Reviews & Ratings for
Wonder Woman (2017)

Wonder Woman – So Inspiring to Young Girls and the Lift We All Needed

I can’t review Wonder Woman like any old film. It shouldn’t be so momentous that a woman director has directed for the first time a superhero film, that cracked $100 million opening weekend. But it is. Patty Jenkins had directed an Oscar winning independent film, Monster, that cost $8 million, had garnered the Directors Guild Award for the TV Series The Killing — and yet…. the headlines said it was a “gamble” to let her helm a superhero film. It is maddening. When young male directors are given huge action or superhero films after smaller indie films, it’s not called a gamble. The Mary Sue called out this double standard misogyny.

I can’t separate my review of the film from what it has felt like to read about other women’s reaction seeing the film. It’s everything to see a woman centered superhero film, directed by a woman. And then there are the pictures of the little girls who dressed up to see the film, or got to meet their heroine. Gah!

Read the full review here: https://moviemavengal.com/2017/06/07/wonder-woman-so-inspiring-to-young-girls-and-the-lift-we-all-needed/

Honestly it might be the first Zack Snyder series of DC film that I enjoyed (May be because Zack Snyder wasn't the director :P). Seemed like a superhero movie in disguise in the first view because I guess they couldn't afford the awesomeness of Robin Wright for the full movie. The character of the General was too weak and I can never expect Lupin (David Thewlis) not being a good guy. The main punch of the whole movie is the direction which is wonderful. Watch it for the lovely Gal Galot

It is one of the highly anticipated summer movies and with the buzz going around, I wanted it to be better one. Though it felt good in pieces. The action was kickass, Gal Galot looked fabulous, Chris Pine thumbs up but overall, it failed to impress. Don't want to spoil it for anybody by going into detail but a word of advice - "keep your expectations low".
By the end, the movie felt like a typical DC movie with a gender switch and slightly better colors during the initial part of the first half.
PS: Fans please don't hate me for not liking it as much as the whole RT Universe.

Wonder Woman…
Female led super hero movies are few and far between, in this day and age, this movie along with everything else is also a statement, which says, if a talking tree and racoon can be huge hits, (Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2) then isn’t it time for Wonder Woman, one of the Founders of the Justice League to have her own solo film, which is good, shows her depth and doesn’t cash in on her sexy outfit.
This movie manages of the above and a bit more.
Acting:
Let’s start with the casting. Unlike Marvel movies, DC hasn’t gotten its actors right in a lot of instances. Gal Gadot was not a fan favourite for the role, she is a bit too skinny and not the wonder woman body type, (ideally someone like Xena Warrior Princess’s Lucy Lawless type).
BUT, Gal Gadot has managed to perform rather well in the film, from her innocence to the sense of power radiating from her, she manages every aspect of the character perfectly, the emotion she extrudes is that of compassion and power. Both are crucial aspects of the character.
Chris Pine, famous for his role as the new Captain Kirk on star trek plays the male lead and he carries a lot of the film on his shoulders. He works well with Gadot and their chemistry is believable without being cheesy.
The rest of the team whose picture we have already seen in Batman V Superman, do their role perfectly, though their characters get a bit short changed and as this is not an ensemble film, that’s not too much of an issue.
As for the bad guys, this film has them, but doesn’t really use them too much, which is fine, the subject of the film is Wonder Woman and the story serves her in every turn.

Direction:
Now coming to the direction, this is one of the few super hero films directed by a woman, somehow that shouldn’t be a factor in the quality of the film, but only a female director could show wonder woman in her skimpy outfit as powerful, without making her look silly or sleazy. That Is one of the big factor in the film, this gorgeous looking female warrior does turn heads everywhere, but she amazes with her powers and her dignity and not by showing off her legs (not that there is anything wrong with that)
Also, the fight scenes, the way they are shot is simply amazing. Something that BvS totally lacked, a dynamic quality to the way the action has been shot and choreographed, much like Captain America (2 and 3) this film REALLY manages to show off the character’s super human abilities convincingly.
Speaking of Captain America, this film is very similar to that character’s solo film. Including an unstoppable (Spoilers – Minor) Plane with bombs which the bad guys have devised to blow up London. If that sounds familiar, well, it’s a old trope of action films, stop the car/plane/ship with the bombs.
Score:
Last but not the least, the score, the wonder woman theme is really good and the way it’s used in the action scenes, makes the scenes even better. We have heard this theme before in BvS, but it only gets justice in this film.

Overall:
This film manages to mix magic, war and greek mythology together, which is sort of difficult to get. Along with a fish out of water story of Diana Prince is new to the world of men. The movie is slow in bits, some parts are very similar to other super hero movies, but the female lead, the action scenes and the last fight sequence really make up for the slower bits of the film.

