Wonder Woman -- a review

I’ve been waiting for a Wonder Woman movie all my life.

Now that may sound strange for me, a fifty-something year old man, to say about a female superhero. But Wonder Woman has been one of my favorite superheroes since when I was a kid back in the 1970s, when I first saw the Lynda Carter TV series. For me, and many in my generation, Lynda Carter *was* Wonder Woman, a force for light and all things good. I knew that when the inevitable Wonder Woman remake came, whoever took over for Carter would have some pretty big red boots to fill. I never had any idea that it would take so long before a new live action Wonder Woman arrived.

But return she did, in the more than capable form of Gal Godot, who both looked beautiful and tough at the same time. She first made her debut as the Amazonian Princess in Batman Vs. Superman, and very quickly became one of the best things about that movie, practically stealing it from her co-stars. But that wasn’t enough. This new Wonder Woman needed to soar in her own film, and the fact that her movie has been directed by a woman was the icing on the cake.

Patty Jenkins, who helmed Wonder Woman, made just one other movie in her career, Monster, which starred Charlize Theron in a role that won her a well-deserved Oscar. Thus Jenkins was the perfect choice to direct WW, and not just because she is a woman, but because she is a superb filmmaker. An example of this is how Gal Godot, a former member of the Israeli military, speaks with a rather pronounced accent (which makes her sound all the more sultry, IMHO), so Jenkins has all of the women of Themyscira, the island paradise that Diana grew up on, speak with the same accent--which, to me, is the mark of a great director, one who not only works with what she has, but who pays attention to the details.

Wonder Woman’s first solo adventure takes place during the First World War, when German soldiers come storming onto the beaches of Themyscira, looking for Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), an American pilot who was caught spying on a secret weapons factory that was being run by Dr. Maru (Elena Anaya), who is also known as Dr. Poison. Trevor was rescued by Diana when his plane crashed in the ocean. And while the Amazonian warriors, led by the mighty Antiope (Robin Wright), make swift work of the German troops in a spectacular battle scene, there are casualties, thanks to the new-fangled weapons--called guns--the invaders were armed with.

When Trevor speaks of the globe-spanning war that has left upwards of twenty five million people dead, Diana suspects this might be the return of Ares, the god of war, who was believed to have been vanquished eons ago. Bringing Trevor back to the world of men, Diana also seeks to hunt down Ares and bring a stop to his warmongering once and for all. Wonder Woman is an epic adventure through a fascinating and all-too-neglected era of history. Jenkins vividly brings to life the trench warfare that was infamous of WWI in a majestic and jaw-dropping scene where Wonder Woman decides to take a little stroll right through the dreaded “no man’s land”.

The action scenes are spectacular to watch, and I found myself just as fascinated by the more personal character elements. As I’ve stated before, Jenkins pays attention to all the details here, making for a tight, lean, exciting film that is gripping from the very first frame to the last. Make no mistake, Wonder Woman is not only the movie that I’ve been waiting for since I was little, but it’s in the same elite league as the 1978 Superman, and Nolan’s The Dark Knight as an exemplary film that stands above the rest in its genre. Wonder Woman is more than just a great superhero film, it's a great film, period. It’s fun, it’s wondrous, and it’s deeply satisfying. Don’t miss it. --SF