Seventy-six.
That number represents a few things. The birth of our nation. A particular number of trombones.
And the number of years it took to get the world's first and greatest female superhero her own movie.
Yes, that's a long time - too long. But at the very least, that movie has come. And Wonder Woman has arrived.
To be fair, Diana debuted in last year's Batman v Superman, but she was only a small (if excellent) part of that film. Now, however, she's got her own feature, and it is her movie, all the way.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time on the socio-political importance of this movie, cultural significance, or any of the somewhat bizarre controversies that have sprung up in recent days regarding screenings of the film. Those subjects have been, and will be, covered by others at greater length. Suffice it to say, this movie is every bit what it needed to be, and there is now at long last an empowered, strong, fearless super-heroine headlining not only one film, but what I suspect may become her own franchise. And speaking personally, I am heartened to see exactly how much she's being embraced.
The film itself is nuanced, well-written, shot, and acted, but above all it is bears a lighter tone than the three previous DCEU entries. That's not to say it's devoid of gravity, or descends into glib banter and cutesy one-liners. Far from it; the film revolves around war and violence, and the consequences and sacrifices required therein. But there is warmth and humor, natural and genuine, and a tenor that is ultimately uplifting and inspiring. If this film is any indication, WB Studios are listening and learning as they develop the DCEU, and allowing their characters to be who they were made to be without falling into melodramatic angst or frivolous repetition.
This movie is all Gal Gadot's. She gives the Amazon Princess remarkable charm and sincerity, playing idealism, ferocity, and compassion with equal aplomb. Gadot has incredibly expressive eyes, which radiate sympathy, bemusement, determination, vulnerability...sometimes in the same shot. Diana is something of a contradictory character, the warrior of peace, capable of both boundless love and intense fury, and that comes through beautifully here. Her action sequences are elegantly choreographed, exciting and borderline poetic in motion.
Chris Pine gives the potentially thankless role of Steve Trevor his own humor and charm, achieving chemistry with Gadot and a likability of his own. He's never hapless or dim-witted, and he never usurps Diana's center stage though he does manage to be every bit the hero in his own right. He's surrounded by a support team of memorable and engaging allies: the funny but underused Etta Candy (Lucy Davis), con-man turned soldier Sameer (Said Taghmaoui), PTSD-suffering sniper Charlie (Ewen Bremner), and opportunistic Chief (Eugene Brave Rock).
The first act of the film takes place on Diana's home of Themyscira, the aptly nicknamed 'Paradise Island', which is a beautiful set that is sadly not fully explored. Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright play Hippolyta and Antiope, Diana's mother and aunt, respectively, responsible for her protection and training. Both are fine performances, but are on screen for a surprisingly short amount of time. Also featured are Danny Huston as General Ludendorff, a bloodthirsty German officer; David Thewlis as Sir Patrick Morgan, a British MP trying to conclude the Armistice, and Elena Anaya as the rather creepy Dr. Maru, better known to comics fans as longtime Wonder Woman foe Doctor Poison. All three are perfectly fine performances but none are particularly meaty. In fact, if I do have a complaint about the movie, it's that the villains of the piece are not particularly developed, even if they are reasonably accurate to the source. To be fair, though, the point of the movie is more about the nature of war than about personal conflict, so that's not necessarily a huge fault.
Director Patty Jenkins has given Wonder Woman a grounded sensibility that makes the protagonists relatable and appealing, while still making a point about greater issues. In an era where we're all too quick to point fingers and spew hatred, we are given a character-driven summer blockbuster that's about finding hope and redemption in the face of darkness. Some of the beats are less subtle than others, to be sure, but there are moments - Diana's first introduction to ice cream, for one, or a post-battle dance in snowy war-torn village - that are simple and touching. There are also several small scenes throughout as Diana learns about her compatriots, and the real-world problems each faces in their own way, that add a poignancy to even the secondary characters. It is a remarkably human film for such mythological subject matter.
Another mark in its favor is that this is purely a Wonder Woman movie, by which I mean to say that it is not a commercial for Justice League or any other projects. The film is predominantly set in the waning days of World War One, but there is a brief frame at the beginning and end set in the modern day, which references Bruce Wayne and one of the plot points of Batman v Superman, but it's merely a device to set up the narrative structure of this film. There is no post-credits scene, and as such, this movie is fully capable of standing on its own.
All told, this is a nearly perfect superhero movie, a definitive origin and clear and concise exploration of a character whose time is long since overdue. Wonder Woman may be the greatest female superhero, but that gender distinction should not cloud the fact that she is one of the greatest superheroes of all time, regardless. In continuous publication since the early days of World War II, a key member of the Justice League and a part of DC's Trinity, Diana is a giant in the world of superhero comics and deserves to be treated as such. As shameless as it might be, coming from a lifelong diehard DC fan, WB has done a fantastic job with this film. It is exactly what I needed, wanted, and hoped it to be. There is still plenty of ground to cover with what I'm sure will be the forthcoming sequel (Dear DC, please note: cast Peter Dinklage as Dr. Psycho), and we'll be seeing Diana again later this year as part of the ultimate superhero team when the Justice League arrives in November, but for right now, we have a lot to be happy with. It's a good time to be a fan.
You might even say it's...wonderful.
FINAL RATING: 9 STARS (OUT OF 10)
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