I just got to see this movie now, and I've got to say it really didn't live up to the negative hype. I had a great time, watched it again and had a great time again. I may like it just a bit more than the first one, if only because I feel like the Max Lord/Wish plotline is almost perfectly done, whereas the Ares/triumphing over hate story really kind of falls down on its ass when Diana just randomly kills the bad guy even though that goes directly against the whole point of the story.
I do feel like this runs a bit long - I noticed a bunch of scenes that seemed to be lingering longer than they really needed to. In particular the learning to fly sequence could've been cut by half at least, especially the lightning lassoing (which I was totally on board with in the trailer, but to do something that weird in such a detached/quiet moment where there's not even an immediate threat just feels super weird). But if it runs long, I was still having fun all the way to the end, so it's not a great sin.
I would also say that Kristen Wiig was surprisingly good for me, I don't normally like her that much. But her character was definitely let down in two particular moments - at the introduction (say everything before the dinner date scene) and after the transformation. The end, in particular, is just a bad action sequence with barely any character and then after refusing vehemently to ever even consider going back to what she was she apparently renounces her wish anyway, offscreen, for no apparent reason? That was disappointing. But everything in between those points was actually really great. The scene of her confronting the wino was incredibly menacing and her first fight against Diana at the white house was full of character and really effective. I like how she walks the line between genuinely wanting to help and being utterly unwilling to give up what she's gained.
I do agree that the body swap aspect was too glossed over and I really think the movie would work better if Diana didn't lose her powers at all, but rather Steve nearly got himself killed trying to help her and forced her to acknowledge not just that he was already dead but also that they were willfully putting an innocent guy in danger who isn't even capable of saying no. But in the end, the movie does get there with 'I'm already gone' and the whole respect for the truth even if it could've done it better, so it doesn't bother me that much.
And that's really the only things I didn't like about it. Loved Gal, as usual. The 80s stylism really worked for me to a surprising degree (way better than Ready Player 1, which was the last movie I saw that tried to be unabashedly 80s to this degree, but just could not make it work at all). Pedro Pascal was fantastic throughout, easily one of the best villains in the DCEU. I loved the backstory of the wishing stone and really loved the whole world falling apart sequence. And just the broad range of worldwide reactions we got to see where everyone is wishing and then renouncing their wish really sells the stakes and the humanity of this movie in a way a ton of other superhero movies have just not done very well. Steve's joy of witnessing the wonders of the modern world (especially modern aviation) was brilliant and infectious. (Especially loved: "radar..."/"Well, shit, Diana!") Diana saving the world by convincing people, even Lord, to see the truth was exactly the kind of thing I love about her which makes her way more interesting than the average hero franchise. And I especially loved that the truth Lord needed to see was how much his son needed him the same way he had needed the people who were never there for him - and that his son still is able to teach Lord that he doesn't have to prove himself to be worthy of his family.
Overall, I'd say A-. A really great flick and I'd love to see another. Especially if, after fighting the hatred/xenophobia of jingoism and the greed/gluttony of commercialism, she closes out the trilogy with a similar metaphysical/symbolic adversary. Maybe the apathy of the globalism era or something like that.
