Just got back. WARNING: Fans of the DCEU who hate to see any "bashing" of it, please feel free to scroll on by. I'm not about to engage in any debates over it today. Anyway, onto my review:
Anyone who knows me knows that to say I've not been a fan of the DCEU thus far would be a massive understatement. Superman is my favorite fictional character on this Earth, and frankly, I absolutely loathe what they've done with him in this universe. But beyond that, I feel the films they've made just straight-up haven't worked from a technical, thematic and all-around narrative perspective, and their "darkness" and posturing that they seem to think make their films more "grown-up" actually make them seem, to me, more juvenile. Like a 14-year-old's attempt at being "mature." And I'll leave it at that, because don't want to get into a diatribe about all the things I can't stand about this interpretation of heroes and a universe I usually love.
The reason I felt the need to preface with all that is because I cannot stress enough how happy it makes me to finally see a movie that gives me everything I love about my favorite DC characters through the prism of one: Wonder Woman is a thoughtful, deeply heartfelt story that finally gave me a hero to root for - someone who, for all the tanks she can toss around, wields the true superpowers of inner-strength, boundless love, optimism, and the ability to inspire those traits in others. Someone who, after witnessing the absolute worst horrors of mankind and having her faith and optimism violently shaken, manages to rise above and still see the capacity for good. Someone who won't accept "no one stays good in this world" as an option.
Bless Patty Jenkins, for approaching the setting and themes of this story with actual maturity, exploring the simple truth that there are no simple truths. Not where humanity is concerned. And she did this by approaching it from a coming-of-age perspective, as it's something we all learn as we grow up, whether you're a kid from small town USA or a demigoddess from a forgotten world. I find it ironic how, between this and BvS, this story that featured ACTUAL gods and men, also featured a lot less long-winded pontificating about the nature of gods and men, and yet ultimately managed to say more about it.
I've seen Gal Gadot in 5 movies before this, and to be honest, I found her performances in them to range from unremarkable to bad, with the exception of BvS, where I'd say she was "fine." So nothing prepared me for how exceptional I found her to be in this film. Every moment, every expression written across her face was just...absolutely on-point. She embodied Diana 100%. I don't know if it's just that Patty is an exceptional director who brought out the best in her or that she was simply born for this role - probably a combination of both. But whatever it is, she was perfect, and is totally the Christopher Reeve of the DCEU now as far as I'm concerned.
Chris Pine and all the supporting players were also great, and I'm sad that due to the nature of the setting we'll probably never see any of them again.
I know I've seen a lot of complaints about all the slo-mo and CGI and normally I don't enjoy those things in my action sequences either but for some reason, they worked for me here. The showdown at the end definitely got a little overloaded with CGI for my tastes, but the slo-mo never got to be too much for me. Overall I found the action to be very well directed. Diana was a such a beast here! When she finally started kicking ass, I was immediately reminded of how I felt when Hulk started smashing in NYC in The Avengers. Just so gleefully exciting to watch.
Some spoilery thoughts:
-It was nice to see David Thewlis in a proper supervillain role. We didn't get as much of Ares as I would have liked, but I thought Thewlis did well in the part and I loved the aesthetic, how his armor was made from the debris of mankind's tools of war.
-One of my favorite moments in the film is when Diana's holding the tank over Dr. Poison, debating on whether to kill her. The look on Elena Anaya's face, and when the pieces of her mask blow off, we and Diana see this broken woman as if for the first time. The film has, up to that point, given us absolutely NO reason to feel sympathetic towards her at all, and whether or not she deserves it, Diana shows her mercy. We never see what she does with that mercy, but it nicely re-iterates the theme: that mankind is given choices, and it should ultimately be left up to them what they do with this life. Maybe the doctor will go on and do some good to attempt to atone for a her sins, and maybe she won't, but Diana gave her the gift of mercy and what she does with it is in her hands. I just loved that scene and the way it was shot so much.
-Steve dying was sad but kind of inevitable, but did we have to lose Antiope? That one hurt.
