The Blue & White

By Cooper O’Neil

Wonder Woman 1984 is a movie that takes risks for the worse.

Patty Jenkins, the director of the Wonder Woman movies, seems to have divided fans in both films. Some fans see Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot, as a warrior Amazon, whereas others see her as a peacemaker who only relies on fighting if it’s the last option. Both films portray her as each of these different versions of the character, but not one specifically seems to combine the two different versions.

The script isn’t the best when it comes to explaining everything in this movie. For instance, the powers of antagonist Maxwell Lord, played by Pedro Pascal, might have been confusing to some people who aren’t familiar with the character. The script should have done a better job explaining his powers.

Another example is when friend-turned-foe Barbara Minerva, played by Kristen Wiig, shows up in full ‘Cheetah’ mode, there is no explanation as to why she appears that way.

Many who watched the movie complained about there not being enough action sequences. The film itself is unapologetic when it comes to the reasons that there weren’t enough action sequences, as the emotional scenes seem to take the spotlight because they are satisfying and well acted.

Importantly, though, the movie did a good job of explaining what makes Wonder Woman special and why she is an icon to feminists, the LGBT community, and peaceful activists for so long.

The two characters who have the most importance in the film were Diana and Maxwell Lord. The movie points out the similarities between the two characters and how their unhappiness causes them to make bad decisions, as well as how they understand each other. Therefore the character Cheetah could’ve been saved for the next Wonder Woman film, where Dr. Minerva could have been more focused on, especially her relationship with Diana (aka Wonder Woman).

Even with all the risks the movie takes, overall it is a very good movie. With everything happening in the start of the New Year, I think that this film is something that we need as some sort of distraction from the real world. It provides mental and emotional stress release from the pandemic from which we could all use a break.