And here we go! Warner Bros./Time Warner Inc. will debut Wonder Woman around the world starting on Tuesday. It will expand to pretty much the whole globe over the next few weeks, save for Japan and its now-standard "well after everyone else" release date of Aug. 25. In a different world, this one would follow the first few acclaimed DCEU movies and this one would be the glorified curtain raiser/victory lap before the big team-up spectacular. But after a middlingly Man of Steel, a panned Batman v Superman and a critically roasted (but leggy) Suicide Squad, the first big-budget comic book superhero movie starring a woman and directed by a woman must now carry the weight of the entire DC cinematic universe on her shoulders. So yeah, it's up to Wonder Woman to pull Batman and Superman out of the fire.
That said, no one should be expecting numbers along the lines of Batman v Superman ($330 million domestic/$873m worldwide) or Suicide Squad ($325m/$745m) and even the $291m/$668m total of Man of Steel would be a massive win for this solo prequel superheroine origin story. The official line is that the film cost $120m, which (if true) would be a lot less than Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($170m) let alone The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($255m) or The Dark Knight Rises ($250m). That's good news since a smaller budget means Wonder Woman does not have to gross as much in order to turn a profit.
The important thing for Wonder Woman is to prove A) that the DCEU can produce critically acclaimed hit movies and B) that a big-budget female-directed superhero movie is not box office poison. And, as long as the opening weekend is anywhere near the $85-$95 million figures posted by Logan, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Thor: The Dark World, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I would argue that the mission has been accomplished. But that's a conversation worth having at length over the next few weeks. The biggest advantage that Wonder Woman has right now is that it's among the few big summer releases that audiences have actually been clamoring for.
The Review:
Here's the short version: Wonder Woman is good. It's the best live-action DC Comics movie since The Dark Knight. It is, by default, the best female-centric comic book superhero movie ever made and is on a different plane from Elektra, Catwoman and Supergirl (and Barb Wire and Tank Girl and Red Sonja). To those who have been waiting for this picture their entire lives, who have yearned to see Wonder Woman on the silver screen in her own movie, hacking, slashing and lassoing for justice and compassion, you can take a breath and relax. Even though the finished product has some serious issues, and the final product doesn't quite measure up to that dynamite 2009 animated movie, Gal Gadot makes a spectacular superheroine. Come what may, the much-discussed DC Films has given us a dynamic and definitive big-screen variation of Wonder Woman.
The picture has some unnecessary present-tense bookends, although you’ll be relieved to know that Batman is nowhere to be found. The bookends are just one way this one takes some cues from Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Like that period piece origin story, which is still the best MCU movie ever, the picture doesn’t attempt to shade or hide the inherent decency of its protagonist, but rather offers compassion as an exciting virtue. It again concerns a young person who doesn’t have to fight but cannot in good conscience sit back and do nothing. This is not a hero driven by guilt or torment, but rather a good person who wants to help others because she can. This is a protagonist who accepts the call over and over again.
But, and this is key, the picture doesn’t trap Gadot or her superheroic alter ego into the “strong female character” trope. Yes, she kicks ass and looks awesome doing it, but she’s also funny, curious, sexually aware, occasionally wrong and naïve and is both bemused by early 20th-century London and acutely aware of the impact of her presence on any given situation. She is more concerned about saving lives than shedding blood, although she is willing to do both if necessary. She has a terrific action beat where she uses her lasso to brutally take down soldiers before they can be shot by her fellow combatants. She’s ready to kill in the heat of battle, but she’s also willing to put in a little extra effort if that means she doesn’t have to. The emphasis on protecting the innocent offers some suspense for what otherwise would be an invincible super-warrior running roughshod over hapless German soldiers.
The first act is set on the mythical island of Themyscira where a tribe of Amazonians (led by Connie Nielsen as Diana’s mom and Robin Wright as the commander of the armed forces) train to do battle for a conflict that may never come. The required mythological backstory is told in the form of a gorgeously animated bedtime story from mother to daughter (a fine Lilly Aspell). Conflict arises when an American pilot crashes into the waters near the island and brings with him pursuing German soldiers. This sets up a stunning action sequence which indeed offers a bunch of kick-ass Amazonian warriors (of all skin colors, natch) defending their home against an opposing army. Those who mourn Green Lantern for its lack of a big Green Lantern Corps. action scene will be happy to know the same mistake was not made twice.
We quickly learn that this pilot (Steve Trevor, played by a winning Chris Pine) has information that may help turn the tide in “The Great War.” Steve’s talk of wholesale slaughter across the globe convinces Diana (Gal Gadot) that Ares, the God of War, is at fault. She eventually leaves with her American visitor to do what she can to end this world-spanning (and possibly world-ending) conflict. The choice to set this origin story during World War I instead of World War II is a canny one. It nullifies the simple “good versus evil” template of seeing the Allied powers going up against Nazis. This isn’t quite All Quiet on the Western Front or the last Rambo, but the arbitrary senselessness of this global butchery is very much a part of the text. To the extent that producer and credited writer Zack Snyder had a hand in this one, it feels far more Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole than 300.
