Ana Perez
Many blockbuster movies took a backseat due to COVID-19 last year, much to the dismay of filmgoing fans. But that didn’t stop Warner Media from releasing Wonder Woman 1984 in theaters and HBO Max this past Christmas Day.
Though the film was an overall streaming success on its Christmas Day release, it was released on HBO Max. The 2017 predecessor gave fans high hopes for the sequel, but the mediocre plot left fans craving a more substantial storyline. Still, for many of its fans, the film was enough to satisfy them.
Gal Gadot continues to carry DC Comics since Christian Bale’s departure as the Dark Knight in the Batman franchise after seven years. But it is Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Kristen Wiig (Ghostbusters, Saturday Night Live) that give the Wonder Woman sequel legs to stand on, and truly the colors of the 80s are always a nice touch.
The film began beautifully. We were back in Themyscira with a young Diana competing in a rigorous challenge against full-grown women. Watching the super-talented 13-year-old Lilly Aspell play the young princess is visually and emotionally astounding. The scene highlights where Diana’s moral compass stems from, and how the lessons she learned as a child have resonated throughout her life.
Maxwell Lord (Pascal) and The Cheetah (Wiig) created an interesting villain for Wonder Woman despite a subpar plot. The film centers around a mysterious stone that grants wishes, but as always, everything comes at a cost.
Wiig’s character, Dr. Barbara Minerva (The Cheetah) comes in contact with the stone while working at the Smithsonian alongside Diana. Dr. Minerva, a shy and quirky researcher is tasked with identifying the artifact. She and Diana determine that while the stone is a cheap gem, the inscription notes that the stone will grant any wish that a person holding it desires.
Maxwell Lord is a fraudulent con man that is running a failing ponzi scheme.Though Lord’s greed and charade seem to be the central focus of the character, Pascal is able to show the desperation in Lord as he tries to create his empire of power with the stone.
Diana, unknowingly, uses her wishes to be with Steve Trevor, her beloved pilot who sacrificed himself decades ago, which is how Chris Pine graces our screens. Barbara, longing to be strong, sexy and captivating, wishes to be more like Diana which includes her super strength.
Lord tricks Barbara and takes the stone from her. It’s briefly (and lamely explained) that he’s been searching for the stone for a long time to achieve his goal of domination. It’s these wishes that create a world of problems for Diana and yet that’s seemingly where the movie takes a turn.
The mass destruction that comes from granting wishes becomes too chaotic and too farfetched to follow. Still, the most disappointing aspect of the movie is that the action lasts for all of what feels like one minute.
Cheetah is such an exceptional villain, but we only see her in action in one scene. That alone should be considered a crime. The film overall left loose ends, but hopefully that means we’ll get to see more from these villains and Wonder Woman soon.
You can stream Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max until Jan. 24.