The 4th installment in the DCEU
is finally here. Let's get started.
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Spoilers Wonder Woman - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter Commander Richard
- Start date
The 4th installment in the DCEU
is finally here. Let's get started.
Official Website | IMDb Page
Wikipedia Entry | Box Office Mojo Page
Rotten Tomatoes Page | Metacritic Page
On Facebook | On Instagram | On Twitter
That was a fun couple of hours. They made a really fun origin story for Wonder Woman. Pine and Gadot had great chemistry together and Diana and Steve were a great couple together. The WW1 elements were fine but the team of oddballs that Trevor and Diana assemble to help them are pretty derivative of Captain America. In many ways they really are not needed, though a few lines about each to give some hints of the darkness in the world and help Diana see she's come to this fight with a far too simplistic view of the issues in the world beyond Themiscyra. They go by quick, though, couldn't get much exploration without slowing the middle of the film down further than it was. Very entertaining, none the less.
Wonder Woman opened today in Australia and I just got in from seeing it. I've got mixed feelings about it overall but feel ultimately it's the most solid DCEU flick yet, but that's not really saying much.
The Good:
Gal Gadot IS Wonder Woman. I really liked her performance. Gadot has a good handle on the humour, and the deeper emotional aspects of the story and it is joyous watching her fight. Wonder Woman, is at this point the only thing keeping me interested in the DCEU. Wonder Woman is arguably the strongest character in the DCEU.
Chris Pine is equally as good , but seriously i'd watch this stone cold babe in anything. Pine and Gadot have great chemistry, I really liked Steve Trevors story arc.
The first 3 quarters of the film are very strong and the pacing is good. Patty Jenkins does a good job for the most part.
The Bad:
The Villains are terribly weak and under-utilised, Danny Huston is horribly wasted, Dr Poison might as well not be there. Ares whilst physically a good match for Diana, is let down by a weak, phoned in performance.
The final act of the film is rushed and The final battle lacks gravitas and energy despite the fact is full of explosions and lightning
The slow motion during the fight scenes gets old really quick and the cgi is very spotty in some parts
Whilst Gal Gadot and Chris Pine have great chemistry, the relationship between Diana and Steve feels forced. It feels like the relationship only happens because it's a hollywood movie and the male and female lead HAVE to fall in love. It detracts from Diana being dedicated to her mission. The relationship pays off in the end but i still felt it was unnecessary
In terms of music, Wonder Woman's theme is severely underused and the overall musical score it's not memorable at all.
Overall:
Wonder Woman is the best DCEU film, but still pales in comparison to Marvel. I don't say this as a rabid marvel fan boy either. I really wanted Wonder Woman to be the turning point for the DCEU, but it is just not quite there. Still, I'm keeping an open mind for Justice League
The Good:
Gal Gadot IS Wonder Woman. I really liked her performance. Gadot has a good handle on the humour, and the deeper emotional aspects of the story and it is joyous watching her fight. Wonder Woman, is at this point the only thing keeping me interested in the DCEU. Wonder Woman is arguably the strongest character in the DCEU.
Chris Pine is equally as good , but seriously i'd watch this stone cold babe in anything. Pine and Gadot have great chemistry, I really liked Steve Trevors story arc.
The first 3 quarters of the film are very strong and the pacing is good. Patty Jenkins does a good job for the most part.
The Bad:
The Villains are terribly weak and under-utilised, Danny Huston is horribly wasted, Dr Poison might as well not be there. Ares whilst physically a good match for Diana, is let down by a weak, phoned in performance.
The final act of the film is rushed and The final battle lacks gravitas and energy despite the fact is full of explosions and lightning
The slow motion during the fight scenes gets old really quick and the cgi is very spotty in some parts
Whilst Gal Gadot and Chris Pine have great chemistry, the relationship between Diana and Steve feels forced. It feels like the relationship only happens because it's a hollywood movie and the male and female lead HAVE to fall in love. It detracts from Diana being dedicated to her mission. The relationship pays off in the end but i still felt it was unnecessary
In terms of music, Wonder Woman's theme is severely underused and the overall musical score it's not memorable at all.
