Wonder Woman - Review (Non-Spoiler/Spoiler)
Directed By: Patty Jenkins
Rating: PG-13
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston
Blurb/Synopsis: Before she was Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, Diana meets an American pilot (Chris Pine) who tells her about the massive conflict that's raging in the outside world. Convinced that she can stop the threat, Diana leaves her home for the first time. Fighting alongside men in a war to end all wars, she finally discovers her full powers and true destiny.
Expectations/Background: It's safe to say, no matter who you are, that the DCEU has been struggling thus far. After Man of Steel, which, while being enjoyable to most, was a little divisive, Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad split the fans even further. Both films, while having enjoyable elements, were critically panned while being financially successful. However, the consensus was that for the DCEU to stay afloat, it was important for Wonder Woman to hit home, and be almost perfect in nearly every aspect. Questions arose of whether Gal Gadot could carry her own film and whether Warner Bros. would again interfere with the film. However, once early critical reactions came, it was clear that DC had a hit on its hand as the film stayed in the mid to upper 90s on Rotten Tomatoes. Could the Princess of the Amazons live up to the hype?
The Movie: My faith in DC has been wholly restored after seeing this movie. After a shaky start with Zack Snyder and David Ayer, Patty Jenkins seems to have struck the perfect balance of light, dark, emotional, and action. It remains to be seen how well Snyder and Whedon can do with Justice League, but suffice to say, I am very excited to see her again come this November.
Positives: Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, how was Gal Gadot? I am happy to say that she fits the role very well and was good in the film. While not perfect, her acting has significantly improved over Batman v. Superman, where, in my opinion, I thought she was merely serviceable. Chris Pine as Steve Trevor was golden casting as he steals the show. Being on Themyscira, the home of the Amazons, was great, with it being visually stunning to look at. Patty Jenkins used the camera and the shots to her advantage as she used landscapes to draw out the beauty of the film. What I did notice was that there was quite a bit of slow-motion, and at first it did bother me slightly, but as the film went on, I began to appreciate how it was used and where it was used. The humor was also apparent; DC has been criticized for not having enough humor as there were only two jokes I counted in Batman v. Superman. However, the humor here was well-timed, said by the right characters, and well used. It felt very natural. Going back to the action, the action was glorious. There was a major action set piece in the second act that really blew me away and might be one of my favorite superhero action scenes ever.
Negatives: Not to start any more controversy than is necessary (I am a huge fan of both DC and Marvel) but I want to use another film in comparison to Wonder Woman. Much like in Captain America: Civil War, there is a breathtaking action set piece in the second act. In both cases, it blows you away with how well it is executed and how spectacular in scope it is. However, in both cases, the films' third act can't quite recover from the second act. Wonder Woman's trajectory went something like this: the first act was enjoyable to watch, while very exposition heavy, the second act was action and a driven plot (nearly perfect), while the third act was rather lackluster. The finale especially did not quite have the same impact as many other films, preventing Wonder Woman, to me, from being one of the best comic book films ever put to the screen.
Positives: Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, how was Gal Gadot? I am happy to say that she fits the role very well and was good in the film. While not perfect, her acting has significantly improved over Batman v. Superman, where, in my opinion, I thought she was merely serviceable. Chris Pine as Steve Trevor was golden casting as he steals the show. Being on Themyscira, the home of the Amazons, was great, with it being visually stunning to look at. Patty Jenkins used the camera and the shots to her advantage as she used landscapes to draw out the beauty of the film. What I did notice was that there was quite a bit of slow-motion, and at first it did bother me slightly, but as the film went on, I began to appreciate how it was used and where it was used. The humor was also apparent; DC has been criticized for not having enough humor as there were only two jokes I counted in Batman v. Superman. However, the humor here was well-timed, said by the right characters, and well used. It felt very natural. Going back to the action, the action was glorious. There was a major action set piece in the second act that really blew me away and might be one of my favorite superhero action scenes ever.
