Strangely, the release of Wonder Woman lacked the fanfare expected
from the DC’s normally rather intrusive marketing campaigns – something that
I’ve not been the only one to notice.
Instead much of the buzz about the film came as a result of
men losing
their
shit
over the fact that ONE cinema (out of millions of cinemas across the world)
decided to hold ONE women-only screening (out of dozens of screenings at that
cinema).
In spite of the uproar, no let’s be honest at least partly
because of the MRA outrage, I was excited for the film. Unlike the previous two
instalments in DC’s connected universe, Wonder Woman has been mostly
well-received by critics and benefits hugely from not being a bloated, confused
shitshow - again, unlike the previous two instalments in DC’s connected
universe.
Despite dragging its heels in places, Wonder Woman zips
between smartly choreographed action and well written dialogue, carried by the
chemistry between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. Gadot shines in the starring role
and with her background in the Islraeli armed forces makes for a very believable superheroine
– strong, empathetic and determined.
Chris Pine is charming and funny throughout, getting his
fair share of great one-liners and ultimately provides the emotional centre for
the film. Unfortunately, the film’s villains provide very little to get excited
about and are instantly relegated to the comprehensive ranks of forgettable comic
book film villains like Whiplash and Malekith.
Every shot looks beautiful, from the gorgeous island
stronghold of the Amazonians to the drab trenches of war-torn Europe, by way of
London’s grimy streets and alleyways. Director Patty Jenkin’s visuals work best
when these worlds collide, whether that’s German soldiers charging down
Amazonians on a tropical beach or Wonder Woman storming across no-man’s land.
Like, well…pretty much all comic book films, Wonder Woman
laying waste to faceless bad guys gets old quickly and you can’t help but
wonder why nobody shoots her in the fucking legs instead of aiming at her
shield. But I’m trying not to be a nit-picky arsehole.
Without getting too deep into spoilers, when the final
battle rolls around it’s robbed of any gravity it might have had by pitting two
characters whose powers and weaknesses we don’t really understand against each
other for some punching, throwing stuff and EXPLOSIONS. Riveting stuff.
The film’s best comedic moments are subtle and this is also
where the film is most subversive, poking fun at typical genre tropes like the
male gaze, baffling costume choices, and fragile masculinity.
There’s even a hint of intersectionality thrown in with Connie
Nielson and Robin Wright, two women over fifty, and Ann Wolfe, a black woman,
given some of the best non-Wonder Woman moments. It was especially refreshing
to see the USA’s contempt for indigenous people highlighted in a film about
standing up to the evils of man.
If I’m honest, I really did expect more from Wonder Woman, not
as a superhero movie but as the first true female-centred and female-directed superheroine
movie. I wanted Wonder Woman to be something ground-breaking and managed to
lose sight of the fact that for tens of millions of girls and women it was - because they finally got a comic-book movie they could call their own.
Ultimately, Wonder Woman proves that anything a man can do,
a woman can do too. Including slightly generic but entertaining superhero
origin stories.
Post-script
This didn’t really fit in as part of a nit-picky film
review, but Wonder Woman’s belief that the repeated acts of evil committed
during WW1 were the result of just one individual, somewhat parallels a
worrying modern trend.
Despite being faced with overwhelming evidence that there is
a culture of men committing brutal acts of violence against women in this
country, too many of us are happy to sweep it under the rug as the acts of
monstrous individuals.
For the record, 936
women killed between 2009 and 2015 in the UK alone cannot possibly be isolated
acts of violence by individuals. It’s nothing short of a war on women, commonly
perpetrated by those who “loved” the victims most with 64% of those murders
committed by current or former partners and a further 8% by their sons.
It’s only when Wonder Woman opens her eyes to the reality
that all men (yes, and all women too) have the potential to commit acts of evil
that she’s able to protect mankind. Until we as a society do the same, we’ll
also fail to protect the people that need it most, too busy chasing monsters
instead of confronting the deeper issue.
