"Wonder Woman 1984" Review: A Made For TV Hero Film

It’s not that “Wonder Woman 1984” is not entertaining. I found myself invested in Diana Prince’s (Gal Gadot) journey by the time it was coming to a close. It’s just not as inspired and handled with the same care that director Patty Jenkins had with its predecessor, Wonder Woman. While the studio was brave in releasing the film in 2020 to HBO Max and theaters during COVID, this film is suited for small screen excitement. It’s not much of a visual spectacle and suffers from a predictable story.

The last time we learned about Diana Prince’s back story it was focused during World War I. This time we’re in Washington D.C. in 1984. (As a 10 year DMV resident, D.C. is displayed well in the film.) Diana works at the Smithsonian and is burdened by her responsibilities as a protector of her city, while not having a true relationship with anyone due to her double life. After a jewelry heist she thwarted reveals precious artifacts were squirreled away in said store, the artifacts wind up coming to the Smithsonian to be analyzed by Dr. Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig). 

Barbara is the overlooked lab geek that just wants to be noticed. She gets special attention from Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), a failing serial entrepreneur, who is driven to succeed at all costs. He's after the crystal that’s recently come into her possession and seems to be the only person who knows it is a Dream Stone. Anyone who touches it and makes a wish will have it granted at a price. That’s it. That’s the bad guy, the McGuffin, and the lesson. Be careful what you wish for. Diana, Barbara, and Maxwell all get a chance to make a wish, knowingly or unknowingly.

The story is unremarkable and the characters are dull. The problem with characterization in this film is that every person that you think “something ain’t right with him/her”, you’re correct. There is no subtlety in the design and depth of these characters. Everyone as written, whether child actors, villains or heroes are stereotypes of archetypes we’ve seen before. Even the glow up of Kristen Wiig from baggy clothed nerd to beauty feels pedestrian. 

Gal Gadot has a strong on screen presence throughout the two and a half hour running time. In fact, her earnest performance is what makes the film palatable. In a year in which we’ve had an unprecedented lack of super hero films, it’s nice to have a moment to escape! I highly recommend seeing it in the comfort of your home over seeing it in theaters. You won’t regret it. Oh, and stick around mid credit roll to see a nice cameo!

Rating: C

"Professor Marston and the Wonder Women" Review

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is not a bad film. Coming off the heels of the wildly successful comic book adaptation from this summer, writer/director Angela Robinson shines the light on the backstory for how the classic character came to be. Even though they’re completely separate films, this reminded me of a similar situation in 2006. After Superman Returns was released that summer, the film Hollywoodland, which centered on the death of Superman actor George Reeves, came out that following fall. While there are parts that I liked as I watched this, Professor Marston falls into some of the same trappings that you would normally see in a traditional biopic.

Luke Evans and Rebecca Hall play Professor William Marston and Elizabeth Marston, a husband and wife team who work together. Since Professor Marston teaches psychology, he takes notice of a college student Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcote) and tells Elizabeth he wants to study her. Olive eventually becomes Professor Marston’s assistant. Professor Marston is also trying to prove the DISC Theory that he’s been researching that focuses on dominance, inducement, submission, and compliance. The three of them form a bond, and after realizing they all have feelings for each other, Olive becomes their mistress and moves in with them, with both Elizabeth and Olive having William’s children. From the DISC Theory, to how the three co-habited with one another, to finally how William sees the best in both Elizabeth and Olive, this paves the way for his biggest breakthrough yet: Wonder Woman.

The acting across the board, especially from Evans, Hall, and Heathcote, was generally good. No one here gave a bad performance or stood out like a sore thumb. This is another solid performance from Evans after his scene-stealing turn in the Beauty and the Beast remake, and Heathcote makes more of an impression here then she did earlier this year in Fifty Shades Darker. Relationship dynamics are a key theme here. The dynamic between Evans and Hall is great, and the film re-emphasizes Elizabeth is more dominant and controlling than William. Once Olive enters the scene, she quickly asserts herself as the more innocent of the group. The way that they play off from one another is extremely effective. The visual look that Robinson and her DP, Bryce Fortner, is distinctive. In particular, during happier times, it’s more colorful and when it’s not, it’s bluer. The best-looking shot of the film probably has to be when we see Olive in what looks like the inspiration for the Wonder Woman outfit. 

The film is certainly funnier then what I was expecting, and there’s some playful energy that the film exhibits as well. The best part of the film is when the advisory board is asking William questions about Wonder Woman. Everything they ask about from the pages, we see is based on some part of their life, like a mirror image of sorts. In addition, during a montage sequence, the juxtaposition of the pages of the comics to the inspirations they were from is great. 

Since this is a biopic about their life, it follows the same old song and dance that previous biopics hold. If you know the formula, you know what’s coming. Like other biopics, there’s a feeling that at times, they condense parts of their life to make it a more mainstream narrative. The music by Tom Howe tended to be overly dramatic at times. Even though Evans is good in the film, his American accent is off-putting and distracting at times. As for the creation of Wonder Woman herself, while the film is framed around William’s meeting with the advisory board, they don’t start to explore why he created it until the end of the second act/beginning of the third act. Lastly, and this might be a pet peeve, even though the timeline is spread throughout a couple decades, none of the actors seem to age. 

Overall, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is a serviceable biopic. It is better then what I expected going into the film. While it’s formulaic, the film features good performances, and the dynamic between the three leads is surprisingly good. If you like Wonder Woman and want to see where she came from, go check this out. This is a fine film to watch this fall. It’s one of the better biopics to come out recently.

Rating: B

"Wonder Woman" Review

With DC’s recent track record, it was hard to be any more than cautiously optimistic going into Wonder Woman.  But in the end, it is one of their best films!  I’d say it’s my favorite DC comics movie since Christopher Reeve.  It might not be a coincidence that Gal Gadot embodies Wonder Woman in a way that’s reminiscent of Reeve.  Reeve showed a Superman who actually enjoyed being a hero, even if it was difficult.  Gadot’s Wonder Woman is the same and it’s always refreshing to see that on the big screen.

There’s been a trend lately where movies feel like your glass is half full or half empty.  But Wonder Woman has moments of intense sadness and despair mixed in with feelings of humor and love.  This isn’t just an action movie with some jokes, it’s a film where the central theme is that pain and joy are often never far apart.  Some of that comes from the setting.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film that even tried to capture “the war to end all wars,” but it really works here.  The setting and the narrative intertwine very well.

Love is one of the main themes of the film, but it was also clearly a driving force behind the production.  Nearly every aspect is put together with a sense of pride and skill that has been missing from quite a few summer blockbusters of recent years.  The fight scenes were not just enjoyable, but you could actually see and follow most of the action.  When you watch Diana fight, you'll be able to really appreciate her skill and power.  The art direction and costume design are perfect, and the soundtrack is fantastic!  All the performances are really good, though Etta Candy is underused and several of the villains are not particularly three dimensional.

Director Patty Jenkins giving Gal Gadot instruction.

Everyone is going to be looking at Patty Jenkins as a barometer for the future of women-led blockbusters, which is an unfair and unnecessary burden to place on her shoulders, but what are superhero movies about if not unfair burdens?  Jenkins rises to the task, and honestly I’d like to see DC give her a lot more to do in the future. 

There are things to quibble with, as always.  While it’s the best use of slow motion I’ve seen in years, it is still overused.  There’s a framing story that could have been left out, but I could see why some audience members would want it, especially if they’re coming in from the more recent franchise films rather than a comic book background.  But none of that takes away from a film that is incredibly enjoyable, and one of the best of its genre.

Rating: A