Wonder Woman Review Round-Up

Chicago Tribune

"After showing up in last year's excruciating "Batman v. Superman" just long enough to steal the movie and then, unfortunately, give it back to the men, Gal Gadot grabs the Lasso of Truth and the bracelets of infinite resilience to take center stage in "Wonder Woman," director Patty Jenkins' formidable and almost entirely successful bid to make the DC Comics movies a little less lame.

I mean, thank Zeus, right? We needed one of these to be good. This has been a lousy spring at the movies. Taking a longer view, we could mention how "Wonder Woman" metaphorically clobbers any number of previous DC adaptations, including "Suicide Squad," "Batman v Superman," "Man of Steel," "Watchmen," "The Green Lantern" and "Superman Returns." Until now only the Christopher Nolan-directed "Batman" pictures (and, really, only "The Dark Knight" back in 2008) have felt like real movies, worth debating or exploring or more than a shrug. "Wonder Woman" is less distinctive visually, and the performances are more solid than remarkable. But Gadot, who can hold a goddess-like warrior gaze like nobody's business, leads the way, and and Jenkins' picture is serious fun guided by a sincere belief in the superheroine created in 1941 by William Moulton Marston."

Mashable

"Wonder Woman made her big-screen debut last year in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but from a plot perspective, she didn't really need to. Her role isn't much more than a glorified cameo whose main purpose seems to be to set up future films.

Tonally, though, her introduction was crucial. Wonder Woman felt like a glowing beacon of hope in a grim and gritty movie, and her uncomplicated heroism stood in stark relief to the more tormented variety exemplified by her future Justice League teammates.

This week's big release proves that was no fluke. Wonder Woman the movie does for the DCEU what Wonder Woman the character did for Batman v Superman, offering a different perspective on the franchise that brings its vision into clearer focus. And in doing so, it becomes one of the most inspiring superhero movies since Captain America: The First Avenger."

io9

"Every superhero origin story has the moment: The music swells, time slows, and the hero finally emerges on screen in their full costume, ready to kick ass. Of course Wonder Woman has this scene as well, but it might just be the best one we've ever seen—not only because it's so badass, but because it's been so, so overdue.

I'm very excited to report that this scene is just one of the many, many good things about Wonder Woman, the latest film set in the DC Extended Universe. Directed by Patty Jenkins, DC's historic, first female-led superhero movie is set largely during World War I, but it's Diana's story from start to finish. We first meet her as a young, Amazonian princess, who is still a wide-eyed young girl. The Amazons live on the hidden island of Themyscira, training to fight the god of war Ares, and we see Diana evolve into a fierce warrior with mysterious, special powers. When a U.S. spy named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) accidentally makes his way to the island, the reality of the outside world and utopia of Themyscira collide. As a result, Diana decides to leave her home to help Steve stop the war."

The Wrap

"In the recent flood of superhero movies, several have managed to be quite good — but "Wonder Woman" ranks as one of the few great ones.

Gal Gadot's turn as Princess Diana of Themyscira was a refreshing standout amidst the sludge of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and she's as good if not better headlining her own solo adventure. It's a film that not only improves upon many of the seemingly built-in shortcomings of superhero movies, but also mixes smarts, sentiment and adrenaline in the best Hollywood style. This is a superior popcorn movie, no matter what the genre."

Forbes

"And here we go...! Warner Bros./Time Warner Inc. will debut Wonder Woman around the world starting on Tuesday. It will expand to pretty much the whole globe over the next few weeks, save for Japan and its now-standard "well after everyone else" release date of Aug. 25th. In a different world, this one would be following the first few acclaimed DCEU movies whereby this one would act as the glorified curtain raiser/victory lap before the big team-up spectacular. But after a middlingly-received Man of Steel, a critically trashed Batman v Superman and a critically roasted (but comparatively leggy) Suicide Squad, the first big-budget comic book superhero movie starring a woman and directed by a woman must now carry the relative weight of the entire DC cinematic universe on her shoulders. So yeah, it's up to Wonder Woman to pull Batman and Superman out of the fire."