Overall:
Wonder Woman is the best DCEU film, but still pales in comparison to Marvel. I don't say this as a rabid marvel fan boy either. I really wanted Wonder Woman to be the turning point for the DCEU, but it is just not quite there. Still, I'm keeping an open mind for Justice League
I give it an A-
I really enjoyed it, and it was a breath of fresh air after recent DCEU movies.
The visuals were amazing, the action was superb, the quality of the acting was really really good and it made me laugh a lot.
The only thing for me was that the final 20 minutes were almost shark jumping levels of "wtf" and it dragged on slightly.
Really good film, feel like DC finally looked over at what marvel were doing and said "ok...... do that"
i'm not on a side in this marvel vs dc thing but the marvel movies are always very good blockbusters that i enjoy when i want to see a big screen action movie, where i feel the DC ones try a bit too hard to do the "dark" thing that we have TDK trilogy to thank for.
Wonder Woman didn't try to do TDK thing and just was it's own movie and it was so much better for it
I really enjoyed it, and it was a breath of fresh air after recent DCEU movies.
The visuals were amazing, the action was superb, the quality of the acting was really really good and it made me laugh a lot.
The only thing for me was that the final 20 minutes were almost shark jumping levels of "wtf" and it dragged on slightly.
Really good film, feel like DC finally looked over at what marvel were doing and said "ok...... do that"
i'm not on a side in this marvel vs dc thing but the marvel movies are always very good blockbusters that i enjoy when i want to see a big screen action movie, where i feel the DC ones try a bit too hard to do the "dark" thing that we have TDK trilogy to thank for.
Wonder Woman didn't try to do TDK thing and just was it's own movie and it was so much better for it
Saw it this afternoon, pretty much what I'd expected really; enjoyable but nothing mind blowingly amazing. On par with a movie like Doctor Strange or a Thor. Or "Cap: First Avenger with a woman" really.
And speaking of Marvel I did feel like they would have handled some of the humour a bit better, especially near the start with Chris Pine in Amazon land, and some of the awkward situtations etc. I felt they just fell a little flat.
But hey, just like a lot of Marvel movies; the villians weren't great!
I do love that piece of her score everytime it kicked in by the way
I did annoyingly miss a bit of the beginning though due to lateness, I walked in just as present day Diana was looking at the picture and her backstory began. Was there actually much before that or not?
And speaking of Marvel I did feel like they would have handled some of the humour a bit better, especially near the start with Chris Pine in Amazon land, and some of the awkward situtations etc. I felt they just fell a little flat.
But hey, just like a lot of Marvel movies; the villians weren't great!
I do love that piece of her score everytime it kicked in by the way
I did annoyingly miss a bit of the beginning though due to lateness, I walked in just as present day Diana was looking at the picture and her backstory began. Was there actually much before that or not?
I think you will really enjoy it. Having had a few hours to digest the film, i feel that despite the criticisms i have of it, Wonder Woman is a movie the world needs right now. The theme's of Sacrifice, selflessness, hope and unconditional love for others that are prevalent through out the film really got me thinking about my own conduct and what I can contribute to making the world better.
Agreed with everything here. Great visuals. Solid performances by the good guys but the villains fell flat. Great back story and I'm in awe of the action sequences.
Just came back from it. It didn't have the structural problems that BvS and Suicide Squad had but I can't grade it high because it was kind of "meh". Not bad, just not great. I also like Gal Gadot but I didn't feel that she or the film captured the spirit of Wonder Woman. Maybe part of it is because I'm still stuck on Lynda Carter.
The Good:
The Good:
- Loved the homage to the 1978 Superman film.
- Gadot diflecting bullets was a formidable sight, as was the rest of her fighting once she let loose.
- The sex talk was funny.
