Wonder Woman

Though far from perfect, Wonder Woman offers renewed hope for audiences in two major ways.  First, it represents the first successful female-led superhero and/or comic book movie.  Past attempts such as 1984's Supergirl, Tank Girl, Barb Wire, Elektra (the Daredevil spin off with Jennifer Garner) and especially 2004's infamous Catwoman with Halle Berry all fell flat, and gave Hollywood the impression that people just did not want to a superheroine movie.  Of course, this could not be further from the truth.  The reality was all of these movies were terrible in one way or another.  But, when you're Hollywood, you blame the talent, rather than the bad corporate decisions made behind the scenes.  What does it tell you that this is the first female-led comic book movie in over 10 years, and that the current king of the genre, Marvel, has yet to release one starring a woman? (Though they do have a Captain Marvel movie starring Brie Larson in the works, which is two years away.)

The other way in which Wonder Woman offers hope is for the struggling D.C. Cinematic Universe, which up to now has largely been a huge let down.  I know that films like Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad have their defenders, but even if you have enjoyed them, you can't deny the central problem that has plagued almost all of them, which is that they have been trying to induct audiences into their Cinematic Universe far too quickly, and with far too diminishing results.  Last year's heavily hyped Batman v. Superman film (where Wonder Woman made her first on-screen appearance) often felt like it was trying to cram too much into one movie, and seemed to exist solely to set us up for future movies to come, rather than give us a satisfying narrative and a proper meet up between two of the comic book world's biggest titans.  And the less said about last summer's chaotic, messy and downright indecipherable Suicide Squad, the better.  These were movies that were made solely for fans, and seemed to exist to give them as many references and cameos as could be squeezed in, while forgetting to give them a memorable film experience in the process.

What director Patty Jenkins (2003's Monster) and screenwriter Allan Heinberg (who has written for the Wonder Woman comic book in the past) have done is given us a movie about the heroic Amazon Princess that not only allows us to get behind the character, but to also understand her and her world.  Rather than try to throw in everything but the metaphorical kitchen sink into one movie, this is just as the title suggests - a movie about Wonder Woman.  That's how it should be.  There's a reference to Bruce Wayne in the film's opening scene (Ben Affleck does not appear.), but outside of that, the movie is laser focused on its subject, and explores its heroine's background, her beliefs, and what she stands for.  It's also beautifully shot, has some exciting action sequences (which are somewhat marred by the film's decision to use excessive slow motion techniques), and quite a few quiet moments that allow us to like these characters.  Most of all, you don't have to be in the know with the comics in order to enjoy it.  It has its flaws, but for the most part, this is light summer entertainment filmmaking at its best.

You may remember in Batman v. Superman that there was a scene that featured an old photograph from World War I that displayed the Amazon in full battle gear standing next to a small group of soldiers.  Here, we get the background behind that photo, the events that led up to it, and what happened afterward.  The action kicks off on an idyllic island paradise where the Amazons live, protected by a magical barrier that makes their island invisible to the outside world.  It is here that we meet the future Wonder Woman, who at this point is known as Princess Diana (once again played by Gal Gadot).  She spends most of her time engaging in swordplay and learning to fight with her Aunt Antiope (Robin Wright), while her mother Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) looks on worriedly, as she is not happy that her daughter wishes to train to fight, and seems to be holding back a secret from her.  These early scenes on the island are beautiful to look at, but can also come across a bit silly, as Wright and Nielsen walk around in flowing capes and garish headpieces, talking in dramatic breathless accents about the possible return of the God of War, Ares.  The Amazons are also apparently greatly skilled in Matrix-style slo-mo fighting, as they engage in spinning around in the air while blades and spears whiz by, barely dodging them, quite frequently.

