Wonder Woman (2017)

Some of you might be thinking: "How on Earth can something that has the title of 'Wonder Woman' possibly be any good?"

Well, it can and it bloody well is.

Is this the best adaptation of a DC-property? Maybe.

Is it undoubtedly one of the best DC-film adaptations out there?

You can bet your leather jockstrap it is.

This one manages to be serious when needed, bring the necessary levity when called for and even though the entire premise is as silly as a bag of cats and and inflatable doll (as with most superhero stories), the entire story just fits. This is an origin story - of sorts - but there's a logical sense of progression that other films in the same vein often lack.

We start off on the beautiful island of Themiscyra, home of the Amazons. Everything is tranquil, beautiful and the colours are vibrant and alive. By the way: it is friggin' awesome to see these ladies whoop backside in training montages that don't feel stale for once. And how cool is it to see Robin Wright, once the Princess Bride, be an utter badass?

I'll tell you: that shit is bloody cool.

Casting Gal Gadot in the titular role was also a good idea: she looks the part and she has that exotic tinge that always makes her feel as an otherworldly woman, which Diana actually is. So well played there. It is also great to see her develop from a very naive viewpoint that is in itself rather simplistic, to fully realizing the world isn't black and white all of the time. Her expression when she realizes that evil is also present in regular people is done in a wonderful manner, like a child that first realizes that parents aren't infallible, for example. Trust me, it's in the details and director Patty Jenkins has an eye for this kind of subtlety.

When Diana and her small team of male misfits go to the front, everything turns to hell and the grey and brown colours fittingly shape the atmosphere of desolation and dread. Sure, full on war films may have done this to a larger extent, but the juxtaposition from colourful at first, to grey, dull and hopeless is done so you, as spectator, get immersed in the sadness.

That can make you also forgive the finale, which is a little by the numbers, but hey: if you've had more than hour and a half of decent character development, action and fun, you can forgive the explosive and slightly clichéd end battle, can you not?

'Wonder Woman' is highly enjoyable and a great rollercoaster to watch. You'll even notice things on repeated viewings that reveal that this one is a lot smarter than you would give it credit at first glance.

The only funny thing is something that non-Dutch speaking people will notice: because a part of the story is set in West-Flanders, they are supposed to speak this dialect. Funny thing is, you can clearly hear someone with a Limburg-accent, which is the other side of the country. But hey, that's nitpicking for you.