- Chris Pine was fun to watch and full of humor and energy. A good character, Steve Trevor or not.
- I liked how they worked in the legend of the gods and Diana's origin into a real world storyline. The outcome threw a bit of a wrench into that but it wasn't too bad.
- Another fx filled battle at the end. These get boring after a while.
Nothing, actually. You missed her walking into her modern-day office and a Wayne Enterprises armored truck pulling up along side the Louvre, her walking into her office and being handed the suitcase with photo in it.
Wonder Woman
My Grade: A
______________________________________________________________
Let's be honest, DC needs a hit. Not just one that's a financial one by the studio's own standards but one that's a critical one with audiences and critics after the, at best, tepid but mostly negative response to all of the other movies in the "DCEU." They needed a movie that was a success and a hit, they didn't need grounders allowing for a single on an error, they needed a home-run. After this, can we give Patty Jenkins the keys to the DCEU?
The movie begins in "present day" with Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) arriving at her office at The Louvre and receiving a package from Bruce Wayne this one containing an original print/copy of the World War I photo we see her in during Batman v. Superman this sends Diana into a flashback of her "origins", only narrated at the ends and not throughout. We don't see her true "origins" when her mother prays to Zeus to bring life to a child she's molded out of clay and met Diana as a young child emulating the battling Amazonian women who occupy the hidden island of Themyscira, warrior women tasked with protecting the planet from the God of War Ares but who are certain the day may never come, Diana's mother wishes to prevent her from learning to fight seeing her as not "one of them" given her artificial origins but eventually relents when convinced Diana needs to learn to fight.
Eventually a WWI fighter plane breaks through the barrier shielding Themyscira from being seen from the outside of world, further covered by fog, on the plane is Steve Trevor a spy for the British (or American) military fighting the Germans in the war, he's gotten away with some valuable intel for the WWI equivalent of The Allies he's followed by Germans who also break through the protective field leading to a battle on the beach between the Germans and the Themyscrians/Amazonians and further compels Diana to want to enter the real world fearing that the World War is being brought on by Ares, and it could mean a threat to everyone.
Diana resists her mother's wishes and joins Steve and travels with him to London to begin their quest to find Ares. We get a some humorous moments of the "fish out of water" stuff with Diana in the "modern world" and dealing with the feminism and masochism before eventually proving herself (at least to Steve and a small band of soldiers he enlists) on the front lines of the war and fighting her way to Ares.
If there's weak points in this movie it's that Ares and his plan and the villain's plan as a whole isn't made clear or really much expanded on beyond developing a stronger, more caustic, form of Mustard Gas and that we're at a win/lose point of the war and that's really about it. Sure, Ares ultimate goal is to essentially wipe out all of mankind allowing for the "gods" (including Diana and presumably the Amazonians) to bring paradise back to Earth.
But it's not to great a weak point as the movie is more a focus on Diana/Wonder Woman and getting her to not only see her own naivety about the world but realizing her own power and potential.
The action scenes are really damn good (though maybe a bit too much use of the "bullet time"-style camera work) and Gal Gadot continues to really impress as Wonder Woman. There's, sadly, not enough Etta Candy in the movie but she's mostly a joke character anyway (the extent of her existence in the comic is pretty much fat-jokes) but there's not much here to dislike.
But this movie is good, impressive and visually stunning. Heart. Action. Fun and COLOR! There's soul to this movie and the first DCEU movie I'm excited to go see again.
Yeah, I did like that her outfit had bright colors.
It was fantastic. Looking forward to seeing this again.
Ah thanks, cheers
That's bullshit. DC Comics does not need a critical hit. It does not have to "re-do" its style to fit Marvel's or any other "standard" comic book hero style to please the critics. Not as long as it is making money at the box office. All of the "Transformers" films have been bashed by the critics. And yet, the franchise has not only survived through four films (with a fifth one on the way), but has made tons of money.
