First Take: Wonder Woman- and we’re back to form, DC.

Spoiler free as usual. Because YOU SHOULD SEE THIS FILM. Simple.

SYPNOSIS: Before she was Wonder Woman she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained warrior. When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, she leaves home to fight a war to end all wars, discovering her full powers and true destiny.

DC haven’t had the best of rides since Batman v Superman. Their critical reception has been lacklustre, but they still seem to be doing well at the global box office. So it is with a great amount of pride that I get to say that Wonder Woman is quite possibly the best DC universe film since Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy concluded in 2012, and even though there are some minor quibbles, this is a return to form for the company that brought us Man of Steel.

Patty Jenkins just has this natural flair for directing a high budget film like this, with only a few small issues with the overall pacing, but at the same time, every character is given enough time to recieve development- and once this is combined with Allan Heinberg’s script, this is one of the most technically credible films in the DC Expanded Universe. The cinematography from Matthew Jensen is also really nicely handled, and best experienced on the biggest screen possible, and with Rupert Gregson-Williams providing a score that builds on that now iconic guitar riff from Batman v Superman, this is a real big screen experience, especially as the No Man’s Land sequence will go down in cinematic history for just being a groundbreaking moment for this genre of film.

The performances are just as good, with Gal Gadot proving to be the right woman to take on such an iconic role, however, the supporting performances provide just as much excellence. Chris Pine puts in some good work, but the lack of chemistry between him and Gadot has a noticeable impact on their characters- that is only a minor thing, but it is something that is easy to spot in the world of the film. But, the rest of the cast, including notable British talents like David Thewlis and Trainspotting’s very own Ewen Bremner provide some top quality work to fill out the 2 hour 21 minute goliath of a film that we have here.

THE VERDICT

A film nearly 70 years in the making has certainly delivered on the hype- and with the sequel already confirmed by Warner and DC (with Jenkins rumoured to be once again taking the director’s seat), I am now legitimately excited to see what Zack Snyder and co-director Joss Whedon have up their sleeves for Justice League.

RATING: 5/5