Review of Wonder Woman (2017) by Ashley M — 01 Jun 2017

It Was Simply Wonderful.

Spoilers, spoilers everywhere!

The film continues from where Batman VS. Superman left off--Diana receiving her photo, taken during WWI, from Bruce, suggesting that one day she might tell him her story, prompting the movie to begin with Diana's childhood. From there, she learns of Ares, her mother dancing around her true purpose--given a simple explanation of what drives men to do the things the things they do. Hippolyta never wanted this fate for her daughter, but it was inevitable--she knew there was nothing she could do to stop her. Eventually conceding as she grew older, Diana was trained harder than any other Amazon--until one day, Steve Trevor crashed on the island.

So, changes to continuity, for better or worse, I enjoyed them. Instead of taking place during WWII, as Wonder Woman traditionally has, the movie's set during WWI (as anyone could ascertain from the trailers). Steve Trevor is working for British intelligence as a spy, with Etta Candy being his British secretary. The Germans invaded Themiscara, where Diana's longtime mentor, who trained her since childhood, is murdered. The Amazons, angry, target Trevor--but Diana defends him, as he fought alongside her during the midst of battle. This particular incident was key to show us that Diana is a fair and honorable woman, sticking up for what she believed right in the face of adversity and emotional turmoil.

Throughout the film there's a juxtaposition of humor and darkness, and it's offset *wonderfully*. Chris Pine's fumbling to find the right words, contrasted to Gadot's charming innocence about the world, makes for a number of laughs that are never at the titular heroine's expense. One particular part I really enjoyed was when they were sailing to London--their dialogue about sleeping together a perfect example of what I'm talking about--Diana's book smarts straight and to the point while Steve awkwardly shuffles about his own customs and culture. The subtle implication of Diana's bisexuality was also welcome, citing men as necessary for reproducing, but "unnecessary for pleasure." This would alternate throughout the film, humor filled to serious or even tragic scenes, this is an area in structure where Wonder Woman exceeded my expectations with mistressful construction.

There were themes of female empowerment, in a time where women were little more than objects, secretaries, second class citizens rife with complacency. At numerous points, Diana stood up, not allowing herself to be silenced. Three instances come to mind, that really resonated with me. The first: as Trevor delivered Dr. Poison's notebook, she was turning heads, because it was not customary for a woman to be involved with such matters. A bit taken aback by Trevor's actions, she marched back in, and called the general--who subtlety mocked her for being a woman--on what he was: a coward--informing him that true leaders do not hide behind their soldiers, but die on the battlefield with them. This was done exceptionally well, because that's how things were back then--it's a scenario to be expected, and Diana didn't simply give into the subtle social cues and allow them to anger her--no she rose above and called out what she saw as wrong--the implication tactfully given, as opposed to an obvious "you're sexist" type dialogue. The second instance was in the bar, when she was again, mocked--why would *a woman* be on the front? Immediately she disposed the sentiment, but this time with action, saving her future brother in arms' life--demonstrating that she has what it takes to go the distance. The third takes place as they make their way through the trenches--Steve explains it's "no man's land," and that no man can get through--but Diana wouldn't take no for an answer, and does what no man was capable--charging into the line of fire, herself a glimmer of hope much like the light on reflecting off her bodice, in a dead world (this part gave me goosebumps and a twinkle in my eye, accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of butterflies and glee). This delves back to earlier, when they were sailing to London--Steve stating that no one man would be able to stop the war, to which Diana stated she would be that man--that person.

Onto the cinematography--solid throughout the film--absolutely beautiful from beginning to end. Themiscara really is the paradise island of the DCEU, with lush greenery, stunning beaches, and rising mountains that caress their vibrant civilization--compared to the dreary, dark, foggy ocean just beyond them (calm and serene as they sail off however, accented by the Moon's light, often highlighting and peering from the cloud cover), or the smoggy industrialized complexion of WWI era London, which Diana rightfully called hideous. Throughout the film there's this diametric of beauty and despair (though the despair itself is artful and mesmerizing)--the latter the result of war, of man, that Ares cites as their own doing, for they are inherently self-destructive--corrupted--while Diana represents love and compassion. This is brought to a climax when Ares warps the reality around them, physically showing her the differences between man and god.

