Movie Review: "Wonder Woman" (2017)

Synopsis: All young Diana (Gal Gadot) has known is her life alongside the other Amazon women on the uncharted, hidden island Themiscyra.  That all changes when she meets Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), a soldier in World War II, who crash lands on her island while running away from the Germans.  Diana knows that Ares, the God of War, is behind the whole thing, so, she convinces the Amazons to let her go fight and try to save mankind.  When she goes into the world, Diana is confused by the sights and sounds...but, she blows away everyone with her superhuman powers.  Will that be enough to stop the war and defeat Ares, though?
Based on characters and stories from DC Comics.

The Good: When done correctly, superhero movies can be escapist fun, and that's exactly what this one was.  Plenty of action sequences, wonderful perfomances--especially by Ms. Gadot as a fish out of water--and sets and scenery that really take you back.  While it wouldn't be a superhero movie without violence, there's no gore, and blood is kept to a minimum.

The Bad: Unfortunately, the makers felt the need to add some unnecessary content into the mix.  The profanity and a scene implying sex add nothing to the story or the film itself, and could easily have been left out; with the intensity of the violence, I'm sure this flick would have earned "PG-13" without all that.  Also, this feels like the premiere to a television show; it left me wanting more.  I guess I should be grateful that a sequel is in the works.

Conclusion: Throughout both this decade and the previous one, the cinemas have been invaded by superheroes.  Heroes from both the DC and Marvel universes, as well as other do-gooders, have leapt onto the big screen in a huge way.  As a fan of such characters, I'm not complaining.  Unnecessary content aside, this was a fun one; I look forward to the sequel.

Score: 4/5