Wonder Woman

On Themyscira, a secret island gifted to the Amazons by Zeus, defiant Diana (Gal Gadot), daughter of Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), has been trained as a warrior by her aunt, badass General Antiope (Robin Wright), to battle Ares, the God of War. During the First World War in 1918, American pilot Steve Trevor's (Chris Pine) plane is shot down. Rescuing him, Diana gets her first glimpse of a man. Bound by the Lasso of Truth, Steve confesses that he's on a spy mission to thwart maniacal General Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and his “poisoner,” Dr. Isabel Maru (Elena Anaya), from waging chemical warfare. Exuding both force and compassion, Diana sails off with charming Steve to London, where his dependable secretary, Etta Candy (Lucy Davis), helps outfit her to blend in with the populace. With support from Britain's Sir Patrick (David Thewlis), they travel to war-torn Belgium to broker an armistice. Created in 1941 as a feminist icon by William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman is adroitly directed by Patty Jenkins with humor and heart, as well as awesome action. The statuesque Gadot is strong and sexy, although her expressionless line readings are rote (but that is perhaps not too important in a comic-book movie). An entertaining and empowering female superhero movie, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “Finding the Wonder Woman Within” (23 min.), “Crafting the Wonder” (17 min.), “The Trinity” (16 min.), “The Wonder Behind the Camera” (16 min.), and “Warriors” (10 min.); “A Director's Vision” featurettes with director Patty Jenkins on “Themyscira: The Hidden Island” (5 min.), “Beach Battle” (5 min.), “A Photograph Through Time” (5 min.), “Diana in the Modern World” (5 min.), and “Wonder Woman at War” (5 min.); extended scenes (8 min.); a blooper reel (6 min.); and a brief alternate scene. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is an “Epilogue: Etta's Mission” segment (3 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this excellent summer blockbuster.] (S. Granger)