Wonder Woman

 

It seems impossible to judge Wonder Woman without acknowledging its place in the wider scope of the DC Extended Universe film series and the complex social politics that have surrounded its release. The most iconic female superhero of all time finally has a feature-length film that has been nervously anticipated by audiences due in part to the failures of past DC Films (see the appendix at the end of the review for my thoughts on the DCEU films thus far...) and the weight of it being a female-led, female-directed action film. After years in development (and a failed attempt by the master himself Joss Wheadon), how can Wonder Woman hope to match up to decades of anticipation?

The good news is that director Patty Jenkins brings just the right amount of earnest story-telling, morally grey thematic material, measured humour, an engaging story, tasteful action scenes and a very charismatic lead to create, honestly, one of the better superhero films of the last 10 years. Wonder Woman reeks of effort. Instead of the fake looking green-screen sets of a standard Marvel film, Wonder Woman brings an amazing attention to detail with its World War One setting, opting to use real sets, limited CGI (until its third act) and, to my eyes, actually shooting it on film. Some might bemoan the Zack Syndor-style desatrurated look returning but I actually think its appropriate and overall, the filmmaking is restrained and economical (no where near the past excesses of previous DC films). I rolled my eyes at the setting after watching the trailer (this is all a bit too close to the original Captain America, I thought) but it actually becomes one of the film's greatest strengths and works thematically within Wonder Woman's character arc. Better yet, Wonder Woman is a superhero film that actually examines what it means to be a superhero - it's certainly a far cry from the teenage angst of Batman V. Superman. 

Gal Gadot turns in an engaging and powerful performance as Diana, after a slightly flat intro in Batman V. Superman

For we follow Diana (Gal Gadot), daughter of the leader of the Amazonians, an-all female community gifted with great powers from the Greek gods and living secretly on the island of Themyscira, completely unaware that The War To End All Wars is raging on the outside. We follow Diana as she grows up into a strong young woman, who sees a plane crash on the edge of the island. Diana soon discovers that this is an American spy, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) working to return top-secret German information to British intelligent and ended up on the run for his life. Diana, growing up in an insular community, assumes the war is the work of non other than Ares, the God of War, who, as the opening backstory dictates to us, is the sworn enemy of the Amazonians and responsible for all the world's suffering - Diana thinks that if she can kill Ares, the war will end. Steve is not convinced but appreciates the help. The intel reveals that an off-shoot of the German forces (as their government tries to reach an armistice deal) are developing a potentially deadly gas that could kill millions. So the duo set out on a quest, navigating the grim landscape of World War One, from dirty London to the muddy trenches to occupied Europe, as Diana begins to learn that good and evil are not as clearly defined as lore and legend dictates. 

The central duo of Wonder Woman offers great laughs and chemistry

The best element of Wonder Woman is Wonder Woman herself. Honestly, I had major doubts about Gal Gadot. After turning in a fairly wooden performance in Batman V. Superman, I wasn't convinced that she was the actor to deliver the first major motion picture for this beloved character. But I love to be proven wrong, as Gadot is funny, powerful and earnest in her performance of Diana. She strikes the perfect balance between classic superhero ideology with a more modern twist, as her world view adjusts over the course of the film to become a bit more complex. The World War One setting is the perfect backdrop for this. Unlike World War Two, which arguably was not as morally grey, World War One was a giant mess that should never have happened. Millions of lives wasted as war became ever more impersonal with the creation of devastating new weapons. And into this world steps a slightly naive but nonetheless determined figure from a completely other era and time. Gadot is excellent in all the scenes, managing to be convincing in the action scenes, funny in the comedy scenes and believably dramatic in the emotional scenes. Trust me, I've seen plenty of these films now where the main actor can only really pull one or two of these element off (irregardless of the whole gender thing). Honestly, there's one scene I got chills - when Wonder Woman walks out of the trenches into No Man's Land as the full costume is revealed for the first time. It's a great moment and a clear sign that Gadot owns the roles. No demeaning sexualisation - just a powerful character. 

The supporting cast are all fine, with Pine in particular sharing a visible on-screen chemistry with Gadot. Steve Trevor serves as the world weary foil to Diana's wide eyed optimism. He has the same cockiness as his take on Captain Kirk but you end up rooting for him and even feel some emotion  The rest of the supporting cast is actually very well rounded, for the brief period they have to develop them. There is a surprising amount of time given to develop Steve's merry band of misfit warriors, one of which is a Scotsmen who is renowned for his sniper skills as played by Spud from Trainspotting! They're not the most groundbreaking characters but they at least give a bit of flavour to the film and allows the narrative to breath in a way that standard superhero fare might not bother with. I think there was a clear effort on the part of everyone involved to making Wonder Woman a solid film. It's well rounded characters, real sets / locations and a clear narrative thrust make it reek of *whisper it* actual effort. I've highlighted small elements because not all blockbusters would bother with this kind of thing. 

The action scenes of Wonder Woman are surprisingly tasteful and restrained - until the third act, of course

The only drag is the third act, which most have come to expect at this point. You know the drill - great first two acts before making way for a perfunctory villain that you ultimately don't care about and is an excuse for more battle scenes. Been there, seen the first Iron Man. It's not the worst in the world but it still feels a little unnecessary in a film that hit all the right marks previously. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll stop there but you get the drill. There are other villains in the film, including a creepy character called Doctor Poison, who are just straight up campy bad guys. Honestly- I'm OK with this. There's a wonderful joke that the two villains share that felt ripped from an 80s action film, which just celebrates their evilness. They don't particularly work as part of the film's wider thematic concerns but are fun nonetheless. 

Wonder Woman will no doubt mark a landmark moment in the superhero genre, as audiences are treated to a classy and sometimes even thought-provoking action film. The period setting is perfect and the film's handling of thematically grey material is genuinely great. It works as part of Diana's arc, effectively breaking down black-and-white concepts of good and evil - something which your standard Marvel film would not dare touch. Above all, the film's story and characters are engaging and sometimes even surprising. Jenkins strikes the perfect balance between breezy superhero antics and more difficult subject matter. This all amounts to an intelligently written superhero, anchored by a great central performance by Gadot, that may stray into CGI battles in its third act but nonetheless serves as a great example of how DC heroes should be presented. Unlike Marvel, where its characters are relatable, the roster of DC characters are individuals who we can look up to - and Wonder Woman hits that mark almost perfectly.

Rating: 8/10

As promised - my thoughts on the DCEU films. Man of Steel (6/10) I don't hate as much as some people. I actually think there's a great film hidden in the mess of poor editing and mis-advised attempts to match Batman Begins. There are some infuriating scenes that drag it down but I think there is some merit to it addressing Superman in the real world, even if the message and themes get lost in the mix due to a confused edit. I've warmed to it certainly but it's far from a favourite. On the other hand, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (3/10) is a complete mess. Easily one of the worst blockbuster films of all time - with a frustrating and overly complex plot, poor characterisation, bad pacing and an overall lack of vision, this film failed to set the world alight and did little to destabilise Marvel's grip on the genre. Suicide Squad (3/10) was one of my first reviews coming back to the blog (http://nincronyreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/suicide-squad-review.html) and my opinion of this film has probably only got worse since then. Everything I said in the review still stands; the laziness involved in bringing this Frankenstein monster of a film to life oozes out of nearly every scene.