Wonder Woman
Released 6/2/17
On one front, Wonder Woman is important to the superhero film genre because these types of movies with female leads have been less than stellar to say the least. What examples do we have? Helen Slater's Supergirl? Halle Berry's Catwoman? Jennifer Garner's Elektra? None have set the world on fire to say the least (although I didn't think Elektra was quite the horror show as most made it out to be). Sure there are popular female characters in male-lead team films, but, in this superhero golden age, the question is can a female lead actually drive a movie of this nature with audiences?
The second obstacle Jenkins has to conquer? The stigma of the DC Extended Universe on camera. To say that Warner's previous efforts to create their cinematic universe have been "beleaguered" would be an understatement. While the three previous efforts (Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad), have made decent bank financially, they aren't universally loved movies outside of the hardcore DC fan base. In fact, the general consensus is they likely fall somewhere between the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Godfather 3 as far as deflated expectations.
So, the question is can Jenkins craft a blockbuster film in the genre carried by a female lead in a universe that hasn't been well received at this point in time? The answer is yes, but, not resoundingly so in my opinion. Wonder Woman is easily the most well-crafted film to come along in the DCEU. I'm well aware that's like saying it's the tallest midget for some, but, WW is a very good movie that should hopefully springboard the DCEU to loftier heights and be the precursor to more female-lead films in the genre.
Wonder Woman is told mostly in flashback starting with the time Diana, princess of the Amazonian island of Themyscira, was a young child yearning to learn the way of the warrior after witnessing the hard driving training sessions of her aunt, Antiope (Robin Wright). Her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), is at first reluctant to have her trained for mysterious reasons, but, later acquiesces tasking Antiope with training her daughter harder than any Amazon warrior has ever been trained. After an unspecified amount of time, adult Diana (Gal Gadot) has become a fierce warrior who has power well beyond that of any other Amazon.
Hidden by the Greek deity, Zeus, to protect it from detection from the Amazon's enemy, Ares (God of War), Themyscira is inadvertently found by crash landing spy, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). Rescued by Diana from a watery grave, Trevor tells of a great war currently being fought outside of the island (World War I). The war comes to the shores of Themyscira in the form of the German military hotly pursuing Trevor for some stolen plans.
After a deadly confrontation between the Germans and Amazons, Diana determines that Ares is working his evil magic on mankind once again and follows Trevor into "man's world" to end the God of War once and for all much to the chagrin of her mother. And Ares' unwitting minions in the German army, General Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and Dr. Maru, aka, Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya), will do everything in their power to make sure as many people die with their newly developed mustard gas.
Overall, WW is a well-balanced mix of action, humor, and dark tone as Diana goes through her hero's journey. Actually it felt more like a Marvel movie than any of the previous installments from the DCEU complete with WW's final action frame to end the film. But, also like most other films, there is bad that comes with the good. In this case not so much bad as disappointing and puzzling.
You would think in a Wonder Woman movie one of the strengths of it might be the Amazons themselves. Honestly, I thought they were lackluster aside from a few spectacular action sequences. In fact, the movie really didn't start popping for me until Diana left Themyscira. One problem I had was the Amazons overall fragility aside from Diana. Now, I won't say that I'm completely up on my Wonder Woman lore, but, aren't they supposed to be superhuman? According to the movie, they were created by Zeus to take on gods, if necessary. How can you stand up to gods when you fall to man made weapons just like any other human would? That fact that we're supposed to believe they're "special" and we see them get taken out with normal German army rifles just doesn't jibe. I guess our first clue to their mortality is the fact that Zeus felt the need to hide his creations from Ares. But, wait, the Amazons don't seem to age which one would presume makes them immortal, or, at least extremely long lived so they should be able to stand up to a god. But, they get shot and die. You see the opposing forces here, right?
My second issue was the convoluted reasoning of Hippolyta to try to "protect" Diana as much as she does, but, at the same time, not arm her with all the knowledge she needs when it becomes apparent that Diana isn't like the others. We never learn why Diana has those awesome bracelets that deflect bullets, create massive seismic shocks, and the like. We just know she has something the other Amazons don't have for some reason. Diana, for her part, really doesn't understand their power the first time she uses them either. But, I have a strong suspicion Hippolyta did.
That brings us to the Godslayer sword that Diana takes which can supposedly fell Ares. As we learn, that's not the case. When Diana learns this, I could just see her thought bubble of her mother shrugging her shoulders with a puzzled look on her face. I can hear Diana thinking, "Thanks for the heads up, mom! Meanwhile, I just got my dome caved!!!"
The issue I have is Hippolyta's unwillingness to arm Diana with all the knowledge she needs to fight the unbeatable foe she will inevitably have to face. I understand wanting to protect your child, but, you're also doing her a disservice not fully preparing her. Her aunt, Antiope, knew what needed to be done. All we get from mom is "she must never know her true purpose." Why? It might keep her alive.
I've also never been a fan of the whole "Diana made from clay origin" that thankfully is debunked near the film's end. But her true origin kind of leaves you with the feeling of "eeeewwwww" if you pay heed to the notion that Zeus is the Creator, created the Amazons, and thereby, created Diana's mother, Hippolyta, and, well, you get the point of this "father/daughter" dynamic.
As far as where I thought the film was really on point was surprising to me. I can't say enough about the dynamic between Gadot and Pine. Their relationship in the film is what really drove it to greater heights for me. They were the anti-Hemsworth/Portman couple as far as truly feeling the chemistry between a human and a godlike figure. They appeared to have fun working together. Their comedic timing with each other couldn't have been better. It was the perfect yin and yang of Diana's childlike curiosity and Trevor's bewilderment at trying to keep her out of trouble. I wasn't expecting this to be the highlight, but, many films in this genre can take notes from the way these two interacted.
I said before the film really didn't hit its correct gears until Diana and Trevor left Themyscira. That's also where Gadot hit her stride. Much has been said on social media about her first appearance on the warfront in full Wonder Woman battle gear. Well it is impressive from time she ascends the ladder in the trench, to her deliberate walk toward a German machine gun nest, to the first bullet she deflects with her wristbands. She's a force of nature that can't be stopped. Now is it greatest scene in this genre's history? I won't go there, but, it's awfully impressive.
As for Gadot herself, everyone knows the kerfuffle that generated from the first announcement that she landed the role of the Amazon warrior. I was one who was skeptical in the beginning. After her appearance in Dawn of Justice, my fears were mostly allayed. Now, I have no doubts about her. Yes, there are others who could physically fit the role more, but, Gadot looks more than believable mixing it up onscreen with fists, swords, and magic lasso in hand. Plus, she has some unexpected comedic chops to boot.
The DCEU has taken a beating since Man of Steel was released in 2013. Some of it deserved, some of it undeserved. Many of the wounds have been self-inflicted. Maybe it's Patty Jenkins direction. Maybe it's Geoff Johns overseeing of the DCEU now. Whatever the case, Wonder Woman just felt like DC and Warner Brothers finally got it. No, Wonder Woman isn't perfect. But, it is a definite step in the right direction. Hopefully, Justice League can maintain this momentum in November.
The Dark Lord of the Sith says:
***3/4 stars
Ratings Legend*= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look. Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good
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