‘ Wonder Woman 1984’ is flashy fun
It's far from a perfect superhero movie, but still delivers a needed escape from reality
It’s been much too long since a flashy, loud and overly long Hollywood blockbuster swooped in and opened a virtual escape hatch from the terrible reality that surrounds us.
“Wonder Woman 1984” — debuting Dec. 25 on HBO Max and at the few theaters that remain open — is such a movie, even if it fails to live up to its superior 2017 predecessor, following too closely the footprints of the original.
Still, Patty Jenkins’ second adventure featuring the DC Comics female- empowering Diana Prince is good enough to sate our clamorous hunger for the kind of big- budget, popcorn movie Hollywood whips up so well. It certainly satisfies more than Christopher Nolan’s overly complicated “Tenet.”
Like the first film, the prologue in “1984” is set on the island nation of Themyscira and is so good it makes us wish the movie spent more time there. Alas, the screenplay by comic book star Geoff Johns and David Callaham, who grew up in Orinda and graduated from Miramonte High School, has another story to tell.
The rousing delivers a competition that is equal parts ancient Spartan race and “American Ninja Warrior.” A fearless young Diana ( Lilly Aspell) is the leader and learns an invaluable lesson in fairness and honesty.
That message echoes throughout “Wonder Woman 1984,” as the film jets to the bodacious 1980s, brought nostalgically to life by production designer Aline Bonetto and costume designer Lindy Hemming.
Here we meet the adult Diana, a confident and striking archaeologist who turns heads at the Smithsonian in Washington,
D. C., and is still lamenting the loss of her hunky pilot from the first film, Steve Trevor ( Chris Pine). At work, she befriends wallflower Barbara Minerva ( Kristen Wiig), who runs afoul of greedy charlatan charmer Max Lord ( Pedro Pascal, a good villain). He’s a symbol of the era’s voracious ambition and views Barbara as a means to snatching a mystical artifact that can grant wishes.
From there, the film mixes in action pieces — a scene in a mall where Diana uses her Lasso of Truth is so much fun — with a warning about being careful what you wish for.
Diana’s wish is to see Steve return. And therein lies the crux of the problem with “Wonder Woman 1984,” as it revives Steve and puts Diana through the emotional wringer once more. Pine’s cute and all, but those scenes seem more appropriate for fan fiction and add little to the story.
Another problem is Wigg, a better comedian
than dramatic actress. Her Barbara/ Cheetah character grows to crave the kind of attention Diana instantly commands when she walks into a room. Barbara will do anything for male attention she compromises her career for the sleazy Max. It makes for a cynical critique on sexism in a superhero movie, which is fine. But while Wiig handles
Barbara’s pratfalls beautifully, but the other nuances of her character remain out of Wiig’s grasp. The screenplay is partly to blame, too.
Most of “Wonder Woman 1984” is just like that, progressing in fits and starts with a few good ideas that don’t crystalize as they should. But there are times when it soars — a closing speech from Diana
( delivered with conviction by Gadot) is on point, and a killer add- on scene during the end credits is a campy treat. There’s enough creative juice like that firing up “Wonder Woman 1984” that, in the end, it reminds us that a cinematic superpower can transport us away from the doldrums of reality and save the day, along with buttered popcorn.