The Goddess of the Geeks

Rating: 7/10 (4 June 2017)

My first question when I saw the trailer to this film was not only how old Wonder Woman was, but why was it that she doesn't seem to age. You see this film is set during World War 1, and could be considered the Wonder Woman origin story. However, Batman vs Superman was set in the modern era and sure enough Wonder Woman hadn't aged. Well, as it turns out Wonder Woman is not quite human, and for those who are familiar with the comics, you will know that she was created out of clay and given life by Zues – that's right, Wonder Woman is actually the Roman Goddess Diana (hence her name), for more specifically Artmenis (though for some reason they default to her Roman identity as opposed to the original Greek, which sort of runs counter to the background).
The movie begins on the Island of the Amazons and Diana growing up. However one day a plane crashes, and following that plane is a German Dreadnaught. Diana is thus drawn into the horrors of World War 1. Actually, the back story is that the god of war, Ares, had been defeated by Zeus, but has been simmering for centuries waiting for a time to destroy humanity. Well, that time arrived during World War 1, and when Diana hears that the war to end all wars is being waged beyond the shores of her island, it is time for her to leave and take her place in the world of men.
There are a few interesting things in this film, one of them being the nature of the character. I realised as I was watching this film that Wonder Woman takes the form of that perfect girl that all comic book geeks would love – not only is she incredibly attractive, but she is incredibly strong as well. The thing is that she takes the masculine side that many geeks lack, but also has a very strong feminine side as well. In a way she would be seen by many as that perfect girl, one who is strong, but who is beautiful as well. However, the thing that attracts me is that she is apparently the goddess Artemis.
This is an interesting thing because the Greeks were a very male dominated society - the women basically were not allowed out of the house, and had absolutely no rights whatsoever. Yet we have these gods, such as Artemis and Athena, who personify both wisdom, strength, and beauty. However, they also stand out in a way that they are not married, and it is clear that they never will marry. There is actually a story where a hunter, Acteaon, stumbled upon Artemis while she was taking a bath, and Acteaon left that encounter much worse for wear – he was turned into a stag and Artemis' hounds chased him down and killed him.
Thus putting her into a World War 1 setting is fitting because this is basically a story of a woman in a man's world. In a way she must not only prove herself, but she must also stand and fight against the male prejudice that dominated at the time – that is women don't go to war. However, this was also the beginning of the feminist movement as while the men were at war, the women were all doing the men's work. There is a love story here as well, and a rather tragic one at that, however I won't go any further because that will probably ruin what turned out to be a really good movie.