BACK IN THE SLAY
The decade that gave us yuppies, shoulder pads and the glorification of greed gets the superhero spotlight in ‘Wonder Woman’ sequel
DO they make bulletproof leg warmers? As you might have guessed from the title, “Wonder Woman 1984” is a superhero film set in another era: namely the go-go decade of power suits, Max Headroom and a Times Square we would charitably call “up and coming.” The sequel finds the immortal Amazonian warrior (Gal Gadot) battling old-school villains Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) and Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), while romancing her returned-fromthe-dead boyfriend Steve Trevor (Hollywood’s third best Chris: Pine).
And while the setting is a throwback, director and co-writer Patty Jenkins has said that she wasn’t after nostalgia but was instead trying to make a straightforward “film from the ’80s.”
“I was worried that I wasn’t giving people enough ’80s because the temptation is to go ‘ ’80s, haha,’ and make all these ’80s jokes and put in ’80s tracks,” she told Syfy Wire earlier this month.
Despite her hesitation, never fear. The film doesn’t skimp on ’80s references. Here’s an abridged A to Z look at what you might spot when the movie opens Christmas Day in theaters and on HBO Max.
A is for aerobics
What pricey Pelotons are to the 2020s, pastel leotards, leg warmers and Jane Fonda were to the ’80s.
B is for batwing top
Wiig’s character, Cheetah, wears a pink one that would look at home on a “Like a Virgin”-era Madonna.
C is for Casio
In 2017’s “Wonder Woman,” Steve and
the heroine joked about his watch. In this ’80s take, he hands Wonder Woman a classic from the time: a digital Casio that was once the height of technology.
D is for Donald Trump
Bad guy Max Lord — a tycoon who projects a fabulous image but whose business empire is crumbling — is reportedly based on The Donald. “I’m not a con man but a respected television personality,” Lord says in the film.
F is for fanny packs
Steve can be seen wearing one while strolling with Wonder Woman. And she still slept with him.
H is for hair scrunchies
How else are you gonna hold your side ponytail?
I is for Indiana Jones
“Wonder Woman 1984” pays tribute to another action icon with a sequence in which the heroine slides beneath a moving truck. Is Spielberg getting royalties?
N is for nuclear war
Global thermonuclear war if you’re fancy. What’s an ’80s plot without it?
P is for popped collars
The preppy fashion move is not just for
’80s movie bullies, apparently.
P is also for parachute pants
Steve tries out a pair, wondering, “Does everyone parachute now?”
P is also for pay phones
Wonder Woman uses one, while out and about as her alter ego Diana Prince. Good thing. We’re not sure the spandex costume has pockets to hold a dime.
R is for Ronald Reagan
The ’80s were a decade when the concepts of celebrity and television became so powerful that the country elected a movie star as president. Imagine. The film features a look-alike who bows to Max Lord.
R is also for rolled-up blazer sleeves
“Miami Vice” has a lot to answer for — Don Johnson’s singing career for one. But also for the once-ubiquitous trend of rolling up jacket sleeves.
T is for TWA
Steve, a pilot himself during World War I, marvels as a plane from the now-defunct airline soars overhead. Maybe he’s wondering where the legroom went.
W is for Waldenbooks
Spotted in the background of one of the film’s action sequences, the former mainstay of every mall has now gone the way of, well, the mall.