I Can’t Stop Thinking About Wonder Woman

I can’t stop thinking about Wonder Woman and I don’t know why. It’s sticking in my mind (and heart) and won’t let go. I keep going over different parts of the movie in my head, reading every article and think piece about it, watching all the trailers over and over, even seeing the movie again.

Why? What is it about this movie that won’t let go? Is it the story? The characters? What the movie stands for? Do I have an affinity for war period pieces? Is it that the main character is a total bad ass? Maybe I have a crush on Gal Gadot? Maybe it’s the refreshing nature of heroine superhero? Or the overwhelming positive reaction to the movie? The hype surrounding the movie? Or maybe it’s something else?

I’ve been trying to rack my brain to pinpoint why. But I’m having trouble. It’s not a revelation or deep impact type of feeling. Part of what is so different about this feeling is that I have walked out of movies before just absolutely thrilled and giddy- Guardians Vol.1, Bourne Supremacy- but this was not like that either. Actually, walking out of the movie I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. But as as time wore on that night and into the next day, I just had a growing sense of, flaws and all, this movie and it’s moment were just so damn cool, fun, and awesome. (Although upon a second viewing, the flaws are a lot less than originally thought.) At it’s most basic I have an overwhelming feeling of happiness thinking, contemplating, and remembering it.

As a casual comic book fan with general knowledge of these characters, I enjoy seeing them on the big screen. My favorite of them was always Superman but have been thoroughly let down with his disastrous recent outings. Man of Steel, was the widest gap between expectation and disappointment I have ever had in a movie. It was terrible. It felt horrible. From there, I didn’t have much faith in any sequels.

Expectations were low for the sequel that was Batman vs. Superman. This proved to be a wise choice as the movie had many flaws of the first, while adding on some new ones of it’s own. But there was one aspect that saved the movie. That made it okay. That made it, dare I say, fun. And sole that reason was Wonder Woman.

In that movie, Wonder Woman makes her first appearance and… SHE. FREAKING. ROCKS. Her presence and introduction helps forgive a lot about these movies (and there is A LOT that needs to be forgiven.) Both mysterious and confident, each scene with her captivating, making you want to know more about her. The reveal of her identity — an old time war photograph — is fantastic (and a wonderfully executed setup for a solo movie). But the ultimate part of the movie is during the final battle scene with the big boss. Superman and Batman (now BFF because of MARTHA!) are putting around, being lame when she suddenly drops in with force, with presence. Her rocking theme starts that turns this boring fight in a boring movie into a moment that says — It’s time to kick some ass! She gets right to being a bad ass and is so much fun to watch fight, because she is having fun fighting. This is so refreshing because she’s not like the other two — moody, angry, or in an never-ending extensional crisis — she is there to fight because that is what she does. It was awesome. It was refreshing.

There was something different about her and I loved it. And I wasn’t alone. Anyone I talked to about the movie felt the same way — that the movie stunk, but Wonder Woman was the best part. It set up excitement and anticipation for her solo outing.

When the trailer dropped, it was a welcomed change to have the premise of her origin story being set during World War I, away from the modern DC Universe. It felt fun, creative, and refreshing. I keep using that word- refreshing- a lot as I talk about Wonder Woman. That’s because all of the fogginess and clutter of the Superman/Batman movies ( and other superhero movies) are cleared away with her presence in this universe. The feeling of fun I got from watching her in BvS, is what people are looking for. The hype for the movie went into over drive right before release, with stellar reviews, that really gave a buzz to the whole experience of going to the movie. There were a lot of different elements it is being made proxy for — from women empowerment, to correcting the DC cinema universe, to saving the box office. And it delivered on all fronts. It was a total hit from marketing, to critics, to dynamic audience, to a financial success, to making a star out Gal Gadot and the director, Patty Jenkins.

This is where I have to point out how wonderful Gal Gadot was in this role. Her character — naive, stubborn, and unaware of her strength — was the complete opposite of her appearance in BvS — mature, smart, and confident. As Diana Prince, Gadot shows strength, grace, and humanity, along with the most growth in a comic book character I have seen onscreen. All because they took her story back to basics. With a simple plot, they were able to focus more on the characters, establishing and growing their relationships, both with each other and the the world around them. Not bogged down with extraneous plot and connecting-the-dots-itis, there was room to play with humor and playfulness that added a human connection to the characters. We were able to enjoy the back and forth between Diana and Steve Trevor (and others), which provides different layers of subtext in a graceful way, the opposite of Man of Steel and BvS, which hit you over the head, telling you over and over, the themes they want to present.

Diana stands for many things, making them know, but not in a heavy handed way with loud declarations of what she stands for. It’s her actions, her choices. Diana is active, making choices, that we get to see who she really is. The film has subtle ways of showing subtext, which are more powerful because we feel them, instead of just being told them, with moments big and small. Small, like when she tells the street vendor he should be very proud of his delicious ice cream. It’s a moment that allows the audience to connect with characters on a human level. Her joy is wonderful and surprising and as perfect a moment you can get in a movie. In a bigger moment, she decides to leave the trenches to save a village when no one else will, all because everyone is worth saving.

The turning point of the movie, Diana actively chooses her own way, moving beyond talk, to being a protector and doing what is right. It’s the moment she becomes her own person and a badass while doing it. While a crucial turning point for the character, it also becomes one of the most action packed and signature scenes of the movie (heavily featured in the marketing). It’s a moment that allows everyone to connect with her. She is not solely a conduit of woman’s empowerment, but empowerment of all to do what is right and just which has universal appeal. It’s that hell yeah, lets do this moment, that everyone relates with.

This moment is played so well and speaks to the film’s understanding of detail and nuance. There are many other wonderful moments building Diana’s growth so wonderfully, that by the end of story, Diana is in a different place. Her story is a microcosm of any person’s life, that start young and idealistic but as they grow, they see the world is a complicated place and have complicated feelings. This all comes to a head in the final scenes, when having vanquished a main enemy, she thinks will fix all the worlds problems, but when it doesn’t her cognitive dissonance is palatable. You feel her confusion, her want for a quick solution to the worlds problems, but discovers that is not how the world works. It is one of the most gripping moments of the film. This helps set up the the strong and resilient character we saw in BvS. Someone who has been through some stuff, but is still here to fight for what is right.

The first two thirds of the film, I was so thrilled with how everything was being handled and unfolding. The final act has some flaws of corporate studio want/needs, but still has s a wonderfully motivated moment that allowed Diana to find what was right at a point when everything seemed lost. It felt true to the characters and relationships built up to that moment. And as I said, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I kept going back to it, and the joy of the film kept growing. I then saw it again with everything holding up and was even better in the second viewing.

What I see now, after a second viewing, is how closely connected with the characters I felt. I connect with Diana and Steve, with both of their journey’s. There growth is motivated, genuine, and real. With the story having the ability to breath and full develop these characters and relationship, it allowed us the audience to connect with them, which rarely happens in superhero movies, because well, they are super and we are not. While acknowledging life’s complications it focused on our simplest, highest ideals, with characters that affect us, with creative artists that nailed the execution, which allows everyone to connect with on a human level. It was a refrehing with a with a power and wonder that all mainstream movies should aim follow.