A DC Wonder...!!!!

COLINS FILM CLUB REVIEW – Cinema

WONDER WOMAN

The DC legacy of films has been a rather hit and miss affair. Whilst they have not been short of spectacle and interesting characters, they have been rather soulless things compared to their Marvel rivals and have lacked depth where needed, or even sometimes completely re-written accepted DC comic lore. Now the latest offering from the DC stable is among us – Wonder Woman, seen briefly in the dire Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gal Gadot`s Amazon Warrior was one of the best moments of that film, so its fitting that the Warner Studios and DC have let her have a standalone film.

We start off with Gadot`s Diana Prince in Paris receiving a package from Wayne Enterprises containing a picture taken during World War 1, the link with which is established later on because before that we are whisked away to the hidden island of the Amazons and a young Diana growing up and eventually being trained into the ultimate warrior in an inevitable origin story to give her the required background for those who didnt already know. Things progress further with the arrival of Chris Pine`s Captain Steve Trevor, who`s plane crashes through the barrier protecting the hidden island as he runs from the Germans, and who Diana saves from drowning, only for the Germans to also break through as well. The ensuing battle on the beach is an uneven match of bows and arrows versus bullets, but the Amazons are eventually victorious but at a cost. From this point onwards Diana pledges to save the World and Mankind from the clutches of the God of War, Ares – whom she has been taught from childhood is responsible for manipulating men, turning them evil and causing war and death. Along Steve, she embarks on a journey to the Western Front to seek out Ares and to kill him, hoping to end the Great War once and for all.

After what was really just a cameo in Dawn of Justice, Gadot blossoms here as Diana. Here we feel her passion and beliefs as she is tested as not in training as a warrior but also in her ideas as they are brought into question, especially later on when she finally meets Ares. But there is also a sweet nativity in her as the scenes in London show, the typical person out of their comfort zone as she has to come to terms with 20th century fashion and the dominance of Men in the culture, which must seem daunting to somebody raised on an island of only woman. As much as these scenes are a joy to watch, its when Diana don`s the full mantle of Wonder Woman (although she is never referred to as this in the film) and takes on the German army almost single handed – the part where she climbs out of a trench on the front and walks towards No Mans Land is a stand out moment in the film, she seems unstoppable, undaunted and focused single-mindedly on her task. Its a giddy moment that you cannot help but smile at. Chris Pine acquits himself admirably as American Spy Steve Trevor, and indeed his Kirkian charm works well with Gadot and there is great rapport between them, the chemistry may not have been a staple of the 70`s tv series, but it feels right here. On bad guy duties we have the reliable Danny Houston hamming it up as a maniacal German General hoping to extend the war with a new weapon, Mustard Gas, which has been developed by the comically named Doctor Poison, and David Thewlis as main threat Ares, who obviously has designs on keeping mankind constantly at war and restore his place on Olympus.

Director Patty Jenkins was taking a very bold move to set the film during the Great War, but it pays off dividends! The setting is key to Diana and her learning curve and as a horrific chapter in our history, the very idea that it had all been orchestrated by Ares gels well with the ethos of that God and his desire to show Zeus that man is flawed. Had Jenkins set the film in modern day then its impact would have been lessened I feel, and since we see so much of the Amazon homeland at the start that any attempt to place the whole story there would have impacted seriously on the narrative as there would have been no risk to the outside World.

Its not, however, a faultless film, there are a couple of parts where the pace drops and you long for it to pick up, and because Gadot is such a joy to watch in full-on Wonder Woman mode, when she isnt doing her thing on screen you do kind of miss it, the film is called Wonder Woman after all. The Germans too are a bit of a grey, non-discript bunch, with only Houston`s general getting enough scenery to chew, plus the whole Mustard Gas plot seems to slip into the sidelines a bit, especially towards the end once Ares shows up. But these are actually quite minor quibbles in a film which holds your attention throughout.

So after several faltering starts – Man of Steel was okay-ish, Dawn of Justice was over-long and ponderous and Suicide Squad was a total mess – we now have the fourth entry in the DC canon and we have to say that Wonder Woman is... rather good! Yes, thats right... the film is refreshing, the central figure is a female who is determined and strong and not afraid to get stuck in when its needed, this is no meek character in need of rescue all the time, Diana Prince is a figurehead and even the attempt to disguise her – Steve gives her some glasses in an obvious nod to Clark Kent – goes astray as these are later stepped on in a fight in a London alleyway.

I have to say I came away from watching Wonder Woman with a great sense of joy and feeling like I had just watched a decent blockbuster, well worth the money, and you cannot say better than that. Its not going to give you the same goofy grin feeling like a Star Wars film does, and its not trying to, its demo graph is aimed at an audience that already know the Wonder Women character, although it could be easily argued that even those who know nothing about her will enjoy it too. It has a cross gender appeal and a great story, its funny when required and has enough action to satisfy the ones who crave that. It is nothing short of marvellous entry in the DC stable and a great platform for Gal Gadot, who this time has been given a project and a character with which she can shine.

You will no doubt have gathered by now that this is a good film, definitely one to go and see and to enjoy at the cinema. Here at COLINS FILM CLUB we like to be surprised and to see something which makes a difference, and Wonder Woman does just that. Go and see it for yourself...

COLINS FILM CLUB RATING:

****