Wonder Woman — Film Review
It’s fair to say Wonder Woman represents a make or break point for Warner Brothers and their extended universe of superhero films.
After last years’ Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad disappointed fans, critics and the box office, Wonder Woman was an opportunity for the studio to get back to basics and tell the origin story of a character that has never seen a cinematic adaptation.
For the most part, director Patty Jenkins and the creative team have succeeded, telling a straightforward story that, while at times a little generic, entertains throughout.
The casting of Gal Gadot has been controversial for a number of reasons. First off many (admittiadly myself included) dirided the fact that a catwalk model had been cast as the amazon warrior. Not only does this bring up issues in terms of the portrayal of WW’s body image, there is also the question of Gadot’s acting ability, can she hold her own movie? I’m pleased to say the answer is unequivocally — yes, Gal Gadot is great in this movie.
Growing up in isolation on the island of Themyscira, the film sees Diana introduced to the world through her relationship with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and the context of the First World War. Gadot gets the opportunity to mix the wonder and naivety of a grown woman stepping out into the world for the first time with the strong moral indignation at a world going to hell, and she nails it. Whether sampling ice cream for the first time or telling off a general for his cavalier attitude towards human life, the actress gets a number of great opportunities to shine.
Alongside Gadot, Chris Pine is fantastic as always. Pine is one of those actors who you often forget is as good as he is. Here he gets to be funny, charming and carry a lot of emotional weight and he never misses a beat.
Visually, Jenkins delivers a few standout action sequences including a beach skirmish with the Amazon warriors and the German army as well as Diana’s defiant stride into no-mans land.
While comparisons to Marvel are somewhat unavoidable and the finale falls into some over familiar tropes, the film’s period setting and the mythology surrounding Diana give Wonder Woman a clear sense of its own unique identity within the ever growing superhero pantheon.
World War I provides a great setting to introduce Diana to the complexities and brutality of mankind with the ensemble of characters providing insights into war profiteering, moral ambiguity, race relations and of course gender inequality.
The film recaptures the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor, telling its own story without being overly concerned with crossovers or interconnectivity.
If DC can deliver a similar experience with the upcoming Aquaman and the ensemble of Justice League works well, they may yet create a great universe and Wonder Woman is certainly a step in the right direction.
For now we have a positive, fun and above all enjoyable origin story with some stand out performances and solid action. Wonder Woman is a superhero film with broad appeal and if early box offices predictions are accurate it could be DC’s first runaway success of the new era.