-It was a little too convenient that Steve arrived IMMEDIATELY after Diana first started discovering her power. Could've done with a little passage of time there.
-I didn't like the fact that Ares straight up told Diana SHE was the "god-killer." A.) It didn't make sense for him to want her to know that, and B.) it would have been cool to see her realize that for herself.
-I wish they would have found a way/reason for the audience to revisit Themyscira in the end, even if Diana didn't. As it is, it kinda does feel like its own separate piece that's disconnected from the rest of the movie.
While I agree with the criticisms that there are a few little clunky beats here and there, and the pacing in the 3rd act gets wonky, there's still not too much I would have added or changed there, so it didn't really bother me too much. But that and the things I listed in the spoilers are really my only complaints, and they are VERY minor complaints that didn't hamper my enjoyment of the film at all.
Overall, I absolutely loved this movie. More than I've loved a CBM from Marvel or DC for quite some time...probably since the 1st Avengers film. It MAY be my new favorite superhero origin film. I dunno, right now it's tied with the 1st Iron Man for that title, but we'll have to see after subsequent viewings. Of which there will be A LOT. I was polled by CinemaScore on the way out of the theater and was very happy to give this film an "A." On first viewing I'd probably rate it 9/10.
Excellent review, agree with pretty much everything. Even your overall thoughts on the DCEU, I too am a Supes man and I loathe what they've done to him, so for me this WW film was so refreshing and badly needed for me personally.
Just saw it and was really happy with the final product. Gadot is great, Pine is surprising, and it tells a great coming of age-fish out of water story. I'm also happy this movie is self-contained with almost no references to the other DCEU films, and doesn't do any sequel baiting.
One thing I do wish about WW is that they didn't have that green filter over many of the scenes outside of Themyscira.
You can see the difference in these gifs here between WW and Superman the movie:
I prefer the unfiltered look of Superman the movie. It just looks brighter and cleaner. Yes, WW was during WWI, but not all the scenes had to look so grim in London. I think it would've had a more classic look without the green.
I wasn't sure what to expect out of this, I've actually enjoyed all of the DCEU movies so far, but this is by far my favorite out of the bunch.
-Inspirational (Something I feel has been somewhat lacking in a lot of CBM's lately.)
-Acting (Chemistry between Gal/Pine is amazing. They really sell you on their relationship.)
-Story
-Action (I had some chills during the "No Man's Land" scene!)
Only nit picks is some of the CGI was a little off, but really, not that bad. It never took me out of the film. And the villains weren't the best, but like I said, nit picks.
The second act is what elevated the movie. From reaching London to the village being gassed was the best part of the movie. The first act felt too rushed and cluttered, and don't even get me started on the climax. Yikes.
Almost reminded me of Suicide Squad/BvS. Ares was laughable. CGI was also poorly integrated in the film.
But that second act was excellent. The well-done fish-put-of-water story, the chemistry between Steve and Diana, with the team, the bleak nature of the war, the battle and action, the scene with the villagers, and so on...that was all great.
Wonderful film. It left me in an emotional wreck by the end. I cried, I laughed and overall I enjoyed it immensely. There are problems with CGI and some undercooked villains but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Really want to see it again.
Excellent review, agree with pretty much everything. Even your overall thoughts on the DCEU, I too am a Supes man and I loathe what they've done to him, so for me this WW film was so refreshing and badly needed for me personally.
First off, I must say that the first four or so minutes of my movie-going experience with this film were downright atrocious and I was tempted to ask for my money back because I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Which was nothing, because the projector wasn't on and the packed audience missed two trailers.
As for the movie itself, it was fantastic. Packed theater when I saw it, too. Lots of families and particularly groups of women or parents with their daughters, which was a far cry from the mostly adult crowds I saw during Logan. If anything comes from this film, it's that there are gonna be a lot of little girls who, in addition to the females we've gotten from Marvel Studios and the X-Men films, have a film with a leading lady in Wonder Woman. A film that's well-regarded, anyway.
