Wonder Woman: DC Finally Gets One Right

Wonder Woman's success this weekend was blinding.

Being the first female led (of the MCU/Justice League era), & directed, superhero movie makes Wonder Woman a great leap forward, but the actual film fits squarely within the confines of the genre -- with all of the strengths & the flaws that entails (most notably a listless CGI finale against a less than compelling villain).

Thankfully Wonder Woman is more reminiscent of the MCU than DC's previous oppressive slugfests. The film boasts a strong sense of humor throughout, with Gal Gadot & Chris Pine both showing off expert comedic deliveries, & the casting of the two leads proves to be the best move the film makes.

Pine's Steve Trevor is the most fully fleshed out, & capable, superhero love interest since Peggy Carter in the first Captain America. Between this & last year's excellent Hell or High Water Pine's given the best back to back performances of his career, & this film makes evident that if they ever decide to reboot the Indiana Jones franchise he would be the Chris to call.

All the more important, Gadot proves that her being the best part of Batman v. Superman wasn't just a product of the rest of that movie being a mess. She's equally capable of being a bad-ass, drawing laughs, or exhibiting romantic chemistry. Her performance here clearly marks her as the primary reason to see the Justice League movie, & any DC films to come.

Having a woman direct was no small matter either. Patty Jenkins may have been stuck aping Zack Snyder's house style of grim coloring & fight scenes that alternate between slow motion & hyper speed, but she made her presence felt by ensuring Diana (she never goes by Wonder Woman in this outing), & the other female warriors, are always presented as figures of strength, rather than objects to be fetishized. Sucker Punch, or Suicide Squad, this is not.

The movie's faults are evident as well. The supporting characters are amusing but forgettable. The villains, like the movie's themes about the darkness within humanity & love's ability to transcend it, don't feel fully sketched out. And the CGI does not meet the expectations one has for a film with this big a price tag (Though it never approaches the embarrassing quality of the most recent King Arthur). 

Wonder Woman may not have a lot to offer outside of Gadot's Diana & Pine's Trevor, but the main reason you go to a superhero movie is for the titular character & she delivers.

Grade: B-