Wonder Woman is the next installment in the DC comic extended universe (DCEU) preceded by Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman (2015), and Suicide Squad (2016) – all of which received mixed reviews upon their releases. Wonder Woman is the story of an Amazon princess (Gal Gadot) who finds her blissful life on an island occupied only by female warriors interrupted when a pilot (Chris Pine) crash-lands nearby. After rescuing him, she learns that World War I is engulfing the planet and vows to use her superpowers to restore peace while along the way discovering for herself what it truly means to be wonderful. It is the first on-screen adaptation for Wonder Woman aside from a few short short scenes in Batman v Superman‘s climatic battle. Many are calling this the perfect time for Wonder Woman to be on the big screen and if the weekend box-office numbers stay true, it could be one of the biggest summer hits of 2017.
Why is this such a big deal? Name the last good woman lead superhero movie…go ahead – you may struggle a bit. To help in your search, here are some previous lead heroines films that didn’t do so well:
- There was the horrendous Supergirl (1984) that taught audiences to believe that women heroes were simply cheesy and wide-eyed heroines.
- Jump a few decades to Halle Berry’s Catwoman (2004) where during her acceptance speech for a Razzie (the awards for the worst of’s) she openly admitted, “…Thank Warner Bros. for casting me in this [garbage]-awful movie.”
- And then there was the stinko Elektra (2005) in which Jennifer Gardner tried, but the story and dialogue were so bad, nothing could save this movie from being another rotten attempt at a female driven superhero movie.
That’s it! Every other superhero movie has centered around men (Ironman, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Superman, Ant-Man…you get the point). All that said, thankfully, Wonder Woman is thrilling, earnest, and grounded by Gal Gadot’s charismatic performance, this movie succeeds in spectacular fashion – dare I even say that it is simply “wonderful”.
***There are NO SPOILERS! This, along with any other “The Gospel According To…” reviews are spoiler-free reviews to help you both understand the movie as well as illuminate the Gospel’s presence throughout the film. So feel free to read without the worry of having the movie ruined for you if you have not seen it quite yet. Remember too, these are my own feelings about this movie so feel free to disagree and share your own thoughts about this movie!
#1 – What everyone wants to know right away is – how well is the character Wonder Woman portrayed by Gal Gadot? Like many, I was skeptical at first when I heard she was cast. She didn’t seem to fit the part in my mind and I was nervous about how she would carry herself in order to live up to what many picture in their mind when you say “Wonder Woman” – that of Lynda Carter. But after seeing her arrival in Batman v Superman, those worries disappeared instantaneously and got me really excited for what she could do in her own standalone movie. Here she is front and center and boy does she star! Who would’ve believed that a woman in the Miss Universe pageant in 2004 representing her homeland of Israel would one day be the famed onscreen Wonder Woman? She is the brightest character of this whole film and her excitement, joy, and courage spill into the other charters from Themyscira (Amazons) and the real world (Chris Pine’s rag-tag team) that will leave viewers with a positive message leaving the theaters.
#2 – This movie not only broke new ground for the Wonder Woman character, but also for female director Patty Jenkins. This film is the biggest-ever opening for a film directed by a woman and that needs to be celebrated more as the fandom for this film grows. It’s not just that she’s a woman. It’s what she does with this character who she has loved for many years now making her dream come true. For all the men out there thinking this movie is feminist-propaganda, you’ve got to open your eyes to see that’s not what she’s all about. Think back to Donner’s Superman (1979). Audiences have loved that film for decades because Christopher Reeve is the every person’s hero – male and female! And that same charisma shines through Jenkins’ adaption of Wonder Woman – a hero for all. She doesn’t play down the role of her male companions nor do they overly praise her for “saving the day”; it’s a team effort in each of the 3 major action scenes throughout the film and each shows Jenkins’ vision for the heroine of all.
***Jenkins has even mentioned in interviews leading up to this film’s release how much she adores the original Superman movie. So much so that there are a number of homages/”easter eggs” throughout Wonder Woman so keep your eyes out for them!
#3 – As mentioned previously about Gadot’s performance, the message of this movie resonates on so many positive elements, it brightens the film and genre so much so that Marvel and DC have set the bar higher than ever before. When a film director comes in and says that the message/tone will be “Power”, “Courage”, and “Wonder” those are tall orders to live up to. Most never achieve that, they just say that to bolster their movie’s ideologies. But as Wonder Woman progresses, those messages of hope and joy leave audiences, especially younger viewers, with a role model. Now is she perfect – no. I’m not praising her that far. But compare her character to that of Superman in the DCEU. (Minor spoiler if you haven’t seen Man of Steel) Superman, though he lives by a credence of justice, courage, and freedom for all, makes the choice at the end of that film to kill Zod in a dark and terrifying seen that left many critics and viewers with saying, “That’s not the Superman I grew up knowing.” Diana, Wonder Woman, lives by a very different set of rules that by the end of this film lead her to a new realization about good vs. evil. She sees mankind for what it is and so too her role and what she stands for.
