REVIEW: ‘Wonder Woman’ Gets the Super Stellar Solo Film She Deserves!
The moment some of us have been waiting our entire lives for has finally arrived. Wonder Woman has officially landed on the big screen, nationwide! The film has dominated the box office in its opening weekend and rightfully so. Despite a few tiny issues, which can be attributed to this being an origin film, Wonder Woman is, by far the best film in the DCEU to date and, dare I say one of the best comic book movies, in general, to date. Fans and critics alike have fallen in love with this character and this film.
Several months prior the opened, an anonymous source came forward with a letter stating the film was “disjointed” and “a mess” but, the finished product shows no sign of any such discombobulation. Wonder Woman does an amazing job showing Diana Prince’s beginnings, starting from the time she is just a little girl longing to train with the other Amazons on Themyscira to the point when she finally comes fully into her own on the battlefield later on in the film. All the while though, there is something drastically different about this particular character which separates her from any other superhero we’ve seen in film to date.
Aside from the fact that it’s the first female-led superhero film since Cat Woman or Elektra and despite the fact that Patty Jenkins is the first female to helm a superhero flick, the character of Wonder Woman is the first superhero who is out there simply trying to do the right thing. She is not saving lives or helping people as part of her job, though the whole reason why she leaves Themyscira is that she is on a mission to kill Aries, the god of war. But, even then, she seeks to take him down because she believes people are inherently good and he is corrupting them and thus causing World War I. She is seeking to save lives and help others because of her good nature, her heart and because it’s the right thing to do, not because of responsibility or because that’s just what superheroes do. This quality of her character is very different from every other superhero film where the heroes are basically doing a job or a service to a city. For me, this is what made the film seem like a breath of fresh air.
Gal Gadot presents a flawless performance as the title character. From the moment she arrives onscreen, she embodies all that Diana Prince/Wonder Woman is and the real emotion that her character is feeling shines through in her performance. Gadot delivers a perfect combination of strength, innocence, power, and heart which is so important to her character who is just trying to make the world a better place. Additionally, Gadot totally unleashes her Amazonian Warrior attitude and kicks ass in her fight and action scenes which are arguably the most important parts of any good superhero movie. She perfectly executes the complex fight choreography, with a little help from CGI, of course, but the fight and action sequences in this film are pretty amazing.
Gadot and Chris Pine (who plays Steve Trevor) have a nice chemistry together on screen. Pine’s character plays well off Diana’s innocence which leads to the development of their relationship. Their relationship development is very natural and believable. The rest of the supporting cast, including Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen and Elena Anaya also deliver stellar performances in their roles.
Wonder Woman is a suitable film for men and women. Young and old. Marvel and DC fans. It’s just an all around good film. Ultimately, the only issue I found with this film was that there were points that felt as if they dragged on for just a fraction too long but, again, as with any origin story, development of a character isn’t going to be all excitement, all the time. Those moments are completely forgiven thanks to the rest of the film which is simply just beautifully done.
If Wonder Woman is any indication of what is yet to come, then I believe we have a lot to look forward to from the DCEU, especially with epic films like Justice League and Aquaman next on deck.
A karaoke obsessed, craft beer enthusiast and lover of all things pop culture, Denise enjoys all facets of entertainment from Broadway to box office blockbusters. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, concerts (lots and lots of concerts), volunteering, reading and playing with her rescue kitten, Samantha (who rescued who, right?).
