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Before she was Wonder Woman she was Diana, Princess of the Amazons, trained warrior. When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, she leaves home to fight a war to end all wars, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
In an attempt to compete with the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, Warners Bros created the DC Extended Universe, which up until this point has consisted of some of the most incoherent, frustratingly dour superhero films (“Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman,” and “Suicide Squad”). That is to say I was not exactly pumped to watch the latest installment, but to my surprise, “Wonder Woman” isn’t just far and away the best film in the DCEU, it’s one of the most earnest and consistently entertaining superhero films in recent years, drawing inspiration from, and in many ways surpassing, Richard Donner’s wonderfully idealistic Superman films.
Although Wonder Woman made her big-screen debut in “Batman v Superman,” “Wonder Woman” takes us back about a hundred years to show us where exactly Diana (Gal Gadot) came from. The Amazon princess hails from Themyscira, a beautiful island where superpowered women train to become great warriors, and men are nowhere to be found. We learn that (with the help of Zeus) the Amazonians once defeated Ares, The God of War, and when American Spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash-lands off of the coast of Themyscira and informs the society about the War that has engulfed the world (World War I), Diana is convinced that Ares is behind it, and leaves her home in hopes of defeating him. What ensues is a superhero adventure that combines elements of fish-out-of-water stories and revisionist war films.
One of the most disappointing things about Zack Snyder’s take on Superman is the character’s complete lack of nobility. He is a powerful alien who hangs out on Earth, but the idea of rescuing people seems like more of a hassle than anything. But with “Wonder Woman,” director Patty Jenkins (marking only her second film after her critically acclaimed debut “Monster” some 14 years ago, if you can believe it) and writer Allan Heinberg have created a comic book film that examines and fully embraces true heroism, while valiantly tackling complex gender politics. Diana is a warrior whose ultimate goal is world peace, and while that may sound contradictory in nature, the film somehow makes it work and creates a character that fully embodies this ideal. It’s also a surprisingly funny movie; a lot of comic book films have a tough time pulling off the comic relief but “Wonder Woman” usually hits those notes and never gets too silly.
The decision to cast Gal Gadot was met with criticism, with some questioning her acting abilities, but most focusing on her slender body type. But the casting choice paid off because she is absolutely terrific as Wonder Woman, bringing a beloved character to life as well as, if not better than any of the many talented actors in the MCU. She is the perfect combination of funny, quick-witted and innocent, and delivers the convincing physicality that the role requires. The always-great Robin Wright plays General Antiope, Diana’s mentor and trainer on Themyscira, and Chris Pine does some of his best work as the man introducing Diana to the world. He has great chemistry with Gadot, and their relationship is one of the most believable portrayals of romantic love in any superhero flick. David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Ewen Bremner, Danny Huston and Lucy Davis all appear as well, making for one a really solid, fun cast.
“Wonder Woman” is far from a perfect film. The action sequences are mostly excellent, but the slow-motion can get a little tiresome. The CG-heavy climactic battle is emotionally powerful, but it isn’t the most visually interesting setpiece. There is a lot of exposition that goes along with any origin story, but “Wonder Woman” gets through it efficiently, only occasionally getting bogged down in the mythology that goes along with the story of Wonder Woman. And as with so many comic book films, the villains are not nearly fleshed-out enough. Yes, there may be some nits to pick, but “Wonder Woman” is a lot of fun, and it’s just so refreshing to see such an unabashedly heroic character. Diana can be innocent, even naive at times, and although her desire to be a savior starts out as a blind faith in humanity, she quickly learns that the world is full of terrible, violent men. Her optimism may be tempered, but she decides that her newfound understanding of human beings and their complicated ways won’t stop her from fighting for what she believes in and saving as many people as possible. It’s at that point that she becomes more than a just a female-Superman, but an actual role model, and one of the great movie-superheroes.
In theaters Friday, June 2nd
