8.3 C
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Advertisement

Wonder Woman (TheaterByte Movie Review)

Wonder Woman (2017) Poster ArtIt has been more than a decade since Patty Jenkins (Monster) has directed a feature film and Wonder Woman marks her debut in the superhero film genre.

Wonder Woman opens in the present but quickly returns to the past when Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) receives a briefcase from Wayne Enterprises containing a century-old photograph of her as Wonder Woman, surrounded by her comrades: American pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), crafty operator Sameer (Said Taghmaoui), alcoholic Scottish sharpshooter Charlie (Ewen Bremner), and savvy guide Chief (Eugene Brave Rock).

Diana recalls her origins on the lush island of Themyscira. As daughter of Zeus and Amazon Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), she is being trained in martial arts by her aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright). The island’s tranquility is interrupted by Trevor’s plane crash in the ocean while being pursued by a company of German soldiers. An ensuing battle royal between the Amazons and the Germans results in Antiope’s death and Steve’s rescue by Diana. Trevor reveals that he is a spy attempting to take down a mustard gas factory run by General Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and his disfigured scientist Doctor Maru (Elena Anaya) who is working on a far deadlier gas. Diana believes that her half-brother Ares is responsible for World War I and, that by killing him the war will cease.

Steve and Diana leave Themyscira for London where he makes a successful case to Sir Patrick Morgan (David Thewlis) for their going to the Belgian front. The pair reach the war zone accompanied by Sameer, Charlie, and Chief only to find that there is a military stalemate in No Man’s Land. Wonder Woman proceeds to carve a path of carnage through the German ranks and liberates the town of Veld. The group next hatches a plan to stop Ludendorff’s deadly plot but Steve thwarts Diana’s attempt on the General’s life and, in return, the mustard gas is released on Veld, killing all the villagers.

[envira-album id=”101142″]

The final act is an action-packed, thrill-laden fight to the finish with special effects galore and a race against time to prevent the dropping of gas-filled canisters on London itself. A combination of mythical characters and real people works marvelously well, although it takes a significant suspension of disbelief to reconcile the collaboration of a 5000 year-old immortal Amazonian princess with her human counterparts, fighting shoulder to shoulder against the international forces of evil.

Wonder Woman soars to the heavens or crashes to the earth on the strength of its lead actor. In Gal Gadot (who reprises this role from Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice), we have a tough Army veteran who has also been a Miss Israel, a professional model, a stuntwoman, and a martial arts expert. Having grown up with Lynda Carter’s more toned-down television version of a character that can jump, run, fly, deflect bullets, and take down baddies, Gadot’s new millennium realization of this iconic role is simply riveting. The supporting cast is also quite strong: Chris Pine’s all-American boy-next-door, David Thewlis and Danny Huston as arch-villains, and statuesque Connie Nielsen’s turn as Hippolyta. CGI-effects aside (and there are plenty), Wonder Woman would not be the film that it is without the knowing directorial hand of Patty Jenkins who makes an incredibly strong statement about powerful female characters on the silver screen. Allan Heinberg’s script has the appropriate terseness expected in battle flicks but there are enough light-hearted moments to relieve the oppressiveness of combat. Matthew Jensen’s superb camera work and a heroic score by Rupert Gregson-Williams add to the excitement of this movie. There are superhero films and then there are superhero films. This one is a screaming success and, hopefully, there will be sequels. Highly recommended.

[youtube httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INLzqh7rZ-U&w=670&h=377]

4.5 / 5 TheaterByte Rating
{{ reviewsOverall }} / 5 Users (0 votes)
Atlas Entertainment | Cruel & Unusual Films | DC Entertainment | Warner BrothersStudios & Distributors
PG-13 (adventure violence, suggestive contents)Rating Certificate
USACountry
EnglishLanguage
141 Mins.Run Time
2.35:1Aspect Ratio
Patty JenkinsDirector
Allan HeinbergWriter
2 Jun. 2017Release Date
The Film
Summary
A superhero portrayal that receives a high-level presentation in all respects and gives us a strong female character primed for more films in the future.
What people say... Login to rate
Order by:

Be the first to leave a review.

User Avatar User Avatar
Verified
{{{ review.rating_title }}}
{{{review.rating_comment | nl2br}}}

This review has no replies yet.

Avatar
Show more
Show more
{{ pageNumber+1 }}
Advertisement

Related Articles

Join the Discussion on TheaterByte!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Connected

301FansLike
0FollowersFollow
184FollowersFollow
1,710FollowersFollow
- Advertisement -

Notice of Compliance with FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255

In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR part 255 guidelines, this website hereby states that it receives free discs and other theatrical or home entertainment "screeners" and access to screening links from studios and/or PR firms, and is provided with consumer electronics devices on loan from hardware manufacturers and/or PR firms respectively for the purposes of evaluating the products and its content for editorial reviews. We receive no compensation from these companies for our opinions or for the writing of reviews or editorials.
Permission is sometimes granted to companies to quote our work and editorial reviews free of charge. Our website may contain affiliate marketing links, which means we may get paid commission on sales of those products or the services we write about. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR § 255.5: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Latest Articles