Right, as Christmas is almost upon us, I thought I would do another quick review, which is actually yet another revisitation, which will cover one of the year's most lauded superhero movies, Wonder Woman.
So, six months on from its release, how does Wonder Woman fair??? Well, let's take another look!
And yes, the usual warning is coming up...
SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!
STORY
So, the story begins with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) recalling her past and it cuts to when Diane was a child and where she was born and raised in Themyscira, which is home to the Amazons, who are a race of warrior women that were created by the gods of Mount Olympus. Diana requests as a child to train as a warrior however her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) refuses to allow it, so Diana starts to train in secret with her Aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright).
Some years later when Diana has become a young woman, she sees a plane crash off the coast of Themyscira and she dives in and rescues the pilot, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). However they are soon interrupted by the arrival of German soldiers, who were pursuing Steve but as the soldiers arrive, the Amazon warriors lead a charge and kill the soldiers, however Antiope is killed during the battle as she tried to protect Diana.
Steve is then taken prisoner by the Amazons, who wrap the lasso of truth around him to force him to tell the truth of why he is there and he tells them that he is a spy working for the British during World War I. Steve also tells them that he stole a notebook from a chief German scientist, Doctor Maru (Elena Anaya) who is creating a deadlier form of mustard gas under the orders of General Ludendorff (Danny Huston). Diana believes that Ares, the God of war is behind WWI and decides to go with Steve to find and destroy Ares in the hope that this will end the Great War.......
THOUGHTS
Well after the dreary DCEU films such as Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman, not to mention critically maligned ones such as Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman is thankfully a real breath of fresh air for the series. Here we have a film that is both very entertaining and engaging and thankfully features plenty of humour and a much lighter tone than many of the previous DCEU films that we have seen. However the film also has its share of great action throughout and the action scenes involving Wonder Woman are terrfic and the WWI sequences are very impressively staged.
What's even better and more important is that the character of Wonder Woman here has been given a strong moral code and centre and she is character that shows great compassion but also great ruthlessness for her enemies. And in the film Diana (aka Wonder Woman) allows for plenty moments of humour when she fails to understand many of socities traditions and cultures as well blossom a romance with Steve as the film progresses. So its great to see a film that balances out its mix of drama, suspense, thrills and fun so well.
PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section contains spoilers!)
As for the performances well they are all very good and the cast are all in good form.
To start off, Gal Gadot is excellent in her role as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and it also kind of helps too that she just happens to be also drop dead gorgeous! Gadot throughout the film gives Diana a great mixture of compassion, humour and toughness and it appears to be a role that she was born to play as she manages the action scenes just as well as the humour and drama.
And Gal has her share of highlights in the film that include the scene where Diana and Steve embark on their journey to join the warfront and fight against Aries and Diana reveals that she is aware of carnal pleasures (although she has never experienced them) as he has read books on the subject. So, Diana says to Steve "I've read all 12 volumes of Clio's treatises on pleasure" and Steve awkwardly asks her "All 12?" and Diana says "Uh-huh" and Steve asks "Did you bring any of those with you?". Diana then goes to tell Steve "You wouldn't like them" and Steve asks why not and Diana tells him "They came to the conclusion that men are essential for procreation, but when it comes to pleasure... unnecessary".
Then there is the scene where Diana and Steve arrive in London and meet with Steve's personal assistant, Etta Candy. So, as Etta introduces herself to Diana she says "I'm introducing myself. It's Etta Candy. I'm Steve Trevor's secretary" so Diana asks her "What is a secretary?" and Etta says "Oh, well, I do everything. I go where he tells me to go, I do what he tells me to do" and Diana says "Well, where I'm from that's called slavery!".
