wonder woman - wow!
I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of the summer blockbuster. I mean, okay, I love a good Star Wars movie and for some reason, I have a soft spot in my heart for Superman (a la Christopher Reeve), but in all honestly how many times can you destroy a small midwestern town or a thriving metropolis, or an Eastern European country? So, it was with more than a little hesitation I went to see Wonder Woman.
The film begins a little slowly, revealing the back story of Diana, Princess of Themyscira. We first meet her as a somewhat rebellious child who wants to learn to be a warrior, like all the other women in her island home, against the wishes of her mother, Hyppolyta (Connie Nielson.) Her doting and tough aunt, Antiope (Robyn Wright) begins training the girl in secret until they receive grudging approval from the queen. Diana learns and grows in beauty, wisdom and the ways of the warrior until their idyllic life is invaded, when Chris Pine, as a World War I pilot, drops from the sky. The entire German fleet is searching for him and some of them are able to break through the misty barrier surrounding Themyscira. The men are shocked when these warrior women adeptly prove themselves the formidable foes of evil they've been since the beginning of the world. The Huns are dispatched and a visit with the Lasso of Truth get's Pine's Steve Trevor to spill the beans about his mission and this is when the Amazons learn there's a major world war being fought just beyond their hidden borders. Although her mother is adamant about not getting involved, Diana belives it's her mission to save the world. She leaves her island home with its blue skies and warm waters to join Steve on his journey back to London, where he's an American working for British Intelligence. Having never been in a city before, or been restricted by society's rules about women and fashion, Diana is a fish out of water. Her naivete is portrayed with humor and grace via efforts to always tell the truth and rejection of constricting social mores and fashions.
This is when the story pace begins to pick up. Diana, Steve and a motley crew of spies make their way to the front. Instead of taking cover in the trenches, Diana leads the charge against the Germans in an effort to destroy Ares, the Greek god of war. Diana, we have learned, is the daughter of Zeus and is immortal. Only a god can kill a god, and unless Diana can snuff out Ares, mankind is doomed to a cycle of war.
An interesting side note; Diana is working for the Allies (French and English) and her Wonder Woman suit of armor reflects the red and blue in each of their flags, although how it mysteriously turned from a brown leather covering into a red and blue suit of armor is a mystery.
Aside from Ares, the movie's main foes are an ambitious German general (Danny Huston) and a wickedly evil scientist called Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya) who are trying to use a deadly gas annihilate "the good guys." The hunt for Ares leads us through beautiful countryside, quaint French villages and a Bavarian castle. The scenery and settings are gorgeous and director Patty Jenkins does a masterful job if keeping the action from overtaking the pace of the film, until the final battle, where Marvel and all makers of action films seem to be under the impression that the more special effects you have, the better. In this case, it's how much damage can you continue to wreak on a secret German airbase? At two hours and 21 minutes, you can be sure there was some death and destruction that could have been saved for another time. Still, Wonder Woman delivers in so many ways, audiences may be willing to overlook this particular flaw, because at the center of the story is a woman who won't let anyone, male or female, keep her from her duty.
Wonder Woman has received a 90/100 from the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Critics' Choice seal.
The film begins a little slowly, revealing the back story of Diana, Princess of Themyscira. We first meet her as a somewhat rebellious child who wants to learn to be a warrior, like all the other women in her island home, against the wishes of her mother, Hyppolyta (Connie Nielson.) Her doting and tough aunt, Antiope (Robyn Wright) begins training the girl in secret until they receive grudging approval from the queen. Diana learns and grows in beauty, wisdom and the ways of the warrior until their idyllic life is invaded, when Chris Pine, as a World War I pilot, drops from the sky. The entire German fleet is searching for him and some of them are able to break through the misty barrier surrounding Themyscira. The men are shocked when these warrior women adeptly prove themselves the formidable foes of evil they've been since the beginning of the world. The Huns are dispatched and a visit with the Lasso of Truth get's Pine's Steve Trevor to spill the beans about his mission and this is when the Amazons learn there's a major world war being fought just beyond their hidden borders. Although her mother is adamant about not getting involved, Diana belives it's her mission to save the world. She leaves her island home with its blue skies and warm waters to join Steve on his journey back to London, where he's an American working for British Intelligence. Having never been in a city before, or been restricted by society's rules about women and fashion, Diana is a fish out of water. Her naivete is portrayed with humor and grace via efforts to always tell the truth and rejection of constricting social mores and fashions.
