Movie Review: Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) co-written and directed by Patty Jenkins

Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) tries to keep a low profile as a employee of the Smithsonian Institution in 1980s Washington, D. C. She still pines for her lost love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). When people are in trouble, she has a hard time resisting suiting up and fighting them as Wonder Woman. In the opening sequence (after a flashback to the island Themyscria where the theme of devotion to truth is set up), Wonder Woman foils a stolen antiquities heist at a local mall. One of the items recovered is an ancient wishing stone that winds up at the Smithsonian for assessment. Diana's mousy co-worker Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) takes the stone and wishes to be less mousy, specifically to have Diana's amazing powers. Barbara doesn't know she's Wonder Woman, just that she's popular and cool at work. The wishing stone actually works and Barbara starts transforming. Diana has also made a wish and the spirit of Steve Trevor inhabits the body of some random Washingtonian. She's happy to be reunited and only sees Steve when she sees the guy.

Meanwhile, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal) is a con man trying to build a big, successful company speculating on crude oil drilling. Things aren't working out, so he was going to purchase the wishing stone from the antique dealer. He steals the stone from Barbara's office. His wishes start coming true and, in an attempt to keep the good times rolling, we wishes for the power of the stone. But the stone's wishes come at a price, forcing him to grant other people's wishes, causing more and more damage to society. People just aren't good at wishing for practical, simple things. Wishes for more money, more territory, and more nukes all cause catastrophic problems. Good thing Wonder Woman is here to save the day.

The set-up of the story was a little slow and the initial theme was lost along the way until the end of the movie. The special effects are amazing and the action sequences are fun and exciting. I was worried about re-introducing Steve Trevor in a credible way but the filmmakers handled it well. Gadot and Pine have good chemistry and their characters have a good mix of comedy, romance, and action together. Wiig does a good job transforming from the sympathetic nobody Barbara to the overly ambitious Cheetah. Again, the filmmakers dodged a fail by leaving Wiig in her human form until the end where she gets the cat ears, fur, and tail at the final showdown. The story was weak and rambling, as was Max Lord's abilities and motivation. The movie goes on too long and would probably would have benefited from a rewrite and a tighter edit.

Mildly recommended--it looks great but doesn't make a lot of sense.