DC has a winner at last.

Rating: 8/10 (3 June 2017)

Most fans agree that SUPERMANvBATMAN was a disappointment at best, but one of the best things about it was Gal Gadot's Amazon Princess. So good was Gadot, that I actually started looking forward to Diana Prince's solo film, something I would have done a few years ago. And I can say with all confidence that director Patty Jenkins and screenwriter Allan Heinberg have kept a good thing gong, for their big screen WONDER WOMAN is the best DCMU film since Christopher Nolan finished his DARK KNIGT trilogy. It has lots of heart and sincerity, with real character development in a script blessedly free of angst and cynicism.
It helps that the character of Wonder Woman is not saddled with an origin story that is so set in stone that any attempt to tweak it for modern audiences will immediately risk enraging and alienating die-hard fans. Thankfully we do not have to sit through Krypton exploding yet again, not to mention Uncle Ben getting shot or Thomas and Martha Wayne being gunned down in an alley. There is a lot of exposition in the first 20 minutes or so, as we learn about Princess Diana and the all female society that exists on the hidden island paradise she grows up on. The action quickly kicks into gear when World War I pilot and spy, Steve Trevor, crashes his plane on the island and is rescued from drowning by Diana, just in time to battle his German pursuers to the death. From Steve, she learns about the outside world and the conflict that threatens to consume the globe and before we know it, the two are bound for Europe, where the Amazon Princess plans to confront and kill, Aires, the Greek God of War, the villain of the piece, who is lurking behind the scenes and fanning the flames of battle.
The second act of the film is equal parts fish out of water story as Diana tries to fit into early 20th Century Great Britain, desperate mission film as Diana, Steve and a rag tag group of ethnically diverse soldiers and spies journey behind German lines to destroy the super weapons factory of General Ludendorff (whom Diana believes is Aires), and war movie, as Diana and company go into trenches and charge across No Man's Land under heavy fire. The third act is all confrontations and aftermath, as Diana has a showdown with Aires and Steve is forced to make a major sacrifice. This last act is when the movie becomes a very conventional super hero film as the heroes confront the Big Bad and Diana gets the worst of it until she realizes an obvious and self evident truth and then easily vanquishes the villain. It's a comic book trope for sure, but the movie has been so good up to this point, it can be forgiven. There is also a twist in the final act that won't come as much of a surprise in that it involves a character who would serve no purpose unless he was clearly not who he appeared to be. At least we do not get a climax with one to those portals to another world opening up in the sky like in SUICIDE SQUAD and THE AVENGERS. Bonus points for that.
There is plenty of CGI, but it does not overwhelm, the action scenes are well done, but they don't come at the expense of character development. But the charge across No Man's Land and the battle for the French village is awesome. They do get WW's weapons right, including her indestructible bracelets, shield and of course, the lasso of truth.
WONDER WOMAN moves along a fast pace, the dialog does not make you groan (no "save Martha" in this one) and is largely absent from the clunky storytelling that marred a number of DC films. Some of WW canon is changed in that a major character dies, but it is not nearly as outrageous as MAN OF STEEL, which drove a lot of Superman fans up the wall and across the ceiling. The World War I setting helps a lot, as it avoids some of the awkwardness of trying meld mid 20th Century super heroes into 21st Century culture. Although I don't think the term "psychopath" was in common use in 1918. I must say that WONDER WOMAN is about as historically accurate as INGLOUROUS BASTERDS.
The cast is first rate, starting with Gal Godat, who is the perfect Wonder Woman for our times (nothing against Lynda Carter); she is both sexy and intelligent, with more than enough screen presence to carry a dozen films. Chris Pine has what could have been a thankless role as the make love interest, but he brings the same charisma to the part of Steve Trevor as he did to James T. Kirk, making Steve a perfect match for Diana. Danny Huston brings some of his American HORROR STORY villainy to the part of Ludendorff, a real personage from history. Other roles are well filled by David Thewlis, Connie Neilsen (as Diana's mother Hippolyta), Robin Wright, Ewen Bremmer, Said Thaghmaui, Eugene Brave Rock, and Elena Anaya.
WONDER WOMAN gives me hope that DCMU ship has righted itself and I'm now looking forward to JUSTICE LEAGUE, though I was a little disappointed that we did not at least get an appearance of Ben Affleck's Batman or any of her other JLA cohorts. Now if they could just green light a TEEN TITANS movie based on George Perez's great 80's run on that comic. I'd look forward to that.