We were absolutely excited to see the Wonder Woman movie! Wonder Woman is the first superheroine movie and the first to be directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins. Prior to the movie, there was only the live-action TV series in the 1970s of the same name starring Lynda Carter. Here are two reviews, by our awesome GirlSpring interns Jade Stewart and Megan Flint, about the movie that has taken the world by storm:
Jade’s Review
On June 8th, I had the chance to view the new Wonder Woman with my mom and my grandmom. The movie’s a mixture of action and fantasy and based off the titular superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. It’s been a long time coming for Wonder Woman, who’s been in comics since 1941.
The movie takes place in two locations. The first location is the island of Themyscira, Princess Diana/Wonder Woman’s (Gal Gadot) birthhome and home of the Amazons. The island is where she receives her Amazonian training, in which her mother is against at first. The second location, and main focus, is the world outside the island. When the two worlds briefly collide, she learns the rest of the world is experiencing World War I. Diana decides to leave her peaceful island to end the conflict that had been occurring for the past four years. It’s also in the outside world that everything she learned in Themyscira turns upside down.
One of the best aspects of the film was the action. The choreography of each fighting sequence had me on the edge of my seat! We—me, my mom, and grandmom—would be cheering on Wonder Woman to beat the bad guys. Also, the stop motion within the fight scenes didn’t feel overused but added to the intensity of each fight.
Additionally, I love that the movie portrayed all aspects of Diana and not just her Wonder Woman alter ego. Diana is a powerful woman, but she’s also very naïve (due to her upbringing), intelligent, deeply cares about people, and fights for what she believes in, metaphorically and literally. Even with the strength of 1,000 Amazonians, she is still a vulnerable person. Diana isn’t born knowing how to be a hero, she has to work to become one. As Diana says to her mother, “Who will I be if I stay?”
Overall, this was an incredible movie. The fact that this is the first Wonder Woman movie, in contrast to the plethora of Batman and Superman movies, is astounding. I hope the success of the movie opens the door to more movies about superheroines and more female-led action movies in general. May Wonder Woman also be an inspiration to young girls and women everywhere.
9/10 Stars
Megan’s Review
The newest movie in the DC Extended Universe, Wonder Woman, came out on June 2nd. I managed to see it that day, and it blew me away. Beware, there are spoilers ahead!
Wonder Woman is the story of Diana, the princess and only child of Themiscyra, a woman-only island utopia. She grows up in Themiscyra, never even seeing a man in person until Steve Trevor somehow breaks the barrier guarding Themiscyra from the rest of the world and crashes into the ocean, prompting Diana to dive in and save him. From there, Diana learns there is a war going on (which happens to be World War 1). Diana knows it must be the God of War, Ares, behind it. She decides she must go and help, as she is a trained warrior, and ventures outside the island for the first time in her life with Steve.
This movie has been getting all sorts of reviews, from rave reviews that it is a feminist film to criticisms that it is boring in comparison to, say, Man of Steel. I lean towards the first type of review.
Diana is a superhero like none that I have seen. Sure, the Marvel Universe has Natasha Romanoff and Wanda Maximoff (Black Widow and Scarlet Witch, respectively). I adore both of those characters. But Diana is something else. Perhaps it is because she is the lead superhero, but she feels more Captain America than Black Widow, in that it feels more epic, like she is larger than life.
Diana is also unique in that she has a different worldview than most superheroes I have seen. Some may say it is naive, but she believes in the goodness of humanity. With quotes like, “I will fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,” and “Only love will truly save the world,” it is a refreshing change from the superheroes who fight for everyone but lose hope in humanity.
The movie does have its flaws. For example, the villains like Doctor Poison felt underdeveloped. I thought for sure we would delve into her past, like why exactly she has that scar on her face, but we do not. On the other hand, I can see why they do not go into character backgrounds, if Ares is supposed to be behind the evil of the war. It is a sort of catch-22, in that there is a good reason not to go into the backgrounds, but it makes the film feel a little less fleshed out.
This film felt different to me than the other superhero movies I have seen. I believe that is because it felt like the movie really had a message of hope, despite all the war and heartbreak. When it comes down to it, I felt like Diana was a really likable, charming character who inspires me to be more daring, stand up for what I believe in, but also to stay soft.
I give this movie a 9/10 stars, and urge everyone to go see it, because it truly is delightful.
