Jan. 7th, 2021

sasha_feather: Leela from the 5th element (multipass)
I watched Wonder Woman 1984 yesterday, and it was fine, but I'm annoyed by some things about it; writing stuff out is my coping mechanism for this kind of annoyance. This film was entertaining but it could have been so much better.

Mostly, it was way too long, and dragged in the middle. The first two scenes are exciting action, then there is a long part of establishing the fairly simple plot before we get to any more action scenes. The film is 2 and a half hours long, and really did not need to be!

The premise is that Diana is living in the world, but not really connecting to other people. She is isolated and still misses her WWI friends. She finally makes a new friend, Barbara (Kristen Wiig), and they hit it off in a way that seems like this should go in a lesbian direction. Alas, it does not. Diana and Barbara interact with a magical rock that grants wishes. Diana wishes for her Steve to return, and Barbara wishes to be like Diana. Meanwhile, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), an aspiring oil tycoon, plots to steal the wishing stone and make himself into a god. You'd think that ground could be covered in 20 minutes, but it takes more like an hour.

Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) was more charming and likable than I expected. He provides the movie with some much-needed humor, and he is a genuinely good person who urges Diana to do the right thing.

The music was all wrong in this film. It was a huge missed opportunity for 80s nostalgia, humor, and fun. I didn't hear any 1984 pop songs; instead it was sweeping, cheesy instrumentals. Where's my Cindi Lauper? Duran Duran? It's like they went for the wrong kind of cheese.

In one scene, Steve and Diana are touring D.C. They encounter people break dancing, but instead of showing us these cool dancers, and letting us hear their music, the camera pans away. The instrumental music sweeps over the dance music.

The film makers were also way too into Max Lord and his troubles, which I really didn't care about.

Lest you think I totally hated this film! I did like some things. Gal Gadot is of course perfectly beautiful, and I loved the scenes with her and Kristen Wiig. I liked the bits where she is reckoning with her powers, whether losing or gaining them. I would have preferred two hours and Diana and Barbara being friends and making museum discoveries together.

A content note that I hadn't really seen discussed, under the cut, for spoiler reasons and also dubious consent.
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