Hi #DCWeek and hi fanwarriors! I've missed you guys!

Hi #DCWeek and hi fanwarriors! I've missed you guys!
It’s been SO LONG! I wanted to let you know that I’m still alive! I’ve been trying super hard to finish senior year and while I just graduated a few weeks ago I still have a boatload of online classes before I’m back to being yours truly over the summer.
Anyways, on Father’s Day my family went to go see #WonderWoman. It’s time for another #FandomsUnitedMovieReview! *SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!*
If you’re like me you didn’t bother wasting theater money to see Batman vs. Superman. I watched it on DVD later and wasn’t incredibly impressed… until Wonder Woman showed up. This movie does not disappoint when it comes to showcasing Wonder Woman’s epic fighting skills. There is incredible balance in the cinematography between quick action and slow mo shots.
The story line stays fairly close to the Wonder Woman origin story covered by the New 52 DC series – Wonder Woman was originally told that she was formed from clay by her mother and granted life by Zeus, but then later finds out that she’s actually a demigod. Fans of the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus series will be interested by this take on Greek mythology.
The origin story of Doctor Poison, one of Wonder Woman’s constant villains, has been altered somewhat and the quest to find Ares (God of War and main villain) leaves something to be desired, especially when it’s not who you think it is but the loophole is never really closed.
Gal Gadot SHINES as Wonder Woman – her performance manages to exude power, class, and a surprising amount of humor for a character facing some deep things. Chris Pine is charming as Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman’s love interest. The rest of the characters are kind of forgettable, and I’ll get to why in a little bit.
What I LOVED: *Themiscura* Creating a world is never easy. Creating an all-woman world that balances brains, brawn, mythology, and general awesomeness is even harder and the Wonder Woman team did not disappoint. It was truly designed as it’s original comic name, Paradise Island, and one of the first scenes is a young Diana being awed by other fighters in a scene that was really, really well done. The fighting choreography was incredible throughout the entire movie.
*Human moments.*
Superhero films, particularly origin films, need to toe the line between hero and human. We can’t relate to characters unless we see ourselves in them. Diana and Steve have touching moments where they talk awkwardly over each other. Diana comforts a member of the army (seeming suffering from PTSD) and reminds him that he is needed, if for no other reason, then “to have someone to sing for us.” We see the harrows of war and how it almost never has clear winners and losers. That’s a really good lesson from a superhero movie.

*Diana’s character arc. *
This is basically showing how Diana grows into what she already has. To see her go from a naïve, almost childlike worldview to one that’s able to see both good and evil in everyone is a great journey to go on in as many minutes. Unlike Doctor Strange or Hulk, heroes who have to become accustomed to their new abilities, Diana already possesses every physical thing she needs – it’s her mind that needs shaping and that’s what this movie does.

What I DIDN’T: *This is basically Captain America with a face swap*
Wonder Woman takes place during World War 1 as opposed to Captain America’s World War 2, but the blueprint is pretty much the same. Hero has an OK life but wishes for something more. Hero has one true friend willing to help them succeed. The hero has one older, kind of wiser parental figure who at first denies their requests but then gives in. Hero makes the choice to go to the front because they feel it’s their duty. Hero is saved by attractive, opposite gendered member of good guys and given all the time in the world needed for a romance to begin. Hero is outfitted in a way that makes them look attractive. Hero/hero’s sidekick finds scientific experiment that’s in the wrong hands. Hero blows up building holding aforementioned experiments after running into the head scientist. Hero and romantic interest decide to go against the grain of the ARMY to pursue a seemed suicide mission. Hero is joined by a ragtag group of semi-alcoholic nobodies (with one to two non-white members because #diversity) and those guys somehow manage to pull stuff off. The hero uses super agility, a shield, and their compassion to win at the end against a much older, oddly colored male villain with an agenda against people in general. The biggest battles are held at night. At the end, one half of the romantic couple perishes in a plane. The hero is then lauded by all.
See? See!?
*There’s a light peppering of sexism.*
OK this is a difficult topic to cover but the fact that Wonder Woman’s peer says that he’s both “frightened and aroused” by her is something you would NEVER hear in a male superhero film. Black Widow, Daisy from Agents of SHIELD, and Lady Sif are some examples of Marvel ladies who, for the most part, are treated no differently from their male coworkers and that’s important. DC sets a good precedent for how a female superhero movie should be done, but it’s those side remarks that dig into my otherwise fairly positive reaction to the film’s script. There are several moments when Wonder Woman changes into a dress where we as an audience are supposed to stop and stare because that’s what everyone else does. Really?! We had one moment like that in Captain America and that was kinda it. It kind of takes your mind out of the “superhero” movie mode and back into “commercial for product that shouldn’t be marketed this way” mode. There’s also the issue of Steve Trevor basically being the brains of the operation. We didn’t watch Captain America to see Agent Carter make the plans (we watched #AgentCarter for that!) So why are we watching Wonder Woman to watch Steve Trevor play mastermind? If this was a Steve Trevor movie? No problem! But this is a WONDER WOMAN film! We never even hear her called that. It’s always Diana.
*Ares* I expected more from Remus Lupin. Maybe it was the script, maybe it was direction, but I just was NOT impressed. The messy end fight between his VERY RECENTLY INTRODUCED character was just that – messy. He was hard to relate to because we spend most of the movie thinking it’s a different dude.
**There was poor lighting for a few of the night scenes which really took me out of the movie.
Overall: This movie gets and 8.25/10 for me. Gal Gadot deserves all the props in the world for making Wonder Woman look believable (did I mention she was 5 months pregnant during some scenes?!), and this film marks a decent addition to the DC movie franchise, one that desperately needs some positive street cred. Chris Pine is nice in a smaller role and the CGI is absolutely breathtaking. This is fairly family friendly as well – there isn’t a lot of swearing. I would be cautious with the different type of violence that is depicted here – World War 1 featured tons of gas bombs and that’s never a fun topic to explain to litter kids.
Does this Wonder Wom… I mean, Diana movie live up to the hype? I’m not entirely sure. There are mixed reviews for a reason. I enjoyed it in the moment, but the more I thought about it, the more problems I had, both with the plot and the character development, and the messy end sequence. There were definitely a lot of high points for me – I think the rest will remain to be seen.
Enjoy the movies and don’t forget to tell us what you think!
~Samantha the Sherlocked Jedi Nerdfighter
#FandomsUnitedMovieReview
Overall: 8.25/10
Acting: 9/10 for Gal Gadot, 3/10 for Ares, 7/10 for supporting cast.
CGI: 10/10 (except for the last scene because geez).
Feels: 7/10
Comedy: 6/10 (not a comedic film but some cute moments.)
Family Friendliness: 6/10
Would I see it again?: Yes, though not in theaters.