REVIEW: ‘Wonder Woman’ a true wonder to behold

There are some folks who will tell you that the new “Wonder Woman” movie is the first cinematic feature to be headed by a female hero in the lead role. They are conveniently forgetting movies like “Supergirl,” “Elektra” and “Catwoman”. And who can blame them, as those three movies were unmitigated Dumpster fires? So, no. “Wonder Woman” is NOT the first female-led superhero film.

But it’s the best one I’ve ever seen. And it’s not even close.

“Wonder Woman” tells the tale of Diana (Gal Gadot), an Amazonian princess who ventures into the world of humans after pilot (and “above average” hunk) Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash lands near her island. As Diana grows closer to Steve, she finds humans to be wonderful and frustrating, capable of good and horrific evil.

Meanwhile, the fiendish Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and Dr. Maru (Elena Anaya) are working up a terrifying new chemical weapon that promises to wipe out millions of innocent people. With each step Diana takes toward confronting Lundendorff, she draws closer to discovering her true purpose.

As the latest entry in the D.C. Extended Universe (that’s what we’re calling the D.C. Comics movie world), “Wonder Woman” has a ton riding on it. The first three DCEU flicks have all under-performed critically or financially to some extent. “Wonder Woman” succeeds in getting right what those films got wrong. It’s not as meandering, overly serious or self-important as “Man of Steel” or “Batman v. Superman” and it’s a far better story than “Suicide Squad.” It’s also more competently edited than “Squad,” but that’s not saying much.

But the the characters at the heart of the story are what really make “Wonder Woman” great. Gadot turns in a tremendous performance as Diana. She’s soft and vulnerable when she needs to be, but she has a real physical presence when it’s time to kick bad-guy booty. (That may have something to do with the time she spent in the Israeli military.)

Pine is every bit as good as Steve Trevor. His funny, strong soldier veneer slips away and we get to see a man who isn’t sure he’s a decent human being. Other highlight performances are given by Lucy Davis as Steve’s secretary, and Ewen Bremner and Saïd Taghmaoui as members of the crew that helps Diana infiltrate enemy territory.

From the director’s chair, Patty Jenkins crafts a fun, epic action-fest that has some heart and more on its mind than just beating the bad guy. Themes of love and responsibility are woven through this story, and Jenkins renders them in a way that doesn’t overpower the narrative. The balance between fun and message is just about perfect.

Gripes? I have a few. Paramount among them is an over-reliance on slow motion action footage. There’s so much slo-mo that it loses its impact before the first big battle scene concludes. Other gripes include a villain who ultimately isn’t all that interesting and a score that goes over the top to the point of distraction.

None of that can derail “Wonder Woman,” though. This is a thoroughly enjoyable movie with laughs, heart and a lot of action. It gives me hope for the upcoming “Justice League” flick and may actually force me to rewrite my Top 5 Favorite Comic Book Movies. Recommended. Highly!

4 ½ Indy Fedoras out of 5

MPAA Rating: PG-13