As a kid I loved comic books, even though I started reading them at a pretty late age. I think it was around the age of 12 or 13 that I was first introduced to the world of superheroes, when I bought a whole stack of those comics for a very low price. Pretty much all of these were from Marvel comics, and needless to say, because of that I am a Marvel fan at heart. Lately though I am also beginning to enjoy the DC universe. I think that unless you have been living on a completely different planet, almost everyone is aware that DC is playing catch up to Marvel when it comes to movies. DC’s latest effort to settle the score is Wonder Woman. The movie has been receiving very positive reviews everywhere, and some even say it is one of the best superhero movies ever made. What did I think of it? Let us first start at the beginning and find out what the film is about, before I share my thoughts on it.
On a hidden and mythical island called Themyscira, we meet up with the young girl Diana. Themyscira is home to a race of beautiful Amazon women warriors, created by the gods of Mount Olympus. Even at a very young age, Diana was always eager to learn how to fight, against the wishes of her mother the queen. Eventually though, her mother has no choice but to accept the fact that her daughter is destined for greatness and allows her to be trained to become a warrior. Years later, Diana has grown up as a fully trained fighter who possesses remarkable skills. One day, while out for a walk on the beach, she witnesses a warplane going down in the ocean. Without hesitation she jumps into the water and manages to rescue the pilot, a young man called Steve Trevor. It is not soon after that Diana learns about a great war that is taking place in the world. Steve describes it as “the war to end all wars”. Diana cannot help but be intrigued, but also because she feels that an ancient enemy of her people is behind this war. She decides to leave the island together with Steve, and offer her assistance. But Diana will soon find out that the world she leaves behind is far different from the one she is about to enter….
Even though I try to not let myself be influenced by reviews, either positive or negative, I can’t help but get excited when a movie is generating a positive buzz. Wonder Woman was no exception. That is why I was all the more disappointed by the fact that I definitely expected more from this movie. Don’t get me wrong, this film wasn’t bad at all, and there were enough things in it to enjoy. But for a movie that was made out to be one of the best superhero movies ever made, I think I found myself watching a very different film. There were quite a few moments in the movie, where quite honestly, I was bored. I don’t mind the fact that they were slowly developing characters, in fact I welcome that even. But for a movie that lasts almost two and a half hours, I do expect to be entertained during the entire runtime. And that did not happen.
Let’s get one thing straight though, the one thing that makes this movie well worth the watch, are actors Chris Pine who plays Steve, and Gal Gadot as Diana aka Wonder Woman. Their on screen chemistry is the true highlight of this film, and works incredibly well. Gal Gadot, already impressed in Batman V Superman, even though she had only a very small part in it. Here though she gets her chance to shine even more, and she truly carries this movie on her shoulders. But Chris Pine also does a great job in his role as the spy who wrestles also with some moral questions. I find Pine to be an actor that continues to improve with every role he portrays, and this movie was no exception. The rest of the supporting cast, that included the likes of Robin Wright and Danny Huston, were good, but had relatively minor roles. As such their characters were not really able to form a lasting impression.
The greater part of the film took place during World War I and that really was a unique setting for a superhero movie. The story took it’s time to develop however, and that, for me, was it’s greatest weakness. Even though I knew what the filmmakers were trying to achieve, in my opinion they did not succeed completely. In this digital age, you know a movie like this will feature CGI. The special effects in this film were at times stunning, but there were also moments that I found them to be utterly unconvincing. Maybe my expectations for this movie were just too high. As mentioned, it really was not a bad movie, and I still recommend seeing it in theatres. The only advice I can give though is to not expect to see the best superhero film ever made. Because that will cause some bitter disappointment. And not even a true wonder can change that fact.
I give Wonder Woman a 7 out of 10 score.
She makes your homepage look really cool right now though.
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Haha, yeah there is definitely that 😊😊 Maybe I will even leave it that way lol 😂
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I think the setting of this movie is interesting. I hope to eventually check it out, but luckily my expectations aren’t that high since it takes a lot for a super hero movie to impress me, lol.