(To read more check out the: “What is the Gospel?” section below for more on these positive elements of the film.)
#4 – Wonder Woman isn’t the only thing that brightens up this movie – its visuals and color palette make this movie simply pop off the screen! All of the DC comic movies to this point have had a dark tone and color scheme to them (Nolan’s Dark Knight, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, etc.). For the first time since Green Lantern (I can’t believe I’m comparing these 2 movies because one is great and the other…not so much…), Wonder Woman from the opening scenes sets itself apart by creating standout colors of vibrancy, lightness, adventure, and excitement. Yes, once Diana goes to London the film does tend to lean more towards Nolan’s and Snyder’s darker colors, but by that point Gal Gadot fills in the missing elements because you are invested in her as a character thanks to her time with the Amazons – her native people. There’s power in that Lasso of Truth that sparkles on screen unlike that of Superman’s heat vision or Suicide Squads‘ El Diablo and his pyro-antics. The first time you see her suit it dazzles compared to that of the grey and monotone war colors. I’d love to see DC continue to make movies that pop with color so that later movies in this series can standout just as much. Imagine the Flash with bright, bold colors…getting goosebumps already! Colors in movies tell your eyes and brain how you should feel about what you’re seeing – wonderfully here you feel the excitement when watching each scene.
#5 – One quick note since I love movie soundtracks – what DC is getting right about their movies that Marvel has not done well is the standout of the scores and main themes of their characters. Here’s a little game: hum the Thor main theme. Yeah, you probably can’t think of it. Try humming the Ant-Man theme song. Not as easy as you’d think after 15 films so far already in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and they are adding more like Spiderman, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel…so far! Not too many besides the Avengers theme standout in my mind. But after watching Wonder Woman, her song is so recognizable that it reminds me of what John Williams does in Star Wars movies – tailors songs that fit with the characters. Rupert Gregson-Williams (who sounds an awful like his brother – the award-winning composer Harry Gregon-Williams best known for Chronicles of Narnia and The Martian) lays out a phenomenal main theme that will remind you of Wonder Woman in every film she’s in or mentioned. Just wait for how they’ll continue to use her theme in the next installment Justice League.
#1 – There aren’t too many things to say about what I didn’t like in Wonder Woman, but as with any movie, there are some issues. Firstly, I realize she’s Wonder Woman and that comes with many gifted abilities and strengths. You almost have to make a CGI version of Wonder Woman in order to showcase all that she is, but when the time comes for CGI Wonder Woman, it doesn’t look all that great. If technology in cinema is at a place where apes look real in the new Planet of the Apes movies, Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher can come back to life in Rogue One, and The Jungle Book can generate everything on screen except Mowgli and look amazingly stunning, then why can’t Wonder Woman? There were far too many times when you could tell it wasn’t Gal Gadot on screen and that got to be distracting. You can tell they are trying to cover it up with the constant slo-mo scenes made popular by 300. It’s fine at first when you’re excitedly thinking, “Yeah! This is sweet,” when it sadly later it becomes, “Oh this again?” Is it better than Man of Steel – yes. But it could have been and should have been so much better.
***Then again, she looks pretty stunning beating up Nazi’s while Gal Gadot is 5 months pregnant so I’ll give her that!
#2 – This next problem is one most comic book movies suffer from and I feared it would be the same in Wonder Woman – the villain doesn’t measure up to what is supposed to be a climatic fair fight. And where I feel the issues biggest problem is in this movie is that it doesn’t know who it wants to be the main villain. At first the Amazon’s tell stories of Ares, the god of war, who is their greatest enemy and Diana’s sole focus begins with defeating him. Later they meet Danny Huston’s villainous Nazi general, Erich Ludendorff who seems to be calling the shots. That is until Diana and the team see that Lundendorff’s power is rooted in the necessity for his chemist Elena Anaya’s character Dr. Isabel Maru (aka “Doctor Poison”). So who is it?
As with all comic book movies, we obviously care about the hero – their origin, motive, and struggle to be great heroes. But when the villain looks weak, so too does the payoff at the end. There are some that are so bad you can’t even name who they were. Who’s the villain in The Incredible Hulk or why is their a dark elf in Thor: The Dark World? Sometimes movies pack so many villains together hoping that their combined evils will equate to the hero (Spiderman 3 and Ironman 3 specifically). Poor villains show that not much is at stake. The best villain we’ve seen in comic book movies is widely accepted as Loki – and he needed 3 whole films to earn that title. And the second best falls to probably The Winter Solider who also needed multiple movies to warrant a true villain for viewers to care about. So for the next Wonder Woman movie, I’d love for the villain to play a bigger role and for the stakes of that conflict to be even greater than that of this film.
#3 – Just a passing thought/observation that made after watching Wonder Woman – isn’t this just Captain America: The First Avenger all over again? There are so many similar plot points between the two that it’s comical. Even both of the storylines are the same if you think about it! You could say as a synopsis for both: “an unlikely candidate for heroism gets endowed with extraordinary power, and sets off into a world-consuming war in order to stop a German scientist and rogue general from unleashing a terrible weapon (born of mystical power) that could change the course of the war. Along the way, our hero picks up a diverse group of rag-tag fighters, who help to reach that mission objective.” Here’s some more I discovered along the way:
- Both have a “fish-out-of-water” storyline where the main character is unfamiliar with their surroundings that everyone else calls the norms.
