If you are a person with a phone and a working internet connection, chances are that Wonder Woman 1984 has popped up on your feed several times in the past year. The film was touted as the biggest superhero blockbuster of the year, er, until its release on Christmas.
If you are already confused by the reviews on the new Wonder Woman film, there is more coming your way. Patty Jenkins, director of the much-talked-about Wonder Woman series, has stated that Wonder Woman 1984, is not a sequel to the chart-busting 2017 Wonder Woman movie.
Although Wonder Woman 1984 is chronologically second in the recently announced trilogy, Jenkins refuses to call it a mere sequel. What’s the catch? And how will it affect the future of the franchise?
1. What’s Wonder Woman 1984 All About?
From the trailers, it is evident that the immortal Diana has moved on- physically- and is living in the United States. Wonder Woman 1984 is set in the eccentric and OTT decade of the 80s, the year 1984 as the title suggests, where Diana is living a less than colorful life. She works at the Smithsonian and in her downtime, foils mall robberies. That is before Max Lord arrives with his chaotic wish-granting powers, and Diana’s co-worker Barbara gives in to her dark desires and changes into the Cheetah, a cat-human hybrid.
After the selfish and mutually destructive desires of people bring the world to the verge of collapse, Wonder Woman convinces Max Lord to rescind his actions. But this means that she herself would have to give up on her only wish- to have Steve Trevor in her life.
2. How’s it Different from a Sequel?
According to Jenkins, WW84 is the next iteration in Diana Prince’s life and her evolution to the boss-level Wonder Woman that we see in the Justice League movies. However, it is far from a sequel. The story picks up at a completely different time after the events of the first film, and while two characters do return, most of the others are newly introduced.
A source close to the director revealed that it is much like the standalone James Bond films or Indiana Jones films- an anthology, rather than a continuous story told in many installments.
3. Why That’s A Boon
If you have enjoyed the quirky 80s setting and the similarity in tone to Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman series, this means bad news for you. The 80s setting and its portrayal, especially, did not sit well with the majority. If Jenkins follows the same format for the third movie- yes, there will be a third movie– it is highly improbable that the third movie will be set anywhere close to the 80s.
Wonder Woman 1984 introduced Lynda Carter as the legendary Themysciran warrior, Asteria, in the post-credits scene of Wonder Woman 1984. It will be interesting to see Diana and Asteria meet at a different time and hopefully, the third movie will explore that.
4. Why That’s Not a Boon
Unfortunately, this might mean we have to bid goodbye to Steve Trevor. Chris Pine, Diana’s (and our) beloved Steve Trevor, will probably not be returning to the concluding installment of the trilogy. Bringing the character back to the second movie, after he exploded in the sky with hundreds of bombs, was a bit of a stretch anyway, and bringing him back, again, in the third movie will be downright unbelievable.
If this is true, it will be a disappointment to many since Pine’s charm and his chemistry with lead co-star Gal Gadot are two of the many attractions of the Wonder Woman movies.
A change in time will also mean that we might not get a full-fledged story about what happened to Maxwell Lord. Although WW84 has made a lot of questionable choices, Pedro Pascal’s performance as the slick yet rapacious tv personality is definitely not one of them. Max Lord’s fate may be mentioned in the passing, but the character featuring in the last movie is unlikely.
With a few changes, the third movie of the Wonder Woman trilogy can achieve the same level of epic as the first one. Have you watched Wonder Woman 1984 yet? What did you think about the movie? Would you like to see Chris Pine back as Steve Trevor in the third film?
5. About Wonder Woman 1984
Wonder Woman 1984 is a fantasy/superhero movie of the DCEU franchise that is a sequel to Wonder Woman (2017). It stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig, among others.
The film develops Diana Prince’s character as she wrestles with her deepest desires and continues to inspire people to choose the path of truth. When the sleazy businessman Max Lord takes advantage of people’s selfish wishes to fund his own profits, Diana must decide if her own desires are bigger than the people of the world.
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