Why underrated actor Chris Pine is suddenly at the top of his game

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June 1, 2017 8:36 PM

Chris Pine's performance in "Wonder Woman" is a career highlight, and it comes off a strong of great roles for him in indie movies.

Chris Pine in "Wonder Woman."

Someone give Chris Pine’s agent a raise!

The actor who's still best known for his incredible looks and playing James Kirk in the “Star Trek” movies (yes, in that order) is suddenly showing he has serious acting talents, and we couldn’t be more happier about it.

Playing a divorced father who teams with his ex-con brother (Ben Foster) to rip off a chain of banks to pay off the family ranch, Pine delivers a somber performance with fits of rage that are shocking to see coming from the guy most people know as the young captain of the Enterprise. And then there’s the final scene, a showdown his character has with a Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) who's been on his tail. The back and forth between Pine and Bridges, with dialogue from screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, is incredibly powerful.

Now, as love interest Steve Trevor in the highly anticipated “Wonder Woman” (out Friday), Pine proves that regardless of the size of the film, if the material is right he can be stellar.

And I’ll be the first to admit, when he was in that black-and-white photo with Wonder Woman that appears in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” I thought, “Chris Pine? WTF!” But we’ve come a long way since.

In “Wonder Woman," Trevor is a World War I spy who, in the midst of trying to bring vital information back to the allies about a poison the Germans are developing, crashes on the mysterious island of Themyscira. There he meets princess Diana, aka Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). The two join forces and set out to win the war and in the process fall in love.

Honestly, the movie wouldn’t be as funny or emotional if an actor of Chris Pine’s ability wasn’t in it. And, yes, I’m shocked I just wrote that.

But the truth is Chris Pine is having an incredible moment in his career right now and we feel it's time to celebrate it.

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