BY: JOEY CASALI
Since all the way before 1984, Superhero films have risen beyond our wildest dreams. From Christopher Reeves Superman: The Movie in 1978 to Avengers: Endgame just last year in 2019, the reality of the average action hero turned superhuman is only at the highest peak of power. Even when Superman was hitting audiences, no one truly understood the power of this kind of storytelling. Whether hope or promise, this kind of filmmaking is changing this history of cinema forever.
In 2016, the dawn of female justice was just around the corner. Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice introduced the world to a live action version of one of the world’s first superheroes, the mighty Wonder Woman. Israel newcomer Gal Gadot, coming off her debut in the worldwide phenomenon Fast and Furious franchise showed the world what it meant to be more than meets the eye. Although BVS had a struggling performance at the box office and many mediocre reviews to follow, one thing for certain is the one thing people were talking about was the emergence of Themacera Princess, Dianna AKA Wonder Woman. That appearance in the final act against the almighty doomsday, with the help of the dark knight and the man of steel truly showed the world what she was all about.
Since then, Gal succeeded her debut with her very own solo film in 2017, simply Wonder Woman. What followed that release on June 2, 2017, a film where Diana came began her journey to figure out where her true origins lie while stopping the god of war and bring World War 1. Although the process of production went through development hell since 1996, Wonder Woman was a huge success bringing in an estimation of $821 million worldwide. It crossed the mark for superhero and female action hero films alike, becoming the 10th highest grossing film in 2017 and in the top 10 by the American Film Institute.
This brings us to the year 1984, so to speak. Just like its predecessor, Wonder Woman 1984 was directed by Patty Jenkins. The film was written by Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, and David Callaham and was released on Christmas Day 2020. Although most of the original cast returned, the film brought the likes of Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal to the franchise. The story goes as follows, as Dianna struggles with being on her own through the year 1984, she discovers a way to bring the past back to life while overcoming new struggles and inner demons. This film showed tremendous promise, as the previous installed while coming up with new ways to breathe this franchise to life. I believe they succeeded in many ways.
Now, I always have a tough time when it comes to sequels. Usually, you end up in a corner and start retreading what came before. I feel that was not the case with this film. Wonder Woman 1984 is a refreshing take on the original, filled with new ideas and wonder to this iconic legend. Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman through and through, and the trials and tribulations she overcomes with this performance is one of a kind. Gal’s directions and overall beauty is brought to life with flying colors with its director Patty Jenkins, and it is no doubt that these to have one of the best relationships in film history.
But with every great hero, comes the villain. Its no surprise that hiring two left to the center choices like Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live) and Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) would be risky, but an important move going forward. I really feel that the development shown was really thawed out, showing true compassion with what they overall endgame was. Some of these characteristics reminded me of older DC films, particularly Batman Returns but that overall is never truly a bad thing.
The score written by Hans Zimmer is one of the things that will over grab you from beginning until the very end. The music written ties beautifully to the wonderful directions and cinematography that helped bring this story to life. This was also one of the first films I viewed on HBO Max during its new release schedule. I feel that it translated very well, bringing a wonderful theatrical experience to the small screen.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film. Some things really did set this one aside from the previous doings. It really is a sort of odd ball type story, but in today’s age nothing really surprises me. The overall plot connected things perfectly, all the way down to the motivations off the characters. Some scenes could have been highlighted a little better, but a film like this really promises that comic book films are here and here to stay.
The Casali Score:
4 /5 Stars
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