There is no debating that Wonder Woman is the best of the DC comic book movies. There is a lot to enjoy in this film and some actual moments of pure joy not found in the three other DCU films. Patty Jenkins seems to have done something that was desperately needed in this rapidly expanding cinematic universe. However, the films not perfect still suffering a bit in the writing department and weak CG at moments.
Gadot is Wonder Woman!
Diana (Gal Gadot) has trained her whole life with her Amazon warriors on her hidden island home, Themyscira. She’d known peace until Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) flies into the protected borders and brings the war to her doorstep. Determined to find the cause of man’s war and put an end to it, Diana leads Steve back to where he came.
Wonder Woman was often looked at as one of the best aspects of Batman V. Superman. Gadot continued to impress with her stand alone film. She’s cast perfectly and embodies the power of the character in every way. She plays with the naivety a woman cut off from the modern world would have while sticking to her convictions. While some of the abilities the character demonstrates in the film don’t seems familiar from the comics and some of the writing isn’t as strong as it could be, everything that Gadot brings works. She may be the hero that can save the DCU.
Chris Pine needs more respect. This guy is great as Captain Kirk and he was amazing as Steve Trevor. He brings the right amount of charm, comedy, and action to an iconic DC character. The chemistry that develops between them is natural and extremely believable. The band of heroes he assembles, played by Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, and Eugene Brave Rock, are great and reminiscent of the Warriors Three in Thor.
Robin Wright gets to play a powerful Amazon who is the aunt of Diana. She gets some great moments in the movie including an epic action sequence. Danny Huston and Elena Anaya play the big bads on the German side of the war. They are interesting enough and perform well in the roles.
The issues…
The CG fights in this movies are expected. However, there is something off with them too. In fact, there were moments throughout the film where the CG just didn’t seem as good as is definitely capable with today’s technology. An early example is when young Diana attempts to jump from one cliff to another. It looks like a green screen, which is acceptable in a student film but unforgivable with the budget behind a film like this.
The writing at the end of the film is the biggest scar on this otherwise enjoyable film. Without spoiling the end, the third act feels a bit predictable and some of the big decisions made feel kind of generic and even cliché. It isn’t bad enough to sour the film, but it was a bit of a let down after the journey the film takes you on. Some people may be willing to overlook this and just roll with it. However, it stinks that they couldn’t stick the landing.
Final thoughts…
The film was enjoyable even though there is still a hint of cynicism in the tone of the film. Something that Superman and Batman deliver enough of, but at least in this film Diana’s negativity feels slightly more earned. Again, Gadot nails it and Jenkins delivers the best DC film of their cinematic universe. Wonder Woman earns the Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy rating.
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