Themyscira….London….And Then The Front
Book-ended by two highly anticipated Marvel films, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming, the arguably more anticipated DCEU film, Wonder Woman, had a ton of weight on its shoulders. The film was preceded by the lukewarm Man of Steel, the record-breaking (but fan dividing) Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad, which left many fans praying that Wonder Woman could save a supposedly sinking ship. (For what it’s worth, I thought that all three of the previous DC films were good, with only Man of Steel being somewhat of a disappointment. I have reviews for all three of these films on this blog. Feel free to peruse them later.)
Of course, there were plenty of naysayers about DC’s resident Amazonian warrior. Many of them were Marvel fanboys that were blinded by the success of their own favorite film franchise. Some of them were chauvinists who thought that no super heroine-fronted film could make it without a male hero to step in to save the day. There were also plenty of DC fans who had given up hope that Detective Comics knew what they were doing when it came to films and decided to watch Flashpoint Paradox yet again (which is actually an awesome animated film, by the way).
Thankfully they were ALL WRONG!
Wonder Woman hit the big screen to huge audiences. Unlike BvS and Suicide Squad, which saw big drop offs in ticket sales after their opening weekends, Wonder Woman maintained solid and impressive numbers. GOTG had been in theaters for roughly one month prior to Wonder Woman’s release, and the only potential threats to her position atop the box office came in the form of a mediocre Pirates of the Caribbean sequel (released May 26)and an even more lackluster The Mummy reboot (released June 9).
Spoilers Ahead! Stop Reading Now If You Haven’t Seen The Film!!
The film opens with Wonder Woman as a child growing up in Themyscira. She longed to join her Aunt Antiope (Robin Wright) in training for battle, but her mother, Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) denied her. Secretly, however, Diana joins Antiope for private sessions. Eventually the duo are found out, but Hippolyta allows Diana to continue training.
During this time in the film, we also learn the story of the “God killer,” which is supposedly a sword that can destroy Ares, the god of war, if and when he returns to send man into an unending time of war. Obviously he’s going to be returning soon, and Antiope believes that Diana needs to be battle ready and eventually learn her true fate.
Then a US spy literally crash lands in Themyscira, bringing with him a bunch of very angry German forces that are trying to kill him. Diana finds the spy, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), and the pair end up fighting alongside the rest of the Amazonian warriors as they subdue the Germans…..but not without casualties.
Antiope is killed during the battle, as are many more of the Amazons. Hippolyta is convinced that Steve Trevor is one of the causes of the attack, but Diana defends him. We then get to see the Lasso of Truth for the first time. With it, the Amazons learn of a great war (WWI) that is going on outside of the protected walls of their homeland. Diana is convinced that the war is the work of Ares, and determines to find him and destroy him. Hippolyta doesn’t want her to go but eventually gives in to Diana’s request.
Diana and Steve Trevor take off for London, where he introduces Diana to Etta Candy (Lucy Davis), his secretary, and a room full of men, primarily politicians and generals, who can’t wrap their minds around the fact that a woman wants to help them and, gasp, wants to go to the front line in order to take out the enemy. Seeing the way that Diana interacts with Etta Candy and the politicians/military men gave us a humorous look at a woman’s place in that time period. Diana empowered Etta and wasn’t taken seriously by the men, but she would soon prove her worth on the battlefield.
Like I said previously, the men didn’t take Diana seriously and, as a result, refused to help her and Trevor get to the front. Trevor takes matters into his own hands by gathering up a ragtag group of men who agree to help him and Diana. At the last minute, another ally, Sir Patrick Morgan (David Thewlis), shows up with money to fund their adventure.
Diana believes that Ares has disguised himself as General Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and that if she can kill him with the God Killer, the warring ways of mankind will come to an end. Trevor’s group, which includes French Moroccan agent Sameer (Said Taghmaoui), sniper Charlie (Ewen Bremner), and smuggler Chief Napi (Eugene Brave Rock), set off with Diana and find themselves pinned down by the Germans in No Man’s Land (a brilliant play on the fact that a woman would be leading the way). Trevor tells Diana that they cannot save the people in No Man’s Land because it is too dangerous. He tells her that the best way to help them is to continue on their journey to the front.
