Wonder Woman 1984 is a reminder of how badly we need a superhero now. Or at least how much we need a superhero movie like this. A superhero outing that promises unbridled escapism and fizzy and fun distraction, wrapped in Eighties pop colour, no less. The superhero genre, in a way, has more often than not been about wish fulfillment. Wonder Woman 1984, or the cooler-sounding WW84, takes this fantasy to new heights, even as we see the new film emerging as a more ambitious and sweeping effort than its predecessor — the blockbuster success of Wonder Woman three years ago is a watershed moment in the history of the female superhero on screen — touching upon the repercussions of unchecked greed, eschewing taking short cuts to greatness and opening with — and sticking to — the thought that, ‘No true hero is born from lies’.
In the middle of it all is, of course, the riveting Gal Gadot who rocks shoulder pads and high-waist pants as Diana Prince when she isn’t swooping down as Wonder Woman and saving the world in her form-fitting and familiar red and blue armour.
Operating with a strong emotional core, but also going big with its action and drama, in WW84, director Patty Jenkins returns, giving us a superhero sequel that may seem muddled and messy in parts but one that keeps you engaged and entertained for the most part. The tone is set right from the opening moments where we see a knee-high Diana participating in a Hunger Games-styled tournament in the women-run archipelago of Themyscira. It’s a breathtaking, action-packed scene, but one that also packs in a lesson about how it’s important to choose the right path — even if it’s the harder one — when treading the path of moral responsibility.
A few scenes later, Wonder Woman is in a flashy mall in the ’80s, rescuing a group of kids held hostage in a heist gone wrong. It’s the action — with Gadot using her agility and physicality to effectively grab eyeballs — that delivers a big wallop, something that really needs to be experienced on the big screen, which is where WW84 releases today. I watched it alone (so much for social distancing) in a 200-seater auditorium earlier this month, and honestly, I missed the claps and cheers that come from community viewing, something that the high-octane action sequences — filmed in settings as diverse as a highway in Egypt to The White House — are sure to elicit.
Playing out at 150 minutes, WW84 takes time to establish itself, something that halts the film’s pace irrevocably in parts. Diana, now living in the ’80s, is a recluse, having lost her love, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), many decades ago. She’s an enigma, working at the Smithsonian by day and leading a pretty solitary life, with her agelessness not boding well for long-term human relationships. She strikes up a friendship with the museum’s nerdy gemologist Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), the two being enchanted by a stone that arrives at the museum and believed to have wish-granting properties. Predictably, the stone brings mayhem in its wake and as the wishes start to stack up — Diana gets one, so does Barbara... with contrasting results — the world falls into chaos. So out comes Wonder Woman, with the film packing in both hopeful messaging and life lesson, as she takes on no less than two nemeses.
WW84 benefits from its retro comical setting. The film overcommits to ’80s nostalgia but who’s complaining? Even as it keeps its tone fantastical, WW84 anchors itself in the era in which it is set, with the 1980s oil glut, a surplus of crude oil caused by falling demand, spiralling off the events of this film, and bringing Wonder Woman face to face with not only rapacious businessman Maxwell Lord (an over-the-top Pedro Pascal), but also Cheetah (Kristen Wiig again, this time sporting furry overcoats and smoky black eyes).
Gadot is blessed with genuine star quality and WW84 is a riot whenever Wonder Woman soars high and swoops in to save humanity. But one just wishes that Diana had a more cohesive story to truly showcase why she is the hero the world needs. In that sense, WW84 is a bit of a missed opportunity. But then in a year that’s been one whole big missed opportunity, we’ll take all the entertainment — and this film delivers it in spadefuls — that we get.
