Wonder Woman 1984

This sequel to the film Wonder Woman is once again played by Gal Gadot who is still as impressive as ever to believe that the role was made for her. We also find Chris Pine as Steve Trevor (reincarnated in a body other than his own following a vow by Diana Prince), Robin Wright as Antiope and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta and new characters played by Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva /Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Max Lord, and others.

After the First World War, the action of this film takes place in the 80's, more precisely in 1984. This time, Diana Prince / Wonder Woman must face two new enemies, particularly formidable: the businessman Max Lord (Pedro Pascal) and Barbara Minerva / Cheetah . Following the success of the first part Wonder Woman, which generated $822 million in worldwide revenues in 2017, Patty Jenkins is once again directing the film based on a script she co-wrote with Geoff Johns & David Callaham, based on the DC Comics characters. The director is joined by several of her collaborators from the previous film, including cinematographer Matthew Jensen, Oscar-nominated cinematographer Aline Bonetto and Oscar-winning cinematographer Lindy Hemming. The music is by Hans Zimmer. A true continuation of the first film, this second part unfortunately does not find all the strength of its heroic side despite an excellent introductory scene representing Diana Prince as a child during a sports competition.

The idea of placing the action of the film in the 80's was in itself excellent but it would have required a historical reconstruction not only in terms of the sets but also in terms of pop-culture, whether it be the presence of some strong songs from 1984 but also to show the importance of this prosperous period in the world of comics. The presence of Hans Zimmer's music may be too present spoils a little our pleasure of plunging back into an era full of nostalgia for many spectators. In the same way, bringing back the character of Steve Trevor was excellent but his treatment here leaves us dubious as to how to watch the trailer misleads us and risks disappointing many spectators.

We will never repeat the importance in comic book adaptations on the big screen of taking care of the presence of enemies as much as possible and apart from the few minutes in which we can really see the Cheetah character so appreciated by comic book readers and the character of Max Lord, a business tycoon without the presence of a Lex Luthor, we remain a little disappointed by the director's will to fill a book of predefined charges by a Hollywood studio that preferred to bet on a simultaneous release in the few open theaters in the United States and on HBO Max.

However Wonder Woman 1984 presents several excellent qualities starting with the presence on screen of the actress Gal Gadot for a tailor-made role of an Amazon warrior who seems to have acclimatized to the American society and to have forgotten the paradisiac island of Themyscira from which she comes from. The many spectacular action scenes, including a memorable one in a shopping mall, make Wonder Woman 1984 a spectacular adaptation of a DC Comics superhero. DC Films seems to have understood the importance of relying on accomplished scripts, special effects serving the story and above all on an attractive cast. As for Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal the choice is perfect and makes this film easily one of the best discovered recently. Admittedly, the film is not as original as the first part and seems to be a barely disguised homage to Richard Donner's Superman (1978) but we would like to have in it a transformation in the form of a wink from Diana Prince to Wonder Woman.

The fact remains that Wonder Woman 1984 deserves to be seen in its original version and especially in the cinema with a good popcorn and a soda and not on a simple television to capture all the flavor. A film should be discovered in the cinema and then seen again at home, whether it is on video or on a streaming platform like HBO Max. Wonder Woman 1984 could have been a perfect movie if it had been more original and more importantly, it would have included memorable scenes such as the mall and the only confrontation between Cheetah and Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman 1984
A film by Patty Jenkins
Produced by Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Stephen Jones, Gal Gadot
Based on a screenplay by Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, David Callaham
On a story by Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns
Based on Wonder Woman by William Moulton Marston, H. G. Peter
With Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright
Music by Hans Zimmer
Cinematography: Matthew Jensen
Edited by Richard Pearson
Production: DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, The Stone Quarry, Mad Ghost Productions
Distribution: Warner Bros. Pictures
Running time : 151mns
Release date: December 25, 2020 (United States)

Viewed on December 25, 2020 in original version

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