Wonder Woman: It is a captivating action thriller
Rated: 8.5/10
In the entirely male-dominated superhero spectrum of Hollywood, Wonder Woman is a refreshingly gentle, story-oriented action drama around the Amazonian dame who first made waves in the 1940s as DC Comics’ only woman superhero and then splashed the small screen in the 70s to much acclaim.
This is Wonder Woman’s first outing in Hollywood and she completely captivates you with her ethereal looks, endearing naivety and absolute power, traits that are truly much beyond human comprehension.
The goodness of this engaging, humorous and languid action film works at various levels. The fact the film is directed by a woman gives it that special flavor missing from rugged all-male landscapes that DC Comics has made its money from thus far. Patty Jenkins keeps the womanly thing alive all through the movie despite her main character being dressed almost always in iron armour, fighting evil men, rippling muscles and being ruggedly Amazonian.
But Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress who plays Wonder Woman, is a perfect fit to the role. Besides being stylishly stunning and a hatke beauty, she also has the physique and gravitas of a mythical Amazon woman created by none other than God Zeus to protect humanity from his son Ares, the God of War. Her sparkling eyes captivate you on screen even as you get sucked into all the action and drama she is born with and is destined to unleash.
Jenkins’ plus point is that she manages to take the film beyond the asphyxiating grip of machine-oriented breakneck action to tell you a story, breathe naturally, laugh, cry, introspect and generally be with human emotions which engage audiences as no CGI can. Wonder Woman asks simple questions, wonders at humanity’s ills and at the same time takes it upon herself to save it from itself erroneously believing all the time that she is saving humans from Ares himself.
Her unsaid, budding romance with a British spy who transports her from her mythical land unvisited by humanity to London and then to the western front of World War may have remained unfinished business but you do not mind it precisely because it does not overwhelm the actual reason of the film, that being to showcase Wonder Woman’s prowess as the ultimate saviour of the world.
Indeed, this daughter of Hippolyta with special powers even she is not aware of is, by far, the most captivating, unstoppable, fun to be with, superhero from the DC Comics stalk thus far. Without doubt, this one is the film of the week, despite the big Rock and PeeCee trying to create waves on those sexy beaches of the 70s.
Source: Sunday Pioneer, 4 June, 2017