Wonder Woman 84 or often called WW84 is a superhero film based on the DC Comics character Wonder Woman. It is the sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman and the ninth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Patty Jenkins from a script she wrote with Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham, based on a story by Johns and Jenkins. It stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, alongside Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, and Connie Nielsen.
As the title suggest tells adventures of Wonder Woman back in
the year 1984. Although the trailers felt a bit lacking for me it i still one
of the DC films I was excited to see specially after how exceptionally well the
first Wonder Woman movie was. The first movie has issues but it was still great
and I was in high hopes on what the next Wonder Woman film would bring to the
table. As usual there will be minor spoilers for this review cause theres quite
a bit to talk about.
WW84 tells the tale of Wonder Woman back in 1984 before the
events of Justice League and Batman vs Superman movies as Wonder Woman as Diana
Prince tries to balance a normal life and a superhero life. but a superheroes job
is anything but easy as an appearance of an ancient magical stone gave rise to
new enemies and villains in the form of a charismatic oil tycoon Max Lord and
the villainess Cheetah.
As a plot the movie is pretty much cliche as it gets. A
magical wishing stone that can bring good and evil to the world. People who
will exploit such a rare item for personal gain. if you've seen Fulmetal
Alchemist you pretty much make a connection to said stone and a certain
Philosophers Stone and the rule of Equivalent exchange in said anime. The rule
of "you can't get anything without sacrificing something of equal
value" kind of a theme. The film gives it a nice superhero touch however
which is uniquely its own.
The film also suffers from pacing issues and a lot of the
best scenes have probably been shown in the trailers in one form or another
leaving little to look forward to. You don't feel any sense of urgency from the
plot when they have to save the world and yet take time to choose what outfit
Steve should wear as seen in the trailer. And I'm not even going to get to the plot
hole of why Steve is there despite the events of the first Wonder Woman film. Also
the story tends to slow down whenever Wonder Woman isn't fighting bad guys or
saving some random person or doing something heroic.
The movie also suffers an actual villain. I mean after Ares
they could have probably do something better. This lack of an actual big baddie
makes the film feel like a comic filler making you feel less invested. There is
a scene at the middle of the film where I feel Wonder Woman life would be
threatened but the enemy opted to walk away instead of delivering a real
critical blow. The redemption arc they tried to do at the end isn't satisfying
either and this is already a two and a half hour long movie as it is.
The movie should have just bit the bullet and went full on
dark I think. Also Wonder Woman just took out some cameras and drop some crooks
on top of a police car in the trailer. That is destruction of property right
there isn't it? This is why the dark knight films work. There are actual lives
at stake. The ending felt rushed for this one and that is already despite its
already two and a half hour movie runtime. The movie feels too safe and way too
long.
Character wise Gal Gadot nails it as Wonder Woman and Pedro Pascal
as Max Lord and Kristen Wiig as Cheetah was great as characters that they
portray. Sadly the script didn't give them enough room to shine in their own
individual way. I guess the film was playing it safe and didn't want to go the
darker route that would have raised the stakes of the film to greater heights.
I hope they can remedy this is the sequel film if they make another. Also watch
for an after credit scene for a special cameo longtime fans of Wonder Woman
would surely love.
The effects was good although not as intense as the first
film. Also for some unexplained reason she no longer has a sword and shield despite
she having them in the first Wonder Woman film and in the Justice League. This is probably an alternate universe Wonder
Woman story since it feels disconnected to both those films in a lot of ways.
WW84 is a decently fun film despite not being as engaging or
intense as the first Wonder Woman movie. The action is still surprisingly fun
to watch despite the film lack of a compellingly evil antagonist. I'd love to give this film more of a higher score but I got to rate it the way the way it is. The film is
clearly not the worst in DC line up of movies but it does feel like it needs
some minor changes. If you like Wonder Woman however then you should give this film at
least a once try.
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