Frosty Reviews: wonder woman 1984
What’s up y’all, Frosty Phenix here! First Article of 2021 and with this first article I will be giving my take on HBO Max and DC Comics “Wonder Woman 1984”. The community is somewhat split on this movie so I will add my take on the film and hope to give some clarity on the movie’s analysis. Let’s get to it.
Synopsis:
The movie begins with a scene from Diana’s youth where she competed in what seemed like an Amazon Triathlon. While having a far lead ahead of her Amazonian sisters, Diana falls to an obstacle of the track and loses her place. However, taking a shortcut to regain the lead without marking her checkpoint cost her the race. As she is about to cross the finish line, Diana is pulled from the race right and disqualified for not following the rules. Irate, Diana exclaims that it isn’t fair, however her mother stands beside her, imparting a lesson of basically gaining victory the “right way”. Years later, we see Diana working as an Art Supervisor at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where she also continues her heroic deeds as a mysterious hero no one knows (no cell phones and such so her actions can’t be recorded to identify her). Diana stops an odd heist on an antique store in the local mall, but it may have been more than what it seemed.
Later on at work she meets her new co-worker, Barbara Minerva, a geologist and crypto-zoologist. Upon her arrival to her new job, Barbara is mistreated and disrespected by her new co-workers, however Diana treats Barbara with common decency and respect as a fellow mortal being. The FBI tasks the museum with identifying the stolen antiquities from a robbery that Wonder Woman foiled earlier on. Upon studying one particular artifact, Barbara and Diana discover that the stone, identified later as the “Dreamstone”, contains a Latin inscription claiming that anyone holding it will be “granted one wish”. Diana unknowingly wishes aloud for her love, Steve Trevor, “to be alive”. After work when Diana saves Barbara from an attempted sexual assault, Barbara wishes to become like Diana, not realizing her new coworker idol is also the superhero no one can identify. Enter failing businessman Max Lord, who visits the Smithsonian to acquire the Dreamstone in order to save his bankrupt oil company. At a Smithsonian gala, Diana is shocked to see Steve Trevor, her love, resurrected from the grave, departing the gala early. Also at the gala, a more confident and “attractive” Barbara is tricked by Max, acquiring the Dreamstone from the museum and Barbara’s possession. After sending his son off from his office, Max wishes on the Dreamstone to become the stone itself and grant wishes to those that touch him and wish it.
Barbara, Diana, and Steve discover that the Dreamstone was created by Dolos, the god of lies, treachery, deception, and mischief. It grants a user's wish while exacting a toll unless they renounce the wish or destroy the stone. Although renouncing their wishes would cause Diana to lose Steve and restore her powers and cost Barbara her new found confidence and power and restore her humanity, both are unwilling to renounce their wishes. Upon learning from the President about the global satellite system that is able to broadcast a unified broadcast around the globe. Max, whose powers are causing his body to deteriorate, plans to globally grant wishes and increase his power at the cost of the world’s health. Diana and Steve confront Max at the White House, but Barbara aligns with Max and defeats the weakened Diana. Barbara and Max escape on Marine One and head towards the main signal point for the global satellites. Steve is able to convince Diana to renounce her wish and let him go in order to restore her strength. Diana runs down the chaotic street, catapulting herself towards the sky with her lasso of truth to chase her adversaries, discovering she is able to fly.
After acquiring the Armor of Amazon warrior Asteria from her apartment, Diana flies to the satellite headquarters. She is confronted outside the facility by Barbara, now changed into a cheetah-like creature after wishing to become an apex predator and taking on the world’s malice. After defeating Barbara, Diana goes inside to stop Max as he broadcasts to the world, using her Lasso of Truth to communicate to the globe through him, convincing everyone to renounce their wishes that Max was able to grant. Whilst connected to Max, the Lasso reveals to Diana Max’s unhappy childhood followed by the vision of his son, Alistair, frantically searching for his father amid the chaos of the wish drowned world. With the fear of losing his son and through Diana’s pep talk, Max renounces his wish and reunites with Alistair. As the world begins to heal and restore itself back normal, Diana reflects on the faces of the people and comes in contact with the man who Steve’s soul had possessed during her wish...possibly alluding to Diana moving on from Steve.
My Thoughts:
In the first 30 to 45 minutes of the movie, you could tell it was going to drag a bit. That feeling could change as the movie went on...but it didn’t. Wonder Woman’s nemesis in this movie wasn’t some super powered bad guy or gal wanting to wipe the world clean, it was a movie about moral choices and choosing what is best despite what wishes may grant you. People gave it such a bad review for the lack of action for an expected “Super Hero Movie”, however I also believe it was also about how bland the path to the conclusion seemed. There wasn’t much investment in each character for the audience to feel connected to them. Wonder Woman’s stories are misunderstood I feel, especially in the DCEU Mythos. The comics and cartoons had more to go on where the DC movies are creating their own universe.
Overall Score:
6 out of 10
It was good for those that like a decent moral dilemma piece but there were just a few things missing to sell the sequel of one of the DCEU’s top movies of this current universe.
See for yourself, catch Wonder Woman on HBO MAX for a limited time. The movie released on December 25th, 2020. On January 24, 2021 the movie will be pulled from HBO Max and finish its theatrical release in theaters. When the movie arrives on home video (Blu-ray, DVD, etc.) the movie will also return to the HBO Max platform in 2021.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman_1984#Plot