NEW YORK — Everyone's favorite Amazonian princess returns to save
the planet in "Wonder Woman 1984" (Warner Bros.), an entertaining
follow-up to the DC Comics superhero's 2017 outing.
Director Patty Jenkins is once again at the helm, and this time
has co-written the screenplay with Geoff Johns and David Callaham. Naturally,
the plot is silly, at times preposterous. But that's not unexpected for an
old-fashioned popcorn movie, a Saturday-matinee serial writ large.
The action and combat, though bloodless, will be too intense for
younger viewers. Mature teens and their parents, on the other hand, will likely
enjoy this escapist adventure that conveys good messages about self-sacrifice,
helping one's neighbor and the twin evils of greed and selfishness.
Seven decades have passed since we last saw Diana Prince (Gal
Gadot), Wonder Woman's alter ego, fighting Germans during World War I. Now she
works as a curator at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and, being
immortal, hasn't aged a day.
Much like Superman, her fellow member of the Justice League,
Diana transforms into her other self whenever danger calls, rescuing adults and
children with aplomb.
At the Smithsonian, she befriends a clumsy and insecure
co-worker, Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig), who admires Diana's grace and
sophistication. Together they try to unlock the secrets of a mysterious
artifact, a magic crystal.
Like Aladdin's lamp, the crystal has the power to grant the
wishes of whoever holds it. Diana yearns to be reunited with her great love,
Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), the air ace who sacrificed his life in the last
film. Barbara's desire is to be more like Diana.
Be careful what you ask for. Abracadabra, Steve reappears,
inhabiting the body of someone else. And Barbara begins to acquire
super-strength and agility, along with a new confidence. Neither she nor Diana
realizes, initially at least, that wish fulfillment comes at a high cost.
The requisite villain surfaces in Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), a
cross between the "Wall Street" franchise's Gordon Gekko and a
corrupt televangelist. His get-rich-quick schemes are foundering until he
steals the crystal. Suddenly, nothing is out of his reach.
Newly empowered and consumed by greed, Maxwell takes to the
airwaves. "Welcome to the future," he proclaims. "Life is good,
but it can be better. Everything we've ever dreamed about is right at our
fingertips."
Needless to say, the wishes of most are not noble, and chaos
erupts while Maxwell corners the world's oil supply. Barbara joins him as she
embraces her animal instincts — literally — as the "Cheetah" of
comic-book lore.
"Wonder Woman 1984" relies on the familiar formula of a
megalomaniac seeking global domination and the superhero determined to stop
him. In this case, with a very large, angry cat thrown into the mix for good
measure.
Watch out for: The film contains
frequent stylized violence, implied nonmarital sexual activity and a single
crass term.
Rated: The
Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion
Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material
may be inappropriate for children under 13.