
But as Antiope (Robin Wright) relays: “No true hero is born from lies.” That sentiment informs Diana’s present situation. She pulls a Rosie Ruiz, a la the 1980 Boston Marathon, to take a shortcut to victory. The prologue is a flashback to Themyscira to show Diana as a little girl-warrior (Lily Aspinall) losing a Ninja Warrior-esque contest of athleticism and endurance. You see them forget about a year like 2020. But if we’ve learned anything from the dozens of comic-book movies during the past decade, it’s that you do not see superhero flicks for the plot.

Jenkins co-wrote a script with Geoff Johns (“Aquaman”) and Dave Callaham (“Zombieland: Doubletap”) that shamelessly sinks its teeth into the usual genre tropes: loner superhero, characters who don’t stay dead, hero’s powers compromised and a sexy villainess … to name a few. That’s mostly achieved by high-flying heroics (Jenkins knows her way around action scenes), a game-for-anything-cast, and an aesthetic that looks like her film was pulled from a mid-1980s time capsule.Īlas, not everything works. Wonder Woman is always there, keeping peace, just like your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.ĭirector Patty Jenkins might not quite conjure the same amount of magic (how could she?) as she did in 2017’s record-setting “Wonder Woman,” but she certainly recaptures enough. In her spare time, she’s just your average “mysterious female savior,” springing into action whenever people are in peril - foiling a mall robbery or snatching up a jogger about to be run over by a red Trans Am.

By day Diana is a curator at the Smithsonian. Still grieving the death of her beloved, Steve Trevor, she leads a quiet life in D.C. When we catch up with Gal Gadot’s warrior princess Diana Price, it’s about 60 years since the events in the first film and she hasn’t aged a bit. So strap on your fanny pack, fire up the Invisible Jet and get ready for a 150-minute rad ride involving a pair of campy villains and a bodacious heroine with bullet proof bracelets, a magic lasso and a dreamy boyfriend. Not merely a diversion, “Wonder Woman 1984” is a jolt of much-needed escapism, as it basks in ‘80s kitsch with no shortage of shoulder pads, neon leotards and spiral perms.
