Wonder Woman 1984 Movie Review

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Rent Wonder Woman 1984 on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Patty Jenkins & Geoff Johns & Dave Callaham (screenplay by), Patty Jenkins & Geoff Johns (story by), William Moulton Marston (based on characters from DC Wonder Woman created by)
Directed by: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
In the 1980s Wonder Woman searches for the dream stone and must defeat Max Lord and The Cheetah.

Verdict
My first thoughts were that this suffers from the usual sequel tropes of trying to do too much, but as I wrote my review I realized I like the sequel. The movie relies on story more than action. Wonder Woman and Max Lord both have to make big choices and the story sets those up well. While I have to wonder with some of the movie's logic,  Wonder Woman continues to be DC's top super hero franchise.
Watch it.

Review
With the DC movies the first Wonder Woman represented the best of the franchises while Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice showcased the worst.
Initially I liked the first one better and thought this one was a typical sequel, but this story creates intriguing character choices. The movie sets the groundwork for these choices. Gal Gadot does such a great job. She inhabits the role in a way few actors managed with super hero characters.

Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman.

I get that Dianna has great ability, but this opens with a very young Dianna competing against grown women. I might could buy teenage Dianna competing at that level, but at ten years old? I didn't think the movie would spend as much time in the past as we do, but I figured it was a setup for the story to come.

Kristen Wiig and Gal Gadot play Barbra and Dianna.

This is set in the '80s and hits the tropes quickly. In the first few '80s scenes we get cigarettes, cars, arcades, aerobics, fashion sense, color televisions, and general excess. The movie doesn't have much of a reason to exist in the '80s. A theme is greed and excess but that travels through any time period.

I wasn't sure what the tone of the movie would be. It seems rather silly and even slapstick with Kristen Wiig's character, Barbra.

Pedro Pascal plays Max Lord.

The crux of the plot rests on the dream stone that grants wishes at a cost. I don't care to know how the stone works its magic, but there are still a few gaps with Barbra's wish.

Max Lord is running a failing company. He wants the excess of the '80s but runs a sham of a business. He's after the magic rock, which is a contrivance, but I like the subtlety of the story. The plot reveals a lot of detail about Max without excess exposition.

I really like the choices Dianna and Max have to make at the end. The movie built to those decisions, and it makes the plot stronger for it. I was afraid this would conclude with some unearned reason for it, but I like what this movie set up and executed.

At first I wasn't sure why Max wanted to become the dream stone, but the stone grants wishes at a cost. When Max becomes the stone he can grant wishes and sets the terms of the deal. He can choose whatever he wants as payment. He gives, but he also gets. At first I didn't realize what he was doing and I applaud the movie for letting the viewer figure it out.

Steve (Chris Pine) reappears due to the magic rock. He was Dianna's boyfriend that died in the first movie. This is where I don't understand how the rock works, other than plot contrivance. Steve reappears, his consciousness inhabiting another man's body. At another point, people are teleported to Max's office to work there. The rock doesn't have super power, it has plot power. I don't know the rules to when it transports, teleports, or materializes objects out of thin air. What are the rules? Steve can't manifest out of thin air, but a giant wall can.

I don't know how the rock knew to give Barbra Dianna's powers, or the extent, but we slowly realize Dianna is losing her powers. I wasn't sure if that was due to Barbra's wish, but it's because of Dianna's wish to have Steve back. This is where the opening sequence comes into play. Dianna can't cheat or take a shortcut to get Steve back. She has to choose her powers or Steve. I really like the stakes the movie presents for her.

Max Lord's power is neat, though it's a bit of stretch on how he can grant wishes to the entire world and make a return on it. I don't quite buy the satellite waves. How does he know from whom to get a return? The concept is great, though it's muddled by Cheetah Barbra. We didn't need Cheetah for just one fight.

I like that the dream stone is the underlying reason as to why civilizations fall. I wondered how Dianna would pull this off. She appeals to people's senses. I really like Max's reason for renouncing his wish. Dianna shows him his past. Max realizes he's become a bad father, someone he never wanted to be. His quest for power has caused him to neglect his son. It would be easy for him to renounce his wish because the plot requires it, but we've seen his son throughout the movie. Max has neglected him. We saw it, but Max didn't and that's what Dianna shows him.