Wonder Woman

Before we get this review started we should talk about a few things. First and foremost, I love Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Her onscreen presence commands your attention and her character flows with the term ‘I’m a badass” at all times. She’s a wonderful icon for young women who are looking for a strong female super hero to enjoy in a sea of male dominated super heroes. Gadot’s WW is genuine, strong, tough and unmoving for anyone, unless she decides to move. I can’t say enough about her portrayal and delivery of such an iconic comic figure. She’s everything I would expect out of the iconic character.

On the same token, Patty Jenkins helming this picture provides me with a huge sigh of relief that Hollywood isn’t keeping female directors down in the indie film circuit. She is a beacon of hope that somewhere down the road we won’t have to question why there aren’t more female directors leading blockbuster movies. Her vision and scope of Wonder Woman’s world in the DCEU is detailed, precise in execution and a perfect fit for what one hopes to be is a universe that sticks around for some time. She is a talent and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us in Wonder Woman 2. I think she’s going to be the leader that brings the DCEU up to the same level of quality as Marvel currently sits at in the movie world.

That being said, Wonder Woman, while certainly a crown jewel in the DCEU that desperately needs some sparkle to it, was far from a perfect film. It had some issues in storytelling, pacing, character development and overall delivery of a competent and cohesive story. No doubt there were moments of awe in the film, such as the No Man’s Land scene, where Wonder Woman defies an order from Steve Trevor and leads broken troops across enemy lines, showing not only that she is a force to be reckoned with, but also that women are just as good as men, if not better. While moments like this are magnified and celebrated, as they should be because they’re beautiful, as a reviewer it is our duty to look at the complete package as a whole. It’s easy to pick great moments and enjoy them, but each moment has to be bridged with the story and make perfect sense for being where it is. There has to be a journey to that moment, somehow getting to that special scene in a smooth manner that follows and flows with the story. Simply put, Wonder Woman has so many moments that don’t really fit.

Now, as much as this was Patty Jenkins’ film by the end of the production, and I know you’re thinking that I praised her and then broke her artwork down (not the case), the story had a lot of Zack Snyder in it. That’s not surprising considering he and Allan Heinberg put the original story together before Jenkins was brought onboard to helm it. You can see Snyder’s vision in the finished piece, if not just a haunted vision of what he was trying to make out of it before Jenkins arrived. Snyder always created beautiful moments in movies (see Batman v. Superman for details), but always had a tough time with putting a competent and cohesive story together when it wasn’t laid out there for him to begin with (see 300 and Watchmen for details). When I watched this film I could see his handprint all over it. He makes damn good moments, folks, but, again, generally not good original stories.

Let me pull back a bit before we move forward with the actual breakdown of the film. I fully understand the finished product is Patty Jenkins’ movie by name. She did a fantastic job with what she had to work with and that’s why I’m excited that she is writing/helming the next WW film. She is going to start with a clean slate and work with Geoff Johns, I’m assuming, to put together the next step for Gal Gadot’s wonderful super hero. She knows how to make characters, does a great job with story and has never disappointed with film that is completely hers. I commend her for doing her best with this product and, again, I’m hopeful she is going to excel in the sequel.

That said, let’s talk about Wonder Woman.

Official Synopsis
Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior.  Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.

The first act of Wonder Woman starts well. We get to see Diana grow up on Paradise Island (Themyscira) as a kid. We get a good sense of her strong character, hard-headed desire to fulfill an unrevealed destiny, as well as her emotional connection to want to help the world out in some way. Act one takes its time showing all of this, then the story quickly progresses showing her springing from a young child to a budding young adult. During the journey, we’re introduced to the main villain, Ares, through backstory led by Diana’s mother and we’re also taken through training and preparation of Diana to help convert her into the warrior she’ll be by the end of act one. Towards the end of the first act, Steve Trevor crashes his plane into Paradise Island’s ocean/beach. Following him to the destination are German soldiers, who are hellbent on retrieving a notebook he stole from a German military base. The first act wraps with a giant fight on the beach between the Amazons and Germans, and then officially ends with the capture of Trevor and him spilling the beans about his mission, which sets up the second act.

The first act did a great job of introducing everyone. You get a great sense of who Diana is and even a solid sense of what Steve Trevor wants in correlation to Diana’s destiny. There’s not a lot going on here, yet it’s brimming with good detail and solid setup for the overall story. I thoroughly enjoyed this act, but then things start to get shaky a bit.

The second act begins with Diana defying her mother and breaking away from Paradise Island to help Trevor stop World War I, which Diana is certain is being orchestrated by the God of War, Ares. Knowing that she is the only one who can stop Ares, her and Trevor shove off towards the heart of the war. Along the way, the duo stop in London, where they present evidence via the acquired notebook, which details an impending deadly show of force through poisonous gas concocted by rogue German soldiers, led by a mad scientist named Dr. Poison and General Erich Ludendorff, who don’t believe the war is lost. The brief hiccup of trying to find support Diana and Steve to move in to stop Poison and Ludendorff is brushed away by secret support from government leader Sir Patrick. With the means to push forward, Diana and Steve have to acquire help through old war buddies of Trevor. They pick up a sniper named Charlie and a man of all trades named Sameer. Once the group is formed, they head to the line to find Ares and hopefully stop the war. During the journey, they come across Allies stuck in the trenches, who are trying desperately to break free to help save a town. This is the moment where Diana takes charge, breaks free of her life as Diana and becomes Wonder Woman, someone who can make a difference in the war. Defeating the Germans and freeing the town is how act two wraps up.

