(reviewed by our Guest Critic: The Movie Knight) If any year needed a superhero, 2020 would be it. Ordinarily the cinemas would be flooded with them. In February we got Birds of Prey: (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). A movie that proved once again that not only can a female driven picture succeed in this genre, one rated-R can too. Then Covid happened and that was the end of comic book movies and all others as well, or so it seemed. Then, Warner Brothers announced Wonder Woman 1984 would be released, after multiple delays, on Christmas Day both in theaters and HBO MAX, to some controversy regarding the latter.
The DC Universe was in shambles until Patty Jenkins directed Wonder Woman. Before then, according to both fans and critics, there was no real good, quality film in the group. There was no other choice but to bring her back for this next adventure which takes place in 1984. Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), who has yet to be called Wonder Women, is now working at the Smithsonian, where she and a new co-worker, Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) come across a strange artifact that grants one big wish. Con-artist businessman Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) also has great interest in this object for his own nefarious purposes.
No matter how excited you are to see this new adventure and how much you want to like it, you might feel disappointed in the final product. The opening sequence is fun, but not exciting enough to draw the audience in. Later, at a mall that has been included many times in trailers and commercials, the action too falls short. Another heavily previewed sequence involving a convoy in the desert also fails to live up to its potential. Not every scene is a dud, the ones involving Diana and Barbara, as she starts to take on her Cheetah persona, are the better ones to watch.
The running time is two-and-a-half hours, which ends up being too long. Patty Jenkins certainly set out to really develop her two villains. Antagonists are often underdeveloped characters, no more than two-dimensional at best. Here, we not only fully understand the motivations of the two, some of us can even identify with them. It still could have been done in a shorter time, so it would not feel so slow moving.
Some of the best scenes are between Diana and Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). While Steve perished at the end of World War I and now is back, we are left with a classic “fish out of water” subplot. Gadot and Pine had perfect chemistry the last time and it carries over again here. Jenkins takes full advantage of the decade by giving us bright colors, bizarre fashion and hairstyles, and the sights that would leave anyone who just came from 1918 to the 80s totally bewildered.
It is certainly unfair to expect one franchise to save the entire box office year. You may think Wonder Woman would be the one to do that, but that is too much to ask any motion picture. Twenty-twenty (2020) was like no other time in the history of the business. In the end, the fans will bring the final verdict. In the meantime, we all hope for a better 2021.
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