Harry Situation Reviews: Wonder Woman

Awesome guitar solo theme time! Dooroodoodooooooo dooo doo dum dum!

The Amazonian Princess finally has her first film debut in Wonder Woman, which was directed by Patty Jenkins (the director of Monster). This serves as both an origin story and introduction to the character we met back in Batman v Superman, and I am thankful to say that this film is definitely not Batman v Superman. It's far better than that.

It is World War I, an American spy named Steve Trevor (played by Chris Pines) crash lands in a mystical island called Themyscira, home of the warrior women the Amazons. Here he meets Princess Diana (played by Gal Gadot) and by his convincing argument about stopping the great war, she decides to join him. On the front lines she inspires hope and courage to all the soldiers as the battle against the Germans led by the warlord General Erich Ludendorff (played by Danny Hudson); and yes historian fans I'm talking about that same Ludendorff. 

Alright let's talk about the good stuff because there's a lot to talk about. Actually I want to address two major positives that this film has that the other three films in the DC cinematic universe (Man of Steel, BvS, Suicide Squad) lacked. 

1. There's actual color in this movie! The film is shot gorgeously and it helps make it look colorful. It doesn't look grey, dark, and dull like the other films. Everything shines through, especially Wonder Woman's costume.

2. There's genuine character development. This film found the right pacing to give just the right amount of character development needed. 

Now that I addressed that let's talk about Wonder Woman herself. I liked her in BvS, but now I'm convinced that Gal Gadot was perfectly cast. She nails everything about the character. Her enjoyment of combat to her need to help the innocent. Gal Gadot rocks!

It also helps that she has great chemistry with Chris Pines throughout the movie. These two played off each other very well. They actually have some good humor together and some touching quiet time together, which was refreshing to see in a DC film for once.

How's the action? It's freaking awesome of course! Actually that's something else I wanted to comment on, the action sequences are gorgeously shot. You can feel the power and the impact this superheroine can do. Every punch, every bullet deflection, and every sword swipe feels epic as it should. Sure there are lots of moments where there is some ridiculous amount of slow motion, which has now become a gimmick rather than art, but the slow motion really helps play out the action.

If you're thinking that this film is going to emphasis girl power you better not bother seeing this film. This film emphases all power! By that statement I mean everyone has a moment to shine and be heroic. Everyone of different class, ethnics, religion, gender show off that they too have strength and can do courageous things. That's exactly what I wanted to see and it delivered!

Of course there are a few flaws in this movie, like the fact that Linda Carter doesn't make any sort of cameo. Oh I kid that's not a real negative. No, one of the big negatives, which is a trait I find in most modern superhero movies, is the villains. There are actually three villains in this one and they are all equally uninteresting. We have the before mentioned General Ludendorff and a villain named Dr. Poison (played by Elena Anaya). Don't bother asking me who that comic book character is because I don't have a fucking clue.

But the one Wonder Woman villain I do have a clue about — and this is a small spoiler so fill free to skip to the next paragraph — is the God of War Ares (played by David Thewlis). You'd think that since he is a god that there would be some kind of menace to him, or something that would make him more intimidating. But no. He's just there, looking like a bad guy.

Another negative I have is that the climax itself, while looks cool, is sort of clunky at the same time. It also felt like nothing was really at stake, like there wasn't anything that made it feel like it was going to be the end of the world or something.

Overall, DC fans can finally rejoice that this is the first certified fresh rated film in the DCU, holding at a 93% rating. I definitely enjoyed this film not just as a fan of the character, but a fan of superhero movies too. And I think it's perfect that they released this film during the character's 75th Anniversary. Check it out now! 

Now for the grading scale! Dooroodoodooooooo dooo doo doo doo!

                                    Positives:                            Negatives:

                                   -Gal Gadot                        -Climax little clunky

                                   -Gadot & Pines                 -Uninteresting villains

                                   -Great action

                                   -Good humor

                                   -Freaking color!

                                   -Character development

                                   -Well paced

Final Grade: A

Summer is already off to a fresh start with hit movie after hit movie. So there's my thoughts on Wonder Woman's first movie. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? Are you a fan of Wonder Woman? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check back again for more reviews here on Prose.com!

Best Quote:

Wonder Woman: "It's not about what they deserve, it's what they believe. And I believe in love."

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