Wonder Woman 1984
OVERALL: Well this review is long overdue. Curse you COVID!
I saw Wonder Woman 1984, on Christmas Day, 2020. An excellent celebration! Saw it with 12 good friends in a large theater in Indianapolis. So comfortable and wow did I miss movie food and drinks! (I really like popcorn, pretzels, and slushies.) I hadn’t been in a theater since March 2020 and it was well, fantastic. It was so beautiful. I didn’t want it to end.
I know that more and more has be written about WW84, and most of it hateful. However, well, I liked it. It was beautiful. So now I shall do a bit of addressing why I think people hated it – and why I didn’t.
Yes Wonder Woman, the first movie, was an amazing piece of film making. Now when we look at WW and WW84, I see one huge difference that shapes both movies. Wonder Woman was a war movie.
Yes WW was an origin story BUT our heroine, Diana, Wonder Woman, was shaped by learning about war and living through a war. Apart from the very beginning of the movie, World War I controlled the narrative of the movie. It looked and felt like a gritty. Diana was the only light and lightness in the movie and that is what lifted the movie up and made it so good. Diana the redeemer carried the day. It was beautiful.
Now WW84 is a true modern super hero struggle movie. Does the super hero follow their own ego filled wishes, or do the right thing, the super hero thing. It’s classic. It is also not as powerful as a war movie
Is the plot flawed? Yes. Did the movie have flaws? Yes. Did I go home after seeing this in the movie theater and watch it over and over again on HBO? Yes I did. Did I buy on Blu-Ray/Digital Copy when it was released in the store and then watch it over and over again? Yes I did and yes I do. I can live with the flaws. And yes, this is obviously just me.
POINTS: Usually when I watch a movie in the theater I am loving I think drat I will have to wait to see it again. Not this time! I went home from the theater and immediately watched it again, and again, on HBO Max. Schweet. Oh and I watched it again the next day.
PITFALLS: LOL! This isn’t really a pitfall but I really didn’t like the 80s. I lived through them, didn’t enjoy them. I just don’t have happy feelings about the 80s and I was glad to see the decade go (I really enjoyed the 90s). Although I had perfect 80s hair and still do so yay for that. I also loved the shopping malls. Again, this is just me. I looks at 80s clothes and styles and shudder. I didn’t like those looks back then. So when the movie is steeped in the 80s look, I did shudder a bit.
Oh and yes I do like shopping malls, though I discovered those in the 70s, and I miss going through them. I need to do that soon.
Oh wait! Ok, there is one Pitfall: Those Damn Heels.
I despise seeing action heroes, no wait, action heroines, in heels. No, you cannot move in heels the way you do in flats. No heels aren’t good for your feet, knees, and back. In fact, there are exercises to do to help you recover from wearing your heels all day long. You can read High Heels: The Health Risk to find the nasty effects of heels and how to lessen those effects.
I DON’T WANT TO HEAR HOW YOU KNOW HOW TO WALK IN HEELS AND THEY DON’T HURT YOU. Great. Wear them if you love them! I totally understand. They LOOK great. They make your legs LOOK great. BUT THEY ARE NOT EFFICIENT FOOT WEAR. They are LOOKS only. Which means action heroines would NEVER wear them. I mean, do the heroes? No. So STOP putting women in heels when they are doing action.
Also, the Amazons, why? Would they really wear wedges during an extreme athletic event while walking on sand? I just don’t see it. I would want to have serious talks with the costumers and director about this one.
Also, good grief, does Diana have to talk around in 3 inch heels all the time? Ok, maybe she doesn’t feel the effects, but uh, why? And also what was that scene about some scientists do wear heels? Wait. Ah, yes. I have answered my own question. Yes they do. Some do. Women should wear whatever shoes they want and it is ALL good.
Except for action scenes them $%^&*(*&^% NO E$%^&*(I*&^%T^&* HIGH HEELS! Or put them on the men. 😉
NOTE: Watch video interview of Laine Deppe, Athletic Performance Coach at Indiana University and CFR in her working life, discuss Wonder Woman/Gal Gadot training. Start here: Laine Deppe & Margaret Lion Discuss Wonder Woman Part 1.
FEMALE CHARACTER(S): It’s Wonder Woman!!!! Good grief there are LOTS of women characters played by wonderful actresses. Best part: Movie opens with the Amazons and they always make me happy. Check out the cast list for the actresses and their characters. Oh and cheers to the men as well.
CULTURAL PITFALL(S): Could always have seen more people of color. Note: I LOVED that Max Lord has an Asian descent son. 🙂
HIGH POINT(S):
1.) The Music. OMG give the sound people every and all Oscars for the sound in this movie. Amazing! I truly felt my spirit being moved by the music. WELL DONE!!
2.) The Easter Egg. It happens at the end of the movie. You’ll know it when you see it. It is meta. It is a salute. It is beyond perfect.
