Best superhero movie ever? No. But third place is not bad at all...

Rating: 9/10 (1 June 2017)

If we were to rank all of the modern superhero movies, and by that I mean starting with 2000's X-Men, which was the first true modern superhero movie after the glory days of Tim Burton's Batman and Christopher Reeve's Superman, number one would probably have to be The Dark Knight, followed closely by Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Wonder Woman would be third on that list, and since we live in an age overflowing with superhero films, third place is nothing to be ashamed of.
This film is, in a word, epic. Not in the same way as a film like Lord of the Rings is epic, with large scope and breathtaking battle scenes. Rather, its epic feel comes from the great performances and sheer raw emotion Gal Gadot conveys as the titular heroine Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman.
The film takes place as a flashback, beginning with Diana being sent a photo sometime after the events of Batman v. Superman from Bruce Wayne, a photo teased in that previous film, and brings us to Diana's childhood on the island of the Amazons, guardians of the world tasked with one day defeating Ares, the god of war, should he ever return.
One day, Diana sees a plane crash off the shores of her island. The pilot, Steve Trevor, played excellently by Chris Pine, informs Diana of the war going on in Europe, the War to End All Wars aka World War I.
She then embarks on her quest to fulfill her people's mission, for she believes Ares has returned and is at the heart of this war, and if she defeats him, the war will end. Thus begins her transformation into the heroine that would be known as Wonder Woman.
This film had a lot riding on it, mainly because the DC Extended Universe has had to play catch-up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the past four years, with Marvel having a five year head start (Iron Man came out in 2008, whereas Man of Steel, the DCEU's first film, came out in 2013).
Therefore, it's all the more impressive that a cinematic universe still in its infancy, and after the relative disappointments of Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad, can produce such a strong origin story of a superhero that many may not know too much about.
Where this movie shines is the chemistry between Gadot and Pine, and the levity that comes from misunderstandings, a common comedic trope but it feels so genuine between these two that it feels fresh.
Also, props to Hans Zimmer, who, while not composing the score for this film, made the unofficial Wonder Woman theme (refer to "Is She With You?" from the Batman v. Superman soundtrack). Whenever it plays in this film, it sends chills down my spine because that means something bad-ass is going to go down. Way to go!
Where this movie may falter is in the inevitable comparisons. There's no getting around the fact that this film, for all of its great qualities, bears much resemblance to Captain America: The First Avenger, due to its period setting origin story, among other things.
Nevertheless, this film is a testament to what the DCEU can be, and I can only hope that Justice League lives up the the very, VERY high standard Wonder Woman has now set.