By John M Delia Jr.
The Amazon warrior Wonder Woman makes it to the big screen with her first full length motion picture. This time it’s a female hero that saves the world from its own destruction and wins the hearts of its people. Whether you are a fan of the heroes who make up a universe of gods and mutants or just like a movies that have adventure with a lot of action, then Wonder Woman has all that and more.
After a crash landing off the coast of an island, American spy Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) finds himself in the arms of an Amazon warrior, named Diana (Gal Gadot). Here he learns of the amazing women on Paradise Island and then introduces Diana to his outside world that’s in the midst of turmoil.
Themyscira is a hidden island that houses the last remaining Amazon warriors that were created to protect the world by Zeus. Led by Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) and ultimate warrior Antiope (Robin Wright) this island has been kept a secret from evil gods such as Aries, ‘God of War’ for centuries until now. They fear that the return of Aries is far off, but Diana feels he has already arrived.
World War I has been destroying the earth and Steve is looking for a way to end the conflict for good. Diana has become infatuated with Steve and he takes her to London where German General Ludendorff (Danny Huston) has an evil plot to destroy the allies and win the war for his country. Steve contacts the British military telling Lord Sir Patrick (David Thewlis) of their possible doom from a lethal gas attack.
With help from Diana and a few of his trusty friends, Sameer (Saïd Taghmaoui), Charlie (Ewen Bremner), and The Chief (Eugene Brave Rock), they set out to stop Ludendorff and his soldiers.
Director Patty Jenkins, puts together an action packed winner. She establishes each of the main characters early on shaping Diana into a soldier. She’s determined to help humanity and with Steve as her guide and teacher right all that is wrong with the world. Jenkins presents the well written storyline and turns up the special effects, scenic sets and awesome cinematography that makes it all look real. What’s more the production never lets you down, living up to all the advance hype prior to the release.
They have it right, this is one of the best DC Comics characters ever brought to the screen. I am impressed with the seamless CGI, the acting (especially Gal Gadot), the direction and a script that takes you on a roller coaster ride. While the men will love all the action and the gorgeous Amazon warriors, the film also targets women, teens to thirties. The PG-13 rating for sequences of violence and action, and some suggestive content holds true. Be warned that the suggestive content is of a sexual nature with a lot of innuendos and there’s brief male nudity. This may be something to consider when allowing pre-teens to see the film without adult supervision.
Final Rating: I give this 4.5 stars out of 5 as it’s a perfect introduction of one of my favorite comic book characters.
Cast includes: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, and Eugene Brave Rock. Director: Patty Jenkins. Runtime: 141 minutes.