Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe needed a win. Yes, each of their films has managed to be a success on a financial level — make no mistake there. However, over the course of their three films, credibility of the world itself seemed to be on the decline. Man of Steel was polarizing enough by itself, but Batman v Superman was overwhelmingly criticized by critics and fans alike. Despite solid advertising, Suicide Squad fared even worse. While I’d argue that each of these films had very redeemable traits (I love Man of Steel, liked Batman v Superman, loved the Ultimate Edition, and enjoyed Suicide Squad in spite of its glaring flaws), there was still no denying that some were growing tired of waiting for the universe to live up to expectations.

This put Wonder Woman in an unenviable position. With it being the final film leading up to Justice League, it needed to be well received. There needed to be more than hope for fans to cling onto. Their faith in this growing franchise needed to be rewarded with a film that was accepted by the masses as a decent movie. Was it fair? No. Can Wonder Woman manage to live up to these expectations? That remains to be seen. But it seems to be off to a good start.

RELATED: Yes, The Justice League Movie Can Work — Here’s How

Monday night at 9pm PST, the embargo for Wonder Woman was lifted, and the first round of reviews hit the web…and they’re very promising.

TheWrap – Alonso Duralde

“In the recent flood of superhero movies, several have managed to be quite good — but Wonder Woman ranks as one of the few great ones.

“Gal Gadot’s turn as Princess Diana of Themyscira was a refreshing standout amidst the sludge of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and she’s as good if not better headlining her own solo adventure. It’s a film that not only improves upon many of the seemingly built-in shortcomings of superhero movies, but also mixes smarts, sentiment and adrenaline in the best Hollywood style. This is a superior popcorn movie, no matter what the genre.”

Associated Press – Lindsey Bahr

“Wonder Woman has been the subject of so much superfluous fuss, it’d be easy to forget that behind all of the hand-wringing and both symbolic and real pressure to succeed there’s actually a movie meant to entertain.

“Yet, like the heroine at its center, Wonder Woman the movie rises with powerful grace above the noise. It’s not perfect, but it’s often good, sometimes great and exceptionally re-watchable.”

Entertainment Weekly – Chris Nashawaty

“Wonder Woman is smart, slick, and satisfying in all of the ways superhero films ought to be. How deliciously ironic that in a genre where the boys seem to have all the fun, a female hero and a female director are the ones to show the fellas how it’s done.”

Variety – Andrew Barker

“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.”

The Hollywood Reporter – Sheri Linden

“Had it really broken the mold and come in below the two-hour mark, Wonder Woman could have been a thoroughly transporting film. As it stands, it’s intermittently spot-on, particularly in the pops of humor and romance between the exotically kick-ass yet approachable Gadot and the supremely charismatic Chris Pine as an American working for British intelligence, the first man the Amazon princess has ever met. With eager fans unlikely to bemoan the film’s length or its lapses in narrative energy, Wonder Woman will conquer their hearts as it makes its way around the globe.”

That all certainly sounds pretty damn good to us. We haven’t had a chance to check out the film for ourselves just yet, but you can be sure to check out our full review of Wonder Woman here at LRM tomorrow. However, regardless of what we end up thinking of the film, it sounds as though most critics are already coming to a solid consensus.

As of right now, the film has garnered 52 reviews, 96 percent of which are positive. While this is only one-fifth or so of the number of reviews it’s likely to get by the time all the reviews roll in, early reviews like this are usually pretty indicative when all said and done. It wouldn’t surprise us if the film ended up with a rating in the high-80s, low-90s percent range.

We’ll have to wait and see. If nothing else, we’re excited to see what this means for the box office. Wonder Woman looks like it could be one of the big surprises of the summer.

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SOURCES: Various

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