«Wonder Woman»

Cinema Wednesdays - Loris S. Musumeci

A partner section of Cinérevue, NeuchVox's film program. Next live broadcast: Monday July 3, 2017, 8:30 pm - 9:00 pm

«You were my greatest love; today you are my greatest despair.»

Diana (Gal Gadot), Princess of Themiscyra, races across an island populated only by charming, strong, slender women. Even as a child, she dreamed of fighting like all the other Amazons. But her mother, Queen Hyppolite, is against it. This little girl, born of clay and the breath of Zeus, must have nothing to do with the world of war, for which men are responsible because of Ares.

Aware, however, of the danger facing the tribe of women surrounded by a perverted world, Antiope, the queen's sister, trains her niece harder than the other warriors. Diana has grown up with a sense of wonder. One day, she sees a plane crash into the sea. Skillfully, she dives in to rescue the pilot. An American spy.

It's chaos outside this dreamlike sphere. «Four years, twenty-seven countries, twenty-five million dead,» explains Trevor (Chris Pine), the castaway. The Great War. Diana is convinced that Ares is responsible. She accompanies the soldier into this world of fire and blood, with the sole hope of saving humanity. An astonishing immersion of a naive and atypical woman in a hostile and dark context, under the fury of the German general Ludendorff.

Feminine sensitivity

We announced Wonder Woman as a revival of superhero movies. While it's hard to see any real novelty in terms of plot and content, it's entirely present in the simple femininity of the hero. Surprising as it may seem, a female superhero marks a major departure from the usual superhero. Of course, it's still a question of saving the common man from the forces of evil, and fighting hand-to-hand accordingly. But the fact that salvation is embodied by a woman lends a major sensibility to the mission, investing it with optimism, compassion and philanthropy. In this way, males too prone to brutality are given a fair and direct education in how to become better.

Technical traps

However, director Patty Jenkins seems to have fallen into a technical trap with the hero's femininity. Over the course of the film's two hours and twenty minutes, the fight scenes are too long, to the point of melting into weariness. No doubt it's Diana's gentleness that needs to be made up for by a dose of violence. And, of course, to remain in the authentic action genre that viewers have come to expect.

This flaw is accompanied by two other damaging elements. First, some of the special effects. At times, the digital technology adopts such an imposing posture that it creates an artifice in contrast with the rest, which is rather bewitching in its decent naturalness. Also, during the final battle scene, the magical powers of the two rivals commit such electrifying and brilliant excesses that you'd suddenly think you were in Transformers.

Secondly, on-screen action and spectacle unfortunately obscure much of the characters' psychology. The only one who escapes this absence is Diana. This limits the damage. However, the audience would have liked to have seen more of some of the real-life, fascinating figures in the story.

In virtue of beauty

Despite these flaws, Wonder Woman is one of the film season's pleasant surprises. The links to mythology are pertinent, and the comedic situations run through the film in a highly enjoyable manner. The film's reflection on war deserves to be developed further. Although naïve, like the heroine who is a stranger to cruelty, it carries a profound meaning. «No hero can change that [the world's conflicted climate]. Only love can save the world.» As trite as the sentence may sound, it's the truth. It's good to hear.

Morally, moreover, the film takes a humanist, Christian approach. In praise of courage, sacrifice and mercy. So many virtues that inhabit the princess. And if beauty is also a virtue, the sublime Gal Gadot fits her role perfectly.

«It's not about merit, it's about what you believe in. And I believe in love.»

Write to the author : loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

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