Wonder Woman a Solid Hit

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2017)

Yes, it's true. Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman. It may be a cliché by now, but I cannot imagine another actress as Wonder Woman. She is simply riveting on the screen. That much was evident from her first appearance in BvS: Dawn of Justice— owing mainly to her physical appearance. The directors chose a woman more reflective of the mythic origins; eschewing a Nordic-type beauty for a middle-eastern one: Israeli actress Gal Gadot. The look differs from previous incarnations from both television and the comic books, and it works to perfection.
But the really good news from Wonder Woman is that Gal Gadot is not only perfectly matched visually to the role, her character is also beautifully written!
This Wonder Woman is no smart-aleck, kick-ass gender-feminist seizing any opportunity to pummel men and ridicule our inadequacies while educating the audience on the evils of patriarchal oppression. Rather, she is what would be expected of a woman raised in a world without men, of a warrior caste, and raised to fear and distrust the "other": men. She is an innocent. And that is he how she acts and responds to the Europe of WW1—as well as to her love interest, British military spy Steve Trevor, adequately played by Chris Pine.
Diana was raised to believe that Zeus created the Amazons to protect mankind. A great conflict between the Gods resulted in the evil antagonist Ares, God of War, sowing evil, hatred and war among mankind. When she decides to accompany Trevor back to the "world of men," it is with the explicit aim of killing Ares. She assumes that this will immediately put an end to all of mankind's strife, including the "war to end all wars."
Later, this belief is severely tested and leads to Diana's epiphany that enables her to reach her next level as a warrior, when she will eventually team up with Batman and the other members of the Justice League.
Upon arrival in London, her innocence serves as a device for social commentary when she is exposed to the "modern" world. When Trevor's secretary explains her job to Diana, she responds "Where I come from, that's called slavery." Earlier, in Themyscira, the hidden Amazon island into which chance draws Trevor and the War, he shows her his watch and explains it's function. Diana responds by asking him why he needs a device to tell him what to do?
Under less skillful direction, these bits could've come across as hackneyed or contrived. But to writer Allan Heinberg and Gadot's credit, they provide endearing moments of comic relief.
Sure, Wonder Woman is replete with social justice messaging (besides Trevor her entourage includes a middle-eastern POC and a Native American), but Gal Gadot is so sincere, believable—and winning—in the role, that I don't feel like I'm being hit over the head with it.
Naturally, Diana has plenty of opportunities to display her martial superiority to mere barroom thugs and heavily-armed German soldiers alike with only a sword, shield and her lasso. But that is to be expected. This is who the character is. What we don't get is the typical absurdities we've come to expect from the genre, such as beautiful women in high heels and lingerie handily dispatching gangs of thugs. Cue Atomic Blonde trailer.
Yes, Wonder Woman fails the Taylor Test , how could it not? We are, after all, talking about the Amazons—the cultural archetype of "strong women." They and she, a 1940s comic book character inspired by the ancient Greek legend, are not products of present-day feminism.
You may have noticed the buzz of negative criticism for the movie from feminist quarters. A lot was riding on this movie. The standard screed regarding female superheroes (we can't refer to them as "superheroines" anymore) in film is that ... for some unknown reason... they fall short at the box office. There is a great resistance to acknowledging that—surprise!—superhero comics are primarily read by boys. Boys' interest in superheroes is a part of growing up, anticipating their entry into manhood; a way to vicariously imagine themselves as ideals of manly heroism.
Feminists eagerly anticipated this movie. After all, Wonder Woman is the mother of all female superheroes. They were hoping for a glass-ceiling event. A movie to level the playing field and show once and for all that men bear no inherent athletic superiority to women and boys should hold no monopoly on superhero movies. And when it was announced that a woman would direct it (Patty Jenkins) ... well!
But spearheading an attack across No-Man's Land in the Belgian Front, drubbing armed German soldiers as well as thugs in London, and chafing against the oppression of women in "modern" society is insufficient. She isn't a sexually aggressive, preferably lesbian, full-time advertisement for feminist righteous indignation at everything male. Additionally, she is designed to satisfy male concepts of female beauty.
Furthermore, she's white—and horror-of-horrors!—falls in love with a man.
What we got instead was a love story. A story with the message that love redeems mankind. The story of a man's love for a demi-goddess, and her love for mankind—and the most bitter pill of all—a woman's love for a man.
The ultimate message is one of love. That may sound trite these days —especially considering the turn taken by the DC movie franchises lately—but it is proving welcome to movie-goers and critics alike.
Feminists will have to be content with the first successful female superhero movie, directed by a woman no less, that redeems a franchise. Sorry if it's not enough. I loved it.
Wonder Woman is not a perfect film. There's plenty to criticize. But any flaws are more than made up for by a new screen star that commands your complete attention every moment she is on-screen. I look forward to more Gal Gadot Wonder Woman.
( Full review at http://3rd-rail.net/2017 )