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.
Wonder Woman Review (Spoilers ahead!)
Many superhero and comic book fans had their dreams come true when the film Wonder Woman finally came out in June 2017. The film had been in development since 1996 with various filmmakers attempting to get the film off the ground. However, once she debuted onscreen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, there was a huge mandate for the character of Wonder Woman (alter ego Diana Prince) to see her own solo movie. With the movie receiving rave reviews from audiences and critics alike, it seems likely a sequel will be made to Wonder Woman’s first solo adventure. However, it was a long quest to get this film made. Director Patty Jenkins and the film’s star, Gal Gadot, deserve all the praise in the world.
Gadot’s Diana is a princess and demigoddess who grows up learning about stories of a man’s world but never knowing it firsthand. Her conception of what life is like is destroyed when she sees U.S. Army Air Service Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash land into the water surrounding her home of Themyscira. She sees Trevor and feels compelled to save him because of the mission of the Amazons, which is to protect man from the temptations of the god Ares. Diana goes against the wishes of her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), and travels to London, England with Trevor in order to help fight the Germans.
Diana believes Ares is the one behind all of the current corruption (the movie takes place at the end of World War I). She feels that Ares is Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston), the German general behind many of the machinations of the film. However, it is Sir Patrick Morgan (David Thewlis), an ally at one point who becomes an evil enemy. Morgan compels the British Parliament into pushing through an armistice, whose conditions would eventually lead straight into World War II. Yet, Diana is able to unmask the man once he reveals the truth about her origins.
As for these origins, Diana’s initially believes that she was made from clay and brought to life by powerful god Zeus. The truth is that she is the daughter of both Zeus and Hippolyta. It was a more recent addition to the Wonder Woman canon in DC’s New 52 Wonder Woman comic series by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. This latest origin was incorporated into the film and works much better than the clay story ever would. Within the context of her reflecting on her origins after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the film works quite well connected to the greater DC Extended Universe but also works as a stand-alone movie.
Gadot and Pine both offer superb performances. Not only do they have chemistry but they are both perfectly cast in their roles. Huston, Thewlis, and Nielsen are all well-suited for their roles as well. We even get an extended cameo from Robin Wright as General Antiope, the Amazon who trains Diana to become Wonder Woman. Writers Allan Heinberg, Zack Snyder, and Jason Fuchs put together an excellent story and script. With a great cast and writing team all around, Patty Jenkins’s Wonder Woman would not be what it is without the talent of everyone involved. This film truly displays the power of the Amazons on every level.
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About the author: Tommy Zimmer is a writer whose work has appeared online and in print. His work covers a variety of topics, including politics, economics, health and wellness, addiction and recovery, and the entertainment industry.
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