Wonder Woman Movie: Why Gal Gadot Is Our Only Hope

David Hernandez David Hernandez
Contributor
September 11th, 2016

David Hernandez is a published author, content creator, writer, and illustrator with a series of popular children's books, comics, teen fiction, and graphic novels. David is also a Creative Consultant & Creative Director. working in publishing, New Media, Mixed Reality, & licensed products - specializing in Children's Entertainment. Clients include Lucasfilm, Nickelodeon, Universal Studios, and Disney. David has had the pleasure of working on some of the world's most iconic brands including Star Wars, SpongeBob Squarepants, Marvel Comics, King Kong, Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse, and the Minions! David is also the owner of his own publishing imprint, Davdez Arts Inc.

The Wonder Woman movie is coming to the big screen and millions of fans are anxiously waiting. After several DCEU films that have garnered mixed reactions, what will become of Gal Gadot's stand-alone project? Here our David Hernandez lays out his case that a lot is riding on the Wonder Woman movie's results.

Wonder Woman Movie: Why Gal Gadot Is Our Only Hope

Wonder Woman Movie

Credit: Warner Bros.

So if you have been reading my articles, you've probably figured out by now that I am a big fan of our favorite comic book heroes exploding onto the big screen as cinema blockbusters.  Of course, I do have to say I am one of those guys that favors the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) when compared to DC Comics attempt.  Now don’t get me wrong, I think the DC films are good, but they have not been great – that's my unbiased opinion as I am equally a fan and collector of DC comics as much as Marvel.

The strange thing is, when it comes to animated, Direct-to-Blu-ray and On-Demand festures, DC does a fantastic job of adapting – Have you seen Justice League: The New Frontier… or Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox?

That is some good animated drama! In fact, most of their Justice League animated films have been quite entertaining and well executed.  Unfortunately, The Killing Joke wasn’t as good as the book, but it was still well done.  By the way, I don’t know about you, but Kevin Conroy is Batman, although I have to admit Will Arnett just cracks me up!

Okay, so let me get back to my topic… The Wonder Woman movie!

Man-oh-man, do we need this movie. (DC needs it too.)  The last three passes at the DC film world have not been so great – and this is where I know some people get upset, but come on folks, Batman V. Superman just wasn’t an awesome movie.  Man of Steel was much weaker, and I don’t even want to get into Suicide Squad. (That debate is still too heated right now.)

So as you can see, I have not been impressed by the DC “kill everybody” films of late. But now, here comes Wonder Woman! There are so many reasons why DC (and audiences) need this to be a really, really good movie.

Firstly, she’s a woman.  Recently, movies like the all-female Ghostbusters reboot not only failed at the box office, but was met by harsh criticism from the fans. And although Melissa McCarthy thinks the critics are all just a bunch of sad fanboy losers sitting in their Mom’s basements, the studios have now seen how affective fan reaction can be. (By the way Melissa, I am an adult male, with a great wife, wonderful children, and a nice job too – just in case you read this.)  In a nutshell, boys (and girls) like watching girls kick butt! That is why we love female heroes, that is why we love Wonder Woman.  And while dads cannot completely justify Black Widow as a role model for their young daughters, Diana Prince is a shining example for any child.  She’s not the damsel in distress but she’s pretty, she is a mighty warrior, and she is a princess! That's a superhero trifecta. “Cha-Ching!"

Second, the DC heroes have not shown a lot of depth in the films to date. Unlike his Boy Scout, honest, comic-book counterpart, Henry Cavill’s Superman has appeared weak, confused, and alienating. (Ha! Alien-ating … I crack myself up.)  Then we had Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, who appeared to be a bad impression of Mark Zuckerburg inhaling too many canisters of Joker Venom.

Sure, Ben Affleck surprised us all with his great performance as Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight, but there was just too much going on for him to really dive deep into the rich Bat-mythology.  I also feel that the movie version of Gotham City needs to appear more “Gothamy”.  Using Chicago streets just doesn’t seem to have the presence and dynamics that we all perceive when we envision “Gotham City”.  Basically, Gotham is a DC Character in its own right!  So hopefully, DC has learned a few things and this solo run on the Wonder Woman Movie will give audiences around the world to have the opportunity to learn the origins of one of our greatest heroes and really explore her attributes, weaknesses, and psychology.

Finally, I am eager to see how the director handles her (revised) World War One debut.  As many of us know, in the original comics Wonder Woman actually meets Major Steve Trevor during WWII.  I’m sure the producers felt they needed to change this so she will not be compared to the Captain America story - After all she is a infamous war-hero with a shield who returns decades later to help form a modern-day  superhero team.  The World War One story-line gives the DC Movie universe a huge opportunity to explore…. The Golden Age of Comics!  That’s pretty cool if you think about it; imagine all of the older, and even forgotten heroes and stories from DC's incredible archives.  I would love it if this film served as an introduction to that glorious era.  (Now this is purely personal speculation on my part) but I hope DC is considering this.

I was also happy to see that Wonder Woman is armored in her iconic red, blue and gold. When she originally premiered in 1942, it was a period of war, comics served as a great tool in building the morale of soldiers and their families.  It felt good to imagine that Doctor Mid-Nite, The Human Torch, Superman, Namor, Captain America and Wonder Woman were out there defeating the Axis Military Forces alongside our real heroes, the Allied troops. (We sure could use some of that patriotism in comics and movies today!)

In closing, I hope many of you agree that this movie, if executed correctly, could really help establish the future of the DC Movie-verse, and bring with it a larger, more mainstream audience of young boys and girls who will shape the future.

 

What do you think the expectations are for the upcoming Wonder Woman Movie?

Are you excited about the film?

What do you think it means for the future of the DCEU?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

David Hernandez is a Contributor to ComiConverse. Follow him on Twitter: @DavdezHernandez

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