‘Wonder Woman 1984’ retains sincerity
Sequel lacks punch of first movie.
Filmmaker Patty Jenkins had a profound cinematic experience as a young girl watching Richard Donner’s “Superman,” which inspired in her a kind of wonder andhopethat shewanted toshare with others through the magic of themovies. That sense ofhopeis a keystone of herwork in “Wonder Woman” and its sequel, “Wonder Woman1984,” films that embrace a sentiment that’s often missing in the superhero genre: sincerity.
They’re not dark, gritty takes or sardonic quip-fests, but good old-fashioned bright, shiny spectacle, wherein good defeats evil. If the messages are a bit simple, they remain profound, with an inspiring herowho neverwavers while advocating for truth, justice and the Themysciran way.
We open on a flashback of young Diana (Lilly Aspell) competing in a challenging race of Amazonian warrior skill. It’s anaudience-serving prologue, a reminder ofwho Diana is and where she’s from, but also a chance to indulge in the gloriously acrobatic physical prowess of the Amazons, plus a Robin Wright cameo (the film has a malleable relationship to death, so that fan-favorite characters can return).
But the Diana of 1984 is no longer the wide-eyed innocent we met in the first film. She’s more mature but also sad, and lonely, having experiencedwar and lost her love, Steve (Chris Pine). In this world of ’80s excess, she saves kids from burglars at the mall and works at the Smithsonian as a cultural anthropologist. But her greater purpose is lacking, until she encounters a powerful ancient crystal, a wishing stone of sorts, being investigated by a new nerdy co-worker, Dr. Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig).
Thewomen make their furtive wishes on the stone before huckster TV salesman Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) swoops in, convinced it will bail him out of his business woes. Known for purring affirmations of greed over the TVairwaves like, “life is good, but it can be better,” Max’s power of positive thinking isn’t enough to manifestwhat hewants (which is everything). He needs the ancient May an energy imbued in the stone, and is willing to make any and every deal with the old Gods and new to accrue asmuch ill-begotten power as he can.
The crystal becomes a monkey’s paw, a transactional wishgranting machine that takes and takes in return as Lord manipulates wishes out of everyone in his sight, and theworld descends into chaos. Barbara, whowishes to be as sexy and strong as Diana, is intoxicated with her newfound power, losing her humanity and becoming Lord’s enabler (watching Wiig play in this kind of role is a treat).
Despite thisMacGuffin-oriented plot, Jenkins keeps the emotional truth front and center, relying on our familiarity with Diana and her strong moral center for filling in the blanks on her motivation. Why does she want to save the world? Because she believes in humanity, and that’s justwhat she does.
“1984” doesn’t have the same jaw-dropping impact of “Wonder Woman” (howcould it?), but Jenkins maintains a steady hand on the character and her story, giving us more of what we loved about the first film, like the cheery pleasures of Steve and Diana capering about in period clothing. Now, Diana gets to show off the modernworld of 1984 to the naif Steve (who comes back fromthe dead, thanks to her wish), dazzled by fanny packs, Pop-Tarts and jets. Their charm, charismaand chemistry is infectious, but Gadot also has to deliver a farmore complex performance too, expressing a new level of anguish for the usually optimistic Diana.
Jenkins (whoco-wrote the script with Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham) once again uses a period setting as a way to couch its cultural commentary. The skewering of the villian resonates. But the truth about Wonder Woman is that her real superpower isn’t hereffortless leaps through the sky, her lasso, or her super-strength. It’s her empathy, her ability and willingness to see the wounded child inside a supervillain. Jenkins never lets us forget that the realwonder on display is thatempathy, aswell as the power of these displays of hope in movie magic.