<P> Critics commented favorably on Gadot's performance and Chris Pine's Steve Trevor . Andrew Barker of Variety found the film to be more lighthearted than recent DC Comics films: "Never prone to stewing in solitude, and taking more notes from Richard Donner than from Christopher Nolan, Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman provides a welcome respite from DC's house style of grim darkness--boisterous, earnest, sometimes sloppy, yet consistently entertaining--with star Gal Gadot proving an inspired choice for this avatar of truth, justice, and the Amazonian way ." Vox stated "Trevor is the superhero girlfriend comic book movies need". The San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle lauded the performances of Gadot, Pine, Huston, and Thewlis while commending the film's "different perspective" and humor . Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun - Times described Gadot's performance as inspirational, heroic, heartfelt and endearing and the most "real" Wonder Woman portrayal . </P> <P> A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that it "briskly shakes off blockbuster branding imperatives and allows itself to be something relatively rare in the modern superhero cosmos . It feels less like yet another installment in an endless sequence of apocalyptic merchandising opportunities than like...what's the word I'm looking for? A movie . A pretty good one, too ." Michael Phillips of Chicago Tribune compared the film to Captain America: The First Avenger, noting that as with "the first Captain America movie over in the Marvel Comics universe, DC's Wonder Woman offers the pleasures of period re-creation for a popular audience . Jenkins and her design team make 1918 - era London; war - torn Belgium; the Ottoman Empire; and other locales look freshly realized, with a strong point of view . There are scenes here of dispossessed war refugees, witnessed by an astonished and heartbroken Diana, that carry unusual gravity for a comic book adaptation ." Katie Erbland of IndieWire commended its thematic depth, explaining that "Wonder Woman is a war movie . Patty Jenkins' first--and we hope not last--entry into the DC Expanded Universe is primarily set during World War I, but while the feature doesn't balk at war - time violence, it's the internal battles of its compelling heroine that are most vital ." Alonso Duralde of TheWrap similarly felt that, "Diana's scenes of action are thrilling precisely because they're meant to stop war, not to foment it; the idea of a demi - god using love to fight war might sound goofy in the abstract, but Jenkins makes the concept work ." Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post praised Gadot and Pine's performances as well the film's detailed plot and narrative while comparing of some slow - motion action sequences to The Matrix . Stephanie Zacharek of Time magazine hailed the film as a "cut above nearly all the superhero movies that have been trotted out over the past few summers" while praising Gadot's performance as "charming" and "marvelous" and commending Jenkins' direction of the film as a step forward for women directors in directing big - budget blockbuster films in Hollywood . </P> <P> Elise Jost of Moviepilot observed that "Gadot's take on Wonder Woman is one of those unique cases of an actor merging with their story, similar to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark . Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman, and Wonder Woman is Gal Gadot ." Jost praised Gadot's interpretation of Wonder Woman as the one in which Gadot "absolutely nails the character's unwaveringly positive outlook on life . She's a force of nature who believes in the greater good; her conviction that she's meant to save the world is stronger than her bullet - deflecting shield . She's genuine, she's fun, she's the warm source of energy at the heart of the movie ." The Federalist suggests that Wonder Woman is "a story of Jesus". "The movie is wrapped up in faux Greek mythology, true, but there's no mistaking the Christology here ." "Perhaps Christ in the form of a beautiful and kick - ass Amazon is all that our contemporary society can handle right now", stated M. Hudson, a Christian feminist . On HuffPost cultural critic, G. Roger Denson, who regards the superhero genre as a source of contemporary "Mainstream Mythopoetics" ("the making of new yet vitally meaningful, if not symbolic, stories filled with imagery reflecting, yet also shaping and advancing, the political, legal, moral and social practices of today"), wrote that the "No Man's Land" scene "that people are crying over in theaters and raving about afterward happens to be among the most powerfully mythopoetic scenes ever filmed at the same time it is one of the oldest myths to have been utilized by artists and writers after it had been invented by early military strategists and leaders ." Specifically "used by director Patty Jenkins", the scene raises "the esteem for powerful yet compassionate women as heroes and leaders to a level equal with that of men for having won over a huge and adoring popular audience around the world". </P> <P> Steve Rose in The Guardian criticized the film for failing to explore the material's potential for "patriarchy - upending subversion". Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticized the film's over-reliance on exposition: "Wonder Woman is hobbled by a slogging origin story and action that only comes in fits and starts . Just when Gadot and director Patty Jenkins...are ready to kick ass, we get backstory ." </P>

Who played wonder woman in the 2017 movie