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Alice McAnespie's review of Wonder Woman
Date last edited: 05-30-2024 at 12:13AM
Rating: PG-13
Review: Title: Wonder Woman Director: Patty Jenkins Distributor: Warner Bros Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy MPAA Rating: PG-13 USCCB Rating: A-III My Rating: 10/10 Year of Release: 2017
Released in 2017, the movie “Wonder Woman” is based off of the character, Wonder Woman, found in DC Comics. Director Patty Jenkins, distributor Warner Bros, and many actors - including Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, and Robin Wright - help bring the comics to life. “Wonder Woman” has an MPAA rating of PG-13, a USCCB rating of A-III, and, according to IMDb, is an action movie, adventure movie, and fantasy movie.
The First Media Key: Balance
Wonder Woman (known as Diana Prince on Earth) lived a very sheltered life on the island of Themyscira, that is until she went to Earth with human Steve Trevor, a man who crash landed in the waters of her home. Diana is very well-intentioned, but lacks a lot of the experience and knowledge of the world that Steve has. The film incorporates balance as Diana comes to view humanity in a different light than she previously had. Her shifted mindset displays how the bigger the view, the better the outcome.
The Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness
The second media key expresses the importance of attitude awareness when, among other things, consuming media. Any person who releases media content to be viewed publicly is releasing not only content to be consumed, but also ulterior messages to be absorbed by the viewer. In my opinion, the attitude expressed in this movie conforms to what is true, good, and beautiful, and is a great watch.
There are many scenes that include violence, fighting, suffering, and death. However, all of these scenes are portrayed in a proper light. For the entirety of the movie, Diana recognizes the horror of evil, and is motivated by good to overcome it. What is evil is portrayed as evil, what is good is portrayed as good, and - as is always true - good triumphs over evil.
The Third Media Key: The Dignity of the Human Person
The movie “Wonder Woman” accurately displays the dignity of the human person. Diana Prince shows extreme awareness of and upholds the dignity of those around her. In the beginning of the movie, Diana is blissfully unaware of the tremendous suffering caused by the war (World War I). When Steve Trevor makes Diana aware of this reality, she is determined to bring peace to and end the many sufferings experienced by humanity. Diana believes that the only way she can do this is by killing Ares, the God of War (whom she believes is fueling the war). Diana is so persistent in her desire to find Ares, and Steve Trevor promises to take her to the frontlines.
Once at the frontlines, Diana sees all the suffering and hardship experienced by those there. As she's walking through the trenches, a woman reaches out for Diana's attention, and is so distressed explaining to Diana all of the horrible acts that the enemy has committed. When Diana asks where all of those horrible acts were committed, the woman points across “No Man’s Land”, saying that the acts were committed on the other side. Steve sees Diana’s concern, but tells her that it is impossible to cross to the other side and they get into a brief disagreement. Steve is frustrated with Diana and says to her, “this is not what we came here to do”, before being momentarily distracted by another conversation. When his attention is turned, Diana moves away from Steve, as her mind is set on crossing No Man’s Land to help those who have been hurt. She tells Steve, “no, but it’s what I am going to do”.
Diana was aware of all of the dangers that lay in front of her: the enemy, machine guns, and a space that was deemed impossible to cross. But moved by the hurt and injustice that she knew others were experiencing, she decided to do what no other would do, and fight for the good of humanity. One of the best scenes in the movie, it showed Diana’s loving heart for those around her, and her unwavering conviction to recognize and uphold the dignity of the human person.
The Fourth Media Key: Truth-Filled
I believe that, without a doubt, the movie Wonder Woman is truth-filled. Towards the end of the movie, Diana finally found Ares, and was facing off against him. At first, it seemed as if Ares would win. He was the stronger opponent, and Diana struggled to fight him. At one point, Ares threw something at Diana that had her restrained on the ground. At this point, she sees a plane in the sky, and knows Steve is in it. In a heroic act, Steve sacrificed his life to protect those around him, flying a plane full of explosives to detonate up high, in the air, where no one else could be hurt/killed in the explosion; except for him.
When Diana watches the plane go up in flames, she screams out, and, in her grief, bursts out of the object that had been restraining her. Almost as a turning point in their fight, Diana stands her ground against Ares. Ares yells at Diana all of the ways in which humanity fails, saying humans are. Ares tells Diana, “they do not deserve your protection”, to which Diana responds, “it’s not about deserve; it’s about what you believe. And I believe in love”. Steve Trevor said a similar line to Diana earlier in the movie, and it must have stuck with her. Recognizing that love must be the foundation, and that love must be our constant motivation, is a beautiful truth that Diana proclaims in this moment.
The Fifth Media Key: Inspiring
The “Wonder Woman” movie is very inspiring. Diana’s desire to defend and protect is good, and shows the way to goodness. In the beginning of the movie, Diana wants to leave her home, to go to Earth with Steve Trevor. She anticipates that her mom will resist her trying to leave, so she says, “I’m going, Mother. I cannot stand by while innocent lives are lost. If no one else will defend the world from Ares, then I must. I have to go”. This is truly inspiring, and seems to be in line with what Jesus has told us, that “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15: 13).
The Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed
The movie “Wonder Woman” is skillfully developed. The film received, according to IMDb, 75 nominations and 38 wins. The wins for this film include: 2018 Critics Choice Award Winner of Best Action Movie, Rupert Gregson-Williams for the 2018 Satellite Award Winner for Best Original Score, Lindy Hemming for the 2018 Costume Designers Guild Award Winner for Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film, Gal Gadot for the 2018 Blimp Award Winner for Favorite Superhero, and Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot for the 2017 Spotlight Award Winner by the National Board of Review, USA.
Yes, the movie “Wonder Woman” received many accolades; but, what is most skillful about the movie, is its creators ability to depict a captivating plot, whilst spreading truth, beauty, and goodness to those who watch it. That is the epitome of skillful development.
The Seventh Media Key: Motivated by and Relevant to Experience
In the movie, Diana Prince says “I used to want to save the world. To end war and bring peace to mankind; but then I glimpsed the darkness that lives within their light. I learnt that inside every one of them there will always be both. The choice each must make for themselves–something no hero will ever defeat” (Wonder Woman). This shows that, at the heart of what is shown in the Wonder Woman film, is a reality that every human can relate to, for it is our very nature that this movie draws upon.
The movie Wonder Woman is a fantastic piece of media, that tells a marvelous story, whilst properly demonstrating the seven media keys