On the Saturday of opening weekend, we went to see Wonder Woman. My heart was unexpectedly full at seeing row after diverse row of excited fans, kids and adults, just hungry for a good story.
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! As of July 5, this post has been edited to INCLUDE SPOILERS!
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The Best Stuff
It can't be said enough. The choreography of every battle scene delivered so much cinematic power. Look, I'm picky about choreography and especially about battle scenes. Usually, these scenes underwhelm me; narrative goes out the window since apparently ShakyCam tells the full story.
In Wonder Woman, however, we got so much more than the usual mess of chaotic fighting. WonWom delivered battles that were purposeful and clear in storytelling, and full of metaphor and references. There were so many moments that were emotionally resonant for me-- and it was a complete surprise to me that they were almost exclusively the battle scenes.
One the beach, the sheer power and beauty of the Amazons riding those magnificent horses was itself worth the price of admission.
Even the simple act of the warrior thrusting her handful of arrows into the sand held so much power. It's super Freudian and I loved it.
And of course, "SHIELD!" exemplified everything that's right about teamwork and having each other's backs.
The big magic was coming home to see my girls trying out the moves, stepping into the shoes of fearlessness. It's like they really believed they could save themselves, and others, too. That may be no more true than Santa, at least as far as magic lassos and deflector bracelets are concerned, but that's ok with me-- the real power of believing in themselves will take them a lot farther in life.
Shoutout to sound editing-- there are a few notable instances where sound editing told a story or made a reference in its own right. Tweet at me if you want to discuss in detail, but I loved the reference to the iconic sound cues from the tv show, as well as the sound editing around Dr. Maru.
I know there are a million opinions on the costumes, but I loved them. There are, again, clear references to Lynda Carter's Diana, especially with the one shouldered piece. The rich hues and textures and the power conveyed by the sculptured designs on Diana and her Themyscira family
There are a number of gorgeous references to the profound power of motherhood throughout the movie. And it is GLORIOUS. Note especially the items behind Diana when she's at her computer in the Louvre.
Random non-spoilery note: - There should be voter registration tables at every showing of this movie. And Wonder Woman should be re-released in October 2018 to get those registered voters to vote. I can dream!
A Few Questions
- Why do the trailers before this movie suck so, so much?
- What's next for this franchise, this lead actor, this storyline?
- Does seeing Steve Mnuchin's name early in the end credits as executive producer cause you to question everything that just happened? Maybe. I still think it's worth seeing. Hopefully he learned something! (Ask me in person what I think he really learned.) (Ok spoiler: I think he learned nothing. I think he's not even paying attention to the movie or the cultural moment it's had. But the point is, we can still use this thing he financed and start conversations like this #PopPoliticsChat organized by the one and only Elana Levin.)