The sophomore curse has struck again.
At 151 minutes, director Patty Jenkins’ second shot at the Amazing Amazon, exclusive to HBO MAX, overstays its welcome by at least half an hour. The script — by Jenkins, Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham — hasn’t anywhere near the depth to sustain such length.
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| While a dismayed Steve (Chris Pine) watches, Diana (Gal Gadot) learns something quite sinister about the mysterious "Dreamstone" that is causing so much trouble. |
Kristen Wiig fares better as secondary villain Barbara Minerva, because she has a well-defined — and genuinely interesting — character arc. Lord, in contrast, starts out as a clownish goofball … and stays that way.
On the positive side, Jenkins’ overall approach remains better than usual for this genre. Far too many superhero films seem like relentless, landscape-leveling slugfests; Jenkins allows her characters plenty of quieter moments, and the judicious action sequences are much more organic to the story being told.
Given that 99.9 percent of the Marvel and DC superhero epics are directed by guys, I’m obliged to credit Jenkins’ female touch.
But insisting on scripting involvement — which wasn’t the case, with the first film — clearly affected her judgment.
This sequel opens with a superfluous prologue set during Diana Prince’s childhood on Themyscira. Although Lilly Aspell is a crackerjack adolescent Diana during the running, climbing, jumping, riding and swimming climax of the Amazon Games — editor Richard Pearson paces this with verve — this sequence has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the film.
It clearly should have been included as part of the first film’s origin details. Here, it seems little more than an excuse for Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright to pop up again (albeit fleetingly) as, respectively, Diana’s mother Hippolyta, and Aunt Antiope.
Flash-forward to 1984, with the adult Diana (Gal Gadot) now firmly ensconced as an anthropologist and archaeologist, curating ancient artifacts at the Smithsonian. She leads a quiet life and keeps a low profile, even when donning her flamboyant “work togs” as Wonder Woman. (She seems to be keeping her super deed-doing something of a secret, which is puzzling.)
Mostly, though, Gadot radiates loneliness. She’s essentially an immortal living among mortals; she hasn’t aged a jot since her World War I adventures in the first film. Making friends therefore would be an exercise in ongoing grief, as they grow old — and die — while she stays the same.
Even so, Diana is drawn to the bookish, socially awkward Barbara Minerva (Wiig), also a Smithsonian scientist; the often overlooked Barbara tends to remain invisible to the rest of the staff, a feeling that Diana understands (even if, in her case, it’s deliberate).
Gadot and Wiig share a nice rapport during the first act, as Diana and Barbara become friends. Wiig’s mousy, self-deprecating sense of humor contrasts nicely with Gadot’s regal self-assurance.
Enter the trouble-making whatzit: a Latin-inscribed artifact dubbed the Dreamstone, which has the power to grant wishes. This somehow comes to the attention of failed businessman Maxwell Lord, forever one short step ahead of multiple creditors; he visits the Smithsonian, claiming to be a wealthy donor, and charms Barbara into stealing it for him.
At which point, he wishes to become the physical embodiment of the stone, and thus gains the power to grant anybody’s wishes … which, given the degree to which naked greed, cruelty and opportunism run rampant through the human species, is a guaranteed recipe for global disaster.
Never fear: Diana and her human lover Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) are determined to stop him.
But wait, I hear you cry: Didn’t Steve die, back in 1918?
Well, yes, but resurrections are a timeworn staple in comic books, so this film is honoring a noble tradition. Besides which, Steve returns because Diana wishes him back.
And let’s acknowledge the obvious: Gadot and Pine were great together in the first film, and wise heads undoubtedly wanted to capitalize on that again. Pine continues to excel at boyish charm, and the script — and costume designer Lindy Hemming — have some fun with the notion of a man more than six decades out of his own time.
As it happens, Barbara also has used the Dreamstone, wishing to become “more like Diana.”
Ah, but as we’ve known since the 1902 short story “The Monkey’s Paw,” wishes often come at a nasty cost … and that’s definitely true here. Unfortunately, this script doesn’t take nearly enough advantage of that; the story seems to vamp for time during a lengthy second act, until we finally get to the third-act payoff.
Which, frankly, is a letdown. Yes, there’s a poignant emotional element, which is more satisfying than the contrived pathos of Lucian Perez’s supporting role as Lord’s neglected young son. That aside, the climax … isn’t. Ironically — given my earlier comment — it’s too much talk, and too little action.
Ultimately, this film is a cartoonish disappointment: nowhere near the quality of its predecessor.
But do hang around for the cut-scene midway through the closing credits, which boasts a marvelous final line of dialogue (considering who speaks it).
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