Wonder Woman Review

     The DCEU (DC Extended Universe) had a bit of a rocky start when they decided to launch their shared universe. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice received very mixed reviews and did not quite hit like Warner Brothers wanted it to. Its follow up Suicide Squad was an even bigger mess and the future of DC's movie slate was very uncertain. Audiences were introduced to this universe's Diana a.k.a. Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot, in Batman v. Superman. Although Gadot was certainly a strength of that film, it was a mystery as to whether she could carry her own movie. Fortunately, Wonder Woman is not only a fantastic movie for the DCEU but it's also a great addition to the superhero genre and could help change the landscape for studios going forward.

     The film starts out of on the Amazon home-world of Themyscira during World War I. When British spy, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) washes up on the beach and informs the colony of the terrors that are going on in his home-world. Diana must join Trevor to help end this war and discover her full powers along the way.

     The biggest strength of this movie is the directing by Patty Jenkins. Jenkins directed Charlize Theron to an Oscar win with her previous film, Monster, and she certainly works great in this film with Gadot. Gadot is not necessarily chewing on heavy dialogue that will transcend acting, however I always find the best directors exhibit the strengths of their actors. Jenkins helps to display the strength and physicality that Gadot brings to the role. This movie is a bit more lighter in tone compared to the other DCEU movies and that certainly enhances it as well. 

     When Diana joins Trevor in London, she is unaware of the culture and customs which helps create really sweet moments. The movie at time feels like Will Ferrell's Elf because of Diana's innocence in a strange, new world but it definitely enhances the movie. Gadot and Pine have such great chemistry and you really buy into their dynamic. The performances are certainly strong and I think that's because of the phenomenal directing of Patty Jenkins. This is the biggest budget ever given to a female director and I hope this paves the way for more females to land big projects because it does not matter what sex you're. A good director knows how to effectively tell a story and Jenkins does just that.

     The action in this movie is really incredible to watch. There is one moment in particular that were highlighted in the trailers that is a whole lot of fun. It relies heavily on slo-mo which could of been reduced but it is made up by all the kick butt moments audiences are given. The action pieces are greatly strengthened by the musical score from Rupert Gregson-Williams. Rupert does a wonderful job of blending the score from Hans Zimmer in Batman v. Superman with a new, fresh take on the heroine. It helps to create a lot of high octane but also beautifully, tender moments.

     There are some negative aspects of this movie though. One of them being the villain. I cannot really get into it without bringing up spoilers but there is one actor that is just kind of over the top at times. It will take audiences out of the movie. The final fight is fun to watch but could have a lot more at stake if audiences were given a better backstory with the villain. I also found some of the dialogue could have been a little more polished but that's a small nitpick.

     Wonder Woman is the first female led superhero movie within a shared universe and does not disappoint. I hope Hollywood will green light more female superhero movies, as well as more female directors landing bigger projects. This is such a delight to watch and I am really curious to see where they go with the character in future projects.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10