After Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad, DC could really use a win at the box office. Sure none of their movies “ bombed” but none were that well received either. Critics and fans alike all agree that each film felt like there was something missing along the way. Each movie shared great moments in regard to their characters, but one or two plot points buried the rest of the film. It was almost as if too much of the story was left out for the extended DVD edition. So by the time Wonder Woman came around, it was hard to get excited for the latest installment in the DCEU.
The perfect film to right the ship was Wonder Woman. Leading to the film’s release, the more we saw of Gal Gadot the more people fell in love with her. How could you not? She has the looks, personality, and charm that draw people to her. While hardcore fans compared her too close to her comic counterpart, her resume as an actress was too short to prejudge her in a film. Even the films she did prior to she was always in a supportive role instead of the main character. Other than a few nitpicks along the way, no one had solid gripes against her.
Wonder Woman’s success relied in large part due to little exposure to the character. Going back to an earlier point, DC characters not only have to compete with Marvel but with themselves as well. Wonder Woman hasn’t seen an on screen version in 30+ years so there’s nothing fresh in people’s minds to compare to. The studio could start with a fresh slate the same way Marvel typically has with most of their characters. Gadot only had to compete with Linda Carter who today’s audience might hardly know.
Luckily for the DCEU, it wasn’t just a pretty face or a fresh take on the character that won the audiences over. Wonder Woman hit all the checkmarks of a great superhero film. It stayed close to home with the characters source material. The lead was strong yet vulnerable and made a stand where she needed to. They created a lovable, fierce, warrior who could accomplish great feats to over come evil. If we didn’t know any better, fans would assume this was closer to a Marvel film than a DC.
If the DCEU ever gets off the ground, people will turn from Wonder Woman as the turning point. The film itself was a stark contrast to its predecessors and hopefully, gives enough cues to future films to turn the studio’s endeavors around. Wonder Woman was a fun energetic film with a moral that we all could be accomplish greatness by finding the greatness in ourselves. In the end, it wasn’t Superman who gave us hope, but Wonder Woman.
Come back to theinscribermag.com for Building the DCEU Pt 4: Justice League – The Payoff.