3.) Wonder Woman is Beautiful. I know this may seem crazy to write but I loved how beautiful Gal Gadot was in this movie. Now she is always beautiful. No matter what she does or wears she is a true born beauty. However, they did something extra in this movie with her make-up and hair. It’s like the upped her magnificence. Just look at the poster. It’s Wonder Woman extra gorgeous. Does Wonder Woman have to be beautiful? Goodness no! However I enjoyed Gal’s beauty as Diana/Wonder Woman and I just had to share.
4.) It’s Dr. Minerva. I’m so glad she reminds people of that. A doctorate is no easy thing to get. Good for her. On the flip side, really people? Do you think you get to work at a national museum in charge of a collection without a doctorate? I mean maybe you do, but I bet the doctorate helps.
5.) Rey Rey Terry. Oh this little sweetie stole my heart for the few minutes she was on screen. Oh my God she is so cute!!! So ADORABLE! OMG MY HEART JUST BURST!! I hope to see lots more of you, Ms. Terry.
6.) Wonder Woman Theme. I already mentioned how the sound/music for this movie was amazing. Along with this is the upped beauty and sound of this film. Just wow.
7.) Car Chase. This was my husband’s favorite scene. He LOVES car chases and this one was exceptional. It reminded him of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The parts of it are just memorable and frankly with that scene I don’t know why people didn’t love the movie more. So many unique beats. So good.
8.) Chris Pine. I love how he supports women in film and how he looks at Diana with such love. So believable. Well done, sir.
BECHDEL TEST (Website): 3 of 3. Obviously. You have opening scenes of the Amazon nation. Of course you got a 3 of 3 right from the start.
RACIAL BECHDEL TEST (Website): 2 of 3. I might be wrong on this, though.
IMDB: Wonder Woman 1984
OFFICIAL MOVIE WEBSITE: Wonder Woman 1984 | HBO Max | Wonder Woman 1984 – Wikipedia
DVD/BLU-RAY WORTHY: YES!
LION PAW PRINTS: 3.5 of 5. It’s a special movie.
Wonder Woman 1984 – Official Trailer
WW84 | Opening Scene – CFR: In Addition: If this is all that I saw of the movie, I would have been happy. It is just, well, for my heart and soul, perfect. Also NOTE: The opening scene is the movie is only up to 2:50 in this clip. Enjoy!
WONDER WOMAN 1984 Bloopers Gag Reel (2020) Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig
‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Roundtable: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig & More | Entertainment Weekly
Chris Pine GUSHES Over Working Alongside Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman 1984 (Exclusive)
*SPOILER ALERT*
Ok, I ranted a bit about the high heels. It is a pet peeve of mine in movies. Women who are on their feet all day needing to move – law enforcement, ER workers, etc. – should not be portrayed in heels. It is adding a layer of sexualization to a character/job that just isn’t needed.
Now for my second big rant, which probably runs deeper in my rant rage. Also it is something that I see in lots of movie/TV/books, etc. It is in two parts.
Part One: I am really tired of stories brushing off “casual attacks” on female characters.
In the early stages of the movie, Dr. Barbara Minerva, is walking back to the office at night. Look if you are a woman, you know how scary that can be. Even if the sidewalk is lit, it is still nerve wracking. She is, for lack of another work, attacked by a man who calls out to her and then walks along side her invading her personal space. If you think that is ok, image that happening to a man and, oh wait, no you get it. Diana saves her from the man harming her physically by pushing him across the sidewalk. He lands on his back and lies there in a daze. Diana and Barbara then part ways. Ok wait a minute. I can’t image women actually parting ways at that point but ok whatever for the sake of the story. Still, it just did not ring true.
Now let’s more on to Part Two: Feeling Sorry for Perp When Hero/ine Rises.
Once Barbara has her power and is now Cheetah, she runs into the same perp at night on the sidewalk. She let’s him confront her and then beats him to the ground. A friend of hers sees the man on the ground and asks what has she done? Ok, that is stupid because IRL if he saw the guy and then his friend he would ask if the guy needed help. He has no context for asking what is “wrong” with Barbara. This enrages me.
She should have stomped him some more. That perp was thrown down once and he is back again. He is back again. He didn’t learn his lesson from being punched by Diana. He didn’t maybe wonder if women hate being harassed, he just went out and did it again. Glad you pounded him, Barabara. Too bad you didn’t do it more. Too bad you didn’t get praised by your friend for defending yourself and maybe making it easier for the next woman. Good for you. Never apologize.
Perps will get my sympathy when they stop hurting others. Until then, cry me a river.
Note: This kind of nonsense happens to men characters too. A lot of moralizing goes in to how one should not beat up the perp as that is “acting like the perp.” No. It isn’t. Perps pray on people intentionally causing their victims pain and then scream that they did nothing wrong/ are the victim. Never apologize for taking down a perp. Guess that’s why I’m such a fan of the Punisher.
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