"Wonder Woman"- Not only the first truly good film for the DCEU, but just a darned fun movie on its own right!

Rating: 8/10 (5 June 2017)

If there was one thought to streak across my mind throughout the entire run-time of director Patty Jenkins' long-awaited cinematic adaptation of the iconic comic-book character "Wonder Woman", it's a simple word... redemption. This is the first film in DC's struggling Extended Universe to live up to the promise of its comic-book origins. There have been hints at brilliance here and there, but the three previously released films have all ultimately faltered and fallen flat due to their own numerous issues and contrivances and infuriating focus on convoluted style over substance. Not so with "Wonder Woman"... this is the first film in the entire series that places all of it's focus on delivering a charming, thrilling and entertaining film foremost, where the style is dictated by the story, and not the other way around.
If you've grown tired of waiting for the next great DC cinematic adventure. If like me and many others, previous releases like "Batman V Superman" and "Suicide Squad" left you feeling empty and angry and underwhelmed. If you were worried that the DCEU would just be a constant exercise in misery and tedium... your hopes for something better- something good- have been fulfilled with the absolutely delightful "Wonder Woman." It's not a perfect film, mind you. It's uneven at times and suffers the same one-dimensional villains that have plagued the similar Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it is a promise of better things to come in the future, and is not only by and far the best the DCEU has to offer at this point... it's just a darned good film in its own right.
On the island of Themyscira, Diana (Gal Gadot) lives in peace, princess of a tribe of Amazon warriors created by the great Greek Gods to protect humanity from the clutches of Ares- God of War. However, the human world soon enough intrudes on Diana's idyllic life when American Spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash-lands near her home and she and the other Amazon warriors are told of the "Great War" that is taking place- World War I. Diana goes against her mother's wishes and leaves the island with Steve, hoping that in helping him on his mission to stop a deadly chemical attack by the German army, she will be able to confront Ares and put an end to all war. But at what cost will her daring mission come?
The great success of "Wonder Woman" comes in large part from its simplicity and keen storytelling. It doesn't venture into needlessly lofty and overstuffed (and half-baked) themes and sequel-baiting as has been the case with previous installments of the DC franchise, but instead just tries its hardest to be a competent, concise and entertaining origin story. And that's why it succeeds. Director Jenkins and screenwriter Allan Heinberg smartly concentrate on the fundamentals of character establishment and development above all else, while also giving the film a great deal more personality than has been evident in previous films. With razor-sharp writing, top-notch action set pieces and a constant and appropriate sense of humor that keeps the chuckles coming, you'd be hard pressed not to find yourself grinning ear-to- ear throughout the entire film.
The cast is also just a ton of fun. Gadot was by and far the best element in the otherwise sloppy "Batman V Superman", but she wasn't given much to do. Here, she absolutely shines and proves herself more than worthy to call herself "Wonder Woman." She's got the dramatic chops to handle the heavier moments, the light-hearted whimsy to perfectly land the film's many delightful "fish out of water" gags... and she just kicks major butt! I can't wait to see her again on the big-screen. I also quite enjoyed Pine in his supporting role. It's a bit of a standard character, but he gives it the same wonderful personality he's injected to so many other roles. And supporting parts played by the likes of Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen and SaÃ¯d Taghmaoui are all exceptionally well-cast and performed.
This praise all being said, the film does have some rather large issues that I feel are being generally overlooked. Especially with the film being as hyped up and over-politicized as it has been. Funnily enough, the film suffers a major issue that also desperately plagues many films of their rival studio Marvel- the villains are weak. Pathetic even. Despite having the delightful duo of Danny Huston and Elena Anaya portraying them, the villainous Erich Ludendorff and "Doctor Poison" are frankly laughable at times, coming off as so stock as to be ridiculous. At times they even feel like they're in a completely different (and far inferior) film. I know I can't be the only one to cringe when they repeatedly use the old trope of "villain kills an associate to show he's a threat" several times to increasingly hilarious results. In addition, the film is a bit uneven as it reaches its midway point, with several key characters from the first act seemingly vanishing and some plot-threads being abandoned for prolonged periods of time. It's a bit distracting. You know the film is capable of so much more.
But despite these complaints, I can't help but whole-heartedly recommend "Wonder Woman." It's just such a breath of fresh air for this particular franchise thanks to its smart filmmaking and fantastic performances. I was worried before the film came out. Because I will fully admit I have not enjoyed a single other film in the DC Extended Universe to this point, and I was fearing that "Wonder Woman" would deal one last fatal blow to the franchise. But it did just the opposite... it revitalized it in the best of ways. And I would favorably compare it to other great superhero origins of the past 10 years, and say it's one of my favorite Summer action films of 2017 thus far.
"Wonder Woman" gets a very good 8 out of 10.