The Hollywood Reporter

"As the world's most well-adjusted superhero, Wonder Woman breaks the genre mold. She's openhearted, not angsty — an anomaly within the DC Universe, "Extended" or otherwise. So too is her long-awaited foray into the live-action big-screen spotlight: That openheartedness makes the movie something of an outlier. Its relative lightness would set it apart even if it didn't arrive on the heels of the Sturm und Drang of Batman v. Superman, the 2016 feature that introduced Gal Gadot as the demigoddess who believes it's her sacred duty to rid the world of war.

Yet as with all comics-based extravaganzas, brevity is anathema to the Patty Jenkins-directed Wonder Woman, and it doesn't quite transcend the traits of franchise product as it checks off the list of action-fantasy requisites. But this origin story, with its direct and relatively uncluttered trajectory, offers a welcome change of pace from a superhero realm that's often overloaded with interconnections and cross-references. (A nod to Wayne Enterprises in the story's framing device serves as a fuss-free tie-in to the upcoming Justice League.)"

IGN

"The world's most popular female superhero has finally made it to the big screen for her first solo movie, but the Wonder Woman film has a Herculean task ahead of it to be considered a success. It not only has to do right by a feminist icon but it also has to be a superhero movie good enough to break the DC Extended Universe stink streak. Watching that drama unfold was almost as exciting as the movie itself: could it overcome an uneven lead performance, some poorly rendered special effects, and a frustratingly mishandled end fight? It does, and Wonder Woman proves to be an emotionally resonate film that won me over with its refreshing take on the superhero formula that featured something we haven't seen in the DCEU yet: a true, bona fide hero.:

The Guardian

"Those hoping a shot of oestrogen would generate a new kind of comic-book movie – and revive DC's faltering movie universe – might need to lower their expectations. Like many people out there, I had no shortage of excitement and goodwill towards this female-led superhero project, but in the event it's plagued by the same problems that dragged down previous visits to the DC movie world: over-earnestness, bludgeoning special effects, and a messy, often wildly implausible plot. What promised to be a glass-ceiling-smashing blockbuster actually looks more like a future camp classic.

Things begin well enough, as our heroine, Diana (nobody ever calls her Wonder Woman), casts her mind back to her childhood on Themyscira, the hidden island of the Amazons. This tribe of athletic, leather-clad female warriors live in a bubble of classical antiquity, oblivious to the opposite sex and the first world war that rages outside. Diana's mother, Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), explains the mythology to her with the aid of a sort of ancient Greek iPad: how the Amazons were created by Zeus to resist Ares, the god of war (who is still at large), and how she sculpted Diana from clay – which you can believe when she grows up to be statuesque Israeli actor Gal Gadot. Confusingly, Diana later explains that "men are essential for procreation but when it comes to pleasure, unnecessary"."

Variety

"It may have taken four films to get there, but the DC Extended Universe has finally produced a good old-fashioned superhero. Sure, previous entries in the Warner Bros. assembly line have given us sporadically successful, demythified takes on Batman and Superman, but they've all seemed skeptical, if not downright hostile, toward the sort of unabashed do-gooderism that DC Comics' golden-age heroes exemplified. Never prone to stewing in solitude, and taking more notes from Richard Donner than from Christopher Nolan, Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman" provides a welcome respite from DC's house style of grim darkness — boisterous, earnest, sometimes sloppy, yet consistently entertaining — with star Gal Gadot proving an inspired choice for this avatar of truth, justice and the Amazonian way."

USA Today

"Diana Prince, we've been waiting for you.

Wonder Woman (***½ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters nationwide Thursday night) is a departure from most superhero films you've seen. It's a female superhero film — which is revolutionary enough by itself — but it's also a genuinely surprising film that plays with genre and throws out the now very tired superhero movie formula. It's an action film, a romantic comedy and a coming-of-age story and a period piece and a war movie all in one. Above all, it's a hopeful story about humanity.

