After 75 years of history which includes comics, television (both live-action and animated) and even an animated film, Diana of Themyscira finally has her first theatrical film. Wonder Woman is the fourth installment of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Patty Jenkins directs Gal Gadot, resuming the role of Diana from 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Also joining the adventure is Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston and Lucy Davis. How does the Amazon fare in her first film?
I absolutely loved this film! There are so many elements that come together to make Wonder Woman a great film experience. There are so many thoughts I can’t write here becuase they would be spoilers. I’ll break down each area.
Direction:
I have never seen Patty Jenkins other film Monster (which won Charlize Theron an Oscar). Neither have I seen any of her television work so going into this, I was unfamiliar with her directorial stylings. I know one thing, after seeing Wonder Woman, I’d like to see more Patty Jenkins action. This was some of the best directed action I’ve seen in a superhero film. Every moment was clear and concise. There was no hectic camera movements. The slo-mo helped capture the gracefulness of Diana’s movements while still reminding us that she’s a warrior. She captured the brightness of Themyscira and the bleakness of the war in London. Jenkins also got every bit of acting she could from her actors.
Cast:
I really liked Gal Gadot in Batman v Superman. I love her performance in Wonder Woman. She runs the gamut of emotions in this film. Happiness, sadness, curiosity, anger, compassion. She sells you on all of these with great vocal inflections and her beautiful eyes. This becomes more evident throughout the film as she works with her supporting cast who is one of the best I’ve watched in a film.
As much as I like Chris Pine as James Kirk, I think his performance as Steve Trevor ranks with some of his better acting efforts. And yes that includes Hell or High Water. As Trevor, Pine encapsulates a man who not only wants to do everything he can to prevent mass catastrophe, but also play the role of a man who basically has to serve as an avatar for all mankind to this woman who is an outsider. The chemistry Pine and Gadot give off is electric.
Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright also have some great moments as Queen Hippolyta and General Antiope, Diana’s mother and aunt respectively. Lucy Davis shines as Etta Candy. Danny Huston as General Ludendorff doesn’t really do too much for me. He isn’t bad by any means, but nothing special in his performance. Special mention also go to Said Taghmaoui as Sameer, Ewen Bremner as Charlie and Eugene Brave-Rock as Chief, comrades of Steve.
Story:
The story is your basic superhero origin story. If you are familiar with the origin of Wonder Woman you know what to expect. The meat comes in connections that Diana makes throughout the adventure. Even though there is plenty of action, Jenkins allows the characters to breathe and it’s in these moments where Diana interacts with everyone else, especially Steve’s allies, what makes her Wonder Woman.
Conclusion: 
Wonder Woman tells a complete origin story with some fantastic action and dynamic direction by Patty Jenkins and solidifies Gal Gadot as Diana with compassion, charisma and earnestness. Even though she has been around for 3 quarter-centuries, this movie works almost on a meta level as well, revealing Wonder Woman to the whole world and not just in terms of a film universe with DC characters. This was a great experience.
Final Rating (4/4)
Enjoy some these beautiful movie posters for the film.
DeaconsDen 