Superhero moviedom gets a good
dose of “Girl Power” in DC Extended Universe’s ‘Wonder Woman,’ director Patty
Jenkin’s highly anticipated and “trail-blazing” film featuring a superheroine
in a genre overrepresented by men (just ask yourself, how many such movies end
with the suffix “Man”?). Much
hand-wringing and no small amount of feminist drama, including a controversy
over WW’s shaved armpit (hairy armpit "controversy"), preceded the
movie’s release as Hollywood held its collective breath to see if the world is
finally ready to embrace and, more importantly, financially reward a movie with
a female headliner.
Having made more than $100
million over its first weekend in North America and twice that globally, we can
all now breathe a sigh of relief. Not
that there’s really any doubt, since WW was well-received and a
bright spot in 2016’s ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (reviewed here: Bats vs Supes: Dawn of Justice),
her very first appearance in the DCEU.
Israeli stunner "what a Gal!" Gadot was nothing less than gorgeous as the
Amazonian Goddess Diana Prince, the greatest warrior princess on an invisible island full
of Xenas. After British pilot and spy Steve
Trevor (Chris Pine) unwelcomely crash lands on her secluded island
paradise, she joins him and embarks on a mission outside her sheltered world to
stop Ares (as in the God of War) and put an end to man’s greatest folly, which
happens to be World War I at the time.
Relying on familiar storytelling tropes
such as the opening scene in which an old war photograph from Bruce Wayne
triggers her story via flashback, WW’s origin is a nostalgic affair reminiscent
of the story of another idealistic red, white and blue-clad do-gooder who
fought Germans during the last century in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger.’ Partly set in London during the early 20th Century, WW also provides some levity in the way of a British comedy of manners. And even though Zack Snyder stepped aside as director this time his influence is still evident, like the 300-esque visual style and jerky slow motion action scenes throughout the movie.
Grade: A
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