Ok, so I saw this last night and overall I liked it very much. Comparisons to Captain America: The First Avenger aside (and there are many!), I thought it was beautiful to look at (Themyscira especially) but it didn't shy away from the horrors of war either. I thought Gal Gadot was the perfect mix of innocent naivety as a sheltered Amazonian princess and a total bad ass warrior, who's emotional and compassionate but never weak because of either. Chris Pine was much better than I thought he would be and gave Steve Trevor some awkward character and heart. I especially loved the scene on the boat, which I've since found out was completely adlibbed by Gadot & Pine on set. Their chemistry together was a lovely surprise.
Couple of minor gripes - the last third of the movie does drag a little with the final battle scene, Robin Wright & Lucy Davis aren't in it nearly enough considering how prominent they've been in the marketing and while the Amazonian warriors are amazing, a great mix of all women of all ethnicities, sizes and professions, they're just not in it enough (which is understandable as you want to get the story going, but still, it's sad we don't see more of these women!)
One thing I really liked was that this film was clearly shot not to titillate a male audience. When you see Diana, the camera isn't focused on her breasts. Sure, she has an amazing figure and the outfit is revealing once it is revealed, but even mid-fight, it never lingers on her breasts. Also, the fight scenes are well choreographed, but the constant use of slow-motion in the scenes does get a little jarring for me after a while. Yes, these women are kick ass, we don't need a constant barrage of slo-mo shots to prove it.
This is not just a great female-led and female-directed superhero movie, this is a great movie full stop and while it does have a few minor issues, and is a little over-expositiony at the start, I really hope this is the start of a new chapter of the DCEU. But most importantly, I hope the fatcat Hollywood executives realise that fans do want to see women in these sorts of movie roles, and hopefully this will pave the way for more quality female-led movies. I'm looking at you, Marvel. Greenlight Black Widow already!
