I have mixed feelings about this movie. Bear with me.
Wonder Woman is the second origin story in the DC Cinematic Universe, following on the heels of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. The movie tells the story of Princess Diana, from her childhood on the mystical island of Themyscira, through her development into the superhero we saw in BvS. Diana is in training to be an Amazon warrior when she discovers American pilot Steve Trevor who has crashed his plane fleeing from the Germans during WWI. Trevor's presence drags Diana from her secret island into the world of men, where she plans to kill Ares who has corrupted men in a never ending war. As Diana discovers the extent of her powers, she also learns about mankind, and has to decide if they're worth saving, or if she should help Ares destroy them all.
WW is a big positive step in the DCU, in that it has the feel of the more successful Marvel movies. This movie is very similar in tone to the first Capt America movie. There is a decent amount of humor mixed with the action, and the violence is slightly less bone crunching than what we saw in BvS. Additionally, Diana is orders of magnitude more likable than the Superman we've seen in the preceding films. With this movie as a template, as well as the entry of Joss Whedon into the final process for Justice League, the DCU has taken a step in the right direction. The visuals are good, the pace is good, and the characters are decent. The plot is what you would expect from a comic book origin story movie, and unfortunately, that means that some portions move very quickly to make sure there's time to get to the big climactic scenes. So, there are a few areas where characters are left undeveloped, and/or the characters seem to move from A to Z without going through any letters between.
The acting is decent, although there are a few scenes that are just jarring. Specifically, some of the interactions between the two main bad guys are just odd. Chris Pine does fine as Steve Trevor, and the Amazons are impressive.
The biggest thing I have mixed feelings about were some of the action scenes for Diana herself. Don't get me wrong, Gal Gadot is hot as hell, and I thought her WW was great in (maybe the best part of) BvS. But in this movie, she has to carry almost all of the action, and there were times where her movement just looked off a bit, like someone who isn't accustomed to fighting or running or physical action. She served in the Israeli Army, so I know she's had physical training before, but there were scenes in which she just looked like she was running or punching like a stereotypical girl. Maybe this was due to the necessity for her to use the gauntlets and lasso, which don't have much analogue in normal fighting. I'll be interested to hear other impressions, because I may have just gone in with higher expectations, and am being overly critical now.
Overall, the movie was good, but not mind blowingly great. If you're looking for a good action movie or are into the comic movies, you'll definitely want to see it. If you've got a daughter and want her to see a strong female hero, likewise, it's a can't miss.
The movie is rated PG-13, and although there's lots of violence, I felt like it was reigned in better than in BvS or Man of Steel. There's almost no sex or foul language. Good family fun. It really is closely comparable to Capt America: First Avenger in tone, style, and level of violence.
Slowguy
(insert pithy phrase here...)
Wonder Woman is the second origin story in the DC Cinematic Universe, following on the heels of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. The movie tells the story of Princess Diana, from her childhood on the mystical island of Themyscira, through her development into the superhero we saw in BvS. Diana is in training to be an Amazon warrior when she discovers American pilot Steve Trevor who has crashed his plane fleeing from the Germans during WWI. Trevor's presence drags Diana from her secret island into the world of men, where she plans to kill Ares who has corrupted men in a never ending war. As Diana discovers the extent of her powers, she also learns about mankind, and has to decide if they're worth saving, or if she should help Ares destroy them all.
WW is a big positive step in the DCU, in that it has the feel of the more successful Marvel movies. This movie is very similar in tone to the first Capt America movie. There is a decent amount of humor mixed with the action, and the violence is slightly less bone crunching than what we saw in BvS. Additionally, Diana is orders of magnitude more likable than the Superman we've seen in the preceding films. With this movie as a template, as well as the entry of Joss Whedon into the final process for Justice League, the DCU has taken a step in the right direction. The visuals are good, the pace is good, and the characters are decent. The plot is what you would expect from a comic book origin story movie, and unfortunately, that means that some portions move very quickly to make sure there's time to get to the big climactic scenes. So, there are a few areas where characters are left undeveloped, and/or the characters seem to move from A to Z without going through any letters between.
The acting is decent, although there are a few scenes that are just jarring. Specifically, some of the interactions between the two main bad guys are just odd. Chris Pine does fine as Steve Trevor, and the Amazons are impressive.
The biggest thing I have mixed feelings about were some of the action scenes for Diana herself. Don't get me wrong, Gal Gadot is hot as hell, and I thought her WW was great in (maybe the best part of) BvS. But in this movie, she has to carry almost all of the action, and there were times where her movement just looked off a bit, like someone who isn't accustomed to fighting or running or physical action. She served in the Israeli Army, so I know she's had physical training before, but there were scenes in which she just looked like she was running or punching like a stereotypical girl. Maybe this was due to the necessity for her to use the gauntlets and lasso, which don't have much analogue in normal fighting. I'll be interested to hear other impressions, because I may have just gone in with higher expectations, and am being overly critical now.
Overall, the movie was good, but not mind blowingly great. If you're looking for a good action movie or are into the comic movies, you'll definitely want to see it. If you've got a daughter and want her to see a strong female hero, likewise, it's a can't miss.
The movie is rated PG-13, and although there's lots of violence, I felt like it was reigned in better than in BvS or Man of Steel. There's almost no sex or foul language. Good family fun. It really is closely comparable to Capt America: First Avenger in tone, style, and level of violence.
Slowguy
(insert pithy phrase here...)
