I Believe in Love : Wonderwoman Movie Review

*spoilers abound* 


So, once upon a time there was a little girl. She was different from the other little girls because she liked to hang out with boys, wear jeans instead of dresses, and play football in the street. She and her cousins would also play superhero games and each one would select their favorite superhero. There was the Hulk, Batman, and Superman, even Aquaman made an appearance one Summer night when the neighbors kid came over to play. The little girl was always Wonderwoman. Never Supergirl, or Batgirl...always Wonderwoman. The little girl read comic books, and dreamed about becoming Wonderwoman when she grew up. She was Wonderwoman for halloween. She spent nights thinking of ways to be better, faster, stronger, and smarter than all the boys in the world. Well...she tried to, as any little girl could. She watched Linda Carter portray her hero on Television as she grew up and swore that there could never be another that would ever take her place. Wonderwoman, was truly her first love for all her grace, beauty, honesty, power, and belief in love as the ultimate super power.
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Image DC Comics 

The little girl grew up. 


She watched closely as talk among the fanboy/girl communities were abuzz about a Wonderwoman movie. Who would play her? Meagan Fox? Carmen Electra? The girl listened, curious about who would ever even make an attempt at filling the sacred shoes of Linda Carter as Wonderwoman. She said to friends that asked her, What do you think about so and so as Wonderwoman...NOPE, not good enough was always the reply. I don't even want to mention the failed Adrienne Palicki television fiasco.  So when word arrived that script writing had begun I was beyond skeptical. Patty Jenkins? Who was Patty Jenkins? Gal Gadot? Who the heck was that?  First images of the actress begun to circulate and the girl began to feel a deep sense of animosity toward this person who dared to even consider trying to fill the role of such an iconic heroine. The chick from Fast and Furious? No way! She was too skinny, not muscular at all, did NOT look fierce, and was that a foreign accent? Wasn't Wonderwoman American? So many horrible thoughts went through the girls head against a person she didn't even know - something SO unlike the girl. Just...keep reading.

Initially the girl retracted from this Wonderwoman movie. Afraid of the disaster that would unfold on the screen. Afraid that her beloved Wonderwoman would be tarnished by an unknown and her epic story ruined and attacked by the media as many Superhero movies had. Some things to kids growing up in the 70's and 80's just needed to stay untouched in her mind. They released the movie.


The fangirl, waited. She waited nearly 2 weeks to see the movie. Tonight was the night.


Quietly she purchased a ticket and sat down unsure of what lay ahead, but certain that she would at the very least be grateful that someone gave her heroine a shot at the big screen. Then something magical happened.

The girl sat in awe.


So she sat in silence in an almost empty theater and watched little Diana appear on the screen in all of her impetuous glory. The scene where she's running away from her tutor to go practice fighting set the stage for me. For that moment, I was that little girl again wanting to be the best. Little Diana was drawn to strength and power, so it was no question that her Aunt Antiope would become her mentor. I sat and watched Diana train, and come into her own. Happy, strong, and always guided by love and honor. I watched and did not see anything cheesy, or hokey. There was no overtly bad acting and I didn't hate it. Quite the opposite happened, I fell in love with Wonderwoman and all she stood for all over again.  This was the story I had waited 30 years to see brought to life. The movie begins with Diana receiving the photo that Bruce Wayne had with her and Steve Trevor from the 1930's. Diana reflects back to her past and that's where her story begins...
Image result for young diana prince wonderwoman

There's so much to say.


I guess I'll begin with the point where Diana rescues Steve Trevor from his downed plane in his mission to get the book of poison formulas to London. First let me say, I'm not too sure how a book of poison formulas written in ink in the 1930's could have lasted through that watery encounter and come up perfectly legible later when Diana translates them at the Embassy without a ziploc bag. Movie magic I guess. Next, I want to say that it is the moment that she dives in to save someone that she does not even know that truly captures how very special Diana is. All life is precious to her, even that of man. Even after her beloved Aunt dies in battle with Germans who followed Steve Trevor through the "fog" around Paradise Island, Diana does not wish him dead. She actually comes to his defense, which reinforces her strong belief in compassion, a theme that resonates through the entire movie.


Diana leaves Themyscira. 



Image result for wonder woman in themycira

When Diana learns what Steve Trevor's mission is, and hears about the horrors of the war that is waging, she knows that she must follow her teaching, and her heart in an effort to find and defeat Ares, the God of War in an effort to save man from his treachery and restore the balance of love and light to the world. This palpable innocence was portrayed eloquently by Gal Gadot, who performed this role with a level of perfection that could not have been as deftly managed by any other actress. (I still love you Linda Carter) Throughout the movie, compassion, honesty, and a desire to fight for the good that resides in all of humanity compel Wonderwoman to forge on to deliver swift justice to anyone who stands in opposition of these virtues. The battles she walked into were superbly done and believable. Everything was perfect, the CGI was flawless, the magic lasso was not overused, but was perfectly placed within the context of the fight scenes. Even the villains were cast well. There were even references to inequalities that many people of the world and time had to contend with like racism, and the inequality of women during that time.

Related image

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Gal Gadot as Wondersomen Den of Geek

Tears amid the chaos of war.


As I sat there watching my heroine walk into battle I could feel something stir inside of me. While many of the other reviews I have read talk about women feeling empowered and energized, I felt something quite different. As I sat there in the midst of my nostalgia, and watched Wonderwoman leap into battle and protect others by deflecting bullets and shells with her armor, I felt...proud...I caught myself actually wiping tears away from my face as I watched such a beautiful portrayal of the power that is Wonderwoman unfolding on the screen. It sounds crazy I know, to read about a grown woman tearing up at a Wonderwoman movie, but it happened and I have no other explanation save to say that I felt like a mother watching her daughter blossom into a beautiful young woman. It happened during every single battle scene. I was proud that Wonderwoman had been given so much style, grace, and stunning humanity (for a Demi-God) that I cried. I hadn't expected that. It was weird.


Gal Gadot is magical.

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Gal Gadot as Wonderwoman - Time Magazine
Gal Gadot delivered a powerful performance as both Diana and Wonderwoman. She was able to capture the innocence of her character and make the audience fall in love with her in this role. She greets the world of man with such a kind heart, and her performance makes it all believable. She goes into battle form in perfect cadence with the action around her which is difficult for some actors to do. She went into hopeless situations where she couldn't help and I felt her frustration and her sadness and incredulity with every camera flash at her face. It was beautiful to watch. It made us want to help her. It was like a work of art being displayed on the movie screen. I'm sorry I waited this long, and I'm sorry that I ever doubted Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins. With every move she made and every camera angle I fell more in love with the humanity that Wonderwoman had for us all.

This movie was so very well done by everyone involved in it's production.

I think I'm gonna cry again...

I believe in Love and you should too.

Go see Gal Gadot as Wonderwoman. 




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