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Well, it certainly isn’t a bad movie either, so no worries about that, and if your expectations aren’t high to begin with, you might even enjoy it a lot more than I did 😊
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Nice to see DC get something of a win. Let’s hope they can maintain it. Nice review.
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Sounds like you still enjoyed it though. I too attempt to limit my exposure to hype, but sometimes it can be difficult.
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Yes, at times it can be very difficult to resist. But I do usually form my own opinion on movies and not on the basis of a review alone. But yes, you are quite right, there was enough to enjoy in this movie, and I did not find it a waste of money 😊
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Good that you enjoyed it. I too really wish to see it. Just been so busy of late. I have a few reviews lined up though, including one for The Poseidon Adventure.
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Really? That is very cool to hear. I love that movie, together with The Towering Inferno, they are a few of my favorite disaster movies of all time. Looking forward to that review 😊
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I hadn’t seen The Poseidon Adventure in years, but it still holds up. Sure there are dated areas, but the exciting content papers over those cracks as does the largely talented cast.
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Ben ik alvast een beetje voorbereid. Uitstekende recensie, Michel. Ik snap niet waarom studio’s tegenwoordig niet meer een film kunnen maken onder de twee uur. Ik heb het dan niet alleen over Maevel of DC, maar een gemiddelde blockbuster duurt tegenwoordig 2.5 uur. Zelfs een ordinaire actiefilm als The Fast and the Furious of Transformers. Je krijgt wel waar voor je geld, maar soms moet een film gewoon lekker 90 – 120 minuten duren. Lang zat.
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Dank je wel Dirk. Begrijp me niet verkeerd, het is echt een goede film. Maar beste superhelden film ooit….dat gaat echt te ver. Maar denk dat je er zeker van gaat genieten. Volgende week staan The Mummy en Transformers op het programma 😊….ook weer twee lange zits lol 😊😂😂
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I don’t think this movie was the best superhero movie ever made, I think that is a product of being on the crest of a hype tsunami. I do think it is the best thing to come out of the DC movie studios since Batman Begins or the Dark Knight. Thinking on it, I cant think I was bored at any point in the movie. Nothing felt like filler, and whilst I would agree more could have been made of some of the support cast (lady poison for instance was sadly a footnote) I did think the main characters (and I am including their small infiltration team) did get enough development. I thought the action was great, scaling well, and I loved the human element. Good review, but not totally with you on this one.
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Well….that’s probably because my expectations were just way too high for this movie. I think that when I see the movie for a second time, I will probably enjoy it a lot more than this first time. It has happened to me before 😊 Thanks for the comment. Next week I will be seeing two movies back to back that I have very low expectations for (the Mummy and the new Transformers), so it will be interesting to see how I am going to experience those 😊
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I should be seeing transformers at the weekend. They haven’t got it quite right since 1 (I quite liked 3 but 2 and 4 were awful). They are due for a good one but I remain skeptical
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I agree with you. This is not the best superhero movie ever but Wonder Woman is certainly one of the best from DC. At least that’s what I thought. Some scenes are quite boring and too slow but perhaps because I enjoy seeing Gal Gadot so much that I overlooked that 😂😂
Anyway, I’m glad you still enjoyed this film. And great review as always! 😊
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Thank you very much 😊 Yeah my expectations were maybe just way too high..which is why I may have experienced it in a completely different way. But I still had fun, so it really wasn’t a waste of my time 😊
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Pity that this wasn’t as good as you expected
Most of the reviews i read about this praises it, some extravagantly, some moderately and the latter kind seem to align with yours. Good movie but not the best ever.
This is the only superhero movie that I’ve been interested in in some time and only because of all the buzz around it. If it comes to any nearby cinema, I’ll check it out. Otherwise, I guess I’ll wait.
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I think you will enjoy it. For me the experience was probably influenced a lot by my very high expectations for it. And that may be the reason why I enjoyed it a little bit less. Maybe when I watch it a second time, I might even be enjoying it more. Next week I will be seeing two movies back to back that I have very low expectations for lol 😂 (The Mummy and Transformers, so let’s see how that will turn out). Hope Wonder Woman comes to a theatre near you 😊
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Oh no!! I’m so sad this one disappointed you 😦 I went in hoping it would be awesome and it was for me… I’m not sure if I was fueled by Diana’s badassery or simply if I have a different taste, but I was never bored with it nor felt it was too slow.
