It has been sixty years since Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) left the island of Themyscira to join the world of man, and in that time she has become rather lonely. Now living in Washington DC, she divides her time between working at the Smithsonian and using her powers to help people. But when a strange artifact - one with the power to make our greatest desires a reality - finds its way into the hands of the power-hungry businessman, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), Diana faces choosing between her own happiness and the fate of the world.
After many delays thanks to Covid-19, the release of Wonder Woman 1984 is a welcome relief from our new norm. I considered making this review part of the Moustache Lockdown Streaming Survival Guide, but given that WW84 is still in cinemas - where cinemas are open, anyway - and only available to rent on digital, it didn't really fit with what I've tried to do with the streaming survival guide. A movie like this really should be seen on the big screen, and as disappointed as I am to have not experienced WW84 for the first time in the cinema, I am happy to have finally seen one of the many movies we were unable to see in 2020.
With her return to the DC Universe, Patty Jenkins drops us into the brightly coloured and digital world of the 1980's, a far cry from the European battlegrounds of the Great War. This is the decade of excess, and Jenkins is revelling in it, delivering more than just a grandiose action-adventure movie, WW84... is an 80's movie. And while she has gone a little overboard on the 1980's clichés, the writer/director has come up with an interesting new challenge for Diana Prince to face. For all intents and purposes, Diana is literally going up against the greed and excess of the 1980's. Which may be a little on the nose, but when you see that excess quite literally incarnate, in the form of Pedro Pascal's 'Maxwell Lord' - a businessman who wants it all, but doesn't want to work for it - it kind of works. In fact it's worth it for the little jabs at Donald Trump, alone.
WW84 isn't without its problems however, especially when it comes to the movie's main McGuffin, and of course Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). For a movie that's two and half hours long there are lot of unanswered questions. Why did Steve return in the way did? A choice that has proven to be somewhat controversial. And why is pretty much every man that isn't Steve a complete douche? There are some odd choices when it comes to Diana too. She inexplicably - and pretty much out of nowhere - develops new powers. Then there's the golden suit of armour, the one that became the subject of great marketing hype, in the end it served next to no purpose. The mid-credits scene isn't worth waiting around for either - unless of course, you're sat on the sofa at home - it's nothing more than a tacked-on cameo that comes across as a bit of an after-thought.
That said, there is a lot to like about WW84. The action scenes are big and exciting, starting with young Diana's entry into the Amazonian equivalent of the Olympics. It's also great seeing Diana and Steve reunited. Even if a lot of their time together borders on the predictable, the pair do have great chemistry, and the fish-out-of-water role reversal is a lot of fun too. In fact, all of the performances are very good. Pedro Pascal is positively Trump-like as the greedy businessman, and Kristen Wiig kills it as the nerdy girl who's suddenly thrust into the spotlight of power and popularity. And her fights with Diana, both in and out of Cheetah form are brilliantly choreographed. But unlike with the last movie, the studio hasn't pushed for a big CGI punch-up ending. This is more about Diana and her inner struggles, and the tough choices she must make in order to be that beacon of hope. There is a point when this comes across a little saccharine, but through her strong performance, Gadot brings Diana's inner turmoil to life in a very real way - and thanks to Hans Zimmer's magnificent score you can feel her pain.
Despite leaving a lot of unanswered questions, and being a little heavy on the 80's nostalgia, Wonder Woman 1984 is another exciting adventure for the Amazonian princess. Albeit one that may not quite live up to her previous solo outing, but WW84 does present Diana with a new and interesting challenge. It's just a shame more of us didn't get to experience this brightly coloured extravagance on the big screen.
7/10
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Thought it was way too long at 2.5 hours, could have been up to 45 minutes shorter. It was OK, nowhere near as good as the first one
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