- Both deal with conflicts during the major wars (Wonder Woman is WWI while Captain America fights in WWII).
- Both exhibit an almost naive level of compassion and optimism in the darkness of wartime.
- Both have a strong storyline of love and their interest in that relationship.
- Both have a scene where the main characters learn to dance with said love interest.
- Both carry a shield into combat as one of their major weapons.
- Both experience loss as their greatest motivator towards the enemy.
- Both fight a villain who has a major sidekick (Dr. Poison in this film while in Captain America Red Skull’s handyman is Arnim Zola).
- AND to top it all off – both are setups to major franchise ensembles (Avengers and Justice League).
Can you think of any more similarities I haven’t mentioned? It’s not that these are knocks against Wonder Woman or that this movie is a ripoff of Captain America 1. I simply find it to be comical how many parts of their stories these two comicbook characters have in common and each are to be celebrated on the big screen as they should.
#1 – One of the standout scenes from this film that is being talked about as “No Man’s Land” says a whole lot more than just trench warfare. About mid-way through the movie, Diana, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), and the rag-tag team make their way through the trenches to obtain support. In the depths of the trenches, Diana’s arms is grabbed by a pleading woman of the local town telling her of solders ransacking the city and torturing those who didn’t escape.
There’s no one to help and no solider dare cross “no man’s land” for it would be a suicide mission. Diana tells Steve that they must go, but he reiterates, “We have a mission! We can’t save everyone in this war! It’s not what we are here to do!” Diana boldly and courageously replies, “You’re right. But it’s what I am here to do!”
What a powerful moment of the Gospel in the middle of war!
Diana’s mantra, both in the comic books as well as in this film as Wonder Woman, is to live by a code of love. From the “No Man’s Land” scene, audiences glimpse that there’s something contagious about this special kind of love. The moment Diana steps foot on the battlefield emblazoned with her red and blue outfit with sword and shield in hand, it screams how different she is inspiring the others to rally towards her goodness. Later in the film she says in summary of her feelings of mankind, “I believe in love,” and that should be a mantra of a follower of Christ.
Luke 19:10, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Notice how it doesn’t say “seek and save only those who are worthy” or “only those whose sin doesn’t exceed a certain limit”. Everyone knows the passage John 3:16, but what about 1 John 3:16? Not nearly as familiar but still just as powerful: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” When we talk about Wonder Woman’s love for humanity, it presents us with the opportunity to talk about a real person whose love supersedes all. No greater love has been demonstrated to us. Wonder Woman is loving, but even her sacrifice wouldn’t save humanity from its mistakes.
#2 – In opening scenes take place in the mystical realm of Themyscira; a lush city-state and island nation shrouded away from the evil of the world where the Amazons live in peace. This tranquil land is very reminiscent of Genesis 1-2 and the Garden of Eden. Tyler Huckabee from Relevant Magazine picks up on this illustration and its wonderful discussion points to draw from:
“Sunday School can’t last forever, and neither can Diana’s training. She is under the impression that this World War is being masterminded by [unimaginable evil]. You hear this sort of talk a lot. Churches like to issue marching orders against “the Enemy.” Got a problem with racism? “It’s not a skin problem, it’s a sin problem.” Climate change? God will fix it. Simple, easy answers to complex problems. When all you’ve got is a godkiller [Wonder Woman’s sword], every problem looks like a god” (Click the link below to read more from this article).
Ares is jealous of mankind’s goodness. Be careful not to boil all of sin down to one problem or give it one solution that only you can solve. Christ has won the ultimate battle over sin and death and this illustration can lead others towards the only solution of their earthly problems. Provide them with real hope, not just fairy tales found in comic books.
Overall Grade: A
***In my top 5 DC movies behind: (#1) The Dark Knight, (#2) Batman Begins, (#3) Man of Steel, (#4) Superman 1979, and finally (#5) Wonder Woman
For more reviews of Wonder Woman:
– Plugged In
– Common Sense Media
– Relevant Magazine – “Eden, Evil, and the Surprising Message of Wonder Woman”
What did you think of Wonder Woman? Where would you rank it in your favorite superhero movies?
What themes did you see that could come up in conversations with your family or friends?
What have you recently seen where you saw the Gospel? Feel free to share your thoughts on this show as well as other likes/dislikes/Gospel moments you saw in the film (remember don’t spoil it for others who haven’t seen it yet).
Don’t forget to stay in touch here on our website as well as at our church! Feel free to comment AND SHARE on what you agree with, what challenges you here, or push back a little on what I’ve said. Don’t want to miss out on new posts? Be sure to check back for more Monthly Snapshots (always on the 1st of the month), “The Gospel According to…” reviews, and lots of other great things here on our church blog!
Leave a Reply