Title: Wonder Woman
Director: Patty Jenkins
Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielson, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis, Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremmer.
DC Comics’s Wonder Woman instills girl power values in Generation Y. The adaptation for the silver screen of the warrior princess, directed by a female director Patty Jenkins, fuses entertainment with gender empowerment.
The story is set in the early 20th century, as we are introduced to the kalokagathia demigoddess Diana (Gal Gadot), who is living on the island of Themyscira. The life of the Amazonian will change the instant she meets American military pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and saves him from drowning at sea. At that moment she will confront the evil that has enveloped human beings under the destructive influence of Ares, the God of war. Diana will learn from Steve about the ongoing events of World War I and will leave her home for London, to bring an early end to the bloodshed.
The film simultaneously provides distraction and inspiration: the enthralling adventures and special effects do not neglect to revolve around timely issues. Chemical warfare, that established itself with the mustard gas of the First World War, is ever so present with today’s terrorism. In the movie, love becomes the most powerful tool that the human race can use. This message is conveyed gracefully and pragmatically, characters do not profuse magniloquent declarations of love, but prove their feelings with their actions to the extent of sacrificing their life for a greater cause.
Lynda Carter, who had played the female heroine in the seventies action series, finds the perfect heir to the role: the Israeli actress-model Gal Gadot. The entire cast (Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielson, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis, Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremmer) enticingly enacts the feats experienced with Princess Diana of Themyscira.
Thus, the character who came to life from the mind of American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston and artist Harry G. Peter, returns prominently during the 21st century as a model and inspiration. This is attested not just by cinema but also but by institutions: Wonder Woman was announced as UN ambassador last October, for the Empowerment of Women and Girls, and became the face of a campaign aimed at raising awareness regarding gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030.
Technical: B+
Acting: B
Story: B+
Overall: B+
Written by: Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