Another good scene is when Diana and Steve enter a private meeting with British generals and they discuss an armistice with the Germans and that Steve should do nothing to interrupt that, leaving the possibility that the villainous German, Luddendorf will release lethal gas that will kill millions. So, Diana is outraged and angrily says "You would knowingly sacrifice all those lives as if they mean less than yours!". Steve then tries to stop her talking but Diana continues "Where I come from, generals don't hide in their offices like cowards. They fight alongside their soldiers. They die with them on the battlefield!". Then as Steve starts to try and usher Diana out the room, Diana turns to the generals and with disgust says to them "You should be ashamed! You should ALL be ashamed!".
As for Gal's humourous moments, there is a very funny scene where she tries her first ever ice cream from an ice cream vendor and she loves it. And as Diana tastes the ice cream and she gasps with amazement and joy and says "This is wonderful!" and she says to the vendor "You should be very proud!".
Then we have the great moment where Diana reveals her Wonder Woman outfit when she attempts to cross No-Mans Land but Steve tries to convince her not to try as it would be suicide. So, Steve angrily says "This is not something you can cross. This is not possible! We can't save everyone in this war. This is not what we came here to do!". However then Diana with passion says to him "No...but its what I'M going to do..." and she takes off her gown revealing her Wonder Woman outfit and takes her sword and shield and steps out of the trenches and makes a heroic charge across No-Mans Land.
WARNING: NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS REFER TO BIG SPOILERS!!!
Another good scene is when Diana confronts Ludendorf and after he briefly manages to stay toe to toe with her, due to snorting some power enhancing drug (concocted by Dr Maru) it soon wares off and Diana beat Ludendorf into submission and she stands over him. And Diana says to him "I am Diana Temiscira...daughter of Hippolyta...Queen of the Amazons. And your wrath upon this world is over. In the name of all that it is good in this world...I hereby complete the mission of the Amazons...by ridding this world of you...forever!". Diana then stabs Ludendorf, killing him and afterward she gives a gasp of relief but then looks over and sees that that his death has changed nothing and the war goes on.
Then there is the scene where Diana fights the real Aries (OK I won't say who it is a this point!) in a heated and lengthy battle, which Diana finally prevails in. In the scene Diana is about to kill Dr Maru under Aries demands for her to do so but Diana recalls her last moment with Steve, who runs off to hijack the plane carrying the nerve gas (which he blows up with himself onboard). Diana then choose to let Maru live and she tells Aries "You are wrong about them. They are everything you say...but so much more!". Aries furiously tells her "They do not deserve your protection!!!" but Diana says to him "It's not about deserving. It's about what you believe. And I believe in love" and she poises herself to finish him off as she rises up into the air and says "Goodbye brother!" and zaps him with lightning.
Chris Pine next is very good in his role as Steve Trevor, Diana's love interest for the film and also an American soldier spy working for the British during the First World War. Chris also shares a nice onscreen chemistry with Gal so the two of them work very well together.
Chris also has some good scenes but I will only mentio a couple such as the one near the start where Steve bathes in a pool of water and Diana comes in when he steps out naked and he covers up his privates. And Diana looks at him and asks "Would you say your a typical example of your species?" and Steve awkwardly says to her "No...I would say that I am... above average!". Diana then looks at something and asks "What is that?" and Steve awkwardly says "That is a watch" and Diana asks "What does it do?" and Steve says "It tells the time. It tells you when to eat, when to sleep..." and Diana amused asks "That little thing tells you what to do?".
Then there is the scene where Steve and Diana embark on their journey to London and Steve asks her "Have you ever met a man before? What about your father?" and Diana says "I had no father. My mother sculpted me from clay and I was brought to life by Zeus" and Steve, a little surprised says "Well that's neat!".
Another good sene is when just after Steve and Diana exit the generals meeting in London and Diana is disgusted with their attitude to the war and the threat of the German gas as they plan to do nothing but try to arrange an armistice with the Germans. So, after they leave Diana angrily says to him "You didn't stand your ground!" and Steve says to her "Because there was no chance of changing anything!". Diana then angrily tells Steve "The millions of people you talked about, they will die!" but Steve tells her "We are going anyway!" which surprises Diana who asks "You mean you were lying???!" and Steve shouts back "I'm a spy! That's what I do!". Diana then asks him "How do I know you're not lying to me right now?!" and Steve reaches for Diana's lasso of truth and wraps it around his hand. Steve then looking uncomfortable from the effects of the lasso says to her "I'm taking you to the front. This is a terrible idea! We're gonna need reinforcements".
