Wonder Woman 1984

Story

Wonder Woman 1984 begins several decades after the 2017 movie, Wonder Woman. Diana/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is working as a curator in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

When gemologist, Dr Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), starts work at the museum, the FBI asks her to investigate a stolen artefact, a citrine rock that claims to grant the wishes of those who hold it.

Diana jokingly wishes for her departed partner, Steve (Chris Pine), to come back. Barbara wishes she could be smarter, stronger and sexier, like Diana. The rock grants their wishes when Diana meets a man whose body has been taken over by Steve. Barbara transforms into a stronger, attractive woman, then turns into the villain, the Cheetah.

Failed businessman, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), charms Barbara and steals the rock to become the most powerful man in the world. He grants everyone their greatest wish, which sees the world descend into chaos.

Many people are displaced, and there are riots, homelessness and the threat of nuclear war. Wonder Woman must save the planet from destruction.

Themes

Superheroes; warfare; descent of mankind; lives in peril

Violence

Wonder Woman 1984 contains a lot of highly stylised superhero action violence. For example:

• Wonder Woman uses her golden lasso to capture the bandits and ties them up with it. She also kicks them and throws them out of a window.
• Wonder Woman kicks a speeding car, causing it to spin around.
• A bride is knocked over a bridge and Wonder Woman flies down to save her.
• Wonder Woman and Steve chase after Max who is in a convoy of trucks. The trucks push Wonder Woman and Steve off the road. Wonder Woman causes some of the trucks to crash. Security guards fire from a tank at Wonder Woman and Steve. Wonder Woman hangs underneath a truck and is dragged along. Steve smashes the car into the tank, destroying it. The trucks roll over. Steve and Wonder Woman get into a physical fight with the guards and Wonder Woman is seen with blood on her shoulder.
• Wonder Woman and Barbara fight. Barbara has become very powerful and Wonder Woman seems to be losing. She is seen with blood on her arms.
• Barbara throws men across the room.
• Wonder Woman and the Cheetah fight in a prolonged fight scene. They swing through the air on Wonder Woman’s lasso and fall underwater. The Cheetah appears dead and Wonder Woman brings her to the surface.

Other violence includes:

• A child falls from a horse but is unhurt. A woman falls from a great height.
• Robbers steal items from a store. They drop a gun on their way out causing everyone to scream and panic. The police aim guns and fire at the robbers. One of the robbers grabs a girl and holds her over a balcony threatening to drop her.
• A drunk approaches Barbara while walking alone in a park. He starts to hassle her and then attacks her. Wonder Woman arrives in time and knocks him out.
• The same drunk approaches Barbara after she has had her wish fulfilled. The former, kind and thoughtful, Barbara, is now a vicious aggressor. She repeatedly kicks the man, throws him and kicks him again onto the road. He is seen with blood on his face.
• One scene shows a woman wishing her husband would go back to where he came from. He wishes she’d drop dead, which she appears to.
• A sonic boom destroys everything in its path.
• In a flashback, Max sees his father hitting his mother and yelling at him. Max was obviously poor and teased at school.

Sexual references

There are some sexual references in Wonder Woman 1984. For example:

• There is a romance between Wonder Woman and Steve, her long lost love.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There is some use of substances in Wonder Woman 1984. For example:

• Drinking is shown at at home, at dinner and at functions.
• Max takes some substances to calm his anxiety.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in Wonder Woman 1984. For example:

• A naked female warrior statue is shown.
• Barbara and Max kiss and fondle each other.
• Diana and Steve kiss and wake up in bed the next morning. Nothing graphic is shown.

Product placement

None noted.

Coarse language

Wonder Woman 1984 has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Wonder Woman 1984 is a fast-paced action movie which is quite intense at times. Wonder Woman is a brave and selfless female character who doesn’t like the use of guns. She is powerful but kind and empathetic, and is a good female role model, although somewhat unrealistic. However, due to the violence and scary scenes, Wonder Woman 1984 isn’t appropriate for children under 12 years. We recommend parental guidance for children aged 12-14 years.

The main messages from this movie are that the greater good should override personal desire and that redemption is always possible.

Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include:

• a strong female lead character
• bravery and heroism
• loyalty
• truth
• empathy
• selflessness.

This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the following:

• Barbara was originally a shy, kind and caring person who transforms into a cruel and greedy character. This could be disturbing for children who might wonder why this would happen.
• Steve inhabits the body of another man but in reality, this cannot happen.
• Greed usually leads to despair and destruction and is self-annihilating.