I've seen a few flicks just now...

Wonder Woman...Is in the House!

An amazing Gal.

Wonder woman  (WW), well...what can be said. Well done. Finally a female superhero is truly reborn. As a kid I was fan of Linda Carter as WW, and now Gal Gadot. Wow. Make no mistake bringing out a female super hero successfully is a complex mathematical formula and Director Patty Jenkins got it right. Lets raise a glass to her and her team. The magic is back. Now if only we can get back that chorus crying out "Wonder Woman" from the 1975 Wonder Woman theme song during some of Gal Gardot's WW's feats of bravery, that right .... there would be the bag of chips.

The early direction of WW seemed off, beginning with the costume and I was among those who weren't too enthusiastic about it. (read about here). The red, gold and blue colours in WW costume are back. Someone smart listened to the audience. A female superhero is not a male superhero. Its not easy for a director to understand what makes a female superhero attractive to men and inspirational to other women. There are specific nuances the director has connect with and display through the protagonist. A female superhero embraces the power in her femininity, what she worries about, how she views the world around her, her strength, her appearance, what she wears, how she wears it, how she carries herself, her poise and so on. She doesn't want to be a man, because she believes in the power of being a woman and knows that's all she needs to succeed and she doesn't need to diminish herself by bashing men to do it. Phenomenally Patty was able to fend off the irresistible urge to focus on the attributes usually associated with male super heroes.

Patty Jenkins is one of the only directors to understand and
implement the differences in expression and nuance that
distinguish a female superhero from a male superhero that have
made Wonder Woman a success at the box office.

The opening scene with the naughty, energetic little girl was a stroke of genius. Every Dad would see his daughter in that little girl, anyway. I did. Not only does the audience see the evolution of Diana's physical ability, it also see's how her personality grows form a magical kind of innocence into a defender of what she believes. Finally she battles an all-powerful being who is personified in many parts, he is a humble man, a politician, an unlikely foe initially presented as a friend with an agenda all his own. A worthy well crafted antagonist, not the lazy ramshackle Doomsday nonsense we were forced to endure in BvS. He not only challenges her physically, but mentally, not only attacks her physically but during confrontation tries to break her down mentally and emotionally, in a no holds barred showdown. She is fighting as much with her mind, emotions and feelings as she is with her fists as Ares tries relentlessly to turn her to his side - excellent. How powerful is Wonder Woman? The movie answers this question: Nobody really knows. Diana is and becomes as powerful as she believes she is and needs to be. This too is refreshing. The audience doesn't seem to know if a bullet will harm her...or not, if the flames will burn her...or not, if those rocks will crush her...or not, if that gas will choke her...or not. This tends to imply her vulnerability is driven by what she thinks of her environment, what she sees, feels and rationalises about it. This vulnerability was identified by gladiator and trainer Antiope, ably portrayed by Robin Wright. It does not matter how powerful or invincible you are, when you lose hope and give up on yourself you can be defeated, injured, even by antagonists much weaker, shallower, less determined, less deserving  and less worthy than you. This is relatable. It is very clever as the audience is forced to worry about her state of mind knowing that if she doesn't properly feel or rationalise a challenge and draw strength from self belief it could weaken and hurt her, but if she makes the realest choice she will be unstoppable. What can be more human than this? Its pure genius.

DC is on its way. Its clear that an effort was made to introduce some diversity in the cast of WW by filling it in, in ways that the casting and script did not make room for. This took something away from the power of the movie. The diversity was very much beside the scenes, standing by, a side dish type of offering that is not very inspiring to other races and cultures. Hopefully this can be improved in the next WW.