Wonder Woman review: a tremendous win for a franchise that desperately needed one
Ever since the DC Extended Universe launched with 2013’s Man of Steel, it’s been troubled and contentious. DC Comics’ attempt at a revitalized, unified superhero film franchise has faced nonstop comparisons with Marvel’s more long-running and critically acclaimed cinematic universe, and it’s consistently come out worse in comparison. Warner Bros.’ DC films (to date: Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad) have been dour, sullen, narratively messy, and heavily criticized for their particularly fetishized and unrestrained use of violence. They’ve also been distressingly obsessed with forcing their heroes through protracted existential crises instead of letting them be heroes. (Or, in the case of Suicide Squad, reluctant...