My "Wonder Woman Review" or "How Gaby secretly wants to be a stream of consciousness writer"

First review and I'm not sure really where to start. Do I just completely fangirl out and just spend the next few paragraphs exclaiming how perfect this movie is, or do I take a more critical look at it and focus on the creation of the film as well as the social (and maybe political?) impact it is having? Or do I do some combination of both? Also how the heckles am I supposed to format this? Do I give you the readers a quick summary of the film, a list of the key players of who brought this film to life, and then delve into the good and bad of the film? I mean, that's how it's always been done, at least in every review I've ever read. Or do I just go where the words take me, and leave this as the incoherent ramblings of a fangirl who is trying to sound like she knows what's she's talking about in trying to sound overly critical?

My style has always been a conversational one, albeit a one-sided conversation, so the latter choice it will be. 

Good luck in following, and here's hoping that by the time I finish reading both Making Movies by Sidney Lumet and A Short Guide to Writing About Film by Timothy Corrigan, and as I go through my own version of Film School and Media Studies (see a future post about that mess), my reviews will have a more cohesive and coherent form and style.  In the mean time-

WONDER WOMAN!!!

Actually, before I start on the film, I just want to call out the awesomeness of the score for this film or the Wonder Woman theme specifically. Originally written by Hans Zimmer and heard first in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is it possibly one of the more memorable superhero themes in the last 10 to 15 years, yes even surpassing Zimmer's Batman and Superman themes (yeah just try and sing those out loud without sounding like whalesong). Seriously, just give that theme a listen. If that doesn't make you want to strap on a pair of gilded high heeled combat boots and a tiara and kick some ass, then I don't know what will.

Music aside, I very much enjoyed this movie. And after too many summers of tentpole blockbusters that only seem to deliver boundless amounts of shaky cam quick cut action sequences, it's nice to finally sit back and enjoy an action comic book film that provides the audience with everything from action, comedy, to drama, but most importantly heart.

I'm just going to jump right in and say that the strongest part of this film is the heart within the story or more importantly the willingness to show just how much heart the character of Wonder Woman can possess. Director Patty Jenkins has crafted a film that not only provides the audience with that big full on action film summer audiences crave but is able to bring to life a character that is more than just someone who has the power to wield a sword and cause mass destruction. 

Now if you look back at Jenkins's past foray into big screen entertainment, you find a personal favorite of mine: Monster. And while the story is pretty solid (after all it's based on a true story), what stands out most about this film is Charlize Theron's performance. And if you look into what else Theron has done, you can clearly see that she has yet to top or reach the level of excellence she did in Jenkin's film. Hell, even Christina Ricci was stellar in her role. Which in this weird convoluted way brings me to Jenkins's direction over her actors in Wonder Woman. Man, I hope you guys are still with me. From what we've seen in interviews and on-set reports, Jenkins's is able to pull these great performances out of her actors, pushing them to the breaking point to achieve realness on the screen. Now I'm not saying that Gal Gadot's performance of Wonder Woman is on par with Theron's portrayal of Aileen Wuornos, as the material doesn't really lend itself to an Oscar Award winning performance (I could be completely wrong though, they did after all give the Oscar to Marisa Tomei*.), but Jenkins is able to pull out a decent and convincing performance out of all of her actors. Their interactions feel real and organic.

Danny Huston, Chris Pine, David Thewlis, and the rest of the supporting Cast, they are all there to support and help shape the world in which we are introduced to Wonder Woman, and they do so by being true to their reactions, as well as their surroundings. And nowhere in this movie do you find that sore thumb or that odd sock. Each character and actor are given their motivations for being there and deliver on their purpose (though I would have loved to have seen more interaction between Pine, Gadot, and Lucy David who plays Etta Candy, Steve Trevor's secretary, hilariously lovely scenes.) And that purpose was to help develop and support Gadot's Wonder Woman.

And this is where I feel that many of these superhero movies fall flat, or at least feel too rushed or overwhelming. They try to fit in as much story and plot as possible, which then overloads the audience into not really caring or fully investing in the characters. Wonder Woman does not fall into that category of film. Like most origin stories, after all, this is Wonder Woman's origin story, we are presented with one character's journey to the present, with the main plot of the film, as well as all the major and minor subplots, culminating into a climatic ending that not only shows the audience the full growth of the main character but also shows how the world around them has grown with them. You are invested in the fate of this character, even though you already know what should happen. And you are also invested in the supporting characters because the main character is invested.

We are shown very little of the world around Wonder Woman. Patty Jenkins provides a small spotlight on Wonder Woman, and it is within that spotlight that the story revolves. Yes, we are given small snippets of the effects of World War I, but only from Wonder Woman's perspective. And it is with that specific tactic that you start to invest in these minor characters. Because of Diana's** interest and personal investment, as well as.. the well wonder she exudes, we as the audience feel what she feels. And like those in the world around her, we are surprised and amazed by this newcomer who is just amazing all those she comes across. At times we Diana seeing this world of the early 1900s and being entranced and horrified by it, and for the rest, we are Pine's Steve Trevor entranced and amazed by the Amazonian before him.

