Wonder Woman isn’t only the best superhero movie and blockbuster of the year. It also might be one of the most important superhero films ever made, and it’s possibly one of the best, period. Regardless of the many deserving titles it’s going to soon brag about, this is an unmissable summer movie experience.
It’s fast-paced, it’s gripping, and it’s infectiously dynamic. Every aspect oozes excitement that vibrates through the audience. There were several loud applauses that came mid-show when I saw the film, and they’re fully justified.
I knew I was watching something special within the first 20 minutes. There’s a palpable enthusiasm for this story and what it represents.
The character of Wonder Woman is a strong, positive role model for both young girls and women of any age. But it’s not because of her physical strength, likability or raw femininity - though Gal Gadot delivers all of these too in her flawless performance.
Gadot and director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman is so earnest and necessary because of her determination, selflessness, and willingness to love. The story's conflict focuses on the ethics of war and fighting. These merits excel through an exhilarating structure that’s both structurally and emotionally rewarding.
The plot sees an Amazonian woman named Diana (Gadot) through childhood and training before a WWI battalion comes to her island’s shores. She then agrees to join a British spy (Chris Pine) and assist Britain in closing out “the war to end all wars.”
Diana’s eagerness alone is both empowering and infectious, but it’s supported by an interesting and creative origin story that’s near-impossible to dislike. It’s about the connection and harmony between history and legends, and why understanding both is so important.
The steadfast pillars of story and the question of conflict are what ultimately define and shape Diana into the iconic Wonder Woman, and it makes for a stellar movie. Once she emerges as her heroic identity, the first fight in the Belgian trenches is a knockout. It starts about 75 minutes into the movie, and it's exceptional.
And the screenplay’s intelligence rounds off the already impressive work that fills the entire production. Diana courageously asserts when no male soldier can infiltrate a squadron, she’s smart enough to “be the man who can.” During an exercise, her trainer early on reminds her, “You expect the battle to be fair, but it isn’t.” How true.
Great blockbusters like this leave you energized and impacted without a sluggish aftermath. Wonder Woman was the most exciting and positive experience I’ve had at the movies in 2017, though some of that amped air could be the resounding love from the audiences.
This is one to see on opening weekend with a big, full crowd on the edge. Even the 3D is superb and adds depth to the action on screen. With a production this exciting, it's even worth seeing on an IMAX screen.
Wonder Woman is everything fans hoped last year’s disastrous Batman v Superman or Suicide Squad would be. But it exceeds expectations, even if it is somewhat intense. But Gadot and the star character are a revolution and beauty to the genre of superhero movies.
The brave direction of the is something unexpected in itself: it’s more than a euphoric surprise. It’s a big screen marvel in its own way.
Wonder Woman
4 out of 4 stars
PG, 141 minutes. Superhero Action History Adventure.
Directed by Patty Jenkins.
Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, David Thewlis and Robin Wright.
Now Playing at Film.Ca Cinemas, Cineplex Winston Churchill and Cineplex Oakville & VIP. Also in IMAX 3D.
Correction: [November 17th, 10:00am] An earlier version of this story misspelled star Gal Gadot's surname as Gadget in the fourth paragraph.
