Engaging, entertaining & exciting!
FILM: Wonder Woman
CAST: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, David Thewlis, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen, Said Taghmaoui, Elena Anaya, Danny Huston, Lucy Davis, Lilly Aspell
At the outset, the superlatives: this action fantasy starring one of my favourite comic book super-heroines, is entertaining, engaging and exciting. “But your English is excellent” the American pilot and her love interest Steve (Chris Pine, strong) Trevor tells Wonder (Gal Gadot, ) Woman. Scriptwriter Allan Heinberg also makes another faux pas when Trevor tells Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince that beer is German and tea, English.
Salaams, nonetheless to Heinberg (and Jenkins) for making this origins story, a marvellous feminist manifesto which will ruffle no feathers at all, particularly prickly male ones.
For, Diana and Steve enjoy meaningful conversations about the nature of humankind. The setting is World War 1 and Steve is also a spy, which makes him privy to lies, subterfuge and deceit. Diana, created from clay by the God Zeus, may be a warrior princess, but she is innocent about men and firmly believes that peace will be established by killing Ares, the God of war and the source of slaughter in the Great War between Germans and other Europeans.
What is utterly transparent though – and kudos to the scriptwriter and director – is Wonder Woman’s character and the blatant misogyny of the military types who marginalise her and are unable to accept her encyclopaedic knowledge.
The audience does. Lots. Loads of action, mind-blowing explosions, gun battles, hand-to-hand fighting and in the final act, a spectacular showdown between Ares and Diana using her signature golden lasso to amazing effect.
In the next film, and may it hit theatres soon, viewers will hopefully, be introduced to interactions, make that confrontations between our brave, compassionate super-heroine and the mad female scientist, Dr. Maru. Oh, and other monsters too.