Wonder Woman

20 August 2018

Wonder Woman 2017

• Director: Patty Jenkins
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewliss, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, Eugene Brave Rock, Lucy Davis, Elena Anaya
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Chris Pine – Into the Woods
• Connie Nielsen – Perfect Sense, Gladiator, Rushmore
• Robin Wright – The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Breaking and Entering, White Oleander, How to Kill Your Neighbour’s Dog, She’s So Lovely, Moll Flanders
• Danny Huston – Children of Men, The Constant Gardener, The Aviator, 21 Grams
• David Thewliss – Legend, Macbeth, The Theory of Everything, Harry Potter, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Kingdom of Heaven, Whatever Happened to Harold Smith, The Big Lebowski, Naked, Life Is Sweet
• Saïd Taghmaoui – Hidalgo, Hideous Kinky
• Ewen Bremner – Snowpiercer, Perfect Sense, Hallam Foe, Trainspotting, The Prince of Jylland, Naked
• Lucy Davis – Shaun of the Dead, Black Books, The Office
• Why? Well, because it’s Wonder Woman
• Seen: 17 August 2018      

       Diana (Gadot) is the daughter of the Amazon queen Hippolyta (Nielsen) and longs to be a mighty warrior like the women she sees around her on an island in Ancient Greece. Hippolyta teacher her that war is dreadful and that the war god Ares is still out there and a threat to all humankind. Ares will find Diana, so she must train to be strong enough to defeat him.

       Well, that’s… cool. Maybe.

       Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff. Diana rescues a WWI pilot (Pine) who crashes into the sea. The Germans attack the Amazons. Guns vs arrows and spears and crouching tiger type flying through the air. The Amazons win, the pilot is forced to reveal his mission. He’s a spy and must go back and Diana thinks she must go with him, surprise surprise.

       The story goes on, but I’ll stop there.

       It’s really bad. Dreadful acting. Stupid story full of huge holes. Deadwood clichéd script. Wonder women aside the gender stereotypes loom large.

       Why then am I finding it endearing? It’s amusing and in its awkwardness it’s quite clever. There are political messages, some of which one cannot help but sympathise with.

       From 0* to 4* in two hours. The Wonder of it all.

       Then it loses because of its basically non-humanist gods-run-things and only love will save the world premise. Still, to my surprise it’s

2 ½ * of 5