The Honest Trailer for Wonder Woman Keeps Getting Me in Trouble for Laughing
Visit Xena, Warrior Island.
“From the studio known for confusing length with depth, complexity with intelligence, and self-absorbed downers with heroism, the DCEU pulls off its biggest success by … not doing those things.”
As I play this video again and again to grab quotes, I’m annoying my office coworkers with incessant giggling. Well isn’t she having fun, their side-eye tells me.
Yes, yes I am. ‘Round here we love Honest Trailers, and their take on Wonder Woman—completed after receiving many requests to do so—is excellently on-point as always. They manage to both laud the movie for being well-made and culturally important while at the same time calling out its weak spots, like the Ares/Diana battle at the end that felt tonally out of a different film entirely.
I particularly appreciate the not-so-subtle digs at past DCEU movies that kick this off. Plus, all studios get digs when it comes to the super-women features of the past:
“Patty Jenkins bravely asks the question … what if a female-led superhero movie wasn’t absolute garbage from beginning to end?”
(And this made me cringe and become sad before I could start laughing again: “[the movie] had a powerful message for girls: save the world, look flawless doing it, be a literal god, then men might begrudgingly half-tolerate your presence. Wooo, progress!”)
Other moments that keep making me laugh and my colleagues hate me:
Honest Trailers points out that “every superhero has a kryptonite … and hers is not knowing jack about anything,” overcut with a hilarious montage of Diana being confused about basic concepts from the world of men. “You speak a hundred languages, you know what marriage means!”
“Chris Pine surprises and delights in a performance that gives him his first lead in the Great Hollywood Chris-Off.”
“In a film with two grounded, complex leads, cringe at villains pulled from a different, much campier movie.”
“And seriously expects us to buy this human milkthistle as the God of War.” Oh, David Thewlis, I love you very much, but ’tis true, ’tis true.
“Is it an inspirational, well-made film that finally gives us a superhero women can feel proud of? Yes. Does it end with a lightning hands mustache man yelling video game-level dialogue? Also yes.”
And of course:
(via Honest Trailers, images: screengrabs)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
