WW84 Review: A Wholesome Standalone Film Rather Than a Sequel!

A sequel to the 2017 super-hit DCEU savior, Wonder Woman, WW84 stars Gal Gadol reprising the titular character as Diana Prince with Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal as the lead antagonists. Patty Jenkins, who directed the first film, returned to the director’s chair to also co-write the sequel that managed to surpass all the expectations and turned out to be a worthy successor and wholesome addition to the franchise. WW84 Review

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Set in the 1980s, the story of WW84 begins with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) working at a research institute as a senior anthropologist and as a secret local hero who manages to save the day by looking cool and being a role model at the same time. Subsequently, she comes across her colleague, Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), new hire and an insecure individual, who idolizes Diana after their brief talk over dinner. WW84 Review

As the narrative starts to develop, Diana and Barbara stumble upon a mysterious dream stone, which they contemplate to be a device that grants wishes upon contact with any user. Simultaneously, while learning more about the ancient stone, they meet up with a businessman, Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), who is also engaged in getting hold of the device for a very long time. With the story advancing around the dream stone, the remainder of the film explains its implications and if Diana manages to overcome these hurdles. WW84 Review

What I liked the most about WW84 is that its writers – Patty Jenkins and Geoff Johns managed to renew only a few plot points from its predecessor and made the sequel stand out as a standalone movie with its own brand new narrative and a set timeline that does not go back and forth. Contrary to the 2018 blockbuster movie Aquaman, there are no intricate story beats that tie into the overall franchise since it deals with a single straightforward narrative that begins and ends within its runtime.

Furthermore, on the positive side of things, WW84 also did not limit itself to a generic superhero movie with the good guy triumphing over the bad guy by the end. It packed in a few feel-good themes, be it the delightful love story between Diana and Steve Trevor that is distributed evenly for more than half of the film. Additionally, a few heartwarming scenes that describe the significance of truth alongside the constraints of unlimited superpowers and so on.

Moreover, improving on a few aspects that went wrong in the first movie, WW84 has a much more intact storyline with a proper three-act structure and an ending that is executed and concluded well on a happy note. Also, the writers did a fantastic job in establishing the three main characters by providing them a backstory and moments which stood out inside and out.

From Diana, who levels a challenge like never before, that involves a few sacrifices. To Barbara, an insecure woman, who breaks her shackles when she finally transforms into a confident badass. And Maxwell Lord, who is a definite improvement from Ares of the last film with a more relatable past and greed that is plausible for any individual with that amount of control and power. However, there are plenty of illogical scenes and nonsensical ideas that fly under the radar or brushed under the carpet that might take you out of the overall experience if you begin to overthink.

The production design of WW84 is also on-point as Jenkins accurately captures the look, feel, and weirdness of the 80s, from the costumes to the set design and culture. Hans Zimmer’s terrific background score is a bonus to the already well-written scenes and successfully enriches the entire feel. A surprise throwback to a beloved song from Man of Steel is also welcoming to hear in the very end. The action sequences were, for the most part, decent. I expected a more elaborately shot face-off between Diana and Barbara, but a few breathtaking scenes, especially the opening in Themyscira, was a lot of fun to watch on the big screen.

The performances were also strong from the entire cast, starting with Gal Gadot, who continued to look imposing and is now totally confident in her role as Diana Prince. Furthermore, she also had the opportunity to display her acting abilities when it comes to emotional scenes in the film, and she did a decent job and managed to make the sentiment work. On the other hand, Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva felt like the proper counterpart to Gal Gadot as a friend cum nemesis. Her character arc was well portrayed on-screen alongside Maxwell Lord, played fantastically by Pedro Pascal from the beginning to the end.

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Overall, WW84 succeeds in telling a good story, setting up characters that are delightful to watch on-screen, and is backed by some decent performances from the lead cast. Despite the consistent unjustifiable moments or the lack of unexplained events, the film is straightforward with its narrative and is a wholesome watch that ends on a happy note that is much obliged, especially during the times we live in right now.

Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Warner Bros.