Review of Wonder Woman (2017) by Dana F — 09 Jul 2017

Yaasss Queen!!! It's about damn time someone at DC made a decent film, and I gotta tell ya, I am loving the fact that it's this one: a film both starring and directed by women. It's a shame that this movie wasn't the one chosen to kick-start the whole Justice League thing.

With her unabashed earnestness, relentless tenacity, and heart of pure gold, she is to the DC Universe what Captain America is to Marvel, and as such, she really should be leading this show. This woman is truly a wonder to behold and everything a superhero should be - she is fierce and strong and compassionate, all at the same time.

And, of course, astoundingly gorgeous. Gal Gadot was born for this role, she is the perfect embodiment of Diana in every way (and I loved Linda Carter). She is the one that really makes this film special and takes it to a higher level.

The film itself is not without flaws... the beginning sets up Diana's backstory on the idyllic island inhabited solely by Amazonian women, and it's pretty cheesy (but honestly, how could it NOT be? Just writing that sentence makes me cringe).

But once she journeys out into the world, that's when the film really gets going. The story itself is nothing new, it adheres to typical movie conventions and the expected superhero formula - it's a fish-out-of-water story with a moral about the value of humanity despite their imperfections, blahblahblah, we've seen that dozens of times before.

But what makes it stand out is that it's engaging from start to finish, with a coherent plot, consistent tone, great action sequences, solid (and even funny) dialogue, and superb acting. As previously mentioned, Gadot shines as Diana, and Chris Pine is equally well-cast as her sidekick/love interest.

Watching Pine wrestle between patience and frustration with Diana's persistent and naïve idealism is such a treat. They both excel in this film, bringing heart, humor, and humanity to the story, and chemistry between them is electric.

This movie gets right what every other DC film so far has gotten wrong, and it's both a joy and a relief that this Wonder Woman is just as badass as her theme music (Seriously... that theme music could not be more awesome, I can't stop listening to it).