Unpopular opinion: I don’t think DC’s “Wonder Woman” is a great movie. To be honest, I don’t even think it’s a good movie. It’s a derivative work that borrows from Marvel’s earlier films while adding nothing of value to the medium. It says nothing new, it doesn’t take any risks, and it’s ultimately very bland and forgettable. DC has had a terrible track record with their cinematic universe, I’ll be the first to admit that. Even though I love DC and their characters, the movies have left a lot to be desired. “Man of Steel”, even if it was interesting and creative, didn’t do much with the characters. Superman was a blank slate that other characters projected onto rather than a fully-fledged character himself.

Last year’s “Batman v Superman” was a disaster in every sense of the word. Director Zack Snyder tried to apply the long-form storytelling formula Marvel had implemented and just wound up creating a jumbled mess. It’s a bad movie for sure but it’s an intriguing bad movie. Even though it’s a guilty pleasure I could sit here all day and explain why this film is such an anomaly. It’s something that should have worked but never did, a tragic two and a half hour projection of failed concepts and broken dreams. After the negative response to BvS Warner Brothers felt it best to course correct and redo “Suicide Squad” mere months before the film was projected to release. The end result was a nightmare; a hodgepodge of ideas never given the time to fully develop.

“Wonder Woman” was the next DC property to hit the chopping block after “Suicide Squad”. By this point, I’d unplugged from the DC Extended Universe entirely. Once I’d heard the critical response was over the moon I was intrigued. Not only did it receive a higher score than “Logan” (my favorite film of the year up to that point) but it was also marked as the highest rated superhero movie of all time. Better than “The Dark Knight”, better than the original “Superman”, better than any other superhero movie, at least according to critics. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw “Wonder Woman”. I was definitely excited but my interest in the DCEU had waned somewhat up to this point. Movies like “Logan” had shown me how good superhero movies used to be. It showed me how amazing it can be to have a movie end with a sense of finality. How amazing it can be when a movie tells a cohesive story and leaves once it’s done its job. No sequels, no reboots; just you and the movie.

As I walked out of the theatre, I felt very mixed. Did I enjoy it? Yes, I thought I did. The best comic book film of all time, though? Not even close. It wasn’t even the best one to come out in 2017 up to that point. Within days, I had completely forgotten I’d seen it. In my defense, I was studying for my LSAT at the time so my mind was racing with test exams and essay questions. A month or so later, I gave the film another shot and found that I actually liked it less than the first time I’d seen it. I wasn’t shocked at how bad the movie was, I wasn’t picking apart little issues like BvS or “Suicide Squad”. I was just bored. The movie was dull and uninteresting, the action was underwhelming, the performances were serviceable but weren’t really good or bad. It’s a perfectly “meh” movie which makes it worse than any of the DCEU movies released so far. Mediocrity, in my view, is worse than a good product or a bad product. If a movie is good there’s some inherent value to it, same can be said for a bad movie. You can bond with others over how bad it is, you can make fun of it yourself; you are still entertained by the movie. Even if it’s not what was intended, you’re still entertained.

“Wonder Woman” sucks all of the entertainment out of entertainment. It’s literally just “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” put in a blender without doing any of what made either movie somewhat interesting. If it seems like I’m at a loss for words about the film it’s honestly because I am. There’s nothing I can say about “Wonder Woman” aside from how bland it is because the movie doesn’t prompt any other response from me. Another thing that really bugs me too is that the film consistently gets props for having a female action lead. So? Have people never seen any of the “Alien” films? What about “Terminator”? Hell, even “Hunger Games”. All of these movies showcase a badass, woman in a leading role without having to pander to their audience. Diana Prince of Themyscira is not an interesting character, she’s a blank slate that others can project onto just like Superman in “Man of Steel.” Sometimes I honestly feel like this movie gets a pass because it stars a woman, which is even more sexist in my view.

If a movie is bad or just mediocre, why prop it on a pedestal just because it stars a woman? You’re free to disagree with me, in fact I invite you to disagree with me. Before you write me an essay why Wonder Woman, as a character, is well-rounded and well-put together though, I’d like to ask you some questions. What’s so great about her? Why is she a wonder woman? What does she do that you can’t find anywhere else in another film, done by male or female?

I don’t mean to bring down a movie that a lot of people enjoyed. Trust me, I can see the appeal. For me, however, “Wonder Woman” is far from wonderful.