Diana has lived on this island of only women her entire life, and has never seen a man or the outside world.  That all changes when a plane crashes into the water nearby the island, and Diana swims out in order to rescue the pilot.  This is Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), a spy deeply engaged in the fighting going on just outside of the island.  The outside world is going through World War I, and Steve has stolen some important information from the Germans that may lead to their defeat.  After he is rescued, he is interrogated by the Amazons, and tells them of what is going on in the world.  When Diana hears about the people suffering because of the fighting, she becomes inspired to leave her home, and do what she can to help.  She also believes that the God of War is responsible for all of it, and if she can destroy him once and for all, then the fighting will stop.  She accompanies Steve to early 20th Century London, and becomes fully immersed in a world she has never known, but vows to protect.

It is at this point that Wonder Woman becomes the movie we have been waiting for from the D.C. Universe, in that it is about the relationship that grows between Diana and Steve, as well as Diana's interactions and learning about the world, as much as it is about the heroics and special effects.  We come to care greatly about the two lead characters, and both Gadot and Pine display great chemistry together.  They are romantic, often funny with their banter and misunderstandings about the worlds both characters come from, and can be quite charming together.  This is Gal Gadot's first time headlining a blockbuster film and potential franchise, and while I have had my doubts in the past, she proves herself quite capable here.  She is able to successfully display Diana's transformation from an innocent and slightly naive outsider, to a battle-hardened warrior who is willing to do everything to protect and fight for what she believes in.  It's a character arc that manages to captivate, and her interactions with Steve and some of his fellow soldiers who help her during the mission is the film's strongest aspect.

It does take a while for Diana to finally don her battle armor and battle the German forces, but when it finally happens, it's worth the wait.  Yes, the movie still does employ way too many special effects for the fight scenes, some of which are quite glaring and kind of took me out of the movie.  Whenever Wonder Woman uses her Golden Lasso of Truth on her enemies, it looked kind of like a cartoon, like something out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  And again, the slow motion is used a bit too much in many battles.  Regardless, they are well staged, and impressive for the most part when the obtrusive special effects don't get in the way.  The only disappointing battle sequence is the climactic one, but that's only because it basically relies solely on the effects alone, rather than the physical abilities of its star.  When we truly get to see Gadot in action, she is powerful and immensely magnetic.  My one wish for future sequels or for the character's other appearance in D.C. Universe films is to just let her do her own thing, and not use so many special effects to try to make her look more impressive.

Like many recent comic book movies, the heroes are fantastic and likable, but the villains are immediately forgettable.  This is a problem that even Marvel has been unable to crack thus far with a lot of their films.  Here, our main villains are a scene-chewing Danny Huston as a sadistic and calculating German commander, and Spanish actress Elena Anaya as his head chemist, Dr. Maru, otherwise known as Dr. Poison.  Huston gets to bluster and bellow, but never really gets to stand out much.  He more or less gets to move the plot along when required, but never gets a moment to be charismatic, interesting or all that defined.  As for Dr. Maru, she seems to be a far-more interesting villain when we first see her, as parts of her face are covered with a doll-like mask in order to cover hideous scars. (We never learn how this happened to her.) But again, the movie gives her little to do, and we don't even get a satisfying payoff for the character.  Director Jenkins seems unsure of what to do with her at times, and we're left waiting for the character's big moment, which never comes.

But things like the special effects and disappointing villains are minor in the scope of what does work here.  There is a lot of genuine heart, some moments of humor, and an all around sense that this is what the D.C. Cinematic Universe should have been doing all along.  Instead of setting up future movies or giving us world-shattering battles, just give us heroes that we can easily get behind and who are defined with a sense of purpose.  That these basic traits have eluded the films for so long is quite surprising, but we can only hope that future films exploring characters like Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash will follow this one as an example.  There's a reason why these characters have endured in comics for so long, and it's not just because of their incredible powers and their ability to kick a lot of butt.  Superheroes can be cheerful, funny, romantic, strong, broken, and even human at times.  Wonder Woman reminds us of that, and it is for that simple reason why the film works.

We're getting a Justice League movie in the Fall, which will bring many of the D.C. characters together into one movie.  I have my doubts, as many of the characters within have not been properly introduced to us yet, and I'm afraid that the filmmakers might be moving too fast.  But, I will keep an open mind, and hope for the best.  At the very least, I have hope now.

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