Posted in: Movies, Review, Warner Bros, Wonder Woman | Tagged: film, reviews, wonder woman

Bleeding Cool Reviews 'Wonder Woman': It's Good But We Have Concerns

Much like we did with Guardians of the Galaxy we are going to do a group review. Bleeding Cool has a host of nerds with all sorts of opinions on movies. This time there's four of us but look for full reviews of Wonder Woman from our staff over the next couple of days. For now here's where we all stand with the average of our three reviews as the number up top. This review is SPOILER FREE.

Kaitlyn Booth – 8.5 / 10
This is a movie with the weight of the world on its shoulders. Wonder Woman has not only been given the task of bringing a major female heroine to the big screen, directed by a woman, but it also has to prove that the DCEU — which already has three strikes against it — is worth our time and money. It's a lot for any movie to handle, and this movie handles it extremely well. The moments where the movie clicks, really clicks, are majestic. The moment when Diana walked out onto No Man's Land could move even the most jaded person to tears. It doesn't shy away from the blood and tragedy of World War I, but it also isn't too much for younger kids to handle. The supporting cast is fantastic, and when Steve and Diana get their Rogue One type of group together they are all instantly likable. The movie even takes time to briefly address PTSD in a way that is meaningful and perfect for the younger kids in the audience to grasp. It isn't a perfect movie, however. The villain, when all is said and done, feels extreme perfunctory. The pacing is a little strange, but once the movie gets going it doesn't matter as much. The third act is weak and in that way it feels very much like a phase one Marvel movie. It has star-making lead performances, a great supporting cast, a perfect first and second act, a boring villain, and an empty fireworks show for a third act. These issues are by no means deal breakers, and the people who have been waiting a lifetime to see this movie come to life will leave happy.

Bill Watters – 8 / 10
DC Comics-based films has a very tepid history with only 8 out of 28 films (I'm counting here from the '66 Batman) being worth the film stock they were printed on. With the horrid last few installments especially Batfleck and Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, as Kaitlyn said it spot on above, had a lot riding on how it would turn out. It's not bad, and in fact, it's pretty darned good. Is it the best DC film ever? Probably not, though director Patty Jenkins being so new in the chair on the feature film scene does an unbelievable job in pulling a really entertaining and well made film out of what could have been a mind-numbingly dull script. This is one of the first films that may well break out of the typical DC-audience to a wider box office. Heck, it's the first time in a lot of DC films that I'm actually looking forward to seeing again during it's theatrical run.

Jeremy Konrad – 7.5 / 10
I went in with giant expectations, and while they were not all met, I am happy to say that Wonder Woman is the best film of the DCEU. I had a really fun time watching this, but nothing pushed it over the edge to great, as much as I wanted it to the entire time I was watching it. The action is fantastic, Patty Jenkins really has a sharp eye for action. The film is gorgeous, however there are a few CGI shots that look…pretty terrible actually. Those aside however, the standout here are the scenes on Themyscira, and the strong supporting roles played by Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright. I wish the whole film had been set there. Once the film moves to the war and off the island, the action set pieces, especially on the battlefield, are some of the best we will see all year. When Diana is climbing that ladder and reaches the top, just complete chills that entire scene. Like most comic films, the villain is terrible, and the twist associated with Ares is kind of lame, which is disappointing. The side players are for the most part an afterthought as well, they try by ultimately there is not enough there to make any of them memorable. This is a Wonder Woman/Steve Trevor film, and both are good to great in the roles. Chris Pine excels as Steve, and he compliments Gal Gadot's Diana well. Steve actually has quite a bit to do here, more than I would have thought from the trailers and early buzz. And while she has issues here and there, Gal Gadot kills it for the most part. For every scene that she misses on, there are two that she does not. And that is especially true for all of her action scenes, she brings so much fierceness and grace to the fights that you can't take your eyes off the screen. She can inspire, that's for sure. Go in expecting an experience on par with Captain America: The First Avenger; solid stuff, but a sequel could be amazing.

Mary Anne Butler – 7 / 10

Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman does exactly what it needs to, continuing the proper introduction to the beacon of truth and justice in the JLA. Not perfect, but not the "terrible mess" early slanted comments painted it as. Chris Pine reminds us what we loved about him back in Star Trek 09, Gal Gadot is a force to be reckoned with (even without the weapons), and I want a full film of the Xena-tastic Themascyrian residents in action.

Wonder Woman opens June 2nd, 2017.

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