Wonder Woman 1984 Review: Sequel Overload

As much as I want to like this film, the bad outweighed the good.

Wonder Woman 1984 begins with a young Diana, eager to prove herself in the Amazonian Ninja Warrior Spartan Race. Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen reprise their role. Her mother and aunt teach Diana about the bitter truth and the pain of honesty. It’s an entertaining prologue that showcases the best of Wonder Woman.

Unfortunately, everything goes downhill from there. Wonder Woman 1984 regressed its feminist superhero, takes too long, tries to do too much, and didn’t need two villains.

Gal Gadot has undeniable charisma to compensate for her weak acting skills. Pedro Pascal is the best thing in this movie and Chris Pine is effortlessly charming. But these two didn’t need to be here. Kristen Wiig has screen chemistry with Gadot but she’s underused. They’re all stuck in an overstuffed story.

Diana is still pining over Steve Trevor for over 60 years. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for the movie, he’s back with troubling implications that the movie glosses over.

This unnecessary romance is tied to an unnecessary villain Max Lord, a Trumpian character. He represents the excess of the ’80s. The writers use the time period by referencing its problematic geopolitics.

The movie could’ve been set in the present day and it won’t make a difference. Lord’s trite ambitions lead to worldwide pandemonium as the movie stages an ill-conceived high-stakes superhero movie.

A few enjoyable action scenes and some good cinematography is mixed with bad pacing, bad stereotypes, and a bad plot.

This includes an Arab bigot whose wish for a border wall triggers a war, a woman who kicks a creep to the curb means she’s going bad, and Diana flies by lassoing lighting instead of piloting her own invisible jet.

Where’s Kristen Wiig in all of this? the only villain that this movie needed is woefully underdeveloped. Barbara’s motivation is the lame high school stereotype of the nerdy overlooked girl wanting to be sexy and cool.  Her first wish is granted by realizing she can ditch frumpy skirts, wear perfectly fitted clothes, and hop in heels.

Her second wish is to be an apex predator for no good reason. Her showdown with Wonder Woman is basically two shapes moving in the dark. The Cheetah CGI is awful while Diana had to wear tacky gold armor.

The movie ends with a Deux Ex Machina and Wonder Woman learns new abilities that she never uses again in BvS and Justice League.

Wonder Woman 1984 is torpedoed by a horrible script that not only stops the franchise from moving forward, but it also insults its titular character.