DC Comic’s movie track record as of late has been pretty abysmal. With Man of Steel, Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad receiving mixed reviews, it would take a little doing to pull them up before the release of Justice League. Marvel has been a box office dominator with it’s stand alone and ensemble films; Warner Bros. Pictures needed something to give them a boost. Wonder Woman definitely does that. With a slow build-up and an action-packed payoff, Diana is the DC character we’ve been waiting for. Directed by Patty Jenkins, who brought us Monster, Wonder Woman gives us a glimpse into a hero origin story that has never seen the silver screen. It was definitely worth the wait.
A Trip Back to Themyscira
After present-day Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) receives a memento of her past, we are given a glimpse of how Wonder Woman came to be. Raised on the island of Themyscira, the home of the Amazons, she trained in the art of war to protect the people of the world from Ares, God of War. While initially not allowed to train, Diana spars with her aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright).
During on such session, an airplane carrying Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) arrives and crashes just beyond the island followed a legion of German soldiers. The world is in great peril, and Diana believes that it is all because of Ares’ master plan to destroy the humans. Against her mother, Queen Hippolyta’s wishes (Connie Nielson), Diana returns with Steve on a mission to hunt down Ares and stop the killing once and for all. However, there is more to Diana than meets the eye. What will she find when she joins the ‘modern’ world?
The Lasso of Truth and a Killer Theme
At first, Wonder Woman moved slowly. While it was necessary to build-up her story, once the action started, everything started moving very quickly. It was very interesting to see a story based out of the WWI era, and the visuals in this movie were fantastic. I think I have to see it a second time just to take in everything. There is so much attention to detail and nothing brings a character to life better than a decent story, a unique backdrop and a killer theme.
Diana is a wide-eyed idealist who faces a world she doesn’t know with the mindset that she can save it. The movie doesn’t shy away from the grim side of war, and it isn’t afraid to tackle some touchy themes. It has amazing action scenes, but the film doesn’t rely on them. While it is, first and foremost, a “super hero” movie, it speaks about so much more like the duality of mankind, and what truly makes it worth saving. In fact, the more I think about this movie, the more I like it.
