THAT WAS EVERYTHING. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.

This is as non-spoilery as I can make it, but there may be spoilers in the comments. If there’s interest, maybe we can put up a discussion post this weekend.

We are on the record as saying that we’ve been looking forward to Wonder Woman since Diana Prince was BY FAR the best part of Bats Vee Supes.  Anxiously. Not even patiently. Y’all, Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot did Diana justice, and there was heart and a plot and a fantastic guitar riff we first heard in Bats Vee Supes that should go on your “getting shit done” mix right now.

This is the origin story of Wonder Woman – Princess Diana of Themyscira, molded by clay by Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons and brought to life by Zeus. She trains as a warrior, and one day, a plane crashes off the coast of her island. Diana rescues the pilot, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine, marking movement on the Chris List), who tells them that the War to End All Wars is happening out in the world, and since the Amazons are supposed to be protecting humanity from Ares, the god of war, Diana’s like, “Fuck this, Ma, I gotta go.” She goes out and finds herself in the trenches – literally – of the Western Front, and finds her purpose while she tries to stop Ares from plunging humanity into war without end.

Let us take things in order: first, the plot. THERE IS ONE. There’s a reason the Amazons are on Themyscira.  There’s a reason that this movie is set during WWI. There’s a reason for every beat in the movie. You can have a big superhero movie and have a plot! I would like to stop settling for the idea that “well, it’s a summer action movie, why are you worried about plot?” BECAUSE WE ALL DESERVE TO HAVE PLOTS THAT WORK.

Gal Gadot: She’s perfect. She’s tall, and strong. Seeing Diana striding across no man’s land (“no man can cross that!” and Diana all but says, “Hold my beer”) was one of the highlights for me.

She’s funny and hits all of the marks of someone who’s educated but exceedingly sheltered taking a crash course in how the world works (shopping for real clothes is particularly a delight). I just loved every minute of it.

Chris Pine: He knows full well this isn’t his movie, and he is FINE WITH THAT. The guy can have chemistry with a brick wall, but the delightful rapport between Pine and Gadot is GREAT. There are a few times where he needs saving, and a bunch more where his role in an action sequence is to support whatever Diana is doing. As a friend of mine said, “He’s not a doofus, he’s just outclassed.”

Once Steve Trevor figures out his place in all of this, he’s all in. He’s not the hero, he’s a sidekick. It’s his job to say, “Do not do this brave thing!” He’s there to support the female gaze (Do you know how much male nudity you can show and still get a PG13 rating? You will!).

I also liked how this guy who’s been fighting in WWI for four years is still playing it fairly happy-go-lucky, but you can tell that he has seen some shit, and he’s not actually okay. He is charming as fuck, though. Charming. As. Fuck.

All of the supporting players are well cast, as well. Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta, and Robin Wright as Antiope, Diana’s aunt who trains her in the arts of war, were particularly good. I get a little verklempt at the idea of Princess Buttercup preparing Princess Diana to go out into the world, I admit it.

There are things that could have been done better. The lack of major players being Women of Color is one. Yes, the crew that Steve has to smuggle behind enemy lines is multi-cultural, but they’re all dudes. There are a number of Amazons who are WoC, and some of them even have enough lines to qualify for a SAG card, but they’re not really making any movement on the plot. I did like that it was clear that the Allied army wasn’t just a bunch of white dudes. But we can do better than this, we really can. We need Hollywood to do keep going and do more when it comes to diversifying casts.

What this movie makes clear is that Diana is protecting Mankind because of her heart. She believes that people are inherently good, despite having lost the way. It’s her job, and her calling. It’s love that drives her, and love that keeps her upright. We can all use a little love right now, and a soundtrack that keeps us going.

And to people who, when Gal Gadot’s casting was first announced, sniffed and said that she’ll “…never be my Wonder Woman!” I say that’s fine, she doesn’t have to be.

But she’s hers.

And hers.

And theirs.

Did you see Wonder Woman? What did you think?

Wonder Woman is in theaters now and tickets (US) are available at Fandango and Moviefone.