Wonder Woman: The First Avenger

Rating: 8/10 (12 June 2017)

If you have followed the DC extended universe like I have, you would know that it's the cinema equivalent of a delayed flight. It just hasn't gotten itself off the ground yet. Man of Steel had a mixed reception (I personally liked it) while Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad were simply bad films. Fortunately this isn't the case for Wonder Woman that has not only managed commercial success, but has gotten both critics and commercial audiences to do something almost unheard of in the world of film... Positively agree. Wonder Woman is the take off the delayed flight that is the DCEU needed, and boy was it needed.
Wonder Woman is by far the best DCEU film and this is thanks to Patty Jenkins's brilliant direction. It's been 14 years since Jenkins brought us the very human account of America's first female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, in the fantastic film that is Monster. Its surprising how long its been since Jenkins did a feature film, but fortunately she hasn't lost her footing with this considerably larger film. Jenkins's greatest success with this film, to me lies in the way she empowers women and handles the characters in this film. Yes this is a feminist film, or at least a film feminists can enjoy, but it doesn't mean men can't enjoy the film either. Wonder Woman doesn't empower woman at the expense of men's masculinity, but instead presents both men and women as equal which must be a film first and is extremely refreshing to see.
The film is also visually stunning and surprisingly full of colour, as opposed to the previous three entries to the DCEU. Patty Jenkins finds this sweet spot as the film is paced in such a way as to move quickly and so not to bore audiences, but also slow enough for relationships and characters to develop. Wonder Woman still maintains the DC style established by Zack Snyder in Man of Steel and Batman V Superman, with slo mo speed up action scenes and metallic colour tones, this further express' Jenkins's unbelievable directing, as she is able to make Wonder Woman her own, while also staying true to the traits of the DCEU franchise thus far. I feel Wonder Woman had a lot to prove, with Ghostbusters last year and the failure of live action, female superhero films such as; Elektra, Catwoman and Supergirl. So I'm very pleased that Wonder Woman is a film about a woman, directed by a talented woman, starring a talented actress, and is actually a really good film. The film and those involved have definitely proved themselves/itself even if it/they shouldn't have had to.
Which brings me to the next person who should be praised for Wonder Woman, and that is Gal Gadot. Gal Gadot does as Michael Keaton and Heath Ledger did before her, took quite a bit of criticism when initially cast in a superhero film, and then proved the naysayers wrong. Gadot plays Diana Prince with an air of childlike naivety and optimism that really warms you to her, and makes her reminiscent of other heroes you love like Superman and Captain America. Chris Pine is also good in this film, playing more than just the male love interest role and actually being as much of an asset as Diana in this story. The two have a good on screen relationship which, although could have benefited from slightly better dialogue or just something that's a little more mature, the two manage to make the best of it and make a believable pair.
Although this film was very good there are some flaws within it. The film is intertextual to other superhero films such as when Diana deflects the bullet in the alley way, as well as the revolving door scene, both of which being references to Christopher Reeves' Superman. I don't have an issue with this reference, however, the film feels very similar to Captain America: First Avenger in several ways; the character of our hero, the World War setting, the real life German soldier villain, the colour palette/ visual style etc. Although Wonder Woman is, in my own opinion, miles better than First Avenger, I can't help but feel the studio is attempting to copy it. Thankfully Patty Jenkins makes the best of this, making Wonder Woman her own. Secondly, although I enjoyed the pacing and relationship of Steve and Diana, I do feel that the film, and their relationship, lacked a little bit of depth. The film is fast moving and their relationship is believable, but I feel that they just reach the minimum amount of depth and development required for the film to be considered good, and so would like to hopefully get a little bit more out of them... But then again I may be being unfair. Finally, there are a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the film, such as; how come she doesn't seem to age in the human world yet aged in the Themyscira? The comics will have the answers to the questions I'm sure, but not everyone is aware/ has read/ has the time to read the comics. However I will give the film the benefit of the doubt that it may explain things in future films.
To conclude, Wonder Woman is the best DCEU film and the first good female lead superhero film. Handled phenomenally by a used-to-be-underrated director and with great acting performances from Chris Pine and Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman is a solid origin story that incorporated it's feminist messages correctly. Although some aspects remain unexplained, the depth of the film is merely passable, and the last act verges on the cusp of being too CGI heavy, Wonder Woman is able to overpower and overshadow its minor flaws with the mountains of good it was able to achieve. I wanted this film to be good and thank goddess it was.