Wonder Woman Kicks Ass and Takes Names!

This is a movie some fans have been waiting their entire lives to see. Let me start by saying it's well worth the wait. I came out with everything I expected and then some. I knew warner bros played it smart with the marketing, but I was still pleasantly surprised at how many awesome moments they held off on. If you've seen every trailer and watched all the clips, you haven't seen nearly half the awesome shit this movie has to offer. 

I had a few concerns going in. Would Gal Gadot be able to carry an entire movie as the lead, would the action compare to the other instalments of the DCEU, would Ares look like a ridiculous CGI mess and would the promise of hope and optimism that we keep having shoved down our throats come off as heavy handed or cheesy. 

First off Gal Gadot was phenomenal. She's able to seamlessly pull off the emotional and somber moments and switch right into kicking ass and taking names. And does she ever kick all the asses and take all the names. Jesus H Fuck is Wonder Woman ever the baddest motherfucker in the DCEU. Without spoiling anything, we get to see a much bigger spectrum of what she's capable of this time around. The action was all around amazing. The fight choreography and cinematography was beautiful. The battle on Themescryia was unlike anything I've seen before. Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) deserves an honorable mention as a badass in his own right, though he didn't compare to the amazons wrecking shit like it was their business. Wonder Woman's lasso is used in some of the coolest ways in battle, like pulling someone to her and drop kicking them in midair! 

The biggest surprise for me was how awesome Ares appearance is. I was really worried it'd be a halfway there CGI mess like Doomsday in BvS. I couldn't have been more wrong. Without spoiling anything about him I'll just say he looked perfect. He's exactly what you'd expect from his other interpretations. He's not scary but he is menacing. In a way, he's DC's equivalent to an MCU villain. He's really only there to get his ass kicked by our hero. He's hinted at and built up to throughout the movie until his reveal in the third act. Probably not the most memorable villain in a comic book movie, but he looked awesome and he served his purpose.  

Shortly after BatmanVSuperman and suicide Squad were deemed moderate financial successes but panned critically, the narrative around the DCEU became that there needed to be a course correction. Their mantra became that the DCEU would start to implement hope and optimism in their movies. Geoff Johns is shoving this idea down our throats every chance he gets. While Wonder Woman does deliver on that promise, it also stays very much in line with the tone and aesthetic of the previous DCEU instalments. The movie is brighter, literally, and the tone is considerably lighter, but it felt natural for this story and this character. It honestly didn't feel like a departure for me. Which was a huge relief. I didn't want a jarring change that happened overnight. Just give us good movies that fit within the context of the story and are true to the character. Wonder Woman is very much this. It's a thrilling action adventure that felt like a throwback to Indiana Jones infused with Troy and Captain America the first Avenger. 

The great thing about this movie is it gives young girls an awesome female hero to look up to, and it's still just as accessible and enjoyable for everyone else. Patty Jenkins really nailed it on every level. It has the heart and humor fans have been missing and the spectacle we've come to expect. It works perfectly as its own standalone story as well as adding to the DCEU lore. I can't wait to see Wonder Woman back on the big screen with the Justice League in November.

8/10