This is where the film gets quite shaky. The journey and time spent in London during the second act is short and shallow. We don’t really get to know anyone and it doesn’t make sense that Trevor’s acquisition of proof of a nefarious plot to create a deadly gas to kill millions of lives is brushed away so gingerly in hopes of signing an peace treaty. Why was Trevor on a mission if it wasn’t going to make a difference or become a call to action to help stop rogue Germans? The reaction to this simply doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t fit within the context of the story. This might seem like a simplistic thing, but it’s not. It’s a hole in the story. Trevor basically risked his life for nothing, so who asked him to gain the book? Why was he asked? All of this is frustrating to think about.

Related, we never get a good backstory to our antagonist to provide them with character development and proper motivation. Dr. Poison or to General Erich Ludendorff just appear in the story with little backstory to develop them. We know that something terrible has happened to Poison because half her face is covered by a mask, but we never get an explanation of what that might be. Obviously, she has a messed up face, but how did it happen? What drives her? What did she lose so badly in the fire that caused her to turn into a twisted mastermind that is ready to kill millions? I’m sure people who read the comic know everything about her, but you’re not making a movie just for them. You’re making a movie for people who want to dive into the comic later, but prefer an explanation now. You’re trying to give them a reason, not keep them guessing. Ludendorff is the same way. How did he become a general? How does he have so much power? Why hasn’t someone stopped him or checked up on him to this point? There’s a lot of unanswered or unexplained backstory to our two villains that it’s tough to give a crap about them, explain their motivation or build them up into unstoppable forces. Nothing is there to hold any of their characters up on pedestals. They are one-dimensional beings in the scheme of things.

In addition to lack of backstory for important characters, the secondary characters are treated the same way. Sameer and Charlie have no purpose. They are comedy relief mostly, but we know nothing about their past or their capabilities. Why would Trevor choose them for such a high priority mission? How are they qualified? There’s really nothing there to give reason for them tagging along. For example, why is Charlie freaking out in the middle of the night in one of the scenes? What horrible shit has that guy seen to make him jumpy? Or better yet, why can’t he fire a gun? Why did Trevor bring him along if he can’t actually snipe people? On the same token, Sameer is good at languages and he is funny, but who the hell is he? Did he work in the war with Trevor? Was he a smuggler? Con-man? No one knows because there is absolutely no depth to these characters. Zero development in the movie and you don’t want that to happen when you’re trying to connect the characters to the story.

Finally, when the second act ends with the No Man’s Land scene and the freeing of the town, both scenes work as a contradiction to each other. Diana clearly defies Trevor’s orders to stay in the trench during the NML scene and basically says, silently, to f*** off and takes it upon herself to save lives that are in peril. Something Trevor is incredibly cautious about doing. Character building? God, yes. It’s THE moment where she becomes Wonder Woman and defines who she wants to be for the rest of her life. She also makes it clear that no man will be in charge of who she is or what she does in life. It’s a triumphant and amazing moment that serves as a beacon for who Wonder Woman is and what she means, or could mean, to the audience. It’s breathtaking.

That said, 10 minutes later, when the town is free after all the action, Diana becomes charmed by Steve Trevor during the town’s celebration of being liberated. She becomes so charmed with Trevor that she ends up sleeping with him. It’s a contradiction of her character. Early in the day she was being told what to do by him, and she told him where to go through her actions, then later in the day she is okay with him? Honestly, freeing a town shouldn’t mean freeing the values you JUST set. Again, it’s a contradiction of character and of the two scenes. It’s weird. It was as if the writer was so focused on the NML moment, that they forgot about the connection with the next scene. I get that and I can see how it can happen, but it’s a story and character oversight.

Okay, let’s jump to the final act.

As act three begins the film starts to find itself somewhat lost. Diana, Trevor and crew find themselves at a party, where Ludendorff and Poison are celebrating the successful creation of poison gas and eventual plans of destroying Allied forces and ruling the world. Definitely something to celebrate. Diana gets close to the duo, but ends up watching as the evil forces fire gas rockets onto the town that was just saved, thus killing everyone. Diana, broken by the destruction of man and tired of not doing anything (??), plans an attack on Ludendorff and Poison’s airbase, with or without Trevor’s help (spoiler alert — he helps), as well as the individuals who brought death to the world. Diana truly believes that Ludendorff is Ares and wants to do everything in her power to stop him. Diana and crew make it to the airbase and a giant all out war erupts. Diana finally gets what she wants by finding Ares, but not all is what it seems.

I’ll stop there for those who haven’t seen the movie.

