Re-directed by Pitti Jenkins (who shares script credits with DCP Gee Geoff Jones and “The Expendables” author David Callaham), the movie begins with a brilliant shot flashback sequence, featuring a young Diana on Themiskira. Has come. Island in the stream.
After that, however, the 2-hour story takes a very long time to establish its base and bad guys, which unfortunately turns out to be DC / Warner Bros. filmography camp “Superman 3” quarters. (Those companies are WarnerMedia units, according to CNN.)
The project has found a reasonably clever way to include Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, who apparently died at the end of “Wonder Woman”. Still, this could be a case where it would be more sensible – for both the title character (Gail Gadot) and the movie – to press forward instead of looking back.
The ageless Diana, instead, has been holding the torch for more than 65 years when we found her in 1984 hiding in plain sight in Smithsonian. That’s where he meets a dumb, self-conscious new companion (Kristen Wig) and encounters a mysterious artifact that sets the plot in motion, including the means of Steve’s unlikely return.
The sad object budget is also being sought by the oil settler, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal), who has his own negative end in mind. The underlying warning – beware of con men sheltering aspirations for power – is one of the most woven messages in the message.
Biting more plot than a movie can be chewy enough, at first glance, feels a bit too much like a personal comic-book story pulled out of its weight to meet the demands of a blockbuster movie.
The stakes are high enough, but the opposition represents the god of war and the massive collapse of the German army, and despite the efforts of Gadot and Pine – who make his most bizarre presence in the 80s – the film can’t cross those barriers.
The sequel to “Wonder Woman 1984” suffers from a general failure, laboring to fill the void left by the original story. While there are some visually surprising action sequences like Diana and her new super-powered enemy square – and Gadot remains very attractive in humanizing the character – the last act turns into a bit of a mess.
Still, that lasso to tell you the truth, and frankly speaking, “Wonder Woman 1984” seems hopeless. That verdict may not move from the first movie, but in terms of the franchise, it lowers the enthusiasm for the prospect of “Wonder Woman 3” in any given year – and that – could pop up.
“Wonder Woman 1984” premieres December 25 at HBO Max and theaters. It is rated PG-13.
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