Diana (Gal Gadot), Princess of Themyscira and not Wales, has always lived on a magically fog-hidden island of warrior women who apparently never grow beyond middle age. Despite the desire of Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) to keep her out of danger, danger comes to them when American spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) accidentally enters the fog while chased by German soldiers. He tells of "the war to end all wars," which Diana takes as a sign that Ares, god of war, is making a comeback. Alas, other amazons no longer consider it wise to try to protect anyone but themselves, so only she sets out with Steve on a quest for peace -- tho the two of them have different ideas of how to achieve it.
I've had moderate exposure to the main character before. It's nice to finally meet a version with a suitably foreign accent. She's not bulletproof this time, nor is she cheesy enough to fly an invisible jet or cheesecaky enough to get tangled in her own Lasso of Truth. I could hardly ask for a better distillation in terms of abilities and equipment. Furthermore, she shows a purity of heart that's been sorely missing from the last several Superman depictions, without a dull personality like he tends to have. It is very difficult to get her to compromise or even stop talking once motivated, and while such women are rarely appreciated in person, it's kind of refreshing in context.
My sources don't say why her origin story has moved from WWII to WWI, but I can think of a few reasons. First, this year marks the centennial of the U.S. entering WWI. Second, the WWII version would seem derivative of Captain America: The First Avenger nowadays. Third, Germans in WWI appear more redeemable, which becomes thematically important.
Speaking of themes, I thought of how Completely Hollywood (Abridged) semi-facetiously said that every movie could be summarized in one of four ways: "Coming of Age," "Boy Meets Girl," "Fish out of Water," and "Jesus Story." This one qualifies for all four. After we see Diana grow from a cute young warrior wannabe to a capable champion, she still has a lot to learn about the outside world (tho not as much as you'd expect; the amazons somehow know hundreds of languages, ancient and modern). One key learning is that regular humans -- men, anyway -- do not need much prodding to resort to ill-justified violence or leave it unopposed, regardless of which side they're on. But they are more complicated than Ares or Hippolyta would have her believe, so she won't give up on them.
I won't say it's especially intelligent. Sometimes I had to ponder why a character could possibly think he or she made a good move. But it is pretty effective on an emotional level. Culture clash lends a lot of humor, not just with naivete but with some hypercompetence. The usually hard-edged Diana expresses great sorrow as appropriate, and her action scenes are always a treat.
Let me elaborate on that last point: Some of those sequences made me downright giddy, almost squirming in my seat, to an extent that probably no other comic book movie has ever accomplished. I assure you it wasn't lust, or I'd've held a higher opinion of Iron Man 2; while athletic women can be hot and Diana is certainly easy on the eyes, a fight generally suspends my libido, since it's really not the time for courtship. Could my enjoyment be a real-life sign of the message about our corrupt nature? Perhaps, but a large part of what sold the scenes to me was a sense of righteousness, both for female power and for general humanity. My mom confided that she got pretty giddy herself, what with Diana showing no fear at all.
The general cinematic elements are basically well done. I approve all the casting, including the many pro athletes who became amazons (several of them black) and the horse-riding girl who played Diana at her youngest. The cinematography always works nicely, even if you have to get used to the exaggerated grayness of Europe in contrast to Themyscira. And the villains function better than I anticipated early on.
To my mind, the weakest link is the relationship between Diana and Steve. I don't blame either for developing feelings for the other, but a woman falling for the first man she meets reminds me a bit of Miranda from The Tempest. It does take a while to get past her schooling that men offer little beyond reproduction, yet their romantic moments manage to be awkward in both swiftness and slowness. Oh well, still arguably better than Supes and Lois Lane.
A more hardcore feminist would prefer more focus on the many occasions when men (and sometimes women) expected little from women in the 1910s and Diana blew those expectations away. Then again, I can't readily name a film that would satisfy that caliber of feminist. There kinda had to be a pretty big focus on Steve if only to keep the plot moving where it had to. Does he "fulfill" her? I'm not sure. But I don't perceive a type of dependency that suggests an advantage for men even above an excellent amazon. At most, I'd say we all benefit from cooperation and guidance in both directions between the sexes.
