Resolutely oldfashioned and highspirited fun

WONDER WOMAN Direction: Patty Jenkins Actors: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine Rating: HHH

At long last, this DC super-heroine gets a solo outing. It’s also one of the rare action-ad- ventures directed by a woman. Patty Jenkins (Monster) plunges us into the origin story of Diana, the warrior princess, better known as Wonder Woman.

Smart, funny and tremendously exciting, the film conjures up a fantastical First World War era that keeps your riveted. The narrative focuses on the feminist icon and would-be ‘godkiller’ (Israeli Gal Gadot, vaulting to the top ranks of female action stars).

Living on an island paradise populated entirely by women, she leaves her homeland for the battlefields of Europe. She is accompanied by an American spy (Chris Pine) whose plane had crash-landed on the island.

The duo hopes to put an end to the conflict and restore peace to the world. As they strive to come to terms with what Hannah Arendt termed ‘the banality of evil’, they accept the necessity for selfless heroism. Meanwhile, their blossoming romance, which seems familiar but feels new, provides a valuable emotional component. Jenkins and her battalion of digital technicians whip up skirmishes with gusto and use an arsenal of 3D effects that will have you ducking for cover.

For once, even the slow-motion training montages are effective. It’s only during the climactic conflagration that the son et lumière mega-spectacle loses some of its sheen.

Elena Anaya as the aptly named ‘Doctor Poison’ and David Thewlis as the duplicitous British diplomat are impressive in supporting roles. Matthew Jensen’s camerawork and the background music score by Rupert Gregson-Williams are a treat too. Resolutely old-fashioned, Wonder Woman is highspirited fun. Go have a blast.