Wonder Woman (2017)

I agree that it has been long overdue for this heroine to get her first live-action movie. Unlike other installments in the DC Extended Universe, "Wonder Woman" is sure to please those who have been patiently waiting. The special effects were good, the acting worked and the story was well crafted. Another reason why the film entertains is that it is a historical period fantasy film. It can be classified alongside "Captain America: the First Avenger" from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and "Raiders of the Lost Ark". By setting the movie far in the past, our disbelief is more easily suspended and we can accept what we are given. For me personally, I liked the movie but I think critics responded to it more positively than they normally would considering that the last DCEU film was "Suicide Squad".

The filmmakers used Wonder Woman's origin story from the Golden Age comics but they changed the era. This movie has been in the works for over twenty years and during that long development phase, the story has shifted time periods. One premise took place in World War II as it was in the original comics and another was in the present day, which the 2009 animated film explored instead. The filmmakers ended up placing this origin story during WWI, which creates important originality. One plot point I took note of is that in the DCEU, Ares appears to be the only god still in existence. This was probably done so as to not overcomplicate the subsequent movies in the franchise. Unlike its animated counterpart from 2009, the feminist message in this "Wonder Woman" film is a little subtler. Instead of blatantly articulating and depicting the injustices for women during that particular time, the film portrays them in a humorous light such as Diana trying on outfits. Also, the men in this movie don't act chauvinist because they are bad but rather because they don't know any better. Furthermore as an example, Steve doesn't want to stop Diana from going into No Man's Land because she is a woman. In his mind, the field can only be taken with great sacrifice and doesn't want to lose his new friend because of her zealous nature. What follows is the best scene in the movie as Diana leads the army in the liberation of a French village. As with Captain America, Wonder Woman gets to work with a group of diverse individuals and that has been proven to have great entertainment value in many other movies. It certainly worked here. I was grateful that the plot wasn't predictable because I think the plot twist in the climax should catch everyone by surprise. It made for a great ending to the movie. The filmmakers were smart to learn from their past mistakes with this film universe. There were no unnecessary characters, Wonder Woman's costume was well designed, foreshaddowing was only limited to act as bookends for the movie, they didn't go for a dark look and, as mentioned, they honored the source material.

Gal Gadot portrays Diana differently than in "Batman v Superman" because in that movie, her character has spent almost a century in the world of men. One part of her performance she retained though was her regal nature. The filmmakers behind this franchise seemed to have hit the jackpot with the casting of a former model and combat instructor as Wonder Woman. Reshoots occurred while Gadot was five months pregnant and she wore a green cloth over her stomach so that the effects artists could prevent discrepancies in the finished movie. Chris Pine portrays Steve as honorable, brave, and respectful. Steve has to deal with a huge clash of cultures but Pine performs it in such as way that his character's frustration is relatable and understandable. He is your typical leading man. I didn't even recognize Robin Wright as Antiope. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that the romantic lead actors in "Gladiator" each begat a superhero in the DCEU: Russell Crowe plays Superman's father in "Man of Steel" and in "Wonder Woman", Connie Nielsen is Diana's mother. The best performance in the whole movie goes to David Thewlis. Eugene Brave Rock, who plays Chief, is a member of the Blood Tribe and grew up south of my hometown. I find that really cool. Years after first seeing the movie, I met him at a convenience store.

I was very grateful for the use of Wonder Woman's musical theme from "Batman v Superman". It made just the right amount appearances. Speaking of that movie, some might ask why I rated this film the same as "Batman v Superman" when "Wonder Woman" has far less flaws. It is true that the story, acting and special effects were better but "Wonder Woman" lacked the sense of fun that the Marvel Cinematic Universe offers even though it shares similarities with "Captain America". On a more positive note, "Wonder Woman" has another thing in common with "Captain America: The First Avenger": both films acted as a prelude for upcoming films with an ensemble cast in their respective franchises. In the case of "Wonder Woman", it set us up for "Justice League" and that movie has increased the value I place on "Wonder Woman". DC and Warner Bros. must have been on their knees in gratitude with the critical success of "Wonder Woman" after the critical failure of "Suicide Squad". I have been theorizing that perhaps the DCEU struggled at first because they were trying to catch up to its competition too fast for its own good. "Justice League" displayed some changes because of Joss Whedon's involvement and it made up for the shortcomings in the franchise that we have already witnessed.

3.5 Stars out of 5