Wonder Woman (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
DC Comics haven't had a good track record with their 3 previous films, Man of Steel (so-so), Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (so-so) & Suicide Squad (a disappointment), but they've struck gold now with their 4th cinematic endeavor, 'Wonder Woman' (directed by Patty Jenkins, who helmed 2003's Monster). Despite a few reservations I have with it, this movie is pretty b*dass. Action kicks off on the hidden, magical isle of Themyscira, gifted to the all-female Amazons by Zeus. It is here where we meet feisty young Diana, who wants her warrior aunt, Gen. Antiope (Robin Wright, fierce), to train her. Unfortunately for Diana, her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen, of Gladiator), absolutely forbids it.
Eventually the queen lets up, & Diana (now Gal Gadot) becomes the strongest warrior around, embracing the Amazons' responsibility of protecting humanity against the God of War, Ares. One day during WWI, a plane crash lands in the sea, & Diana saves the pilot, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) - the 1st man she's ever seen. After battling some Germans who were in hot pursuit of Steve, the Amazons bind Steve with the electric 'Lasso of Truth' 'til he confesses that he's on a spy mission to thwart egomaniacal German Gen. Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston) & "Dr. Poison"/Isabel Maru (Elena Anaya), from waging chemical warfare across Europe. Armed with that 'Lasso of Truth', her bracelets of victory, her battle shield, & magical sword, Diana embarks for London with Steve in hopes of ending the war.
To Diana, finding & killing Ares is the only way in which the human race can find peace. In London, Steve's dependable secretary, Etta Candy (Lucy Davis), helps outfit Diana to blend in with the masses. With support from Britain's Sir Patrick Morgan (David Thewlis), they venture to war-torn Belgium to settle an armistice, accompanied by 3 compatriots: multi-lingual Sameer (Said Taghmaoui), Scottish ex-sniper, Charlie (Ewen Bremner) & smuggler, Chief (Eugene Brave Rock). The goal is two-fold: 1) stop the Germans from deploying a new type of mustard gas, and 2) allow Diana to confront Gen. Ludendorff, whom she believes to be Ares -- but matters go terrible awry. Action, adventure, tragedy & heroics ensue.
This summer blockbuster is solid as a rock. Lighthearted-yet-emotionally hefty, fun, exciting, well performed, good looking & leaves us wanting more. As Wonder Woman, former Miss Israel/ex-soldier Gal Gadot just knocks it out of the park (statuesque, fierce, humorous, vulnerable & compelling). Gadot was a highlight of last yr.'s Batman vs. Superman film and she lives up to the hype, here. Sure, she's stunning. But not unlike the silent film stars from 100 yrs. ago, she commands the screen with her presence & expressive eyes. I love that she's hell bent on vanquishing evil, focused on helping humanity, but also conflicted about her role in grand scheme of life, and almost childlike in her naivete in the 'real world'.
There's a nice touch of romance in 'Wonder Woman'; with the roles reversed (Chris Pine plays the love interest, so to speak). I love that SHE saves HIM as their meet-cute. It's funny that her 1st sight of a man would be the physically fit, blue-eyed Steve, who acknowledges - while standing naked in front of her - that he's an "above average" male specimen. Their banter is predictable, yet sweetly executed. And their chemistry goes a long way in making this film successful. Lucy Davis lends extra humor as the sarcastic, one-liner-spewing Etta Candy. I loved Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright & the army of Amazonian women who occupy Themyscira. I only wish we had more scenes with them ... and on that GORGEOUS isle, in general. And while the villain(s) are not the best you'll find in the canon of film baddies, they all have their deliciously evil moments.
As is the case with comic-based films, there's destructive action, as well as intense armed & hand-to-hand combat, resulting in more deaths than you’re probably used to. In a way, that's alarming -- but it also aptly shows the horrors of war (trench warfare & a disturbing mustard gas attack on a peaceful town). But darkness aside (we're used to that from prior super-serious DC flicks), I was grateful for the lighter moments; i.e., the charming fish-out-of-water scenes when Diana arrives in London. If I have a major complaint, it'd be the 'anything goes' brand of climactic battle that my brain tends to glaze over with (lengthy, overwrought, all-too-familiar). The fact that the propulsive build-up to that climax was SO good made the actual battle all-the-more disappointing. But I digress. 'WW' is epic, empowering & contains more emotional resonance that expected. Bravo, Patty Jenkins.