This was solid. Nicely done origin and introduction to Themyscira. I like that we spend a lot of time there. And unlike Asgard on the first Thor, Themyscira looks very lived in. But like the first Thor, we don't spend a TON of time there and I wish we had, but we get enough to get the way of life and Diana's aspiration to be more than what she was.
In another director's hands, when Diana enters the real world, she could've easily been done as looking down upon mankind compared to her home or doing counter to Steve because he's a man, but from his efforts and admission on Themyscira, she sees first hand what kind of person she is. And to another point, despite Diana having no experience with the outside world, the film does a good job to establish that, while naive about a few things, she's at least well-read, knowledgeable, and can put the pieces together while still assembling the big picture.
I imagine any hesitancy people had towards Gal Gadot in a leading role are put to rest because not only is she charming and charismatic, but has a great commanding presence as well, particularly during the battle scenes. And she's got great chemistry with Chris Pine, who I'm glad sees ahead of time what Diana is capable and doesn't talk down to or hold her back because she's a woman, but because, again, she doesn't get the full picture of what's going on- at least, not completely. And neither one of them is dumbed down for the sake of lifting up the either, which easily could've happened.
It really is a well-done and put-together film, and I'm curious what Jenkins will do with a sequel. Now that Diana is established...well, her origin is since we saw her in Dawn of Justice, I'd like to see what's done in a second film. Since it's in modern times, I would like to see it go the Winter Soldier route and be more than just a superhero flick with a hero out of time.
And while I enjoyed Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice and the like, I imagine Wonder Woman will probably be more appealing to the masses. And a lot of the humor here worked quite well. At the same time, I like that the movie didn't dwell on Diana being in a different world. There's no long montage of Steve or Etta showing her different things. We get what we need to know and Diana's understanding of the world develops as the film progresses.
To that point, I don't know if this happened for anyone else, but there were a couple of moments and lines that got either applause or a huge reaction from the audience. I suppose I'll put them in tags:
Diana's line that men are necessary for procreation, but not pleasure
The first time "Is She With You" kicks in
Diana picking up and chucking that tank got a big cheer from the crowd..this film is really gonna play well with female audiences for sure
Diana telling Steve that she's the man for the job
Robin Wright's three-arrow trick.
Diana jumping into and pretty much leveling that tower to get at the sniper
Aside from the similarities to Superman: the Movie, Thor, and Captain America, I also got a bit of a Batman Begins vibe in that you've got one villain working for or under the influence of the greater threat and, aside from one moment, the two never share screen time.
But yeah, all in all, a very solid film and one that definitely plays well in a crowd setting. I don't know if I'd see it a second time, not because I don't want to, but just being conservative with my spending and there are other films coming out this summer that I want to see as well, like War of the Planet of the Apes, so need to spend wisely. On a scale of one to 10, I'd probably give it a 9.
NOW to finally go and watch those bloody trailers I've been avoiding!
I think this was the most Disney - ish of the DCEU movies. There were echoes of the Little Mermaid, Pocahontas and Frozen. And Diana is like a Disney princess. I wouldn't have minded more typical Disney elements though
I think this was the most Disney - ish of the DCEU movies. There were echoes of the Little Mermaid, Pocahontas and Frozen. And Diana is like a Disney princess. I wouldn't have minded more typical Disney elements though
Got to see this Fri. at 11:20am in Brooklyn. Thoughts and spoilers follow:
The word that comes to mind is solid and well crafted. They put a spin on the origin that despite missing some specifics like the contest still encapsulated the character as I know her. Much as with the Thor film the film had to pass a threshold of believable-ness. Were you as a viewer going to bu any of this? There it succeeds, and despite being PG-13 still managed a certain amount of gravitas when the story called for it. I mean it took place in WWI,
not exactly a laugh riot so a certain amount of seriousness was expected.
