WONDER WOMAN – Review

GAL GADOT as Diana in the action adventure “WONDER WOMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo: Clay Enos © DC Comics

WONDER WOMAN is here to straighten things out, and put all those squabbling men in their place. A woman superhero movie was long overdue, and Wonder Woman is a terrific character. Many agree that Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was the highlight of the ponderous BATMAN VS SUPERMAN. Having a woman director, Patty Jenkins, at the helm is just that much sweeter.

The good news is that WONDER WOMAN is a much better movie than BATMAN VS SUPERMAN and Gal Gadot is terrific in the role, particularly wonderful in the action sequences. While Gadot is perfect as Wonder Woman and the action sequences are spectacular, the bad news is that the film takes awhile to get rolling after a good start on the island of the Amazons, gets dull in the middle, and is overlong at 2 1/2 hours.

The two best things about WONDER WOMAN are Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Patty Jenkins as director, although the visual effects are a close third. As the director behind MONSTER, Jenkins certainly knows what she is doing it and it was past time that a superhero movie had a woman director as well as a woman superhero. That said, I wanted to love this movie but WONDER WOMAN is a good rather than great film. Still, it is certainly one of the best of the summer blockbuster season so far, coming in right behind GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2.

WONDER WOMAN is an origin story, told in flashback as a modern Diana Prince, Wonder Woman’s alter ego, remembers her beginnings as an Amazon princess while looking at a World War I era photo, the one audiences saw in BATMAN VS SUPERMAN. It takes us back to the island of the Amazons, Themyscira, where Diana (Lilly Aspell at age 8, Emily Carey at 12) grew up as daughter of Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen). Diana is not only princess of the Amazons but is the only child on this island inhabited only by women.

Themyscira is hidden from view by a ring of mist created by the Amazon’s protector Zeus. The Greek god created this haven for the Amazons as a reward for their help defeating a rebellion led by the god of war, Ares. The Amazon’s mission is to defeat Ares, the god who causes men to fight wars, and put an end to war. The women warriors train for battle constantly in preparation to fight him. Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyta is extremely protective and forbids her daughter to train as a warrior. But her daughter is strong-willed and secretly trains with her aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright), who knows her niece has hidden special powers.

When a World War I pilot in a damaged plane comes crashing through the barrier that keeps the island hidden, young Diana saves him. Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), an American working with British intelligence, tells her about World War I, the Great War, which he describes as “the war to end all wars,” and Diana becomes convinced that Ares is behind it. She must go to defeat Ares, despite her mother’s objections.

It sounds like a crazy plan to Steve Trevor but he goes along to get off the island, Diana’s focus falls on brutal German general Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and his facially-scarred chemical weapons genius, known as Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya).

Among the film’s strong points are the premise itself. Rather than being motivated by revenge or taking one country’s side, Wonder Woman is there to put an end to the fighting. She goes with the resourceful, war-weary spy Steve Trevor because he can lead her to the battlefield, where she expects to find Ares in the middle of it all. She is a peacemaker as well as a fierce warrior. War is the evil she is aiming to defeat. It is a refreshing return to a more old-fashioned superhero, more in the mold of the original Superman. Wonder Woman’s mission could be a re-written version of Superman’s, “truth, justice, – and an end to war.” There is also something particularly woman-centric in that.

Setting the story in 1918 and WWI rather than more usual WWII is also a refreshing change. It is particularly apt if you know something about that war, which was started for no real reason, and was a devastating conflict that quickly bogged down into the bloody stalemate of trench warfare. It is also the time of the suffragettes, fighting to get women the vote, so it adds a layer of the era’s gender role expectations, which is great fun to see Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman steamroll over.

Going into the battlefield of one of the most horrific wars, Diana maintains “the courage of her convictions.” Diana struggles to understand this war’s mechanical mass killing, so different from the hand-to-hand combat she knows. Steve Trevor sees the choices in war as morally gray but Diana only wants to see it in black and white – not one side over another but just stopping the killing. Her idealism is something that sets her apart from other movie superheroes, particularly in light of the previous Warner DC superhero movies, where morally gray is as light as the tone gets.

However, this is not a flawless film. After a nice start, the story bogs down after leaving the island, seeming to drag before finally gaining momentum in the final third. The script, and dialog in particular, has a certain heaviness and humorlessness. Three misfit sidekicks, played by Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, and Eugene Brave Rock, seems to be there for comic relief but really add little of that. Another sidekick, Trevor’s British secretary Etta Candy, played with a bit of punch by Lucy Davis, does a bit better in that respect.

But once they track down the villainous German general and Dr. Poison, things really kick into high gear. Gal Gadot is excellent in the lead role, and her action sequences are top-notch and electrifying. The pivotal battle scene near the film’s end is spectacular, taking the story to a new level as Diana discovers her true powers and destiny.

Chris Pine does a nice job as Steve Trevor, dismissing Diana as an innocent he will have to protect before gaining respect and affection for the amazing young woman. Although she was raised apart from the world, intelligent Diana had impressive education and intelligence, knowing more of that world than he expects and speaking not just English but ancient Sumerian. She is dismissive of him at first too, which slightly appalls tough guy Trevor, adding a nice edge to their interactions. Pine plays Trevor more as a practical type, the calm voice of reason speaking to Diana’s unthinking, even innocent idealism. Pine’s Trevor is one who tells Diane “you can’t do that” and then helps her do what he told her was impossible. They make a great team as much as anything, breaking the usual mold for romantic pairs.

Among the supporting cast, David Thewlis is a standout, in a head-twisting part as Lord and Robin Wright is excellent as the fierce warrior Antiope. Connie Nielsen is appropriately real as Hippolyta

Whatever its flaws, still it is wonderful to at last have a female superhero, and the film take on the character is true to what Wonder Woman represents in the best sense. Wonder Woman is a powerful character, a strong woman out to kick some butt and make those silly men behave. Wonder Woman is the one who rescues, not the one to be rescued but equality is the stronger theme than reversing the gender roles, She is independent, intelligent, strong-willed and brave – not afraid to be strong but also not afraid to show her feelings – or to stand up for what she knows is right. She advocates the triumph of love over war, and could there be a better message than that. That alone makes the film worth seeing, but Gal Gadot makes it great fun as well.

Hopefully this WONDER WOMAN blockbuster will be followed by sequels although there is no teaser at the end of the credits. And after that, now that we have a Wonder Woman movie, could we have a Black Widow superhero movie next?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars