I loved it too! I loved the way she was filmed. Very often obviously her whole body was shown, but there were no gratuitous sexy shots of legs and breasts and that, her body was shown in a way to be like 'look at this powerful woman', and while Wonder Woman and Gal is beautiful and sexy and all that, in the film she was beautiful because she was a strong, powerful, smart, courageous woman. It was SO refreshing to see a woman portrayed like that
Rachel I loved it, shots of strong legs as she climbs up over things or the muscles in her arms as she fights - it wasn't sexualised it was just showing how heckin strong and powerful she is and the fact that she's a true warrior - which a lot of people were worried about with her casting, that she wouldn't be strong and powerful enough to be a convincing warrior I just 😍😍😍 Wonder Woman
My big problem with the reveal that David Thewlis is Ares is that in doing so, the film seems to forget its own central message mere minutes after apparently committing to it. All throughout the film up to that point, we're led to assume that Ares isn't actually real. Diana's mother tells her a story about defeating Ares, that Ares is the cause of mankind's evil - but it's just a story, from a literal storybook. Diana drinks it in as fact, but the implication is that the story of Ares is more like a fable. Then when Diana leaves the island with Steve, she tells everyone who asks that she's going to end the war by killing Ares. Everybody's response to this is to stare awkwardly and reply with a sarcastic "Yeah, sure you are." Later, Diana kills Ludendorff thinking that he's Ares, and is shocked when the soldiers don't immediately stop fighting as she expected them to. Steve tries to tell her that maybe some people are just innately evil, but if some people aren't then they're still worth fighting for. THIS IS THE CENTRAL THEME OF THE ENTIRE MOVIE. Diana doesn't immediately agree with Steve, and he leaves her to continue what he believes to be the good fight. We're left alone with Diana. She starts questioning the same thing that we've been questioning all the time - was Ares ever actually real? Has she been carrying out this mission based on nothing but fantasy? Is it even worth continuing to try to end the war if all men are naturally evil? Why should she bother - SIKE, Ares was real, it just wasn't who Diana thought it was. Oh. Okay then. The film sets up its central theme, works naturally towards fulfilling it, follows through, and then immediately backtracks on it for the sake of a capital T 'twist'.
R Humphrys not really, that would be the case if ares had been the cause of the war. He wasn't, he had just been adding fuel to the fire to make it bigger and stronger. I think the central message that you explained still stands after she defeats ares, especially since she talked about it afterwards. Also, they couldn't make ares fake, considering diana was born from zues
Matthew Spinazze The message hits home a lot less harder than intended if Ares is real. Sure, there's one line of dialogue where Ares says "I didn't make men evil, I just made them worse" or something like that, but the film is trying to say that people don't even need the 'help' that Ares gives them to be evil, that they're capable of it all by themselves. But that's too complex a message to have, apparently. Gotta water it down by making Ares the enabler if not the instigator, rather than just have mankind be evil of their own accord. It's almost like the film is scared of committing too hard to its own essential idea, so tries to have it both ways by making mankind innately evil AND have Ares be the Machiavellian mastermind behind everything. It just makes both aspects weaker as a result of not deciding on one.
But we were told her whole back story. As a viewer, we're supposed to know that Ares is real because if he wasn't, then neither is WW. So even though Diana came off as oblivious to the other characters, we're not supposed to underestimate her the way they did.
I've been thinking about the villain reveal and I just think it would have been so much cooler if it had been Chris Pine's character or any other allied soldier/leader and they'd made something of that. Because I think a flaw of the film was the allies=good guys, germans=bad guys thing. It would've been so much more effective to show the evil and violence on both sides, I think. I know that the guy who was ares was technically on the side of the allies but nothing was made of that really.
But I think that point was already made brilliantly-considering this was a mainstream big budget Hollywood project-in the scene where the Native American character is asked by Wonder Woman who killed his people and he points to Chris Pine's character sleeping in the corner, saying something along the lines of "His people". That just, it floored me. My mind then supplied an immediate comparison to Captain America: The First Avenger where the "Germans - Bad", "Americans - Good" factor had really bothered me.
This is definitely true but the Nazis forced a lot of people to fight for them that didn't agree with their ideals and weren't evil. Their leaders were, but the ordinary soldiers, not so much.
I was so surprised Steve died. I was like 'Nah, he's the love interest, he's Chris Pine, he'll live somehow.' I think it was brave to let him die (though with sequels to be in more contemporary settings it makes sense I guess).
MissKoalaFace remember when he was talking to her in the future and she had memory lose that scene was heart aching that she broke down in middle of conversation saying how he's back
The No Man's Land scene gave me that same panic attack feeling and I realized it was because I had never seen it before. Tom Cruise has had that big powerful, no-one-tells-me-what-to-do, "I'm in charge of this situation", reveal scene one thousand times, as well as many other men. But I had never seen it from a woman. It was awakening.
TheSparkleina It was a good movie, best dc movie yet, but the no man's land scene felt disrespectful. Millions of men actually died there and being a tiny supermodel walking through it like a Pantene commercial. . .ehhh.
GarrusN7 I guess you have a different perspective on it then. I see her as the warrior she is entering a battle zone, testing her limits and what she believes in.
GarrusN7 she's a goddess with strong morals not a pantene model. If the scene never happened it would have completely contradicted Diana's character motivations
TheSparkleina I was focusing more on the part about it being "no man's" land. You could absolutely tell that they were playing off of that. I didn't think it was that bad. But I do think it is important to be respectful of the setting when it is in a terrible real world event (trench warfare). It was ugly and dirty, millions of men shot to pieces because of lack of strategy. No amount of "girl power" would have helped.
GarrusN7 genuinely, how would you have changed that scene? I think it was necessary to have Diana interact with the time setting in such a way but hey each to their own
i was so emotional throughout the entire movie, like that scene of the amazons all riding together on the beach it took every ounce of self control not to stand up on my seat and start screaming like a banshee. i'm so happy that the younger generation have such a strong female superhero to look up to! god bless you patty jenkins
I didn't dislike Thewlis as Ares, I think he was good, but I did expect a better filmed and sequenced fight from a final battle. Gal Gadot was spectacular, Pine raised the bar for superhero romantic interests. Played with suaveness and humour, and he was confident and sure enough to actually have his own character inserted wonderfully around Wonder Woman. You look great, too, Jack. Your brother should know better though. 😛
Stephanie Louise I agree! I liked him as Ares. Throughout the entire film I really didn't even think that it could have been him and I was thinking about how he was probably the character that I'd put down as least likely to be Ares. But I think that was the point. He manipulated the audience to show how easily humans can be manipulated. The film explicitly showed his tactics and showed how scary the truth really is. That's why when it was revealed I was just in shock. I was a little disappointed that there was an Ares but the explanation to the way that he went about his business made everything make sense in the movie as well as in philosophy.
I loved the film so so much, I cried during the first fight scene with the amazons. It was the only superhero film I've seen with female lead where it was treated like a male superhero. I'm so glad that when I have children they can grow up with Gal
I totally understand why you don't like the villain reveal and while I agree that he should've been more present throughout the film, I actually loved having David Thewlis as the villain. I loved that he subverted all expectations of what a villain should be. He wasn't anyone in the foreground of the film, didn't have a strong voice, didn't personally lead people into war. He wasn't even on one side or the other. He wasn't a revenge-seeking grunt or a maniacal genius. He didn't even look like a villain. He was the whispers in the background, playing with something already innately present in humans. He looked innocuous and yet had a huge impact. And I think that was the point of him as the villain.
I thought the same. It made sense to me, because lately in wars you have more influence in the war room back home than you would actually on the battlefield.
I really like your point of view. I totally agree that it was nice to see a villain more in the background and more in the minds of people than actually on the battlefield but with all that in mind I didn't like the fight scene. All of a sudden he becomes this great warrior with armor and everything and all of a sudden he starts fighting. I didn't think it fit with the way they portrayed him up until that point. It didn't seem like something the Ares they showedus would do, for me it was kind of out of character.
