My Quickie Review
My Longer Review
The fight scenes were beautifully done, my favourites being the battle on the beach between the Amazons and the Germans, and the liberating of the town of Veld. That sequence was pretty spectacular. I have to admit, watching Diana cross No-Man's Land, and hearing the soldiers in the trenches exclaim, "She's gone and bloody done it!" did things to me. Diana kneeing a soldier through a window was one of my favourite shots of the film.
Also as a tribute to Gal Gadot, and without spoiling too much, I was less impacted by the death of a character than I was by Gal Gadot's portrayal of Diana's reaction. That was when the death hit me.
Chis Pine's portrayal of Steve Trevor was also sublime. Once again, credit to the writers for creating a male character whose masculinity does not depend on being superior to his female counterpart. Steve Trevor's abilities are not diminished because Diana can, well, body slam a church bell tower. And he's masculinity is not threatened by such a woman. In fact, he accepts her abilities without injury, trusting Diana to get the job done (as evidenced by his use of an Amazonian tactic during the liberation of Veld). The character is sweet and fragile, while also being clever, capable and strong. In short, he's an entire person.
This is lacking in a lot of films of this genre, not just female-led ones. Gender norms constrain male characters as much as female ones.
In fact, Captain Trevor is an outright hero in this film. His courage is second to none. That is not diminished by the fact that no one but Diana can face off against a literal god.
This parity was really refreshing to see.
I also really enjoyed the use of humour throughout this film. Diana and Steve have a number of scenes that are hilarious, with brilliantly delivered dialogue on both parts. I was laughing a lot at various points throughout the film. Considering the subject matter, that laughter was very welcome.
I loved Chief, as well. It was wonderful to see a First Nations character as an actually integral part of a unit, and not just random cannon fodder. I loved his character, and how they didn't shy away from the fact that he was aware of and impacted by what happened to his people.
I love the character of Sameer, who wanted nothing more than to be an actor. But, he was the wrong colour. The film didn't shy away from this issue either, and though it was only mentioned off-hand, it was nevertheless quite sobering.
This film made me want to cheer, and loudly, not least of all because of Diana's heart. Her courage was rooted in her determination to do what was right, often despite the people around her telling her to do otherwise. In fact, this whole movie could really be summed up thusly:
Everyone: Diana, don't do the thing!
Diana: I'm doing the thing!
*does the thing*
It was great!
Finally
I still, however, stand by my assertion that this movie would be less marvellous, were it not for the fact that good female-led hero movies are entirely lacking in pop culture. This was a huge step for film, and it is rightly being celebrated as such. I just think it's a shame that, in 2017, this movie is such a big deal.
Still, go see this film. I absolutely adored it.