Wonder Woman

Well, well, well...

It's a bit ironic, and sad, and a tad concerning that we find ourselves in a similar predicament surrounding the DCEU (DC Comics' Extended Universe). Fanboys and girls, including myself, all around the world are praying that the ship is turned around. 

Things arguably started off rocky with Man of Steel; a film I substantially overrated at the time but still believe has its merits. 

The ship started to veer of course with the forced, clunky, gloomy, and horribly marketed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Again, a film that has its merits (visually stunning and Batfleck) but will forever live in the shadow of the dumbest cinematic coincidence ever. "MARTHA!!!", anyone? 

Then the ship basically decided to drop the f**king anchor and turn straight into oncoming rocky cliffs with Suicide Squad...a film completely void of anything but star power and cut/edited to the point of a lifeless, dull existence that makes me more and more angry every time I think about how excited I once was for it. If you can't tell that I'm still bitter: I am. 

And here we are once more at a DCEU film, Wonder Woman this time, that fans are hoping "rights the ship" and makes DC competitive with the likes of a still-very-successful Marvel branch. 

There's a certain rich irony then that some of our greatest heroes (and even villains), all male of course, are looking to the most prominent female superhero of all time to come and rescue them from a would-be/could-be disastrous failed-universe attempt by Hollywood. I should state that, at least in my personal opinion, Wonder Woman was never going to completely save the DCEU. No single movie, whether it be about Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Joker, what have you, would have "saved" the rushed nature of the last couple films, nor would it have guaranteed their planned-through-2022 slate of films. It will take a few films to erase the damage done and the high-level creative minds at Warner Bros have some professional learning of their own to do too (as in, don't pick great directors and then tell them what their frame-by-frame movie will be). 

This is literally all nonsense though because I am here to review Wonder Woman and whether the DCEU soars like we all want it to from here on out or crashes and burns in a pit of fire with Justice League, it doesn't matter. 

Because we'll have at least gotten one fantastic Wonder Woman film out of it. 

If that doesn't look like strength then I don't know what is...

It has taken her a long time to get to the big screen and, especially in this day and age, her presence and symbol is powerful. Be you liberal, conservative, black, white, gay, straight, etc...superheroes mean a lot to everyone and I know that Wonder Woman means a lot to tons of people in the same way that Batman, Superman, Spider-man, and Wolverine do. With female director, Patty Jenkins at the helm and a now-superstar, Gal Gadot starring, there was a ton of weight on both these ladies' shoulders (including the whole fate of the DCEU ya' know?). 

And they crushed it. 

Wonder Woman is a joy that DC comic films hasn't seen in a very long time, not even with the historic, Dark Knight trilogy. And that's because it is a joy. It's a hopeful movie, one that wants to give us a typical hero story without the brooding and sulking. One that has as much to laugh about or stare at in amazement about as it does to feel down about. It's been a fairly emotional year for superhero films with Logan and Guardians Vol 2., and similarly, Wonder Woman has a heart too. In Gal Gadot. She lights up the screen from the very second she appears and looks so much like the titular character that you'll wonder why anyone ever complained about her casting. During a specific trip into No Man's Land (more on that later) the camera pans across Wonder Woman's armor and weapons slowly and finally rests on Gadot's face. Absolute chills. It's marvelous too that Gadot can be a face of female empowerment and complete badassedness (copyright pending on that word) while also melting even the toughest of soldiers' hearts with a smile or a small joke. This movie would not have worked with a botched character portrayal, design, or writing, and luckily all three are working in absolute unison here to give us a perfect version of the character in many, many ways. 

Damn you, Chris Pine!

The story will be nothing to write home about, mainly because it's an origin story we've seen before (*cough Captain America: The First Avenger cough cough*), but it goes a long way to proving that an origin story for a character like this can still be compelling. Diana grows up in the safety of her island and when a pilot from World War I crashes there, she saves him. She learns of the war and being the genuine hero that she is, knows she must go and help the world and save it from Ares, the God of War, whom she believes to be the sole reason behind "The Great War". Throughout this journey, she finds herself and also finds why man is or is not worth saving. It makes a whole lot more sense than most of the DCEU films before it and I appreciated that it stands almost completely on its own aside from two bookend scenes. So, if the DCEU goes to all hell, this film will be able to have very little blood on its hands, so to speak.

