Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen

Directed by Patty Jenkins

Warner Bros, out now

Wonder Woman, aka princess of the Amazons of Themyscira, gets her own standalone movie and proves to the best to date of DC’s new wave of superhero movies.

This is more like it. However you felt about the grim and clumsily-titled Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman proved to be the highlight. Smirking in the presence of Doomsday, here was a character whose story we immediately wanted to know, unencumbered by the grim angst  or Momma Martha complexes of her super and bat-like co-stars.

As with all origin movies – and this one begins with the 8-year-old Diana desperate to become a warrior – time has to be spent in setting up the premise. After a beautifully animated sequence that dumps the exposition fairly elegantly and a montage scene that ages Diana first to teenager and then Gadot herself, we find ourselves in the closing weeks of the Great War.

The Germans are preparing to sign the Armistice but American spy Steve Trevor – Chris Pine heavily channelling a rakish, swaggering Captain Kirk – has stumbled upon the plan to release mustard gas. Pursued by Germans, he unwittingly brings the Huns into the island paradise, spurring Diana into joining him to save mankind.

A lot of the enjoyment in Patty (Monster) Jenkins’ movie is in Diana’s naive ‘fish out of water’ moments and refusal to toe the line. The sexism of the period is addressed, though not overdone, and The Office‘s Lucy Davis is great fun as Trevor’s secretary, Etta.

By the time Diana reveals her true powers as she strides across no man’s land on the front, batting away bullets and grenades, you’ll be cheering her on, and that’s before another setpiece where she takes out the squadron terrorising a village, all to that wonderful Hans Zimmer electric cello theme from Batman vs Superman.

Diana is an innocent, seeing the world of men in broad strokes. Inevitably, she discovers the greys between the blacks and whites and realises that being daughter of Zeus with sword, shield, bracelets, lasso and tiara isn’t enough to save the day. At the beginning and end of the movie we find a modern day Diana, world-wise and successful, and it’s to Gadot’s credit that she plays her different personas so convincingly.

The addition of other team members so that we get to see the creation of the ensemble photo revealed in Batman vs Superman is a nice touch, and it’s refreshing that no one has to shoehorn in the name Wonder Woman. The banter between Gadot and Pine is sparkly without being cloying and it’s a joy to watch a female lead not having to rely on men to save her or have to become a man to establish herself.

The flies in the ointment are some fairly ho-hum villains and quite well telegraphed missteps. Part of the third act might surprise you, but otherwise it’s typical ‘big boss showdown’ stuff and a questionable cause of the final outcome.

Verdict: Minor niggles aside, this is a far better film than the DC movie universe has delivered to date and gives more hope for the upcoming Justice League movie and other properties. It might help that for most people their previous point of reference was the 1970s TV series with Lynda Carter, and for many she will be the definitive Diana, but as a big screen movie lead  this Wonder Woman is relevant and fun. She’s no longer in her satin tights, fighting for our rights, but boy she really kicks ass. 8/10

Nick Joy