I am actually surprised at how LITTLE leavening humor was in this. While there's more than enough good natured aping of the Donner Sueprman film given the online reception of BvS I was surprised at the level of earnestness the movie gets away with, which get to two elements I was hoping for which I think they integrated well into the movie. One was that Diana herself as a character gets her own world view and attitude challenged. Second was that the essential nature of the Hippolyta/Diana relationship was well shown.
If I had to give the film some demerits I think I would have toned sown the villains a bit, at least the German ones. They sometimes slipped into camp territory. I also think that Diana's crew while cool supporting characters was light on other females. Etta was fine but was not in the thick of the action.
It might have behooved the story to have Diana interact with more women in the story upon leaving the island. I also think, and this is not a knock on Jenkins, but I would have liked some more kinetic action scenes. I wanted to get more of a sense of the way WW was presented in BvS. Granted taht waw a WW with more experience and control over her power.
I also think it's interesting that in the first WW film they would dispatch with the Greek pantheon so willy nilly. Seems a waste but it is only a first film.
Over all as stated, solid and well crafted is my final score, and that goes for Gadot in the role as well. Now, as a whole it was all well done, I do feel there needed to be just a smidge more high energy scenes and there was a lack of a certain flamboyance to the proceedings but as a franchise starting first film it all worked well. I won't say it sets any bars or changes the game,
but it executes it's story well and the characters and writing and action deliver.
My wife's mad at me because when asked what I thought I told her it was a good film, but not great like she felt it was. I'm not usually on this side of these discussions. Heck, I own Green Lantern! But the score disappointed me, the similarities to CA:TFA were distracting and the final showdown was a bad CGI fest. That said, Chris Pine and Gal Gadot made the film. The walk into No Man's Land is the heroic moment missing from the previous films. And the lead's chemistry was fantastic. I'm at a 7 or 7.5 where my wife would likely say a 9.
A very, very good film. Definitely would give 3/4 stars, which would fall in line with the average rating on RT. I liked it a lot. I wouldn't say it's one of the best ever, but Top 15 easily.
Like most people my age, my first intro to Wonder Woman came from the DCAU - I absolutely loved the episode where Diana and the JL go save Hippolyta from Hades. I was always fascinated by the warrior culture of the Amazons, and naturally I just got chills (and tears from so much awesomeness) from seeing how Patty brought Themyscira to life in such a breathtaking manner. I'm not a comic reader of WW, so I can't really judge what longtime fans of Wonder Woman think of Patty's depiction of Themyscira and the Amazons, but from a casual perspective, it was breathtaking. Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright were so good, and I wish we got more of them.
The first act was really the best part of the entire film to me, but the second act in No Man's Land was also great (though the CGI looked a bit wonky) and Patty just does a fantastic job of imbuing Diana and this film with boundless compassion, hope and romance. We needed someone to channel Richard Donner more than ever, and Patty Jenkins is clearly the woman for the job.
Chris Pine proves that he is the mightiest of the Chris' with his incredibly chemistry with Gal. (Thanks to the DCAU I always preferred Steve Trevor/Diana to Steve Rogers/Peggy). We finally have a relationship and [BLACKOUT]sacrifice[/BLACKOUT] that matters in the DCEU. I was skeptical when I heard Patty had cast Chris Pine (it seemed very stunt-casting ish at the time. Kirk as Steve Trevor? What?) but I was a fool to doubt Patty. These two are as charming as they come.
The negatives, most people already mentioned. Some very clunky dialogue, but the sincerity of the film overwhelms all of these flaws. It's mathematically impossible for things to suck forever, and it is only fitting that Diana saves the world and the DCEU.
Got to see this Fri. at 11:20am in Brooklyn. Thoughts and spoilers follow:
The word that comes to mind is solid and well crafted. They put a spin on the origin that despite missing some specifics like the contest still encapsulated the character as I know her. Much as with the Thor film the film had to pass a threshold of believable-ness. Were you as a viewer going to bu any of this? There it succeeds, and despite being PG-13 still managed a certain amount of gravitas when the story called for it. I mean it took place in WWI,
not exactly a laugh riot so a certain amount of seriousness was expected.
