Wonder Woman

I am in full summer mode now and it is glorious!  I went to see the movie Wonder Woman in the afternoon on a weekday (with my Mom) just because I could!  To say that I was excited to see this movie would be an understatement!  After all, I have been eagerly anticipating its release since I saw Batman v Superman.  I tried to keep my expectations in check, so I wouldn't be too disappointed if it wasn't very good, but I have to admit that I didn't do a very good job of it!  Now that I have seen it I can report that it exceeded my expectations in every way!  In my opinion, it is the best superhero movie, ever!  I absolutely love the character of Diana (Gal Gadot) and the story of her journey is told extremely well.  We first meet her on the island of Themyscira as a warrior-in-training.  When a pilot crash lands near the island, Diana saves him and learns of the world war raging all around her.  She believes that the god Ares has returned and it is his influence that has caused mankind to slaughter each other.  She decides to leave with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) to kill Ares and stop the conflict.  Even though there are Germans (Danny Huston and Elena Anaya) working to create an even deadlier form of mustard gas, I love the fact that the real villain of this movie is war itself and mankind's inclination to evil.  The ultimate lesson that Diana learns about mankind makes me feel more positive and hopeful than I have felt in a very long time and I love that she learns this lesson through her relationship with Steve Trevor.  I had a tear in my eye during a key moment between them.  In fact, I found this story to be incredibly emotional.  I love the fact that Diana is a strong woman but she needs the help of both Steve and the gang of misfits recruited for the mission in order to succeed.  There is a strong feminist message but it does not put men down in order to deliver it.  I think changing the source material from World War II to World War I was a brilliant decision because this conflict has often been called the war to end all wars and that is what Diana tries to do.  Gadot gives a wonderful performance highlighting both Diana's naivete and strength and I also enjoyed her chemistry with Pine.  This movie is very dark in tone, a oft-repeated criticism of the DCEU, and while I liked and even defended Batman v Superman because I feel like the subject matter warranted a dark and gritty treatment, I think Wonder Woman does a better job because there are also moments of levity, particularly Diana's fish-out-of-water scenes while trying on clothes, and moments of tenderness, especially after the group liberates a village from the Germans.  The special effects are amazing.  I could not look away from the screen during an epic battle scene where Diana takes the full brunt of Germany's fire.  I cannot say enough about this movie and how much I loved it.  I am especially thrilled that it is getting such glowing reviews because, in my opinion, it deserves them.  Definitely go see this movie!