Don't know if it was just me but I cried in a lot of kind of battle scenes and I couldn't really pinpoint why it just made me really emotional? I don't know if it was a whole woman superhero/representation thing but wow that movie got to me
Samantha Morrison the scene that absolutely got me was when she jumped and smashed through that tower. I don't know why I was sobbing. I just felt so much pride?? And not just as in "wow a female superhero" but just bc i felt so proud of Wonder Woman and I was so incredibly blown away by her as a person and as a warrior, and blown away by that badass act and strength. Idk man I was just super emotional. Especially bc when I saw it, the whole cinema started applauding when she broke through the tower. And just knowing that everyone was so into it made me feel so happy. Full on happy tears on my part.
I disagree with you on the villain! I think what I liked about Ares was that he was set up as this great force of evil that was the cause of the war, only for Diana to come to the realisation that he had actually played a relatively passive role in the events that unfolded. I felt like having him be a more neutral(?) villain was a good pay off for everything Diana had been being told by Steve throughout the movie- that no one is purely good and bad, and there's not only one person to blame for the war. I'll agree that the showy, hollywood, zack snyder esque battle was a bit too much visually, and didn't tonally match the rest of the film, but overall I think the lupin guy being Ares aided the story and progressed Diana's growth as a character (in the epilogue we hear her say that every human has good and bad inside them, showing her growth)
I agree. I believe the choice to gear hip up to be this devil-figure threw the whole thing off! He'd have seemed that much more powerful in the suit, tbh, and it would have preserved some of the message to have him look meek but still cause massive destruction. The point, as I understood it, was that the devil is in the details; that evil is the little things. And is just as often done in a meeting room.
Exactly! I don't think it's fair for some people to say that making Ares a real character rather than going "nope, he doesn't exist" was a safe move on the part of the filmmakers. I understand that different people interpret the film in different ways, so to some individuals it may have weakened the film's message, but to other's that's just not the case. The film still has a strong message and they tried to do something different with the villain. They took a risk with him, and I think it payed off (although I totally agree with you that he should have just stayed in his suit rather than crafting that ridiculous sauron-knock-off armour).
That's exactly what I thought! Hahah I loved that there was a female hero AND a female villain. Would have loved to see her beeing Ares.nIt would have given the story a completely different twist.
What I really loved about the film was that the chemistry between Diana and Steve was so believable and natural when there was so many elements that seemed like it couldn't be, as they are from completely different worlds. There was moments where they would acknowledge their differences but it was always charming and never awkward or disappointing. I loved it
I love Wonder Woman so much! During the film, I cried... even in the scenes that they weren't really doing things, I cried. The film is so amazing and it made me feel proud to be a woman. One of the best films I have ever seen! Definitely my number 1 go to film ❤
yeah the whole third act looked like it was phoned in. i suspect zack snyder took patty's shape, locked her in a storage closet and proceeded to ruin the ending, like he normally does.
I agree v much but I feel like there's more you could of touched upon ? Like yeah they kinda sprung the villain on us at the last minute but I think the point of that was to make me think and kinda doubt if Aries was even real or if it was so big old metaphor for how u can't kill evil/war etc
Hm I get what you're saying about an "old fashioned love story", but I get sick of romantic plots. Probably because I'm ace, but I think the power of platonic love is one of the most underrated things.
Jack's comments about her theme and the delayed use of music being more impactful was absolutely spot on! It made the whole film incredibly emotive. My favourite reviewer. More please!
The part that made me feel really emotional was the part where they put the shield or car door or whatever it was on their back and replicated the thing that he saw them do back on the island. I think I really showed the character and relationship development through them.
same i didn't watch the video until i watched the movie cause i want it to have my opinion on it and i really like wen jack do videos about movies cause i like his opinion even if i don't agree with him sometimes
I could listen to Jack talk about films for hours tbh, the moments I loved were her telling the guys to "wait here" and It hit me that id never seen that in a film before, Id never really seen a representation of a woman at the front line, it was amazing pls i levelled up
totally agree with you, I talked to my friends about how the ending was a bit random and how they tried so hard to make it a mythology story to differentiate themselves from the rest of superhero movies and my friends thought I was being too hard on them. I loved, loooooved the movie. I cried and shivered with emotion, I felt empowered and proud and adored the cast (shoutout to the moroccan pervy translator, morocco represent!!), but I did not care for the villain, even though it was lupin.... I just can't take seriously a supervillain that has a moustache, I just can't, it felt forced. But I'm definitely hooked and can't wait to see what else they'll do with precious Diana.
I'm SO happy you expressed becoming emotional in that scene when she is just so full of passion and determination is just builds up so well to that no mans land reveal/push that I felt exactly the same way. It expressed so much in such a simple shot that i found it hard not to get totally pumped
This is pretty much everything I thought while watching the film. Except no crying during No Man's land - just immese excitement. Also I love the way Diana/Gal was so in control of her body. Not just in her battles but also in the way the people/men around her tried to subtly control her by placing their hands on her (Chris/Steve trying to pull her away by grabbing her stomach and arms, men placing hands on her shoulders) and she's not having any of it and just pushes them off. Don't know why, but I thought that was kinda cool.
That scene in no man's land where she de-robed and revealed the costume... i actually teared up. The movie had been so good up to that point and then to see this bad-ass woman kicking ass... one of the very few times I've seen that in movies.... it just felt like a FINALLY moment and it was very overwhelming and I just started to cry
I cried during the no-man's land scene as well, just the feeling of seein Wonder Woman do that idk?? It was nothing we'd ever seen before, and the thought of how this film affects girls and women now, and the film industry in the future, it was just an overwhelming sense of joy and pride. I bought the poster the second I came out of the cinema
i was laughing so hard at Lupin's mustache during his 'villain reveal'... but honestly the rest of the movie was so god damn awesome. also the relationship between Diana and Steve (is that his name) is so good and healthy. like he's not patronizing... when he stops her from doing things it's not "it's too rough/dangerous for you" but because he guides her as a side kick.
"Needs to be flashy and bashy because its a DC movie" Here's a news flash , DC movies and Snyder don't have a monopoly on "big spashy and bashy action and CGI"...Thats in most sci fi /fantasy movies in general . And anyone who calls DC movies "trash" has zero perspective on movies.....Snyder gave us a Superman that's purist to lore ever put on film.....These movies are deep and thoughtful and great storytelling.
I honestly loved all of the movie 3rd act included. I really felt the essence of Diana was captured. She was was the epitome of love and grace. That's truly what this character represents though she is a warrior she is also a woman whose heart is true. I think the moments when she stands up to the government officials and when she sees the devastation of war are the best in the film by far. The third act you see what love being called to action can do (give you strength) and that is what makes it work imo.
was it just me or did the ending remind anyone else of the way captain America ended? the sacrifice of the man to save everyone, the woman tenderly touching his photo and then the celebration at the end.
when you were talking about the feeling you got seeing Diana de-robe and walk out into no man's land, I thought about how I felt watching the Amazons defending Themyscira. Just brimming with pride. I've heard some really great things in reviews of the film that have given me a lot to think about. The one that's stuck with me the most is one reviewer who quoted a woman saying that seeing this film gave her the same feeling she got the first time she saw a woman wearing a business suit. and I just think that's wonderful.
I felt weird about the reveal of the villain too and I couldn't explain why but you nailed it. There was also one part where he said a cheesy line that pulled me out of the story for a second. It was "I WILL DESTROY YOU" or something to that effect. Like, okay Ares I'm pretty sure Diana knows without you spelling it out like cartoon character
I cried too in the battle scenes. I think it was because I was so emotional seeing a woman take on what we are kind of used to seeing men do. And they never took away from the men in the movie. The male characters were strong, good fighters, brave, but they were allowed to also have emotional depth which male action heroes sometimes don't get. While the main female fighter got to be powerful and strong, and able to "take care of herself". I loved that.
Don't be sorry, I am happy I had a few weeks to sort out my own thoughts (only occurred to me after the video). Really reflected and well thought out as always. I love your movie reviews!