The third act is epic and disappointing all at the same time. Characters we barely know try to matter in the final battle, which is a tough sell because we don’t know them enough to care about their welfare. A major character is lost during the fight, but it seems incredibly unnecessary for the tragedy to happen. The big reveal of Ares is a little shocking, but at the same time handled a bit clumsily. Attaching an actor’s face to a fake body is one thing, but when it doesn’t match that body it’s tough to take seriously. There’s a lot of pieces that don’t fit together by the end of the third act, and while certainly epic and endearing in drive, the substance of the story is severely lacking and lost. Again, I don’t want to say too much in fear of giving things away, so I’ll stop here.

Overall, compared to Suicide Squad and Batman v. Superman, Wonder Woman is definitely the better of the three. It at least tries to maintain focus with setting up a backdrop for Diana and future Wonder Woman stories, as well as staying true to the character most people absolutely adore. Regretfully, especially for Patty Jenkins, Zack Snyder’s story is still there and embedded. Snyder’s repeating variable of moment over cohesive story is quite clearly intact and has survived in the script. It creates some gorgeous moments, but just glosses over substantial details that create a solid story.

Having said that, Jenkins did a good job with what she had, as did Gal Gadot. They both put their heart and souls into making this movie the best it can be and it shows from beginning to end. I have high hopes the next Wonder Woman will certainly be one of the most memorable in the DCEU and I look forward to praising the hell out of it when it arrives. I have a lot of faith it’s going to be one of the best in the DC film universe.

(Features reviewed by Alexus Morrison)
I actually enjoyed the featurettes of the film. The featurettes began with a bonus scene from the movie and was actually pretty comical. The scene even had current popular culture references. Ewen Bremner’s character, Charlie, made musical references to a few songs like Jay-Z’s 99 problems which I found pretty entertaining. There are 16 featurettes and is up to about two hours of footage. Each feature was different and included an exclusive look behind the scenes of Wonder Woman, deleted scenes and a lengthy feature about finding the wonder within oneself. The features include insight from the director, Patty Jenkins, and many of the cast and crew members that helped put the film together. The features range from two to as long as 23 minutes. I loved seeing the details of how the movie was made that I never even considered could be possible. There were a lot of views of the green screen for the set which gives the movie it’s CGI effect. There were also multiple close-ups of actions shots of the characters and how pyrotechnics were accomplished. There were many other behind the scenes clips for costumes, building the set, and cast interviews. The features also included a view of where many of the shots were filmed in England. I really liked how Patty Jenkins wanted everything to look as authentic as possible even if that meant shooting in very cold weather. My favorite technique they used was blue smoke to make the battle grounds look gray by using computer alterations. It was very creative and something that would not be caught by the audience’s eye which was pretty cool.

The “Warriors of Wonder Woman” featurette was incredible. I really enjoyed seeing the real women that portray the Amazon women actually work hard and train for their role. I did not think they had to do so much physical training to uphold their character’s position in the film. I was really amazed to learn most, if not all the women were boxers, cross-fit participants, or weightlifters. They exemplified a great example of how “women can do anything” and are capable of being fit, an actor, and an Amazon woman.

My favorite feature was “A Photograph Through Time”. The clip showed how the antique photo of Diana and her team at the end of the movie was actually used using an old-time camera. The camera came from about the early 20th century. Patty Jenkins wanted the photo to look as genuine and antique as possible and with that specific camera, it was accomplished. This was so cool to see and learn how the photo was taken. I, and possibly many others, thought the picture was just camera magic. I thought the editors of the film edited it as much as possible to get that old-fashioned effect. This particular clip made me realize how much “magic” is put into a movie and how a director will go to the ultimate extent to make their movie as extravagant as
possible.

Although the movie did not catch my attention as much, these featurettes made me appreciate the amount of work that went into the movie. The multiple mentions of feminism, especially in regards to the Amazon women, was such a refreshing thing to see in a huge film. They showed a group of young women aspiring to be filmmakers around the set and gave them advice of how to continue accomplishing their goals and reaching their dreams. The “Finding the Wonder Woman Within” feature is also beneficial for young women. The clip included real women in high positions speaking about what makes someone great and how they are great. They can take the advice from these clips to motivate them to accomplish their dreams.

These featurettes are for all ages and comic fans everywhere. The “Trinity” featurette was very beneficial for those who are not familiar with Wonder Woman’s affiliation with the other superheroes and how she fits in. This was important to watch because the featurette constantly make references to the Batman versus Superman film that came out before Wonder Woman. It displayed multiple photos and screenshots from actual Wonder Woman comic books and gave background information about her heroic role and the ways she helped citizens in different ways through the decades.

I recommend these featurettes to those who are curious about what goes on behind the scenes while filming such a huge movie. There are so many exciting untold facts that one would never know unless they purchase the DVD. These bonus clips are appropriate for all ages and especially great for fans interested in movie magic and interested in filmmaking. I would have probably enjoyed watching this before watching the actual movie but I did not have that luxury unfortunately. Many great moments and footage and answered a lot of questions.