★★★★☆
"IS she with you?” asked Superman in last year’s comic book movie match-up. “I thought she was with you,” retorts Batman. That introduction to arguably the most famous of all female superheroes in all her action glory promised a lot, with a black and white photograph of her during the Great War also hinting at an intriguing story to explore.
In what is remarkably the first-ever live-action theatrical Wonder Woman film, we delve back in time to explore the character’s mythical origins. We first see the Amazonian Princess Diana as a little girl, the only child on her female-only island home of Themyscira that’s perpetually hidden from the outside world.
After taking part in secret training sessions by her famed warrior aunt Antiope (Robin Wright) despite it being expressly forbidden by Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), her mother and leader of her people, she is finally permitted to begin her proper training to become a skilled and fearsome warrior.
When World War I fighter pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) suddenly crash-lands in the picturesque waters that surround the island, Diana discovers the war that’s ravaging the world outside and feels the need to help with the belief that it’s being caused by Ares, the ancient God of War. After protestations from her mother, she heads out on her mission that will lead her to become the heroic Wonder Woman the world will come to know.
With so many superhero movies being released these days, it’s hard for one to make a distinct mark. But this female-led outing carves out a firm place for itself among the crowded pack. Director Patty Jenkins (whose last film was 2003’s pitch-dark, Oscar-winning drama Monster) strikes an effective balance between the buoyant superhero antics and real world threat, grounding the film enough with surprising, earnest depth of feeling and a sly sense of humour while still delivering on the spectacle.
The fight sequences are inventive and thrilling to behold, utilizing the likes of Wonder Woman’s armoured bracelets and the famous lasso of truth to creative effect. The super slow-mo technique inherited from producer and story writer Zach Snyder’s previous work is rather well-employed this time around, as is the accompanying opinion-splitting electric cello musical motif that’s used as a means to announce and reiterate the character’s heroic dominance.
It’s the most light on its feet of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movies thus far, exhibiting an entertaining sense of old-fashioned derring-do missing from the variously heavy-footed Man of Steel, Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad.
The fairly hefty 141-minute runtime flies by as it creates an interesting dynamic between the mystical and the historical real world, while nicely weaving themes like heritage and finding your inner hero with the suitably over-the-top action.
But it’s Wonder Woman herself who is the best thing about her own film, largely thanks to a charismatic and instantly likeable lead performance by Gal Gadot. She’s fittingly the heart of what is a genuinely empowering portrayal, particularly for any young girls in the audience who may go to these kinds of films to find it largely dominated by macho heroics. This joyous celebration of female heroism has set a high bar for the DCEU that the boys will have a tough time clearing.
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