When Wishes Come Too True
Review of Wonder Woman 1984 (spoiler alert)
As a member of Team Marvel, I hold every superhero movie to a high standard. After watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe conclude after over a decade, it’s hard to come down from those standards. I make few exceptions — except for Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman is a childhood favorite. As a kid of the ‘80s, I watched a lot of television shows based on Marvel and DC heroes. Wonder Woman was my first show where I saw a woman in charge. The Wonder Woman of my childhood, Lynda Carter, was a butt-kicking babe who had a career and superhuman abilities. Her sidekick, Steve Trevor, was an unlikely love interest. Wonder Woman was too busy saving lives to get caught up in romance. But it was funny watching Steve try.
Our 21st century Wonder Woman stars former Israeli soldier, Gal Gadot. Gadot looks like a supermodel with the same jet black hair as Carter and slim, elegant features. The first Wonder Woman movie in 2017 introduced Gal Gadot in a stand-alone role (previously she had a part in the Batman vs Superman movie). We learn of her origins (she is the daughter of Zeus and an Amazonian Queen). She meets Steve Trevor after he crashes in the water near her island home and then her people are attacked by soldiers looking for him. Wonder Woman agrees to go with Trevor to the human world to fight in the war that threatens her home. As the two get to know each other, they fall in love. Towards the end of the movie, Trevor sacrifices himself to help Wonder Woman save the world.
Fast forward and it’s 1984. Diana Prince (as she is known by her colleagues) works in Washington D.C. for the Smithsonian Museum that specializes in ancient artifacts. Despite it being the 80s, the costume designers kept it classy with Gadot. Her character is chic and sexy in tapered pantsuits and statement heels. No big hair or bright colors for our heroine and I for one was happy with the style choice. I remember the 80s as being full of awkwardness when it came to clothing as if the decade was trying to find its fashion footing.
After stopping some robbers at a nearby mall, Diana and her colleagues come into some possessions from a store that was a front for selling relics. One such relic was a mysterious crystal. Upon further examination, it’s determined that the crystal holds the power to grant wishes. At first, everyone, including Diana is skeptical of the crystal’s power.
However, after witnessing a colleague wish for a simple cup of coffee and gets his wish granted, Diana makes a wish to have her long lost love — Steve Trevor return to her. Another colleague, frumpy Dr. Barbara Minerva wishes to be like Diana. Both women unknowingly open a Pandora’s Box of disaster.
Enter Max Lorde, a con man in the disguise of an oil magnate, who knows about the crystal and its power. After feigning interest in Minerva, he acquires the crystal and its power. Lorde wishes to improve his fortunes and knows the crystal is the key to his dreams.
While enjoying her reunion with Trevor, Diana doesn’t realize that the crystal takes as much as it gives. Slowly, throughout the movie, Diana loses her godlike abilities. After learning more about the crystal, she and Trevor realize that their reunion will be short-lived.
Meanwhile, Minerva has undergone her own transformation. No longer klutzy & nerdish, she’s become a bombshell with enhanced strength and speed. Unfortunately, she’s lost her sweet demeanor as evidenced when she nearly kills a man.
Minerva and Wonder Woman have a final showdown in the last ten minutes of the film. Wonder Woman has donned the garb of an Amazonian hero and uses it to help her defeat the animalistic Minerva. Meanwhile, Lorde has taken over the world via a satellite and the wishing goes overboard. Wonder Woman stops Lorde by reminding him of his first priority — being a father to his son.
Overall, I’d give the movie a B. The 2017 movie was an A in my book. Sequels are always hard to pull off and there were a lot of pressures on this movie. I was left with a lot of questions — what happened to the crystal? Did Minerva go to jail? Were there repercussions from an entire planet making wishes? Also, in the after-credits (which DC still needs to work on), we see Lynda Carter make a brief appearance as Asteria, the Amazonian hero. Does that mean Carter will be in Wonder Woman 3? We can only hope.
