There are quite a few comedic moments in “Wonder Woman 1984,” but the most amusing one comes in the first encounter between the three main characters in the film, when Diana first encounters the villain Max Lord at her workplace, the Smithsonian Museum in Washington. Barbara Minerva, the best friend from the firm, presents the dubious guy as a TV anchor. “Oh, I don’t have a TV,” the protagonist, played by Gal Gadot, replies. Laughter of Fate: If Diana did not have a TV today, or at least a computer, she could not have watched the much-anticipated movie, which aired last night (Friday) on HBO Max, alongside a few theaters in the United States and around the world.
The trailer for “Wonder Woman 1984”
“Wonder Woman 1984” is the first swallow to herald the completion of the streaming revolution, and the burial of the film industry as we have known it to this day. As far as the qualities of the production are concerned, the sequel to the dizzying box office hit “Wonder Woman” from 2017, is a motion picture for everything that was originally intended for the huge screen. Director Patti Jenkins could not have prepared in advance for the corona plague that shut down the entire industry, nor could the producers and financiers at Warner Bros. Studios, who probably would not have invested $ 200 million in a television production. Despite all this, and after home viewing, it can be reported that except for a few action scenes, the film is not too big on the small screen. The audience does not need IMAX to listen to conversations between the characters, internalize messages, and listen to moral sermons – and there are too many of these in “Wonder Woman 1984”.
“Wonder Woman” was a groundbreaking film three years ago, as a blockbuster set on a female protagonist, female director (Patti Jenkins) and rising star (Gal Gadot). 2017 was the year of female empowerment, even before the Harvey Weinstein affair and the Metoo movement, and the film expressed the spirit of the period well (just like “Black Panther” the following year). But in terms of plot, “Wonder Woman” was a superhero film I molded for all intents and purposes. It did the job and swept the masses, boys and for a change also lots of girls.
80s show. From “Wonder Woman 1984”
“Wonder Woman 1984” continues the female legacy with pride, but this time it is not a routine superhero film, but a kind of innocent and playful romantic fantasy of the kind we knew in the eighties, a bit like “Back to the Future” or “Big”. The current Wonder Woman is almost completely detached from the original comic book character, as if her chain of contagion in popular culture has been cut short. At times it seems as if his labeling as a superhero movie is mainly meant to attract the masses to the box office (which have meanwhile been replaced by TVs).
The connection to the 80s is of course not accidental, and is related to the attack of nostalgia on the eighties that we are in the midst of (one can perhaps point to “strange things” from Netflix as the generator of the trend). “Wonder Woman 1984” opens with Diana’s childhood memories of the island of Tamisra, in which she first learns about the injustices of falsehood and the sanctity of truth, but from then on the whole plot takes place in the 80s, 1984 to be exact. Jenkins is investing heavily in recreating the period, and nostalgia lovers will enjoy the many stylistic elements that give the film a great charm in its first and more successful part. For some reason, musical hits from the eighties were not included in the soundtrack, but even without them it is fun to go back in time to a time when culture served as escapism from a world that was on the verge of a constant explosion against the backdrop of the Cold War. Also, many critics in the United States have already declared “Wonder Woman 1984” the antidepressant the world needs in light of the current political situation.
The antidepressant the world needs. “Wonder Woman 1984”
The entertainment vaccine that Patti Jenkins offers us in these difficult days comes in the form of the villain Max Lord, an ambitious crook who presents himself as a successful oil tycoon (played by Pedro Pascal). The Internet did not exist at the time, so it uses TV channels to distribute Pike News. It seems like he’s supposed to instill in us antibodies to outgoing US President Donald Trump, leaving us with a clear political statement amid a nightmare of simplistic messages that Diana is spreading around. Like Lord, Trump also started out as a television anchor, and the film also sends a sting to another president, Ronald Reagan, even though he came from the movies at all (and may have been inspired to develop a fondness for nuclear weapons). But this political critique pales in relation to the political correctness that drives “Wonder Woman 1984” and spreads innocent liberal messages all the way to the optimistic end in the Christmas spirit, resolved by speech, not by deeds.