Then there is the great moment where Steve, Diana and his fellow reinforcements arrive at No-Mans Land in the trenches and Steve tries to convince Diana that they cross the area. So, Steve tells her "This is No Man's Land! Diana! Means no man can cross it, alright? This battalion has been here for nearly a year...and they barely gained an inch. Alright? Because on the other side, there are a bunch of Germans pointing machine guns at every square inch of this place. This is not something you can cross. This is not possible!".
Another good moment is when Steve manages to enter a private party held by Ludendorf wearing a German uniform and at the party, Steve approaches Dr Maru and puts on a fake German accent. So, Steve says to her "Excuse me" and Maru asks him "Have we met?" and Steve tells her "No, but I have been watching you. Following your career. You are Dr. Isabel Maru. The most talented chemist in the German army. I am a friend. I hope I'm not causing any... I know you and General Ludendorff are...very close". Steve then tells Maru "Tell me some one like me behind you...I could provide a lot more. Dr Maru then asks Steve "Who are you?" and Steve tells her "A man who shows you appreciation a genius like yourself deserves. I love fire. Don't you? It is like...a living act of entropy. The ultimate weapon of destruction. Reminding us that in the end...everything eventually returns to the ash it came from.There is something reassuring about it. I see all of that in your eyes".
Last of all is the moment just after Diana kills off Ludendorf and she is upset, believing him to be Ares, that the war hasn't ended, so Steve tries to explain to her that its not that simple. So, Steve says to Diana "Maybe we don't! But it's not about that. It's about what you believe. You don't think I get it, after what I've seen out there? You don't think I wish I could tell you that I was one bad guy to blame? It's not! We are all to blame" and Diana says "I'm not!" but Steve insists "But maybe I am! Please. If you believe that this war should stop...if you want to stop it...help me stop it right now. Because...if. If you don't, there will be thousands more".
WARNING: AGAIN THIS NEXT ACTOR SECTION FOR DAVID THEWLIS SECTION IS A BIG SPOILER IN ITSELF!
David Thewlis next is not too bad at all in his role as Sir Patrick, a speaker for the imperial war cabinet in London. However it is soon apparent that Sir Patrick is not entirely what he seems as the film carries on. And Thewlis does have some good moments even though I would have to say that this is a role that he was miscast because even though he is well suited to playing Sir Patrick, he is less suited to his alternate role, which I will mention in a bit!
So, as for Thewlis's moments they include the scene where Sir Patrick turns up just after Diana has killed off Ludendorf and he reveals himself to be the real Ares, God of War! So, Sir Patrick tells Diana "You were right, Diana. They don't deserve our help. They only deserve destruction". So, Ares then goes on to explain "I'm not your enemy, Diana. I'm the only one who truly knows you. And who truly knows them, as you now do. They always been and always will be...weak, cruel, selfish...and capable of the greatest horrors. All I ever wanted was...for the Gods to see how evil my father's creation was. But they refused".
Ares then shows Diana a vision of a paradise world without humanity and insists it is time for their destruction but Diana tells him "I can never be a part of that" which disappoints Ares who says to her "My dear I don't want to fight you. But if I must..." and he zaps Diana with lightning, sending her reeling back" and he walks toward her and says "Oh my dear, you have so much to learn!".
Last of all is the scene where Diana and Ares near the end of their battle where Diana is poised to destroy Ares and she tells him that the humans are capable of monstrous destruction but they are capable of so much more and "I believe in love". So, Ares then yells at her from the top of his voice "THEN I SHALL DESTROY YOU!!!!!" and well....you can guess the rest.
