Review: 'Wonder Woman 1984' is a Fun Popcorn Flick With a Lot of Heart

It's moment of truth...

Gal Gadot reprises her role as the DC comics most powerful heroine in the latest blockbuster adventure from Warner Bros. and DC in "Wonder Woman 1984," available now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download. This is a must for your super-powered collection! It's not the Amazing Amazon's first lasso at the rodeo, and director Patty Jenkins has taken every measure to make this feature film as different from the first as possible.

Wonder Woman has become permanent ingrained in the pop-culture lexicon, and never more so than in recent history. Lynda Carter immortalized the character with the campy1970s hit series that featured her interpretation of the super heroine. It would take a new century before Gal Gadot stepped into the coveted boots and gauntlet and brought the comic book character into the modern era. Gadot's Princess Diana of the mythological island of Them'yscira would go toe to toe with Superman and Batman, to save the day in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice."

In "Wonder Woman 1984" we reconnect with Diana (Gadot) as she is slowly emerging from her self-imposed isolation; she's lived decades and operated in the shadows, keeping her distance as she mend a broken heart – but nevertheless, always able to foil a jewelry heist or two. Diana has maintained a low profile, ever since thwarting the God of War's plans to incite the decimation of man during World War I. That battle cost her the love of her life, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), and since then, the eternally youthful Diana has moved alone through the ages witness to man's folly.

The opening scene to the film is exactly what you'd want this installment to be. Diana, (Lilly Aspell, reprising her role) as a young girl on the paradise island home of the legendary Amazons, wants to prove herself every bit as capable as her adult sisters and competes in a warrior's relay, a competition that tests a competitor's strength, endurance, and mettle. In her wild ambition to outdo the more seasoned Amazons, Diana takes a "short cut" that ultimately costs her the lead, and is taught a hard lesson – anything worth getting, should be earned through hard work and persistence.

"No true hero is born from lies," says her aunt Antiope (Robin Wright). Cut to the 1980s – the "me" era of the most dangerously entitled and selfishly consumer-obsessed America we've ever been known. "Wonder Woman 1984" reveals a warrior-goddess living apart, righting the wrongs and defending the weak, but often dining alone... at least, until she meets a kindred spirit in anthropologist Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig). The shy and mousy Minerva is captivated by Diana's charisma and wishes on a magical stone that she could be just like her!

And that's when everything goes south. Diana has inadvertently also made a wish that brings her beau, Trevor (Pine) back to life, while the megalomaniac Max Lord (Pedro Pascal) seeks to control the power of the magical stone all for himself and bend the will of the world to his whim. Diana is forced to suit up again, and travels the world on a goose chase to stop Lord in his tracks, while Barbara transforms into something far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined – the apex predator The Cheetah! The two ultimately face off in a battle royal.

"Wonder Woman 1984" didn't match the expectations of its predecessor, and it had to battle another enemy – the global pandemic, which ultimately played havoc with the film's theatrical release and ultimately forced the studio to release it on the HBO Max subscriber streaming service. Gal Gadot is charming and eloquent, aptly formidable as the blockbuster's lead, and Pine is a welcome surprise to have back. Pascal's Max Lord doesn't emote the threat-level gravitas of his comic book counterpart, though Wiig is consistently entertaining as she evolves from friend to foe (even if critics would have you believe she's the film's weakest link).

The disc is packed with incredible bonus content that reveals the inner workings that brought "WW84" from the page to the screen. Director Patty Jenkins offers the most insight into the stories and themes from the comics that influenced the story arc, and especially why it was a real treat to introduce the arch nemeses The Cheetah and Max Lord in this sequel. The detail that went into re-creating the '80s is also spectacular, and necessary to establishing the tone that enhances the storyline.

"Wonder Woman 1984" may pale in comparison to the first solo box office hit that proved audiences were hungry to see a female superhero take the lead, but "WW84" is still a fun popcorn feature that everyone can get onboard with. It's not deep and dark, and has as much heart as it has non-stop action. The story has its holes, but is still engaging; we get to see our hero in all of her glory and cheer for her as she fights tyranny in the world, but most of all Wonder Woman learns to fly and undoubtedly will soar to higher highs yet to unfold!

DC's "Wonder Woman 1984" is available now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray on Digital for $24.99.