Simply Wonderful

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 2017)

The film continues from where Batman VS. Superman left off--Diana receiving her photo, taken during WWI, from Bruce, suggesting that one day she might tell him her story, prompting the movie to begin- - starting with Diana's childhood. From there, she learns of Ares, her mother dancing around her true purpose--given a simple explanation of what drives men to do the things the things they do. Hippolyta never wanted this fate for her daughter, but it was inevitable--she knew there was nothing she could do to stop her. Eventually conceding as she grew older, Diana was trained harder than any other Amazon--until one day, Steve Trevor crashed on the island.
Throughout the film there's a juxtaposition of humor and darkness, and it's offset *wonderfully*. Chris Pine's fumbling to find the right words, contrasted to Gadot's charming innocence about the world, makes for a number of laughs that are never at the titular heroine's expense. One particular part I really enjoyed was when they were sailing to London--their dialogue about sleeping together a perfect example of what I'm talking about--Diana's book smarts straight and to the point while Steve awkwardly shuffles about his own customs and culture. The subtle implication of Diana's bisexuality was also welcome, citing men as necessary for reproducing, but "unnecessary for pleasure." This would alternate throughout the film, humor filled to serious or even tragic scenes, this is an area in structure where Wonder Woman exceeded my expectations with mistressful construction.
There were themes of female empowerment, in a time where women were little more than objects, secretaries, second class citizens rife with complacency. At numerous points, Diana stood up, not allowing herself to be silenced. Three instances come to mind, that really resonated with me. The first: as Trevor delivered Dr. Poison's notebook, she was turning heads, because it was not customary for a woman to be involved with such matters. A bit taken aback by Trevor's actions, she marched back in, and called the general--who subtlety mocked her for being a woman--on what he was: a coward-- informing him that true leaders do not hide behind their soldiers, but die on the battlefield with them. This was done exceptionally well, because that's how things were back then-- it's a scenario to be expected, and Diana didn't simply give into the subtle social cues and allow them to anger her--no she rose above and called out what she saw as wrong--the implication tactfully given, as opposed to an obvious "you're sexist" type dialogue. The second instance was in the bar, when she was again, mocked--why would a woman be on the front? Immediately she disposed that idea, but this time with action, saving her future brother in arms' life--demonstrating that she has what it takes to go the distance. The third takes place as they make their way through the trenches-- Steve explains it's "no man's land," and that no man can get through--but Diana wouldn't take no for an answer, and does what no man was capable--charging into the line of fire, herself a glimmer of hope much like the light on reflecting off her bodice, in a dead world. This delves back to earlier, when they were sailing to London--Steve stating that no one man would be able to stop the war, to which Diana stated she would be that man--that person.
And in the end, Diana walks through the celebrations--the end of the war in Man's World. With a half-hearted smile, she walks to a bulletin board, where she spots a photo of Steve Trevor--nearly breaking down in tears (in turn making me, once more, break into tears). Yes, it was a happy ending, but at what cost? The world is saved, for the time being, the war ended--Ares defeated, but the man she loved gone. There is a conflict presented within Wonder Woman at the beginning of the film, and it hits hard, harder than she hit that tower with the German sniper she crumbled--as she truly does learn the hard way. Transitioning back to the present, we come to understand her words at the beginning. She felt she could save the world, that it was all black and white, that Ares' corruption would be amended by his death, solving every problem and ending the war, freeing all the men from evil, until she came to realize that it wasn't just the Germans that were corrupted, it was the world, filled with so much darkness, independent of Ares, but even with the one she loved dead, she would not back down--would not feed into that darkness and join Ares--and she tells us, before she leaps into the sky, that love is what stands above all else, what wins in the end, what she must fight for.
Overall, as a huge fan that went in unsure, I was not disappointed. It was an emotional roller coaster that had me on the edge of my seat at one point, crying at another (my eyes are still stained, mascara smeared as I write this). While sometimes the film relied too heavily on CGI (the third act), it never took away from the theatrics (Diano's lasso play was amazing to see and everything I could have hoped for). Acting was stellar throughout, though the villains at times, such as General Ludendorff and Ares often fell flat, and Dr. Poison- -by far the most compelling of the group--could have been developed more, Gadot--she was absolutely stunning--the foundation of the film-- curious and innocent, she never makes us feel that Diana is stupid or filled with angst, but instead a constant beacon of hope even when things are at their worst--with Pines providing a captivating accent to her lead--a balanced chemistry of antithetical cultures. Wonder Woman is a fine example of what the DCEU should be- -what a female-lead narrative should be.