It's about time: Patty Jenkins' powerhouse Wonder Woman lives up to her name

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      Starring Gal Gadot. Rated PG-13

      Finally.

      There've been only a handful of female superhero movies, ranging from from the derivative (1984's Supergirl) to the tepid (2005's Elektra) to the downright pungent (2004's Catwoman). They've either been asphyxiated by male conceptions of femininity and sexuality or butterfingered by inept attempts to appeal to a female audience.

      At last, we have a film that transcends those pitfalls to deliver goods on par with other superhero blockbusters. The long delay reflects the ongoing challenges of gender inequity behind the camera—all previous such efforts were directed by men, who seemed uncertain of how to handle their lead character. The title of this latest film might as well refer to director Patty Jenkins (Monster), who smashes through the celluloid ceiling with a powerhouse punch.

      In this origin retelling of the iconic figure (there's no sign of Lynda Carter, the invisible jet, or skateboards—yet), Wonder Woman one ups Superman on his own symbolic turf. As the foreigner who comes to fight for humanity (a.k.a. Americans) and thereby embodying the melting pot of the American Dream, the casting of accented Israeli star Gal Gadot reinforces that point, at a socio-political time when acceptance of Others is sorely needed.

      When Paris-based Diana Prince receives a mysterious briefcase from Batman alter-ego Bruce Wayne, she flashes back through her life story. Admirably, the overall gusto of the narrative overrides the inherent hokey-ness of its elements (which are kept in check) as Diana recalls her youthful days secretly training to be a warrior against the wishes of her mother. And who is her mother? None other than Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) on the secluded, hidden, and picturesque island of Themyscira, which was created by Zeus for the all-female Amazons.

      When First World War spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes his plane through the magical dome of invisibility protecting the island, German troops follow in pursuit and the two worlds figuratively and literally clash.

      Convinced that the Amazons' enemy, Ares the god of war, is behind the global conflict, Diana follows Steve to Britain. There, her sheltered point-of-view provides both levity and fresh social commentary while her bold defiance of sexist boundaries in early 1900s Britain wittily doubles as modern-day feminist criticism.

      Her mission to destroy Ares, while hunting down a villainous German general (Danny Huston) and a steel-hearted chemist (Elena Anaya), sees the pair recruit a ragtag group of misfits: a bomb-throwing Native American (Eugene Brave Rock), a PTSD–wracked Scottish sniper (Ewen Bremner), a smooth-tounged Middle Easternern (Saïd Taghmaoui), and a doughty British secretary and suffragist (Lucy Davis).

      Action and fight sequences don't quite reach the levels of Captain America or Black Widow intricacy, but dazzle more in the cinematography department with slow-mo captures of barrel-jump kicks.

      Gadot makes good on the promise she illuminated the screen with in Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice while Pine provides enough breathing room to let Gadot take her rightful spotlight. Although Gadot convincingly embraces Diana's otherworldly naivety, earnestness, and audaciousness, the only quibble is that she, as godly as her character is, doesn't express enough physical exertion and strain during action sequences (in her hands, tanks look like beachballs).

      While the climax charges into predictable overblown territory, the primary narrative momentum propels the film through to its end. Even more impressively, this is clearly the hero from the DC universe that both women and men alike have been waiting forever to cheer on. After all, it's 2017.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook

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