The new Wonder Woman is a superhero with a spring in her heels. As diligently portrayed by Gal Gadot, she leaps tall buildings and deflects bullets with magic wrist-bands.
But her most remarkable accomplishment may be yet to come. Arriving in cinemas this weekend, the fourth entry in DC andWarner Brothers' terminally misfiring Extended Universe series basks in near unanimously positive reviews (gaze upon that 94 per cent Rotten Tomatoes approval rating and despair, Marvel). Is this spangly crime-fighter about to save Hollywood's wonkiest (though solidly profitable) franchise?
Here, then, are 10 reasons why Wonder Woman may be about to save the DC Expanded Universe - and yes, there will be spoilers.
1 There's a dazzling heroine
The charm of the original Superman is that he is an all powerful extra-terrestrial who discovers his true self by embracing his human upbringing. In Man of Steel and Batman v Superman he was a grumpy god with bubbling fascist tendencies. A similar tonal overkill undid Ben Affleck's Batman.
Wonder Woman, on the other hand, is perfect popcorn fare. She is "feisty", with a good heart and unerring moral compass. In other words, she hasn't been over-thought or subjected to one of DC's misanthropic makeovers. Granted, she isn't especially deep or interesting, but that's why she works. This Wonder Woman kicks down doors first and asks questions later, as every proper superhero should.
2 It has a functioning storyline
DC has consistently mistaken convoluted plotting for sophisticated storytelling. Suicide Squad became wrapped in so many knots that, narratively, it ended up flailing on the floor. Wonder Woman, however, keeps things simple.
Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman) lives an idyllic life amongst a tribe of Amazon warrior-ladies, which is disrupted when an American spy fleeing Germans (Chris Pine's Steve Trevor) crash-lands on the beach. She accompanies him to the Western Front, determined to root out the ultimate evil behind the war. That's it: the entire, 120-minute film explained in two sentences.
3 It doesn't try to be funny
You fear for Wonder Woman as Gadot and Pine commence their on-screen relationship by trading endless dead-on-arrival one-liners. Happily, the film pulls out of its tonal tail-spin just in time. The moment Diana arrives in London, japery is set to one side and Pine is relegated to the role of boring love interest. No longer required to star in a terrible rom-com, Gadot can get on with beating lumps out of bad guys. Disaster averted!
One reason Marvel movies are a hoot is that they embrace the genre's ridiculousness. Thor has a flying hammer, Tony Stark is a selfish idiot, Ant-Man is about a superhero named Ant-Man.
Thankfully, Wonder Woman harbours few illusions as to how seriously it deserves to be taken. Diana carries a golden lasso that forces victims to tell the truth. The "big bad" is a Westminster civil servant possessed by the Greek God Of War. It is silly with a big flaming "S" and is perfectly aware of the fact.
Israeli Gal Gadot plays the lead, Diana, in Wonder Woman.
5 It forgets about the rest of the DC Universe
How ironic that the film that may well save the DC Extended Universe is the one that pretends the rest of the mythology doesn't exist. Yes, Wonder Woman is initially framed as a flashback, prompted by an old photograph Bruce Wayne sends to Diana (who in the present day is putting her superpowers to use toiling in an upmarket Paris art gallery).
But thereafter the movie wisely ditches the franchise-building and focuses on the eponymous heroine.
6 They've finally got the villains right
In Wonder Woman the bad guys make perfect sense. Danny Huston's war-mongering Ludendorff, Elena Anaya's mad scientist Dr Poison and David Thewlis' Sir Patrick Morgan are vividly drawn nasties with discernible motives. None are classic movie antagonists - but their villainy is coherent and consistent.
7 Nobody tries to dominate in the movie
In Wonder Woman everyone is pulling in the same direction. Gadot has fun as the superhero, while as the love interest Chris Pine understands his job is to run around a bit and cast the occasional lovelorn glance at the leading lady. Even the potentially irritating comic relief character of Etta (The Office's Lucy Davis) is less irksome than the trailers suggest - mostly because she's bundled off the screen almost as soon as she's introduced.
Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman.
8 The fight scenes are coherent
Wonder Woman is one of those rare superhero romps in which you can tell exactly who is thumping who in the face. As marshalled by director Jenkins the fight scenes are effective and unfussy, even when reaching for a cinematic flourish (ie the Amazons firing arrows in slow motion). Straight-forward action trumps grumpy bombast every time.
9 Gadot is a perfect action movie star
A former member of the Israeli Defence Forces, Gadot brings a fizzing physicality and delivers clunking lines such as "I chose love" with a straight face.
She'll be back, alongside Batfleck, in November's Justice League and is by far the most compelling reason to see that film.
10 The film isn't weighed down by Wonder Woman's history
Wonder Woman was created in 1941 and is by a very great distance the best known and most popular female superhero. The new film isn't much bothered about that.
