A shining example of what the DCEU could be
Following the controversial history of the DC expanded universe, Wonder Woman is a shining example of what the franchise could and should be. It is, simply, a breath of fresh air.
For one thing, the cinematography is amazing. The director Patty Jenkins and cinematographer Matthew Jensen proved to be truly formidable in this area, not just in the brilliant large scale battles but also in the more confined, personal moments. This is a very emotional film, and the direction of the actors, camera and set mirror this.
Speaking of the actors, it would be a travesty not to praise them: Gal Gadot and Chris Pine were incredible as Diana herself and Steve Trevor, both having incredible chemistry and capable of delivering anything the plot required from them. These are quite possibly my definitive iterations of the characters, definitely doing justice to them. The supporting cast was, however, kind of lacking. They were mostly forgettable, and the only ones I really remember were the main crew. That being said, I’m not saying that the side-actors were bad.
Indeed, they actually have a fair amount of talent, and thinking about it they contributed a lot to the overall movie, sometimes offering diversity in opinions and origins and sometimes diversity in tone and displaying the effects of the situation the characters are in. You feel like these are actual people, going through situations we can easily sympathise with. The main characters went through their own arcs, growing and understanding the world as both Diana and Steve clash and parallel each other's views and opinions, delivering interesting perspectives and mature themes dealt with expertly and insightfully.
The antagonists were not terrible- I found the big bad enjoyable and threatening, and the lesser villains to be good enough to serve their purpose and role in the narrative. That aside however, they weren’t the best supervillains we’ve seen, nowhere near as bad as the Enchantress but simultaneously a laughing stock compared to Ledger’s Joker.
On other levels, this movie still succeeds. Technically, it’s superb, with pretty awesome CGI and everything along those lines: it’s all great. Now though, the actual substance of the film:
The script and story was fantastic; it is wonderful. At some moments, I actually found myself laughing out loud at the jokes (though none of the secretary’s/Etta Candy’s- she was one of the worst parts of the film for me, if only because it was such a dramatic and uncomfortable change from the tone from beforehand, and I simply found her annoying) and felt my heart beating faster at some of the more impactful moments.
The messages of the story, including the importance of peace, there being good and evil in everyone and the concept of it coming down to our beliefs rather than what people deserve, were all very timeless and powerful, intertwining with the characters and the plot/direction to deliver a tightly packed and potent picture.
To conclude, I loved this movie. It was powerful and emotional, all the while (mostly) acted brilliantly with characters we care about, with brilliant direction, effects and a fantastic script that puts the DCEU on track to be the fantastic franchise that it has the potential to be. You have to see this; I’d give Wonder Woman a high 7/10.