I think villain reveals can work better in tv shoes cause you have a different sort of pacing and ending a season on it can give the dramatic impact and then give time to create conflict between the characters
I completely agree with the emotions during the no-mans lands scene, because I think it completely shows how brave and determined Diana is and I teared up a bit when it happened
Im so glad I wasn't the only one to have cried in many of not only the battle scenes but just Big Scenes, because No Mans Land left me bawling. I too can't place what made me cry so wholeheartedly, but I did, and I loved it. It impacted me so damn much, and this movie has impacted me in such a good way. Never thought I could say that about a DC film lmao
Perhaps I can give you some insight as to why the No Man's Land scene was so emotional: We often find that superheroes in superheroes movies do heroic stuff out of guilt, revenge or responsibility. That's not necessarily a bad thing as it makes characters such as Spider-Man, Batman and Iron Man interesting. But it's nice that every once in a while, we get superheroes that do heroic stuff because they wanted to help. Wonder Woman is one of those superheroes. When Steve and the others told her that they can do nothing to help the village of Veldt, she responded by basically saying 'no, I'm helping these people no matter what' and she goes up there and does exactly that. It's so rare that we see pure heroism in superhero movies these day so to see Wonder Woman be this heroic is genuinely inspirational and it makes me so proud of her that it brings a tear to my eye. I'm not sure if you felt the same way but that's what I felt
I didn't really care about the villain in the end but I still kinda loved the fight sequences and stuff. Simply because I was sitting there thinking "okay, if she can do that, what exactly is the point of Superman and Batman again?" and that just made me really happy. :D
I shed a few tears multiple times throughout this film and after reading the comments here I'm so glad to see I wasn't the only one! I don't know why I was so damn emotional during it other than just being so proud? that this movie was actually fantastic. Yes of course it had its faults, I wasn't the biggest fan of the last part of the film, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I 100% agree with you that Gal Gadot IS Wonder Woman and it's so strange to look at posters of her because it just makes me feel so empowered (and ridiculous for having such strong feels because of that).
The only thing that genuinely annoyed me during the film was the slow motion shots. It just ruins action sequences. And not that slow-mo has to be bad always, I think it was cool that they had those slow mo shots for those epic body movements during the first scene with the amazon women, but the slow-mo shot took SOOOOOOOOO long and then 2 seconds of action later there's another suuuuuuuuper long slow-mo shot like, it ruined the pacing of a lot of the combat for me.
I absolutely love this film. I too didn't have too much of an idea about the character from the comics other than what a friend had told me about her. She sounded cool but I didn't really connect with her until this film. I have been excited for Wonder Woman's solo film since her first appearance and her theme music played for the first time in Batman vs Superman. It was the only thing I really took away from that film to be honest. Every time they played it in the trailer before cinema screenings leading up to its premiere I was literally head bopping in my seat to it. It really lived up to my hype of it - considering I was worried about it too after Suicide Squad. Can you believe they nearly cut the No Man's Land scene?!!! Its the pivotal moment in this story for her where she reveals who she is. SO glad Patty Jenkins fought to keep it in. Gal Gadot is my new hero. I've seen the film multiple times now and every time I am so motivated and proud with her portrayal of Diana. She gave her the naivety from being secluded on Themyscira (love saying that word), but still the strength and power of a hero she's grown to be. The Amazons too that looked so badass and not sexualised at all in that fight scene was incredible. Chris Pine has now risen to the top of my Chris List because of this role (plus Star Trek). Pine and Gadot just worked so well together and I couldn't imagine anyone else playing these characters who were so in love with each other. Also, its been rumoured Pine has signed for a couple more of the films... so I don't know if it's for possible backstory to Steve or, from stuff I've heard of the comics, his character has a habit of dying and coming back to life. We will see. I am so glad I wasn't the only one who thought "Lupin, what the heck?" when he came on screen! At the moment it is my favourite superhero film to date. Sorry about the really long comment but I'm very passionate about this film and the whole cast/crew behind it along with the support of the fans that it has inspired - myself included. :)
You make me want to watch movies twice, and see them through your eyes, and appreciate the details. As someone who knows nothing about films or filmmaking, these videos make me incredibly interested in and appreciative of it.
I really enjoyed Wonder Woman. I cried 3 times during it. The Ares reveal didn't work for me because David Thewlis is one of those actors that I just don't trust in films (Timothy Dalton is another). It doesn't matter how many "good guys" they play, I always have a suspicious thought in the back of my mind that they are going to be the villain. I know I shouldn't let that affect my opinions towards a character but I can't help it. I would say what I love about the film but you mentioned basically all of them.
the chest vibrating thing is so real, but for me it happened from the beginning scenes when the women warriors were fighting and training I just got so emotional
Although I was surprised that Lupin ended up being the villain, I'm glad it wasn't who we thought it was going to be. Throughout the whole film I was just hoping "please don't let it be Ludendorff" because I thought that would be too obvious and a bit cliche? I understand why you didn't like him as the villain, and it's a good point (especially when looking at villains like the Joker etc) but I think I preferred it being someone we didn't expect rather than having a really obvious choice all the way through the movie.
I love the theme (and was already obsessed just from the trailers) and at the start they had it very paired back and very slow and hardly recognisable as the theme but as a music nerd I did! They teased the theme a few times like this which made me even more excited the first time we hear it in full
My pet peeve about Wonder Woman was the random side characters that weren't developed enough and just didn't really contribute that much, I can't even remember their names but it was the Scottish bloke who sang, then native American guy and the other one. I got that they were meant to show the other battles of mankind but it felt rushed and cheap. Also, I hated that we didn't see Wonder Woman inspiring other women! There was real potential for the secretary of Ares to step up and DO SOMETHING but she didn't, and the lack of other women once they left Themiscyra (sorry for the bad spelling) was a massive mistake in my eyes.
Wonder Woman was so inspiring and touching and the best film I have seen in a very long time! It was liberating, as a female, yet Diana wasn't portrayed as a stereotypical female lead/heroine. Totally refreshing and Chris Pine was great as well
I definitely appreciated the old fashioned love story telling. I loved the costume design for WW as well, for all the characters, especially the Amazons. It felt weirdly authentic for a society that didn't exist, definitely well researched into greek/roman culture.
There's a rumour that Chris Pine is going to be back in DCEU as Steve Trevor's ancestor (most likely to be called as Steve Trevor again) in the future so Diana would meet him but it's just a different Steve Trevor. Idk how to explain it but yeah in the comics Steve Trevor is the "manager" of Justice League
I'm gonna miss Ciaran (I'm sorry if I spelled that wrong) For real tho, I loved Wonder Woman so much, it's hard to find words for how it made me feel. Something I loved about their relationship was how he lifted her. It wasn't about how he 'completed' her, or the sex or anything, but how he supported and encouraged her as any good friend should.
JACK! Does Wonder Woman change your ranking of the Chris actors you discussed in that video with Hazel? My order (worst to best) is Evans, Pine, Hemsworth, Pratt. Also, when you were saying that the villian reveal was a bit rubbish, I totally agree. I thought it may be an interesting twist if it was the secretary played by Lucy Davis, almost a Zootopia kind of reveal where she's twisting everything from the sidelines. One last thought for the final act! I didn't really like how Steve dying was the thing to kick Diana into rage mode. I feel that Wonder Woman would have been more effected by the town's destruction. A way they could have done that is that if when Charlie had said he wanted to call it a day on the mission and stayed in the town they let him do that, then when the town gets bombed and she returned she saw all these bodies. She's freaking out. Then amongst the madness she spots Charlie. It would have been an interesting commentary on how war affects everyone and you can't really escape it. just some thoughts but I'd love to hear what you think Jack (or audience!)
I'm not the type of person who cries easily in movies and action movies aren't usually interesting to me (generally). But man. I cried in the first two minutes when all of the women were sparring, and then I cried again during the No Man's Land scene. I think that, as a young woman, there was something so cathartic about seeing fellow feminine people being portrayed as physically strong. It wasn't something that I knew I needed. I think that's what I found to be the best quality of this film; that it was so empowering. There were flaws from a story standpoint, and usually I would be annoyed by those. But overall I found it captured the female spirit in a way that films so rarely do. We can be gentle and maternal, but we can also be a force to be reckoned with.
But the villain did have continuous conflict with Diana throughout the film? It's Ares, just in a different form that what we thought, but it's still him. That's kinda the whole point. Even the original 'villain' was a form of Ares and Diana's conflict.
