Review of Wonder Woman (2017) by Kristofer H — 09 Jun 2017

Proper Perspective: Sometimes a movie comes along that fits in with the times and may or may not be a great movie, but is revered for what it tried to accomplish. Wonder Woman is movie we need today and is truly a great, well-crafted, and nearly flawless movie. Let's talk about Wonder Woman...

Official Synopsis: 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.

Plot: The origin story of Diana, Princess of the Amazons from a child to a princess to Wonder Woman as she is thrust into the grips of a war between man, and potentially a greater power.

Take: Take a step outside of the small bubble that is "DC Films." Patty Jenkins (Monster, The Killing) crafted, shot, and executed one of the best comic book movie adaptations ever made. She told one of the best heroine stories ever put to screen. This is not hyperbole or a "prisoner of the moment" hot take - after seeing Wonder Woman a second time in theaters, this is a special movie.

To get the "negatives" out of the way, let's just talk about them here. I'm not a huge fan of movies taking what is a perfectly fine platonic relationship and forcing them it to be romantic. That is all.

A friend of mine that is also a critic gave me her take on the love story angle and how it made decisions in the third act more meaningful to her and more impactful. Now I see why studios cram in love stories, they hit most people the way they intend. So there is that.

Overall this is a well-crafted film, from story to action (No Man's Land Scene), emotion and themes, acting to execution.

The time we spend on Themyscira (the city-island of the Amazons) is extremely interesting. I could have stayed there all movie, but they had to tell a bigger story. Each Amazon had a character that was interesting and engaging. Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) was regal as the leader.

Gal Gadot (Fast and Furious movies, Criminal) was great, powerful, and pure as Wonder Woman. In almost all of her previous films was not much of an actress, which to be fair they were movies that did not call for her to do much. She was great in this role, to be seen if she becomes a more diverse actress in other projects. She and Chris Pine (Star Trek, Hell or High Water) had good chemistry and worked well together.

The rest of the ensemble cast were great, with Robin Wright (Princess Bride, House of Cards) as the standout playing Antiope, her aunt and the leader of Themyscira Army.

Like I tell my kids all the time; "enjoy what you enjoy, regardless of brand." Wonder Woman is the best offering from DC since The Dark Knight and is quality film while also being a comic book adaptation. Whether you are a Marvel fan or a D.C. fan or a non-comic book movie fan, this movie transcends the genre or the labels or loyalty.

Recommendation: In a day and age where we have movies like Logan, Winter Soldier, Deadpool, and Days of Future Past this is another addition into what is quickly becoming one of the better genres in film, we now have Wonder Woman. Again, great movie, I would highly recommend seeing. 1, 2, 3 times...

What is the rule of aging on Themyscira? Some are old, some are not, and Wonder Woman looks like Gal Gadot in 1918 AND in 2016.