Wonder Woman 1984, Written and Directed by Patty Jenkins

Written by Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, and Dave Callaham
Directed by Patty Jenkins
Based on characters from DC Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston
Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, and Pedro Pascal
Released by Warner Brothers in theaters and on HBO Max, 2020
Running time: 151 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence

Author’s note: This review contains spoilers.

“That is the truth, that is the only truth. And truth is all there is.” In the opening sequence of Wonder Woman 1984, the Amazonian General Antiope (Robin Wright) speaks these words to her niece, the young Princess Diana (Gal Gadot), whom viewers know as Wonder Woman. Although this important point is echoed throughout the film, most of its characters evade it to some extent—including even Diana, wielder of the Lasso of Truth, a weapon empowered by the truth itself. Their evasions make for a dark film that reflects writer/director Patty Jenkins’s sense of life and her confusions concerning morality and capitalism.

Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), a walking trope for the unscrupulous businessman, obtains an ancient artifact, which he uses to grant people’s wishes. But unbeknownst to them, this comes at a cost. Greedy capitalist that he supposedly is, Max fails to disclose this, telling people, “Never accept the limitations of nature.” His motto is: “We want more, we want what we want. . . . You can have it all, you just have to want it.”

Before recognizing the situation for what it is, Diana absentmindedly wishes that her deceased love, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), was alive again. Steve soon appears, but he does so in another man’s body. Interestingly, the movie never addresses the moral problems this poses, and Diana, reunited with her long-lost love, evades the truth of the situation; despite Steve’s new appearance, she says, “All I see is you.” Thus, before she can even think about defeating Max, she must regain her grip on reality.

Jenkins explains during interviews, “This movie is about colliding Wonder Woman with the evil of our times, which is the excess and opulence that we have found ourselves in a position of indulging.”¹ She chose the year 1984 because “it’s the most extreme version of our commercial capitalistic society.”² A montage of theft, property destruction, and lewd behavior overlay a TV ad for Max’s company. Jenkins says that Max—whose character was modeled on Bernie Madoff and Donald Trump—is “the epitome of mankind at their greatest success in business of that era. . . . that’s very much what he symbolizes, both politics and Wall Street corporations.”³ Seemingly a mouthpiece for Jenkins, a preacher in the film scolds people on a chaotic street, shouting, “You see what your sinfulness has done? Your greed?”

Given the ability to have any wish granted, many of the film’s characters wish to physically harm and steal from those around them. The American president wishes for more nuclear warheads to best the Soviets, asking, “What is there to wish for but more?” From fraud to property destruction to murder, the film portrays not capitalism—the only social system based on the individual’s right to his own life—but Jenkins’s own dismal view of humanity. Clearly, far from leading to a life of plenty, such shortsighted plunder is self-destructive. Jenkins’s attempt to bundle myopic pillaging with production and commerce displays either sloppy thinking or outright nihilism.

Anticapitalist sentiment is nothing new for Hollywood, but Jenkins’s vision is particularly warped. Of course, foolish and unscrupulous people exist in any society, but in a genuinely capitalist society, such bad individuals would be rendered largely impotent, held in check by laws that protect individual rights. And, yes, under genuine capitalism, people would be left free to rise as high as their ambition will take them—and that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.

The movie portrays a dim view of heroism as well, pitting personal fulfillment against the desire to uphold law, order, and peace—as if these must necessarily be in conflict. For instance, Diana says she envies her colleague’s “freedom”; she seems to think that because she possesses superpowers, she has a “duty” to thwart crime and protect humans, and is not free to pursue her own happiness. Despite having been separated from Steve for sixty-seven years, she tells him, “You’re all that I wanted for so long. You’re the only joy I’ve had or even asked for.” Diana’s behavior could be described as stoic. More accurately, though, she is portrayed as an altruist, convinced that she must sacrifice her own happiness for the “greater good.”

In order to prevent a looming nuclear war between the United States and the USSR, every person who made a wish must renounce it, thereby destroying the wish-granting artifact, reversing all wishes, and returning things to normal. Jenkins intends this plot piece as a sly analogy, saying, “I don’t want people to even know it’s about climate change.”⁴ That is, she subscribes to the view that human industry ultimately will make Earth unlivable for humans, and she regards that industry—the product of individuals working to better their lives—as comparable to rash decisions leading toward nuclear war. To avoid nuclear winter, characters in the movie need only voice, “I renounce my wish,” whereas today’s environmentalists call for immediately upending every facet of human society to reduce carbon emissions. These two situations are not comparable, and the analogy rightly raises suspicion about other views expressed in the movie.

Although Wonder Woman 1984 is dominantly negative, Steve stands out in providing an optimistic view of society. The World War I fighter pilot explores 1980s America, seeing everyday objects of the modern world as the technical marvels that they are. He is awed by such things as a plane that can fly direct from D.C. to Cairo, a public train system, and an escalator. He is even wowed by a unique “sculpture” at a contemporary art museum, until Diana reveals that it is, in fact, a modern trash can. While sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet, he clearly displays the glee of one who has found his calling. Steve’s exuberant love of flying—and of life—makes for a bit of light in an otherwise dark film. Ironically, the only character who embraces and fully experiences life is the one who has already died.

Unless you’re looking for a master class in malevolence, skip Wonder Woman 1984. If you want to enjoy big-screen action sequences and a strong female lead, Gal Gadot delivers an inspirational performance in Wonder Woman (2017, directed, but not written by, Patty Jenkins), available now on most streaming platforms.

About Frank Olechnowicz

Frank is a scientist at Behr Paint, where he strives to make the highest quality architectural paints. He enjoys hiking, eating good cuisine, and discussing philosophy.

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