A shining hope for DC

Review of Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman"

Overall, “Wonder Woman” is a female-centered superhero movie that was created under the perspective of a woman, which makes the film feel so much more genuine and honest. It is a tale of hope, sacrifice, love, and bravery; a film that questions our reality and empowers.

Directed by Patty Jenkins, from a script by Allan Heinberg, the film begins with a short prologue from the present and cuts to a flashback of Diana’s (Gal Gadot) life, where 95% of the film takes place. In the Mediterranean-like island of Themyscira , the Amazons have lived for centuries in isolation. However, a German plane crashes in the outskirts of the island, bringing in an injured American pilot named Steve Trevors (Chris Pine). Steve tells the Amazons of nightmares beyond their realm. At this point, Diana believes that Ares, the god of war, has come back to haunt humanity. She goes along with Steve in order to stop the war, World War I, and kill Ares. Upon their adventure together, Steve recruits three men to aid them in their mission: Sameer (Said Taghmaoui), a confidence artist, Charlie (Ewen Bremner), a Scottish marksman who is haunted by his past, and The Chief (Eugene Brave Rock), a Native American who profits from the war.

Gal Gadot gives a revitalizing performance as Diana, by showing us a mix of curiosity, determination and bravery throughout the film. Chris Pine, on the other hand, shows an amazing portrayal of a “dude-in-distress” but at the same time, shines amazingly in the dramatic parts of the film. Villains, on the other hand, weren’t given adequate attention. Sameer, Charlie and The Chief were the ones that I wished had more parts in the film, who were all remarkable despite their limited onscreen presence.

“Wonder Woman” being directed by a woman is definitely refreshing and sort of a catalyst in the male-centric world of superhero movies. Patty Jenkins was able to slyly inject feminism throughout the movie. This is a film that did not feature closeups of breasts and buttocks nor lingering shots of women’s curvatures. What the film presented instead were Amazon women filled with fury, adrenaline, and excitement. The slow motions used in the fight scenes were able to show the gracefulness of the heroes.

The only thing that was sort of messed up was the not-so-aesthetic CGI in some parts. These somehow broke my immersion in the movie. However, the CGI-produced Themyscira is definitely an amazing work of art that somehow looks Grecian but not quite.

* PLM Film Society thanks TOSS Travel and Tours for the Wonder Woman benefit screening.