Directed again by Patty Jenkins (who shares the screenplay with DC veteran Geoff Johns and The Expendables writer David Callaham), the film begins with a gloriously shot flashback sequence, depicting young Diana on Themyscira, who, given the platform , becomes an island in the creek.
After that, however, the 2-and-a-half-hour story spends far too much time setting up its premise for the bad guys, who, unfortunately, break into the “Superman 3” quadrant of the DC / Warner Bros. movie. (These companies are units of WarnerMedia, as is CNN.)
The project finds a pretty clever way to incorporate Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, who obviously died at the end of “Wonderful Woman.” Even so, this could be a case in which it would have been wiser – both for the title character (Gal Gadot) and for the film – to continue forward instead of looking back.
Rather, Diana, a minor, has been carrying a torch for more than 65 years when we find her in 1984, hiding from view while working at the Smithsonian. Here he meets a new, self-aware mousy colleague (Kristen Wiig) and encounters a mysterious artifact that sets the plot in motion, including the means of Steve’s unlikely return.
This object is also sought by an oil speculator, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), who has in mind his own harmful purposes. The underlying warning – beware of men harboring aspirations for power – is one of the messages apparently woven into the film.
The plot bites more than the film can chew properly, initially feeling a little too much like an individual comic book story stretched beyond its weight to meet the demands of a successful film.
The stakes get high enough, but the antagonists represent a huge descent from the God of War and the German army, and despite the efforts of Gadot and Pine – who take full advantage of its anachronistic presence in the 1980s – the film cannot overcome these obstacles. .
“Wonder Woman 1984” is the victim of a common failure with sequels, working to fill the gap left by an original story. While there are some striking visual action sequences, as Diana and her new superior enemy – and Gadot remains extremely appealing in humanizing the character – the final act turns into a bit of a mess.
However, that lasso makes you tell the truth and, to put it bluntly, “Wonder Woman 1984” feels disappointing. This judgment does not affect the first film, but, in terms of franchise, it arouses the enthusiasm for the perspective of “Wonderful Woman 3”, in any year it could appear – and she -.
“Wonder Woman 1984” premieres on December 25 on HBO Max and in theaters. PG-13 is evaluated.