'Wonder Woman' Trailer Breakdown: The Savior of DC?
With the latest peek at Summer 2017's daring take on Wonder Woman releasing last week, numerous questions concerning the film have surfaced, most importantly whether or not this could be the film that sets Warner Bros. and DC back on track with their DC Extended Universe. With the newest trailer hinting at not only a broader scale in terms of the elaborate history and colorful comic-book characters surrounding the Amazonian princess, but also the promise of the first successful female-centric superhero film, you could say a lot is riding on the success of this long-awaited project. But as a plethora of questions continue to arise from the latest trailer, one of the biggest questions remains: Can Wonder Woman save DC? Before I dive into the many quarries of how Wonder Woman could lead Warner Bros. and DC to a brighter future, I'll first toss in just a few of my thoughts on the new trailer, and what makes it look so promising.
With the released Comic-Con footage of the 2017 film offering up only a taste of some of the action, characters, and World War I set pieces we hope to get in the film, the latest trailer reels us in with not only a handful of beautiful locations in which we'll find our main characters, but also a drop of anticipation as to how this film plays into the growing DC Extended Universe. Beginning the trailer off similar to how the last one began, we find ourselves in one of the most essential locations to the film's main character. Offering us a greater peek at the ancient civilization of Themyscira, the breathtaking homeland of Princess Diana (Gal Gadot), the trailer teases just how remote -- and visually captivating -- the home of the Amazons truly is. As we continue along, however, it doesn't stay like that for long.
Suddenly burdened by the horrors of World War I, after American pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash-lands on the island after fleeing an ambush abroad, Diana and the Amazonian inhabitants of Themyscira are hurled into the harsh outside world they never knew. Already reeling me in with its ambitious and exciting premise, which finds a strong-willed but culturally-displaced heroine tossed into a brutal war she never wanted, the second trailer for Wonder Woman promises that this is a story -- and a tone -- that we've yet to see in the DC Extended Universe. While we've only seen super-powered men in tights and murky gangs of villainy duking it out on-screen from Warner Bros. and DC, Wonder Woman aims to deliver a far more centralized tale, one focusing on one of DC's strongest and culturally-significant superheroes.
With its look and feel so far appearing both more optimistic and historically-focused than the other DCEU installments, and its central female hero already calling upon fans to cheer her on in her full arsenal of Amazonian ass-kicking, there is a lot to be desired from the second trailer for Wonder Woman. As I mentioned before, one of the most satisfying elements to come from the film so far is its introduction of the first cinematic iteration of Wonder Woman. While the character has played out well in her respective comic book appearances and television series, the world has been eagerly anticipating a strong female character such as this to grace the big screen. Taking that chance now, as the film gears up for a Summer 2017 release, Wonder Woman already looks like it could usher in a more refined structure -- and bit more character development -- for the DC Extended Universe. Focusing less on the political confusion surrounding Batman and Superman, or the devious plans of a whiny Lex Luthor and his Doomsday concoction, Wonder Woman looks to shoot straight to the point, delivering a worthy origin story for a character long overdue for the cinematic treatment.
Taking this film into account, especially after seeing the newest trailer, it would be hard not to compare it with the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first installment in its successful Captain America trilogy, 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. With similar elements present -- from a displaced hero tossed into a realm of war they never expected, to a powerful villain working towards changing the face of war forever -- there are already parallels between that of The First Avenger and Wonder Woman. While some would see that as a downfall for the film, I see it more as a step in the right direction for DC and Warner Bros. With The First Avenger remaining one of my favorite superhero films -- its World War II setting and profound lead performance in Chris Evans making it a fantastic start to a brilliant trilogy -- Wonder Woman could meet a much similar fate, as long as it is done right. While I don't want the film to be a carbon-copy of the Captain America origin film from Marvel Studios, it would make for a memorable venture if it borrowed the elements that made that Captain America project so successful. Wonder Woman already displaying a fluent grasp on its gritty war tone, while also presenting a fearless heroine in Gal Gadot's Diana Prince, DC could benefit greatly by taking on such an ambitious yet grounded move as this.
With much of the DCEU projects so far floating more towards the commercial anticipation of two god-like superheroes duking it out for the first time on the live-action platform, as well as a few passion projects that aimed to reel in as much big talent as the film would allow (Will Smith as Deadshot was a pretty cunning choice, however), one major change for the DC Extended Universe that could result from the success of Wonder Woman will be the studio's greater sense of confidence when approaching films focusing on a single character. With the first film in the DCEU, Zack Snyder's Man of Steel ushering in a visually-intriguing and somewhat character-oriented reboot of Superman, I saw the beginnings of Warner Bros. and DC's experimental path towards building their brand beyond the massive success of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Destructive nonsense and cliched storytelling aside, 2013's Man of Steel set a pretty decent template for the studio to follow, giving us a worthy origin story for one of their biggest properties. That template set askew quickly after the hype of a new Batman iteration to hop into what was a Man of Steel sequel was established, it would appear Warner Bros. and DC temporarily lost focus in where their path in Man of Steel was taking them.
That deviation from the satisfying origin tale that was Man of Steel to the blockbuster hopeful that ended up being the uneven Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice led DC down a road one would hope an ambitious project like August's Suicide Squad could mediate. When that didn't work, and the villain-centric summer film fell under some ill-advised studio interference, Warner Bros. and DC returning to their template of fleshing out its individual characters before tossing them into other films seemed like a better option than nothing. While June's Wonder Woman may surpass Dawn of Justice, and even Man of Steel, however, the future of DC lies in the major changes in both tone and characterization that could come about once 2017 rolls around. With November 2017's Justice League and a number of other solo films in the pipeline, the brand of Warner Bros. and DC is surely not dead, but definitely needs some tinkering with.
