Wonder Woman serves as the latest installment in the infamous DC Cinematic Universe, a franchise that, up until this point, was yet to produce a good movie. With contemporaries such as Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad in its wake, I was very pessimistic going in. The explosive critical and audience reception, combined with my pre-existing fanship for lead actress Gal Gadot, got me into the theater opening weekend. Two viewings in under 24 hours later, I am so happy I gave this movie a chance.
Wonder Woman is not only the first good DC Cinematic Universe film, but a game changer in DC’s formerly failing battle against its Marvel Studios rival. It manages to address a vast majority of issues that plague the average Marvel flick, namely avoiding being bogged down by its presence in a cinematic universe. The filmmakers traded pointless easter eggs and contrived connections in favor of a focused, stand-alone story. This gives the movie room to breathe, which pays off with its fantastic character development and gripping narrative.
Let me address the pressing question right away, Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman. Almost no superhero actor or actress has managed to seamlessly blend with their character as well as she has. The only possible contenders that come to mind are Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Whenever I think of Wonder Woman from now on, I will think of Gadot. The exceptional writing of the character, combined with her strong performance and natural beauty create the core of this movie’s success.
Gadot doesn’t stand on her own in this fiery core. Wonder Woman directly combats the typical comic book movie flaw of weak side characters by creating one of the most developed and memorable film ensembles in recent years. Chris Pine’s Steve, Saïd Taghmaoui’s Sameer, Ewen Bremner’s Charlie, and Eugene Brave Rock’s Chief receive as much development as possible for secondary characters. This allows the viewer to genuinely care and fear for them in the danger they face while accompanying Diana on her quest. Terrific performances from all four only compliment this stellar character writing.
The one area in which this movie failed to outshine its Marvel competitors was in its villains. Without entering spoiler territory, the primary and secondary antagonists all suffered from poor writing, acting, and surprisingly little development. Their cheesy and over-the-top nature clashed with an otherwise tonally consistent film.
The privilege to see this movie for a second time only amplified my prior positive convictions. Wonder Woman is not only my favorite film of the year thus far, but the best comic book movie since 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. I now have a speck of hope for November’s Justice League, a project I previously thought to be doomed.
Final Verdict: Must See
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