Wonder Woman is finally back, this time in the world of ruffles, neon and the nascent capitalism of 1984. Gal Gadot reprises her role as Diana Prince alongside Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva and Pedro Pascal as Max Lord.
The film’s sequel features a jump in time from its original setting of Word War One to the 1980s, and its choice of title Wonder Woman 1984 has crazy English nerds linking it to George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984. The novel’s comment on government surveillance and totalitarianism is echoed in the film by the shot of villain Max Lord overlooking a giant surveillance system, and Diana flinging her tiara at a security camera with the intention of destroying it.
As the daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta, Diana is a demigod and in the Warner Bros. universe, this grants her immortality. The same cannot be said for her love-interest Steve Trevor, who is portrayed by the delectable Chris Pine. (Spoiler!) After his death in the first film, fans have been speculating about his arrival in the sequel, Easter eggs reveal that time travel may be involved. The various clocks and watches, including the one Steve gives to Diana indicate that time will be a major theme in the sequel.
Suspicions have arisen that Trevor’s return is to play into the film’s romance, but director Patti Jenkins insisted “we didn’t put Steve Trevor in this movie because we wanted to put Steve Trevor in this movie…I promise you it’s not a gimmick, it’s integral to the story.”
Warner Bros. released a statement explaining that: “Diana Prince comes into conflict with the Soviet Union during the Cold War in the 1980s and finds a formidable foe by the name of Cheetah.”
The film’s villains are Barbara Minerva, who transforms into Cheetah after coveting Diana’s power, and Max Lord, a businessman who promises his customers that he will grant everything they wish. His allegorical role of consumerism and capitalism could be Jenkin’s comment on current society’s obsession with materialism.
Lord’s haunting voiceover “life is good. But it can be better. And why shouldn’t it be? All you need is to want it. Think about finally having everything you always wanted” foreshadows the film’s message.
Patty Jenkins, the director of the Wonder Woman films was the first woman to direct a major American superhero film, it also made $800 million in the box office and was the highest grossing live-action film ever directed by a woman. This sequel, Wonder Woman 1984Â also made history as the first Hollywood production to adopt the anti-sexual harassment guidelines put forward by the Producers Guild of America, which was in response to the “Time’s Up” movement.
The first film’s producer Brett Ratner was absent from the sequel after allegations of sexual harassment or misconduct were made against him. Gadot reportedly declared she would not reprise her role as Wonder Woman if he was involved with WW84.
Big things are expected for Wonder Woman 1984 and at the FIB Office we’re excited to see the action packed, female lead film upon its June 5, 2020 release.
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