Welcome to The Morning After, where I share with you what movies I’ve seen over the past week. Below, you will find short reviews of those movies along with a star rating. Full length reviews may come at a later date.

So, here is what I watched this past week:

Wonder Woman 1984

As with all superhero films, the second outing is too often a mixed bag. For every Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight, there’s a The Amazing Spider-Man 2 or Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (though in that film’s defense, it was more of a lateral disappointment than a decline in quality. For Wonder Woman 1984, director Patty Jenkins tries mightily to keep the momentum of the first film going, but shunting the action forward more than 60 years has a way of minimizing its impact.

What likely started out as a nobly enriching story was stuffed full of unnecessary plot points, superfluous scenes, and pointless characters. The story revolves around an unsuccessful businessman (Pedro Pascal) desperate enough for success who seeks out an ancient artifact that may have been responsible for countless civilization collapses, but which he believes will make him inordinately successful. Diana (Gal Gadot) is back to thwart his not quite evil plans while having to contend with her own past by the unexpected arrival of Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) whom she thought dead along with a shy coworker (Kristen Wiig) who wants Diana’s confidence, but who may not be able to handle the responsibilities.

There are a lot of lofty ideals on tap for this film, hoping to create a more hopeful message, something needed more now than ever before, but the superhero trappings get in the way. While suspending disbelief isn’t a huge issue, getting to the point is. The audience is dragged through a lengthy film that could have been massively trimmed and been delivered with more impact. Wiig, try as she might, has a character that seems to be wasted even if her plotline has some compelling elements. Unfortunately, we’re never given the kind of backstory really needed to make her stand out to audiences and when the Legion of Doom eventually comes together against the Justice League, it’s unlikely that she will be treated any less shabbily.