[DC] Revival: A Review of Wonder Woman

            “It's about what you believe. And I believe in love. Only love will truly save the world.”

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I saw Wonder Woman on the night of June 3rd, the day after it had released to US theaters. This was also the day of my 21st birthday, and I had just spent the last 24 hours helping my family cater and set up for my sister’s senior piano recital. Over 150 people had RSVP’ed to attend, and with my stubbornly Chinese mom insisting on preparing nearly all the food and reception decorations from scratch, I ended up spending my 21st birthday deseeding and dicing an endless deluge of bell peppers, lugging boxes of plastic utensils and cups across a parking lot, and not having a drop of alcohol in my blood by the end of the night. I knew that I wouldn’t be in the best mood after the recital, so I declined my parents’ previous offer to take me out for dinner. Instead, I asked them if I could see Wonder Woman. 

To put it shortly, Wonder Woman is a crowning achievement for the DC Extended Universe and a rousing revival of faith in the female superhero. It portrayed an oft-overlooked era of history in gorgeous color and orchestral sound, featured phenomenal acting on ALL parts, and most importantly, embraced the idea that people don’t always have to lose something before wanting to do the right thing. 

The last point in particular strikes a deep chord within me, especially in regard to the changes in DC editorial that started because of Rebirth. Before then, I had never agreed with the criticism that Cavill’s Superman was too grimdark and angsty to be an accurate representation of Big Blue. I reasoned that Zack Snyder’s gorgeous cinematography and operatic storytelling were reasons enough to support all aspects of the film, including this off-kilter characterization. Besides, the Superman films of yore were outdated and hammy, and ill-fit for modern cinema audiences. But after experiencing the paradigmatic shift in optimism that Rebirth brought to modern comics, I can’t help but shake my head at how far the first two DCEU films missed the mark. 

Themes of hope, optimism, love, and human connection will NEVER become uninteresting or outdated to explore. Wonder Woman had a incredible cast of vibrant supporting characters (on par with that of the GoTG films) and an endearing, believable love story that recognized the value of the small moments. And like Rebirth’s Jonathan Kent, Wonder Woman’s desire to do good is principally motivated by gratitude and compassion, two things which are sorely needed in today’s increasingly cynical day and age.

And I certainly walked out of the theater feeling happier about having spent my 21st birthday helping my little sister feel special and loved instead of doing whatever I had personally wanted to do. 

So I give Wonder Woman a smashing 9/10! If you haven’t seen it yet, GO DO IT.

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Some behind-the-scenes details about this shot: 

I originally wanted to make all the important characters from the film, including Ares, Steve’s war buddies, and some Amazons. After thinking about how much time and money that would all take, I scrapped the idea and decided to only do Diana and Steve, and in their Rebirth outfits to boot. That way, I’d be doing something unique compared to the other WW reviews I saw.

This was also the first time I used an all new lighting system, and I think it turned out great. Using a combination of cold and warm light really brought out the colors of these figs, and the image clarity is some of the best I've ever put out. 

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Fig formulas:

Wonder Woman (Rebirth): DCEU WW base figure w/BvS hips, 2013 WW tiara, OLS Gladiator cape

Steve Trevor (Rebirth): Aldrich Killian hair, AoU Thor head, Green Arrow hood, Steve Trevor torso, Superboy arms, S16 Hiker CMF legs, M16A4 assault rifle with M320 grenade launcher, Bowie knife

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Rebirth Deathstroke is finna going to be lit. I’ve got 13 minifigures planned!

Taken on: January 1, 1918

Tags:

Superheroes

DC Comics

Purist

DC Extended Universe

DCEU

World War I

Amazons

Themiscyra

Steve Trevor

Diana Prince

Film Review

Wonder Woman

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