The environment into which Wonder Woman was released was, to put it mildly, a bit uneasy. The DC Extended Universe had received a mixed response to Batman Vs Superman and a generally negative response to Suicide Squad (although neither of the box office figures for those films reflects that). Gal Gadot was a relative unknown to the vast majority of movie goers and Patty Jenkins previous feature film as director was Monster, released 14 years prior. She had no experience with a high profile property such as this. In short, the whole project had a bit of a question mark hanging over it. Wonder Woman is a great superhero movie, a gorgeous period piece that still has a very contemporary sensibility. It’s action packed, fun but deeper when it needs to be, has a message of compassion at its core, all delivered with courage of conviction that’s carried through by its brilliant central performance and stellar direction. The zenith of Wonder Woman is undeniably the No Man’s Land scene and the ensuing fight in Veld. It is a perfect cinematic moment; the story has built to a tipping point where Diana is forced into action. She cannot stand on the side lines and watch people suffer so she climbs out of the trenches and crosses the battlefield. In that scene, in full costume for the first time in the movie, Diana is embodying the purest sentiment that a hero can represent; she needs to save people, not to right some tragic injustice in her past but just because she can and she believes humans are inherently good. It’s a bold and beautiful piece of film making that brings tears to my eyes every single time. As much as cinematic heroes are for all of us regardless of gender and it’s unfair to hang the future of female representation in movies on one film, it’s important to understand what Wonder Woman means to female audiences. Diana is a total badass (I could watch that gif of her flipping a tank all day long) but her emotional intelligence is just as important to the story as her physical strength. Yes, there have been ‘Strong Female Characters’ who’ve kicked ass before Wonder Woman, but ones that embrace their femininity as wholeheartedly as Diana does, I’m not so sure. Outside of the film itself, seeing Gal Gadot meeting fans, especially little girls, is really heart-warming and so important. There is such power in seeing someone who looks like you saving the world; it’s the pebble in a pond and the ripples it sends out could inspire our daughters to reach further and push harder and that is no bad thing. Wonder Woman raises the bar not just for the DCEU but for superhero movies in general. DC and Marvel bigwigs should take note, sometimes it’s nice when your heroes are an unapologetic force for good. We live in a cynical age but compassion, hope and speaking truth to power are still worthwhile lessons to learn, even if that truth is spoken by the tip of a sword and the whip of a lasso.