I'll cease my rant about the future of DC and Warner Bros. for now, and ask what are your thoughts on the second trailer for Wonder Woman? Do you think the film will change the game for the DCEU, or do you think they're doing fine where they are? Let me know in the comments below, and share this post for more upcoming news about Marvel, DC, and other exciting films coming soon!
With the released Comic-Con footage of the 2017 film offering up only a taste of some of the action, characters, and World War I set pieces we hope to get in the film, the latest trailer reels us in with not only a handful of beautiful locations in which we'll find our main characters, but also a drop of anticipation as to how this film plays into the growing DC Extended Universe. Beginning the trailer off similar to how the last one began, we find ourselves in one of the most essential locations to the film's main character. Offering us a greater peek at the ancient civilization of Themyscira, the breathtaking homeland of Princess Diana (Gal Gadot), the trailer teases just how remote -- and visually captivating -- the home of the Amazons truly is. As we continue along, however, it doesn't stay like that for long.
Suddenly burdened by the horrors of World War I, after American pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash-lands on the island after fleeing an ambush abroad, Diana and the Amazonian inhabitants of Themyscira are hurled into the harsh outside world they never knew. Already reeling me in with its ambitious and exciting premise, which finds a strong-willed but culturally-displaced heroine tossed into a brutal war she never wanted, the second trailer for Wonder Woman promises that this is a story -- and a tone -- that we've yet to see in the DC Extended Universe. While we've only seen super-powered men in tights and murky gangs of villainy duking it out on-screen from Warner Bros. and DC, Wonder Woman aims to deliver a far more centralized tale, one focusing on one of DC's strongest and culturally-significant superheroes.
With its look and feel so far appearing both more optimistic and historically-focused than the other DCEU installments, and its central female hero already calling upon fans to cheer her on in her full arsenal of Amazonian ass-kicking, there is a lot to be desired from the second trailer for Wonder Woman. As I mentioned before, one of the most satisfying elements to come from the film so far is its introduction of the first cinematic iteration of Wonder Woman. While the character has played out well in her respective comic book appearances and television series, the world has been eagerly anticipating a strong female character such as this to grace the big screen. Taking that chance now, as the film gears up for a Summer 2017 release, Wonder Woman already looks like it could usher in a more refined structure -- and bit more character development -- for the DC Extended Universe. Focusing less on the political confusion surrounding Batman and Superman, or the devious plans of a whiny Lex Luthor and his Doomsday concoction, Wonder Woman looks to shoot straight to the point, delivering a worthy origin story for a character long overdue for the cinematic treatment.
Taking this film into account, especially after seeing the newest trailer, it would be hard not to compare it with the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first installment in its successful Captain America trilogy, 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. With similar elements present -- from a displaced hero tossed into a realm of war they never expected, to a powerful villain working towards changing the face of war forever -- there are already parallels between that of The First Avenger and Wonder Woman. While some would see that as a downfall for the film, I see it more as a step in the right direction for DC and Warner Bros. With The First Avenger remaining one of my favorite superhero films -- its World War II setting and profound lead performance in Chris Evans making it a fantastic start to a brilliant trilogy -- Wonder Woman could meet a much similar fate, as long as it is done right. While I don't want the film to be a carbon-copy of the Captain America origin film from Marvel Studios, it would make for a memorable venture if it borrowed the elements that made that Captain America project so successful. Wonder Woman already displaying a fluent grasp on its gritty war tone, while also presenting a fearless heroine in Gal Gadot's Diana Prince, DC could benefit greatly by taking on such an ambitious yet grounded move as this.
With much of the DCEU projects so far floating more towards the commercial anticipation of two god-like superheroes duking it out for the first time on the live-action platform, as well as a few passion projects that aimed to reel in as much big talent as the film would allow (Will Smith as Deadshot was a pretty cunning choice, however), one major change for the DC Extended Universe that could result from the success of Wonder Woman will be the studio's greater sense of confidence when approaching films focusing on a single character. With the first film in the DCEU, Zack Snyder's Man of Steel ushering in a visually-intriguing and somewhat character-oriented reboot of Superman, I saw the beginnings of Warner Bros. and DC's experimental path towards building their brand beyond the massive success of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Destructive nonsense and cliched storytelling aside, 2013's Man of Steel set a pretty decent template for the studio to follow, giving us a worthy origin story for one of their biggest properties. That template set askew quickly after the hype of a new Batman iteration to hop into what was a Man of Steel sequel was established, it would appear Warner Bros. and DC temporarily lost focus in where their path in Man of Steel was taking them.
That deviation from the satisfying origin tale that was Man of Steel to the blockbuster hopeful that ended up being the uneven Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice led DC down a road one would hope an ambitious project like August's Suicide Squad could mediate. When that didn't work, and the villain-centric summer film fell under some ill-advised studio interference, Warner Bros. and DC returning to their template of fleshing out its individual characters before tossing them into other films seemed like a better option than nothing. While June's Wonder Woman may surpass Dawn of Justice, and even Man of Steel, however, the future of DC lies in the major changes in both tone and characterization that could come about once 2017 rolls around. With November 2017's Justice League and a number of other solo films in the pipeline, the brand of Warner Bros. and DC is surely not dead, but definitely needs some tinkering with.
I'll cease my rant about the future of DC and Warner Bros. for now, and ask what are your thoughts on the second trailer for Wonder Woman? Do you think the film will change the game for the DCEU, or do you think they're doing fine where they are? Let me know in the comments below, and share this post for more upcoming news about Marvel, DC, and other exciting films coming soon!
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