Eventually the queen lets up, & Diana (now Gal Gadot) becomes the strongest warrior around, embracing the Amazons' responsibility of protecting humanity against the God of War, Ares. One day during WWI, a plane crash lands in the sea, & Diana saves the pilot, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) - the 1st man she's ever seen. After battling some Germans who were in hot pursuit of Steve, the Amazons bind Steve with the electric 'Lasso of Truth' 'til he confesses that he's on a spy mission to thwart egomaniacal German Gen. Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston) & "Dr. Poison"/Isabel Maru (Elena Anaya), from waging chemical warfare across Europe. Armed with that 'Lasso of Truth', her bracelets of victory, her battle shield, & magical sword, Diana embarks for London with Steve in hopes of ending the war.
To Diana, finding & killing Ares is the only way in which the human race can find peace. In London, Steve's dependable secretary, Etta Candy (Lucy Davis), helps outfit Diana to blend in with the masses. With support from Britain's Sir Patrick Morgan (David Thewlis), they venture to war-torn Belgium to settle an armistice, accompanied by 3 compatriots: multi-lingual Sameer (Said Taghmaoui), Scottish ex-sniper, Charlie (Ewen Bremner) & smuggler, Chief (Eugene Brave Rock). The goal is two-fold: 1) stop the Germans from deploying a new type of mustard gas, and 2) allow Diana to confront Gen. Ludendorff, whom she believes to be Ares -- but matters go terrible awry. Action, adventure, tragedy & heroics ensue.
This summer blockbuster is solid as a rock. Lighthearted-yet-emotionally hefty, fun, exciting, well performed, good looking & leaves us wanting more. As Wonder Woman, former Miss Israel/ex-soldier Gal Gadot just knocks it out of the park (statuesque, fierce, humorous, vulnerable & compelling). Gadot was a highlight of last yr.'s Batman vs. Superman film and she lives up to the hype, here. Sure, she's stunning. But not unlike the silent film stars from 100 yrs. ago, she commands the screen with her presence & expressive eyes. I love that she's hell bent on vanquishing evil, focused on helping humanity, but also conflicted about her role in grand scheme of life, and almost childlike in her naivete in the 'real world'.
There's a nice touch of romance in 'Wonder Woman'; with the roles reversed (Chris Pine plays the love interest, so to speak). I love that SHE saves HIM as their meet-cute. It's funny that her 1st sight of a man would be the physically fit, blue-eyed Steve, who acknowledges - while standing naked in front of her - that he's an "above average" male specimen. Their banter is predictable, yet sweetly executed. And their chemistry goes a long way in making this film successful. Lucy Davis lends extra humor as the sarcastic, one-liner-spewing Etta Candy. I loved Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright & the army of Amazonian women who occupy Themyscira. I only wish we had more scenes with them ... and on that GORGEOUS isle, in general. And while the villain(s) are not the best you'll find in the canon of film baddies, they all have their deliciously evil moments.
As is the case with comic-based films, there's destructive action, as well as intense armed & hand-to-hand combat, resulting in more deaths than you’re probably used to. In a way, that's alarming -- but it also aptly shows the horrors of war (trench warfare & a disturbing mustard gas attack on a peaceful town). But darkness aside (we're used to that from prior super-serious DC flicks), I was grateful for the lighter moments; i.e., the charming fish-out-of-water scenes when Diana arrives in London. If I have a major complaint, it'd be the 'anything goes' brand of climactic battle that my brain tends to glaze over with (lengthy, overwrought, all-too-familiar). The fact that the propulsive build-up to that climax was SO good made the actual battle all-the-more disappointing. But I digress. 'WW' is epic, empowering & contains more emotional resonance that expected. Bravo, Patty Jenkins.