Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Wonder Woman


RATING: A-

The DC Extended Universe had a bit of a rough year in 2016. First, Batman vs Superman received mixed reception and disappointed many; then the dumpster fire that was Suicide Squad happened that no one but hardcore DC fans liked. At this point one would probably be skeptical of any future entries in the series, especially if they also disliked Man of Steel (which I actually really liked). 

Interestingly enough, Wonder Woman (aka Diana Prince) was actually one of the better things about Batman vs Superman (even if she wasn't in it a ton). So despite the mixed bag of a movie she was in, she gave us a pretty good intro to her character already. Now, we get an origin story for her--which takes place in World War I--which helps us learn even more about her and see her even more in action. 

Unfortunately, the movie actually gets off to a bit of a slow start--not much really happens before Chris Pine shows up except for Hippolyta being an overprotective mother of Diana. And probably one of the dumber things about the "origin story" of Diana is the fact that it ties in with Greek gods and their mythology... except for when it doesn't and ignores the normal mythology you'd expect. It's really better to not think about all of that much, even if one of those said Greek gods (Ares) is actually heavily involved in the film. 

Elsewhere, the "origin story" centers around Diana being stuck on an island with her fellow Amazons, and she's constantly training for something. That something happens when a WWI skirmish is brought to Diana's doorstep, and the British pilot Steve Trevor who's left behind warns the Amazons of the "war to end all wars," which Diana believes has Ares's fingerprints on it. (It's actually not as stupid as it sounds from this outset.) So she joins Trevor and heads to Europe, believing she can end the war for good. 

There are a lot of fun action sequences in this movie--particularly in the second half. Wonder Woman gets to go rampaging past hapless minions a few times times, and those are probably the most awesome scenes--though watching her going up against a more powerful opponent in the explosive finale is pretty great as well. There is a lot of great use of slow-mo, and the action throughout the movie shines all the more for it.

There's quite a bit of substance elsewhere, though. The movie is essentially about Diana learning about humanity--and the good and bad things that come with that. It works quite well, especially in the context of a war. Diana's a fish out of water who doesn't fully understand some of mankind's idiosyncrasies and straight-up evils, but she still feels the need to "fight for those who can't fight for themselves," even if she comes away disgusted with us on occasion.

At this point, the character of Wonder Woman in general is easily the best thing about the entire DC Extended Universe. While I like the new take on Superman more than most, he still can't carry this universe that well. And Batman? Well, even if Ben Affleck turned out better than expected, it's still too soon since the Dark Knight trilogy and too tough an act to follow to really make him a good point about this franchise. Wonder Woman, however, is not only exciting to watch fight, but she's a character that is much easier for anyone else thus far to root for. She's kind of the equivalent of Marvel's Captain America, and while I enjoy a hero with human flaws and dark sides, I also can definitely find a more morally strong hero like Diana or Cap quite refreshing. 

If anything, perhaps the greatest flaw about this film is that Diana's way ahead of everybody else; aside from the main antagonist and maybe Trevor, none of the other characters in this movie are noteworthy or even really likable. It's surprisingly easy to forget about that though; the movie carries itself well regardless. 

Wonder Woman's solo movie isn't without its flaws (that first half does drag at times), but it's still an exciting superhero movie that's not nearly as cliched as some of its peers, and there's more going on than just the awesome spectacle. While obviously the jury's still out as to whether the DC Universe can fully get its act together, it's clear they've got at least one character done right. 

No comments:

Post a Comment