Connie Nielsen does pretty well in her role as Hippolyta, the Amazon queen and mother to Diana although her appearance is restricted to just the first act of the film in Amazons' home in Themyscira.
But to save a bit of time I will only mention one of Connie's scenes and that's the one where, Diana is about to leave with Steve from Themyscira and Hippolyta and her warriors show up but Hippolyta realises that Diana is old enough to go and make her decisions.
So, Hippolytua tells Diana "You know that if you choose to leave...you may never return" but Diana says to her "Who will I be if I stay?". Hippolyta then gives Diana a sword and says "This belonged to the greatest warrior in our history...our beloved Antiope. Make sure you're worthy of it" and Diana says "I will" and takes it. And before Diana leaves, Hippolyta tells her "Be careful in the world of men, Diana. They do not deserve you. You have been my greatest love. Today...you are my greatest sorrow.
Danny Huston also does well in his part as the ruthless General Ludendorff, who is out to use the nerve gas to wipe out Germany's enemies in an effor to win the war.
And Huston his some good scenes also that include the one where Ludendorff meets with some of the German cabinet in a private meeting, however it ends badly for them. So, Ludendorff in the scene tells the officers "24 hours from now...this war will end. It is over. It's over for you. It is over for all of you!" and he rolls in one of Dr Maru's lethal gas grenades and he throws one gas mask at them before running out the room. Ludendorff then seals the room and Dr Maru says to him "That mask won't help them!" and Ludendorff grins wickedly and says "But they don't know that!" and they run off together.
Lastly there is the scene where Diana enters Ludendorff's private party, wearing an elegant dress (with her sword stashed down the back of her dress!) and she moves towartd Ludendorff, who suddenly grabs her for a dance. So, Ludendorff asks her "Enjoying the party?" and Diana says "I confess I'm not sure what it is we are celebrating" and Ludendorff tells her "A German victory of course!".
And as they waltz awkwardly together, Ludendorf tells Diana "You know your ancient Greeks? They understood that war is a god. A god that requires human sacrifice. And in exchange, war gives man purpose. Meaning. A chance to rise above his petty mortal little self. And be courageous. Noble. Better!". Diana then insists "Only one of the many Gods brlieved in that. And he was wrong!" and Ludendorff looks at her and says "You nothing of the Gods!" and he stops the dance and says "Enjoy the fireworks!" as he walks off.
Elena Anaya is also good in her role as the villainous Doctor Maru (aka Doctor Poison) even though her part is somewhat small in the film.
I will only mention one of Elena's scenes and that is the one where Steve enters Ludendorff's private German party, dressed in a German uniform and he tries to chat her up. However as Steve goes on, he suddenly notices that Diana has entered the room wearing an elegant dress. So, Dr Maru says to Steve "I appreciate your interest in my work...but I'm loyal to General Ludendorff. Besides...Now I see your attention is...elsewhere!" and she walks off.
Lucy Davis is really good in her role as Etta Candy, Steve's secretary and she also provides some of the comic relief in the film.
And Lucy has a couple of good scenes such as the one where Etta first meets Diana and she introduces herself to Diana and says "I'm introducing myself. It's Etta Candy. I'm Steve Trevor's secretary". Diana then asks "What is a secretary?" and Etta explains "Oh, well, I do everything. I go where he tells me to go, I do what he tells me to do" and Diana says "Well, where I'm from that's called slavery!" and Etta smiles and says to Steve "I like her!".
Then there is the moment where Diana tries on loads of outfits in a clothes store, so she can blend in with her surroundings more. So, while Diana is still changing, Steve asks Etta "Where is she?" and Etta tells Steve "She's trying on outfit 226!". So, Diana re-emerges with her last outfit as she wears a long coat, trousers and a hat and Steve groans and says to Etta "Ms. Candy, the whole point was to make her look less distracting". Diana then asks for Steve's glasses, which she puts on and they suit her and Etta says "Really, specs? Suddenly she's not the most beautiful woman you've ever seen?!".
