The final verdict: It was okay, but Dr. Strange was a better movie. It’s hard to say if this was one of the top tier comic genre films, as they are coming at us so fast and furious-couldn’t help that one!…And, there seems to be such a dearth of fairly good Hollywood Blockbusters at this juncture, that any movie that follows a fairly cohesive plot line is heaped with immense praise.
There were some good moments in Wonder Woman, but the wonder of it all was why there was so much praise heaped upon this one film? Perhaps the bar has been lowered to the point that simply being able to tie the plot points together and end the film with a plug for the rest of the DC Comic Universe (as opposed to DC!) makes for what passes today as decent film-making.
The films of the comic-book era that stand out include Batman, the original and the Dark Knight series, the first Thor film, and Dr. Strange, with Benedict Cumberbatch mainly supplying the added zip to the series. But, this film has been notable in that a female director was chosen, Patty Jenkins,to film a story that included the Amazonian women of Paradise Island along with the beautiful ingénue, Gal Gadot, playing the lead of Wonder Woman.
The suspicion is that many of the males seeing this were perhaps overawed by the female power knitted into the fabric of the super-hero genre that produced the ultimate fantasy woman-Wonder Woman. However, the film’s rise and fall really wasn’t with the acting chops of Gadot, or any one stand-out performer. It touched on the naivete and simplistic dedication to the cause of justice that overrides all the knit-picking realities that crop up with the super-heroes who are intertwined into the actual history of the world.(In this case, the history of World War I).
Lending the film some mystery was the dark cinematography of the second half of the film; it seemed to be in stark contrast with the bright and beautiful landscapes from the fantastic world where Wonder Woman originated. That, and the CGI that dominates all comic films was the journey and the medium’s message for the extent of this film.
So, the verdict is to see this or not, depending on your radar for the love of comic characters, or CGI, or simply good-looking and athletic Amazonian women who dedicate themselves to the causes of justice and freedom. You may want to wait for the small screen, or go for it, depending on your own dedication and predilections. In any case, make sure to catch Dr. Strange if you haven’t seen it. That one remains the better film of the two.
Six Degrees of Film 
This male viewer totally disagrees. Wonder Woman was a far better film than Dr. Strange. It had a better story and better character development than Strange did. Strange may have had more visual effects gimmickry, but the villains were weaker and Dormammu practically unrecognizable.
Thanks for the feedback, Paul. I thought the back story of Dr. Strange was better, as well as the comic interaction with the cape. The first part of Wonder Woman was promising, but the simplistic characterization and even the plot device that I could see coming for a mile with the true villain being revealed to her was not written as well as the Dr. Strange plot line. However, it’s a matter of opinion, and CGI is dominant in both films….Cheers!-ML
You’re an idiot. To say that WW is not worthy of its praise. Dr strange is better than this? You must be joking. I could say they are on par with each other, what an idiot writer.
Thanks for the feedback Ethan…And you are right, I AM an idiot. But I still like Dr. Strange better than the very slow and plodding plot that was Wonder Woman.
That’s quite an unpopular opinion (one could argue). I didn’t particularly like Dr. Strange, it could simply be that I don’t have any particular connection with him as a character, but the movie itself definitely didn’t blow me away either. I’ve got tickets to see Wonder Woman on Sunday and I’m beyond excited. It’ll be interesting to see for myself how both movies compare! Nice review nonetheless!
Would you be interested in sharing your work on Movie Pilot? I’d like to invite you to join the platform, and I’d love to hear from you so I can to expand on that. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail, my contact details are on my “About” page. Hopefully talk soon!
Thanks, Charlotte! I’d love to discuss…will e-mail you. And look forward to hearing your opinion, as I do realize that this is not the one most reviewers have-but I’ve seen a few digressions here and there:) I actually liked the guy who wrote, “You’re an idiot!” (meaning me), because in my view, if everyone likes what you write, and agrees with what you say, you probably aren’t doing it right!-ML
Haha! You’ve got a point there. And hey, it wouldn’t be fun if everyone agreed with each other all the time, right? Looking forward to receiving your e-mail.