Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, Kristen Wiig

Directed by Patty Jenkins

Warner Bros, out December 16 (UK), December 25 (US and HBO)

Diana Prince lives her life in Washington, DC, keeping a gentle eye as Wonder Woman on its inhabitants. But when a new colleague at the Smithsonian is asked to investigate a strange object, it seems to be a question of “Be careful what you wish for”…

Let’s start with the biggest question – as far as the film is concerned, should you see this movie on the big screen? And the answer is a definite yes. From its opening sequence with young Diana still on Themiscyra, to the final confrontation between Wonder Woman and Pedro Pascal’s Max Lord there’s a lot going on that will be lost on smaller screens. Is it worth taking a risk for? No. After everything, it’s just a movie, and I have no doubt whatsoever that those films that have been released during the pandemic will get a fresh slice of cinematic life once this is behind us.

There’s a great deal to enjoy in Wonder Woman 1984, even if I suspect 15-20 minutes could be pruned from its 151 minute running time without leaving too large a hole. It takes a long time to provide moments as satisfying as the credits sequence – the film is as much about Diana Prince as it is “Wonder Woman”. It obeys Chekov’s Gun rule slavishly: at about the 90 minute point you can work out what the ending has to be, and it doesn’t disappoint – but the journey to get there has some twists that you may not anticipate. What it doesn’t have is everything being sorted by a huge CG battle between Wonder Woman and Cheetah – there’s a better fight between them earlier in the movie anyway than the one we do get in the third act.

It may be set in 1984, but it’s a film very much about Trump’s America and the perils of having someone in charge who gives human nature licence to do what it wants – someone who lets the selfish instincts roam free. Pedro Pascal gradually unreins his performance as Lord, and there’s some nice moments that reference reality.

Gal Gadot is as strong as she was in the first film, with Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor’s appearance making perfect sense thematically and logically within the movie’s rules. Kirsten Wiig has a decent narrative journey as Barbara/Cheetah, although it’s a little bit in fits and starts.

It unfortunately lacks the sheer spectacle of the no-man’s-land walk in the first movie but Jenkins’ comfort with shooting action sequences is clear. Those wondering about the Zack Snyder influence – he’s a producer – maybe well see it in a scene between Diana and Barbara (although that’s walked back by the end of the movie).

The second biggest question is – is it as good as the first film? Losing the backdrop of the First World War setting removes some of the energy but I can understand why the producers didn’t want to go for a World War 2 scenario. I enjoyed it; I’ll rewatch it at some point (possibly in 3D if available); and, as mentioned above, it’s worth seeing on the big screen. But it’s not quite as impactful as its predecessor.

Verdict: Wonder Woman 1984 is an enjoyable piece of entertainment – but not quite in the league of the original. 8/10

Paul Simpson

NB The advance print shown to journalists did not include any mid-credits scenes.