Wonder Woman
Year: 2017
Director: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Gal Gadot & Chris Pine
Runtime: 141 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 31/08/21
Director: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Gal Gadot & Chris Pine
Runtime: 141 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 31/08/21
I’m not afraid to admit that following 2016’s Suicide Squad I wrote off the DC Extended Universe entirely. I went to watch Aquaman with some friends because they wanted to go and I wanted to spend time with them, but I can’t say I really paid all that much attention to the film because the collectively bad experience I had with Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad, had just given me such a sour taste in my mouth that I wasn’t willing to give the series another shot. Which means, despite hearing for so long that I should watch Wonder Woman because it’s “the only good film in the DCEU” as I have been told by multiple people, I have never done so until now. So, is Wonder Woman actually good, or is it just better than bad?
Following Bruce Wayne’s discovery of her secret in Batman v Superman, Diana Price (Gal Gadot) recounts her journey to discover why she began fighting the good fight.
Beginning with her childhood, Diana, Princess of the Amazonians, is shielded away from combat by her overprotective mother (Connie Nielsen) for fear that allowing her to fight will attract the attention of Ares, the god of war. But when Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes onto the beach, he brings with him his pursuers, the German army. Informing the Amazonians of World War I, Steve asks for help but is turned away. Disobeying her mother’s orders, Diana joins Steve and travels to London where together they plan to infiltrate and destroy a German weapons factory in Belgium where Diana believes Ares is pulling the strings.
Following Bruce Wayne’s discovery of her secret in Batman v Superman, Diana Price (Gal Gadot) recounts her journey to discover why she began fighting the good fight.
Beginning with her childhood, Diana, Princess of the Amazonians, is shielded away from combat by her overprotective mother (Connie Nielsen) for fear that allowing her to fight will attract the attention of Ares, the god of war. But when Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes onto the beach, he brings with him his pursuers, the German army. Informing the Amazonians of World War I, Steve asks for help but is turned away. Disobeying her mother’s orders, Diana joins Steve and travels to London where together they plan to infiltrate and destroy a German weapons factory in Belgium where Diana believes Ares is pulling the strings.
I went into Wonder Woman with tempered expectations. I had heard a lot of hype surrounding this film over the years, but my general disdain for the DCEU films had me wondering just how much of it is hyperbole for the film being average, but great in comparison to its predecessors. Surprisingly however, Wonder Woman is actually a really good film.
Diana is a character that has so much to learn and overcome in her journey that each new obstacle in her way she must learn to overcome through determination, not power. At the start of the film she regularly gets her ass handed to her, but uses defeat to teach herself to be better and stronger than she was before. Once she leaves with Steve she’s dropped into the deep end as she doesn’t understand the world, its customs, or how to win a war. Unlike a lot of female empowerment stories of the 2010’s, Diana isn’t perfect, and she can’t do everything by herself. But that’s why she’s so much more relatable and a more interesting character than almost any female lead in a big blockbuster film from around the same time. The film doesn’t mansplain to her either; Steve is just as flawed as she is, and they teach each other a lot about what it means to be a good person.
The casting for these two characters is also excellent. Gadot in particular is incredible as Diana, she didn’t get a whole lot of time to shine in BvS and I think a lot of people got the wrong idea about her because of that. But the way she presents Diana’s optimism and naivety in a way that is completely sincere and relatable is extremely commendable. Her chemistry with Pine is also one of the films strongest components, and director Patty Jenkins allows the film to take some downtime to allow these characters to grow naturally through organic conversation.
This downtime doesn’t detract from the action however as Wonder Woman delivers this in spades. The first major action sequence, where the German soldiers invade Diana’s home, is my personal favourite in the whole film. But there’s several small skirmishes peppered throughout, and two other large-scale battles later on in the film, most of which are extremely enjoyable. The final battle against Ares can feel a little too similar to the fight against Doomsday in Batman v Superman, with some of the action feeling weightless and disconnected from reality, but because the rest of the film has worked so hard for your adoration it’s much easier to overlook the minor problems this sequence has.
Diana is a character that has so much to learn and overcome in her journey that each new obstacle in her way she must learn to overcome through determination, not power. At the start of the film she regularly gets her ass handed to her, but uses defeat to teach herself to be better and stronger than she was before. Once she leaves with Steve she’s dropped into the deep end as she doesn’t understand the world, its customs, or how to win a war. Unlike a lot of female empowerment stories of the 2010’s, Diana isn’t perfect, and she can’t do everything by herself. But that’s why she’s so much more relatable and a more interesting character than almost any female lead in a big blockbuster film from around the same time. The film doesn’t mansplain to her either; Steve is just as flawed as she is, and they teach each other a lot about what it means to be a good person.
The casting for these two characters is also excellent. Gadot in particular is incredible as Diana, she didn’t get a whole lot of time to shine in BvS and I think a lot of people got the wrong idea about her because of that. But the way she presents Diana’s optimism and naivety in a way that is completely sincere and relatable is extremely commendable. Her chemistry with Pine is also one of the films strongest components, and director Patty Jenkins allows the film to take some downtime to allow these characters to grow naturally through organic conversation.
This downtime doesn’t detract from the action however as Wonder Woman delivers this in spades. The first major action sequence, where the German soldiers invade Diana’s home, is my personal favourite in the whole film. But there’s several small skirmishes peppered throughout, and two other large-scale battles later on in the film, most of which are extremely enjoyable. The final battle against Ares can feel a little too similar to the fight against Doomsday in Batman v Superman, with some of the action feeling weightless and disconnected from reality, but because the rest of the film has worked so hard for your adoration it’s much easier to overlook the minor problems this sequence has.
Wonder Woman paces itself considerably better than all of its predecessors too, and despite being around the same length as Man of Steel, time flies much faster with Wonder Woman because of how it’s been edited. Tonally the film is also considerably more optimistic than Man of Steel and BvS, which means you don’t leave the film feeling totally depressed and emotionally drained. That combined with some excellent cinematography and much more liberal use of colour than any of the previous DCEU films and Wonder Woman is a joy to watch, and so far, the only DCEU film that I would happily sit and re-watch the same way I would an MCU film.
Wonder Woman is by far the best entry in the DCEU yet, though it still pales in comparison to DC’s strongest film output in the likes of The Dark Knight and Joker. But when compared to what Warner Bros. really have their sights set on, Wonder Woman could stand toe to toe with most films from the MCU and stand a real chance of bettering them. Despite the slightly less rapturous reception it received, I’m actually looking forward to watching Wonder Woman 1984, which is more than I can say about any other DCEU film.
Wonder Woman is by far the best entry in the DCEU yet, though it still pales in comparison to DC’s strongest film output in the likes of The Dark Knight and Joker. But when compared to what Warner Bros. really have their sights set on, Wonder Woman could stand toe to toe with most films from the MCU and stand a real chance of bettering them. Despite the slightly less rapturous reception it received, I’m actually looking forward to watching Wonder Woman 1984, which is more than I can say about any other DCEU film.