Wonder Woman review roundup - Critics conclude Patty Jenkins' film better than Batman v Superman

'Gal Gadot proving an inspired choice for this avatar of truth, justice and the Amazonian way'

Days before Wonder Woman reaches cinemas and the reviews are out, critics praising the Patty Jenkins-directed film as the greatest DC Comics-based blockbuster since The Dark Knight Rises.

"This is a very definite upgrade on last year’s lamentable Batman v Superman," writes The Independent's critic. "As portrayed by Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman has powers of empathy and kindness that her male counterparts in superhero movies completely lack.

“If the action in Wonder Woman comes less frequently than you might expect, it’s also thrillingly designed and staged,” Robbie Collin of The Telegraph writes, “with a surging sense of real people, from all sorts of backgrounds, swept up in the wider conflict’s churns and jolts.”

Wonder Woman “provides a welcome respite from DC’s house style of grim darkness,” says Variety’s Andrew Barker, “with star Gal Gadot proving an inspired choice for this avatar of truth, justice and the Amazonian way.”

Not only has the film impressed newspaper and trade-press critics, but also those of more niche websites. Den of Geek, for instance, also praises Wonder Woman, Caroline Preece awarding four stars, saying there’s a “care and an thematic ambition” often missing from superhero flicks.

One notable criticism from throughout the majority of reviews centres on the film’s final third, which seemingly loses itself in special effects and a bombastic showdown.

The Guardian — one of two publications to give a negative review so far on Rotten Tomatoes, from the 45 counted — were particularly harsh, Steve Rose writing: “Gadot is entirely credible as the embodiment of Amazonian perfection, but there’s only so much emotion her concerted brow-furrowing can convey.”

Wonder Woman currently holds a 96 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score: last year, DC's Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman were met with highly negative reviews,

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman has no post-credit scene, one of the film’s producer having explained why. The film reaches cinemas 1 June.

The Independent - Geoffrey McNab - 4/5

Wonder Woman feels far fresher than most recent superhero movies. It leaves many questions about its heroine unanswered - but there are bound to be plenty of sequels to deal with those.

The Telegraph - Robbie Colin - 4/5

In a genre where fanboy entitlement regularly calls the tune, Wonder Woman’s feminism – in its eagerly daubed poster-paint strokes – feels like a rarity. Time will tell whether Hollywood is about to find itself in the thrall of a heroine addiction. But as the credits rolled, I was already craving another hit.

The Hollywood Reporter - Sheri Linden

Jenkins, who delved into very dark territory with 2003’s Monster and the series The Killing, brings the doomy DC vibe down to earth from some of its more operatic reaches. But she indulges in a saga-capping, one-on-one showdown that turns into an endless conflagration and grows less coherent as it proceeds. Such obligatory “big” scenes don’t completely undermine the winning mixture of drama, fantasy and comedy, but they aren’t what you remember after Wonder Woman is over.

Variety - Andrew Barker

Wonder Woman” is the first major studio superhero film directed by a woman, and it shows in a number of subtle, yet important ways. As skimpy as Gadot’s outfits may get, for example, Jenkins’ camera never leers or lingers gratuitously — Diana is always framed as an agent of power, rather than its object. When she finally unleashes her full fighting potential in an extended battle sequence on the front lines, the movie comes alive in a genuinely exhilarating whirl of slow-motion mayhem, and Diana’s personality is never lost amid all the choreography.

The Guardian - Steve Rose - 2/5

When Gadot is called upon to communicate the horrors of war moments later, reeling around dazed and confused in a haze of orange poison gas, it’s a moment of Zoolander-esque silliness that brings home how weightless the whole story has become. Gadot is entirely credible as the embodiment of Amazonian perfection, but there’s only so much emotion her concerted brow-furrowing can convey.

Den of Geek - Caroline Preece - 4/5

We are inundated with these stories on our screens both large and small, but they are pointless if they are not made to mean something. Many don’t, and they will likely be forgotten as filler in a decade’s time, but there’s a care and an thematic ambition to Wonder Woman that elevates it above, and against the odds the fact that this is one of so few female-led examples of the genre becomes a mere side note.

Radio Times - 4/5

Although Jenkins doesn’t avoid the traditional effects-swamped finale, she manages to work emotional impact into the climax. Most importantly, she delivers a heroine who lives up to the majesty of her moniker and stands apart from her superhero brethren, not just in her gender but in her well-communicated ideals. Wonder Woman reminds us that, at their finest and most enduring, such films inspire us to be all that we can be.