Review of Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017) by Helder A — 26 Nov 2017

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is an overlooked little gem of a movie about the author and creator of the Amazonian princess and how his unusual, polyamorous relationship with two other women influenced both his life and his work. Rather than follow the well-tread and tired path of most biopics, we follow the three pivotal characters - Marston himself, his wife Elizabeth, who is also an accomplished Harvard professor, and Olive, a teacher's assistant. So yes, the central conceit and hook of the film is that all three become romantically involved with each other (and I do mean ALL three), but we also see how slowly these two women influenced the creation of Diana Prince, as aspects of her personality and appearance were utilized. Professor Marston for the most part is a slow-moving and engaging period piece and is very much a female-centric picture with two of the main leads being women and the director (Angela Robinson) keeping the focus of the relationship honest and restrained, without it ever becoming lurid. "Male gaze" is not a factor here, even with the presence of nudity and bondage scenes galore. There is also quite a bit of attention on society's intolerance for alternative sexual relationships and how it utterly ruins the main character's lives at every turn. Luke Evans has proven himself to be compelling in smaller roles, but it is Rebecca Hall and Oliver Byrne who carry the film here. Their chemistry and emotive moments make it all worthwhile. This is a solid film, and worth a look, considering how Wonder Woman is back on the cultural radar due to 2017's smash summer success. But even without recent interest, it would still be worth a look to see how an unconventional relationship created such an extraordinary and timeless character.

Amazon. Crime fighter. War hero. Goddess. A symbol of feminine strength. Wonder Woman.