Overview
This movie is what I wished Supergirl had been.
Donāt get me wrong, I like the series, but I donāt love it, feel so many things could have been done better from the outset. This movie gets them right.
One more thing: Iām not a fan of superhero movies. I watched the first two Avenger movies because of Joss Whedon, caught the first Thor on TV due to Natalie Portman, and one rainy afternoon when my plans were cancelled I saw the first Guardians of the Galaxy. Caught glimpses of an Iron Man on TV, but thatās basically it: never seen a Spiderman or Hulk, and the only Batman I ever saw was because Uma Thurman was in (boy, did that suck). So yeah, this was unusual, especially seeing it in the theater.
The day before this I mentally shrugged as I flicked on Doctor Strange on Netflix. Perhaps the fact that I couldnāt stand most of it inspires me to give Wonder Woman such a high grade, but thatās doubtful; even without that waste of time, The Wonderful Woman was superior in every way.
Writing
As always, this is where it starts. The plot goes back to World War One, and for the most part is a slice of life in the giant conflict until the two supernatural beings butt heads. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing groundbreaking either. And since the character had already been introduced in a previous movie, it was necessary to find a frame to set what is really a prequel, and the photo did the job perfectly.
Thankfully both the writing and directing are just as interested, if not more so, in the characters as the story and effects, especially but not limited to Diana. While most movies, even superhero ones, have humorous moments, they abound here, most of it coming from Diana not having the slightest idea how to behave with people who didnāt have the same idyllic upbringing as her on the Amazon islandāwhen Steve first shows up, then amongst the crowds in Londonāparticularly with men. My favorite was her trying to get through the revolving door at full charge. There isnāt that much humor after that, other than a few moments with the motley crew assisting them. But even more so, thereās some beautifully poignant instances within the ugliness of war, of which the most endearing is Diana telling an obviously shell-shocked Charlie to stay, because otherwise no one would sing for them. The acting is fantastic here, both their faces perfect, but it’sĀ the words that make the moment memorable.
While most superheroes seem to have a personal motivation for doing what they do, be it vengeance or wanting to prove themselves, I very much like that the writers made Dianaās inspiration, as naĆÆve as it is, simply wanting to do whatās right. And while itās one thing to write a strong character who can also be romantic and funny, they gave her a special quality not often seen: kindness. There arenāt many superheroes who show compassion, but she has it in abundance.
Itās always hard to tell how much of the battle scenes is scripted, as writers usually throw in the kitchen sink and then see it whittled down due to safety or budgetary restraints. But if thereās one moment from the final battle that had to be in the original script, itās her levitating over Ares, showing him she wasnāt the least bit bothered after all his attacks. Heās obviously disturbed by that, goaded into overplaying his hand, launching basically everything he had at her, never figuring it would rubber right back at him.
Directing
Like a referee in a sporting event, Iām of the belief that if I donāt remember much about what the director did, then it was a good job. I canāt think of any particular scene in this movie that stands out from that perspective. Of course Iāve seen Patty Jenkinsā other filmābeing a Charlize Theron completestāand while it was thoroughly deserving of the acting Oscar, some of that is always attributable to the directing.
In this case she shows a more than knowledgeable grasp of special effects andĀ battle scenes, as well as comedy and sweet moments, some of them romantic but others not. Perhaps itās the pacing that deserves the most merit, with enough respite given between the grittier moments for the audience to rest and reset. More to the point, this did not feel at all like 2 hours and 20 minutes.
If thereās one particular moment that deserves some mention, it would have to be when Diana finally realizes what Steve had said to herāshe hadnāt understood him due to momentary loss of hearingājust before the plane blows up above her. The view of the explosion over her shoulderāeven though sheās lying on the floorāfollowed by the quick cut to her face is perfect, as is leaving the camera on her for longer than usual so Gal could run through all the emotions of the moment, which are discussed in the next section.
Acting
Thereās an easygoing rapport between Gal and Chris, but my favorite relationship, brief as it is, is between her and Lucy Jones. Itās easy to tell when Diana is appreciating Ettaās humor; it feels like they instantly became sisters. This is the first relationship sheās formed with a woman not from her island, and she seems happy to realize things wonāt be that much different from that particular standpoint. The men, of course, are a different matter.
As I mentioned above, the moment when Diana tells Charlie he needs to stay because otherwise thereād be no one to sing for them is superb. Itās easy to see how much he needed that validation, especially after freezing during sniper duty. Galās face is so perfectly sweet, and you can see in his eyes that heāll follow her anywhere from that moment on. Thereās an earlier scene when Steve tells the boys that the moneyās run out and they should go home, and they all refuse, partly because theyāre enjoying themselves but mostly because Steveās their guy and theyāre loyal. But in this instant it becomes Dianaās gang, though it helps that Steve becomes her follower as well.
As for possibly Galās best acting moment, if itās not the one I just mentioned, it would have to be the same as I wrote about in the directing section above. Right before her heroic second wind, when sheās seemingly trapped and out of the fight, she takes a sideways glance and sees Sameer, Charlie, and Chief huddled together, preparing to die, and feels like she let them down. Then the plane explodes above her, and thereās so much to see in her faceādisbelief, sorrow, rageāall culminating in the moment when she realizes her destiny, even more so than her No Manās Land trek.
Cinematography
Other than island of the Amazons, thereās surprisingly little in the way of landscapes, unless you count the trenches. Even the establishing shots are dark and moody. On the other hand, walking through the London of 100 years ago is always a pleasure; particularly enjoyable were the train station shots, reminding me of the similar scene from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
Though the colors arenāt as dark as the broodiness of other such films, thereās definitely a lot thatās muted. Every yellow, for instance, seems to comes out as an earth tone. Thatās fair in the trenches and No Manās Land, but there were other places where I would have wished something different. In fact, the only place I can remember being at all bright is the German reception, where she dances with the secondary big baddie while the sword is tucked down the back of the beautiful blue dress she stole from the rich matron outside. And though itās a bit of a clichĆ©, the fire theyāre looking at as Steve tries to pseudo-romance Doctor Poison is gorgeous to watch.
The stuntwork, especially the battle on the island, is spectacular, with some tricks I donāt think Iāve ever seen. The firing-arrows-while-swinging moment, as well as the jump/flip with multiple arrows, are wonderfully realized, the latter all the better for the slow motion. Wonder Womanās battlesāthe trenches, the town, inside the baddiesā baseāare more imaginatively staged than expected, but of course itās the final battle between the gods that takes the cake. Throwing cars around is always gonna look good, especially when youāre not Hulk-sized.
I donāt have individual sections for wardrobe, makeup, hair and the like, but as a photographer I have to take a moment to mention how incredibleāeven more so than usualāGal looks in London once theyāve finally figured out her style. In the trenchcoat, with her hair back, her amazing facial bone structure is in perfect display. Iāve been photographing models for almost a quarter of a century, and Iām often baffled at how popular certain supermodels are, when I would never want to shoot them. This look shows exactly why she was so successful in her previous career.
Music
Unless itās John Williams, itās hard to differentiateāor perhaps itās easy to write the styleābetween the music, especially the main themes, in superhero movies. Which is why the moment that stands out the most is Wonder Womanās first battle, when she throws off her overclothesāfinally revealing her costumeāpractically runs up the trench ladder into No Manās Land, and singlehandedly attacks the German lines. Whereas most of the time youād get the battle cryāthink Indiana Jonesāin this case itās anything but; it’s so soft and heartfelt that at times itās almost a dirge, which perhaps stands for a loss of innocence, but somehow adds to the enormity of the moment much more than bombastic horns and the like. Most times music supports a scene; this is one of the rare ones that adds to it. Something similar happens after the climactic scene, when itās time to decompress before the celebration. And bringing in her theme from the Batman/Superman movie, with Tina Guoās crazy cello, the moment she bursts into the enemy HQ was perfectly timed.
And Ares of course gets an appropriately evil-sounding theme.
In the end I would qualify this soundtrack as for the most part happily restrained.
As always I stay through the credits, not always looking for easter eggs, mostly enjoying the music. The full theme is appropriately heroic and triumphant, but then it changes to a song that in and of itself isnāt bad, except it completely confirms why I canāt stand Siaās vocals. You do get that weāre supposed to understand what youāre saying, right?
āFeelā
This is what makes it more than just a great movie. Go online and look at all the photos of little girls dressing up as a superhero they can actually look up to. All that would have meant nothing if the film sucked, but in addition to not sucking, it had an undeniable spirit, not just good triumphing over evil, but the feeling that itāll all work out if we pitch in together and do whatās right.
Whereas nowadays superheroes are written as jerksāIām looking at you, Ironman, but Thor and Batman and others tooāitās a breath of fresh air to see an origin story that not only starts with innocent happiness but also ends with the hero not completely giving in to the cynicism caused by the trials sheās been through. Yes, she stops superheroing for a century, but in that time thereās no indication that her love for humanity has gone away. Thereās something in the framing moments, when she receives the photo Bruce Wayne sent her, that shows she does still believe in the ideals she was brought up with, as confirmed by the one man who taught her most about humanity and she’s nowĀ staring at for the first time in a hundred years:Ā Steve Trevor.
One last note, though not about the movie: this was the first time Iāve sat in the recliner seats at a movie theater, and though Iāve been to other movies where the whole place shakes when thereās a big explosion, I felt it a lot more here, and I am not a fan of it! So there. . .
Overall
8.5/10
;o)