Patty Jenkins’ 2017 film Wonder Woman injected some much needed hope into the creatively and thematically dire DC Extended Universe (DCEU), paving the way for more colorful1 entries like Shazam! and Aquaman. Based on its marketing thus far, her follow up, Wonder Woman 1984, has continued that less dreary trend—even cranking the color knob up to eleven. So now we have our first trailer. Let’s take a look and see if that marketing has been accurate.
Well, yup, that’s pretty damn colorful. Lisa Frank-level colorful, and I love it.
The First World War-era European setting of the first Wonder Woman leant itself to a rather desaturated, literally in the trenches look (which totally worked), and its sequel’s shift in time to 1980s America was a golden opportunity to go in a different direction. An opportunity that Jenkins has clearly taken advantage of.
Also, and this is totally nostalgia pandering, I really dig the music.
Gal Godot looks to be kicking ass and taking names as Diana—perhaps more so than in the first film. As is often the case with blockbuster sequels, the action looks crazier and grander in scale.
Meanwhile, Zombie Chris Pine is a welcome presence. Outside of Star Trek, he’s always seemed better suited to stranger, funnier parts, or supporting characters in general, than leading man roles. He was a perfect fit as Diana’s love interest in the first film, and it looks like he continues to be that here. The reversal of the fish out of water dynamic looks like it might be a lot of fun as well.
Perhaps someone better versed in the Wonder Woman lore can speak more to this, but Kristen Wiig’s character will end up being Cheetah, an archenemy of Wonder Woman. Given how the trailer understandably plays up Wiig’s comedic chops, I am really interested to see how they mix that with, you know, her being evil and whatnot.
If you had asked me in early 2017 if I was looking forward to an upcoming DCEU film, I probably would have snorted.2 But here I am, heavily anticipating a Wonder Woman movie. It looks crazy and beautiful and silly in the best way possible.
And, again, the music. Yay!
Wonder Woman 1984 is set to lasso you into theaters3 on June 5, 2020.
