I always resented Wonder Woman growing up. Consider me a convert.
I resented her not because there was anything inherently wrong with the character, but because she was one of the only notable superheroines. At Halloween, boys had a bevy of superhero costumes to choose from, but if I happened to want a female specific superhero I was left with just one recognizable choice.
I understood the importance of the character in historical context, she helped pave the way for caped comic heroines for over 76 years. However, I found her frustratingly flawed, in that she is generally without flaws. It’s the same reason I’m not drawn to Superman and Captain America. They were all created within a few years of each other during World War II. Their purity, while admirable, was boring. The characters gained complexity over the decades thanks to various comic book plotlines, but they tended to remain rooted in virtue.
So the stakes couldn’t have been higher for me going to see the feature adaptation of Wonder Woman.The previous few DC Comics movies had let me down (Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad) the only redeeming part of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was Gal Gadot. But did that mean she could carry a whole film on her own?
Add to that the pressure of the film being the first studio hero flick to be helmed by a woman, Patty Jenkins (best known for directing Charlize Theron in Monster.) . So if the film was anything less than a smash, it could threaten the future of not only female superheroes on screen, but women directing blockbusters.
Thankfully, Patty Jenkins put forth a heroic effort and did what no man (or other woman) has been able to do for the past 76 years: She brought Wonder Woman successfully to the big screen. Together with Gal Gadot, she made a Wonder Woman convert out of me. The character in the film simply kicked ass. She had agency, she was assertive, she was alluring, and she was funny.
Part of the plot centers around Wonder Woman leaving her home island of Themyscira for the first time and venturing into Europe during World War I. In less deft hands we would have been left with a Diana Prince wandering around London doe-eyed and naive. Instead, she is on a mission to save the world.
I was even won over by her on-screen romance with Steve Trevor (played by Chris Pine). I was apprehensive that they would make Wonder Woman an Amazon on the battlefield but a pile of goo the second a man came into the picture. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. Even in that dynamic, Gadot was in control.
The movie is not without flaws. There are a few structural changes I would have made to the pacing. There’s a plot point or two I personally would have envisioned differently. All of that can be overlooked, though, thanks to the sense of pride it gave me sitting in the theater, thinking “YEAH, women CAN carry a superhero film!”
Not that the movie just for women; it’s an all around enjoyable film. In fact, I’d say it’s DC’s strongest showing since the Christopher Nolan Batman films. while I may still struggle with some aspects of the character’s historical legacy, I officially consider myself a fan of Jenkins and Gadot’s modern Wonder Woman.
I understood the importance of the character in historical context, she helped pave the way for caped comic heroines for over 76 years. However, I found her frustratingly flawed, in that she is generally without flaws. It’s the same reason I’m not drawn to Superman and Captain America. They were all created within a few years of each other during World War II. Their purity, while admirable, was boring. The characters gained complexity over the decades thanks to various comic book plotlines, but they tended to remain rooted in virtue.
So the stakes couldn’t have been higher for me going to see the feature adaptation of Wonder Woman.The previous few DC Comics movies had let me down (Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad) the only redeeming part of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was Gal Gadot. But did that mean she could carry a whole film on her own?
Add to that the pressure of the film being the first studio hero flick to be helmed by a woman, Patty Jenkins (best known for directing Charlize Theron in Monster.) . So if the film was anything less than a smash, it could threaten the future of not only female superheroes on screen, but women directing blockbusters.
Thankfully, Patty Jenkins put forth a heroic effort and did what no man (or other woman) has been able to do for the past 76 years: She brought Wonder Woman successfully to the big screen. Together with Gal Gadot, she made a Wonder Woman convert out of me. The character in the film simply kicked ass. She had agency, she was assertive, she was alluring, and she was funny.
Part of the plot centers around Wonder Woman leaving her home island of Themyscira for the first time and venturing into Europe during World War I. In less deft hands we would have been left with a Diana Prince wandering around London doe-eyed and naive. Instead, she is on a mission to save the world.
I was even won over by her on-screen romance with Steve Trevor (played by Chris Pine). I was apprehensive that they would make Wonder Woman an Amazon on the battlefield but a pile of goo the second a man came into the picture. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. Even in that dynamic, Gadot was in control.
The movie is not without flaws. There are a few structural changes I would have made to the pacing. There’s a plot point or two I personally would have envisioned differently. All of that can be overlooked, though, thanks to the sense of pride it gave me sitting in the theater, thinking “YEAH, women CAN carry a superhero film!”
Not that the movie just for women; it’s an all around enjoyable film. In fact, I’d say it’s DC’s strongest showing since the Christopher Nolan Batman films. while I may still struggle with some aspects of the character’s historical legacy, I officially consider myself a fan of Jenkins and Gadot’s modern Wonder Woman.
This article originally appeared on KFOG.com on June 5, 2017
