Wonder Woman Movie Review

Wonder Woman (2017)

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Written by: Allan Heinberg (screenplay), Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs (story by), William Moulton Marston (Wonder Woman created by)
Directed by: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Connie Nielson, Danny Huston, David Thewlis
Rating: PG-13

Plot
Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves her village to stop World War I after a pilot from the outside world crashes on her island. In the fight against those pushing war she discovers her full powers and true destiny.

Verdict
The first thirty minutes are excellent, providing the backstory for Diana and starting the plot. DC finally has a super hero that's actually heroic. This woman is told she can't fight the Germans alone and ignores that advice to triumph. Her ambition and compassion put the Superman movies to shame. While this movie is a bit long and becomes muddled at the end, the first half and the strength of this character are commendable.
Watch it.

Review
This film had been in development since 1996, when Ivan Reitman was hired to write and direct it. Various writers and directors had been approached since, including Joss Whedon who left production in 2007.

Kate Beckinsale, Sandra Bullock, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Angelina Jolie, Eva Green, Christina Hendricks, and Kristen Stewart have all been considered for the role during the years.

The framing device for this movie is Diana (Gal Gadot) receiving a 1930's image of herself from Bruce Wayne inquiring she share her backstory. That picture jump starts and later ends the film. We've got to have a Batman tie in somehow. This is the DC universe after all. At least this doesn't include trailers for other DC super heroes in the movie like Batman v Superman did. I was not a fan of that movie as it embraced spectacle above all else. You can read my full review, but Wonder Woman corrects many of that movie's problems. What this first sequence does accomplish, is to let us know Diana is much older than she appears.

A great opening act introduces us to Diana as a child and her way of life. She lives on an island of warrior women who train for war. We get a story about the creation of man and the villain Ares, the god of war. Pilot Steve (Chris Pine) crashes on the island and is followed by German troops. A fight ensues and it's well done. This is the beach scene you may have heard about. The first thirty minutes are really good, and I knew the movie would have a hard time maintaining that momentum and focus.

 

Diana leaves the island with Steve because she must stop Ares. I wasn't sure where the movie would take that. Is Ares a villain or a concept? Diana believes Ares is real. Steve just wants to stop the war, which could be a metaphor for Ares. We get a bit of comedy as the world's customs are unfamiliar to Diana. She wonders how women fight in such fancy attire. It's a bit silly, but doesn't delay us too long before we get more fighting.
Despite Steve knowing Diana's skill he tells her to stay back as the fight breaks out. This has to be a commentary in part, whether it's a man who thinks he's better or a man who thinks a woman can't. That or the idea of 'let a man do it' is just part of culture. Of course Diana ignores him and dispatches the foes.

Diana makes it to the front lines and we get glimpses of the atrocities of war. Diana's compassion is remarkable. That's what makes her heroic. She genuinely wants to help others. She reaches the trenches of the front line and is bewildered at the tactic of trench warefare. Despite protests she enters no mans' land. It's an amazing moment as she deflects bullets and bombs as soldiers realize she's taking all the fire and they can attack. Diana was told she can't and her response is to prove that yes she can, accomplishing her goal. She turns the tide of this battle. In a movie that has more than a few endearing moments, this might be the best one. This movie knows who Wonder Woman is and captures it on the screen. It's easy to like Diana. She may be naive, but she's genuine.

The ending lost me a bit. We're still following the Ares thread, wondering when Diana will realize that it's just a concept. Humans as a whole are broken and don't need the god of war to compel them to fight.
There are multiple villains, a twist, and heroic sacrifices. An attempt is made to turn Diana against humans, but it has no weight. We already know who she is and the choice she'll make. That simple choice could have been stronger, but the sheer frenzy of the end robs it of some impact. The choice presented to Diana wasn't to make us wonder if she'd turn bad, it's there just to affirm she is a hero. The problem with that is it's lost in the shuffle.