'Wonder Woman' Review

Image from Adweek

By Darian Scalamoni

            One of the most-anticipated movies of the year for many was the latest entry into the DCEU, the first female led superhero film, Wonder Woman. This isn’t our first time seeing Gal Gadot portray the Princess of the Amazon on screen though as just last year, she debuted her version of the character on screens in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now, she’s leading her first film ever as the iconic super heroine and though many were skeptical of how the movie would do, mostly due to the critical reception of BvS and Suicide Squad, the movie is in my top 5 for the year thus far, and yes, I surprisingly liked it more than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

            Wonder Woman feels more so like a director’s movie not in the vein of something that Zack Snyder and David Ayer did so frustratingly with their iterations of DC Comics’ movies but Patty Jenkins does an amazing job of keeping the movie grounded and not so much of being held down by blockbuster standards. It’s quite refreshing to see Jenkins, who previously directed Charlize Theron to an Oscar in her debut feature, Monster and since has helmed multiple episodes of television shows like Entourage, Arrested Development and The Killing, offer such a different approach to a comic book movie.

            The reason the movie works so well is because it’s not as predictable as previous comic book movies (though the last twenty minutes or so drags and takes a turn for the worst with overblown action pieces). It does happen to be a touching, fun and humorous story throughout though and might be my favorite DC film of the new era for Warner Bros., even surpassing Man of Steel which I happen to love. The movie is a better version of Captain America: The First Avenger except replacing the setting with WWI rather than WWII which leads to some pretty miraculous costume and production design throughout. It is an origin story obviously, establishing the background of Diana Prince, but it also has some great comedy moments from the whole cast and a touching romantic story arc between Diana and Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor, which is very similar to that of Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter had in The First Avenger. We see Diana’s transition from her world, to the warfront against the Germans fighting alongside British spies to take down the opposition.

            The whole cast is stellar with Gadot’s first headlining role being showcased first and foremost. The rest of her crew along with Pine’s Steve Trevor (who almost steals the movie with his charm and earthliness) happens to have more heart and diversity you can imagine with Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner and Eugene Brave Rock rounding out the misfit sidekicks. Lucy Davis also has some scene stealing moments as Etta, Trevor’s assistant and Robin Wright is as fantastic as ever as Diana’s aunt, Antiope. The rest of the ensemble is rounded out by Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Connie Nielsen and David Thewlis doing admirable jobs to their own right. But no doubt, this is Gal Gadot’s movie as she plays Wonder Woman with grace, power, toughness, wit and unworldliness that the character needs to be established properly in the DC Cinematic Universe.

            All in all, Wonder Woman was a delightful comic book flick, and though it wasn’t my favorite of the year, (that award still goes to Logan), it showcased that with the right talent, Warner Bros. and DC Studios can make a DAMN good movie. Everyone should check this one out!

8.7/10