Wonder Woman
I really like Wonder Woman a lot, as I wrote about HERE
Just back from the opening night of Wonder Woman and I loved every minute of the film. From the opening with Diana getting a package from a friend and then fading to her origin to the very end of the movie with her jumping into action again.
Lilly Aspell played Diana as a child and was so good, her posture and expressions foreshadow who she will become. I also loved Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta, strong and wise and regal. Robin Wright was Diana’s Aunt, Antiope and played the role beautifully. The Diana becoming Wonder Woman part was a nice blend of things taken from the comics and Having read the comics for a long time I think they did it quite well and in a way that didn’t feel like a forced origin. Everything on Themyscira was so fun, it really did look like a paradise island. I also loved the training scenes, great action yet elegant.
Once Steve Trevor comes into play the movie starts to move. Chris Pine did a really nice job of being charming and honorable and heroic while still letting Diana be the star. Steve is there to aid Diana and her story and that’s exactly how it was played.
I quite liked Ares as the bad guy and her reason to leave home to go to man’s world. It ties in with the mythology without hitting you over the head with it. I also think the WWI setting works and understand why they made the change from WWII. Truthfully WWI is under represented in our stories (as my pal Sean pointed out) and it worked great.
Gal Gadot.
Without going into why I liked Batman V Superman I will say that Gal Gadot’s short time on screen as Wonder Woman was a big part of me liking it. With a whole movie to play with she proved beyond a doubt that she was perfect for the role. Diana comes across as strong, wise, empathetic, brave, and a true hero.
I also think the directing was well done. A lesser director would have over played the “first time in the big city” angle or been more heavy handed with the bad guys. Nothing felt over the top or overdone. A bit of humor in places where it fit and serious when it needed to be without getting dark.
I will be seeing this in the theater again. The only other movies I’ve seen more than once when they first came out were Star Wars (before it was called New Hope) Goodfellas and Star Wars The Force Awakens. This is not only everything I want in a Superhero movie, it’s everything I want in ANY kind of movie.
