Wonder Woman

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SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Wonder Woman bears the weight of massive expectations. It is the fifth movie in Warner Bros’ burgeoning DC Extended Universe—which has so far been plagued by critical failure and commercial under-achievement—and the first superhero movie of all time to feature a woman as the top-billed character. Wonder Woman’s road to the big-screen has certainly been difficult, but with an impressive debut, she’s undoubtedly here to stay.  

     To put it simply, Wonder Woman is a blast. With stellar performances from its cast, impressive action sequences, and a story with real emotional consequence, it far exceeds the low bar set by its DC predecessors. The movie’s not perfect, and contrary to some assertions, it’s nowhere near the heights of The Dark Knight, but Wonder Woman does feel like a much-needed shock to the system.

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     In Wonder Woman, Diana (Gal Gadot) is princess of the hidden island Themyscira. She’s raised by the all-female Amazons, whose mission is to protect humankind from the evil of Ares, the god of war. When World War I finds its way to Themyscira, Wonder Woman accompanies American spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) on a mission to defeat Ares and bring a halt to the atrocity.

     Diana’s debut appearance is, frankly, the DC movie fans have wanted this whole time. Its tone distinguishes Wonder Woman from Marvel offerings (though it does borrow heavily from both Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger), but the film avoids the pitfalls of the previous DC installments (the dark, self-serious attitude of Batman V Superman, for instance).

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     One of the film’s greatest strengths is that it establishes an inviting and appealing atmosphere. The WWI setting proves fruitful, with a fascinating world and an engaging supporting cast. Of course, it helps that Gal Gadot brings to life a charming main character, whose nobility and conviction set her apart from the cynical and sexist world around her.

     Wonder Woman also boasts top-of-the-line action sequences better than anything the DCEU has produced so far. In short, Wonder Woman kicks ass. Occasionally the DC (read: Zack Snyder) brand of action choreography sticks out like a sore thumb, but several moments are downright jaw-drop worthy. The special effects are mostly up to par, with a few underwhelming exceptions.

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     Perhaps most importantly, the film has heart. It’s more than just humor (of which Wonder Woman has quite a bit); there’s a real sense of the beauty and innocence of the world. Seen through Wonder Woman’s innocent eyes, the everyday becomes magical, as Diana herself says at one point. The other end of the spectrum, of course, is the horror of senseless violence, which the movie manages to deal with in a surprisingly mature way considering the violence-centric spectacle at the center of every superhero movie.

     The film isn’t a masterpiece, however. There are some regrettable plot conveniences and logical errors, typical in any blockbuster action epic. At several points the script dives into anachronisms; characters articulate decidedly modern outlooks on World War I and even marriage.

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     Wonder sacrifices originality in the third act. The movie toys with transcending the genre and delivering an emotionally resonant ending that’s not dependent on spectacle, but it quickly abandons that idea and falls into the same punch-punch pattern that marks every superhero finale. The final result is not unsatisfying, but it misses the chance elevate the third act to something truly special.

     Wonder Woman’s place as a feminist icon has always been controversial, and this incarnation will certainly be subject to the same debate. Expectations are impossibly high, but as a character, Diana is three-dimensional, highly interesting, and flawed. Like her male compatriots, she’s not a perfect role model, even if she excels in certain areas. On the other hand, she’s a difficult character to dramatize in that her ideals are almost too purely noble to build an interesting story around (see Superman, Captain America, and Thor). It will be interesting to see how the character progresses when the WWI setting disappears (in the upcoming Justice League and the inevitable sequel).  

SPOILERY DELICIOUSNESS

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     Wonder Woman packs in quite a few surprises—of varying predictability. The film’s two major deaths both pack quite a punch. The first comes in the phenomenal early action sequence that sees the Amazons taking on the Germans on the shores of Themyscira. The previous scenes set up the emotional stakes for that battle by exploring the island and its (rather awesome) inhabitants. When the Amazons finally clash, therefore, the death of the general Antiope (House of Cards’ Robin Wright) has emotional weight, despite being entirely predictable. Steve Trevor’s death, too, is impactful.

     One of the films’ most visually striking scenes is the so-called, “No-Man’s Land” sequence. Making an abrupt decision, Diana dons the costume openly for the first time, symbolically crosses an area that no “man” can cross (thanks Return of the King), and faces the blight of human violence with courage, grace, and a sense of unqualified goodness. It’s a powerful sequence and an important moment for the character.

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     The least predictable and most regrettable surprise is the eleventh-hour revelation that Ares is not, in fact, Ludendorff (Danny Huston), but instead Sir Patrick (David Thewlis). Aside from the obvious questionability of Ares, the god of war, being the sole advocate for peace among his British compatriots, it’s a surprise that overshadows the revelation that faces Diana at the movie’s end.

     

     It’s not that it’s not a decent twist, or that the subsequent fight scenes and aren’t visually engaging; it’s that it gives Diana an evil person to punch at the precise moment that Diana is supposed to have learned that evil is faceless. She’s about to shed her ignorance and realize the depth of human depravity (admittedly, set against Trevor’s bravery), but instead the film shies away from those deeper consequences and affirms Diana’s well-intentioned yet naïve outlook. Once she defeats Ares, soldiers from both sides hug, and the war is quickly over. All’s well that ends well, the movie says, and the fact that the evil of mankind was so great that it necessitated Trevor’s sacrifice gets overlooked.

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     As is, the final action sequence is not without merit; Ares does push Diana’s buttons in an interesting way and forces her to choose what values are most important. A preferable ending would have preserved that challenge without spelling it out for the audience in some particularly cringe-y mid-fight dialogue. There’s enough going on with the gas plane and Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya) to keep her busy on the action side without losing the moral quandary: that evil runs deep enough within humanity to make one question the sanity of saving them.

     FINAL VERDICT: Wonder Woman’s success may not be unqualified, but its charm and emotional depth elevate it far above the other installments of the DCEU—and confirms the higher bar for superhero flicks in the future.

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