Superhero to the rescue
Israeli model-turned-actress Gal Gadot stars as an Amazonian princess in the $150 million superhero adventure Wonder Woman, based on the classic story by DC Comics. Film reviewer Don Perlgut gives her a four-star rating.
FILM review of Wonder Woman by Don Perlgut – In Wonder Woman, Israeli actor Gal Gadot plays Diana Prince, a daughter of the Amazons who grows up surrounded by warrior women on the remote fictional island of Themyscira.
As a young girl, Diana is fed stories of Greek mythology by her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Danish actress Connie Nielsen) and taught combat skills by her aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright).
Created by DC Comics, Wonder Woman follows in the superhero tradition of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gadot’s previous big film.
But director Patty Jenkins and Jewish screenwriter Allan Heinberg bring a difference: while most superhero films are bloated special effects extravaganzas, Wonder Woman drives its story through characters. And there are loads of them, all well-drawn and frequently very funny.
After Diana Prince, the most important character is Steve Trevor (Chris Pine, who played James T Kirk in the most recent Star Trek films).
Steve is an undercover American agent who has stolen German weapon secrets as World War I is coming to a fitful close.
He escapes by stealing a plane and crash-lands near Themyscira. Diana saves his life, after which the Amazons battle pursuing German soldiers.
Diana and Steve make their way to England (eerily, we know it’s London because the first image we see is that of London Bridge) and then on to Belgium to track down and destroy the German secret weapon.
They are accompanied by a cast of oddball characters with special skills, who mostly fulfil the “humorous sidekick” requirements of the superhero movie genre.
There’s nothing unusual about the plot – Wonder Woman saves the day – but the fun is in the telling, in the characters themselves and the occasional great dialogue.
Gadot plays a delightful Wonder Woman, wide-eyed, naïve, idealistic and a true warrior. Gadot’s on-screen chemistry with Chris Pine is funny, believable (for a superhero fantasy), nicely nuanced and romantic. They combine to create one of the best “buddy” movies of the year.
For Jewish audiences two fabulous lines said by Gadot stand out, both purposefully ironic: “Once the Germans are freed from his [the bad guy’s] influence, they will be good men again.” Spoken in 1918; we all know how that one worked out.
And in London, Diana upbraids the British army brass saying: “Where I come from, generals don’t hide in their offices. They fight alongside their soldiers.”
At almost two hours and 20 minutes, Wonder Woman is over- long. It starts slowly and ends with a ritualised superhero battle seen too often in these films.
However, it’s funny, highly entertaining and will be a real audience pleaser.
Wonder Woman should provide Gadot with a springboard to becoming a highly sought-after actor in the movie world.
Wonder Woman is currently screening.
comments