So this demand that DC Comics need to kowtow to the critics is just a load of shit - and unnecessary at that - to me. If Warner Bros suits had any brains, they should simply continue what they are doing.
^^ Agreed... While the movies have not been huge critical successes and a lot of the "fanboys/girls" have mocked them, they have been financially successful... Plus, add to that the continued success the DCU is having on television, whereas the MCU has languished by comparison.
The thing is...the success on TV has been BECAUSE they have done the "Marvel model"....or really, simply produce shows that reveal that the producers KNOW as well as LOVE comics. That feel has been missing the last 3 movies of the DC Film Universe. I will share my opinions tonight of the movie.
Not so much just her out fit but the movie itself. This diminishes a bit once she enters the "real world" but that was sort of the point she still stood out with colors particularly in her uniform on these warn-torn battlefields. The color did not feel washed out and muted for the sake of atmosphere. It felt like they wanted her color of hope, leadership, and power to stand out in a dark world.
So, question: What was NotAres doing with the little Not-Smelling Salts capsule he kept breaking and inhaling? The movie wanted you to think it was how he was keeping himself powerful or more or-less "alive" but when we find out he's not Ares then what were the little capsules for?
A-
Thought it was easily the best if the DC films so far.
I have a couple basic question, though, which maybe some WW afficianado can answer:
The way I interpreted all this, Diana is not actually made from clay, but is Zeus' daughter by Hippolyta (sp?) and therefore a god (or at least a demigod, the the same manner as Perseus from Greek mythology). Ares says that only a god can kill another god. We know that Diana either doesn't age, or ages so slowly that she is, for all practical purposes, immortal.
So...
1. Is Diana immortal or merely extremely long lived?
2. If only a god can kill her, why did her aunt have to take a bullet for her? Honestly, she survived much worse than that in the third act of the movie.
3. Given that she appears to be a god, cannot (apparently) be wounded, can sort of fly, and is practically immortal, it would seem like she doesn't truly need to deflect bullets fired at her with bracelets or a shield. In the end of the movie she generated her own forcefield. In fact, it would appear that she is as powerful and indestructible as Superman, and without having a weakness like kryptonite to worry about! Is this supposed to be the case? Does this jibe with the historical WW of the comics or is it something new?
Thought it was easily the best if the DC films so far.
I have a couple basic question, though, which maybe some WW afficianado can answer:
The way I interpreted all this, Diana is not actually made from clay, but is Zeus' daughter by Hippolyta (sp?) and therefore a god (or at least a demigod, the the same manner as Perseus from Greek mythology). Ares says that only a god can kill another god. We know that Diana either doesn't age, or ages so slowly that she is, for all practical purposes, immortal.
So...
1. Is Diana immortal or merely extremely long lived?
2. If only a god can kill her, why did her aunt have to take a bullet for her? Honestly, she survived much worse than that in the third act of the movie.
3. Given that she appears to be a god, cannot (apparently) be wounded, can sort of fly, and is practically immortal, it would seem like she doesn't truly need to deflect bullets fired at her with bracelets or a shield. In the end of the movie she generated her own forcefield. In fact, it would appear that she is as powerful and indestructible as Superman, and without having a weakness like kryptonite to worry about! Is this supposed to be the case? Does this jibe with the historical WW of the comics or is it something new?
Wonderful movie. I hate doing top lists, so I'll just say that for me it's definitely in the very top tier of comic book movies ever made.
On the surface it may seem like just another superhero movie, and it can certainly be enjoyed as a simple origin story, but it's so much more, sometimes subtly subversive(instead of being a princess trapped in a castle, Diana is a princess who climbs the castle with her bare hands
), but more often the movie doesn't shy away from a loud and outspoken commentary on contemporary issues, from racism, sexism, intolerance, to to the lack of empathy towards victims of war("we can't do anything about them"). Diana can and will do something.
In that sense it ties in thematically to the rest of the DCEU, questioning the nature of humanity and the world we live in, it's not a black and white place that needs to be saved from mustache twirling baddies, it's a complex place that can be made better by trying to understand others.
