Far Better than the DCEU Deserved (Up to this Point)

Rating: Null/10 (13 June 2017)

I wouldn't call Wonder Woman, as some seem to be doing, "one of the greatest superhero movies of all time", though I'd still say it's. . . . above average.
Not-as-clever-as-I-think-they-are references aside, this film is of somewhat mixed quality, yet its strengths greatly outshine its weaknesses. It's a very refreshing film, not only within context of the DCEU, but as a superhero film, period. Wonder Woman not only has ambitions, but its ambitions (generally) pan out.
Wonder Woman is the second theatrical, feature-length film directed by Patty Jenkins. Overall, this film left positive impressions, and I'll be watching her first film "Monster" shortly. The film is generally well-framed, well-paced, and well-directed. Throughout the film you get a great sense of space, and that the world you see on screen is actually inhabited (unlike the preceding DCEU films). However, there are a handful of notable flaws, specifically the inconsistency of direction when it regards action.
The action in this movie is admittedly all over the place. The better action sequences are actually rather impressive, using long takes and organic choreography in stunning fashion and execution. If the film had stayed consistent in that regard, it would have been far more engaging. However, there is a jarring, over-presence of slow-motion, presumably in efforts to maintain stylistic consistency with the preceding Snyder-isms. Said Snyder-isms however were also bizarre and jarring, and the decision to continue such stylizations was frankly a bad decision. The slow motion in Wonder Woman more often than not takes you out of the film from what otherwise could have been an engaging action sequence. There is also an instance-or-two of shaky-cam, though in comparison to the aforementioned offence is bearable.
Wonder Woman is the first movie in the DCEU to get the hang of the basics of storytelling, and not only that, but it's done generally pretty well. The screenplay was written by Allan Heinberg, with Patty Jenkins working with him closely to ensure the film's competency. One of the story credits however is by Snyder himself, which thankfully seems to have been kept to a minimum. The dialogue contains some good humor throughout the film, and the overall plot, refreshingly, is an actual plot! Things happen, and cohesively too! There are a few problems I had, mainly in regards to the climax/ending.
First, the extra battle with Ares (containing a frankly dumb character twist) at the end is completely overblown, and undermines what would otherwise have been a strong climax with a fairly powerful statement about humanity. I'll give the better, preceding climax credit for being emotionally-potent though, and even provoking a tear. Why they decided to send it all to hell after that is completely beyond me. The show-don't- tell principle was also respected, albeit briefly, as the very end contains a redundantly irritating narration. There was also a shoehorned reminder that this film is connected to Batman v Superman (which fills me with unending frustration and heartbreak), and decides that a completely forced, poorly framed, and poorly composited shot of Wonder Woman soaring through the air is necessary for some reason. As dumb as that was, I'm not going to hold it against its overall quality too much.
Now for the strongest part of the writing: There is definitely a strong theme of duality within this film, and not only about good/evil within humanity. Tale the focus on women at the beginning of the film, and the focus on men towards the end. The color in the first act, and the greys towards third. It's a deconstruction of dichotomies, revealing the similarities and close relation of it all in a rather well-done painting of duality. This alone makes it more ambitious than most other superhero films, and better yet, its ambitions are executed with competency.
Gal Gadot and Chris Pine are a delight in this movie. They have great chemistry, and really carry the film with strong, funny, and emotionally-invested performances. The supporting cast is generally fine, and sometimes even good as well, but it's Pine and Gatot that really stole the show. The villains are admittedly a little over the top, though I'd attribute that particular flaw to the writing.
The CGI isn't very strong all of the time. I usually found it passable, but the more overblown segments suffer from this lack-of-quality heavily. That being said, the colors are very nice, the costume design is good, and the art direction especially is spot on: particularly the war sets, and the magnificent highlight that is the island of Themyscira.
I have mixed feelings on the music in this movie. The score is by Rupert Gregson- Williams. . . . and also at least five other people, and it shows (I check the music department credits, I don't make this up y'know). On one hand, this is the first DCEU movie in which the music is solidly serviceable to the film, rather than minimally so. On the other hand however, the score is still very generic, as you'd expect from a score produced by Remote Control Studios. The largest detriment in the score however is still the painfully out-of-place Wonder Woman theme carrying over from Dawn of Justice--which to be fair is a fine melody on its own, but it doesn't fit Wonder Woman in the slightest. I'll at least give them credit for attempting thematic consistency though, I just wish there was a different and more fitting theme to be consistent with.
Parts of this film are worthy of a 9/10. Other parts are more suited for a 7/10 or lower, but its strengths persist and carry the film nicely. I am happy to say that Wonder Woman is the first DCEU film that I'd give a solid recommendation to. It also might be the last one until Matt Reeve's "Batman", so yeah. . . . um. . . .
Score: 8/10