And lastly there is the very funny moment where Diana in her new outfit attempts to walk out the store carrying her sword and shield and she stops as she can't get through the revolving doors. So, Steve tells Diana "That's not gonna work. Diana, please put the sword down!" and he tells Etta "Why don't I meet you back at the office" and he goes to take Diana's sword and shield and he says "I'll take this for safekeeping" but Diana says "Oh, no, I don't think so". Steve insists "You gotta put the sword down, Diana!" and Etta says one of the film's best lines "It doesn't go with the outfit!".
I appreciate your interest in my work... ...but I'm loyal to General Ludendorff. Besides... ...Now I see your attention is... ...elsewhere. Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=wonder-woman-2017
Lucy Davis is also pretty good as Etta Candy, Steve's secretary although she does appear to be pretty heavy weight wise in the part, so I don't know if she put on weight to play the role as the character herself is pretty stout!
Said Taghmaoui is pretty good as the secret agent, Sameer, who is an ally of Steve's who helps him and Diana out in their fight against Lundendroff.
Said also get's one of the film's best lines when Sameer first meets Diana in a bar and when he first lays eyes on her, he is smitten and tells her "Oh my goodness, gracious. That's a work of art!". Steve tells Diana "Sameer, is a top undercover man. He can talk the skin off cabbage" and Diana says "He doesn't look that impressive to me" and Sameer tries to charm her and says "You do for me! Your eyes as soft as your smile" and Diana wearily says "And yours eyes look like they want something!".
Then later in this scene, Diana quickly disables one of the rough customers in the bar by knocking him across the room with great ease, leaving everyone amazed. And Sameer looks stunned and says "I am both frightened...and aroused!".
And lastly there is the scene where Sameer tells Diana about his life aspirations to be an actor and he let's his charming facade drop a little. So, he tells Diana "Not everyone gets to be where they want to be all the time. Me, I'm an actor. I love acting. I didn't want to be a soldier. But I'm the wrong color. Everyone's fighting their own battle, Diana. Just as you're fighting yours".
Ewen Bremner, also does fairly well in his role as a somewhat as the Scottish rifleman, Charlie, who is another ally of Steve's and play his part in the war effort.
And Bremner does have some good moments of his own but I will quickly just mention his first main scene where Charlie is in the bar getting beaten up where Steve and Diana walk into to find their reinforcements. And after the fight is over, Charlie sees Steve and says "Steven! May god grow a flower upon your head son. Good to see you!".
Steve then asks "So, what were you fighting about?" and Charlie says "I mistook his glass for mine!". Diana is less impressed and says "This man is no fighter" and Steve tells her "Charlie is an expert marksman. Means he shoots people" and Charlie grins and says "From very far away! You never know what hit em!". Diana then asks "So, how do you know who you kill if you can't see their face?" and Charlie says "I don't. Trust me. Its better that way!".
And last of all is Robin Wright who does well in her smaller role as Antiope, Diana's Aunt and mentor, who trains her to fight, growing up but for now I won't mention any of her scenes (sorry Robin but I will add something in later!).
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
As for the direction, Patty Jenkins does an excellent job here with the film and she paces the story very well throughout and it only occassionally lags during its 2 hours and 21 minute running time. Jenkins also expertly handles the film's action scenes, which are great and even better, manages to pull together a very engaging story for the audience. Let's just say that Patty here has put Zack Snyder's efforts in the DCEU so far to shame!
And lastly there is the film's music score by Rupert Gregson-Williams which is actually surprisingly good because going into the film I was only too aware of the Wonder Woman theme, which I absolutely hated when I first heard it in Batman vs Superman. However when you put the theme into the context of the actual film, the theme itself isn't that bad and that its actually backed up by a pretty score by Gregson-Williams makes it that bit better.