It basically covers similar ground as BvS("Men are still good"), but while that one was mostly from Clark's and Bruce's perspectives, insider perspectives of two guys who grew up in that world(this world, man's world), Wonder Woman complements that nicely because Diana offers a unique outsiders look, a woman's look, not just in-universe, but in a meta sense, since women's perspectives in big Hollywood movies are few and far between and women are outsiders in that sense as well.
So yeah, I absolutely loved it.
Don't wanna get too spoilery before more people had a chance to see it, so just some quick notes:
Humour in the movie was excellently used, it wasn't quippy, but situational and wasn't used to diminish or make light of the serious aspects of the movie.
The cast was wonderful, Gal is Wonder Woman. Period. Chris Pine is a wonderful Steve, and I liked everyone else as well, but it is a Diana and Steve movie first and foremost, and the romance is probably the best comic book romance ever.
Themyscira was beautiful, loved the depiction of amazonian sisterhood, wouldn't have minded if we spent a bit more time there.
My one very tiny gripe is the depiction of greek mythology, and that's basically because I love that stuff and would have liked if it was expanded upon more, but I understand that it had to be simplified a bit so as not to stuff in too much exposition, it works for the movie, so I'll give that a pass.
I definitely have a lot more to say on it, I'm still processing all the impressions I had, might even do with another viewing while I patiently wait for the bluray so I can rewatch it (at least) another half a dozen times.
On the surface it may seem like just another superhero movie, and it can certainly be enjoyed as a simple origin story, but it's so much more, sometimes subtly subversive(instead of being a princess trapped in a castle, Diana is a princess who climbs the castle with her bare hands
), but more often the movie doesn't shy away from a loud and outspoken commentary on contemporary issues, from racism, sexism, intolerance, to to the lack of empathy towards victims of war("we can't do anything about them"). Diana can and will do something.In that sense it ties in thematically to the rest of the DCEU, questioning the nature of humanity and the world we live in, it's not a black and white place that needs to be saved from mustache twirling baddies, it's a complex place that can be made better by trying to understand others.
It basically covers similar ground as BvS("Men are still good"), but while that one was mostly from Clark's and Bruce's perspectives, insider perspectives of two guys who grew up in that world(this world, man's world), Wonder Woman complements that nicely because Diana offers a unique outsiders look, a woman's look, not just in-universe, but in a meta sense, since women's perspectives in big Hollywood movies are few and far between and women are outsiders in that sense as well.
So yeah, I absolutely loved it.
Don't wanna get too spoilery before more people had a chance to see it, so just some quick notes:
Humour in the movie was excellently used, it wasn't quippy, but situational and wasn't used to diminish or make light of the serious aspects of the movie.
The cast was wonderful, Gal is Wonder Woman. Period. Chris Pine is a wonderful Steve, and I liked everyone else as well, but it is a Diana and Steve movie first and foremost, and the romance is probably the best comic book romance ever.
Themyscira was beautiful, loved the depiction of amazonian sisterhood, wouldn't have minded if we spent a bit more time there.
My one very tiny gripe is the depiction of greek mythology, and that's basically because I love that stuff and would have liked if it was expanded upon more, but I understand that it had to be simplified a bit so as not to stuff in too much exposition, it works for the movie, so I'll give that a pass.
I definitely have a lot more to say on it, I'm still processing all the impressions I had, might even do with another viewing while I patiently wait for the bluray so I can rewatch it (at least) another half a dozen times.
Immortal. Probably.
She isn't a full god, she's half human, so just a demigod. Diana was shot(grazed) by a bullet but she healed quickly. I took it as she hadn't "accessed" her godhood yet at the time.
Comics Wonder Woman has varied widely in her powerset over the years.
But yeah, she's as strong (or stronger
) as Superman but without any of the fancy powers like heat, x-ray vision/freeze breath and such...Similar threads
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