When you talk about the soundtrack being like Hans Zimmer in dark knight I just wanted to say something to that. The reason it's that good is because the main component is an electric cellist played by Tina Guo who works with Hans on many movies and is currently on tour with him (if you can go and see him live them please do, it's phenomenal) My sister and I saw them live before seeing Wonder Woman and although they don't play the Wonder Woman theme live we both knew as soon as it started playing in the theatre that it was her and we got very excited. Thanks for talking about it btw, it seems like no one really does and she truly deserves the recognition.
Also! the sex scene. Couldn't remember it, not for the life of me. I know it happens and all that but I just could not remember when or how. And I loved that. it wasn't a big deal, it didn't take away from the story and it wasn't THE story. After it she was still a warrior and continued to be one. I was so happy with the movie overall and I hope people take note of it.
First off, I completely agree with your theory on Iron Man 3 being a commentary on terrorism. It makes a lot of sense. Secondly, I also really understand what you're saying about how the best villains are already known by the main character. One of WW's origin stories outlines her actually being trained by War when she was younger, which I thought would have been a much more interesting and complex storyline. Thirdly, I don't know how I felt about Chris Pine. I did like the fact that their love story seemed authentic, but part of me wished that it wasn't the focus. I'm not sure what that would have done for the message the movie was sending though, because it seems that superhero movies always seem to include love stories as well. Huh. I don't know. But really interesting stuff to think about. Also, totally badass that Gal Gadot was pregnant while they were filming!!
I feel validated for crying during the no man's land scene now. I also fucking bawled in the beach fight scene, just coz how badass it was to have all these women kicking ass
I was so excited and relieved that it was such a great film. My criticisms mirror yours with the third act however. We didn't have time to know the villain to experience the betrayal that WW was trying to emulate. But also I had a bit of an issue with the pace of the movie, particularly the scenes on Themyscira felt a bit rushed. I loved the contrast of Themyscrira and all of Man's World. But I feel like they could have played on it more, considering Diana can never return to Themyscira. Overall I loved Gal Gadot, like you said, she is Wonder Woman. I loved the film. Let's hope and pray the upcoming DC films do well.
Concerning act 3 of the story, especially with the final battle, I would suggest a video that Max Landis did on what he would have changed about it. I really liked his take on it, so if you want a different perspective of what the final battle could have been I'd definitely suggest giving him a watch.
I actually kind of liked the really downplayed reveal of Ares. I can't explain it well, but I think I just really liked that "evil incarnate" was just a guy. It wasn't the sadistic scientist who lived for making other people feel pain, or the leader of the whole of WWI (well, you know, whoever that guy was), it wasn't even "the last person you'd ever expect" (because, you know, that would probably be Steve or someone) -- it was just an unimportant guy who whispered lies and didn't take any credit and watched the world burn purely for the sake of a burning world. It felt really realistic, for some reason. Anyway, either way I loved this movie so much more than I ever thought I would. :D
I agree about the third act, but I do think David Thewlis was brilliantly cast, and his reveal very powerful. However, the whole point of casting him as a soft-spoken, manipulative schemer was kinda lost when they decided to put him in that devil costume. I'd much rather that he'd fought her in a tailored suit, no kidding. That would have made him seem much more frightening to me. Also, I'd have loved a change of scenery for the last showdown, to separate her failed attempt and her successful one. It seemed too jammed this way. I hoped for a fight in London, but alas... She had to have a deserted battlefield to play in. I get it. But still a shame!
I completly agree on that the third act didn't quite work. When the movie ended I felt like it was just an okay movie but during it i felt like i loved it. So I guess that's why, a little bit of a let down on the end which is a bit sad giving the rest of the movie is really good.
I was really let down by Wonder Woman, all this stuff about the horrors of war and yet she just wondered about murdering wave after wave of German soldiers without a second thought. And it's not like these soldiers were evil, this was WW1 so at the end of the day they were just as 'bad' as the French or the English. Secondly why on earth did all the Germans sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger? Then there's the fact that did WW ever actually do anything for herself? To me it was like she blindly followed some pre-determined path to the finale doing what a bunch of other people wanted her to do before some bloke from Harry Potter popped up and I'm supposed to care... Ultimately I feel like the film had a lot of potential but it ended up being a lazy, generic super hero film with bland and un-original characters
I agree with everything that you've said, besides the Romantic relationship between them. I think it could be done better and maybe if they are really in love it could be shown later on, after they have experienced more things.
Hey Jack, have you seen the Channel Awesome review on TH-cam? Doug explains the No Man's Land scene really great, and proberly answers why you thought that moment was so great.
The no man's land scene also got me really hard! I saw the movie two times and I didn't cry when Chris Pine's character died at the end, but the no man's land scene made me cry happy tears and I got goosebumps :)
Yeah I loved Wonder Woman!! That was one of my favorite scenes, when she disrobed and just went and fought. Not only did it show metaphorically that instead of waiting around we should all fight, but it also showed that women can be superheroes too, and strong, powerful, amazing, and so much more. And I get why people want platonic; it's cause everything has romance, especially between a straight couple. When it's diversified it's much better; not everything has to be romantic. But I loved the sex too, cause it felt like character development and not just fanservice. P.S. your roommate sucks, I'm glad wonder woman is a woman. I wish many other superheroes are women too.
There was an excited preteen girl next to us in the movie theater wearing a shirt that just said in big, bold letters "She can do it" and it was just like yes, this is why this movie needs to exist.
I agree! So freaking good, good chemistry, the sex was natural but not a feature, the music was amazing, and the third act let it down... I kinda felt like I was watching the end of captain America...
I loved it too! I loved the way she was filmed. Very often obviously her whole body was shown, but there were no gratuitous sexy shots of legs and breasts and that, her body was shown in a way to be like 'look at this powerful woman', and while Wonder Woman and Gal is beautiful and sexy and all that, in the film she was beautiful because she was a strong, powerful, smart, courageous woman. It was SO refreshing to see a woman portrayed like that
beautifully put my friend
Rachel when she did her superhero landing her thighs JIGGLED and it was so amazing to me
Rachel I loved it, shots of strong legs as she climbs up over things or the muscles in her arms as she fights - it wasn't sexualised it was just showing how heckin strong and powerful she is and the fact that she's a true warrior - which a lot of people were worried about with her casting, that she wouldn't be strong and powerful enough to be a convincing warrior
I just 😍😍😍 Wonder Woman
My big problem with the reveal that David Thewlis is Ares is that in doing so, the film seems to forget its own central message mere minutes after apparently committing to it.
All throughout the film up to that point, we're led to assume that Ares isn't actually real. Diana's mother tells her a story about defeating Ares, that Ares is the cause of mankind's evil - but it's just a story, from a literal storybook. Diana drinks it in as fact, but the implication is that the story of Ares is more like a fable.
Then when Diana leaves the island with Steve, she tells everyone who asks that she's going to end the war by killing Ares. Everybody's response to this is to stare awkwardly and reply with a sarcastic "Yeah, sure you are."
Later, Diana kills Ludendorff thinking that he's Ares, and is shocked when the soldiers don't immediately stop fighting as she expected them to. Steve tries to tell her that maybe some people are just innately evil, but if some people aren't then they're still worth fighting for. THIS IS THE CENTRAL THEME OF THE ENTIRE MOVIE. Diana doesn't immediately agree with Steve, and he leaves her to continue what he believes to be the good fight.
We're left alone with Diana. She starts questioning the same thing that we've been questioning all the time - was Ares ever actually real? Has she been carrying out this mission based on nothing but fantasy? Is it even worth continuing to try to end the war if all men are naturally evil? Why should she bother -
SIKE, Ares was real, it just wasn't who Diana thought it was.
Oh. Okay then.
The film sets up its central theme, works naturally towards fulfilling it, follows through, and then immediately backtracks on it for the sake of a capital T 'twist'.
yep, nailed it
R Humphrys not really, that would be the case if ares had been the cause of the war. He wasn't, he had just been adding fuel to the fire to make it bigger and stronger. I think the central message that you explained still stands after she defeats ares, especially since she talked about it afterwards. Also, they couldn't make ares fake, considering diana was born from zues
+R Humphrys Spot on. Absolutely spot on.
