Diana (Gal Gadot; Furious 7), an Amazonian Princess, grew up on the beautiful island of Themyscira surrounded by female warriors. Her childhood was idyllic and she was raised with a false sense of safety because while she trained to defend her home she never had the need to do so. Then one day a plane fell out of the sky and Diana rescued the pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine; Star Trek Beyond). Upon interrogation, Steve informs them that there is a war being waged and a deadly machine threatens to kill about half the world.
Trained as a warrior, Diana decides to leave her paradise to help fight in World War I, however, her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen; Gladiator) begs her not to go after informing Diana that she is actually the child of a God and her destiny is to kill another god who is more powerful. More determined than ever, Diana joins Steve in England, and then the front lines, to destroy the killing machine and the people who created it. Along the way, she discovers humanity and all their failings but ultimately decides they are worth saving and fights the other god to the death.
Gadot is perfectly cast as the strong, Amazonian goddess. Her Israeli military training obviously came in handy as she oozes confidence in everything she does. Even her stance is dominating and intimidating. However, her beauty softens the harder edges and makes her likable even when she is being hardheaded and strong. Pine is ok as Steve but honestly, Gadot eclipses him more than once and while a physically beautiful couple they aren't quite a match. Conversely, this does allow the audience to concentrate on Gadot more fully and, frankly, the attention should remain on her. The supporting cast is very good, as well, and compliments the two leads.
The 4K Blu-ray is presented in 2160p high definition video with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The quality is fantastic and every bit of color is vibrant and bursts off the screen, especially those showcasing the magnificent paradise that is Themyscira. The Dolby Atmos audio is a strong companion to the excellent video. With planes zooming overhead and explosions all around the surround sound truly envelops the viewer for a full-bodied experience.
The combo pack offers a number of extras, some more interesting than others. These include four deleted scenes, a mildly funny gag reel, a movie short called Epilogue: Etta's mission, Diana in the Modern world, an interesting look at how they created the old photograph called a Photograph Through Time, Beach battle, Themyscira: the hidden Island, Finding the Wonder Woman Within, The Trinity; They wonder Behind the camera which pays homage to all the terrific women working on the film, Warriors of Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman at War.
In the realm of superhero movies, Wonder Woman is a shining example of a film done right. From Director Patty Jenkins (Monster) to Gadot to the costumes, script, and visuals there is very little to complain about. The story is entertaining and the movie has action, romance, and drama. This is one movie everyone should own.
Grade: A-