And that, in this weirdly convoluted essay of mine (yes I am aware that this has gone from a review to a think piece essay thing. I realized that somewhere around word 550) leads me to the kick ass show-stopping scene that is "No Man's Land". Every review that I have read has talked about how this scene displays Diana at her greatest, and yes I completely agree with that. And not to give too many spoilers away (Hey look at that I haven't spoiled a thing!), we are given the opportunity to see Wonder Woman for the first time, just as the rest of the characters are given that same opportunity. I really don't want to spoil much of it, and I'm sure if I hadn't been made aware of that scene before I saw the film, I probably would have appreciated it so much more. 

But seriously, with Diana doing her thing (trying to be spoiler free here), and the music pumping away, you are made to believe that she is real. Much how this scene from 1978's Superman made us all believe that a man in blue tights could save us all.

 

And that brings me back to the heart of this film: the idea that there is a person whose sole motivation is to stop a war and bring about peace. It is within Diana's actions and interactions throughout the film that we see that she is able to see something that we have all lost sight of, and what many movies have lost sight of: the beauty and wonder one can find within and around. Gal Gadot's performance in these moments is where we see that she is more than just a pretty face who happens to be very tall and can wield a sword. She has this charming quality about her that lends itself convincingly to that fish out of water mentality. You've basically plucked this woman out of the only home she's ever known and put her into a new world with various new sights and sounds that were it anyone else (or me for that matter) they would be scared or apprehensive. Diana is not those things, and the wonder and curiosity Gadot exudes makes you want to feel the same about the world we live in today. Despite the horror she sees of World War I, that doesn't stop her from wanting to find a way to stop the war, to do something, to make a difference. And with the world we currently live in, I feel that that specific message, to stand up and fight for what you believe in is something we all desperately need to hold to. It is that message, which as I have been saying, is the heart of the film, that is what makes this movie good if not great. It holds true throughout, all the way up to the very end.

And that my friends is where the problem with this film lies. Well, at least the biggest problem. You can forgive the one-sided characters as they are only meant to support a multi-faceted main character, and you can forgive some of the hokey dialogs (see my brother's favorite scene in which Robin Wright's character Antiope exchanges some horrible dialog with nameless Amazonian about the fighting skills of another faceless Amazonian. It's towards the beginning. We laughed). And I guess you can forgive the type of climatic battle we are presented with because (yes full spoiler alert), it is not Diana trying to stop a giant machine which will destroy the world. I guess that is a bonus. But it is like every action movie out there, that it turns into a giant battle, where the stakes are not really that scary and you know that she will win. Though something does happen midway that actually did surprise me, I don't want to spoil that surprise. Actually the beginning of the battle, or at least how the battle starts and with what participants are involved also surprised me (trying not so spoil the fun is hard yo!). But do we really need another battle scene that essentially plays out like a video game's final boss battle? I guess that is the current trend these types of action films are taking, but it would be nice to move away from that and maybe to something more along the lines of Mad Max: Fury Road, where that final climatic moment isn't an epic boss battle, but a series of events that lead up to the climax, tying up all the loose ends and somehow leave you wanting more. (How about that for calling up another Theron movie? Up next my comparison of this film to Might Joe Young! Just kidding).

But despite how the final battle ends, it is everything before that that makes this movie enjoyable. A pretty solid story (excuse some of the hokey dialog), a great chemistry between actors (and I didn't even touch upon Gadot and Pine's characters ever growing relationship or the funny banter between the two), some excellently choreographed and filmed action sequences (again, I didn't even touch upon how well used the Zack Synder technique of slow-motion used in the fight sequences, or how we could kinda actually see what was going on in the battles). This is a movie I would see again, and purchase once it is released, after all, I already have the movie posters.

As a fan of Wonder Woman, I am beyond thrilled to finally have a movie dedicated just to her, and that does her character justice. And as a fan of movies, I am happy to see we are moving away from the recent trend of "put as much as you can into the story so people can't tell that we have no idea what to really do with these characters" form storytelling. If more films follow this example, then we are the dawn of a new form of storytelling, and we need that fresh take.

Damn, and I didn't even get into the political or social impact this film is taking on. From having a female director helm a big title like this and knock it out of the park (hopefully paving the way for more female directors. At least we'll get a sequel with both Jenkins and Gadot), to the cultural impact of having a female led superhero film and how that will help shape the perception of women in entertainment!

But we're coming up at over 2400 words, and if you're still reading this: I'm sorry :)

My next review will actually be a review and not this extensive verbosity. I guess there is a reason why that simple format which I stated at the beginning of this piece is followed, after all, who the hell would want to read this in their newspaper or entertainment magazine?

In short (or I guess TL;DR): The movie was good, go see it, disregard its problems. DC did well with this movie.

Thanks so much for following along and reading all of this. This entry starts the first in a series of posts not only covering my reviews of films but of various aspects of my life as I try and figure out what to do with. (See that future post of following my own film school. Future post as I haven't written it yet).

I'll try to limit the length of the text as well... maybe.

Leave me any comments or questions below.

AND GO SEE THE MOVIE! 

And on that note, I'll leave you with this interview with Patty Jenkins.

(* Ok that was a bad joke and a pretty dated one. Plus Tomei totally deserved that award. Her performance in My Cousin Vinny was hilarious.)

(**I'm switching to Diana, because typing out Wonder Woman is driving me nuts, and I know that a stylistic error I should have corrected at the beginning, but again, I have no clue what I'm doing, so just go with it)