"Watch at the cinema or not, huh?" Well , instead of being confused, just take a look at the following Wonder Woman 1984 review .
There is no denying one of the dilemmas we are experiencing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . Is deciding whether to go to the cinema or not? Especially for the sequel to Wonder Woman (2017).
Yes how not? Despite getting mostly unfavorable reviews, it's still a Wonder Woman man movie !
Especially for those of us who are DC fanboys . Wow, it doesn't feel "legitimate" if you don't watch Wonder Woman 1984 on the big screen. Even though it is. The film also released on December 25, 2020 on HBO Max.
So, are we worth sacrificing all of our physical health, or is it better to just watch Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max?
More Cheerful and Light
Let's open this Wonder Woman 1984 review by thanking and applauding its director, Patty Jenkins.
WOW! It's not easy , guys , from the same director to direct a superhero sequel . As we see in the field. Many directors return to the same superhero franchise , but disappoint at their second attempt.
Luckily, Jenkins realized this and, arguably, managed to get out of that typical hole. Through his hands again, Wonder Woman 1984 , feels much more cheerful ( fun ) and for me personally, easier to digest.
Even the backstory of the villains , aka Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and Cheetah (Kristen Wiig), also feels much clearer and makes sense. Alias is not like Ares (David Thewlis) who feels "immediate" in the first film.
80s Background Just A Gimmick
And the cheerful and colorful impression is also felt through the background of the 80s decade (1984) that was carried. Starting from clothes, hairdos, and even malls and arcade machines , the cheerful 80s nostalgia is enough to make us smile nostalgically ourselves.
But unfortunately this background is nothing more than a gimmick / "patch" only. It's just, "hey, this film is set in 1984, and here are the typical attributes of that era". That's it .
Even though the timeline background is in a film. In essence, it's not just like that. There needs to be a strong reason why the film displays its timeline setting in that decade or year?
And for the case of Wonder Woman 1984 , it is necessary to show that there is an important moment in what happened to Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in 1984.
OK, there are moments. Namely he stopped the action of Maxwell Lord as we have seen in the trailer or YouTube clip. Take actions that threaten the safety of the world.
Vampirski dnevnici
Dara iz Jasenovca
Quo Vadis, Aida
Not Entering the DCEU Continuity?
But the problem here is that this film is still part of the continuity of the previous DCEU films.
Then why is it that in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), it is at least notified that Wonder Woman once saved the world through an event in this film?
The thing is that all the chaos events carried out by this Lord are really seen and felt. Alas, there is no moment in the film where Wonder Woman or Lord uses powers or tools that can reset all memories.
So it should be in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League (2017). There was one character (anyone) who at that time at least felt like he had remembered what Diana did in this film.
And what emphasizes the most is that "1984" is only to explain the year of the event . It is not well-involved real-world historical elements that occurred in that year.
As we know, this year the Cold War is still going on between the United States and the Soviet Union. Indeed, that element is displayed. But yes, it was just a patch.
It's very different from the previous X-Men: First Class (2011). This X-Men prequel/ reboot film is brilliant in combining the X-Men fiction/fantasy story with the real-life situation of Cold War at that time.
Less Strong Conflict Motive
Another drawback that really bothers me is the conflict motive between Diana and a less powerful villain .
So the motive or source of this whole mess (without any explicit spoilers ) is a “magic thing”. And because of the power this thing has, the three characters of this film are after it for different purposes.
Indeed, for the purposes of the Lord and Cheetah to use this object, it made a lot of sense. Especially the Lord's motive, really emotional. And for Cheetah well , still tolerable.
Because the Cheetah motif is very relatable to those of us who may have been (or are) often bullied in the past . But Diana's motives? Well , indeed his motive gives him a big advantage
But at the same time, his motive is to actually give a fatal loss, this fatal loss that befell him, could be avoided. If I were in Diana's position, I wouldn't want to have her motives. Just because of emotions, the strongest aspects of me just disappear.
Honestly, I prefer the motives / reasons for the conflict between Diana and Ares in the first film. Even though the Ares seems like an impromptu one, at least the motive for the conflict between the two is much simpler and doesn't insult the audience.
Gadot the Wonder Woman We Are All
In fact, there are several other important aspects that are very disturbing. But never mind, you better watch the film first. Isn't it fun if everything is explained?
After all, why focus on the negative. Let's focus again on the more positive aspects. And the next positive aspect, is the cool appearance of all the actors.
The appearance of them all, successfully covered all the shortcomings and existing clichés. Especially Gadot as Wonder Woman who just gets more beautiful. And yes, it looks even cuter in this film.
In Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice we are still okay. In Wonder Woman , I started to really like it. And in Justice League (2017), we finally got used to it. So in Wonder Woman 1984 , we already think of her as "our / the one & only Wonder Woman" .
GOKIL! Her figure can make us forget the legendary first Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter. Gadot as Diana is much more relatable , tough, charismatic, just like in the comics and animated series.
His chemistry with Chris Pine who again plays Steve Trevor is also getting gokil. I'm confused, why aren't the two of them actually dating? Because it fits really well.
Pascal as Lord need not be asked. Want to be a god who made a mistake and showed his face. Or, playing Din Djarin behind his Mandalorian helmet, Pascal is really cool.
What really should be discussed here is Wiig as a Cheetah. OH MY GOD! I don't think so. Wiig who incidentally is better known as a comedian. Really successful showing qualified acting skills.
Wiig is increasingly successful in proving that comedians can also be intense and serious. Absolutely perfect casting !
If You Can Watch in the Cinema
So what is the conclusion of the Wonder Woman 1984 review? Isn't it worth it for us to watch movies in theaters during this pandemic?
Yes, in my personal opinion. It's up to you. But if I suggest this. If it is possible / possible. Watch it at the cinema. Because it's true what all the reviewers on YouTube say.
All of the visual content shown in Wonder Woman 1984 was designed to be seen in theaters. And in my opinion during the pandemic, which incidentally has minimal cinema releases, this film is still okay to watch in theaters.
But if you still have doubts (fear of being ugly) even though you've read this Wonder Woman 1984 review , just watch it from HBO Max or from any media that you like.
Either way , Wonder Woman 1984 isn't super perfect. But it is still successful in providing super positive and positive energy in this world that is still super apprehensive.
