Wonder Woman: DC Finally Makes a Decent Superhero Movie [Review]
Mark Miller
I was never a fan of Wonder Woman, but not for the usual reasons. I’m actually not even clear on what ‘the usual reasons’ would be – I just wanted to watch Superman roam around in tights instead of some woman. Apparently a lot of ostensibly straight men weren’t too keen on Wonder Woman either? I went into the film with that question knowing nothing about Wonder Woman.
Before she was Wonder Woman she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained warrior. When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, she leaves home to fight a war to end all wars, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
So if you were to gender switch Wonder Woman (a la Ghostbusters), what would you be left with? I asked a few of my friends and got the same answer – you would get Superman. I have to agree – both Superman and Wonder Woman are pretty similar. They’re both invulnerable, have super strength and can defy gravity. Also, Wonder Woman solves her problems with violence (like any superhero) making her truly interchangeable with the boys. So if either gender can get powers and have a convincing plot, the question isn’t ‘why a girl superhero’ but ‘why not more girl superheroes’?
The main difference between Superman and Wonder Woman, that I can tell, is this: Wonder Woman can express emotions beyond anger and steely determination. Because if Superman were to look anything other than stoic, he’d end up looking gay. Especially if he were to have simmering scenes of sexual tension with Chris Pine. I would pay to see….nevermind. The real difference between Superman and Wonder Woman is that Wonder Woman was well made. Everything we were shown was in there for a reason and served both plot and character, from the odd throwaway line to a character’s mask. It was magnificently paced, too, making a movie 2 hours and 21 minutes long seem like a reasonable length.
My goodness the acting was good. Chris Pine is quite the leading man (which in a film about Wonder Woman, is saying something) and he is so handsome. Not to spoil anything, but there’s a gratuitously long shirtless scene for him. Thank you fan service! But all the acting was good. Gal Godot was perfect for the role and could express more with a single smile than most actors could with a line. Elena Anaya was fantastic as well. But the best of all was Lucy Davis who 100% stole every scene she was in. After the movie the action scenes faded from memory and it was Etta (Lucy Davis) who was memorable. I want to see a movie about her.
I didn’t like everything. I absolutely hated the way the way the Amazonians spoke, with that stilted, awkward pseudo-formal way that’s meant to convey ‘an ancient time’. (I can’t watch Spartacus for the same reason). And was their accent Greek or Swedish? Or did it bob around like it had two hours to backpack around Europe and wanted to cover everything? Also I was bothered by the isolationism of the Lesbian Island (they were either lesbians or celibates, I know which one my money’s on). Their purpose was to help the world. Why have an island of warriors who train like crazy but don’t keep up with modern advances in weaponry? I wish the main villain had been hotter. I’m nitpicking, I know, but there wasn’t much else to criticize.
So is Wonder Woman worth seeing? Yes. How nice to see a decent superhero movie from DC for a change. And visually it was wonderful, every scene gorgeously shot. The Lasso of Truth was especially beautiful. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, try this game – imagine Superman in place Wonder Woman just to see how it fits. Sometimes it’s spot on, other times it’s hilarious. I’m still pretty much finished with superhero movies but Wonder Woman was a nice one to end on.
