‘Wonder Woman’ is a female superhero worth rooting for.
All hail the daughter of Hippolyta. In a genre not known for embracing women of substance, the rollicking new “Wonder Woman” gives us a superhero worth rooting for.
This vital and invigorating action movie — a breath of fresh air in an often tired canon — may even rescue us from superhero fatigue. Directed by Patty Jenkins (“Monster”), we finally have a caped crusader who deserves our allegiance.
“Wonder Woman” has its imperfections — like other films in the genre, it’s enslaved to special effects — but this rambunctious Diana is still the closest thing to a feminist action hero since the days of “Buffy.” As she kicks ass from start to finish, the movie never once reduces her exploits to eye candy. And that’s almost as thrilling as watching her play catch with a tank.
Diana, princess of the Amazons, isn’t plagued by the doubts that eat away at other DC icons. Raised on an enchanted isle of women, by her mother, the redoubtable Queen (a fiercely regal Connie Nielsen) and her formidable aunt, the battle-scarred General Antiope (a ferocious turn by Robin Wright), she’s innocent of the world’s de- pravity.
It’s heartening to see attention paid to the richly complex relationship between these three women and the mother/daughter scenes are some of the film’s most moving. In a pantheon often dominated by ma- chismo and swagger, the matriarchal culture of the Amazons shines brightly indeed.
You can see where Diana (the gorgeous Gal Gadot) gets her grit and her grace. She’s an earnest heroine, wide-eyed in a grim world, but it’s deeply enjoyable to see a movie that respects its origin story. Gadot captures the fierceness of the character, if not her wryness, and she feels worthy of those magic bracelets and the lasso of truth.
Part of what makes the picture so appealing is the repartee between the guileless Diana and the American spy Steve Trevor (a toothsome Chris Pine).
The dashing flyboy washes up on her island amid the chaos and carnage of the Great War. The first man she has ever laid eyes on, he tells her of a war that may be the end of mankind. Her mother forbids her to leave but she gives up everything she knows to leap into the fray.
The god of war has ravaged Europe from trench warfare to poison gas. The period is deftly evoked (cinematography by Matthew Jensen) making this one of the more handsome comic book movies in a good long while. The crushing scenes of mangled refugees will both move you and remind you of today’s political turmoil.
Amid this scorched-earth backdrop, Diana battles Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya), who has concocted a nerve gas for the vile Commander Ludendorff ( Danny Huston). Not that it matters — our girl Diana is impervious to such weapons as she sprints across no man’s land in a flash.
Jenkins juggles the bloodshed with tender moments between Diana and Steve. Gadot has a light hand with the fish-out-of-water shtick. When she catches Steve in the altogether, she inquires: “Would you say you are a typical example of your sex?” He’s hastens to assure her that he’s above average. Certainly Pine does his finest work outside of “Hell or High Water” playing second fiddle to the warrior princess with panache.
The intimate moments here may be the most powerful. Diana calmly refuses to leave a village to its doom. Steve casually realizes he is no longer the bravest one around. Jenkins, the first woman to direct a major superhero movie, captures the gravity in quiet resolution.
The fable’s final chapter is by far its weakest. Even Gadot’s charm and her sparks with Pine can’t save us from the CGI overload of the finale. The numbing onslaught of explosions feels so formulaic it overshadows nuanced performances by David Thewlis.
Jenkins doesn’t need to bludgeon us with pyrotechnics. The real fireworks of the “Wonder Woman” narrative are its powerful emotions.