How do all these beautiful messages fit into a plot designed to create moments of suspense, spectacular action, exciting love stories and also amusing jokes over two and a half hours? Well, they do not fit. The only consistent thing in “Wonder Woman 1984” are the messages about the importance of truth and the value of modesty in the face of the risk inherent in lies, greed and over-ambition. The ideas are beautiful, their plot application less so. We meet Diana Prince 66 years after the events of the first film. She continues to fight crime as Wonder Woman in parallel with her work at the museum. There she befriends Dr. Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), a nerd with great knowledge and no social skills. The two try to decipher the origins of an ancient and mysterious object designed to fulfill wishes, just like Aladdin’s lamp. But in this case the demon is much more terrible than that tale. An unbridled lord takes over the object and with his help intends to take over all of humanity, while handing out gifts everywhere as if he were a kind of cunning and malicious Santa Claus.
Lots of fun moments. From “Wonder Woman 1984”
The awkward and forced suspense plot also includes a completely unnecessary foray into Cairo, which comes after a chase scene that looks like a tribute to “Fast and the Furious” (where Gadot started her Hollywood career). More than it has an internal logic, it seems that the purpose of the script is to evoke emotion and empathy towards the characters and their dreams. Barbara, who aspires to be as successful as Diana, finds herself undergoing an inconceivable transformation from a nerdy to a stunning, powerful, and later also deadly femme fatale (when she becomes the savage cheetah villain). The shapely and hot Dr. Minerva suddenly receives the compliments of gentlemen, not just the harassment of drunks. While Diana, who also lacks no suitors, only hopes to reunite with her lover Steve Trevor (Chris Payne), to whom she has remained faithful for more than six decades of abstinence Since his tragic death in the first film, with the heavenly help of the object fulfills the wishes, she gets to be with him and realize her love.
The love-jealousy-hate relationship that Diana (named after the Roman goddess of hunting, the equivalent of the Greek Artemis) shares with Dr. Minerva (named after the Roman goddess of war and wisdom, the equivalent of Athena) is reminiscent of John Hughes’ adolescent dramas, with suspense Between the class queen and the Yoramite, and perhaps also the rivalry between Alexis and Crystal from the soap opera “Dynasty.” The eighties dominate “Wonder Woman 1984”, but in 2020 there are those who will be disappointed and perhaps even angry while watching, in contrast to the feminist transcendence experienced three years ago. Fulfilled Barbara’s desire to gain recognition from the men around her, but Diana’s emotional attachment to Steve for so long does not really indicate female empowerment, independence and freedom (and in a boxed article, fetishism for the ancient and phallic object may provoke critical gender reading, like the Washington obelisk reappears) And again in the background).
A script that deals with fulfilling wishes. From “Wonder Woman 1984”
But above all, as in the first film it is a tidal wave which attracts the attention and gaze of everyone in the audience, men and women. Her charisma is truly extraordinary, as she jumps, beats or ties up her enemies in lasso. The problem is that “Wonder Woman 1984” has less action and more text, and when she speaks she is exposed as a mediocre actress with no nuances, especially in the scenes she shares with the talented Vig and with the excellent comedic and dramatic timing. Even the heavy Israeli accent is still present, and Gadot will have to shed it if she wants to diversify her roles. Right now it’s enough for her to touch the sky as a true Hollywood star, and for the production of “Wonder Woman 1984” she brought with her the whole family, with her husband Yaron Versano and her little daughter Maya appearing as extras on a carousel in the ending scene. Her daughter Alma also gains a few seconds of fame as she throws a snowball at her mother. By the way, Jenkins’ husband and son also appear as extras in the film, as does Wig’s partner, actor Avi Rotman.
After the first “Wonder Woman” we saw Diana escape from the Amazon and groping her way through the Western society foreign to her, in “Wonder Woman 1984” it is Steve Trevor who returns after 66 years and re-acclimatizes in the modern America where he grew up. It’s suspenseful for moments, and mostly entertaining. And what do we expect in the third film, which will surely come in the coming years? Who knows, maybe something about a cinematic mythology from the past that tries to find itself in the reality of streaming. And no matter what you say, it’s mostly sad.