"Wonder Woman 1984": Movie Review
Written By Alex Greenbaum
With immense anticipation and a swell of narrative opportunities, "Wonder Woman 1984" winds up being a disappointing sequel. Rather than building upon its impressive predecessor, director/writer Patty Jenkins ("Monster", "Wonder Women") opts for a Hollywood spectacle that heavily relies upon cliche. While its overly ambitious plot becomes increasingly underdeveloped, Gal Gadot and Chris Pine are able to shine through and bring forward a consistently high entertainment value.
A desperate businessman absorbs an ancient wishing stone that grants him the ability to rule the world and create absolute chaos.
Between Jenkins, Geoff Johns, and Dave Callaham, the screenplay often comes across as utter nonsense. Being constantly bombarded by Kristen Wiig's hokey dialogue/performance or its forced interpretation of greed and politics becomes difficult to swallow. A legitimately interesting concept exists in its many narrative threads, but "Wonder Women 1984" never has the guts to pursue them in a mature or meaningful manner. Instead, its juvenility persists beyond what should be acceptable for a film of this budget and DC comic-book stature.
Luckily, Pine and Gadot's dynamic still remains thoughtfully constructed, while their intimacy is just as palpable. They both defy its ham-fisted script with an impressive delivery and satisfying flow resulting in a few compelling sequences. And though some may question Pines undoubtedly nonsensical resurrection, it is one of the select successes the film is able to put forth.
Nevertheless a big step back from 2017, "Wonder Women 1984" is a sporadically entertaining big-budget affair. It's stock full of embarrassingly shallow characters that expose its rough screenplay and inconsistent direction. And with all the mounted potential that was culminated in the 2017 film, Jenkins's latest comes across as a wasted effort.
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