Unlike Superman in Man of Steel, where Henry Cavill did a lot of sulking and wondering if he should use his powers to help mankind, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman goes against her human counterparts when they tell her that she can’t save everyone. She climbs out of the trench and walks directly toward the German lines. It’s one of the most epic moments in the film. Her courageous example convinces the rest of the soldiers to help her, and they save No Man’s Land.
That moment sets Wonder Woman apart from the other films in the DCEU. She knows her role immediately and doesn’t hesitate to help those in need. Two movies into the DCEU and Superman is still struggling to find his place in this world (and might be dead…..yeah, right). Batman is old and angry and quickly losing faith in humanity. Wonder Woman, however, knows that she must help, no matter the odds.
As the film moves on, a plot by Ludendorff is uncovered that includes using poisonous gas to kill the Allied powers in the Great War. The gas is created by the sinister Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya), who loves to test her gases on human subjects.
This ultimately leads up to a confrontation with Ludendorff, and Diana easily kills him despite his use of a drug provided by Doctor Poison that gives him super strength and a bit of roid rage as well. After Ludendorff’s death, however, war rages on. It confuses and hurts Diana. She can’t understand why mankind keeps on killing and fighting for no real reason.
Steve Trevor attempts to explain to Diana that the world is full of evil people and that all she can really do is continue her fight no matter what sacrifices have to be made. It is at this point that the true Ares is revealed (and I’m not going to name him), and Diana goes into a battle of strength and wits with the god of war. Ares tries to convince her to join him and run rampant on humanity, but he fails in his quest. An epic battle ensues and a major sacrifice is made that gives Wonder Woman all of the fuel she needs to end the war with Ares.
You’ll have to watch the film in order to find out what else happened.
What blew me away about this film is how human and grounded it is. It shows the horrors of war, especially in the scenes that take place in Veld, like no other superhero film has ever done. Most comic films gloss over the tragedy and loss of war. Captain America: The First Avenger did this. It was still a very good film, but at no point did the viewer really get a good look at how horrible war can be. This has continued throughout the Marvel films and only managed to become somewhat grounded with Captain America: Civil War, where lip service is paid to the major losses of life due to the two Avengers films. Wonder Woman could easily be a period war film, but with a superhero involved.
The cast was superb. Gal Gadot carried the film as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, and Chris Pine stood by her side as a reliable friend. There was some romantic tension between the pair, but it was dealt with through the use of humor and sensitivity. David Thewlis and Danny Huston were excellent in their respective roles, as were all of the members of Trevor’s gang.
The female cast, particularly Robin Wright and Lucy Davis, were brilliant. Wright was fierce and convincing as Antiope. Connie Nielsen was also solid in her role, as were all of the ladies portraying Amazons in the film. A special shout out goes to Anne Wolfe, a professional and very successful female boxer, who portrayed Artemis in the film. She grew up in my hometown.
Davis gave us a look at a woman who spent most of her life in the shadow of the men she served. As the film progresses, however, Davis is given more responsibility and her confidence blooms. I hope that we get to see her again (possibly in flashbacks or in a visit from the Flash in the upcoming JLA film).
The music was wonderful. Rupert Gregson-Williams weaves the score through the film and rides the emotional highs and lows of each scene. Included in many of the film’s tracks is the brutal electric cello solo work of Tina Guo. When the cello plays, you know somebody is about to get hurt.
So, does Wonder Woman hold up against any of the Marvel films? You betcha. In fact, it easily bests the bulk of Marvel’s offerings with only Captain America: The Winter Soldier giving it a run for its money. It’s definitely the best DCEU film on the market, and hopefully DC’s winning ways will continue with the upcoming Justice League film.
Wonder Woman has proven that DC can make a film that stays true to its comic roots and give fans a story that can be enjoyed by comic book readers and the general public. I believe that the previous films (let’s just forget about Green Lantern) tried too hard to appease comic fans and the general public suffered as a result. Marvel has a solid formula of spoon-feeding stories to non-comic readers that makes their films easier to digest, but maintain enough of a balance to keep comic readers happy.
Wonder Woman was great, and here’s hoping that Justice League will be just as wonderful. As always, thanks for reading. See you again, soon!
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