The silver lining of the DC Extended Universe?
DC Comics Week – Part 4:
WONDER WOMAN
I’m old enough to remember the 70’s TV version of Wonder Woman and as I never read the original comics, it is the TV show that is the definitive version of this character to me.
So that means in my head she is Linda Carter, but to be honest I don’t have a strong memory of the details apart from the colourful costume, the twirling transformation and of course that amazing theme tune. In fact in later years when I was a Mobile DJ in the 1990s, the Wonder Woman theme was a regular on my playlist which I would drop into a party as a fun surprise for a packed dance floor of merry revellers. I did quite a few university parties and it went down particularly well with the students, even though they would not have been able to remember the actual show when it was broadcast back then. That’s how good a theme it is.
Like the John Williams Superman theme, it is iconically linked with the character it represents, even today.
So although there has never been a movie version before and mainstream audiences will either not know much about this character’s history at all or maybe just as much as I do from the TV show, this film still had some work to do in replacing what people think of as Wonder Woman.
Happily it does this and does it very well. This updated character even has her own kick ass theme music and it might just prove to be as iconic for her as the original was for Linda Carter. Previewing the tune in Batman Vs Superman was one of the only smart things that film did. I was as excited to hear it used again as I was looking forward to anything in this movie.
Wonder Woman 2017 is more than a decent theme tune though. It is also easily the best of the new run of DC movies which began with 2013’s Man of Steel. And although I’ve not yet reviewed it I am including in that opinion ,the recently released Justice League (which I have seen and will be posting my thoughts on next time).
But you knew that already right because even if you’ve not seen Wonder Woman, you’ve probably read about Wonder Woman. It’s been widely reported as a hit with audiences and critics and made a sizeable profit when it was released in the Spring of this year. When I saw it for the first time, it was quite late in its run and so I went in fully aware of its reputation as a brilliant example of a superhero film, and not even just a DC one at that. That knowledge had me in a state of heightened anticipation as I took my seat. I’d been sorely disappointed in the past 3 DC efforts, hence why I didn’t rush to see this until it has been out a few weeks, but the reports I’d been reading had convinced me that this would be something else entirely; a film to shake up the genre again, a game changer. A really really good DC movie.
Well, no film can live up to my imagination once I get carried away and so it turned out that it couldn’t and didn’t live up to the hype for me.
I spent the running time and then many weeks after that initial viewing wondering what the rest of the world was seeing that I wasn’t.
Yes, I thought, Wonder Woman easily beats the DC bunch and brings the cheese of the 70s fully up to date. Also I thought it’s nice to have some role reversal at last – the way the Steve Trevor character is used specifically was what I found refreshing, but beyond that I really couldn’t see what the fuss was about.
I would even say I found it a bit dull and predictable on that first viewing, whereas I’d expected to be on the edge of my seat the way I had been with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, still the pinnacle of recent superhero films in my book.
I could see that Wonder Woman was a well made film (perfunctory I think the word is) , but I could also imagine it being split over several weeks as episodes of a Sunday night BBC TV Drama (nothing wrong with that but I wanted something cinematic and epic and didn’t get it.)
Since then, I’ve heard critics and others say it’s likely to figure in their top ten of the year and I’ve just been astounded by that. I’ve ended up convinced that the novelty of a female led superhero film and the fact it followed a run of pretty bad films in this franchise is what has led to it being hailed as such a success. Those things are to be admired of course but I didn’t see it that way at all.
However…
Watching this a second time, for my DC rewatch leading to Justice League, has definitely sharpened and improved my opinion of it though. I still feel the film works best at home than it did in cinemas but now can’t deny that it’s a really impressive film on so many levels. Still not as good as the Best Marvel films or the Nolan Dark Knight movies though.
As well as a properly compelling and entertaining example of the comic book action genre, the film is also about something other than the usual jumping and fighting and all that.
There’s commentary here on prejudice, gender politics, racism, the futility of international conflicts, mental health issues, disability, sacrifice, what is family, what are friendships, in fact what is it to be human itself? To pack all this in and still be thrilling, surprising, emotional and funny at the same time is what makes it so impressive.
I still don’t rank the film as a highly as some do, but am happy to admit my original verdict was flawed and not ready to be shared. Sometimes a second viewing is essential to be sure about a film, this is one of those times.
I haven’t said anything about performances or effects or writing or the direction of the film but that’s because they are all top notch. Not really anything to fault.
My Verdict:
Patty Jenkins’s Wonder Woman is a film that improves on each viewing. That is a big deal considering the opposite is true for the other films in this franchise.
Wonder Woman, the film is the only one to watch in this current batch of DC entries. Wonder Woman, the character is the only of the League to make me want to come back for more.
Final Score:
7/10 – Let’s hope this quality is the way the franchise will continue. Oh, hang on…
NEXT TIME: JUSTICE LEAGUE
Speccy Square Eyes 