Negatives: Not to start any more controversy than is necessary (I am a huge fan of both DC and Marvel) but I want to use another film in comparison to Wonder Woman. Much like in Captain America: Civil War, there is a breathtaking action set piece in the second act. In both cases, it blows you away with how well it is executed and how spectacular in scope it is. However, in both cases, the films' third act can't quite recover from the second act. Wonder Woman's trajectory went something like this: the first act was enjoyable to watch, while very exposition heavy, the second act was action and a driven plot (nearly perfect), while the third act was rather lackluster. The finale especially did not quite have the same impact as many other films, preventing Wonder Woman, to me, from being one of the best comic book films ever put to the screen.
Character Ranking
1. Steve Trevor
2. Diana Prince
3. The Amazons
4. The Villain
The Villain(s): In case you do not know who the villain is, I will not spoil it here. However, I do want to say that the set-up for the villain was good, but the payoff was, for lack of a better word, rather miserable. The villain was set up to be this huge opposing force to the Amazons and Wonder Woman, yet when the final showdown takes place, there isn't the sense of triumph or finality because the villain's set up was not completed in the pay off. I will say that the performance by the actor who plays said villain was good, but it was the story that did him a disservice.
The Music/Score: If you have seen any trailers for this movie, you are familiar with the guitar-centric theme for the film. What I really loved was where and when the theme was used in the film. It was used only a few times, but each time it came, it was well deserved and fit right into the scene. Besides that, the score was rather lackluster and average, with nothing really special about it.
Spoilers: I was rather disappointed with the twist regarding Ares. I was able to piece together that Danny Huston's general was not Ares from the beginning, but when it was revealed that it was David Thewlis's Sir Patrick, I was very underwhelmed. I felt that the twist did the character an injustice (no pun intended) and that it wasn't set up very well at all. What I did think was executed very well was Steve Trevor's death; the emotional impact that it had on the audience and on Gal Gadot's Diana was there, and it was well earned because of the chemistry between the two. Going back to the villains, Dr. Poison, I felt was not very necessary. Her character was there merely to explain why Steve Trevor flew away and crashed on the island.
1. Steve Trevor
2. Diana Prince
3. The Amazons
4. The Villain
The Villain(s): In case you do not know who the villain is, I will not spoil it here. However, I do want to say that the set-up for the villain was good, but the payoff was, for lack of a better word, rather miserable. The villain was set up to be this huge opposing force to the Amazons and Wonder Woman, yet when the final showdown takes place, there isn't the sense of triumph or finality because the villain's set up was not completed in the pay off. I will say that the performance by the actor who plays said villain was good, but it was the story that did him a disservice.
The Music/Score: If you have seen any trailers for this movie, you are familiar with the guitar-centric theme for the film. What I really loved was where and when the theme was used in the film. It was used only a few times, but each time it came, it was well deserved and fit right into the scene. Besides that, the score was rather lackluster and average, with nothing really special about it.
**READER DISCRETION ADVISED - SPOILER ALERT - IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS SKIP TO "VERDICT"**
Spoilers: I was rather disappointed with the twist regarding Ares. I was able to piece together that Danny Huston's general was not Ares from the beginning, but when it was revealed that it was David Thewlis's Sir Patrick, I was very underwhelmed. I felt that the twist did the character an injustice (no pun intended) and that it wasn't set up very well at all. What I did think was executed very well was Steve Trevor's death; the emotional impact that it had on the audience and on Gal Gadot's Diana was there, and it was well earned because of the chemistry between the two. Going back to the villains, Dr. Poison, I felt was not very necessary. Her character was there merely to explain why Steve Trevor flew away and crashed on the island.
SPOILER ALERT OVER
The Verdict: Getting the DCEU back on track was so important, and this film did that and so much more. This film was enjoyable from beginning to end, and while I did have problems with the third act especially, I found that I could let go of some of the nit-picks and flaws because of how well the first two acts had set up the character sand the story. This is a film that almost everyone can enjoy to some capacity, and I would highly recommend seeing it. Letter Grade: A-. Number Score: 9.1
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