Wonder Woman Review

Justin, Mike, and I saw Wonder Woman on June 3, 2017! 10 years ago today, I graduated from Elmira College. 10 years later, I finally witnessed my favorite superhero of all time in her first stand alone movie, and it was GLORIOUS (cue Bobby Roode's theme music here)! Wonder Woman is everything I wanted it to be and more. In my honest opinion, the DCEU has been rocking on all cylinders since Man of Steel, however, it's Wonder Woman that has made me feel more than any comic book movie I've ever seen. I legitimately shed a tear or two seeing all of this amazing action and storytelling unfold on screen. Patty Jenkins, Zack Snyder, and everybody else involved in this movie behind the scenes in terms of storytelling made an incredible movie that merits being called a film. Too many times in the past few years, we've seen comic book movies being considered excellent when they were subpar, but Wonder Woman is a true representation of good vs. evil, a protagonist faced with challenges that finds the courage to rise above, a role model for young girls that is appropriate to look up to and aspire to be: strong, confident, a leader, a symbol of hope, a beacon of truth, a role model for young boys to realize that women are just as incredible, if not, moreso than men, as well as showing that there are good men in this world, and not all of us are chauvinists or misogynist pigs. Man, I'm starting to tear up as I write this! Wonder Woman excels on all levels and made me want to instantly write a review in a similar fashion to Ashley Rickard's Jenna Hamilton feverishly typing her inner thoughts on her blog in Awkward.

Gal Gadot's performance in this movie was absolutely incredible! It's my favorite female performance of 2017, and I honestly don't think anything will come close to topping it. It's a performance that inspires. It's a performance that makes us remember why we watch movies. It's a performance that reminds us that women can kick just as much butt as men. Gal is a total package in my eyes...much like Wonder Woman is! There's this perfect symbiosis where Gal IS Wonder Woman. The actress disappears and the character is larger than life. That's the mark of a great performance when you're looking at the character on screen forgetting that it's another person entirely. Gal became Diana Prince as the movie progressed.  Gal understands the strengths and struggles of the character. She is an absolute goddess of a woman that brought so much natural courage and valor to the character that I can't see anybody else as the character. When Lynda Carter gave her blessing, I knew we were in for something great. Ever since Gal's first appearance as the Amazonian Bad Ass in Batman vs. Superman, I knew we were going to be in for something amazing here. Gal is an absolute bad ass in her own right and it's been seen as a member of the Israeli army, as well as her training sessions for this movie. Wonder Woman has always been a character I looked up to. I love strong female characters, and there's nothing stronger in my eyes than Wonder Woman. Gal really made that aura stand out throughout the whole movie. Her poise and grace mixed with her physical prowess and intensity make her a truly amazing woman. Thank you Gal Gadot! You'r an incredible woman!

Chris Pine's work as Steve Trevor might have been the best work of his career so far.  The struggle with being a good or bad man is always on display with his character as a spy. He's a smart man, but like all of us, he has his flaws. With Diana by his side, though, she is able to help him realize the good that does lie within all of us. That's a major symbol of the Wonder Woman character throughout the years. Pine displayed a level of vulnerablity, but when it counted, he also displayed a level of courage most people wouldn't. Steve represents the struggles of good vs. evil in man, as well as the capabilities of human beings. What can we be driven to do? How can we do our part to make the world a better place? Why is there so much evil in the world? All of these questions were on full display with the Steve Trevor character. Diana's discussions with him about these issues and her upbringing as a goddess were very intriguing. There's two different view points, but both are struggling with the same things, however, at the same time both are strong and compliment each other. There's some great comedy and drama between Gal and Chris.I really liked their chemistry throughout this movie.

I think the action sequences in this movie are so well done. The No Man's Land scene is excellent. When Wonder Woman climbs that ladder, you know business is about to pick up! Man, I loved that, and instantly got goosebumps from the amazing action unfolding. The Wonder Woman vs. Ares battle are some of the most epic scenes in a comic book movie. Incredible work by David Thewlis, who worked so well in the role! These battles also showed Diana physically and emotionally trying to decide who she should be fighting. Watching Diana rise above and choose the right path is incredible. It's at these moments where we see her at her strongest. Using all of her inner fire, courage, and strength, we kind of watch her become a phoenix and she becomes a true goddess, a woman full of wonder that exudes pure confidence in the realization that there is good in this world, based on the Steve Trevor character, and that Ares, chaos, war, and evil can be triumphed over. It's just such a beautiful movie! Of course, there's also the incredible soundtrack, scenery, costumes, and supporting characters that help the film progress as well!

This movie gets an obvious and definite 5/5 for Gal Gadot's incredible interpretation, performance, and presentation of the Wonder Woman character, Chris Pine's great work as Steve Trevor, phenomenal action sequences that redefine the word epic, incredible musical scores, beautiful scenery, and an all around seal of approval to the world that Wonder Woman is an immortal goddess that deserves respect. It is a huge success for comic book movies and movies in general.