Widescreen: Her sequel wasn't great, but Wonder Woman and her 'Justice League' pals are must-see TV
If you missed "Wonder Woman 1984" on HBO Max over the holidays, Gal Gadot's retro sequel lassoes its way to Blu-ray, DVD and digital rental outlets on Tuesday, March 30. Too bad the uneven, overlong film peaks with its opening scene, a flashback to young Diana competing on a superhuman obstacle course in her homeland of Themyscira.
Thankfully, you don't have to spend any money to watch an official HD clip of the entire scene on the Warner Bros. UK & Ireland YouTube page. Put on your headphones and bask in those soaring Hans Zimmer melodies!
I'm shocked and thrilled to report that a better but even longer film featuring Wonder Woman premiered last weekend on HBO Max. Yes, the 242-minute "Zack Snyder's Justice League" lives up to the hype after three-plus years in which disgruntled fans badgered Warner Bros. for a fix to the theatrical version that was commandeered by "Avengers" director Joss Whedon after Snyder's exit amid a personal tragedy.
The supersized team-up of Wonder Woman (Gadot), Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) has the same basic plot as the 2017 cut - big ugly alien dude wants to end the world, rinse, repeat - but gives all of its characters more purpose and emotion. (And fewer bad jokes. Man, that 2017 script was painful.)
Most surprisingly, Snyder's "Justice League" strikes a balance between grandiose mythmaking and earnest humanity that makes this the superhero film that feels most like Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
When the film opens, Aquaman is using his water-bending powers not to wage undersea war, but to help feed a small coastal village suffering a terrible winter. He returns to the sea, and the villagers sing an Icelandic folk song, committing the legend to music.
Later, baddie Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) arrives in Themyscira looking for one of the plot's three magical MacGuffins. He tells the women warriors led by Diana's mother (Connie Nielsen) that he will bathe in their fear. (Yuck.) Their united response? "We have no fear!" The action scene that follows is among the best of recent vintage - and one that was severely truncated for the 2017 version.
Gone for the most part is the grim, punishing tone of Snyder's "Man of Steel" and "Batman V Superman," movies that felt like endurance tests even at a fraction of the new one's length. And while "Zack Snyder's Justice League" is intended to be watched as a continuous experience, it has been broken up into six parts with an epilogue, which makes it a binge-watch instead of one long sit. (It gives you natural spots for bathroom breaks, too.)
I was one of those insufferable Marvel fans who ridiculed the Snyder faithful for years, saying this director's cut would never happen - and if it did, it wouldn't be any good. I am very happy to admit I was wrong.
• Sean Stangland is an assistant news editor who is not interested in The Winter Soldier's therapy sessions.