So perhaps you've heard by now that the Wonder Woman movie made it to theaters after something like 176 years; which really isn't that big a deal when you consider dinosaurs lived, roamed, died, and became fossilized over millions of years before ever getting a script green lit. Everybody who matters has loved it, and why shouldn't they? It's a great cast, solid script, and impressively controlled directing from Patty Jenkins.
The DC franchise has been struggling. A lot of people claim the films have been striking out (to borrow a tried and true baseball metaphor). I don't agree with that per se, I think they've been getting on the base. They just haven't scored until now. Wonder Woman finally hit the much needed home run for the team.
So with critics and audiences in agreement on the quality of the movie, one of the big questions flying around is: why did this movie take so long to get made? It seemed to have everything going for it for ages; women have in fact been playing video games and reading comics and yelling at each other over Joel vs. Mike debates for decades. The target audience has been there. And I'd like to think the bulk of male audiences have figured out 'girl stuff' isn't a virus (hell, we were getting into barroom brawls over Sailor Moon back in 1997!).
Well as usual, the answer is probably a combination of things. First off, a lot really was riding on this film. Not just the future of DC movies but female superheroes in general. Wonder Woman isn't just iconic, she's metaphorical. Unlike specifically defined characters like Xena or Jessica Jones, Diana has to effectively give off an "I'm every woman" vibe (a song that was thankfully not part of the film) while still being her own character. That's a hard balance to pull off. Superman is still struggling with it. Batman has the luxury of an inimitable rogue's gallery to reflect. But DC characters are essentially modern gods, and that's a hard level for us to find relatable.
Purely from an artistic perspective, that has to be a lot of pressure to get Diana right. Tank Girl and Domino can come and go, and any failings can be shrugged off. But if Wonder Woman had fallen apart, that would have given credence to the outdated (and insulting) notion that movies with female leads just aren't bankable. Even as of the making of the film, DC studios weren't actually betting on the film. All signs point to the studio not expecting a hit. The movie was probably only greenlit at all because they HAD to make the movie for The Justice League to work.
But screw it, let's take a cue from Diana and focus on hope. She's here now, the movie is great, and feminism (a concept truly misunderstood by way too many Youtubers) has a new ally. And I think it's worth addressing why it worked so well. It boils down to one single element; the character of Princess Diana.
First off, it helps immensely that Jenkins and Gadot clearly love the character, and both of them look like they're prepared to face down any criticism with no apologies. In a round about way, it also kind of helped that DC didn't fully believe in the film, because they didn't care enough to re-edit it behind Jenkins's back. As such, the film was a single director's vision, which is ultimately what has to happen if character nuance has any chance of surviving.
The most vital component to making the film work was this; the audience had to come away from the film knowing who Diana was, not what she can do. This is where a lot of superhero characters get lost in the crowd, because too much focus is placed on their abilities, not their souls. Many past incarnations of Wonder Woman have forgotten that she's more than a lasso and a pair of bracelets, and she's suffered for it. Here are three examples of her character handled correctly.
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (2014)
Laura Bailey. You're probably familiar with her voice work even if you don't realize it (check out her very long list of credentials on her Wikipedia entry). My first encounter with Bailey was on the Gamecube version of Bloodrayne where she gave a much more solid performance than the game required her to. Later I found out she was voicing Sana in the Kodocha dub (a feat that anime fans believed would be impossible). She's essentially amazing.
In the context of Lego Batman 3, Wonder Woman gets zapped by the red anger energy, from something related to the Green Lantern premise with which I'm far from familiar. The bulk of Bailey's performance as Diana involves her conveying the sense that she is just about to lose it. Everything from her instructions delivered with a sneer, to the most beautiful "That's so IDIOTIC!" ever screamed is flawless, and really damn funny.
So while there's not much character development to be found, there are some very interesting quirks that other versions of Wonder Woman can learn from. One is the fact that even when filled with rage, Wonder Woman is still heroic. Lex Luthor and the Joker are also hit by mood altering energies and they go through complete alignment changes. Wonder Woman does not. She still does the right thing even while she's complaining about it. That's a nice touch.
Another thing is that Diana is offered a rare opportunity for some comedy. DC is thought of as the 'serious' comic company, and their main triumvirate always look so grumpy when they pose together. And while it's probably not in character to have Wondie start cracking wise, it's okay to put her in situations so bizarre that her earnestness can give the audience a chuckle. In too many versions of her, the artists/directors seem worried that the imperfection of humor is going to drag the goddess too close to the muck of humanity. But comedy can also be sophisticated if you care enough to make it so. You can have it both ways.
DC Super Hero Girls (2015-present)
This toy line is a brilliant marketing strategy. Their goal is simple: get young girls attached to the DC characters; particularly poignant in light of Marvel's 'Where the hell are the Black Widow action figures?' fiasco. The franchise is set at Super Hero High, a high school/college hybrid that should sum up the next eight years of angst for its target audience.
The teenaged version of Wondie is voice by V.A. princess Grey Griffin with virtuoso restraint. This Diana is allowed to feel things (fear, jealousy, doubt) without the typically two minute long stories ever needing to spell out that she's wrestling with those feelings. Like her Bailey counterpart, Griffin's Diana will always do the right thing no matter how she feels about it. But it's the complexity of emotion contained in the deceptively simple storylines that stand out in this version.
For example, there's a season one video where Diana's roommate Harley Quinn (most of the villains are adapted quite a bit) affectionately puts together a highlight reel of Wondie's most embarrassing moments of the school year. In a span of mere seconds, Diana goes through shock, horror, and withdrawal before choosing to accept Harley's shortcomings in the spirit they're meant, and forcing a smile that quickly becomes genuine.
The big takeaway here is an exploration of what Wonder Woman is like when she has friends. In most Justice League appearances we're basically seeing Diana at work, with the typical workplace front we all have to display. At Super Hero High we witness more of an interpersonal dependability among the Super Friends. And the series manages to convey the tem dynamic without sacrificing the individual personalities (I daresay Sailor Moon had extended stretches where the Scouts were interchangeable). DC, pay attention to the creative team in this silly little corner of your universe. There's a lot more talent than you may be aware of.
Wonder Woman (2017)
And we're full circle. Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman. It remains to be seen what kind of range as an actress she has outside of Diana, but she's as perfectly cast in the role of Wondie as Ryan Reynolds is as Deadpool. Even when she's not on the screen you still feel her presence. The supporting male cast all make choices in the middle of wartime that are clearly influenced by their brief time spent with Diana; complete with the full spectrum of emotions that men usually avoid showing.
Diana herself never acts like she feels she has anything to prove, she merely has something she needs to do. She's naïve but not immature, innocent but not blind, vulnerable but not weak. One of my favorite moments in the film was where she and Steve were walking through the streets of London. The Amazonian was none too impressed with early twentieth civilization, eschewing the wide-eyed fascination Ariel had when sightseeing...um...Erictown (did The Little Mermaid ever name the human kingdom?). But then she sees a baby, and her face lights up. As an Amazon, she's never seen one before, and if she ever needed a physical representation of why she left the sanctity of her island, this was it. Diana is a fighter, but she's also a caretaker.
I don't know why it took so long for this film to be made, but in retrospect it was probably for the best; 1984's Supergirl and 2004's Catwoman are a pair of bullets those characters are still reeling from. Maybe we're just ready for her now, or maybe we're pointed in the wrong side of history and Wonder Woman is who we desperately need. In either case, she was worth the wait. I hope we're able to make her proud.
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