Wonder Woman 1984: Worth a Look

1984 or 2020? women do the warrior-ing while the men lie prostrate.

Wonder Woman 1984 has gotten mixed reviews, IMHO because it suffered in comparison to the 2017 original, Wonder Woman . The earlier film was fast-paced and character-driven; the excellent special effects didn't detract from the plot; and movie-goers were challenged to keep up with the titular character's origin story (it helps to know Greek mythology) and the Victorian / La Belle Époque ambience that terminated emphatically with the Great War.

Adding to the first movie's appeal was the chemistry between Gal Gadot's Diana Prince (Wonder Woman's alter ego) and Chris Pine's Captain Steve Trevor. Gal Gadot is perfectly cast as the principled superwoman whose only weakness is her empathy, and Chris Pine has been making a habit of playing the archetypical American with heartland values (Jack Ryan, James Kirk). Part of the fun of their interactions is the alien-ness of each of their worlds to the other's.

WW84, like most sequels, doesn't have the joy of discovery to fall back on. Its higher budget ($200 million vs. $150 million) is reflected in the CGI, and the stakes--preventing the destruction of the world from nuclear war--may be true to the 1984 setting but are hard to take seriously.

WW84 can best be understood as a very expensive special effects movie where they blow up everything without anyone getting killed onscreen. It's definitely targeted toward kids--the villain's affection for his young son near the beginning of the movie is a dead giveaway--and is safe to watch with all but the most sensitive children.

Considering the lack of competition, Wonder Woman 1984 is definitely worth a look, even at the cost of a subscription to HBO Max.

Reviewers' headlines say it all:

Time: Wonder Woman 1984 Arrives When We Need Some Fun—But It Could Have Been More Than That

SF Chronicle: Review: Gal Gadot can’t rescue ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ from pit of empty ideas

WSJ: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Review: Wishfulness Run Riot