The stakes have never been higher. Billions are at risk. The Universe needs a hero.
No, this is not the plot of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, Hollywood’s first ever female-directed Summer tentpole blockbuster. This is the state of Warner Bros’ DC and their Extended Universe as Gal Gadot brings to life the origins story of Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman) as never realised before on the big screen. Thankfully, after three serious duds (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad) for the anti-Marvel franchise builders, Wonder Woman is a delight. A thoroughly entertaining ride which may just prove to be the savour DC so desperately needs.
Four sequels and fourteen long years on from Gore Verbinski’s brilliant swashbuckler, The Curse of the Black Pearl, the Johnny Depp fronted Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has definitively shipwrecked. The signs of shallow waters have been lingering for a while now but Salazar’s Revenge (known as Dead Men Tell No Tales in some regions for some reasons) is a mess through and through. No buckles are successfully swashed and my timbers remained wholly unshivered.
As premiere features go, erstwhile short film-maker Hope Dickson Leach’s The Levelling marks a startlingly good debut for the first time full-length film director. Perfectly framed, and shot with masterful panache, this is a work charged with emotion, understatement and an awareness for its cinematic predecessors.
The Film Blog 