Wonder Woman 1984: A Fitting Fairy Tale for the Times
To say that Superhero movies are a dime-a-dozen is to understate the case.
Since 2008, with the release of Iron Man, there have been 23 films comprising the Marvel Cinematic Universe. DC (Detective Comics) joined the fray with the release of Man of Steel in 2013, and now has nine films under its belt in the DC Extended Universe (i.e. the DC Movie Universe). The year of 2020 marked the first year since 2010 that an MCU movie was not released. While the upcoming Black Widow was originally scheduled for a 2020 debut, our favorite pandemic delayed the release of the film.
While most fans would grant an edge to Marvel in the current movie competition (partly due to Justice League’s disappointment), DC was able to release two films in 2020: Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984. With the release of two at-least-decent movies, 2020 went to DC.
This review will focus on Wonder Woman 1984. Little attention will be paid to the overarching DCEU. Additionally, the writer assumes that the reader has seen the movie. Therefore, there are spoilers and certain aspects of plot are only briefly summarized.
Wonder Woman 1984 is no cinema masterpiece. It has flaws, requires an extensive amount of suspended disbelief, and feels more like a fairy tale. Nevertheless, Wonder Woman was a fitting end to, by most accounts, a rough year.
First, we will explore the “fairy tale” element of the film and how that makes the film different. Then, we will explore the theme of Truth.
Fairy Tale
“Why do you say Wonder Woman is a fairy tale? What is the genre of other Superhero films?” Good questions! While fantasy is the overarching genre of both the MCU and the DCEU, a good categorization for most of these films is “modern mythology.” What distinguishes modern mythology from a fairy tale are the consequences and tone of the story. For example, throughout the MCU and the DCEU, the writers have explored larger-than-life characters who have real faults and impact the world around them for better or worse. While there may be some tension between groups of good characters (think Captain America: Civil War), these characters are often very obviously good or evil. The superheroes resemble the mythological gods in that they have superhuman abilities while having very human flaws and personalities. In some instances, the characters are literally mythological gods (like Thor and Loki from the MCU and Ares from the first Wonder Woman).
While Wonder Woman is certainly a mythological-type hero (after all, she’s an Amazonian), the film itself does not focus on the long-term consequences of the plot. In this sense, Wonder Woman 1984 depicts a modern mythological character in a fairy tale story.
The fairy tale element is most aptly illustrated by the lack of ramifications of the villain’s, Max Lord’s, actions. For example, he wishes to be the stone. He does not literally become the stone, but, rather, he gains the ability to grant wishes. At the climax of the film, Max is granting a large portion of humanity’s wishes while also taking things from them in exchange (like a genie or the monkey’s paw).
However, Diana/Wonder Woman is able to suddenly convince Max and the world to renounce their wishes. This wish element, while having thematic importance, necessarily requires a large amount of disbelief to be suspended to enjoy the story.
While other superhero films require disbelief, the disbelief is most often regarding the initial premise and the powers of the characters. The plots are (generally, not always) rational followings of the premises.
It is very inconceivable that every single person who wished would wish for something terribly selfish and destructive. It is also very unlikely that no one would wish for something like, “I wish all evil were gone” or “I wish we all loved each other perfectly.” Furthermore, at the end of the film, everything suddenly seems to be back to normal. There are no long-term consequences for the world. History roles on as normal. The sheer unbelievability of how the wish mechanic plays out leads the author to call Wonder Woman 1984 fairytale-ish. Now, the fairytale element does not make the story bad. While viewers may not be prepared for the amount of disbelief the story requires, the wish element of the tale is very important and plays into the next topic.
Truth
The story of Wonder Woman 1984 is ultimately about truth. This is very refreshing for a postmodern, relativistic culture. A tale about truth is much needed given our cultural climate. Covid and politics have left many, perhaps, feeling like Pilate asking, “What is truth?” With all the confusion regarding the pandemic and the election, a story such as Wonder Woman 1984 helps remind us that the truth sets us free, even if the truth is risky and dangerous. The most moving part of the film, for the writer, was the departure of Steve Trevor, Diana’s significant other. Steve’s apparent resurrection via Diana’s wish was a perfect example of a beautiful, appealing deception. Steve was never really resurrected even though his consciousness took over another man.
As Max Lord’s evil plan is progressing and threatening the world, Wonder Woman’s powers are fading. Diana must make a pivotal decision. Should she renounce her wish? If she does, Steve will be gone forever. If she doesn’t, the world will enter a new age of tyranny and unprecedented destruction. In this context, Steve bravely counsels Diana: she must renounce her wish and end Steve’s pseudo-resurrection. Diana rebuts and claims that she can’t do it. However, Steve compassionately encourages her while telling her that he will always love her. It is here that we see that even most powerful need support and guidance to do what is right. Without Steve’s sacrifice and dedication to truth, the world would have been lost.
Through this sacrifice, Diana has the courage to let Steve go, even though she experiences great pain saying the words, “I renounce my wish.” Because of Steve’s simple wisdom, Diana regains her strength and is able to confront Max Lord leading to the renunciation of his wish for the sake of his son, Alistair. Steve dies (again) so that Diana may be strong and fight evil. Through her efforts, she saves the villain from himself. Max wanted power. He almost lost his son as a result. The wishing-stone tried to take away what was most precious to him. By Wonder Woman sacrificing what was most precious to her (Steve), she is able to help Max and Alistair be reunited.
The commitment to truth demonstrated through the film may serve as an apologetic for Christianity (or at least, theism and objective truth). While a postmodernist or materialist may be moved by Wonder Woman 1984, his life cannot consistently embrace the dedication to truth if truth is subjective and/or reduced to material phenomena.
The popularity and often repetitive formulae of over ten years of super-films has prompted some to claim that superhero movies are not “real” cinema. While other films may be more significant than the onslaught of superhero movies, and while Wonder Woman 1984 is no instant classic, it does serve as a reminder to seek the truth and to sacrifice one’s self for the gain of others. And the fairytale element serves as a nice counter to the all-too-real health and political turmoil happening right now.
Let us all remember to be committed to the often mundane, but important, truths in our own lives. We can’t block bullets with our magic gauntlets. We can’t fly. We can’t even make others tell the truth. However, we can always speak the truth.
