Directed by Patty Jenkins

Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston

Well this was surprisingly good. Amidst the horrible reception to Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, DC really haven't been doing well in setting up their own cinematic universe. So, I went into Wonder Woman with very low expectations indeed. Amazingly however, I was glued to the screen, and I felt like I was strapped to my cinema chair, as DC's first and the superhero genre's longtime coming of a solo lead female superhero film was an absolute delight.

The film stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, AKA Diana Prince, an Amazonian warrior brought to life by Zeus grows up on a sheltered island paradise, before Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) winds up on the island, and seeks the help of Diana to foil a plot by the German's in World War One - to which Diana joins in thinking that her greatest nemesis lies among the enemy that her and Trevor are to fight.

First off, of course, this film feels very similar to many superhero films but different in the fact we have a female lead, and whilst I was very hesitant about how Gadot would do in the role, she's fantastic and dominates the screen. It doesn't feel different in the way that she's a woman taking on the lead role - I didn't notice this at all, it was done fluently and felt normal and what enhanced my experience was her performance. So bravo to her. Pine's Trevor is also played brilliantly and his chemistry with Gadot is wonderful. They play off of eachother very well and all of the dialogue exchanges are great, whether funny or emotional, they're a match made in heaven.

Director Patty Jenkins, shines massively in this film. There are some parts that are a little too cheesy and cringe-worthy at times, this sometimes being reflected in the comedy - but her colour palette choices and the style of this film are very admirable, and the costume design works well (obviously) as part of the WW1 era. The action scenes in this one are some of the best action scenes I've ever seen in a superhero film. Admittedly, some of them are quite repetitive in terms of shots and such but I was tense as ever when the now iconic Wonder Woman theme from Batman v Superman plays as she drop kicks German soldiers and flies around the room tearing them to shreds. It's very satisfying and very empowering.

This all being said, there are some issues, the first big one being more personal. Aside from the war time setting, Wonder Woman feels oddly similar to Captain America: The First Avenger which distracted me at times. Plot points, shots, themes and dialogue feel very very similar to this film and I found it a little annoying and obnoxious at times. Our villain is ultimately disappointing and pointless in the end too, which ends up becoming a big CGI fest of colours and explosions, the ending isn't as great as the rest of the film unfortunately, and could have been something much better.

However, that won't upset me too much because I didn't come out of this film disappointed at all. It's a very fun, stylistic and emotional film that finally gives one of the world's most iconic superhero's her first big film - and compared to the rest of the DCEU at this point, it feels as though we're at the start of something new. If future DC films can stick to having the same energy and heart this film has, they may have just saved themselves. Then again, I've got a very bad feeling about Justice League still.

The Good

- Gadot and Pine

- Action sequences

- Style

- Well directed

- Incredibly fun

The Bad

- Weak villain

- Too similar to Captain America: The First Avenger

8/10