Review - Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and you read correctly. This is my long overdue review of Wonder Woman 1984. Okay, so this movie had a day-and-date simultaneous release in movie theaters and on the streaming platform HBO Max this past Christmas. Unfortunately, however, I wasn't able to watch it at the time. However, now that my local movie theater is open once again, I was able to see the movie for myself. So, let's dive into the lastest entry in the DC Extended Universe: Wonder Woman 1984.

       So, the movie opens with a flashback to Diana's childhood on Themyscira, where she competes in a gladatorial race against other Amazon's. After this sequence, we flash forward to the year 1984, which is when to he movie is set. During this time in her life, Diana is living in an apartment in Washington DC, has a job at the Smithsonian, and continues to miss her deceased lover from World War I, Steve Trevor. Diana also befriends her socially-awkward co-worker at the Smithsonian, Barbara Ann Minerva,  and the two investigate a mysterious stone with the power to grant wishes.

          It is here where we meet oil tycoon and television personality Maxwell Lord, who has a pretty unique catchphrase: "Life is good, but it can be better." Max has been researching the stone, and after taking it from the Smithsonian, makes a wish to merge with it, giving him its wish-granting power. Barbara and Diana make their own wishes on the stone, with Barbara becoming stronger and more confident, but at the cost of her kindness and warm personality, while Diana is reunited with Steve, whose spirit is now inhabiting the body of another man. The cost of this reunion, sadly, is Diana's powers, as she is slowly losing them throughout the movie. 

         Unfortunately, the cost of Max granting wishes for everyone is very high, and the world is nearly ended because of it. Meanwhile, Barbara makes a wish too far, and is transformed into the villainess known as Cheetah. Diana stops both Barbara and Max, all wishes are undone, the world is saved, happy ending all around.

         Now, what I really like about this movie is the 1980's setting. Choosing to set the movie in the year 1984 was a smart move, as it opened the door for a whole list of possibilities. I also like the two newest additions to the cast with Kristen Wiig as Barbara and Pedro Pascal as Max. Both are terrific in their roles, and truly make the characters their own. I also like the returning players, including Gal Gadot as Diana, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta, and Robin Wright as Antiope. All four are terrific, and it's just great to see them return from the first movie. 

        Now, there are a number of great action scenes throughout the movie. While I still really love the No Man's Land sequence from the first Wonder Woman, a number of the scenes in this one are great as well. I also like the combination of two major philosophies at work in this movie, and those are the philosophies of "Power corrupts" and "Magic comes with a price." Combining both philosophies into this movie was a pretty genius move. 

        Lastly, I have to give credit where credit is due. Both leading actress Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins made a great second entry to the Wonder Woman series, and I definitely think that this film is among the better entries into the DC Extended Universe. While I still enjoy the first movie a bit more, I'm glad I saw this one, and I therefore give Wonder Woman 1984 a rating of 5/5. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review - The Thundermans Return (2024)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Last night, I watched the new movie The Thundermans Return on Nickelodeon, and I have a few thoughts on it. For those who don't know what The Thundermans was, it was a Nickelodeon sitcom that ran from 2013 through 2018, and focused on a family of superheroes known as, well, the Thundermans. The show was okay, at least the episodes I happened to catch when it was on, but after seeing a lot of the advertising for this movie, I was genuinely tempted to check it out. So, here's my review of the new Nickelodeon movie The Thundermans Return.           So, the movie starts off with the Thunderman family, who since the end of the series have moved to the city of Metroburg, and are fighting crime as the superhero team the T-Force. And, something worth noting is that the family has aged in real time, so we see that Phoebe and Max are now adults, Nora and Billy are high schoolers, and Chloe is a middle schooler. Unfortunately, after a mission gone awry due to
Read more

Review - Ocean's Eleven (2001)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. Back in the 1960's, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and the rest of the Rat Pack teamed up and made a movie called Ocean's 11 , which told the story of a military veteran named Danny Ocean, who teams up with his fellow squad members to rob a number of casinos in Las Vegas. It was definitely a product of the time, and is actually a really fun movie. Seeing Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and the Rat Pack on screen together is just genuinely fun.        In 2001, producer Jerry Weintraub and director Steven Soderbergh would bring together a fantastic cast to tell a more modern version of the Rat Pack classic, and that's the movie we're talking about today. This is my review of the 2001 Steven Soderbergh film Ocean's Eleven starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts, along with the likes of Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Eddie Jemison, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, and
Read more

Review - Night at the Museum (2006-2014)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and after reviewing Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon, I needed something of a pallette cleanser. And, thus, I'm taking a look at the Night at the Museum trilogy, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ben Stiller, Rami Malek, Mizuo Peck, Ricky Gervais, Patrick Gallagher, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams, with additional cast members throughout the series including the likes of Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Carla Gugino, Bill Cobbs, Charlie Murphy, Jake Cherry, Amy Adams, Bill Hader, Hank Azaria, Jon Bernthal, Christopher Guest, the Jonas Brothers, Dan Stevens, Skyler Gisondo, Rebel Wilson, and Ben Kingsley.          So, the first Night at the Museum was released in 2006, and focuses on struggling entrepreneur Larry Daley, who ends up getting a job as the new overnight security guard at the Museum of Natural History, taking over for the older guards Cecil, Reginald, and Gus. Larry also befriends one of the daytime staff, Rebecca, and has a few r
Read more