Wonder Woman Reviewed
I cannot tell you how happy I am that Wonder Woman is a good movie. I was dreading going to another ‘gritty’ DC movie, but as I sat there I had a flashback to the original Superman, and not in a cheesy 70s kind of way. Wonder Woman fights for good, and that idea is reflected on screen. Somehow Superman — who is supposed to stand for truth, justice, and the American way — lost the plot with his own dark and gritty reboot. This semi-throwback idea is a welcome change from where the DC universe has been going and works because it feels earnest. And in the world we live in today that kind of virtuous character is a much-needed respite.
It's a nice bonus that Wonder Woman has a female visionary at the lead, and Patty Jenkins is a talented storyteller, the same person who gave us the Academy Award-winning movie Monster. She crafts a movie that doesn't rely solely on explosions and CGI to succeed and that's the key.
The plot is a basic origin story, to find out how Wonder Woman came to be. The movie is set during World War I and starts with Diana (Gal Gadot) on Themyscira, where we get a decent amount of backstory to the Amazons. As Diana grows up she becomes a warrior and one day she finds allied officer Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and agrees to help him in an effort to end the war to end all wars.
What’s great about this movie is it’s not all doom and gloom like previous DC movies; there are plenty of funny moments before we get to the front line, especially with the fish out of water angle as Diana tries to adapt to the world of man. The banter between Gal Gadot as the straight man, or the straight woman as it were, playing against Chris Pine is the heart of the movie overall — but their chemistry excels during the movie’s lighter moments.
It's a nice bonus that Wonder Woman has a female visionary at the lead, and Patty Jenkins is a talented storyteller, the same person who gave us the Academy Award-winning movie Monster. She crafts a movie that doesn't rely solely on explosions and CGI to succeed and that's the key.
The plot is a basic origin story, to find out how Wonder Woman came to be. The movie is set during World War I and starts with Diana (Gal Gadot) on Themyscira, where we get a decent amount of backstory to the Amazons. As Diana grows up she becomes a warrior and one day she finds allied officer Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and agrees to help him in an effort to end the war to end all wars.
What’s great about this movie is it’s not all doom and gloom like previous DC movies; there are plenty of funny moments before we get to the front line, especially with the fish out of water angle as Diana tries to adapt to the world of man. The banter between Gal Gadot as the straight man, or the straight woman as it were, playing against Chris Pine is the heart of the movie overall — but their chemistry excels during the movie’s lighter moments.
Gal Gadot is charismatic, and has amazing presence. If you were to tell me she was royal born I would totally believe you. This is a star making role for the talented actress.
One of the few knocks on this movie is the use of CGI. The action scenes are good as long as they don't rely solely on green screens. This is especially true for the lasso of truth; when it’s not glowing it looks fine, but anytime the lasso is used in an action sequence it looks silly.
The end is also just a little bit cheesy. I mean it’s no 'let's stop this fight because I realized both of our mothers were named Martha' bad, but it’s still not great. It just doesn't match the tone of the rest if the movie. Obviously, it's a superhero movie, so we have to have the final fight with the big bad guy, but do we? This movie is better than that cliché.
In a world full of superhero movies, Wonder Woman is at the top of the pile and becomes a new standard for what the audience should expect. Every DC director out there needs to take a note from Patty Jenkins, because this is how it's done. The use of CGI, explosions, and special effects are the weakest parts of the movie, the movie succeeds based on the relationships the characters have with one another and our relationship with our hero. Patty Jenkins just turned on the pressure for the Justice League movie coming out later his year. Can the boys step up? A-/B+
The end is also just a little bit cheesy. I mean it’s no 'let's stop this fight because I realized both of our mothers were named Martha' bad, but it’s still not great. It just doesn't match the tone of the rest if the movie. Obviously, it's a superhero movie, so we have to have the final fight with the big bad guy, but do we? This movie is better than that cliché.
In a world full of superhero movies, Wonder Woman is at the top of the pile and becomes a new standard for what the audience should expect. Every DC director out there needs to take a note from Patty Jenkins, because this is how it's done. The use of CGI, explosions, and special effects are the weakest parts of the movie, the movie succeeds based on the relationships the characters have with one another and our relationship with our hero. Patty Jenkins just turned on the pressure for the Justice League movie coming out later his year. Can the boys step up? A-/B+
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