Wonder Woman is the best movie Marvel rival DC Comics has put out in its own cinematic universe, and unlike the recent parade of bleak superhero tales from both studios, it makes you feel good while you watch it."

Nerdist

"There's something about Wonder Woman that's so singular to her character and no, it's not the fact that she's a woman. But the fact that she is a woman is certainly evident in the film's cinematic strengths. Homegirl is a goddess—literally—and that really changes the game; she doesn't need Tony Stark's bravado or Bruce Wayne's money or Captain America's super-serum or all the Joker's crazy. She is the literal personification of perfection made otherworldly. So how do you bring all that power to life on the big screen?

It was certainly a herculean undertaking for Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, made all the more difficult by the pressure of being the first and only female superhero standalone film directed by a woman… without, it seems, the typical fanfare of superhero movie marketing. On top of that, Wonder Woman shoulders the weight of being an origin story, establishing this character for a new audience, all the while living in the shadow of 76 years worth of history. (And as we know, comic book fans are, ahem, a bit protective.)"

Entertainment Weekly

"Ever since Christopher Nolan's last great Batman film, 2008's The Dark Knight, DC has been in a pretty brutal big-screen slump. Watchmen. Jonah Hex. Green Lantern. Suicide Squad. The various Superman movies. Some of these films have managed to make a nice chunk of change at the box office. But they're the kind of hits that exist more on a studio's balance sheet than in the hearts and minds of moviegoers. Unlike its crosstown rival, Marvel, DC has had a hard time finding the right mix of darkness and light, seriousness and humor, gravitas and fun. They just haven't been able to crack the magic nut. It would be insane to think that the suits at Warner Bros., the custodians of the DC celluloid franchise, weren't getting twitchy and envious every time a new Marvel flick hit theaters. But now, with their latest superhero saga, they can finally stopping chewing their cuticles — if there are any left. Wonder Woman is smart, slick, and satisfying in all of the ways superhero films ought to be. How deliciously ironic that in a genre where the boys seem to have all the fun, a female hero and a female director are the ones to show the fellas how it's done."

The Playlist

"In Warner Bros.' "Wonder Woman," the long overdue story of comic books' most iconic super heroine, the Amazonian princesses' story is forged from clay by the Gods in a stylized epic flashback seemingly plucked from Zack Snyder's "300" style guide. Various titans from Greek mythology clash including Zeus, Aphrodite and most pointedly, Ares the God of war. On the secret island of Themyscira, gifted by the Gods, the unconquerable Amazonian warriors rule far away from mankind and therein lies the young, fearless and impetuous Diana who grows to be one of the most legendary of them all. The tranquility of Themyscira, however, is broken when an American pilot (also a British spy) crashes on shore, irrevocably changing the order of life for its inhabitants. And soon, upon learning about the conflicts and horrors of WWI, and the good intentions of those opposed to its suffering, Diana realizes that her destiny lies elsewhere, much to the chagrin of her mother who has spent a lifetime warning her about the destructive world of men."

Birth Movies Death

"Ever since I started running around Los Angeles screaming about how great Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman film is, I've gotten the same question over and over again: "Are you sure?" Is it safe? Such is the level of mistrust and antipathy directed at WB and DC by a segment of fandom. It's just too difficult to fathom that they got it right this time.

I'm here to assure you, yet again, that they did.

Wonder Woman is unquestionably the best DC superhero film since The Dark Knight, dispensing with the relentlessly grim, cynical take on these iconic characters in favor of embracing an appropriately modern interpretation of the aw shucks sincerity that defined the times in which these heroes were born. Gal Gadot performs the niftiest trick in superhero cinema, playing the origin story of a character she's already introduced in another film. Diana Prince is not the highly confident person challenging Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a film Gadot thoroughly stole from the bigger names in the cast. Instead, she plays Diana's strength, plus the vulnerable, optimistic, moral core that was missing from that initial performance."