Why “Wonder Woman” (2017) is rated so highly

It was rated very highly for a number of reasons. One, Gal Gadot’s performance. She goes from naive, somewhat sheltered naif to a seasoned battle-worthy veteran in a relatively short amount of time, and does so without a false note, IMO.

Two, the origin story was told from a woman’s perspective without the usual trappings of “men are scum, we wimmin iz gonna save the world.” Yes, there are the usual lines about “man’s world” and trust issues, but they are not belabored. Diana sees the inequality in society of that age—maybe all ages—and acts, but doesn’t push. She simply does, and the men around her willingly follow her lead, not because she’s a hot chick in leather/metal battle armor, but because  she’s a leader, and gender is pushed aside, as it should be.

Three, the acting is superb. I was a little hesitant at first, as Ms. Gadot’s delivery seemed a little flat in her turn at BvsS, but she was so dynamic—as was her entrance, sudden though it was—that it made up for any shortcomings. Chris Pine, who is not the most expressive of actors, was actually quite good in this film, and the rest of the cast was excellent as well. Most of all, they seemed to be having fun. That feeling of goodwill permeated the entire film and that’s rare.

Now, the film isn’t perfect. While the music—Junkie XL ought to get a special mention for his ‘War Drums’ theme—the acting, the action and set design are all very well done, the flashbacks dragged the film down at times, but not enough to garner a negative rating from me.

As for the slo-mo, some fans carped about it, saying Snyder was to fault, but I didn’t think so. Slo-mo has become de rigeur these days, and it was handled well. Ms. Jenkins directed solidly, and while she isn’t known as an action director per se, the sequences to this fan were involving and exciting.

Finally, as Dan Holliday mentioned, the film’s script is cohesive. BvsS ran in a number of directions. I can’t fault the performances, but the script was a little scattershot. Even the extended version, while an improvement, wasn’t enough. The action, though, was terrific, as was the music. With Wonder Woman, we had a very clear and linear vision from start to finish and it focused on Wonder Woman’s journey all the way. THAT’s how you do an origin story!

It goes without saying—but I’ll say it, anyway—that the DCEU needed a shot in the arm, and Wonder Woman provided it. Yes, they made money from MOS, BvsS, and Suicide Squad, but the scripts were lacking. Not here, IMO. Gal Gadot carried the film on her shoulders, and the rest of the cast matched her every step of the way. That alone makes it worthwhile seeing.