Wonder Woman
Just returned from watching the new DC superhero film Wonder Woman (2017) featuring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. In my opinion it may be the best DC film since Superman (1978) with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.
I’m going to ignore all the Batman films over the years as none have really been acceptable to me as a true representation of the character. Too many lead actors with different impressions, too many silly villains to count, and just plain too many of them offering weak stories buoyed by too many unnecessary explosive set pieces at the end.
But Gal Gadot knocked it out of the park as Wonder Woman, a woman experiencing the truths of the real world for the first time. She lived one life in the benign sanctuary of her island home but that is shattered when the outside world interrupts with WW1, The War to End All Wars. Once that occurs, she takes charge of herself and seeks to aid those on the outside who need help. Her naivety is used well early on as she learns more about this warring world and by the end of the film she comes full circle and finds her purpose.
Chris Pine also impressed me, foregoing the Captain Kirk vibe for something more realistic and natural, showing just enough confusion and compassion to make Steve Trevor feel realistic. I had a lot of concerns when I watched the trailers but in the film’s context he came off much better than I expected.
Also, for the first time in a long time, this DC super-heroine had a great color palette on screen, not the dreary and dark, undersaturated colors found in most of the DC films over the last 10 years. A nice change of pace and one that made this a standout film. The screenplay by Allan Heinberg achieved its goal in giving us a strong story that made us really believe in and cheer for the character. Director Patty Jenkins did a great job overall as well. Maybe a little less special effects at the end but lets face it, you can’t have a summer blockbuster without a lot of explosions and gratuitous violence.
This is a film to watch for now. If the upcoming Justice League film has some of the same flavor, it too might show that DC finally understands both its characters and what the audience wants to see.
