Gal Gadot/Wonder Woman
Gal Gadot continues her fine work as Wonder Woman. Building on the foundation that Zack Snyder laid down in Batman V Superman for the character, Gadot and Jenkins take her back to her more naive years. There's a definite difference in the way that Gadot portrays the character in this film, compared to how she did in BVS. She is more cheery and more hopeful, and it was really good to see her develop into this more seasoned warrior who realises that there's no easy solution to fixing the world's problems and sees the darker sides of life that she's been shielded from at an early age. Gadot also handled her comedic scenes very well, such as her dress shopping scene, which was very well done in terms of humour. She also handled the whole Fish-out-of-water arc very well too. Allowing the audience to see our world through her eyes and really connect with Diana. Overall, Gal Gadot is a Wonder Woman we can all cheer for!
Chris Pine/Steve Trevor
Following Wonder Woman is her love interest, Steve Trevor, played by Star Trek actor Chris Pine. Pine was one of my favourite characters in the film. He was witty, charming, sharp on his feet but what really got me about the character was how he wasn't just labelled as either Wonder Woman's sidekick or love interest. Instead, the two were paired more as partners, which is really good because audiences don't really get to see male and female characters working together so efficiently. Trevor also worked well as being Diana's moral compass through Man's world. Also, Chris Pine proves himself to be quite the comical actor, such as the scene in the bath where he's playing with the strange glowing waters of Themyscira and then talking to Diana whilst naked. Pine makes the character highly likeable and very charming. His death scene in the finale was very heartbreaking, as the audience grew to love this character.
The Squad
I'm labelling the other characters who accompanied Diana and Steve as 'The Squad' because I feel like this is more or less how the Suicide Squad should have been handled, and I'm glad DC appears to be learning from their mistakes. They may have been side-characters but each one was very well defined and memorable, and even had some character development. From Charlie's (Ewen Bremmer) war trauma and slow, but not full, climb back to being hopeful, to Sameer's (Saïd Taghmaoui) flirtatious characteristics with Diana but growing to respect her and treating her as an equal. I thought it was really great to see this kind of character development and bonding.
Ludendorff & Dr Poison
This is where the film loses some of its grandeur. Unfortunately, the film falls prey to what plagues many superhero films, poor villains. Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and Dr Poison (Elena Anaya) felt very out of place in this film. In a fairly serious story, these two characters felt more like they were better suited in a Saturday morning cartoon. A good example of this is when they use their new Hydrogen-based gas on the German officers and Ludendorff leaves a gas mark for them. Dr Poison asks him why he left the mask as it won't work against the mask, to which Ludendorff states that he knows and the two laugh together over it. The acting felt really out of place in this scene. I remember sitting in the cinema thinking "Am I watching Wonder Woman or 1960s Batman?" and it didn't get any better from there. Except for in the finale where Wonder Woman has a chance to crush Dr Poison with a tank and sees her horrific scars. I thought that was a very moving scene and Elena Anaya sold her vulnerability very well. But, overall, I couldn't get into these characters.
Themyscira and The Amazons
Themyscira was imagined very well in this film. The shots and imagery from the scenes set on the island were absolutely beautiful. You could really see why Steve referred to it as "Paradise Island". I really like the references to Greek mythology through the architecture and the weaponry. But what really sold Themyscira for me were the inhabitants. The Amazons were absolutely breathtaking to watch. It's almost as if Patty Jenkins had ripped them right out of the comic book strips and put them in the film. I also really enjoyed the way they looked, in terms of their armour and weapons. Sure there was plenty of Greco-Roman influence on the costumes but also some slight nods to the Valkyries from Norse Mythology, which I thought was very interesting. Also, the Amazons were part of, in my opinion, the best action sequence in the film. In the scene, Diana has just saved Steve from drowning, but he's been followed by German forces who land on the shores of Themyscira and get into an all-out battle with the Amazons. This scene perfectly demonstrated the power of the Amazons, from their unparalleled fighting skills to their superhuman abilities. It also highlighted how big a threat both the German army and advanced weaponry were, as the Amazons took heavy casualties in the fight. Overall, I loved the Amazons and I really hope we see Themyscira again!
Ares
Perhaps the most surprising twist in the finale (If it hadn't been spoiled months prior to the release of the film) is that David Thewlis' character, Sir Patrick, is really the film's main antagonist, Ares. I wasn't too happy with this. I did like David Thewlis in the role, and he gave a better performance as a villain than Danny Huston did, but his reveal came at a point where Diana has just killed Ludendorff, as she mistakes him for Ares, but realises that killing him made no difference in stopping the war and she has realised that it's human nature that's the real enemy. I thought this was a very good lesson for Diana, learning that you need to fix the problem and not the blame. But then Sir Patrick reveals that he was Ares all along, gently influencing Ludendorff and Dr Poison. So that lesson went out the window, and I was quite annoying. However, Thewlis does a good job as the character, his fight with Diana was fantastic, if very SFX-heavy, and his armour looked great! It was reminiscent of the Pre-New 52 style armour that the character wore in the comics.
The Action
The action in Wonder Woman is absolutely phenomenal, possibly even surpassing both Man Of Steel and Batman V Superman in how high-quality it was. I've already spoken about both the fight on Themyscira and the finale against Ares. But every action sequence in this film is highly memorable and unique. One of my favourites would have to be the street fight in London, which played homage to a similar scene from Superman: The Movie where Superman catches a bullet to save Lois Lane. I thought this scene was very smart and very well choreographed. However, perhaps the most memorable sequence is the No-Man's-Land scene. The sheer emotion and power in this scene are fantastic. When Diana began to walk onto No-Man's-Land it was difficult not to cheer. And then the Melee fight with Diana and the German soldiers in the warehouse rivals that of the Batman/Goon fight from Batman V Superman. The action was on-point and I really hope that DC uses this film as a template for how to direct their kind of action.
Patty Jenkins
When it was first announced that Patty Jenkins was going to direct Wonder Woman I had mixed feelings. Whilst she directed Monster, which is an Academy Award Winning film, she has never really handled the action genre before, particularly with a high-budget action film like this, and I also felt as if she was only brought on board because Warner Bros. simply hired her because she's a woman and they were using that as a gimmick to appease female audiences. However, I am more than happy to admit that I was wrong. Not only did she direct a kick-ass film but she was also able to balance heartfelt moments with the action almost beautifully. And I believe this is mainly because Jenkins, to her core, understands Wonder Woman and clearly loves the character, which is evident through how respectful and true to the source material her depiction of the character is. I really hope she comes back for the sequel. If not, then she could potentially be the top candidate to direct Justice League 2, should Zack Snyder permanently leave the DCEU.
DC going forward
Conclusion
In conclusion, Wonder Woman is a great action film that will satisfy comic book fans and movie fans alike. It has epic action, great characters and heart-warming emotion to it. It may have issues that plague most Superhero film, such as lacklustre villains, but they don't seem to overshadow the whole experience of the film. I cannot wait for what DC has next in line and I absolutely cannot wait until the sequel for Wonder Woman comes out.
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