I am actually surprised at how LITTLE leavening humor was in this. While there's more than enough good natured aping of the Donner Sueprman film given the online reception of BvS I was surprised at the level of earnestness the movie gets away with, which get to two elements I was hoping for which I think they integrated well into the movie. One was that Diana herself as a character gets her own world view and attitude challenged. Second was that the essential nature of the Hippolyta/Diana relationship was well shown.
If I had to give the film some demerits I think I would have toned sown the villains a bit, at least the German ones. They sometimes slipped into camp territory. I also think that Diana's crew while cool supporting characters was light on other females. Etta was fine but was not in the thick of the action.
It might have behooved the story to have Diana interact with more women in the story upon leaving the island. I also think, and this is not a knock on Jenkins, but I would have liked some more kinetic action scenes. I wanted to get more of a sense of the way WW was presented in BvS. Granted taht waw a WW with more experience and control over her power.
I also think it's interesting that in the first WW film they would dispatch with the Greek pantheon so willy nilly. Seems a waste but it is only a first film. Over all as stated, solid and well crafted is my final score, and that goes for Gadot in the role as well. Now, as a whole it was all well done, I do feel there needed to be just a smidge more high energy scenes and there was a lack of a certain flamboyance to the proceedings but as a franchise starting first film it all worked well. I won't say it sets any bars or changes the game,
but it executes it's story well and the characters and writing and action deliver.
That Diana spends most of the movie with male characters. It felt a little like the filmmakers were overcompensating with the all male band because they had a female lead, to not exclude the male audience. I found that crew likeable but I would like WW to interact more with other female characters. It is something that can be explored and improved upon in sequels.
Same with the technicality of the action scenes. Patty is obviously not as slick with all that like Snyder, but will certainly get better with that in sequels. Plus WB will give her more of a budget given this movie's success.
I was surprised to see all the old gods gone. But, like in New 52, they can come back? In some way? Right?
That Diana spend most of the movie with mostly male characters. It felt a little like the filmmakers were overcompensating a bit with all male band because of a female lead, to not exclude the male audience. I found that crew likeable but I would like WW to interact more with other female characters. It is something that can be explored and improved upon in sequels.
Same with the technicality of the action scenes. Patty is obviously not as slick with all that like Snyder, but will certainly get better with that in sequels. Plus WB will give her more of a budget given this movie's success.
I was surprised to see all the old gods gone. But, like in New 52, they can come back? In some way? Right?
I agree. This is why I wanted more of Themyscira than the little we got. We could have gotten more look at their culture and way of life besides the training and history lesson. I do hope that the sequel will surround her with another strong cast of women. I don't know if Patty plans on revisiting Themyscira in the sequel but I'd really miss them if she doesn't.
Also just saw this and really liked it. 8/10 for me at least, and I definitely want to see it again too. I paid extra for the 3D and while it wasn't entirely worth it (there weren't THAT many scenes that noticeably delivered the 3D effect), there were a few standout shots like the triple arrows, which made me flinch.
I also grew up on the DCAU Wonder Woman from JL/JLU and view that universe as the gold standard for all things DC-related. And in that respect, this movie captured a lot of the spirit of the episode "The Savage Time" which featured WW when she met Steve Trevor back in WW2, which was awesome, and the plot with the German general felt a bit similar to the JLU episode "Hawk and Dove".
The only thing that particularly disappointed me was the portrayal of Ares, and I wish a different actor had been cast in that role, as the actor's voice didn't really do it for me (although I did geek out a bit when he called Diana a "child"). Definitely would've preferred someone like either Sean Bean or Oded Fehr in that role who have a voice that's perfect for Ares. But other than that quibble, I did enjoy the visage of Ares in his full armor—which I never thought I would see in a live-action movie!
And Gal Gadot was just plain perfect. Believed in her ever since she was first cast and she totally delivered everything I wanted in WW. The very first shot of her in the movie made me gasp at how beautiful she was, I think a little drool may have come out. She was simply born for this role and naturally embodied everything that she needed to, from the personality and character to the voice to the physical attributes and cut a stature that was downright imposing thanks to her height.
