Movie Review: "Wonder Woman"

To fully express my views on this film, I have to go deep into the details. Because of this, unlike my typical reviews, SOME SPOILERS MAY COME UP. You have been warned.

Let me start with the punchline: Wonder Woman is good. In fact, I would say it's very good. It's often riveting, the writing is on par of what it should be, and, despite my initial trepidation, Gal Gadot plays the role aptly. But there are quite a few concerns I have with the film that make it impossible for me to consider this film excellent – which is where a film of this historical nature should be. While the film met my expectations, my expectations were relatively muted to begin with, so this isn't much of a glowing recommendation.

POSITIVES:

Gadot as the titular character aside, the cast is quite stellar in their respective roles. Chris Pine does what he does best in the role of Steve Trevor. Brash, arrogant-yet-awkward, and ever-so charming, Pine takes much of what he does with Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek films, tones it down slightly, and shines. Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Eugene Brave Rock all stand out instead of remain in the background, something that tends to happen with larger DC film casts. And, as villains go, Danny Huston and Elena Anaya are quite interesting to watch.

Where the film really shines is the script. DC films have typically exorcised the more strange and supernatural elements of the comic books, from Ra's Al-Ghoul's regeneration pools in Batman Begins to Bane's use of Venom toxin in The Dark Knight Rises to the entire hot mess Doomsday was in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. So the fact that Allan Heinberg's script doesn't shy away from the weirdest elements of Wonder Woman's origins. From her being molded out of clay by her mother Hippolyta (played by Connie Britton) and her links to the gods of Olympus to the magical powers she possesses, DC and Warner Bros finally took a page out of Marvel's playbook and allowing the characters to be weird – even if no one actually calls Diana “Wonder Woman” once in the entire film.

And let's talk about those action sequences! Every action sequence is a well-choreographed dance punctuated by one of Diana's signature, iconic blows, and is a true feast for the eyes.

However...

NEGATIVES:

Remember that romance between Diana and Steve that I predicted from the debut of the first trailer that everyone told me I was entirely wrong about? It's there. Not only is it there, but it compels Diana to kick things into high gear when the chips are down.

This is NOT Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman has always been the symbol of feminism – not needing a man to get things done, not being identified as someone's love interest, etc. But that's what she is reduced to here. While the first action sequences are purely of Diana kicking ass and taking names, the steam is stolen out of the big ultimate showdown between her and Ares because she's compelled to do it for love, not for duty. I understand that some things must be Hollywood-ized, but this was not one of them.

This isn't the only thing that is affected by Diana and Steve's romance. The dialogue between them, while starting off fun and flirtatious like a screwball comedy of old, they bicker like an old married couple in the latter half of the movie, which grows tiresome quickly.

Speaking of Ares, while it's great they gave him his iconic armor from the comics, his reveal is far too predictable.

But even when all of these are not taken into account, the film still suffers from several of the elements that mire all of the DC Extended Universe films. The pacing is often sluggish and dull, utilizing too much useless dialogue when it should have relied on action. The film is far too dark in palette, once again being shot through the Guy Ritchie Instagram filter. And, for the love of Zeus, not every action scene needs nine slo-mo parts.

CONCLUSION:

Are these staggering negatives enough to detract from the movie? No. The film still has enough overwhelming positives to counter the negatives, and it is still a vastly enjoyable film. It often feels like Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger were mashed together, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. If this is a sign of things to come for the future DCEU films, then we're finally getting the upswing.

It may not be Marvel level of quality, and this is not the best DCEU by default. Wonder Woman is still quite a compelling movie in its own right, and it is more than worth the price of admission.

I recommend this movie.