The first Wonder Woman film ticked all the boxes for a superhero film, the second? Not so much. It's time to ask why?
The release of the first Wonder Woman film in 2017 swept with a wave of success. Fantastic plot, action scenes were unpredictable but quite logical for the comic characters. At least, it suited the fact that her mission should be easy combined with her real life.
The super-fans proclaimed without hesitation: “DC has recovered their media history.”
However, the second part didn’t live up to expectations and some episodes were breathtaking, other parts flattered to deceive.
What went wrong with Wonder Woman: 1984?
Back To The Start
Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) was born on Themyscira Island. The place of stunning nature and powerful, feminist women, who fight for peace and love.
Wild Amazonians fated to live alone, with no men. They dedicated their life to martial arts, endurance, obedience and sincerity.
It was the world whereas women stay in a controversial position to the female acceptance in the world. For instance, they lived without a family, not weighed down by their daily chores.
It was the only child on the island – Princess Diana. A daughter of the Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen). By legend, she made her daughter out of clay, praying Zeus to gift her creation with a soul.
British soldier Steve (Chris Pine) is crushed into the prism from the outer world, up to Themyscira. The Germans followed him as the God of the war Ares took over the world.
World War I ruined thousands of human lives. Diana and Steve left the island to overcome Ares` forces. She could perform the duty of her nation – to save the world.
The 2017 film was emotional. It completed with a mastered visuals and real social issues, that existed in the world of that time. Feminism, for instance.
Great Britain, like any other country, struggled with the power of the patriarchy, getting bogged down in the fight for equal rights.
Diana – a prototype of the women superhero, influenced the society that women must be noticed.
She was brave going through the bullet rain, fought hard with Ares’ messenger, showing her wisdom and fearlessness.
It was like a small beacon to the world, when it was only to start changing from restrictions to equality.
The narrative showed women feeling empowered, going away from their traditional tasks.
Wonder Woman merged the viewers to the exciting story, rather than another episode from DC Comics.
Furthermore, it could be how DC makes their style fresh – not accelerate the plot with fictional actions but with philosophical storylines.
Wonder Woman: 1984
However, in Wonder Women: 1984 something went wrong.
There we see America in 1984, where Diana works with her research at the University in Washington.
At the same time, she continues to rescue the world from evil. Here we met several new characters: Barbara Minerva, a shy employee and co-worker of Diana.
Barbara, who struggles with her non-confident personality and envies Diana.
And Max Lord – an almost ruined businessman, willing to grab the money.
All of them united with one stone called the Dream One. This object could realize the holder’s only wish.
Diana thought Steve was alive, Barbara wanted to be like Diana – brave and self-confident. Max Lord raved to become gifted like that stone, then he would fulfil the desires of others.
The mission of Wonder Woman: 1984 is to show human greed and envy. From the one hand, the talk about these topics keeps many positive aspects.
But factually, the way it was shown did not work. It seemed like the main characters and their actions, especially in the second part of the film, were fitted to the timeline of two hours.
From the middle, all the lead scenes were short. It could be made deeper by emotions, with profound changes inside the heroes.
Telling The Story
But the plot was overloaded with the characters’ conflicts. Because of this, the final of Wonder Woman: 1984, which must become the peak of the mission, got mixed and unclear.
Diana’s teaching speech turned into a colourless monologue lasting several minutes. The first part of the film was longer than necessary, which reduced the possibility of making the second part more detailed.
There, Diana was close to the characters of Lara Croft or Mrs Smith, losing her charm. From the Amazonian princess, she turned into a secular women, rarely used to rescue the world.
The theme revealed in the second film, is still particular for our world. But it is equally important to convey the magic of transformation from negative qualities to positive ones. This was not the case here.
A very predictable setting where the climax will be clear. It was not the same in the first version of the film. Because of this, the second part looks bland.
The cast is stunning. They are correctly selected, the dresses are in harmony with the theme of the plot. Either it was a real-world or a mythical one, everything connected in a single chain of the correct aesthetic picture.
DC’s studios have announced that there will be the third piece of Wonder Woman’s solo story. Well, let’s wait for the changes and enjoy the beauty of Gal Gadot. She remains in the main line-up.
Photos: Shutterstock
Want some more comic book goodness? How about this article?
Support us!
All your donations will be used to pay the magazine’s journalists and to support the ongoing costs of maintaining the site.
Share this post
Interested in co-operating with us?
We are open to co-operation from writers and businesses alike. You can reach us on our email at [email protected]/[email protected] and we will get back to you as quick as we can.
