Over a year after the film’s initial release date, superhero sequel Wonder Woman 1984 (Patty Jenkins, 2020) is finally here. After discovering her full powers during World War I in Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins, 2017), the sequel sees a more self-assured Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) living amongst humans in the 1980s. While the film introduces two classic DC Comics villains—Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), also known as Cheetah, and Max Lord (Pedro Pascal)—the real villain that Diana must face is the greed of the 1980s. The self-centred beliefs found in the ‘decade of greed’ are in direct opposition to Diana’s want for justice and truth, and when Max Lord’s plan for wealth and power begins to bring out the worst in people, Diana must step in and save humanity from destroying themselves.
In a time when anti-heroes and darker superhero films are increasingly common, Wonder Woman stands out for remaining a classic hero, always fighting for what is good and right, even when she has to make sacrifices. It might be a bit heavy-handed, as we see Diana save small, innocent children at least three times throughout the film and she apologises before injuring anyone, but after years of grim and mysterious anti-heroes, maybe a reminder to simply be kind and look out for each other isn’t the worst idea. Even the villains aren’t truly evil, rather they’re insecure people wrapped up in the wrong thing. Pascal and Wiig both deliver nuanced performances, with a definite improvement over the first film’s villains.
If you’ve seen any publicity or trailers for Wonder Woman 1984, you’ll know that Diana’s love interest from the first film, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), is seemingly back from the dead after sacrificing himself in the war. While the trope of characters returning from the dead is overused, especially in superhero films, Steve is a pleasant addition to the sequel. Coming from 1918, the ‘futuristic’ 1980s are a brand new world to him, and he approaches everything from developments in aviation to fanny packs and Nike sneakers with joyful fascination. Steve brings some light-hearted comedy to the action-packed film and continues to remind Diana that there is goodness within humanity.
The film doesn’t delve into any other genre; it is thoroughly a superhero film, and the 1980s setting only adds to the vibrant comic book quality. It also doesn’t have any apparent connections to the wider DC Extended Universe, which is a relief after the MCU’s decade long build-up. Wonder Woman 1984 brings the superhero film back to basics while still having a solid plot and interesting characters. While those complaining about ‘superhero fatigue’ should probably give this one a skip, I’d definitely recommend it for fans of Wonder Woman or any of the brilliant cast, or to anyone looking for a fun, colourful blockbuster for their first trip back to the cinema.
Wonder Woman 1984 is released in Irish cinemas on December 16.
