‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Review – Actually a Bad Body-Horror Film?
Abhorrent body politics and terrible character work– Wonder Woman 1984 insults the character’s legacy. They should have called it WTF1984.
Patty Jenkin’s second installment in the Wonder Woman franchise tried for a nostalgia grab and just walked off with a handful of discomfort. The film, starring Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Pine, is a mess from start to end.
This ‘Wonder Woman’ 1984 review has all the spoilers.
Wonder Woman 1984– Doing Diana & Barbara Dirty
I love Kristen Wiig. Her sense of comedic timing is outstanding. She plays vulnerable, relatable, and lovably-flawed so well– so why wasn’t her character given an opportunity to do those things? Kristen deserved better. Barbara deserved better.
Barbara is written as this forgettable social outcast, but there’s no real character reason for it. Because people are mean? Because she needs validation from her officemates despite being an expert in her field?
Her attempt at friendship with Diana is clumsily handled, and initially seems oddly queer-coded. There were a lot of opportunities to explore professional and personal competition between women that were just left on the floor to die.
And for what, a half-cocked ugly duckling story? Aren’t we past taking a character’s glasses off to indicate a radical makeover? That’s about the only 1980s motif that felt genuine in this movie.
I love all kinds of kitties, but this CGI is a ‘no’ for me– courtesy of Warner Bros.
Also, the way that Diana just brushes Barbara aside seems kind of uncharacteristic, even with her boo-thang magically reappearing. Of course, 40 years of self-imposed loneliness and social isolation seems strange for DC’s most skilled diplomat, too.
Steve Trevor & Another Man’s Body
At the beginning of the film, Diana’s voiceover lays out the moral lesson “no true hero is born from lies”. But the narrative choice to bring Steve back in another man’s body is so much more than a lie. It’s an egregious violation of a person’s rights. It’s disgusting, and if another character were doing the same, Diana would be the first hero to object.
This film actually tries to teach its audience the virtue of truth while romanticizing the destruction of a man’s bodily autonomy. In fact, Chris Pine playing the character instead of the actual actor whose body is used just contributes to the story’s desire to gloss over the grossness.
The story is blatant in its shamelessness. At one point, Steve looks in a mirror and TALKS about this other man whose body he is wearing! And at that point, you’d think the two characters would at least realize that they’re violating an actual person. But no.
In the end, when Steve finally acknowledges that what they’re doing is wrong, Diana’s response is childish, “but why can’t I have it?” It just rails against the character as I have known and loved her for years.
Steve Trevor in a “some-other-guy” skinsuit because love, I guess. Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Wonder Woman 1984– Overall
I wish this movie had never happened. I’m a die-hard Wonder Woman fan and I desperately wanted to love this film. Now I just want to have strong words with everyone who made it.
Everything about the 1980s feel of this movie feels contrived, from the social dynamics to the aesthetic. I’m also a sucker for some 80s nostalgia, but ’84 such a big part of this film’s schtick and it just never paid off.
Wonder Woman 1984 just felt hollow and empty, especially compared to the first film. The lack of commentary on relationships between women fell so short. I’m beyond disappointed– I’m offended. If you have any kind of love for this character, just skip it and watch the post-credits scene on YouTube. Now that was worth watching.