Matthew Spinazze The message hits home a lot less harder than intended if Ares is real. Sure, there's one line of dialogue where Ares says "I didn't make men evil, I just made them worse" or something like that, but the film is trying to say that people don't even need the 'help' that Ares gives them to be evil, that they're capable of it all by themselves. But that's too complex a message to have, apparently. Gotta water it down by making Ares the enabler if not the instigator, rather than just have mankind be evil of their own accord.
It's almost like the film is scared of committing too hard to its own essential idea, so tries to have it both ways by making mankind innately evil AND have Ares be the Machiavellian mastermind behind everything. It just makes both aspects weaker as a result of not deciding on one.
But we were told her whole back story. As a viewer, we're supposed to know that Ares is real because if he wasn't, then neither is WW. So even though Diana came off as oblivious to the other characters, we're not supposed to underestimate her the way they did.
I've been thinking about the villain reveal and I just think it would have been so much cooler if it had been Chris Pine's character or any other allied soldier/leader and they'd made something of that. Because I think a flaw of the film was the allies=good guys, germans=bad guys thing. It would've been so much more effective to show the evil and violence on both sides, I think. I know that the guy who was ares was technically on the side of the allies but nothing was made of that really.
But I think that point was already made brilliantly-considering this was a mainstream big budget Hollywood project-in the scene where the Native American character is asked by Wonder Woman who killed his people and he points to Chris Pine's character sleeping in the corner, saying something along the lines of "His people". That just, it floored me.
My mind then supplied an immediate comparison to Captain America: The First Avenger where the "Germans - Bad", "Americans - Good" factor had really bothered me.
yeah I think they definitely did address it a little
This is definitely true but the Nazis forced a lot of people to fight for them that didn't agree with their ideals and weren't evil. Their leaders were, but the ordinary soldiers, not so much.
I was so surprised Steve died. I was like 'Nah, he's the love interest, he's Chris Pine, he'll live somehow.' I think it was brave to let him die (though with sequels to be in more contemporary settings it makes sense I guess).
HarrietTwelveThree yes I agree, was the only thing nor cliché lol
HarrietTwelveThree really I was so sure he was gonna die
HarrietTwelveThree the reason he died was because steve didn't have his shield or land in some ice
ever since capt America left agent carter behind, I've held no faith that they all live happily ever after.
MissKoalaFace remember when he was talking to her in the future and she had memory lose that scene was heart aching that she broke down in middle of conversation saying how he's back
The No Man's Land scene gave me that same panic attack feeling and I realized it was because I had never seen it before.
Tom Cruise has had that big powerful, no-one-tells-me-what-to-do, "I'm in charge of this situation", reveal scene one thousand times, as well as many other men. But I had never seen it from a woman. It was awakening.
God, as a 20 year old gal can I just say that the no-mans land scene made me so fucking happy. I felt like I wanted to cheer so hard in the cinema!
TheSparkleina It was a good movie, best dc movie yet, but the no man's land scene felt disrespectful. Millions of men actually died there and being a tiny supermodel walking through it like a Pantene commercial. . .ehhh.
GarrusN7 I guess you have a different perspective on it then. I see her as the warrior she is entering a battle zone, testing her limits and what she believes in.
GarrusN7 she's a goddess with strong morals not a pantene model. If the scene never happened it would have completely contradicted Diana's character motivations
TheSparkleina I was focusing more on the part about it being "no man's" land. You could absolutely tell that they were playing off of that. I didn't think it was that bad. But I do think it is important to be respectful of the setting when it is in a terrible real world event (trench warfare). It was ugly and dirty, millions of men shot to pieces because of lack of strategy. No amount of "girl power" would have helped.
GarrusN7 genuinely, how would you have changed that scene? I think it was necessary to have Diana interact with the time setting in such a way but hey each to their own
i was so emotional throughout the entire movie, like that scene of the amazons all riding together on the beach it took every ounce of self control not to stand up on my seat and start screaming like a banshee. i'm so happy that the younger generation have such a strong female superhero to look up to! god bless you patty jenkins
I didn't dislike Thewlis as Ares, I think he was good, but I did expect a better filmed and sequenced fight from a final battle.
Gal Gadot was spectacular, Pine raised the bar for superhero romantic interests. Played with suaveness and humour, and he was confident and sure enough to actually have his own character inserted wonderfully around Wonder Woman.
You look great, too, Jack. Your brother should know better though. 😛
Stephanie Louise I agree! I liked him as Ares. Throughout the entire film I really didn't even think that it could have been him and I was thinking about how he was probably the character that I'd put down as least likely to be Ares. But I think that was the point. He manipulated the audience to show how easily humans can be manipulated. The film explicitly showed his tactics and showed how scary the truth really is. That's why when it was revealed I was just in shock. I was a little disappointed that there was an Ares but the explanation to the way that he went about his business made everything make sense in the movie as well as in philosophy.
Stephanie Louise I loved the voice Thewlis gave Ares. He has a very commanding, authoritive tone that was nice to listen to. A great villain
I'd have liked him better if they'd lost the moustache after he revealed himself and just went with the classic red eyes set into a dark void....
I loved the film so so much, I cried during the first fight scene with the amazons. It was the only superhero film I've seen with female lead where it was treated like a male superhero. I'm so glad that when I have children they can grow up with Gal
I totally understand why you don't like the villain reveal and while I agree that he should've been more present throughout the film, I actually loved having David Thewlis as the villain. I loved that he subverted all expectations of what a villain should be. He wasn't anyone in the foreground of the film, didn't have a strong voice, didn't personally lead people into war. He wasn't even on one side or the other. He wasn't a revenge-seeking grunt or a maniacal genius. He didn't even look like a villain. He was the whispers in the background, playing with something already innately present in humans. He looked innocuous and yet had a huge impact. And I think that was the point of him as the villain.
flutesruleforever I think the same.
That is an amazing explanation. That completely changed my view on him as a villain. I am proud 👏🏻
aww thank you :)
I thought the same. It made sense to me, because lately in wars you have more influence in the war room back home than you would actually on the battlefield.
I really like your point of view. I totally agree that it was nice to see a villain more in the background and more in the minds of people than actually on the battlefield but with all that in mind I didn't like the fight scene. All of a sudden he becomes this great warrior with armor and everything and all of a sudden he starts fighting. I didn't think it fit with the way they portrayed him up until that point. It didn't seem like something the Ares they showedus would do, for me it was kind of out of character.
Don't know if it was just me but I cried in a lot of kind of battle scenes and I couldn't really pinpoint why it just made me really emotional? I don't know if it was a whole woman superhero/representation thing but wow that movie got to me
I relate to this so much, I was just crying in random scenes because of how badass she was
Samantha Morrison the scene that absolutely got me was when she jumped and smashed through that tower. I don't know why I was sobbing. I just felt so much pride?? And not just as in "wow a female superhero" but just bc i felt so proud of Wonder Woman and I was so incredibly blown away by her as a person and as a warrior, and blown away by that badass act and strength. Idk man I was just super emotional. Especially bc when I saw it, the whole cinema started applauding when she broke through the tower. And just knowing that everyone was so into it made me feel so happy. Full on happy tears on my part.
Annie Goldring yeah my friend was tellung me 'IM SH00K THE WAY SHE TOOK DOWN THAT BUILDING'
Samantha Morrison YES ME TOO
Samantha Morrison SO DID I
Lupin is the villain 😂
I disagree with you on the villain! I think what I liked about Ares was that he was set up as this great force of evil that was the cause of the war, only for Diana to come to the realisation that he had actually played a relatively passive role in the events that unfolded. I felt like having him be a more neutral(?) villain was a good pay off for everything Diana had been being told by Steve throughout the movie- that no one is purely good and bad, and there's not only one person to blame for the war. I'll agree that the showy, hollywood, zack snyder esque battle was a bit too much visually, and didn't tonally match the rest of the film, but overall I think the lupin guy being Ares aided the story and progressed Diana's growth as a character (in the epilogue we hear her say that every human has good and bad inside them, showing her growth)
I agree. I believe the choice to gear hip up to be this devil-figure threw the whole thing off! He'd have seemed that much more powerful in the suit, tbh, and it would have preserved some of the message to have him look meek but still cause massive destruction. The point, as I understood it, was that the devil is in the details; that evil is the little things. And is just as often done in a meeting room.
