I am going to be honest right away:I have not been a huge fan of DC’s Extended Universe and its movies (“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, “Suicide Squad” and “Man of Steel”). That being said, I was not totally sure what to expect walking into “Wonder Woman”.
The Amazon Princess Diana, played by Gal Gadot, lives on an island occupied only by female warriors.Her world is interrupted when a pilot, played by Chris Pine, crash-lands nearby. After rescuing him, Diana learns World War I is engulfing the planet, and she vows to use her superpowers to restore peace.
The charisma of the movie is its biggest attraction. This is largely due to both Pine’s and Gadot’s performances. I was worried going into the movie Gadot’s lack of acting experience would hinder the film and, while there are a few scenes she did not perfectly execute, she carried the film really well. Gadot’shas great chemistry with her co-star Pine. Pine also put on his usual wonderful performance. He provides a lot of the laughs and a lot of the heart to the film, which was a pleasant surprise.
Without spoiling anything, l will say I really enjoyed this film’s villain. “Wonder Woman” It takes a great twist I did not see coming and it deserves huge props for that.
Watching Wonder Woman in action is incredible and the way the director, Patty Jenkins, directs action in this movie is fantastic. It is engaging, fun and just awesome. My favorite scene of the movie is when Diana first steps foot on the battlefield as Wonder Woman and marches across No Man’s Land. Honestly, it felt empowering to watch this scene, which was a new theater experience for me.
While there was a lot of good in the movie, there were also a few things the movie could have done better. Other than our main characters, none of the side characters receive much of a backstory. With the exception of Sameer, played by Saïd Taghmaoui, viewers do not get to know much about the other characters. The movie alludes to different backstories for the other characters, but never explores them. I found this especially frustrating as the movie focuses on human nature so I believe it would be beneficial to know more about the humanity involved.
The film struggles with some pacing issues as well. The first act is very rushed, while the beginning of the second act drags on The scene I mentioned earlier, when Wonder Woman finally steps foot on the battlefield, is the first time we really get to see Diana in action, and it comes halfway through the film.
This movie also suffers from some bad computer-generated imagery. Trust me, it’s not all bad. Some of it the CGI is gorgeous, and it works really well, but when the bad CGI comes, it stands out like a sore thumb and distracts from the movie.
Overall, I had a really great time watching “Wonder Woman”. I will also say this is easily the best movie DC has produced so far. It was refreshing to watch a strong female lead, and Gadot really brings the character to life. The story is well written, the premise the movie explores is engaging and I enjoyed watching it. The movie is a very solid 7.5/10.
Did you like “Wonder Woman” more or less than I did? I’d love to hear what you have to say. Find me on Twitter at @CSmithy16.