Wonder Woman

Even without it's place in the new DC Comics Universe, Wonder Woman was already under the weight of colossal expectations. Here's the first true attempt at a female superhero movie in the age of superhero movies starring the most famous female hero of all time in a film that will likely determine the character's and other female heroes' viability in the future. And with the critical bashing of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman also had to prove to audiences that any of the DCU would be worth the audience's time and money. Thankfully, everything seems to be on track. The movie is a critical darling, it's set to be this weekend's box office champion, and Gal Gadot continues to shine in the spotlight. But is the movie simply succeeding due to lowered expectations or on its own merits? I took to the cinema to find out.

The film begins on Themyscira, as the young Diana is raised by the Amazon's to be their greatest warrior and serve their ultimate purpose: to destroy Ares the god of war. Though initially frightened of her own strength, Diana's world is changed by the arrival of Steve Trevor, an American-born spy hoping to end WWI and maintain peace. Believing Ares' influence is at play, Diana abandons her home for the world of men, where her skills and beliefs will be tested in unexpected ways.

So in case you're wondering, yes Wonder Woman is a good movie. It's a solidly constructed action-adventure that serves as proper backstory for future Wonder Woman adventures with some standout action scenes and a noticeably lighter tone than the previous DC films. And yes, seeing this familiar hero's journey starring a female character is a refreshing change of pace in this male dominated genre. It's not perfect, but it absolutely succeeds in its main goals and I hope that legions of young women see this movie and get inspired to grab lassos and shields.

One of the big reasons the film works is Gal Gadot. One of the hardest things about this character is the odd mixture of sincerity, inspiration, and warrior. She's someone that needs to make you smile and stun folks with a look, but also  jump into battle without a second thought. And Gadot absolutely nails all of this. My favorite example is a series of transitions where she storms trenches, views snow with childlike wonder (yup intentional), encounters romantic tension, and then picks up one of her teammates morale with a joke and smile.

Another reason the film works is that director Patty Jenkins and company avoid the pitfalls of their DC family. The action scenes are excellent choreographed and easy to follow, including the aforementioned trench-storming which is a better action scene than anything else in the DCU to date. Likewise, the plot has a single-minded goal that avoids convoluted exposition or excessive moral complexity. Diana has a goal, she marches towards it, and along the way she encounters challenges to said goal. No deeper machinations, just Diana and her team versus evil.

We also get a much brighter color palette this time around. Themyscira in particular is portrayed as a vibrant island paradise with crystal blue water and perfect Greek architecture which means that London and the front by contrast are dingy and dark. However, this is juxtaposed by Diana herself whose costume colors, including the neon glowing lasso, all stand out against the depressing backdrops and the ordinary soldiers. This really pays off in the action scenes because it means Wonder Woman is always the focal point.

I was also a fan of Diana and Steve's team, both in terms of representation and thematic resonance. Eugene Brave Rock plays a Native-American smuggler known as Chief, whose apparent opportunism is the only kind of freedom he's been able to find, Saïd Taghmaoui's Sameer is a secret agent whose race didn't allow him to be a big name actor, and Ewen Bremner is a marksman suffering from PSTD. Not only is their presence in the film excellent but they each present a challenge to Diana's pre-existing ideals about morality and war. Likewise, Steve Trevor presents a great foil as the persistently perplexed sidekick who tries to navigate Diana through this murky world as best he can. The film is a little over-reliant on painting Steve in Neo-esque "whoa" moments, but Chris Pine does everything the script asks of him and really delivers some unexpectedly heart-tugging moments.

The film's faults are structural. When Diana is discovering the extent of her powers or wowing onlookers the movie moves along admirably, but there are a number of scenes weighed down by exposition and excessive dialogue. And much like Marvel origin stories the film's finale isn't as strong as the middle.

I'm also a little torn about some of the writing decisions towards the end, but I'd have to speak with other viewers to see what they think. The big debates are all spoiler territory and that's for another day. None of this is close to deal-breaking, since these faults are in plenty of equally excellent superhero films.

When Wonder Woman works it really works, be it the scenes at Themyscira, Gadot's bottomless supply of charm, or the fish out water scenarios for Diana in London. The DCU's first home run and ground-breaker for women in movies on both sides of the camera, Wonder Woman is breath of fresh air for its studio and its genre. Go see it.