Wonder Woman (2017) Patty Jenkins - Movie Review

June 16, 2017 Posted in Movie Review / Pastor Ted Giese / issuesetc.org / Radio Interview / 2017

Wonder Woman (2017) Directed by: Patty Jenkins
Writers: Allan Heinberg, (screenplay) Zack Snyder, Allan Heinberg, Jason Fuchs (story by) William Moulton Marston (Wonder Woman created by), Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, Eugene Brave Rock, Lucy Davis, Elena Anaya, Run Time: 141min Rated: PG (Canada) PG-13 (MPAA) for sequences of violence and action, and some suggestive content

Listen here for audio of radio interviews about films from a Christian perspective with Pastors Ted Giese and Todd Wilken on IssuesEtc.org where Christianity meets culture.

In this interview we talk about the new Wonder Woman movie, however as is always the case there are a couple details that get left out in the flow of the conversation. One would be the obvious comparison between MARVEL’s Captain America and Wonder Woman. The similarities being that both Captain America and Wonder Woman have a rather obvious do good attitude; and they both share a profound difficulty with “just going with the flow” if “the flow” means compromising their personal ideas. Also they have origin stories that involve fighting in World Wars. In the comic books Wonder Woman also fights in WWII and has Hitler as an antagonist just like Captain America. In this modern iteration DC decided to have Wonder Woman fight in WWI and not WWII. This is likely because DC wants to move her away from too many comparisons with Captain America and the successful MARVEL films featuring Captain America which preceded DC’s own films release. What else is similar? They both have super-duper shields and they are both focused on Truth with a capital “T.”

Also as we talked I mentioned a book, I’d said the book was called American Gods, now I knew it wasn’t the same as the 2001 Nebula Award winning Neil Gaiman novel so I corrected myself but I miss named the book. The book I was trying to mention is called Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human by Grant Morrison. It has a section where Morrison details the conception and early development of the Wonder Woman character and comic by Dr. William Moulton Marston who earned a PhD in Psychology in 1921 from Harvard University. Wonder Woman was first in print as a comic in 1941. In his book Morrison discusses Marston’s philosophy of diametric opposites which often manifested itself graphically in the comic book with images of bondage and submission. He also talks about how Marston’s relationship with his wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, an attorney and psychologist and their “domestic partner” Olive Byrne impacted the development of Wonder Woman.

Have a listen to the interview to hear more about the theological aspects of the film.

Rev. Ted Giese is lead pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; a contributor to The Canadian Lutheran, Reporter and KFUOam; and movie reviewer for the “Issues, Etc.” radio program. Follow Pastor Giese on Twitter @RevTedGiese. Check out our Movie Review Index!