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Wonder Woman
STARRING: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright
DIRECTOR: Patty Jenkins
GENRE: Superhero
RATING: PG-15
RUNNING TIME: 141 minutes
After three films, the DC Comics Extended Universe is running on fumes with a battered reputation compared to its Marvel counterpart.
My main gripe is just how relentlessly dark and gritty it is, with little room for humour or even straight-up fun. Ever since Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, movie studio Warner Bros has evidently insisted on having tragic, moody superheroes torturing themselves over moral quandaries.
Thankfully, that tradition has been left behind with the latest entry, Wonder Woman.
The iconic Amazonian princess only had a bare-bones introduction in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. There was no space to explore her background story during the over-stuffed run-time. As it turns out, this was a boon for us, as the full-length origin story of Wonder Woman definitely deserved its own movie. The result is easily the best entry in the DCEU.
Starting on the lush, hidden island of Themyscira, the colour palette of Wonder Woman’s first act is suffused with bright colours. This is both a refreshing departure from the usual muted tones we have come to expect from DC movies and serves as a contrast when the action moves on to London and war-torn Belgium.
We are introduced to young Amazonian Princess Diana (Gal Gadot), the only child on the island. Diana longs to be a warrior, which her mother Queen Hippolyta (Connie Neilson), has strictly forbidden. But train Diana does, under the secret tutelage of the Amazonian General, her aunt Antiope (Robin Wright) – until the grown Princess proves herself the strongest of all the Amazon warriors.
However, fate throws a spanner in the works when Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash-lands on Themyscira, unwittingly bringing the outside world of mortal man with him. After saving his life, Diana and the rest of the Amazons engage in a truly epic beach battle with invading WWI-era German forces.
In possession of stolen intelligence about a German chemist known as Doctor Poison, Captain Trevor needs to get back to London to deliver the information to those in charge of the Allied war effort. Once Diana learns of The Great War, she makes up her mind to leave the island with her new friend to hunt down the forces who she believes are sowing discord amongst Man to perpetuate the fighting.
Gadot’s Diana is stunningly beautiful and filled with a quiet, unwavering strength. What makes her so endearing is that she is absolutely unaware of just how beautiful she is. This isn’t to be mistaken for naivety, though the world of mortal man is somewhat bewildering to her. Instead, Diana shoulders the burden of learning about the tragedies of The Great War with grace and a determination to make things better. Many were looking to her to be a feminist icon in a male-dominated genre, and they’ll be delighted with that they find here.
Meanwhile, Pine’s cynical, world-weary Steve Trevor serves partly as the comedic foil to Diana’s seriousness, and partly as a voice of reason. Though he gets some great one-liners, and a backstory of his own, Pine is somewhat eclipsed by the sheer force of Gadot’s performance.
Unfortunately, while Gadot may be flawlessness personified, the same can’t be said for the movie as a whole. While the fight scenes may be thrilling, in wider-angle shots there is a noticeable overuse of green-screen and CGI. The third act and final fight scene also drag on for ages, as the latter would have benefited from tighter pacing and less villainous monologuing.
That being said, the fight scenes really are thrilling. Wonder Woman in close-quarters combat is a jaw-dropping sight. Diana is a force of nature, terrible and beautiful to behold. Nothing holds her back.
After all the hype, and subsequent let-down, of Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman is a breath of fresh air. There may be some niggles towards the end, but a straightforward plot, a truly heroic protagonist, plenty of edge-of-your-seat action and a wonderfully natural story progression all make for a welcome break from the DCEU tradition of mediocrity.
Showing at Cineco from June 29
Rating: 4/5
