The most human DCEU film yet.
After a rocky start to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), hopes were high for for the solo debut for perhaps one of DC’s riskier lead characters. A critically controversial franchise already $800 million in the making, could Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman put the DCEU back on track?
Well yes, it seems it could.
When it comes to comic book mythology, I’m far more versed in the world of DC than Marvel. I’ve learned the majority of what I know about Marvel through watching one of their 100 films and then doing background reading after – but DC is different. Through films, games, and my impressive graphic novel collection, I know my Tim Drake from my Jason Todd at this point.
Yet Wonder Woman seems to have alluded me. Aside from her incredibly campy 1970s TV show, she seems to have stayed out of the spotlight in recent years.
So in my ignorance, the trailers really didn’t encourage me to see this film. After I saw the WWI setting (in the knowledge she would eventually join us in the present day), I couldn’t help but draw a comparison to Captain America: The First Avenger (I am aware Cap Am was set in WWII).
Her appearance in Batman v Superman however was a draw. Gal Gadot’s classy and mysterious portrayal was intriguing, with some clearly emerging chemistry with Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne. That, and the fact that it was a DCEU movie – meaning I would see it no matter what – sold me enough to go and see this film last week.
The review
As a prequel nearly 100 years before the events of Batman v Superman, Gadot brings a different performance for her title role in Wonder Woman. Despite Diana’s fierce sense of purpose, justice, and combat ability – which are totally believable by the way, perhaps owing to Gadot’s time as a combat instructor during her national service – there is a charming naivety and vulnerability to the character.
In the movie, Princess Diana (her actual name, because Wonder Woman would be a ridiculous name) is convinced that Ares, the Greek god of War, has corrupted man (more specifically, the Germans) and is forcing them into conflict. She believes if she can get to the front line, she will find Ares and – after defeating him – peace will be restored.
It so happens that her mission, in a round about kinda way, lines up with that of Steve Trevor, an American spy working for the British. He is trying to dismantle the dastardly plot of the rogue General Ludendorff, who intends to use some horrific chemical weaponry and undermine the attempts to broker an armistice.
After learning this, Diana believes Ludendorff is Ares in disguise, and so she, Trevor, and a small band of comic relief head out to destroy him.
I’ll keep my review brief, because I don’t think I have anything especially original to add to this conversation. So in short, this was a good superhero film. It was a good film full stop. And that is significant.
Sure, a lot of the supporting characters could have benefited from either some more development, or – failing that – axing completely. And like every superhero film, it suffers from being 30 minutes too long. But after a series of huge ensemble superhero films made up of horribly shaky subplots, Wonder Woman comes a breath of fresh air.
While there is only a very vague comparison to be drawn to Captain America: The First Avenger in setting, there is absolutely a similarity between Wonder Woman and Captain America: The Winter Solider in coherence.
The romance between Diana and Steve Trevor does feel a little shoehorned, however. I see why it was included – but it was unnecessary. Are we to believe Diana would fall head over heels for the first man she ever laid eyes on?
There would have been a temptation, at the corporate level, to give Trevor a more authoritative role – but Jenkins made sure not to draw too much focus from our hero. Trevor is strong, smart, brave, and absolutely likeable, yet he remains just an individual that plays a role in Diana’s quest while also going about his own (instead of taking it over from her). The desire to include a romance between the two is obvious, and perhaps that is part of the problem.
It is, however, another opportunity for Diana to express her humanity – and this is something Gadot achieves effortlessly. As a princess, she has lived a life of privilege in paradise. Yet the injustice of the outside world breaks her heart over and over. As viewers, we’re used to war films, and as humans we’re so tragically desensitised to the reality of war. Yet Diana’s despair goes some way in reigniting our own – as it should. One particular emotive scene in which she conversed with a war refugee was especially moving, flawlessly performed by Gadot.
Overall
This was a great film, which I cannot wait to add to my Blu Ray collection. While the DCEU has had some problems critically, I’ve always seen the huge potential in its general direction, and the deliciously dark tone and aesthetic they have achieved. It would be nice to not have had this film end with a long battle sequence, but it is still a superhero movie after all.
Yet Wonder Woman manages to carve out its own identity in this emerging franchise. While Batman can provide the brood, Harley Quinn the tragic humour, and Superman the comic book self-righteousness, Wonder Woman (ironically) absolutely provides the humanity, and the heart.
I can only hope that this carries through into the next ensemble movie, Justice League, later this year.
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