Movie Review: Wonder Woman

I've had this superhero movie on my radar for some time now. Not so much because I care much about the story of Wonder Woman, yet because I found the casting of Gal Gadot to be sensational. She is a gorgeous up-and-coming actress from Israel, unlike any actress we've seen before. She has a unique sexuality to match her physicality and for that reason I believe this film has already gone on to do so well. Gal Gadot represents something new in the film industry; a female led blockbuster.

This marked my 2nd blockbuster viewing of the summer, a rare occurrence however just happened to be two movies I really wanted to see in theaters this summer. This time I went to Rave Motion Pictures with my mom, who was also excited at the concept of a female empowering film. That's exactly what the movie of Wonder Woman was, and it was done so in a manner that can be enjoyed by all, not just woman. The movie directed by Patty Jenkins was filled with cutting edge special effects, action sequences, and just an overall great story line.

The Premise 

Set in present day Paris, Diana Prince receives an inquiry from Bruce Wayne about a mysterious photo of Wonder Woman set in WW1. This is a tie to the formation of the Justice League which was a story line in the 2016 film Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. Wonder Woman played a brief part in that film, however her full story was not described. As she looks upon the photo that Bruce has sent her, she begins to flash back to her origins and thus the story begins.

The story of Wonder Woman is tied to Greek Mythology and the setting of the Amazon female warriors. The tribe of warriors were created by Zeus to protect humankind on a remote island known as Themyscira. However they were challenged by the God of War, Ares. Zeus and the beautiful queen Hippolyta, thus created a secret weapon that could defeat Ares, by bringing life to Princess Diana. As a child she trains under her aunt General Antiope (played by Robin Wright), however her mother Hippolyta (played by the beautiful Connie Nelson from Gladiator) does not want her daughter to leave the island.

This however quickly changed when a young American pilot named Steve Trevor (played by Chris Pine) crashes on the island and Diana saved him. The Amazon warriors fight off an invading German troop. They later discover from Steve that there is an ongoing terrible war, known as World War I. Diana insists that she take part in this conflict to save mankind and defeat Ares. Against her mother's will she leaves the island to join the war and find Ares. She quickly discovers the complexities of a war that is fought on many fronts with many nations involved.

Diana joins Steve's band of allied mercenaries on a mission to disrupt the German General Ludendorff's poison operation. The group of allies are financed in secrecy by a British politician named Sir Patrick Morgan (played by David Thewlis). Gen Ludendorff (played by Danny Huston) is aided by a toxic chemist known as Dr. Poison. En route to the chemical plant, Diana bravely leads the allies across a no-mans-land battlefield and helps free a town under German siege.

She believes Luddendorf to be under the guise of Ares, and defeats him in battle. However she later discovers it is actually Sir Patrick Morgan who has orchestrated the Great War as the super villian Ares. She then faces him in battle and it appears she is no match for the God of War. That is until she realizes that Steve has sacrificed his life to destroy the chemical weapons. Through her new found love of him and human kind she is able to defeat Ares. And so after 100 years of living among humanity she recalls her purpose to save and defend humanity and accepts Bruce's invitation to join the Justice League.