Aside from an endearing Gadot, Chris Pine brings a lot to the film as well. He and Gadot have great chemistry and he's very charming. Their banter, particularly during her fish-out-of-water scenes is very funny and often has a wry double-entendre meaning to it. His Steve Trevor helps to guide Diana through her understanding of this new world, both the good and the bad, while trying to show/prove to her that he is a part of the "good" in the world. Most of the other characters are supporting ones and they all do their part, but none of them really stood out. Without spoiling anything, I didn't think the person they chose to portray the villain was a very good choice; said person is a very talented individual, but their presence as a villain is lacking and, quite honestly, they looked silly once they were in full villain "attire". It detracted a lot from the final scenes of the film for me which...

Leads me to about my sole main complaint of the film is that the ending -- final 20 minutes or so -- devolves into what DC has been shoving down our throats for 3 previous films now: unimaginative action. I find it more forgivable here because the action before is stupendous, but I'm not sure how consistent, super-hard punches are compelling to anyone creatively anymore. Couple that with my off putting response to the actual choice of person for the villain and certain aspects of the final scene lost their effectiveness in my eyes.

[Guitar rif] "Bwah nah nah nah nah NAH nah nah NAH nah!"

Yeah so...Wonder Woman for Halloween?

It may be shocking to hear but what may be the most impressive thing about Wonder Woman is its action. There are a few scenes sprinkled throughout, one of which is an all-time superhero standout. I alluded to it earlier, but when Diana begins to walk through WWI's No Man's Land, it's the start of one of the absolute best scenes of the year. It's filmed beautifully (as most of the film is) and her fighting style is intense, stylish, and yes, badass. The action is filmed wonderfully with appropriate slow-mo, camera movements and edits, and stunt work. When you get Diana kicking a bunch of German's asses with her roaring electric guitar theme playing in the background you can't help but be amped. Hell I nearly started cheering in the theater. And that theme music shouldn't be understated: it's incredible. The whole original score is really, but her theme is powerful and it gives Wonder Woman something else that not a single other superhero has right now: an iconic theme song. Marvel has dropped the ball on this time and time again and Man of Steel gave Superman a theme that didn't seem to really follow him to BvS. But Wonder Woman? We know exactly when she enters the stage. 

I could probably write a lot more about Wonder Woman but at a certain point this review has to end. It's a very important film for a variety of reasons and I'm awfully relieved that it turned out to be as fantastic as it is. It's not perfect, no, but it has a good heart and that more than makes up for some of its issues. There's some true movie magic to be witnessed here it's all thanks to a heroine that filmmakers didn't think would be worthwhile to bring to the big screen for the longest time. 

How wrong they were. 

CONS

• Some special effects moments are weirdly fake looking
• Final battle is the film's worst, though still mildly entertaining
• Has some slight pacing issues in its final hour
• The person portraying the villain looks very silly in his full villain garb. It wasn't working for me

PROS

• Gadot as Diana is Wonder Woman. She's tough and powerful, but also kind. Her smile could light up the darkest room, and she's an awesome embodiment of the character
• In addition to Gadot, Diana is a well-written character who goes on a logical, but heartfelt hero's journey
• Jenkins direction deserves praise as "a woman's touch" can be felt throughout for the betterment of the film. Some of the themes captured are not something that could have been done as skillfully by a male
• Touching and emotional moments that define the character in modern day
• Pine is an excellent "supporting" man and the chemistry between the two is there
• Funnier than all three of the previous DCEU entries combined. By quite a lot
• Strong cinematography
• F**king awesome action scenes. "No Man's Land" will almost certainly be one of the best scenes of the year
• Probably the best original score I've heard in a superhero film since The Dark Knight trilogy. Wonder Woman's theme is incredible
• Entertaining from start to finish, connected enough to the DCEU to matter, disconnected enough to stand on its own, and featuring a star-making turn for a character that's been a long time coming? What's not to love?       

 Rath's Review Score | 9/10