Wonder Woman 1984

It’s 1984, and big is in. Hair. Shoulder pads. Desire.

Diana isn’t the biggest fan: She believes there’s such a thing as enough. And as an Amazon warrior, she has the powers—and duty—to remind people of it.

That includes Maxwell. He’s selling the dream of more, to those with less. But it’s a Ponzi scheme. To maintain, it must grow. And to grow, it must take.

The movie leans heavily on these themes. That works well, for a while. But somewhere along the line, the story doesn’t follow its own logic, and so its message falls flat. OK movie, you want me to examine my place in the world? I’ll do that after you examine yourself first.

It’s frustrating. The moral is a good one, and shouldn’t get lost. But if you can look past the mistake, plenty of the movie is funny and entertaining.