The Mosley Review: Wonder Woman 1984
DC films have come a long way from their troublesome past and it finally seems like they've hit their stride. Not all of them are winners though. I can't put my finger on it, but something was missing from this film. The action was great and I liked the overall message of finding joy in what you already have. The first film was all about Wonder Woman discovering herself and finding her place in the world and now we see her living in it. The 80's theme was fun and nostalgic at times, but tonally the story was all over the place. The themes about greed, the need to be relevant and letting go of the past are all standard and fun to see, but if you do nothing fresh with them it becomes bland. This was fun to watch, but it felt cramped and unfocused.
Gal Gadot returns as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and she was fantastic yet again. I've always loved her balancing act of showing her power, determination and skill while keeping her fun and vulnerable side relatable. Chris Pine returns as Steve Trevor and I loved the role reversal between them. Now he's the fish out of water in a post World War 1 society and it was fun seeing him experience it. The chemistry is still perfect between them and its the true emotional core of the film. Pedro Pascal was fantastic as Maxwell Lord and I loved his more energetic and compulsive nature. A good villain always believes their convictions are just and I think he was an excellent villain as he drives home the morality theme of the story. Kristen Wiig was excellent as Barbara Minerva and she nailed almost all 3 transformations of the character. She walked the line of being just awkward enough to be charming and confident enough to be dangerous. The moment she becomes Cheetah, you lose a great opportunity to make her the arch-nemesis that she is to Wonder Woman. They fight in a decent and ferocious battle, but she felt wasted here. Kristen was great, but I felt she was just the boss fight needed to payoff something set up from the beginning of the film. Honestly, she didn't have to be in this film. I would’ve saved her for the third film as the main villain.
The score by Hans Zimmer was excellent as to be expected and its always great to hear Wonder Woman's theme starting off an action scene. Visually the film was stunning and I loved the fireworks scene. Its not only beautiful, but a great fan moment we've all wanted to see. Where the film falls apart for me, is that there are lessons that start the story that never really get paid off. The film also teetered almost too far into the cheesy realm. I really think that Cheetah was wasted in this film and their fight scene felt unearned. In the end, this was an entertaining addition to the DC Film Universe and a decent sequel. Not as memorable, but still good popcorn fun. Do stick around for an awesome mid credits scene that is truly charming. Let me know what you thought of the film or this review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
