After being pushed back several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on Friday, December 25, 2020, the long awaited Wonder Woman sequel was finally released. With some theaters still shut down, the film also premiered both on HBO Max and in theaters able to show it.

The film started with a young Diana Prince participating in an athletic competition in Themyscira against other older Amazon warriors. Just as she was about to win, her aunt Antiope stopped her from winning and lectured the young princess that “no true hero is born from lies.”

Fast forward to 1984, Diana Prince acts as a vigilante who saves citizens from criminals while also keeping her identity secret. 

The plot started when an antique rock – that has unimaginable power – was retrieved from a black market after Wonder Woman stopped the thieves. Antagonist Doctor Barbara Minerva, eventually known as Cheetah, is first introduced as she was asked to identify the antique. Diana observes the rock very closely as it looks as if she’s talking to the rock. Strange events start to happen after every contact with the stone. 

The main antagonist, Maxwell Lord, is finally introduced with knowledge about the stone and its capabilities. He calls it a “Dreamstone,” a stone that can grant any wish in exchange for something valuable to the individual. Max Lord gives a villain type persona having bad intentions with the stone, which foreshadows him as the main villain later in the film. 

The following day, Diana and Barbara experience the power of the stone after making a wish with the dreamstone. Diana meets a very special character from the past and Barbara slowly gains superhuman abilities. Lord gains possession of the stone and wishes to be the stone itself. The three main characters enjoy what the rock has given them. Diana eventually started to realize the power and the dangers of the stone and began looking for it. 

Chaos started to arise in exchange for the gift giving Maxwell Lord, having the same philosophy as of the “Monkey’s Paw.”

Overall, the movie was mediocre at best. It lacked sequences where we saw the Amazon warrior herself. Missing some parts of the movie will make other viewers lost whether the movie is really about Wonder Woman. With the scenes that we do get to see her in action, it was either missing some iconic weapons such as the sword and shield or excessive use of the golden lasso

Director Patty Jenkins also added some scenes where it didn’t add up to the main character’s arc. The opening scene where she was lectured by her aunt Antiope, not a single scene in the entire movie came back to the message “no true hero is born from lies.” Jenkins also removed iconic weapons that makes the Amazon warrior likeable, such as the sword and shield.

Although, credit to Jenkins for trying to lighten up the mood. After the release of “Shazam” and “Aquaman,” the studio started taking a different approach to how they do their superhero films. They instead created a more comedic action movie. The DC Extended Universe doesn’t get that much attention given how dark and serious their initial movies were and for trying to rival the storytelling of Marvel Studios way too early.

The movie itself was not the worst but was not good either, given the fact that the plot was basically a battle between Wonder Woman and a powerful rock.

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