Wonder Woman (2017) (Movie Review)

Dir: Patty Jenkins

Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine

Dur: 2 hrs 20 mins

Genre: Superhero - Action

PG: Its rated U/A. Except for a kiss shared between the lead couple and a sensored scene where Steve is nude, nothing else takes place on the sexual front. However, being a superhero film the violence is catastrophic.

Wonder Woman is the DC’s first superhero film starring a female as the lead. Although there have been films of superhero women in the past viz. Catwoman and Elektra. It is sad to note that both of these were received poorly and did badly at the box office. With this background it was quite an intimidating task for Patty to take up the direction of this film. A lot was riding on her shoulders and I must say she really showed us ‘girl power’. Patty is the first woman to have directed a superhero film starring a female lead and she undoubtedly did a fantastic job.

The film has all the elements of a typical superhero film: a story of origin, a romantic interest, a cataclysmic disaster and a criminal mastermind. Diana (Gal Gadot) is a princess of the Amazons, a special race created by Zeus, the Greek God, who are charged with the task of maintaining peace on the earth, or so they claim. How they do that while remaining holed up on their precious and pristine paradise island, I cannot fathom! Diana, however, feels that they are not remaining faithful to their task by keeping away from the world which is tearing itself to shreds by means of war.

World War I is raging and Diana whose heart calls her for something more discovers an injured British spy in the sea and rescues him, unwittingly attracting the German forces who were following him to the Amazonian island. The battle that ensues influences her in a major way and she decides to leave the island despite her queen-mothers’ orders. This incident gives birth to Wonder Woman although the name in never once mentioned during the film. The story builds up steadily although there is a lot of ambiguity as to the real villain. The story has its share of incoherence and despite the writers best efforts they become very evident to the reflective mind and the keen eye.

Does Love trump duty? Is Peace the true aim of mankind? These are some of the dilemmas that are thrown up during the movie. What strikes about Wonder Woman is that she is a hero we can relate with. She embodies wishes and dreams that nearly every one of us harbour. She isn’t merely a villain battling, earth-saving heroine. Instead, she stands up for much more than simply the triumph of good over evil and this for me is the fulcrum of promoting her as a role model. There is little doubt that superheroes have created an impression on us at some point or the other. Usually we are most impressionable in our younger days. Wonder Woman struck a chord with me and does provide inspiration for this day and age.