| Major Cast | |
|---|---|
| Gal Gadot | as Diana |
| Chris Pine | as Steve Trevor |
| Connie Nielsen | as Hippolyta |
| Robin Wright | as Antiope |
| Danny Huston | as Ludendorff |
| David Thewlis | as Sir Patrick Morgan |
| Said Taghmaoui | as Sameer |
| Ewen Bremner | as Charlie |
| Eugene Brave Rock | as The Chief |
| Lucy Davis | as Etta |
| Elena Anaya | as Dr. Maru |
| Lilly Aspell | as Young Diana (8) |
| Lisa Loven Kongsli | as Menalippe |
| Ann Wolfe | as Artemis |
| Ann Ogbamo | as Philippus |
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 |
| Production Companies: | Warner Brothers Atlas Entertainment Cruel & Unusual Films DC Entertainment Dune Entertainment Tencent Pictures Wanda Pictures |
| Distributors (USA): | Warner Brothers (theatrical) Warner Brothers Home Entertainment (DVD, Blu-ray & Ultra HD Blu-ray) |
| Release Date (USA): | 6/02/2017 |
| Running Time: | 141 minutes |
| Languages: | English; German; Dutch; French; Chinese; Greek, Ancient (to 1453); North American Indian |
| Domestic Box Office: | $412,563,408 |
| Foreign Box Office: | $821,763,408 |
| Production Budget: | $149,000,000 (Est.) |
Protected by magic that shrouds it from the eyes of the world, the island of Themocyra is a sanctuary where women nurture the ancient ways free of the corrupting influence of men — and most of all, free from the influence of Ares, the God of War. Between the days when Ares corrupted men from the nobility Zeus had given them and his defeat by Zeus, the elder God had established Themocyra's protection. Within it the Amazons train in the skills of fighting with sword, spear, lance, and bow & arrow, against the day when Ares might appear again. Although we are given to understand that Zeus is gone, Ares is presented as an unknown menace. An ultimate weapon is preserved against him: The God-Killer.
Diana, a girl of eight years, is the child of Hippolyta, Queen of Themocyra. Much against her mother's wishes, she burns to learn the martial arts and often sneaks away to watch the Amazons at their training. Antiope, Captain of the Guard, argues that Diana must be trained. Ultimately, Hippolyta agrees: Diana must be trained, hard. "Five times harder than anyone," Antiope vows. Another thing is agreed: Diana must never know the truth of her origin.
And so the training continues. Diana becomes a young woman very proficient in combat. But Antiope can still beat her, and continues to push her hard — until the day when Diana crosses her bracelets and unleashes a burst of energy that stuns Antiope and throws her back a hundred feet. Diana is mystified and ashamed; the Amazons are saddened, for they know the day is near.
One day Diana stands on the seaside ramparts, looking outward into the blue sky. A Fokker airplane1 appears out of nowhere, venting smoke, and angles down into the water. Trapped by his harness, the pilot goes down with it. Diana dives in and arrows to the wreckage, frees the pilot, takes him to shore where he revives. He is Steve Trevor. But some of the wreckage drifts out of the protected zone. Soon Trevor's pursuers, blundering through the fog, have passed the cloaking screen. They spot Trevor on the beach and attack. The Amazons fight bravely, with amazing skill, and Trevor does his part to help; but German rifles take a toll. As the Germans are defeated, Antiope is killed. With her dying breath, she tells Diana it is time to take the God-Killer and leave Themocyra. After a sad farewell from Hippolyta, Diana and Trevor set out in a sailboat — Trevor to deliver a notebook (the reason the Germans were chasing him) to British intelligence, and Diana to find and kill Ares.
This, of course, is the start of the main story. That, you will have to discover and enjoy for yourself.
I consider Wonder Woman a wonderful film. It is dominated by special effects and fight scenes, but not to the extent that they overwhelm the plot. (Admittedly, for the fight scenes, that would be hard to do in a movie about a small band of heroes taking on the army of the Third Reich.) The prologue, on Themocyra, does a good job of presenting Diana's backstory without revealing its big secret, and gives us some amazing fight scenes. Considerable time is devoted to Trevor's interactions with his superiors in London, and especially with Sir Patrick Morgan,2 who is negotiating an armistice with Germany. During this time we see arguments between Diana and Trevor which greatly advance their character development. Their characters nicely complement each other: Trevor brave and resourceful, but constrained by conventional twentieth-century thinking about military tactics and the chain of command; Diana straightforwardly determined to eliminate Ares and thus end the scourge of war, and to help his victims along the way.
When Trevor, Diana, and their three companions get into Belgium and are closing in on Ludendorff's nerve-gas operation, the action gets intense. In one scene they are trapped in a trench with Allied troops pinned down by German firepower. Diana finally rebels against Trevor's caution, throws off her heavy coat, and climbs into the open. Her bracelets and shield protect her. While the Germans direct all their fire at her, Trevor, his companions, and the troops break out of the trenches and take the town — except for the tower, where a sniper is too well protected. Taking a cue from the Amazons, Trevor does the Shield Maneuver.3 It sends Diana soaring to the tower, which she demolishes. After about a minute she emerges unscathed.4 That night there is celebration in the village (and yes, she and Trevor get together.)
To repeat myself, I found very little to dislike about this film. It has a well-constructed plot that gives Steve and his companions plenty of opportunities for heroics and character development. The special effects are well done, and while spectacular don't overwhelm the film. Some flaws I noticed include the anachronistic Fokker airplane and the fact that Diana, despite her overall durability, is apprarently rendered temporarily deaf during the final battle. Also, I have to wonder what she did with the woman whose dress she stole to wear to the gala where she confronts Ludendorff.
I could quibble about two or three other aspects of the film — but why bother? It's a fantasy that hews closely enough to its premises to avoid disrupting the well-known "willing suspension of disbelief." Visually it's a treat, and Gal Gadot is magnificent in the role of Diana.
My Rating:
9 out of 10
Capsule review: Patty Jenkins's Wonder Woman is a visual treat with plentiful but not excessive special effects, a plot that doesn't stomp on the film's premises, enough action and character development to satisfy, and a bit of comic relief that, again, is not overdone.
| IMDB Rating: 7.5 | Raters: 431,786 |
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