This Is How You Make An Entertaining Superhero Movie

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 2017)

Despite that fact that "Wonder Woman" came out in the summer of 2017, it took me until nearly December to finally watch it. The reason? I had almost reached the end of my rope with DC Universe movies. I hated "Man of Steel", "Suicide Squad" was a well-polished disappointment, and "Batman vs Superman" was almost comically inept. As such, I really had no desire to give DC films any more of my time. However, with all the good "WW" reviews and word-of-mouth, I finally relented (it being released in 4K helped tremendously on that front). What I found was a surprisingly competent and entertaining film that (at least for a moment) breathes a little bit of new life into the DC film franchise.
For a basic plot summary, "Wonder Woman" tells the story of Diana (Gal Gadot), a woman living on an island of Amazons whose sole purpose are to protect the world from Ares, the God of War. While training to become a warrior, Diana witnesses the crashing of a military plane piloted by WWI spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). When he explains the state of the world to Diana (the scope of WWI), she is convinced that Ares must be acting through German general Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and his demented chemist Dr. Maru (Elena Anaya). As such, Diane defies her people and leaves the island, wishing to be brought to the Front of the war to take on Ares herself.
The fact that the plot of this film is set up so simply really serves "Wonder Woman" well, I think. Instead of trying to create a complicated scenario, director Patty Jenkins realizes that the success of the movie hinges on the character interactions, overall message, and action sequences.
Let's take a quick look at those things one at a time:
-The action sequences are thrilling. DC always does a good job with that. -The overall message is one of positivity and hope. Because Diana is so foreign to our culture, her viewpoint of humanity is quite instructive and fuels much of the movie. -The character interactions are the hallmark of the film, however. Gadot & Pine have incredible chemistry, and their scenes carry much of the experience.
Is "Wonder Woman" a perfect film? No. A few things came off as a bit too silly for me, and it isn't really as deep as, say, "Batman Begins" was. But considering where the DC universe films were heading, "WW" is a HUGE step back in the right direction.
I'm still wary of pretty much all things DC (I have not and will not see "Justice League" in theaters), but "Wonder Woman" stood out in a good way. Put Zack Snyder behind the camera again and it all probably comes crashing down. But in the Jenkins-led "Wonder Woman", it mostly worked.