Wonder Woman takes its time delivering the big action moments. The focus is on character and theme more than arbitrary spectacle, so it’s a darn good thing that Gadot and Chris Pine are such a treat. Pine nearly steals the movie as Diana’s foil and love interest. This picture should offer Hollywood’s dudes another reason to champion female-led movies since any number of male actors would kill to have as much fun onscreen as Pine. While the story positions Steve as a man of action, he is a smart and decent guy who likes and respects Diana from the start. The movie never comes close to pulling a Divergent (giving the male co-star all the cool action beats and plot points) and subtly deals with issues of sexuality on an all-female island (men aren't needed for recreational pleasure).
It builds its first half toward Wonder Woman’s big public debut, with plenty of witty interludes (Lucy Davis is fun as Steve’s secretary who takes an instant liking to his unique new companion) and an occasional action beat (such as a alley-way assassination attempt that homages Superman: The Movie) to keep us engaged. It caps off its first half with a jaw-droppingly cool sequence on the battlefield (and in a small town) as our hero does her thing because she’s the only one who can. Even with some first half pacing problems (I’m not shocked to hear that there are no deleted scenes), if Wonder Woman's second half was as strong as its first half, we’d be talking all-time classic status. But after that blowout set piece, everything stops dead in its tracks.
Like Snyder's prior DCU movies, it feels less like a three-act narrative and more like a two-act story. Like Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, the first half is superior to the second half. The plotting gets random, characters make plans without a clear narrative purpose and it grinds along until it’s time for the final showdown, offering story beats that render at least some of the previous story somewhat irrelevant. There are individual character beats that click (the film doesn’t shy away from PTSD), but much of the second half amounts to a “hurry-up and wait” event. While Danny Huston (as General Erich Ludendorff) and Elena Anaya (as Dr. Poison) have an interesting working relationship (they have one hideously cruel laugh-out-loud moment together), they aren’t much in the villainy department.
Yes, the final action sequences are impressive, but the film takes on such a fatalistic tone that the final confrontations are sucked dry of any fun and excitement. The movie that kept coming to mind was The Matrix Revolutions, which staged the final Neo vs. Smith battle only after Neo had lost everything and was preparing to sacrifice himself. That trilogy capper argued for brokered peace over absolute victory two years after 9/11 and just as the Iraq invasion was beginning. It backfires here by rendering the action finale beside the point. Diana has already had her Angels in the Outfield moment (“No, our family isn’t getting back together even though the Angels won the pennant!”) and the puzzle pieces that have made Diana of this film into the one we meet in Batman v Superman have already clicked into place. So the big showdown has a huge whiff of “Why bother?”
The picture tries to advocate for an optimistic finale even in the face of some pretty grim tidings, which feels like filmmakers wanting to offer an aspirational narrative even while trapped by pre-established tragedy. Still, without knowing for sure what comes next for DC Films, Wonder Woman continues the interesting thread of these gods among men attempting to figure out if humanity is worth saving and what their role in the world might be if we aren’t. It has an advantage over Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice, which dealt with Superman’s role in a hyper-politicized world where his every action has copious political consequences. Wonder Woman is set during a time when she could do her thing and merely be considered the stuff of oft-whispered legends.
Wonder Woman has some serious pacing issues over its 140-minute running time (there is lots of dead air in even the best dialogue sequences), to the point where my 9-year-old got antsy right before the big second-act battle scene. The narrative goes to pot in the second act, to the point where my daughter was justified in (quietly) asking me plot-related questions. Still, cinematographer Matthew Jensen’s picture looks gorgeous, with vibrant and bold colors contrasted with World War I-era fog and fatalism. Patty Jenkins' superheroine origin story is good and makes the case that a female-driven, female-directed superhero movie can be just as visually dynamic, just as action-packed and just as expansively epic as any male-centric offering. For those who merely wanted a sweeping, action-packed and IMAX-friendly Wonder Woman movie with a fine star performance at its center, you’ll drive home happy.
Yes, a tighter, better-plotted screenplay from Allan Heinberg, Jason Fuchs and Zack Snyder would have put this one up there with Batman Begins, Captain America or Spider-Man. Still, good is not the enemy of perfect, especially considering what’s at stake and how much entertainment value the film still delivers. Gadot is awesome, establishing Wonder Woman as an engaging and entertaining character beyond merely her ability to kick butt and Pine is charming as heck while never taking the spotlight from the title character. The action sequences are visually impressive, creatively staged, coherently edited and different in tone and structure from the superhero movies we’ve seen before. While the movie gets pretty grim, it remains a kid-friendly entertainment (the only reason I'm not taking my 6-year-old right away is the length and the pacing issues), and I imagine most kids won't care about the thematic contradictions.
Warts and all, Wonder Woman gives DC Films an ideal to strive towards. They have stumbled and they have fallen. But now it is time for them to accomplish wonders.
