After spending four movies, Warner's DCEU movie universe finally gave birth to a superhero with remarkable classical and comic temperament, but at the same time not pretentious or too frivolous. Patty Jenkins, who has been dormant for many years, drew a lot of inspiration from Richard Downer in the golden age. With the help of the original comics screenwriter Alan Highberg, the whole movie shines rare and late. The freshness that came has also liberated the audience from the dark style of Zach Schneider's oil painting.
Passionate, with ups and downs, but always maintained a certain entertaining spirit, Gal Gadot’s Amazon female warrior proved how we miss Christopher Reeve in the age of innocence, rather than a walking fitness spokesperson. .
After all, regardless of Superman or Wonder Woman, the real Super Hero should be a secular hero shining with humanity, not a child who is indulged in short and over-entertaining parents.
Although Linda Carter's Wonder Woman has become a classic, but just like Adam West's Batman, it does not affect the deconstruction and reshaping of this character in the new era. Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman was the only one in last year's "Dawn of Justice" that avoided any controversy. Unlike the opposing Captain America, she broke away from national differences and became an international female fighter. In the early version, Wonder Woman is just an American character with a mythological background, and here, she is first of all a legendary woman with mythological power, but she just stands on the side of the United States.
This allowed Wonder Woman to get rid of the shackles of identity and destiny from the very beginning, as well as the paper-like dualistic confrontation between good and evil. And this is the angle Patty Jenkins takes in "Wonder Woman." Although the origin story of "Wonder Woman" is old-fashioned, it still has a certain sense of freshness and vitality on the big screen. More importantly, it almost completely insulates the invasion of cosmic eggs and future clues, which is also an important reason why modern comic-based films often fail to obtain satisfactory independent stories.
In a sense, the success of "Wonder Woman" is based on the inferior "Thor". "Wonder Woman" not only improves many inherent flaws in superhero movies, but also incorporates Hollywood's entertainment genes, emotional expression and adrenaline. From any angle, it is a high-quality popcorn movie.
Obviously there are similar mythological foreign heroes, one radiant, the other big-chested and thought-provoking.
Although for Gal Gadot and Wonder Woman, beauty is justice. But the superheroes of the new era have finally gone from being compassionate from top to bottom to being a banner of courage from bottom to top.
Since "Man of Steel" in 2013, DCEU has been in trouble and controversy. Compared with the Disney-Marvel superhero movie series, DCEU has a unique aesthetic and worldview, but it has long faced the problem of messy narrative, especially the excessive obsession with action and violent plots. In the previous series of movies, the heroes of DCEU are the general trend. Due to the existence of external crisis, they are in a passive position instead of actively choosing to become heroes (in "Suicide Squad", they passively become anti-heroes). Therefore, the most distinctive aspect of "Wonder Woman" is to modify this patterned approach. We can see that Paradise Island is still facing a crisis from the outside world, but Diana's choice is independent, and she has achieved self-growth during her adventure. We can still see the representative twists in DCEU, and the movie is still exploring DCEU’s favorite theme (continued from "The Dark Knight"): whether human beings are really worth saving by superheroes, and whether individuals with superpowers Absolute justice can be maintained. But Patty Jenkins and Alan Highberg took the natural advantage of Wonder Woman and explored this issue in a bottom-up, humane way. As a result, superheroes are no longer a superior group that descends from the sky and condescending, but a legendary hero who walks through the world, fights with humans, bears human suffering, and finally sublimates.
This transition from birth to entry completely attaches humanity to divinity, rather than forcibly raising ordinary people to the height of the savior. And this also helped Wonder Woman relieve the heavy burden that haunts her seniors without appearing frivolous and trivial. Wonder Woman will also question her status in the world, but she will no longer shake her inner identity. This makes the whole story show a different temperament from the previous DCEU movies.
Unlike other DCEU movies run by Zach Schneider, "Wonder Woman" is no longer as full as the super big Show in Las Vegas. After reducing the density of comics, the entrance of the anti-war theme did not reduce the visual impact and the charm of the action scene. Although the final battle was a bit frustrating, both the CG level and the design have significantly regressed. But the power of the film does not come from the comic egg or the satire of old-fashioned heroism, but the delicate balance between entertainment and reality.
Obviously, the creative team of "Wonder Woman" learned a lot from the shortcomings of "Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad". For example, in the use of color, there are still many dark scenes, but they get rid of the sense of solemnity and stage. Compared with Marvel movies that over-emphasize humorous elements, "Wonder Woman" has finally achieved a certain balance between seriousness and entertainment. The role-driven sense of humor is not as deliberate and fragmented as "Suicide Squad", from the protagonist to the supporting role. All have room for expression.
It is true that there are inevitable mistakes in "Wonder Woman." The distance between the villain and the protagonist is too far away, and for most of the film, it has a weak relationship with the protagonist’s short-term goals. In the end, when Wonder Woman and God of War were in a decisive battle, there was no strong driving condition. At the same time, the film spent a lot of time depicting Steve’s diverse (PC) comrades, but it slowed down the narrative rhythm of the film and did not establish a good character image. On the whole, it is very similar to "Captain America." The vague howling commando is almost the same. Patty Jenkins strives to bring a touch of novelty to the troubled superhero movies since the new millennium. However, no matter how we discuss ideas and human nature, we still have to cater to the market’s basic needs for CG special effects, explosive effects, and love between men and women. .
However, "Wonder Woman" still has a pivotal significance. On the one hand, it has finally tapped the potential of DC movies that have always existed in shaping heroes. On the other hand, we have seen the maternity, humanity and divinity shining in Wonder Woman. It is truly single-handed in male-dominated superhero movies. The earth opened a piece of sky—not just a small piece, but a large piece.
And in DCEU, we finally ushered in a superhero representing a vigorous spirit, instead of indulging in our own anger and pain. Superheroes are far more than just gagging or suffering, they represent courage and faith. What does heroism mean? The answers not found in "Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad" finally appeared in "Wonder Woman". This is a huge victory for this film series that desperately needs to grow and affirm.
View more about Wonder Woman reviews
