Despite the fact that we live in a culture of extremes, where we feel unheard unless shouting that we love or hated the last big thing, I’m here to state my truth: Wonder Woman 1984 was fine. Did I enjoy 2017’s Wonder Woman more? Yes. (You can read my main takeaway from the first film here.) But was it more similar to its predecessor in ways people don’t seem to be acknowledging? Also yes. Both films rested on Gadot’s performance as a truth-seeking and empathetic hero; the first simply did so more successfully.
Thematically, Wonder Woman 1984 dovetailed on the “power of good” message from the previous film quite well. Downgrading from the exploration of “the nature of man” to the more palatable “cheaters never prosper,” this sequel was, in most respects, a more tame and underwhelming voyage for Diana Prince. Both films featured over-the-top antagonists, derived humor from fish-out-of-water situations and fashion montages, and delayed blasting the Wonder Woman theme until we were several fights in. WW84’s plot also shared the “set pieces sewn together” feeling of its predecessor, this time jumping from Themyscira to a DC mall to Egypt to the White House and then to a covert broadcast bunker.
The missing similarity, then—the aspect that likely would have saved WW84 from so many negative reviews—was a breakout moment. Whereas Wonder Woman could lean on its no man’s land sequence, Wonder Woman 1984’s most moving scene, to me, was that in which Diana was in turmoil over not getting “the one thing” she wanted, aka Steve Trevor. (And even that had more to do with Gadot’s performance than the actual plot.)
But that scene in itself hinges on what’s to blame for the sequel’s lack of emotional resonance: Wonder Woman had no real character arc. She’d been reduced to a woman who has been pining (a pun not nearly enough people have been making) for the first man she’d ever laid eyes on… for 70 years. Gone is the endearing naïveté brought out by her first real-world outing, the self-discovery and -doubt that lent themselves to a more compelling hero arc, and a more universal, transcendent message about good and evil. In 1984, Diana has essentially lived a (mortal’s) lifetime among humans; she now lends a hand not in world wars, but in mall heists and unwanted drunken advances. Sure, she ends up saving the world, but there’s never any doubt in what has to be done, no real moral quandary to debate. Instead, we have what the film itself admits is a lesson we are meant to learn as children (not that those sorts of simple truths are widely adhered to as adults). To succeed, Diana just has to accept that someone who died 70 years ago is... dead. And then go about her regularly scheduled business of defeating gods and their human agents, in this case Maxwell Lord and the Dreamstone.
Perhaps another way of framing this is to say that while most scenes, most battles, in the first film were there for the story—proving Diana’s determination, good-heartedness, and courage just as much as her actual strength—WW84 seems to play more to spectacle. (Though the fight scenes therein are arguably less “spectacular” than those in the first film, and furthermore, the lack of a compelling storyline made us less likely to overlook the CGI imperfections in said battles). Once again, Diana places herself between divine interference and the darker side of mankind, but the second time around, she never questions humans’ capacity for goodness—she just delivers her speech, and bing bang boom, world destruction averted.
But seeing as theme is what drew me in, I will say that I did not mind the seeming-anticlimax of Wonder Woman’s speech, especially as compared to the first film’s Ares vs Diana extravaganza. After all, Diana’s more low key, honest appeal to others’ better natures is sort of her go-to move. Her true power, like all heroes, isn’t her strength—it’s her ability to inspire, both through words and actions. Her benevolence, her truth, her willingness to sacrifice those things she holds most dear for the greater good—that’s what makes her a hero. A heartfelt request to make the world a better place doesn’t make for the most epic of showdowns, but it is true to her character, and really, a true show of power.
Now, there is something problematic with a woman gifted by the gods telling mere mortals to be content with their lot in life, especially when all she had to give up (and I cannot say this enough) was a 70-years-dead man. This is perhaps why it’s so important that Diana save the day with her strength of character rather than the strength of her body and weapons—the very things the movie implies she has earned the right to use with years of studied discipline and practiced selflessness, as opposed to the instant corruption suffered by the likes of Maxwell Lord and Barbara. Diana has learned to harness her physical powers without losing sight of her moral compass, and so can recognize and bring out the goodness in others in the most dire of circumstances (or, when all else fails, electrocute the evil out, apparently). This is the quality that makes Wonder Woman a worthy hero, in both films.
However, it wasn’t the former Wonder Woman film I was most reminded of while watching WW84. I was surprised to note the similarities of WW84’s plot with that of an episode of Supergirl, another DC heroine known for her perseverance and positivity. In the season one finale “Better Angels,” Supergirl finds herself as one of few National City residents who has not fallen under the mind-controlling signals sent out by a Kryptonian device known as Myriad. Aided by a less evil iteration of Max Lord, Supergirl chooses to jumpstart the civilians’ optimism and agency not with any of her considerable powers, but with a citywide broadcast of her own good-hearted, candid call to action. Just as Wonder Woman lassos Lord into spreading a message of truth and acceptance, Supergirl goes on air to ignite everyone's spirit with hope; both entreat citizens to be their own heroes, and to cherish what's truly important—their world and their fellow humans.
Fans of Supergirl will admit that the series is rife with heavy-handed moral lessons, and that it can be pretty run-of the-mill for a superhero show… except where its heart is concerned. That’s also the best of what Wonder Woman 1984 brought us, if you can look past the lackluster everything else. You can fault it for its simplification, wherein we had the moral pegged before Gal Gadot even made an appearance. You can fault it for its averageness, with a series of spectacle-over-story battles and sacrifices that lacked emotional resonance. You can even fault it for some (likely unintended) immoralities. But you can’t fault it for its heart.
There is plenty to criticize if you insist on holding it to higher standards than a fun superhero flick was intended for. So if thematic cohesion—a confirmation of Wonder Woman’s devotion to truth and goodness—is all that came out of this, fine. I was entertained enough by Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig, and Chris “happy to be sacrificed” Pine. Even with knowing full well the “triumph of good” conclusion from the start, I cared what happened throughout, which is my bottom line. (It helps that I’m not the only one who felt this way.) I get that we all wanted this film join its predecessor in soaring above the other DC films, rather than live forever in its shadow. (But who are we kidding, this is no worse than any other DCEU film to date.) While I don’t know who out there is carrying a torch for sequels that live up to the hype—and though wanting to connect more with a film is a far cry from wishing for world domination—perhaps those people can take a page from Wonder Woman 1984’s book and accept that they “cannot have it all.”
Ultimately, there is only one truth I need to know: What is it going to take for Disney+ to greenlight a Lil Diana and the Amazons series?
Stray Observations:
What is it with lightning and Wonder Woman's third act? Can one not exist without the other? Is it a Zeus callout?
I feel the need to point out that flight is not a new power for Diana. It was one of approximately 20 new abilities she displayed at the end of her first film, in her fight against Ares. You know what was a new power? Making objects (or more specifically, a jet) invisible. Who wants to guess that one's going back into the vault, never to be seen again?
What will Wonder Woman do in her next movie if she can't sacrifice Steve for motivation? Will she just look around, shrug, and leave humanity to its own devices?
I'm no fan of the character's reappearance, but... how furious would everyone get if Chris Pine came back for the third film? That would be funny.
I could go on, but then I realized this exists: