Wonder Woman Makes for a Wonderful Time

          We were long overdue for a Wonder Woman movie. Given her prominence and history in superhero comics, as well as her status as the first great superheroine, a feature film centred around this character should have come out at least twenty years ago. It took the DC Cinematic Universe to get her to the big screen, and though they haven’t been doing great thus far, she was one of the few good parts of Batman v. Superman.
          Diana (Gal Gadot) is an Amazon raised on the isolated island of Themyscira, an all-female warrior society left behind by Zeus to protect the world from the wrath of the god of war Ares. In 1918, a pilot and spy called Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) accidentally discovers the island, and upon revealing to them a Great War that’s going on in the outside world, Diana is compelled to join him, fight this war, and defeat Ares which she believes will end all conflict. In that war, Trevor’s mission is to stop a German general (Danny Huston) from releasing a devastatingly toxic new mustard gas.
          Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins, the director of 2003’s Monster, and she clearly brings a great level of competence and skill to this film. The world of Themyscira is wonderfully realized, from its Antiquity look and customs, to the details about its culture and relationship to the outside world (the Amazons know plenty of concepts, just not in practice). But First World War Europe is also well depicted: the grim and smoggy London, the dirtiness and suffering of the trenches and No Mans’ Land, and the regal opulence of those controlling the war but lucky enough to be far from the Front. The story is also directed both sensibly and in service of its’ title character. Sure there is occasional slow pacing, but overall this a nearly two and a half hour movie that doesn’t feel like it. It’s simple but it keeps you very invested, and a lot of that is due to Diana’s journey.
          Gal Gadot is stunning in this movie, and not just in how she looks. She’s actually really good in the part. She’s very physically strong of course, but also outspoken, determined, yet confused and obstinate. She cares about every person in sorrow and has a genuine passion for making things right. I love that she’s given a thorough character arc, and unlike Man of Steel, an original one at that, tied to her preconceptions of human nature. Chris Pine does what’s needed for his role: Diana’s introduction to this new world, her love interest, companion, and foil. And the two have a decent believable chemistry. Connie Nielsen is good as Diana’s mother Hippolyta, as is Robin Wright in her brief role as her teacher Antiope. David Thewlis gets some well-deserved attention as a British politician whom Trevor reports to. The film also features Ewen Bremner as a Scottish sharpshooter, Saïd Taghmaoui as a covert agent, Elena Anaya as the scientist behind the new formula, and Lucy Davis as Trevor’s secretary. The only casting that doesn’t quite work is Danny Huston as the villain, who not only is a pretty bland German antagonist, but one who’s based on a real figure, Erich Ludendorff, whose real history is very much at odds with what’s portrayed here.
          The visuals in this movie are for the most part pretty good. The action scenes do have a few too many slow-mo shots, but are generally well choreographed and fun to watch. There’s one in particular, beginning when Diana goes over the trenches (a really awesome hero moment), that’s especially incredible. The production design is again really nice, the look of Themyscira is perfectly paradisal. And there’s a really great bit at the beginning where their mythology is told through a style that looks like Renaissance paintings in motion. I like the music too, both the now familiar Wonder Woman theme, and the triumphant motifs that underscore Diana’s best moments.
          The films’ weaknesses are in some of its humour, that though funny in places -the typical fish-out-of-water moments- is sometimes just awkward; and the climax which does go on too long. Little in it is necessarily bad, but it didn’t need to be this drawn out. Her moment of truth is also arguably a cliché conclusion. And seriously, the name ‘Chief’ is the most unoriginal name for a Native-American character you can think of.
          Wonder Woman is a fantastic superhero film -by far the best of the DCEU, and the summer movie season thus far! Directors like Patty Jenkins are who this company needs going forward. She told a coherent story with a character you want to see more of, and didn’t even feel the need to shoehorn other DC characters or stories into it. It’s Wonder Woman’s movie, and quite frankly, is the movie Wonder Woman deserved.