My affinity for the Wonder Woman character is well-known to my family and friends. It used to affect my dating patterns. My daughter was hesitant to tell me that she likes unicorns more than Wonder Woman because she thought it would hurt my feelings. I consider the 2017 film to be one of the best of the superhero genre, on par with Iron Man and The Dark Knight. So, please keep that in mind when I say that, while the film still looks promising, the trailer comes off as splintered.
New Order’s “Blue Monday” sets the tone for Wonder Woman: 1984 along with the period-specific cars, clothes, and Jazzercise routines but, at times, it drowned out some of the dialogue and it would have been nice to have more exposition. Chris Pine is inexplicably back as Steve Trevor despite dying in World War I. We return to Themyscira and see what appears to be Diana as a young girl competing in physical trials. Our two known antagonists get no introduction and not much exposure.
What we do get to see and hear is more than hopeful. I was skeptical about Kristen Wiig as Cheetah, but the little we see of her initial character is reminiscent of Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, with a little Single White Female in there as well. Pedro Pascal looks even more Nathan Fillion-y than usual as Maxwell Lord, a character that has a lot of potential in the film and possibly the DCMU with Geoff Johns scripting. Whereas introducing Diana to “Man’s World” in the first movie was largely a source of introspection, we may get a few laughs out of Steve’s “Rip Van Winkle with a fanny pack” routine—especially with Chris Pine and Gal Gadot’s chemistry. The action sequences are expectedly stellar and we not only get to see the updated outfit (complete with throwing tiara and Wonder WedgesTM!) but winged golden armor reminiscent of the legendary Kingdom Come storyline too.
Wonder Woman: 1984 a summer superhero action movie. I’m sure it will deliver in that respect. The pressure of a female-led blockbuster has largely passed, but so has some of the ’80s nostalgia craze. I still have questions but, with June 2020 still a ways off, we still have a lot left to see.