Granted, there were things that weren’t spectacular, but as a whole it really spoke to me. Maybe because this was the first superhero movie featuring a woman in the main role as well as a female director, and that for me made all the difference.
I’ve spoken to some friends about it, and it seems the guys were mostly not impressed while the girls were absolutely thrilled! Could it be a genre thing? I don’t know.
I think superhero movies have created a very defined model over the years, which we’ve grown accustomed to. This one broke it and so many people didn’t like it. All the other movies have been developed through a masculine lens, whereas this one had a very female-oriented one. It felt very different, for sure.
Wonderful review, of course! It’s nice to get a different perspective as well 😊
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I absolutely loved the fact that we finally got to see a female superhero in the lead. That was really awesome, and a very good development in my opinion. It was just simply the fact that my expectations were probably way too high for it. Honestly, I did enjoy the film. It was not a waste of my money at all. I just expected a bit more from it, because of all the very positive reviews it received. Knowing what I know now, if I see it a second time, I might enjoy the movie even more. Thanks for the kind words, and I am glad you had fun during the movie 😊
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I saw the preview of this movie last month. That’s cool that you got a chance to see it. I am the same with you on positive reviews. It gets me excited. The lady is pretty 🙂 I really like that last picture of her. Thank you for your honesty. 2.5 hours and feeling bored sometimes doesn’t sound that exciting.. haha.. I guess this movie modified a lot from the original comic books? Awesome review by the way!
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Well…I actually haven’t read much about Wonder Woman, as I am pretty much trying to catch up a bit on DC comics. I am hoping to see that at one point. Actually the movie did not regret me buying a ticket for it. There was still plenty to enjoy, but there definitely were some points that made it a bit of a bore at times. Thanks you for your comment as always 😊
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Well written review, though I did love this one! 😊 It is just so refreshing to see a female superhero who is not relegated to a sidekick in the Marvel/DC-verse. I appreciated how the villain angle steered away from the usual world domination cliché, and the Xena vibe was pretty cool too. That said, I totally understand how hype can kill a movie! I have had countless moments where I set my expectations too high and end up disappointed. Nevertheless, your opinions are always an interesting read! 🙂
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Thank you very much 😊 That is so true, I really thought it was excellent to finally have a superhero movie that had a female lead. I probably enjoy the movie better, when I watch it a second time. My expectations for this one were pretty much of the charts, and that ultimately led to me ending up disappointed. But as mentioned, I really enjoyed the movie too, and certainly did not think it was a waste of my time or money 😊
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I totally agree with this review, I liked the film and I got swept up in the buzz. However, it was looong, too much time on the island creating conflict that didn’t matter too much overall (i.e. between the Amazon queen and general) too much time trying to dance infiltrate the Germans.
Also the CGI sometimes, particularly the German dude and his blue pills, when he roars in Wonder Woman’s face it looked like a badly done Halloween prank!
My real problem with the movie though was that it was so close to having a great philosophical conundrum – are humans bad because Ares corrupted them or because of free will? The movie tried to have it both ways which kinda mean no message rather than strong message.
It was a pretty good film though, its just short of being great and a good sign of DC going forwards
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Thank you for your comment 😊 Completely agree with everything you wrote here. True enough, it certainly wasn’t a bad film, and there was enough in it that I did enjoy, but if it’s running time would have been cut down a bit, it would have been a better film. Now all we have to do is wait for Justice League. Hopefully they will get it right completely this time 😊
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Ah, hype. Whether its for a book or a movie, it’s the bane of our existence. Thank you for this wonderful and honest review. I still very much want to see it, but I’m waiting until it comes out on dvd.😊
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Thank you very much, appreciate the kind words 😊 Yes, I’m guessing we will never get rid of hype. Sometimes I guess you can believe the hype though, which is a goed thing. As for wonder woman, it is still a good film, so I think you will enjoy it when you finally get the chance to see it 😊
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