Overall, a very solid flick, fun, clever in spots, with a terrific musical score--Junkie XL ought to get a special nod at the Oscars for his 'battle music'--Wonder Woman has finally made it to the big screen in her own origin movie.
The action starts on Themyscira, the early days of Diana's life as a child and then as a young warrioress, her entrance into man's world, and her battles which shape her as the superheroine she will become.
Pluses of this film are many. The interplay between Diana and Steve (solidly acted by Chris Pine) is good on its own, with a couple of well-placed jabs on males being needed for the essentials in life (babies) while not being there for pleasure. That went over the heads of a lot of people, but whatever.
The action is solid. Yes, the final battle sequence is a tad too long, and some of the CGI is a bit cheesy, but still, decent. As mentioned above, the music is excellent, the acting solid by the leads as well as the supporting cast, and the feminist angle is mentioned, but not bludgeoned to death.
I enjoyed the relationship between Gadot and Pine. Like many, I thought her too skinny for the role when I heard about Batman versus Superman, but was pleasantly surprised by her appearance. Yes, she could have been a bit more muscular, but these things take time. As it is, she put on about sixteen pounds and looked good enough. She does have a somewhat flat voice, but used her wide-eyed expression to good advantage.
Chris Pine has also never been known for his range, but here he excelled. He and Ms. Gadot seemed to be having fun with their roles, and the rest of the cast seemed to be having fun as well.
The direction was solid. Patty Jenkins is not known for her command of action scenes, yet she did a decent job. The slo-mo was employed a few times too often, but it worked more often than not, so there it is.
Now, for the negatives. Sorry, they have to be stated. While origin stories do demand exposition, it went on for too long. I think it could have been cut down somewhat. Did we need all that? Did we need to see the buildup to the battle scenes so drawn out? That could have been somewhat tighter.
I also had a problem with no one mentioning Charlie's shell-shock too much. It's shown when he's sleeping--nightmares--but nothing more than that. (Spoiler) Then there's the battle with General Ludendorff; it doesn't make a lot of sense. He inhales a 'supergas' which increases his strength, but really, he almost bests Diana in their fight, and she should be able to tear right through him, but doesn't.
In spite of these deficiencies, Wonder Woman gives DC's first female superhero a chance to shine, and shine she does. People can quibble all they like about the setting being WWI instead of WWII--as in the comic books. They can compare WW to Captain America, and there are some similarities, yes. But overall, Wonder Woman showed that DC can make decent action flicks AND present a solid message. They did that with Wonder Woman.
The action starts on Themyscira, the early days of Diana's life as a child and then as a young warrioress, her entrance into man's world, and her battles which shape her as the superheroine she will become.
Pluses of this film are many. The interplay between Diana and Steve (solidly acted by Chris Pine) is good on its own, with a couple of well-placed jabs on males being needed for the essentials in life (babies) while not being there for pleasure. That went over the heads of a lot of people, but whatever.
The action is solid. Yes, the final battle sequence is a tad too long, and some of the CGI is a bit cheesy, but still, decent. As mentioned above, the music is excellent, the acting solid by the leads as well as the supporting cast, and the feminist angle is mentioned, but not bludgeoned to death.
I enjoyed the relationship between Gadot and Pine. Like many, I thought her too skinny for the role when I heard about Batman versus Superman, but was pleasantly surprised by her appearance. Yes, she could have been a bit more muscular, but these things take time. As it is, she put on about sixteen pounds and looked good enough. She does have a somewhat flat voice, but used her wide-eyed expression to good advantage.
Chris Pine has also never been known for his range, but here he excelled. He and Ms. Gadot seemed to be having fun with their roles, and the rest of the cast seemed to be having fun as well.
The direction was solid. Patty Jenkins is not known for her command of action scenes, yet she did a decent job. The slo-mo was employed a few times too often, but it worked more often than not, so there it is.
Now, for the negatives. Sorry, they have to be stated. While origin stories do demand exposition, it went on for too long. I think it could have been cut down somewhat. Did we need all that? Did we need to see the buildup to the battle scenes so drawn out? That could have been somewhat tighter.
I also had a problem with no one mentioning Charlie's shell-shock too much. It's shown when he's sleeping--nightmares--but nothing more than that. (Spoiler) Then there's the battle with General Ludendorff; it doesn't make a lot of sense. He inhales a 'supergas' which increases his strength, but really, he almost bests Diana in their fight, and she should be able to tear right through him, but doesn't.
In spite of these deficiencies, Wonder Woman gives DC's first female superhero a chance to shine, and shine she does. People can quibble all they like about the setting being WWI instead of WWII--as in the comic books. They can compare WW to Captain America, and there are some similarities, yes. But overall, Wonder Woman showed that DC can make decent action flicks AND present a solid message. They did that with Wonder Woman.