Who brings a sword and a lasso to World War I? Wonder Woman

Back in June I had the privilege of going to a movie–in a real movie theater. That, in and of itself, is noteworthy since I live more than an hour from the nearest movie theater. What did I see? Wonder Woman.

Here’s my review.

There is a lot to love about this film.

First, the protagonist is a woman with a sword and superpowers. Need I say more?

Second, it’s not a romance in the modern genre sense. There is no HEA. And I’m okay with that. For one thing, it would have been the easy choice. Some other character could have suddenly revealed his/her knowledge of how to fly a plane. It wouldn’t be the first time. The other reason I’m glad that didn’t happen is that it highlighted one of the things I enjoyed about the film: Diana is not the only hero. Sure, she’s a goddess and a superhero, but the other characters–Steve, Sameer, Chief, Charlie–are also heroic and risk themselves for others. This is true not only of the men who accompany Diana but also of the Amazons. For example, Antiope doesn’t even blink before throwing herself in front of the blow meant for Diana.

Third, the costuming is fantastic. Aside from the fact that I love the clothing from this period–I covet Diana’s grey suit–the costume designers did a wonderful job with the armor. And how happy am I that Diana had armor instead of star-spangled silk knickers? The armor is functional. It doesn’t obscure her figure but it doesn’t emphasize it, either. Personally speaking, I want my armor functional–sexy hits way down the list. I also wouldn’t be fighting in heels, but then I’m not a goddess and know my limitations.

Fourth, and maybe this should be first, I liked the film because of its compassion. This wasn’t about a fight between gods, or not just about that. Obviously, Diana and Ares fight. But ultimately it’s not really about which one of them is better/tougher/stronger. It’s about the stakes. Diana’s not fighting to prove she’s the best. She’s fighting for the innocent villagers; she’s fighting for her comrades in arms; she’s fighting for all the soldiers–even the Germans–caught up in the war. This is why she inspires others to follow her. The film also doesn’t shy away from showing us the stakes. We see clearly the consequences of the conflict between gods and superheroes. All too often superhero movies obscure the civilians caught up in such battles.

Fifth, no one ‘saves’ Diana. She has help but at no time is she waiting for someone to rescue her. She makes her choices and owns them.

There are a couple things I didn’t like. Why did Dr. Maru have to be disfigured? I didn’t catch any backstory that explained it, and I’m not familiar with the comic book so I have no a priori knowledge. It’s an annoying visual shorthand. And was she really so flattered by a man flirting with her that she almost forgets her purpose and loyalty? Steve is handsome and charming, but Dr. Maru seems to be made of sterner stuff and unlikely to fall easily for handsome and charming–even if he does flatter her work. She’s smarter than that, yet for a moment she’s falling for it. Until his attention wavers and turns her into a woman scorned, and the audience is left with the impression that Steve would have solved everything if Diana hadn’t interrupted the flirtation. I also didn’t like that the German high command didn’t resemble their historical counterparts, but that’s a minor irritation considering I’m okay with the (major) departures from historical fact.

All in all, a great film. I can’t wait to add it to my collection.