I just finished watching the film. This might be a case when I have a film in my head that is much better than what I actually got, an argument I usually despise when coming from others. I mean, obviously, the people who wrote and directed it have no obligation towards me to make a film that makes sense in my head... with that said, I had the same problem with the sequel as I had with the first film. Both times it felt like they were setting up a groundbreaking story, only to go with a totally different approach, and I just don't know why.
It always bothered me how the first film says that the First World War was a simple case of good v bad (in the sense that the film boils down to Diana fighting the God of War in the end), especially since when Diana goes to see the trenches, Steve says something like "you cannot save everyone". And I always felt that was such an appropriate line. I remember thinking how amazing this hero story would've been if they somehow incorporated that principle into the story and had Diana realize that being the hero isn't about saving every single life. Then, as we all know, she proceeds to magic-whip-shield-whatever her way through the battlefield, which was such a letdown for me. But okay, I guess they wanted to show that she
really could save everyone, so I have to accept it. As I said earlier, the filmmakers have no obligation to make a film
I liked
But now I felt the same with WW84 in a way. My main issue is that I just don't get why this is set in 1984. I don't get why they decided to solve the Middle East in this film (the story even has time to peek into the Irish-British conflict!). When you look at the film as a whole, it's not a huge part of the story, but still. Why? It felt... cowardly, in a way. It's such a fantasy world, the 80s, you don't really have to think about what all these weird plot elements imply. This way, they really didn't have to say anything serious about our world. But I felt that the whole film could've been much, much more serious in themes if it was set in the 2020s, in the US. Why not have a magic wall pop up between the US and Mexico? Or Canada, if you're not ballsy enough? (or, wait, South Park already dealt with the US-Canada tension) Why not have a scene where an American housewife is shouting all that racist shit at her Mexican boyfriend: "Go back to where you came from"?
This way, of course, it would've been too much on the nose, too transparent, too obvious, but I think The Dark Knight handled the horrifyingly complex and sensitive issue of terrorism and 9/11 quite well. WW84 wants to speak about a world where people's wishful thinking creates a toxic, evil environment for everyone, it's a very familiar world for all of us (Gal Gadot even looks into the camera to deliver her grand speech), but the filmmakers decide to take this story out of its relevant context. The whole 80s thing was just a tired gag for me, and it even lessened the actual interesting theme the film wanted to deal with.
Also, as others have pointed out, it's quite weird to have a conclusion that pretty much says wishing for a better life is, by definition, a bad thing. I'm sure Jenkins didn't mean it like that, but the way the film is constructed comes off like that. Also, the whole Steve subplot is indeed creepy in 2020. And there's no reason whatsoever why they handled his return the way they did. Literally no reason.
All in all, I didn't hate it, it's kind of on the same level as the first one, but, to be honest, I've never been a fan of the first one. I may have to rewatch it. And I loved Pedro Pascal. Over the top, in a good way. And I also liked the action.