This is when the story pace begins to pick up. Diana, Steve and a motley crew of spies make their way to the front. Instead of taking cover in the trenches, Diana leads the charge against the Germans in an effort to destroy Ares, the Greek god of war. Diana, we have learned, is the daughter of Zeus and is immortal. Only a god can kill a god, and unless Diana can snuff out Ares, mankind is doomed to a cycle of war.
An interesting side note; Diana is working for the Allies (French and English) and her Wonder Woman suit of armor reflects the red and blue in each of their flags, although how it mysteriously turned from a brown leather covering into a red and blue suit of armor is a mystery.
Aside from Ares, the movie's main foes are an ambitious German general (Danny Huston) and a wickedly evil scientist called Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya) who are trying to use a deadly gas annihilate "the good guys." The hunt for Ares leads us through beautiful countryside, quaint French villages and a Bavarian castle. The scenery and settings are gorgeous and director Patty Jenkins does a masterful job if keeping the action from overtaking the pace of the film, until the final battle, where Marvel and all makers of action films seem to be under the impression that the more special effects you have, the better. In this case, it's how much damage can you continue to wreak on a secret German airbase? At two hours and 21 minutes, you can be sure there was some death and destruction that could have been saved for another time. Still, Wonder Woman delivers in so many ways, audiences may be willing to overlook this particular flaw, because at the center of the story is a woman who won't let anyone, male or female, keep her from her duty.
Wonder Woman has received a 90/100 from the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Critics' Choice seal.
This is when the story pace begins to pick up. Diana, Steve and a motley crew of spies make their way to the front. Instead of taking cover in the trenches, Diana leads the charge against the Germans in an effort to destroy Ares, the Greek god of war. Diana, we have learned, is the daughter of Zeus and is immortal. Only a god can kill a god, and unless Diana can snuff out Ares, mankind is doomed to a cycle of war.
An interesting side note; Diana is working for the Allies (French and English) and her Wonder Woman suit of armor reflects the red and blue in each of their flags, although how it mysteriously turned from a brown leather covering into a red and blue suit of armor is a mystery.
Aside from Ares, the movie's main foes are an ambitious German general (Danny Huston) and a wickedly evil scientist called Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya) who are trying to use a deadly gas annihilate "the good guys." The hunt for Ares leads us through beautiful countryside, quaint French villages and a Bavarian castle. The scenery and settings are gorgeous and director Patty Jenkins does a masterful job if keeping the action from overtaking the pace of the film, until the final battle, where Marvel and all makers of action films seem to be under the impression that the more special effects you have, the better. In this case, it's how much damage can you continue to wreak on a secret German airbase? At two hours and 21 minutes, you can be sure there was some death and destruction that could have been saved for another time. Still, Wonder Woman delivers in so many ways, audiences may be willing to overlook this particular flaw, because at the center of the story is a woman who won't let anyone, male or female, keep her from her duty.
Wonder Woman has received a 90/100 from the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Critics' Choice seal.
An interesting side note; Diana is working for the Allies (French and English) and her Wonder Woman suit of armor reflects the red and blue in each of their flags, although how it mysteriously turned from a brown leather covering into a red and blue suit of armor is a mystery.
Aside from Ares, the movie's main foes are an ambitious German general (Danny Huston) and a wickedly evil scientist called Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya) who are trying to use a deadly gas annihilate "the good guys." The hunt for Ares leads us through beautiful countryside, quaint French villages and a Bavarian castle. The scenery and settings are gorgeous and director Patty Jenkins does a masterful job if keeping the action from overtaking the pace of the film, until the final battle, where Marvel and all makers of action films seem to be under the impression that the more special effects you have, the better. In this case, it's how much damage can you continue to wreak on a secret German airbase? At two hours and 21 minutes, you can be sure there was some death and destruction that could have been saved for another time. Still, Wonder Woman delivers in so many ways, audiences may be willing to overlook this particular flaw, because at the center of the story is a woman who won't let anyone, male or female, keep her from her duty.
Wonder Woman has received a 90/100 from the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Critics' Choice seal.