth and features truly abhorrent CGI.
The follow-up to Wonder Woman, one of the great superhero origin stories, also falls victim to cloying sentimentality; one that isn’t earned, cogent, or even coherent.
The idea behind Wonder Woman 1984 is sound, on paper at least – it is an attempt by Patty Jenkins to offer a subversion of the superhero genre.
Because although the movie is titled Wonder Woman 1984, it is a story about Diana Prince, the wounded woman, and not about the titular woman of wonder.
The idea is noble, and one that formed the bedrock of one of the greatest superhero movies of all time – Spider-Man 2. But ideas and intention count for nought when the execution fails so spectacularly.
This is a movie plagued by an unfocused script and a remarkably poor plot structure. I suspect its critical appraisal has been far gentler than the movie warrants, perhaps because it is living off the goodwill of its predecessor.
While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with Jenkins’ intention in presenting a Diana-centric story, a balance had to be struck.
For a movie titled Wonder Woman 1984, the titular character is hopelessly underserved; she isn’t even in it for large parts of the movie.
After a brief opening montage featuring Wonder Woman in action, the movie trundles along for upwards of an hour without our hero appearing.
And while that translates to a lack of action, that isn’t my primary gripe.
Because even when the action did arrive, it was frankly awful. The CGI is astoundingly bad for a movie with a $200 million budget, and it undermines every single moment of action.
And the lacklustre fight choreography and set-pieces compound the problem.
Amidst all the rubble, Pedro Pascal emerges as something of a beacon. He is chewing every bit of scenery in his surrounding and yet playing it straight enough that his character doesn’t lose plausibility.
Another positive note is Gal Gadot, whose acting pedigree has progressed by leaps and bounds.
Combine that with her inherent magnetism, and you have something rather special. She is Wonder Woman, and hopefully, she will continue to be for a while yet.
In all fairness, the movie has moments of earnest emotion, but it is not enough to redeem what is an obvious misfire and a hilariously poor third act.
The discrepancy between Wonder Woman 1984’s stunning first trailer and the final product is substantial. I expected a worthy follow-up. But my experience with the movie was anything but that.
Temper your expectations if you have yet to watch it. Because if you have high expectations, Wonder Woman 1984 will leave you disappointed.
Like it did me.
Thanks for Reading
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