Exactly! I don't think it's fair for some people to say that making Ares a real character rather than going "nope, he doesn't exist" was a safe move on the part of the filmmakers. I understand that different people interpret the film in different ways, so to some individuals it may have weakened the film's message, but to other's that's just not the case. The film still has a strong message and they tried to do something different with the villain. They took a risk with him, and I think it payed off (although I totally agree with you that he should have just stayed in his suit rather than crafting that ridiculous sauron-knock-off armour).
I thought that it would have been amazing if Dr. Poison was Ares.
imveryclueless I thought this too! It seemed fitting for the first female led superhero film to have a female villain
That's exactly what I thought! Hahah
I loved that there was a female hero AND a female villain. Would have loved to see her beeing Ares.nIt would have given the story a completely different twist.
But then it does the whole girl can only fight girls and not men vibe
What I really loved about the film was that the chemistry between Diana and Steve was so believable and natural when there was so many elements that seemed like it couldn't be, as they are from completely different worlds. There was moments where they would acknowledge their differences but it was always charming and never awkward or disappointing. I loved it
I love Wonder Woman so much! During the film, I cried... even in the scenes that they weren't really doing things, I cried. The film is so amazing and it made me feel proud to be a woman. One of the best films I have ever seen! Definitely my number 1 go to film ❤
Jaden Davison really?!!? personally I was disappointed and was kinda bored. it was VERY cliché and generic and the story was predictable and boring
I agree, I cried too !!
Matty To each their own I guess
Daisy glad I'm not the only one 😂
Lol
"It's a shame he won't be popping off in future movies."
Chris Pine was announced to be in Wonder Woman 2, maybe playing a relative of Steve Trevor's?
SARO most likely flashbacks
@@jourdanwolf HAHAAHA he's alive!
@Daniel Ezulike oh noooo
“It’s a shame he won’t be popping up in future movies...”
(Wonder Woman 1984 has entered the chat)
HE HAS ARISEN
illmakeuhowell MUM IT'S YOU
I really liked the movie but that ending of "All you need is love!" was way too cheesy. I literally rolled my eyes in the movie theater.
yeah they should have ended after killing that one uber-nazi
Its funny you say that. Heres what the director of the movie has to say about the word cheesy.comicbook.com/dc/2017/06/06/wonder-woman-cheesy/
yeah the whole third act looked like it was phoned in. i suspect zack snyder took patty's shape, locked her in a storage closet and proceeded to ruin the ending, like he normally does.
The way I look at it is not that all you need is love. I saw it more as her motivation for what she does than as her power itself.
I agree v much but I feel like there's more you could of touched upon ? Like yeah they kinda sprung the villain on us at the last minute but I think the point of that was to make me think and kinda doubt if Aries was even real or if it was so big old metaphor for how u can't kill evil/war etc
Electricmockersons and then he died, and the germans really wondered why they were fighting, that was weird!
well, they had just seen two greek gods fight. Maybe they were just relieved to be alive to see another day
To me them “falling in love” felt cheesy and forced. That his death motivates her more than hundreds of people seems ridiculous
Hm I get what you're saying about an "old fashioned love story", but I get sick of romantic plots. Probably because I'm ace, but I think the power of platonic love is one of the most underrated things.
Katie No-one Ya, especially when romantic plots are usually the default for superhero/action movies in general.
I really care about your opinions on movies and I don't even know why :)
Oh thank goodness he's smiling in the thumbnail. Good job DC.
this shot looked really beautiful jack! what camera/lenses do you use to film?
Jack's comments about her theme and the delayed use of music being more impactful was absolutely spot on! It made the whole film incredibly emotive. My favourite reviewer. More please!
mate you have dust all over your sensor
The part that made me feel really emotional was the part where they put the shield or car door or whatever it was on their back and replicated the thing that he saw them do back on the island. I think I really showed the character and relationship development through them.
I had actually just seen this film last night and I'm so glad that i did so I can actually watch this video right away and relate
same i didn't watch the video until i watched the movie cause i want it to have my opinion on it and i really like wen jack do videos about movies cause i like his opinion even if i don't agree with him sometimes
I could listen to Jack talk about films for hours tbh, the moments I loved were her telling the guys to "wait here" and It hit me that id never seen that in a film before, Id never really seen a representation of a woman at the front line, it was amazing pls i levelled up
"I don't wanna get angry today" omg I say this literally every day 😂
Jack, you're enthusiasm about film in general fills me with joy. And I also wept during that sequence.
I don't often make film reviews but I had to for this film. It felt so incredibly special. I came out of the cinema feeling so proud to be a woman.
totally agree with you, I talked to my friends about how the ending was a bit random and how they tried so hard to make it a mythology story to differentiate themselves from the rest of superhero movies and my friends thought I was being too hard on them. I loved, loooooved the movie. I cried and shivered with emotion, I felt empowered and proud and adored the cast (shoutout to the moroccan pervy translator, morocco represent!!), but I did not care for the villain, even though it was lupin.... I just can't take seriously a supervillain that has a moustache, I just can't, it felt forced.
But I'm definitely hooked and can't wait to see what else they'll do with precious Diana.
I'm SO happy you expressed becoming emotional in that scene when she is just so full of passion and determination is just builds up so well to that no mans land reveal/push that I felt exactly the same way. It expressed so much in such a simple shot that i found it hard not to get totally pumped
This is pretty much everything I thought while watching the film. Except no crying during No Man's land - just immese excitement.
Also I love the way Diana/Gal was so in control of her body. Not just in her battles but also in the way the people/men around her tried to subtly control her by placing their hands on her (Chris/Steve trying to pull her away by grabbing her stomach and arms, men placing hands on her shoulders) and she's not having any of it and just pushes them off. Don't know why, but I thought that was kinda cool.
Yeah, I also feel so emotional at the scene where she first time did her hero debut. Walking in the front line at the war
That scene in no man's land where she de-robed and revealed the costume... i actually teared up. The movie had been so good up to that point and then to see this bad-ass woman kicking ass... one of the very few times I've seen that in movies.... it just felt like a FINALLY moment and it was very overwhelming and I just started to cry
I cried during the no-man's land scene as well, just the feeling of seein Wonder Woman do that idk?? It was nothing we'd ever seen before, and the thought of how this film affects girls and women now, and the film industry in the future, it was just an overwhelming sense of joy and pride. I bought the poster the second I came out of the cinema
i was laughing so hard at Lupin's mustache during his 'villain reveal'... but honestly the rest of the movie was so god damn awesome. also the relationship between Diana and Steve (is that his name) is so good and healthy. like he's not patronizing... when he stops her from doing things it's not "it's too rough/dangerous for you" but because he guides her as a side kick.
"Needs to be flashy and bashy because its a DC movie"
Here's a news flash , DC movies and Snyder don't have a monopoly on "big spashy and bashy action and CGI"...Thats in most sci fi /fantasy movies in general . And anyone who calls DC movies "trash" has zero perspective on movies.....Snyder gave us a Superman that's purist to lore ever put on film.....These movies are deep and thoughtful and great storytelling.
I honestly loved all of the movie 3rd act included. I really felt the essence of Diana was captured. She was was the epitome of love and grace. That's truly what this character represents though she is a warrior she is also a woman whose heart is true. I think the moments when she stands up to the government officials and when she sees the devastation of war are the best in the film by far. The third act you see what love being called to action can do (give you strength) and that is what makes it work imo.
was it just me or did the ending remind anyone else of the way captain America ended? the sacrifice of the man to save everyone, the woman tenderly touching his photo and then the celebration at the end.
when you were talking about the feeling you got seeing Diana de-robe and walk out into no man's land, I thought about how I felt watching the Amazons defending Themyscira. Just brimming with pride. I've heard some really great things in reviews of the film that have given me a lot to think about. The one that's stuck with me the most is one reviewer who quoted a woman saying that seeing this film gave her the same feeling she got the first time she saw a woman wearing a business suit. and I just think that's wonderful.
I felt weird about the reveal of the villain too and I couldn't explain why but you nailed it.
