Movie Review: Wonder Woman

In the time it took to get Wonder Woman onto the big screen, there have been three Spider-Boys, three Hulks (of varying incredibility), two Judges Dredd and one Blankman.

Lingering affection for Damon Wayans’ Blankman (a film I have not seen since I was six) aside, this is too many non-Wonder Woman movies.

That absurdity is only accentuated by director Patty Jenkins’ stirring, compassionate and thoroughly entertaining take on the legendary DC Comics character. It’s also a fitting vehicle for the charismatic Gal Gadot, who stole the show in Batman v Superman (as much as there was a show to steal).

She returns as the eponymous Wonder Woman, aka Diana, Princess of the all-female Amazonian island paradise of Themyscira, ruled by proud Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) and protected by the fierce, arrow-firing General Antiope (Robin Wright).

(Yes, Robin Wright leading an army of Amazonians. It’s like, the more words I write about this particular Wonder Woman, the more baffling its decades-long delay seems.)

An origin story—as opposed to Batman v Superman, which was more of a spiritual termination—it reveals how Diana grew up on Themyscira, protected by her mother from battle and trained in secret by her aunt Antiope. Her powers, we learn, exceed those of everyone else; a talent put to good use when a fleet of German soldiers, in the heat of WW1, accidentally penetrate the protective invisibility bubble that shields Themyscira from the rest of the Earth, and attacks them on their beaches.

(The violent skirmish marks many Amazonians' first interaction with the opposite sex. Smash cut to 2017, where MRAs attempt to crash a ‘ladies only’ screening of Wonder Woman, oblivious to the concept of safe spaces or the historical context of female disenfranchisement. Sounds about right.)

Now aware of the Great War engulfing the planet, Diana takes it upon herself to escort the American spy among the Germans, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), back to London and bring the conflict to an end with the ‘Godkiller’, a mighty sword left for the Amazonian demigods by Zeus himself. Diana reckons she need only find and kill Ares, the God of War, whom she believes to be solely responsible for the corruption of man. She instead discovers mankind is a complicated species, not necessarily working to the whims of the gods. Turns out we’re capable of good and bad all on our own.

Angry dudes, terrified of a female superhero movie/females, will see their fears brought to life in Wonder Woman: It absolutely does feel different to its masculine contemporaries, no matter how many slow-mo fight scenes Diana slays in (and there are plenty). What makes Wonder Woman different—namely, emotional intelligence—is precisely what’s been missing from the features of her DC stablemates, and, honestly, those of her male Marvel frenemies. DC should adjust towards it accordingly, and immediately.

The picture reminded me of the most recent season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (and not simply because of the “females are strong as hell” theme song). In it, the lead character’s superpower is an unparalleled EQ and capacity for empathy. Gal Gadot, having already met the aesthetic and perhaps sexist expectations of what Wonder Woman should look like, is also uniquely equipped to demonstrate Diana’s earnest good heart and courage.

It’s hard to imagine the self-involved and brooding Batman taking the time to speak with and understand the plight of a similarly disenfranchised Native American smuggler (Eugene Brave Rock) as Diana does. When Superman last saw a family huddle from certain death, he was driven to break the attacking dude’s neck. When Diana sees it, she’s overcome with feeling and offers herself for sacrifice. The comparisons only make the bone-headedness of Batman v Superman even bonier. Here, Wonder Woman dives headfirst into German-occupied territory to save a village full of women and children from death, or worse. In Batman v Superman, two bros kept punching each other until they figured out their mothers shared the same name. I’m probably not the person to say what is and isn’t feminism, but that doesn’t seem like it.

This isn’t to say Wonder Woman, penned by Shondaland graduate Allan Heinberg, isn’t devoid of cheesy speeches, some laughably unconvincing CGI and goofy villains. (Elena Anaya makes mincemeat of her deformed Doctor Poison, who pretty much does what the name implies.) Yet Jenkins—helming her first film in fourteen years—proves she can compose a thrilling action sequence with the best of them, and clearly has access to deeper emotional reserves than many who’ve come before her. Marvel are masters of genre, though none of their projects pluck tears as successfully as this one. Credit must also go to the sincere performances of Gadot and Pine, also armed with impeccable comic timing and just the right amount of wryness.

(For those wondering about the ratio of gender objectification, you should know Pine is forced to stand nearly naked in front of Gadot and describe his penis. Later, he’s informed that men are not essential for female pleasure. That almost makes up for this.)

On the technical side, there’s much to appreciate, from the period-specific outfits and art direction to the cinematography of Martin Walsh, who’s given grimy trenches, blazing orange chemical-swamped villages and sweeping Themyscira vistas to capture. Hans Zimmer doesn’t provide the score (Rupert Gregson-Williams fills those shoes with some rousing contributions) but his battle cry for Wonder Woman from BVS recurs. Each time, shivers.

Wonder Woman does not suddenly solve the problems of Hollywood’s superhero glut, and certainly not the issues of diverse representation in cinema. Nor does it ‘just barely’ exceed our needs for a female-led action flick, with cursory flips of the hair in the direction of ‘girl power’ and equality. It’s much, much better and more thoughtful than that; its depiction of heroism and humanity, more complex. Most importantly, it’s a great time at the movies. More like this, please.

4/5

In cinemas June 1. Rated M for mature themes and action violence.

Photo: Warner Bros