Speaking of Ares--just when you thought the film hit its climax, after Diana slayed the German general she believed to be the god of war, she comes to an existential crisis--the war was supposed to stop--but it didn't, and not even Steve Trevor can snap her out of it. And then--then he reveals himself, right under their noses the entire time. There was a build up that led to an anticlimax--no actual sign that Ares really existed from the get-go, the narrative, at times, casting doubt to the audience. But then he comes out of the shadows and grabs us by the collar.

Ares attempts to seduce Diana with the revelation that she is a god as much as he is--the weapon of legend not the sword, but she herself. She doesn't, she won't, she can't buy into it, because she knows it's wrong at heart, even after witnessing what Poison's work had done to the village filled with people she had just saved--had just celebrated with--whose lives were all lost. Beating after beating, nothing puts her down--and when she's trapped, her newfound friends about to die, she sees Steve's plane flying off into the distance... where it explodes--having sacrificed himself for the greater good. At this point, I was holding back tears--this being the pivotal moment that Diana was able to break free of Ares' grasp. Once more he tries to manipulate her--bring her into his darkness, but she perseveres--sparing Dr. Poison's life. From there, her potential is unlocked--not even the war god's lightning can stop her, as her bracelets absorb it, ultimately throwing it back at him to deliver the coup de grace.

And in the end, Diana walks through the celebrations--the end of the war in Man's World. Putting on a half-hearted smile, she walks to a memorial bulletin board, where she spots a photo of Steve Trevor--nearly breaking down in tears (in turn making me, once more, break into tears). Yes, it was a happy ending, but at what cost? The world is saved, for the time being, the war ended--Ares defeated, but the man she fell in love with--who only truly had eyes for her (as shown during their time in the village, and later at the gala)--gone. There is a conflict presented within Wonder Woman at the beginning of the film, and it hits hard, harder than she hit that tower with the German sniper she crumbled--as she truly does learn the hard way. Transitioning back to the present, we come to understand her words at the beginning. Innocent and simplistic, yet versatile and intelligent, she felt she could save the world, that it was all black and white, that Ares' corruption would be amended by his death, solving every problem and ending the war, freeing all the men from evil, until she came to realize that it wasn't just the Germans that were corrupted, it was the world, filled with so much darkness, independent of Ares, but even with the one she loved dead, she would not back down--would not feed into that darkness and join Ares--and she tells us, before she leaps into the sky, that love is what stands above all else, what wins in the end, what she must fight for.

Overall, as a huge fan that went in unsure, hoping that one of my favorite comic books characters would get the movie she deserves after so long--I was not disappointed It was an emotional roller coaster that had me on the edge of my seat at one point, crying at another (my eyes are still stained, mascara smeared as I write this). While sometimes the film relied too heavily on CGI (the third act), it never took away from the theatrics (Diano's lasso play was amazing to see on the big screen and everything I could have hoped for)--with Gal's stunts and action sequence choreography spectacular as she hacks and slashes through merciless German soldiers. Acting was stellar throughout, though the villains at times, such as General Ludendorff and Ares often fell flat, and Dr. Poison--by far the most compelling of the group--could have been developed more, Gadot--she was absolutely stunning--the foundation of the film--curious and innocent, she never makes us feel that Diana is stupid or filled with angst, but instead a constant beacon of hope even when things are at their worst--with Pines providing a captivating accent to her lead--a balanced chemistry of antithetical cultures. The applause at the end of the film was well deserved. Wonder Woman is a fine example of what the DCEU should be--what a female-lead narrative should be.