Wonder Woman

NOTE: This review was written a few months ago for a separate publication.  I held onto it, but today is a good day to post it.  I got nothing else right now.  My "Frankenfiles" reviews will continue next week, probably Monday.  Keep in mind, this piece was written for a completely different audience.  That's why it has an introductory tone.  No rating, but I'd give Wonder Woman 4 Z'Dars.

I'm an unapologetic nerd.  I collected comic books as a wee mutineer, but I had picky, specific tastes.  Most superheroes bored me to napalm death.  I did make exceptions for Spider-Man and Batman, but all told, I sought out the weird stuff.  That predilection for the obscure was nurtured with age.  I became a 32-year-old horror buff who brushed off the MCU, and yes, even the DCU.  I don't know why I'm talking in past tense.  I AM 32.  What a stupid age.  EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm 33 now.  That's a stupid age.

Anyway, you're not reading this to learn about me, although it will help you to see where I'm coming from.  Just where am I coming from exactly?  I'm coming from the place of an outsider, a pop culture insurgent who doesn't give a hard fuck about the mainstream. Maybe you're the same way, or maybe you feel like you would have to see every other DCU flick to absorb the finer details of Wonder Woman. Let's be candid; watching those overblown adaptations is an imposing prospect.

I have good news!  You don't have to do that kind of "homework," so to speak.  I certainly didn't, and I enjoyed the hell out of Wonder Woman.  From the onset of early trailers, it seemed to be spun of gossamer (or at least a more delicate fabric than its DCU predecessors).  I had a sneaking suspicion that it was a different beast altogether.  While the film's color palette is analogous to that of most summer blockbusters, the machinations beneath the glossy veneer zero in on pacing and character development.

Gal Gadot is functioning at an expert level as the titular hero.  She effortlessly communicates Diana's naivete, which leads to effective "fish out of water" humor.  Mind you, that's coming from someone who detests "fish out of water" humor.  Wonder Woman is simply well-written.  Each player has a purpose and no one is built too thin for their role in the narrative.  Oh, and Gadot is goddamn gorgeous. She may actually be an Amazonian warrior.  Jesus Christ.

The action sequences are set to kill.  Badass fight choreography, cool (or kewl, if you prefer) weaponry and an excellent use of slow-motion...until the ending, that is.  The last 15 minutes are mired in ostentation and cornball dialogue.  "Feel the power of love!" Really???  Are we supposed to believe that a Greek god can be trounced by the power of fucking love?  It's a trivial infraction, but I was really hoping for a killer climax.

Luckily, the rest of Wonder Woman lives up to the hype.  I don't know when this article will be published, but if this slice of the DC Universe is still playing at a theater near you, go see it.  Now!