The only thing that particularly worries me now is that WW is in the DCEU which I haven't been a fan of so far from BvS and SS. If Superman was actually the character that he should be then I'd be excited, but unfortunately Snyder took everything I love about DC into something I don't, which is just frustrating. I always say that the folks in WB's Animation department need to have some creative input into the live-action stuff and WB needs that now more than ever!
I know it's just a pipe dream, but for me the ideal DCEU would've still had Bale's Batman with Cavill's Superman (properly characterized) alongside Gadot's WW. And like a lot of others, I too was impressed with Pine as Trevor but would've preferred seeing him as Hal Jordan. But at this point I guess they could go with the John Stewart GL, in which case I'm drawing a blank as far as casting. But if they ever need a live-action Green Arrow for the DCEU, IMO Ryan Gosling would be a great choice and he hasn't been in a CBM yet either....
A very, very good film. Definitely would give 3/4 stars, which would fall in line with the average rating on RT. I liked it a lot. I wouldn't say it's one of the best ever, but Top 15 easily.
Like most people my age, my first intro to Wonder Woman came from the DCAU - I absolutely loved the episode where Diana and the JL go save Hippolyta from Hades. I was always fascinated by the warrior culture of the Amazons, and naturally I just got chills (and tears from so much awesomeness) from seeing how Patty brought Themyscira to life in such a breathtaking manner. I'm not a comic reader of WW, so I can't really judge what longtime fans of Wonder Woman think of Patty's depiction of Themyscira and the Amazons, but from a casual perspective, it was breathtaking. Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright were so good, and I wish we got more of them.
The first act was really the best part of the entire film to me, but the second act in No Man's Land was also great (though the CGI looked a bit wonky) and Patty just does a fantastic job of imbuing Diana and this film with boundless compassion, hope and romance. We needed someone to channel Richard Donner more than ever, and Patty Jenkins is clearly the woman for the job.
Chris Pine proves that he is the mightiest of the Chris' with his incredibly chemistry with Gal. (Thanks to the DCAU I always preferred Steve Trevor/Diana to Steve Rogers/Peggy). We finally have a relationship and [BLACKOUT]sacrifice[/BLACKOUT] that matters in the DCEU. I was skeptical when I heard Patty had cast Chris Pine (it seemed very stunt-casting ish at the time. Kirk as Steve Trevor? What?) but I was a fool to doubt Patty. These two are as charming as they come.
The negatives, most people already mentioned. Some very clunky dialogue, but the sincerity of the film overwhelms all of these flaws. It's mathematically impossible for things to suck forever, and it is only fitting that Diana saves the world and the DCEU.
I agree. This is why I wanted more of Themyscira than the little we got. We could have gotten more look at their culture and way of life besides the training and history lesson. I do hope that the sequel will surround her with another strong cast of women. I don't know if Patty plans on revisiting Themyscira in the sequel but I'd really miss them if she doesn't.
As a WW fan, I thought Themyscira in the movie was a good intro to that world and it was a thrill to see onscreen. But fans who know Themyscira through the comics also know the intricacies and details of that society and that was only touched upon the film. There wasn't a lot of time given to the relationships, the individual characters, on the island. But I'm sure a sequel will expand on that.
when she reacts to the gassing of the village and is angry at Steve. WW is given a chance to show great emotion in scenes like this. Great acting and characterisation.
Really really enjoyed and will think on it some more. Wasn't sold on Gadot casting but she delivered. Major comeback for the DCU. This is something to build on.
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And in that respect, this movie captured a lot of the spirit of the episode "The Savage Time" which featured WW when she met Steve Trevor back in WW2, which was awesome, and the plot with the German general felt a bit similar to the JLU episode "Hawk and Dove".
She was simply born for this role and naturally embodied everything that she needed to, from the personality and character to the voice to the physical attributes and cut a stature that was downright imposing thanks to her height.
