(Originally posted December 30th, 2017)
Uhh, guys, what just happened? Did I just have a good time with a DCEU film? Did I just really enjoy a movie in the same universe as BvS and Suicide Squad? Was this movie actually really great? I think it is. Wonder Woman (2017) was actually a really great movie! Does it save the DCEU? No, of course not. Does it have problems? Of course, what movie doesn't? But I can honestly say that this is the most fun I've had in probably any DC movie. I've enjoyed other DC movies more, but this was just so goddamn fun, and I love it. Starring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Robin Wright as Antiope, Danny Huston as General Erich Ludendorff, David Thewlis as Sir Patrick Morgan, Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta and Elena Anaya as Isabel Maru/Doctor Poison.
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| Wonder Woman (2017) |
Perhaps the biggest difference between this and the other DCEU movies is just its general atmosphere. This felt like the only movie that really wanted to have fun with itself, and wasn't all about the dark, brooding and serious side, which is ironic given the subject matter. You'd think that if any film would get dark, it would be one about war, but they found a way to keep it light by showing more of the human side of war, which I actually found somewhat refreshing. The film will take the time to slow down and just show the characters bonding and having fun, it'll allow itself to tell jokes and make fun of itself, it feels like the first genuine movie out of all the DCEU. It's also, to put it bluntly, the best to look at. Themyscira is gorgeous to look at, certainly, but it goes beyond that as this is the only movie that was lit well. The other movies felt so dark primarily because the lighting design never allowed the light to actually come through, but here every scene looks appropriate. That may seem like such an odd thing to draw attention to, but based on the other DCEU films I've seen, it was a welcome change.
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| Themyscira |
Gal Gadot is great as Wonder Woman. Not brilliant, just great. I say 'not brilliant' because I did feel like her performance was somewhat one-note at times, mainly when she goes on and on about Ares. Most of the time, however, she's a joy to watch, and she certainly carries the movie well. You can tell when something really truly affects Diana purely through Gadot's amazing expressions and the way she emotes is heartbreaking at times. But, it also swings the other way, as she also nails the 'fish-out-of-water' aspect of her character, and the scenes of her interacting with the new world are some of the best. I will never tire of movies which place someone into an unfamiliar locale for them, yet familiar for us, and just watch them go. They're just so entertaining. Finally, on the subject of Wonder Woman herself, I loved, loved, LOVED that music motif that played during her action scenes. As someone who loves it when certain melodies repeat for certain characters, that music was awesome.
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| Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman |
Chris Pine, frankly, is downright amazing here. I haven't seen him in much before this, but I'm such a fan now. His character had a lot to him, and it went beyond just the soldier/spy trying to keep Diana out of trouble in London. There were a lot of layers here, and they really use his character to highlight the conflict between good/bad inside all of us. It was something I wasn't expecting, and it was handled really well in the end. The other characters were also great. David Thewlis had an amazing presence, the band of soldiers Diana and Steve bring along with them are all great to watch and the camaraderie between all 5 of them was very nice indeed. The only character that didn't really do anything for me was Hippolyta. I don't know, maybe it's because I've seen the 'protective parent' character done to death, but she just kind of bored me. There was nothing special about the character or the performance, and for a character as big as Hippolyta, I feel like they kind of wasted here.
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| Chris Pine as Steve Trevor |
I can't talk about this movie without addressing what happens in the last 30 minutes, and I might drift into spoiler territory here, so just be warned. I was so on board with that moment between Diana and Steve up in the tower. It was such an emotional and otherwise powerful moment with a really important message. Then Ares shows up. Initially, I was a little taken aback, mainly because of how quickly it happened after such a nice scene, but having seen where they went with it, I don't mind it as much now. To me, his role is less about the wider conflict and more about the struggle inside Diana as she battles with herself about humanity. Looking at it that way, the character was actually really well handled. It helps that the acting was just amazing, as well. I don't know, I guess I don't have a problem here after all, at least not as much as some other people do. The main thing for me was the snap change, but looking back, I do get it and I do like it.
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| Elena Anaya as Dr. Poison |
So, yeah, Wonder Woman (2017) won me over in the end. This is a fantastic movie, and one I whole-heartedly recommend. Thankfully, you don't have to have seen the previous DCEU films to understand this one, which, considering the character's appeared in the DCEU prior to this, should tell you all you need to know about the DCEU's problems at this point, but as a standalone movie, this is a fantastic film, and I'm sure to be watching it again very soon. 9/10.
Tomorrow: it's the final day of Super-Cember, so we're going out with a bang with one of the most critically acclaimed superhero films of all time: it's Logan.
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