Rating : 8/10. This is a film recommended for most people who like super hero / action films. Unlike other films, this is not made just for the fans, it can be seen by someone who is new to the DC universe and still enjoy fully.

After watching the disappointment that was wonder woman 1984 going back and re visiting this one was much needed. DC have a lot of weak films in their catalogue but wonder woman is a true exception besides the third act everything here is perfect and its one of the best superhero films of the past decade. Patty Jenkins was the perfect director for this film her visual style is breathtaking, The cinematography and set pieces are gorgeous and so many of the action sequences are incredible to watch. The cast is exceptional with Gal Gadot being the clear stand out her performance is so full of passion and life and she truly captures the power and heart of this character, Chris Pine is so charming and he easily gives one of the best performances of his entire career and his chemistry with Gal Gadot is excellent. If it wasn't for the third act this film would be perfect but unfortunately the third act does bring the film down a bit as the story takes a bad turn and the CGI becomes a complete mess that being said the disappointing third act isn't disappointing enough to ruin how incredible everything else in the film is and in my opinion this film is a must see.

In a quest to be something different, the movie becomes a routine superhero flick. Wonder woman is probably the most well received film to come out of DC Universe so far. But for all its praise the only thing it actually did well was to be the first female solo superhero movie to feature a badass heroine. It basically used the standard superhero film template and inserted a heroine into it. No doubt the film has set a precedent with its success and this has surely inspired even Marvel who is now releasing its own female superhero film, Captain Marvel. The film uses a tired three arc structure and does nothing new with the genre. Also, the characters apart from the titular heroine are bland and run using the tried and tested war film mechanics and ambitions. Also, while the film actually hit a bizarre but superb note with Diana realizing that the war is caused by stupidity of humans and not interference of gods, it is soon turned to dust with introduction of Ares. All in all it was on the cusp of trying something truly new and exciting but left it to please causal fans of the genre.

Probably a refreshing take on the classic Wonder Woman comics, this movie is a visual spectacle. It features the best action scenes. Gal Gadot is remarkable in the role and plays to perfection. She used that convincing acting talent and was flawless while fighting.

The visuals were spectacular, especially in the Roman Era scenes. The war was very realistic and the overall feel was fabulous. The only downside is the prolonged fighting towards the climax, which could've been shortened. Chris Pine was good as a supporting actor. The twists in the end was good.
It is a very good adaptation of superhero comics in the DC world.

Wonder Woman is a film directed by Patty Jenkins. I saw all the 4 trailers of the film and had high hopes. But still there was a part in me that was scared for this film since we didn't get some impressive films from the DC Extended Universe. But man, I breathed relief as I came out of the hall.

Plot: Diana, an Amazonian from Themysciara decides to go to the outside world to defeat Ares and restore peace in the world.

Story and direction: The story was as good as it got. The woman director move by Zac Snyder (who happens to be the story writer and producer of the film) was great. Although I had my reservations (Patty has directed only one film- Monster that was not a commercial film), but they were all cleared few minutes into the film. I could see the film go wrong in many ways but I guess the sailor of the ship (ie director) was apt. The first act was kind of slow. But yes we needed that to strengthen Diana as a character. The second act is where we get a sense of comedy, as Diana trying to understand what is happening around her. It could have become way absurd with the comedy. But thank god, that didn't happen. We get to see characters fleshed out so nicely. We see Steve's friends who are actually in the horrors of war or who don't want to be a part of the war but have to be due to some reason. The third act is where actually most of the action happens, which was phenomenal. The only problem I had was actually with the main villain: Ares. There was a tension, frustration, etc.. But I wanted more of that. Even the General taking some kind of drug to increase his strength, I saw no use actually in that.

Acting: Gal Gadot was par excellence in her role as Wonder Woman. I couldn't picture any other actress for this role. The fierceness needed for the role was there in her. Hats Off!!!. Chris Pine will be loved by me for the role of Steve Trevor (although I still don't understand his "multi picture deal" thing). Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright were good as Hippolyta and Antiope respectively. David Thewelis as Sir Patrick Morgan was good (Love him as Varga in Fargo) but he was so so in Ares. I wished to see a much younger actor for the role of Ares.

Favorite Scene: I guess it would be where Steve expresses his love for Diana before going on a flight full of gas canisters. That was kind of intense for me.

Verdict: This film although not fully perfect but has instilled in me that there is hope for the extended Dc Universe. I am rooting for the Justice League (given the fact that 2 Directors are giving their contributions to this film). Go enjoy this film. I can assure you it will not be a disappointing experience.

I give it a 9/10.