There was also one part where he said a cheesy line that pulled me out of the story for a second. It was "I WILL DESTROY YOU" or something to that effect. Like, okay Ares I'm pretty sure Diana knows without you spelling it out like cartoon character
I cried too in the battle scenes. I think it was because I was so emotional seeing a woman take on what we are kind of used to seeing men do. And they never took away from the men in the movie. The male characters were strong, good fighters, brave, but they were allowed to also have emotional depth which male action heroes sometimes don't get. While the main female fighter got to be powerful and strong, and able to "take care of herself". I loved that.
Don't be sorry, I am happy I had a few weeks to sort out my own thoughts (only occurred to me after the video). Really reflected and well thought out as always. I love your movie reviews!
I got emotional at exactly the same point!! also can't believe you forgot Chris "beautiful tears" Pine's name
I think villain reveals can work better in tv shoes cause you have a different sort of pacing and ending a season on it can give the dramatic impact and then give time to create conflict between the characters
I completely agree with the emotions during the no-mans lands scene, because I think it completely shows how brave and determined Diana is and I teared up a bit when it happened
Im so glad I wasn't the only one to have cried in many of not only the battle scenes but just Big Scenes, because No Mans Land left me bawling. I too can't place what made me cry so wholeheartedly, but I did, and I loved it. It impacted me so damn much, and this movie has impacted me in such a good way. Never thought I could say that about a DC film lmao
I got goosebumps all throughout her action scenes and was on the verge of tears idk why made me feel so vulnerable. Gal gadot did such a ssplendid job
everything you're saying about the no man's land scene and how emotional it made you is 100% me. i shed a few tears there and omg, soooo goooood
Perhaps I can give you some insight as to why the No Man's Land scene was so emotional:
We often find that superheroes in superheroes movies do heroic stuff out of guilt, revenge or responsibility. That's not necessarily a bad thing as it makes characters such as Spider-Man, Batman and Iron Man interesting. But it's nice that every once in a while, we get superheroes that do heroic stuff because they wanted to help. Wonder Woman is one of those superheroes.
When Steve and the others told her that they can do nothing to help the village of Veldt, she responded by basically saying 'no, I'm helping these people no matter what' and she goes up there and does exactly that. It's so rare that we see pure heroism in superhero movies these day so to see Wonder Woman be this heroic is genuinely inspirational and it makes me so proud of her that it brings a tear to my eye.
I'm not sure if you felt the same way but that's what I felt
I didn't really care about the villain in the end but I still kinda loved the fight sequences and stuff. Simply because I was sitting there thinking "okay, if she can do that, what exactly is the point of Superman and Batman again?" and that just made me really happy. :D
I shed a few tears multiple times throughout this film and after reading the comments here I'm so glad to see I wasn't the only one! I don't know why I was so damn emotional during it other than just being so proud? that this movie was actually fantastic. Yes of course it had its faults, I wasn't the biggest fan of the last part of the film, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I 100% agree with you that Gal Gadot IS Wonder Woman and it's so strange to look at posters of her because it just makes me feel so empowered (and ridiculous for having such strong feels because of that).
yeeesss i've been waiting for this
The only thing that genuinely annoyed me during the film was the slow motion shots. It just ruins action sequences. And not that slow-mo has to be bad always, I think it was cool that they had those slow mo shots for those epic body movements during the first scene with the amazon women, but the slow-mo shot took SOOOOOOOOO long and then 2 seconds of action later there's another suuuuuuuuper long slow-mo shot like, it ruined the pacing of a lot of the combat for me.
I absolutely love this film. I too didn't have too much of an idea about the character from the comics other than what a friend had told me about her. She sounded cool but I didn't really connect with her until this film. I have been excited for Wonder Woman's solo film since her first appearance and her theme music played for the first time in Batman vs Superman. It was the only thing I really took away from that film to be honest. Every time they played it in the trailer before cinema screenings leading up to its premiere I was literally head bopping in my seat to it. It really lived up to my hype of it - considering I was worried about it too after Suicide Squad.
Can you believe they nearly cut the No Man's Land scene?!!! Its the pivotal moment in this story for her where she reveals who she is. SO glad Patty Jenkins fought to keep it in.
Gal Gadot is my new hero. I've seen the film multiple times now and every time I am so motivated and proud with her portrayal of Diana. She gave her the naivety from being secluded on Themyscira (love saying that word), but still the strength and power of a hero she's grown to be. The Amazons too that looked so badass and not sexualised at all in that fight scene was incredible. Chris Pine has now risen to the top of my Chris List because of this role (plus Star Trek). Pine and Gadot just worked so well together and I couldn't imagine anyone else playing these characters who were so in love with each other. Also, its been rumoured Pine has signed for a couple more of the films... so I don't know if it's for possible backstory to Steve or, from stuff I've heard of the comics, his character has a habit of dying and coming back to life. We will see. I am so glad I wasn't the only one who thought "Lupin, what the heck?" when he came on screen!
At the moment it is my favourite superhero film to date. Sorry about the really long comment but I'm very passionate about this film and the whole cast/crew behind it along with the support of the fans that it has inspired - myself included. :)
You make me want to watch movies twice, and see them through your eyes, and appreciate the details. As someone who knows nothing about films or filmmaking, these videos make me incredibly interested in and appreciative of it.
I really enjoyed Wonder Woman. I cried 3 times during it. The Ares reveal didn't work for me because David Thewlis is one of those actors that I just don't trust in films (Timothy Dalton is another). It doesn't matter how many "good guys" they play, I always have a suspicious thought in the back of my mind that they are going to be the villain. I know I shouldn't let that affect my opinions towards a character but I can't help it. I would say what I love about the film but you mentioned basically all of them.
The amount of CGI bothered me. It felt really weird to me, dont know if it effected anyone else.
Good movie though!
+BetterThanDan yeah that's a problem in most of these movies that I sort of overlook now because I'm so used to it
BetterThanDan I almost couldn't get into the movie during the first bit because of it. It required too much suspension of belief for me.
the chest vibrating thing is so real, but for me it happened from the beginning scenes when the women warriors were fighting and training I just got so emotional
Although I was surprised that Lupin ended up being the villain, I'm glad it wasn't who we thought it was going to be. Throughout the whole film I was just hoping "please don't let it be Ludendorff" because I thought that would be too obvious and a bit cliche? I understand why you didn't like him as the villain, and it's a good point (especially when looking at villains like the Joker etc) but I think I preferred it being someone we didn't expect rather than having a really obvious choice all the way through the movie.
I love the theme (and was already obsessed just from the trailers) and at the start they had it very paired back and very slow and hardly recognisable as the theme but as a music nerd I did! They teased the theme a few times like this which made me even more excited the first time we hear it in full
My pet peeve about Wonder Woman was the random side characters that weren't developed enough and just didn't really contribute that much, I can't even remember their names but it was the Scottish bloke who sang, then native American guy and the other one. I got that they were meant to show the other battles of mankind but it felt rushed and cheap. Also, I hated that we didn't see Wonder Woman inspiring other women! There was real potential for the secretary of Ares to step up and DO SOMETHING but she didn't, and the lack of other women once they left Themiscyra (sorry for the bad spelling) was a massive mistake in my eyes.
Wonder Woman was so inspiring and touching and the best film I have seen in a very long time! It was liberating, as a female, yet Diana wasn't portrayed as a stereotypical female lead/heroine. Totally refreshing and Chris Pine was great as well
I definitely appreciated the old fashioned love story telling. I loved the costume design for WW as well, for all the characters, especially the Amazons. It felt weirdly authentic for a society that didn't exist, definitely well researched into greek/roman culture.
There's a rumour that Chris Pine is going to be back in DCEU as Steve Trevor's ancestor (most likely to be called as Steve Trevor again) in the future so Diana would meet him but it's just a different Steve Trevor. Idk how to explain it but yeah in the comics Steve Trevor is the "manager" of Justice League
I'm gonna miss Ciaran (I'm sorry if I spelled that wrong)
For real tho, I loved Wonder Woman so much, it's hard to find words for how it made me feel. Something I loved about their relationship was how he lifted her. It wasn't about how he 'completed' her, or the sex or anything, but how he supported and encouraged her as any good friend should.
JACK! Does Wonder Woman change your ranking of the Chris actors you discussed in that video with Hazel? My order (worst to best) is Evans, Pine, Hemsworth, Pratt.
