It’s About Time (Wonder Woman)
While this was screened for select audiences two days ago, we didn’t get an invite, so this counts as an opening day review for Wonder Woman.
See it in the theatre, but don’t worry about rushing out this weekend if you are having non-elective surgery. By all accounts, Wonder Woman will be showing for a while.
With strength rivaling a kyptonian, investigative powers of Batman (the world’s greatest detective), and legitimate magic items, Wonder Woman is probably the second most powerful underrated character in the DC Universe (the Flash is first). She has obvious appeal across several demographics and epitomizes the inclusiveness of “geek culture.” Despite this, Warner Brothers has seemed reluctant to give her the same chance as Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Flash, the Gotham City Police Department, 7 supporting characters, Suicide Squad, and Supergirl. Except for a cameo in Cash Cow Boys Fighting, Wonder Woman hasn’t made a live action appearance since 1979. As I have a Wonder Woman maquette in my office, I was concerned for the treatment that Diana would receive in this movie.
I would love to say DC completely redeemed their previous position on female characters. They made a damn good try. Overall the film was good, with decently and realistically motivated characters, but questionable cinematography.
Gal Gadot does an excellent job portraying the rebellious Amazonian princess, the fish out of water baffled by “outsider” society, and the ass-kicking demigod fighting her greatest foe. As her foil, Chris Pine’s talent for portraying egocentricity was well used to comedic effect.
The story hit the appropriate notes of transition, but was dinged by a concession to the Hollywood standard for female characters, and it was completely unnecessary. At the climax of the film, Diana is only empowered to defeat Ares after she has a flashback and realizes that the man she’s know for a week said, “I love you.” Because you know the woman who can lift a 38 ton tank can only have drawn her strength from a man. There was a deeper meaning. She was choosing to save the war-engulfed outside world because it could also produce love, but that moment diminished her.
Cinematography was in line with Executive Producer Zack Snyder’s way of doing things: sweep the camera across the action to show movement, rather than on the action to show what’s happening; switch to slow motion for several beautiful stills, then drop the camera down the stairs to make sure no one sees the hit.
Going in, I did not know that Wonder Woman directed by Patty Jenkins. First female directed film with a budget over $100 million. Cool, I hope the movie is as successful as it warrants so we can have more of that equality. But please, get out from an executive producer who thinks a hamster ball is an appropriate camera mount. Shaky isn’t exciting, it’s just shaky. The costume department did great work, we should get to see more than her shin guards when she’s throwing a punch.