So overall the score deserves credit here as it is pretty suspenseful and has its share of emotional cues, which work well and when that Wonder Woman theme finally kicks in, its used just at the right times. So, well done to Rupert Gregson-Williams for pulling out this one of the bag as it definitely ranks as one of the stronger superhero movie scores in recent years.
FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)
As for flaws....yeah well Wonder Woman isn't quite perfect of course.
And for starters, I would have to say that the opening section that takes place in Themyscira feels a little slow at times and the dialogue from the characters in this sequence is pretty melodramatic and hackneyed sounding. And its when the film moves to Diana and Steve going off to war, is when the film starts to really pick up its pacing.
I also felt that the film's main villain in Ares just wasn't as anywhere near as effective as he could have been, which mainly comes down to David Thewlis being miscast in the role of Ares, God of War. To be fair however, Thewlis does playing his alternate character well enough, Sir Patrick, but to see him be the God of War, he just isn't a good fit for the role, so it does remain one of the weaker aspects of the film.
I also thought that Diana's naivety to the world was a bit silly at times, particularly near the end where she thinks killing off Ludendorff will automatically bring an end to the war. However of course it simply wouldn't work that way yet Diana thinks it all comes down to knocking one bad peg out and everything else will fall into place. Errmm, nope its never that simple, Diana! So at this point I simply don't buy that she would be that naive and surely being brought up as a warrior, this is something she might have learned from her Aunt.
Another issue was also to do with Diana's lack of perception for other things, such as when she sees a couple holding hands and she asks Steve why they are doing so? However, Diana did mention that she had read 12 volumes on the treatises of pleasure, so surely they have must have had some indication into the nature and behavioural aspects of relationships in there somewhere!
Then there is the issue of Diana's aging process, which I have to admit kind of bugged me a little in the film as you clearly see her grow from a little girl earlier on in the film into a young woman yet at this stage, Diana will never age physically anymore after that! I appreciate that she is supposed to be immortal but at the same time even though she is, does that mean there is a physical age appearance cut-off for gods and goddsesses?! I mean you could certainly imagine that Connie Nielsen's character for example looked a fair bit younger many years past when Diana was a baby or even before. So does that suggest that a few centuries would pass before we get to see Diana look middle aged??? Achhh who knows? But it is a strange one all the same.
And lastly even though the film is called Wonder Woman, there isn't ONE moment in the film where Diana was in fact even referred to as Wonder Woman, which in a way is also a bit daft and seems to negate the character's title itself! In a way perhaps that's not a bad thing though as it makes the film appear less self referential, which can be a nuisance but even so you think they could have said something along the lines of "Hey, that woman is a real wonder!" or "Hey you! Wonder woman!" just to reference it in some way.
Anyway that's it for the flaws.
SUM UP
So in summing up, Wonder Woman is everything that disappointed DC fans will have hoped for in a superhero film in that here we are finally given a good mix of thrills, excitement, drama, suspense and of course most importantly fun. This film has so much more going for it than most of the DCEU films we've seen so far and is helped along nicely by its fine cast, particularly its leads performances from Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, who both share a nice onscreen chemistry together. It also helps that Gal Gadot is a real stunner and she sells Wonder Woman's sex appeal with great ease but she certainly goes deeper than just that and provides a three dimensional character for audiences.
So after six months, my opinion of the film certainly hasn't changed and I would certainly recommend giving Wonder Woman a go as it is a film that has given the DCEU a much needed shot in the arm. Unfortunately though, since then, the long awaited "Justice League" wasn't able to live up to the quality of Wonder Woman, which suggests that maybe WW is something of a blip in the DCEU mixed quality control, but let's hope not.
Whatever way you look at it though, Wonder Woman remains for me one of the best films of the year and certainly one of the best and most entertaining superhero films in recent years that certainly gives plenty of the acclaimed Marvel movies a good run for their money.
Right, so that's it for now and I will be back with a couple more reviews before the end of the year but before that I will finish by wishing you all a Merry Christmas and hope you have a good one!
So, till the next one its bye for now!
Merry Christmas!
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