Let me get my negative out of the way first: I didn’t like the final battle scene. I think that was pretty generic and didn’t do justice to the rest of the movie.
Now the positives: there is a spirit and style to this movie, thanks to Patty Jenkins, that shines through. This is a movie about fear, doubt, and hope. Diana (Gal Gadot) is pulled from her island home of Themyscira due to the arrival of WW1 pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine).
Diana is convinced war god Ares is behind the conflict, and a good chunk of the movie becomes a nostalgic war-time mystery drama, complete with disguises and intriguing dialogue with the bad guys. Jenkins is not afraid to let Gadot do the heavy lifting, and not just in the action sequences. She looks great, and has being a god among mortals, she gets to be a little “fish out of water” quirky and it works very well.
Pine is solid in a supporting role as the charismatic love interest. The story needed this vulnerable, grounded human character to make it work, to balance out the powerful, other-worldly Wonder Woman.
