Gadot is magnificent in the best DCEU entry.

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2017)

Warner Bros have been playing catch up with their DC Extended Universe (DCEU) for years, fruitlessly trying to match Marvel Studio's critically and commercially successful Avengers-led franchise. Wonder Woman, although not perfect, edges the DCEU closer to its goal, thanks to a refreshingly optimistic hero and a plot that is neither convoluted nor cut to pieces in the editing room. Told via a flashback framing device, this WWI-set blockbuster follows the eponymous Amazonian princess Diana as she discovers mankind during one of its ugliest eras, yet continues fighting in an attempt to bring peace and harmony. It's a simple tale, but one director Patty Jenkins manages to keep on the right side of earnest with a steady flow of action and fish-out-of-water comedy. Very much shot in the style of Zack Snyder—chockfull of speed ramping and flying sparks—the action sequences are wonderfully choreographed, but the CGI lacks photorealism at times, particularly during the opening act staged on Diana's idyllic home island. An extended set piece in which our titular goddess emerges from the trenches on the Western Front to overrun the Nazis is captivating; the dazzling cinematography and rousing score fusing together to create one the DCEU's finest moments. It helps that Jenkins has the likes of Gal Gadot in front of the camera portraying the peace-seeking warrior. Gadot is a terrific blend of strength, passion and beauty, imbuing Diana with an unstoppable righteousness that in lesser hands could have been preachy and pretentious. Relatively free from the confines of the DCEU's overlapping storytelling, Wonder Woman is an exciting superhero adventure anchored by a magnificent central performance.