Wonder Woman is a really good movie.
A few quick observations:
- Gal Gadot proves that she can carry a film, and then some. As a child of the 1980’s, there was only one Wonder Woman. It was Lynda Carter. Gadot’s powerful performance, literally and figuratively, has proven that there is now room for two.
- Chris Pine is pretty good at this acting thing. With his performance as Captain Kirk in the most recent installments of Star Trek as well as his other notable showings in films such as Unstoppable, he’s firmly on my favorite actors list. He displays a great deal of emotional weight and a much-needed jolt of sarcasm and humor into an often dreary franchise (DCEU).
- A little humor ain’t a bad thing ya know? I am glad to finally see a DCEU film discard its supposed no-joke policy. This is not only the franchise’s best movie to date, it is by far, its funniest. I hope future DCEU films take note.
- Thank you Patty Jenkins! As I mentioned in my Wonder Woman preview, Jenkins was one of my motivations for wanting to see the film. And she delivered. My only hope is that she begins to direct more movies because she is obviously one talented individual.
- I wish Warner Brothers executives could send Superman back in time to restart the DCEU timeline. This movie shows that a methodical, stand-alone movie approach works well. It’s not too late. I hope future franchise installments focus on individual superheroes over rushed “world building” (e.g. Batman v Superman and Justice League).
In Closing
I find it perplexing that some DC fans believe there is a grand “movie critic” conspiracy against the DCEU, vis-a-vis the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Not only has no reasonable motivation for this alleged conspiracy been given, but the claim erroneously assumes that most film critics can even distinguish comic book companies. In fact, some critics often lump all of these movies together, and wouldn’t know whether the Flash is a Justice League or Mighty Avengers team member.
I sincerely hope that Wonder Woman’s critical praise helps debunk this unfounded paranoia. As the classic DC movies Superman (1978), The Dark Knight (2008) and now Wonder Woman (2017) have all proven, critics love well-developed characters, concise plots, brisk action, and satisfying conclusions, regardless of what corporate entity produces the film.
