Director Patty Jenkins
Genre Action | Adventure | Fantasy
Cast Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen
Rating PG-13
Release Date June 2nd, 2017
“Before she was Wonder Woman she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained warrior. When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, she leaves home to fight a war to end all wars, discovering her full powers and true destiny.”
From director Patty Jenkins, who directed the 2003 drama Monster, Wonder Woman is the latest film in the DC Universe. Fans have been begging to have a female superhero on the forefront, and that time has come. Israeli actress and model Gal Gadot first appeared on screen as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman, but due to a thrashing from critics she didn’t receive a great deal of positive feedback. Gadot seems to have taken her role as Wonder Woman extremely seriously, as it is noted that she trained for 9 months and gained 17 pounds of pure muscle for the character. Now that is dedication! The cast includes Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen, Danny Huston, and David Thewlis.
Well-acted, funny, and genuinely entertaining, Wonder Woman is one heck of a film and a career defining performance for actress Gal Gadot. It's well documented that DC has had its troubles as of late, which is part of the reason why this film couldn't have come at a better time. I actually enjoyed Suicide Squad more than most critics, but I was definitely let down by Batman v Superman, also starring Gadot as Wonder Woman, which I felt lacked a much needed edge. With the new Justice League movie on the horizon, a powerful female superhero is here to save the day. I had high expectations for Wonder Woman after the early release praise from critics, and it did not disappoint. The collaboration of director Patty Jenkins and actress Gal Gadot seems to be a match made in heaven. Jenkins is far from a household name as she made her directorial debut with the 2003 drama Monster, which started Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci. Monster was a hit with critics but for one reason or another Jenkins focused on T.V. for a while, directing a couple episodes for The Killing and HBO's Entourage. With Wonder Woman, Jenkins proves she has an eye for great visuals, and she understands how to make a visually stunning film without sacrificing substance. I really enjoyed how Wonder Woman was able to toe the line between the superhero cinematic universe, and a very dark time when the world was truly at war. You get a glimpse at the harsh reality while still preserving your ability to be entertained. Wonder Woman is the rare superhero film that can hold its own up against some of the better action films of the past decade.
Wonder Woman brought together a fantastic and charismatic cast to ensure success of the film. I will admit that I had my reservations about Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, not because she isn't attractive or athletic enough, because we all know she has both in spades, I just wasn’t sure of her ability as an actress to carry a film in the lead role. Well let me just say, she impressed the you know what out of me! In her very first lead role, Gadot exuded confidence from the beginning and never looked back. Not once did I question her ability as an actress, and it was almost like she was born to play this role. Strong, determined, smart, and downright lethal, Gal Gadot is the Wonder Woman fans deserve. I read that she went through re-shoots for the film, including stunts, while she was 5 months pregnant! They had to utilize some green-screen magic on her baby bump. This performance may very well have landed Gadot a spot in my top 5 list of favorite actresses, for several reasons. This may or may not have something to do with the strange fascination I had with girls that could beat me up when I was little, but we won't dive too deep into that. Chris Pine was amazing as expected, and I was actually really impressed by the chemistry he developed with Gadot. The two played off each other really well and made sure there was never a dull moment. Accomplished actor David Thewlis was great in his role, but I will admit I couldn’t get the vision of him as V.M. Vargas in Fargo season 3 out of my head. His character in that show is absolutely incredible. The supporting cast was amazing as well, especially the crew that Pine convinces to join in on the adventure. Just a great cast all around!
Wonder Woman is a fantastic film, period. It gets so many things right that viewers will ignore any flaws that it may have. You feel the pain and the struggle of the World War I victims, and you see what things were like on the front lines. Wonder Woman exemplifies selflessness, and is more concerned with the well-being of those around her than her own. What I also found fascinating is the fact that even though she dealt with significant culture shock entering into a world entirely new to her, instead of judging what she saw as strange or different she embraced this new world and all of its flaws. I'm not going to sit here and say that this is a movie about women empowerment blah blah, because to be quite honest that's been said enough already (apologies if I seem insensitive). Wonder Woman is empowering for the human race as a whole, because she embodies compassion, strength, and understanding, and we could all learn a lot from her. Do yourself a favor and see this film before it leaves theaters, you won't regret it. I will definitely be adding this to my collection when the Blu-ray releases.
