by Johanne Franklin
Wonder Woman
27 BLawyerisH/July, 2017
Wonder Woman was released on June 2, 2017, with great fanfare. The budget for the marketing campaign alone is estimated to be close to $150,000,000 USD. As of June 30, 2017, the movie generated total gross sales of $663,648,207 USD worldwide.
The world has been waiting for this female superhero movie for so long. Wonder Woman is not a new character. She was introduced to us in the DC Comic Universe in 1941 but, surprisingly, no movie had been made about her until now. Wonder Woman did not get the same treatment as her male counterparts, Superman, Batman and company, so, now is her time to shine. Or do we have to wait for this a bit longer?
The movie starts with an introduction to Diana’s childhood (aka Wonder Woman) growing up on Themyscira, an isolated island, that is populated exclusively by women, the Amazon warriors. Diana, played by Gal Gadot, is the daughter of Hippolyta (played by Connie Nielsen), the Queen of the Amazons. Diana grew up on a paradise island isolated from the rest of the world and out of the reach of the wrath of the evil god, Ares. Through impressive cinematography, and costume designing, we learn parts of Wonder Woman's 76-year herstory in this island-paradise, where the inhabitants are trained in the regimen of the Amazons. The women's remarkable athletic abilities and capacity to fight fiercely, and graciously are amazing. There is strong love and support among the women depicted by their loyalty, laughter and chatting among them. There is race diversity on this island. There are Women-of-Colour, but their roles are quite secondary.
Things are about to change and will not be the same after Steve Trevor’s plane crashed in the ocean next to the island. Steve, played by Chris Pine, is rescued by Diana and after being compelled to disclose his true identity as a spy, he alerts Diana about the horrors of the pending World War I. Diana is greatly concerned and despite the disapproval of her mother the Queen, she leaves with Chris and embarks on a journey to end this terrible war. Then, we follow them through series of events that are entertaining but unfortunately so predictable and full of clichés. This movie disappoints me on so many points that I cannot remember in great details what happens next. I do remember that Wonder Woman’s ingenuity and courage did not convince me. I expected so much more from this heroine. Her light is dim in comparison with her male superhero colleagues. Throughout the movie, she seems to be more an accidental participant in this war than a leader saving the world. I hope that this movie serves as an reintroduction of her character that remains be further developed. In the meantime, there is no harm in watching this movie but you should be ready to lose some of your childhood illusions.
Johanne practices corporate & commercial law at WeirFoulds LLP, in Toronto, Ontario. She is a fully bilingual lawyer (English and French). Johanne is called to the Ontario and Quebec bars. Click here for full biography