In 1984, while the likes of Indiana Jones, the Ghostbusters and Gremlins were dominating the box office, one of the few superhero pictures of any note was the ill-fated “Supergirl.”Īs it happens, “Wonder Woman 1984” is one of the few superhero pictures of any note this year, albeit for very different reasons. And our comic-book movie craze, too: Jenkins (who wrote the script with Geoff Johns and Dave Callaham) channels a moment when blockbuster imperatives, while hardly absent, had not yet pummeled the industry into submission. This extravagant, genially overstuffed sequel may be a product of 2020, but its spirit feels gratifyingly in sync with 1984 - a year that, for all its Orwellian associations, predates the chaos and cynicism of our pandemic-stricken, politically deranged moment. If what you wish for this season is high spirits, earnest emotions and the unironically delightful sight of Chris Pine in a fanny pack, well, consider it granted. But here, as in the enormously successful “Wonder Woman” (2017), the director Patty Jenkins and her star, Gal Gadot, have mastered the art of cornball conviction. “No true hero is born from lies.” “Greatness is not what you think.” “Beware what you wish for.” There’s a prosaic quality to these cautionary statements, which might have elicited an eye-roll in less assured hands.

The lessons of “Wonder Woman 1984” are a bit like the movie itself: familiar, direct and winningly sincere.

Too good to be true 1984