Wonder Woman
2017
Production Companies: DC Entertainment, Warner Bros, Atlas Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Wanda Pictures, Tencent Pictures, & Cruel & Unusual Films
Finally, the DC Movie Universe has made a film they can be proud of. This film is definitely a step in the right direction for the DC Superheros, though, it doesn't make up for the travesties which came before it. They should use this as the mile stick with which to measure their up and coming films. Though I cannot help but feel Justice League will be taking a few steps backwards from this film.
I liked the fact that the writers decided to use mix the origin stories up and have Diana coming to the world of man during the First World War; this strengthens the concept of her being immortal. As well as allowing for some nice special effects in the dog fight scenes and other period specific weaponry. Zeus created the Amazons to bring love and peace to mankind, though mankind corrupted by Ares enslaved them. Hippolyte led a revolt to free the Amazons and when Zeus brought the god to help in their defence Ares killed them. Zeus with his dying breath crippled Ares and created Themyscira to hide the Amazons from mankind. So here is the first error, Zeus is dead but yet he later breathes life into a clay-shaped human effigy to create Diana. All is well on the island until Steve Trevor's plane crashes off the coast and Diana dives in to save him. Trevor has the secret poison book of Dr, Maru; the Germans hot on his trail shoot him down, Here comes a second error, there's a group of Germans in a rowboat looking for the wreckage of the plane, they stick their head through the fog which hides the island and then attacks the Amazons... and lose, of course. Though I did wonder where the battleship they came from and the one which had shot Trevor down has disappeared to... as we see no more Germans (sloppy writing). Believing Ares is to blame for the ongoing war, Trevor describes, Diana takes it upon herself to hunt him down and kill him, with the God Killer sword.
As I stated there are a couple of obvious errors in the opening set up and this continues throughout the film. It would have been nice if somebody had pointed them out so they could be taken care off. Most of them are small issues and easily resolved but they do hinder the film a little.
However, they are only small and the movie is pretty massive so the good does outweigh the bad. Though Gal Gadot does a good job in the Wonder Woman persona, she's not too great as Diana Prince. Saying she's coming from an island where the main way to travel is by horse and foot, where they are trained in sword fighting and archery, and the main food is fresh fish, vegetables and fruit she doesn't appear too surprised by automobiles, aeroplanes, ships, and the modern weaponry... let alone the "new food". Though they include the "Ice Cream" scene it would have been nice to have seen a little more childish enthusiasm and awe in this character.
Chris Pine fits the Steve Trevor character like a glove and gets his persona down pat, though a little more womanising, or even hints at it would've added strength to it. Lucy Davis is splendid as Etta Candy, Steve Trevor's secretary, and actually has the air of awe I wished Diana Prince to have. The bad guy Ludendorff and his crony Dr Maru are brilliantly played by Danny Huston and Elena Anaya, respectively. They give a creepy and flesh-crawling performance in their roles. David Thewlis was an inspired choice for Sir Patrick, though I have to admit I'm not too sure that he was completely right for the part, though I do know what the writers and director were doing when they cast him. Not a completely genius move, but close.
Patty Jenkins does a marvellous job of the directing. She keeps the action tight and fast paced though has the nerve to slow it down at the right times to emphasize an action, a movement, or a special effect. This keeps it interesting for the viewer. Though in the more drama based sets she opts for a more standard style of camera work. A few differing camera angles would have been nice. Though this is a lighter film in atmosphere to other DC adaptations there are a lot of scenes shot in dark atmosphere's A little normal lighting and brighter sets would've strengthened the darkness and grimness of the front line, which was filmed with the same filters as their entry into London. So the front line could have been a muddy football field in London. It would have been nice to bring DC out of the dark fully.
That said this is a really entertaining film, which sticks to the characters basic ethos. It is a spectacularly nice waste of time which I would recommend anybody to see and unlike previous DC Universe Movies, this one is really worth watching... and may even be worth keeping. As stated before, I hope they take heed of this movie and implement this style of film making and storytelling into their upcoming films.
