Wonder Woman

It’s been an interesting week.
As a Youth Ministries Director, I get to do some really awesome things. One of those things this week involved spending 4 days with my teens at church camp. No complaints whatsoever, but I’m completely honest when I say that it’s exhausting. Bundles of fun, but yes…exhausting.
So once that was over, my natural inclination on how to unwind would be to visit my local theater!
Since I was unfortunately unable to attend the early premiere for the latest entry in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe, for those who are just now picking up the comic nerd lingo), Wonder Woman, I thought this fits the bill.

Disclaimer:
I wasn’t holding my breath for this one. 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s theatrical edition was, as we’ve all heard by now, pretty much a letdown. Now, the redemption came with the Blu Ray Extended Edition – TOTALLY worth spending the 3 hours to take in what Zack Snyder (for some reason) left on the cutting room floor. You’ll see what I mean if you managed to watch the theatrical cut first.

Having said that, I really felt like one of the shining promises within BvS was Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman.

I also have to admit that it took some time shaking off the nostalgia filter that was the whole “she looks nothing like Lynda Carter OR the original Wonder Woman!” plague that ran rampant throughout most, if not all social media platforms. But alas, time makes fools of us all…

The Acting:
Gotta admit…although she put on one heck of a performance as the pinnacle comic book heroine, in my opinion, Gal Gadot still managed to be a little choppy at times. By no means was it distracting, nor did it take away from the scene in which this took place, I just have the tendency to notice these things.
Chris Pine as the supporting hero, Steve Trevor, was, as Chris usually tends to deliver, wonderful. I’ve been a Chris Pine fan ever since I first saw him in 2009’s Star Trek. My girlfriend on the other hand, not so much. BUT given his recent hosting of SNL as well as his acting/character in this movie, she’s coming around (YAY!).
Danny Huston always seems to be one of those villainous actors that you just love to hate, and as the central villain, Nazi General Ludendorff, he continues on in that tradition.

The Story (Minor Spoilers):
The main story line of Wonder Woman is pretty much consistent with all origin stories with one exception. Diana of Themyscira (later dubbed Diana Prince) was literally born out of greatness. As the film progresses, we see more and more of just how much power this young woman has in her possession without realizing it.
The one beef that I have is that, although I understand that she’s essentially a foreigner to everything that lies outside of the island of Themyscira, Diana at times seemed a little too naive. Almost like when you give a toddler a toy sword, they have the natural inclination to want to just go hack, stab, and slash at something.
Besides that, I love a good wartime story – the movie is primarily set during WWI in 1918. I really enjoyed seeing Diana stand up for her fellow men and women in their journey towards peace. And at times, my inner child really loved (finally) seeing a heroine with almost no personal satisfaction in completing her mission, other than standing up for her people, taking on Ludendorff, the mysterious Dr. Poison, and an explosive confrontation with Ares, the Greek God of War.

Having said all that, is this movie worth your money? I really think so. The 3D was enjoyable, but not necessary if you can live without it – it stands well enough on its own. The run-time of almost 2 1/2 hours might feel a little long if you take younger viewers, but all-in-all didn’t feel like they were stretching anything out too much. Another positive note – while I don’t necessarily mind foul language, I don’t recall this movie having any! Some “minor” more common swear words, may have slipped through the cracks, but nothing stood out to the point where I felt it unnecessary.
On the flip side, because this movie takes place during WWI and follows a warrior princess with a penchant for beating up bad guys, there is quite a bit of violence. So please keep that in mind if you have sensitive viewers in your company.
Does this movie redeem DC’s primarily negative track record? I think so. Although it ties in the other movies with next year’s Justice League, Wonder Woman by no means feels like a filler flick.
Should you go see it? Yes.
And as always, I hope you enjoy the movie!

Wonder Woman
Directed by Patty Jenkins
Running Time: 2 hrs. 21 min.
Rating: PG-13

OVERALL GRADE: A-