WONDER WOMAN 1984 | FILM REVIEW
Dir: Patty Jenkins (12A, 151 mins)
DC Comics’ brightest box office star blazed a trail with her previous solo outing, a heartfelt, upbeat blast of positivity with an inevitable CGI climax. It made Gal Gadot a superstar and proved what everyone knew all along: that a female director could deliver a superhero blockbuster. The World War I setting offered built-in poignancy; the message that love could conquer all was a much-needed antidote to the grimness of Zack Snyder’s po-faced Man Of Steel and Batfleck.
With this equally sunny if occasionally laboured sequel, director Jenkins returns to her Amazonian warrior, fast-forwarding the action to 1984 after an Olympics-esque prologue from the past designed for Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen cameos. Gadot returns as Diana Prince – working at the Smithsonian museum, on the lookout for artefacts and still mourning the loss of her handsome love Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine. This does not last long, however, as a wishing stone is uncovered, setting the plot in motion.
Smarmy businessman Maxwell Lord, played by a game Pedro Pascal, gets wind of this stone’s power and uses it for unseemly ends in a bid for greatness which exceeds being a mere snake-oil salesman and TV personality, in a sideswipe at Trump. Caught up in the proceedings is Kristen Wiig’s Barbara Minerva: a likeably ditzy wallflower and gemologist who aspires to glamorous work colleague Diana but is ignored by everyone. This leads Barbara down a dark road as she turns into supervillain in her own right, moving from wallflower to big-haired, confident cougar and finally to an apex predator whose CGI iteration unfortunately fires memories of Cats.
Pine returns as Trevor, bodyswapping via a wish Gadot herself makes and has some awkward comedy fish-out-of-water moments, marvelling at the breakdancing wonders of the 80s. The period itself is brightly recreated, with neon, aerobic gear, excess and Cold War duly noted. Wonder Woman 1984 does take its time to gain momentum: a sluggish opening hour establishes character via meandering dialogue, with few moments of action, but an Egyptian Raiders Of The Lost Ark car-chase set piece ups the ante. Director Jenkins allows Gadot to be vulnerable and builds to a climax based on ideological positivity rather than CGI brawling. It’s not as strong as its forebear but its good intentions remain intact, with Jenkins and Gadot presenting positive, strong, feminine heroism with gusto.
On release now where cinemas can open, and through Premium Video On Demand from Wed 13 Jan
words KEIRON SELF