Oh yeah: The filmmakers threw in a few racial references while they were at it. Two secondary heroes assembled by Steve are a Middle Easterner and an American Indian, both of whom privately complain about the scarcity of their options due to oppression. We all have our struggles, they say, but it's more obvious in some cases. Diana does nothing to aid them in their struggles, not because she has no dog in the fight but because, well, what can she do, especially at the western front?
I, Dad, and Mom all had fun and decided WW more or less lives up to the hype. I have no doubt about what'll be the most popular female costume this Halloween, barring inhospitable weather.
Speaking of themes, I thought of how Completely Hollywood (Abridged) semi-facetiously said that every movie could be summarized in one of four ways: "Coming of Age," "Boy Meets Girl," "Fish out of Water," and "Jesus Story." This one qualifies for all four. After we see Diana grow from a cute young warrior wannabe to a capable champion, she still has a lot to learn about the outside world (tho not as much as you'd expect; the amazons somehow know hundreds of languages, ancient and modern). One key learning is that regular humans -- men, anyway -- do not need much prodding to resort to ill-justified violence or leave it unopposed, regardless of which side they're on. But they are more complicated than Ares or Hippolyta would have her believe, so she won't give up on them.
I won't say it's especially intelligent. Sometimes I had to ponder why a character could possibly think he or she made a good move. But it is pretty effective on an emotional level. Culture clash lends a lot of humor, not just with naivete but with some hypercompetence. The usually hard-edged Diana expresses great sorrow as appropriate, and her action scenes are always a treat.
Let me elaborate on that last point: Some of those sequences made me downright giddy, almost squirming in my seat, to an extent that probably no other comic book movie has ever accomplished. I assure you it wasn't lust, or I'd've held a higher opinion of Iron Man 2; while athletic women can be hot and Diana is certainly easy on the eyes, a fight generally suspends my libido, since it's really not the time for courtship. Could my enjoyment be a real-life sign of the message about our corrupt nature? Perhaps, but a large part of what sold the scenes to me was a sense of righteousness, both for female power and for general humanity. My mom confided that she got pretty giddy herself, what with Diana showing no fear at all.
The general cinematic elements are basically well done. I approve all the casting, including the many pro athletes who became amazons (several of them black) and the horse-riding girl who played Diana at her youngest. The cinematography always works nicely, even if you have to get used to the exaggerated grayness of Europe in contrast to Themyscira. And the villains function better than I anticipated early on.
To my mind, the weakest link is the relationship between Diana and Steve. I don't blame either for developing feelings for the other, but a woman falling for the first man she meets reminds me a bit of Miranda from The Tempest. It does take a while to get past her schooling that men offer little beyond reproduction, yet their romantic moments manage to be awkward in both swiftness and slowness. Oh well, still arguably better than Supes and Lois Lane.
A more hardcore feminist would prefer more focus on the many occasions when men (and sometimes women) expected little from women in the 1910s and Diana blew those expectations away. Then again, I can't readily name a film that would satisfy that caliber of feminist. There kinda had to be a pretty big focus on Steve if only to keep the plot moving where it had to. Does he "fulfill" her? I'm not sure. But I don't perceive a type of dependency that suggests an advantage for men even above an excellent amazon. At most, I'd say we all benefit from cooperation and guidance in both directions between the sexes.
Oh yeah: The filmmakers threw in a few racial references while they were at it. Two secondary heroes assembled by Steve are a Middle Easterner and an American Indian, both of whom privately complain about the scarcity of their options due to oppression. We all have our struggles, they say, but it's more obvious in some cases. Diana does nothing to aid them in their struggles, not because she has no dog in the fight but because, well, what can she do, especially at the western front?
I, Dad, and Mom all had fun and decided WW more or less lives up to the hype. I have no doubt about what'll be the most popular female costume this Halloween, barring inhospitable weather.
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