Also, when you were saying that the villian reveal was a bit rubbish, I totally agree. I thought it may be an interesting twist if it was the secretary played by Lucy Davis, almost a Zootopia kind of reveal where she's twisting everything from the sidelines.
One last thought for the final act! I didn't really like how Steve dying was the thing to kick Diana into rage mode. I feel that Wonder Woman would have been more effected by the town's destruction. A way they could have done that is that if when Charlie had said he wanted to call it a day on the mission and stayed in the town they let him do that, then when the town gets bombed and she returned she saw all these bodies. She's freaking out. Then amongst the madness she spots Charlie. It would have been an interesting commentary on how war affects everyone and you can't really escape it.
just some thoughts but I'd love to hear what you think Jack (or audience!)
I'm not the type of person who cries easily in movies and action movies aren't usually interesting to me (generally). But man. I cried in the first two minutes when all of the women were sparring, and then I cried again during the No Man's Land scene. I think that, as a young woman, there was something so cathartic about seeing fellow feminine people being portrayed as physically strong. It wasn't something that I knew I needed. I think that's what I found to be the best quality of this film; that it was so empowering. There were flaws from a story standpoint, and usually I would be annoyed by those. But overall I found it captured the female spirit in a way that films so rarely do. We can be gentle and maternal, but we can also be a force to be reckoned with.
But the villain did have continuous conflict with Diana throughout the film? It's Ares, just in a different form that what we thought, but it's still him. That's kinda the whole point. Even the original 'villain' was a form of Ares and Diana's conflict.
When you talk about the soundtrack being like Hans Zimmer in dark knight I just wanted to say something to that. The reason it's that good is because the main component is an electric cellist played by Tina Guo who works with Hans on many movies and is currently on tour with him (if you can go and see him live them please do, it's phenomenal) My sister and I saw them live before seeing Wonder Woman and although they don't play the Wonder Woman theme live we both knew as soon as it started playing in the theatre that it was her and we got very excited. Thanks for talking about it btw, it seems like no one really does and she truly deserves the recognition.
Also! the sex scene. Couldn't remember it, not for the life of me. I know it happens and all that but I just could not remember when or how. And I loved that. it wasn't a big deal, it didn't take away from the story and it wasn't THE story. After it she was still a warrior and continued to be one. I was so happy with the movie overall and I hope people take note of it.
+Lauren Smith I know, I've seen Hans live and they did play the Wonder Woman theme ;) he also did Video Killed The Radio Star which was a laugh
First off, I completely agree with your theory on Iron Man 3 being a commentary on terrorism. It makes a lot of sense. Secondly, I also really understand what you're saying about how the best villains are already known by the main character. One of WW's origin stories outlines her actually being trained by War when she was younger, which I thought would have been a much more interesting and complex storyline. Thirdly, I don't know how I felt about Chris Pine. I did like the fact that their love story seemed authentic, but part of me wished that it wasn't the focus. I'm not sure what that would have done for the message the movie was sending though, because it seems that superhero movies always seem to include love stories as well. Huh. I don't know. But really interesting stuff to think about. Also, totally badass that Gal Gadot was pregnant while they were filming!!
I feel validated for crying during the no man's land scene now. I also fucking bawled in the beach fight scene, just coz how badass it was to have all these women kicking ass
I've been waiting for this ever since you said you would make it and I'm so glad that it was a positive video
👏🏼THE👏🏼LIGHTING👏🏼IN👏🏼THIS👏🏼VIDEO👏🏼THOUGH👏🏼
Guys, check out video titled _Wonder Woman Theme - Why It Evokes Intense Power_ too.
I was so excited and relieved that it was such a great film. My criticisms mirror yours with the third act however. We didn't have time to know the villain to experience the betrayal that WW was trying to emulate. But also I had a bit of an issue with the pace of the movie, particularly the scenes on Themyscira felt a bit rushed. I loved the contrast of Themyscrira and all of Man's World. But I feel like they could have played on it more, considering Diana can never return to Themyscira. Overall I loved Gal Gadot, like you said, she is Wonder Woman. I loved the film. Let's hope and pray the upcoming DC films do well.
I remember watching Wonder Woman and just saying "YASSSSSS" because Gal was just slaying and she was just too good for the role.
Concerning act 3 of the story, especially with the final battle, I would suggest a video that Max Landis did on what he would have changed about it. I really liked his take on it, so if you want a different perspective of what the final battle could have been I'd definitely suggest giving him a watch.
I actually kind of liked the really downplayed reveal of Ares. I can't explain it well, but I think I just really liked that "evil incarnate" was just a guy. It wasn't the sadistic scientist who lived for making other people feel pain, or the leader of the whole of WWI (well, you know, whoever that guy was), it wasn't even "the last person you'd ever expect" (because, you know, that would probably be Steve or someone) -- it was just an unimportant guy who whispered lies and didn't take any credit and watched the world burn purely for the sake of a burning world. It felt really realistic, for some reason.
Anyway, either way I loved this movie so much more than I ever thought I would. :D
I agree about the third act, but I do think David Thewlis was brilliantly cast, and his reveal very powerful. However, the whole point of casting him as a soft-spoken, manipulative schemer was kinda lost when they decided to put him in that devil costume. I'd much rather that he'd fought her in a tailored suit, no kidding. That would have made him seem much more frightening to me.
Also, I'd have loved a change of scenery for the last showdown, to separate her failed attempt and her successful one. It seemed too jammed this way. I hoped for a fight in London, but alas... She had to have a deserted battlefield to play in. I get it. But still a shame!
I completly agree on that the third act didn't quite work. When the movie ended I felt like it was just an okay movie but during it i felt like i loved it. So I guess that's why, a little bit of a let down on the end which is a bit sad giving the rest of the movie is really good.
BLOODY FINALLY
I was really let down by Wonder Woman, all this stuff about the horrors of war and yet she just wondered about murdering wave after wave of German soldiers without a second thought. And it's not like these soldiers were evil, this was WW1 so at the end of the day they were just as 'bad' as the French or the English. Secondly why on earth did all the Germans sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger? Then there's the fact that did WW ever actually do anything for herself? To me it was like she blindly followed some pre-determined path to the finale doing what a bunch of other people wanted her to do before some bloke from Harry Potter popped up and I'm supposed to care... Ultimately I feel like the film had a lot of potential but it ended up being a lazy, generic super hero film with bland and un-original characters
exactly! and the movie was so cheesy i really didnt like it.
Matt Denton yup. Thank you. You said it better than I can.
I agree with everything that you've said, besides the Romantic relationship between them.
I think it could be done better and maybe if they are really in love it could be shown later on, after they have experienced more things.
Again, Jack just puts my feelings toward a movie into words. Love the review, agree with it 100%.
I was just thinking about your review for this. Weird.
Hey Jack, have you seen the Channel Awesome review on TH-cam? Doug explains the No Man's Land scene really great, and proberly answers why you thought that moment was so great.
i also got really emotional during the no mans land scene and i also couldn't put my finger on it until you put it into words
The no man's land scene also got me really hard! I saw the movie two times and I didn't cry when Chris Pine's character died at the end, but the no man's land scene made me cry happy tears and I got goosebumps :)
I have been waiting so fucking anxiously for this video ever since your "if wonder woman fails" video omg
Yeah I loved Wonder Woman!! That was one of my favorite scenes, when she disrobed and just went and fought. Not only did it show metaphorically that instead of waiting around we should all fight, but it also showed that women can be superheroes too, and strong, powerful, amazing, and so much more. And I get why people want platonic; it's cause everything has romance, especially between a straight couple. When it's diversified it's much better; not everything has to be romantic. But I loved the sex too, cause it felt like character development and not just fanservice.
P.S. your roommate sucks, I'm glad wonder woman is a woman. I wish many other superheroes are women too.
Diana interacted with Ares's actions through out....The way her story is sets up for it to be ok to find out later...we are talking about gods here.
There was an excited preteen girl next to us in the movie theater wearing a shirt that just said in big, bold letters "She can do it" and it was just like yes, this is why this movie needs to exist.
are you planning on a spiderman: homecoming review?
I agree! So freaking good, good chemistry, the sex was natural but not a feature, the music was amazing, and the third act let it down... I kinda felt like I was watching the end of captain America...