Wonder Woman has had an awful lot of pressure on it, let's face it. Hollywood has had a tragically small amount of attempts at making a female-led superhero film (see this article), and director Patty Jenkins is only the second female film-maker to be given an over $100 million budget. Wonder Woman has more than lived up to expectations, however, with many calling it the best DC film or even superhero film since The Dark Knight (see here, here, here, and here). I loved the film, for many reasons. Let's look at some. Firstly, every single performance in the film is excellent. It has been said before and I'm sure does not need repeating, but Gal Gadot is the perfect Wonder Woman: she plays Diana with a complex, believable mix of naivety, innocence, intelligence, compassion, badassery and strength. It's really refreshing to see a female character this complex, never mind a female superhero leading her own film. Chris Pine also puts in a great performance, and their chemistry is great and gets the audience behind them. Every supporting character is memorable, from the villains to Steve's sectretary to the soldiers who accompany Diana and Steve to the front- they all feel unique and developed, without getting unnecessary focus and screen time. It also goes without saying that a great female-led superhero film was way overdue, and I loved seeing one. I felt so empowered when I left, and I think that's incredibly valuable for women and girls everywhere. That moment in No Man's Land- if you've seen it you know which one- was so powerful and brilliant. Wonder Woman's theme is incredibly effective, and every time it played my heart jumped up a bit with excitement. In regards to the feminist aspects of the film it would have been nice to have focused a little less on Steve and a little more on Diana, but I recognise that the focus on Steve was necessary for the story (more on that below the spoiler line.) I would have also liked to have seen a bit more of Steve's secretary as I felt like her potential as a character was a little wasted, but there were obvious reasons why she couldn't have been at the front, and it was very nice to see Diana be an independent badass. As well, I really liked that we got to see Diana growing up and becoming who she is- she is never referred to as Wonder Woman, just Diana, which means we can relate to her more and appreciate her character development to an extent not seen in many superhero films. Yes, there are plenty of origin stories out there, but there always seems to be a moment when the protagonist becomes A Hero. Diana doesn't do this- she remains herself throughout. Even as she becomes more sure of herself and more knowledgeable about her powers she does so in a slow, realistic development rather than one moment of change. When Diana goes to London, Gadot plays the fish-out-of-water scenario with complete innocence and sincerity, not seeming to be aware of the comedy or deliberately and cringe-inducingly play it up for laughs at all. This sincerity makes the comedy funnier, the action more meaningful, the emotions harder-hitting, and the character completely believable and complex. Because of the scenario- superhero helps win a world war- the Captain America comparisons are inevitable, but in my view, although I do really like his plotlines, Captain America has all the complexity of a cardboard cut-out compared to Diana. Both are heroes by choice, both are brave and selfless, but we really feel it from Diana, and see her struggles with it, rather than simply being shown it as with Captain America. SPOILERS FROM HERE ON IN! If you haven't watched the film, stop reading and go do that. I really recommend it. Let's talk about Steve. I'd just like a quick word here to appreciate the fact that he stayed dead and didn't have a miraculous resurrection. The trope of killing off an important character such as the love interest only to bring them back is so incredibly overdone in films because it has an emotional impact, but also ensures the story ends happily so the viewer is left in a good mood so they can give the film a good review. Recently there has been a distinct move away from it (as well as Wonder Woman I can think of one very bold and well executed example from the past year, which shall not be named in case of spoilers), and it's really refreshing. Some people might argue that his existence as a love interest undermines the feminist message of the film. I disagree. Pretty much every male superhero who leads their own film has a love interest and it doesn't detract from their independence, strength, or ability to save the day, and it doesn't do so for Wonder Woman. And her 'love story' with Steve is more than just that. It's necessary to the story, because just at the point where Diana has realised that human beings aren't as good as she thought, and are capable of such horrors as she's seen without the influence of anything else, his sacrifice reminds her that there's good in us too. Some people might also say that the 'I love you' moment was incredibly rushed, which, to be fair, it was. Because it was meant to be. It wasn't meant to be a full, developed love story, because it's not a romance film. Diana and Steve were under impossible circumstances, and the point was to show the potential for what they could have been.
Diana's conviction that Ludendorff was Ares reflects how who we see as the villains always depends on whose point of view we are initially introduced to. From the start of the WWI plotline Steve tells us and Diana that 'I'm one of the good guys, and they're the bad guys,' so she immediately sees his as the side of good, although she comes to the realisation later that both sides of the war are mixed up in the horror and are at fault. This is a particularly important message in today's world, where so much horror occurs, and there is a tendency to place the blame entirely on another group. We never want to accept that we or our governments might be partly or equally to blame for such actions, believing our side to be the 'good' one. Diana is a hero with a strong moral compass and a belief in good vs evil, who grows up and learns that the world is more complicated than that. In contemporary cinema, there is a strong focus on good vs evil (Star Wars, Harry Potter, the majority of superhero films), and a film that recognises the complexities and, yes, the evils of humanity, but ultimately ends hopefully, is incredibly welcome, and even necessary. Overall I think my main word to describe it would be refreshing, because it does so much to throw out overused tropes. And yes, because it's so great to see a girl superhero leading a (good) film. My immediate reaction when the credits started rolling was 'is it over? I don't want it to be over!'
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"After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world."- Philip Pullman Archives
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