8 Things That Marvel And DC Can Learn From Wonder Woman

For the first time since Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Warner Bros. and DC have an unequivocal hint on their hands with Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman. Though there are niggles to be had - like underdeveloped villains and a relatively CGI-heavy climax - the movie is more or less a tremendous example of how to do a superhero film right. In fact, both Marvel and DC could do a lot worse than to look to Wonder Woman for inspiration. DC have previously had a hard time finding a direction to go in that would please fans and critics and they might have finally found it with this film. Meanwhile, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is obviously in very rude health at the moment, but their movies sometimes lack certain elements that Wonder Woman has in spades. From matters to do with storytelling and characterization to cinematography and direction, here are 8 tips that both Marvel and DC should take away from the Gal Gadot-led film. 8) Hire More Female Directors Before we get on with talking about the content of the film itself, let's look at the impressive box office record that Wonder Woman has broken. In case you weren't aware, it's received the highest-grossing opening weekend of any movie directed by a woman, ever. That's an incredible achievement, but also shines a light on how few major blockbusters are entrusted to female directors, even in 2017. In terms of superhero movies, for example, Patty Jenkins is only the second ever female director of a Marvel or DC film, after Lexi Alexander helmed Punisher: War Zone in 2008. Sure, Marvel has one movie at least partly helmed by a woman on the horizon, as 2019's Captain Marvel will be directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, but in the long history of the genre, that's ridiculously inadequate. With the unabashed success of Wonder Woman, both in terms of money and the acclaim it's receiving for being female-led, let's hope this will convince the studios that there needs to be more women directing the usually all-boys club of superhero movies. 7) One Hero Is Enough Both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe began life in a very stripped-back way; with a Superman origin story and an Iron Man introductory movie, respectively. Quickly, though, the casts for their films grew and grew and it's now become the norm for films to feature multiple heroes. Batman V Superman included the whole of the Justice League in some form and this year Marvel will bring us Thor and Spider-Man movies that also feature the Hulk and Iron Man in prominent roles. In the midst of this climate, then, Wonder Woman comes as a breath of fresh air. Even though Bruce Wayne is teased at the beginning and end of the film, Ben Affleck never pops up to take the spotlight away from Diana. Just the reference to the fact that he's out there is enough to remind us that this follows Batman V Superman and Justice League is on the way. Because the movie does such an excellent job bringing Wonder Woman's character to life, we don't for one second wish that another hero would turn up. Let's hope that future films like Aquaman and Black Panther remember that, as long as you do the work and flesh out your protagonist, the audience will still lap up a true solo superhero movie. 6) The Audience Loves Hopeful Heroes A lot has been said about the lack of optimism and reliance on bleakness in the DCEU so far, with even Superman being depicted as a dour, doom-laden figure. On the other hand, the MCU is often cited as being much more hopeful but in reality, things have been growing darker in that franchise for a while now, too. Currently, the Avengers are bifurcated, with Captain America a fugitive from the law. In contrast to the modern tendency to have morally-conflicted heroes, Wonder Woman portrays Diana as a hero with an undying faith in the goodness in humanity's hearts. With the world as full of conflict as it right now, it's hugely timely and heartwarming to watch a movie about a character who preaches peace in the face of war. Yes, Diana is good in a fight and even kills her enemies, but her compassion is her primary weapon and her greatest power. Given that the world has gone crazy for the character and the movie as a whole, it'll be interesting to see if more future films make their heroes into aspirational types like Wonder Woman. 5) Don't Be Afraid Of Colour Though they have their fans, Zack Snyder's DC movies so far have been criticized by many for their washed-out colour palette which contrasts with the colourful world of comic books. On the other hand, Suicide Squad went for a grungy, neon-infested look that also rubbed people up the wrong way. Marvel movies aren't criticized for their cinematography to nearly the same extent, but it has to be said that most of the MCU has a similar, cookie-cutter feel. Wonder Woman, meanwhile, is a visually-engaging, gorgeous film. The opening act on Themyscira is a treat for the eyes, in particular, with the sun and grandeur of the city being like no setting we've seen in the DCEU before. When things then transition to the Western Front, the bleakness becomes a lot more poignant and effective. Even then, it's punctuated by Wonder Woman's red, gold and blue outfit. All in all, Patty Jenkins deserves some serious praise for giving us one of the best-looking superhero films in recent years. Great cinematography doesn't make or break a movie, but it would be nice if Marvel and DC could aim for this more often. 4) Make Sure There's Humour And Heart Another thing that Wonder Woman is excellent at is blending hilarious moments with heartwarming/breaking ones. There are just enough funny scenes to lift the film but not too many that they start to grate. To stop the movie feeling too flippant, the humour is punctuated by a great deal of heart with a very poignant romance between Diana and Steve which will have you welling up by the end. It's rare for a modern superhero movie to have that kind of balance. Infamously, the previous DC films have come under fire for their grim tone, but even Marvel's output have their detractors due to the Whedonesque quick-fire quip-heavy dialogue that characterizes the Avengers movies. As for emotional content, that often gets pushed to the side to make way for action and spectacle. Wonder Woman is actually the third superhero effort this year that's had a big heart, after Logan and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 likely both had you tearing up by the time the end credits rolled. Seeing as all three have been received very warmly and have made big bucks, this could bode well for how the studios approach future films. 3) Follow Through On The Themes There are some big themes at work in Wonder Woman. The World War I time period is not just set-dressing but is integral to the story. As an optimistic soul who believes in the goodness of mankind, Diana has to face the ugliness and cruelty of war during the events of the movie and has her whole world view tested. Eventually, she comes out of it stronger as she realizes that you have to believe that humanity's capable of peace and can put an end to war. Using Diana to launch a story that looks at such big ideas is a fantastic move and one that's not often done in superhero films. For example, Captain America: The First Avenger - though a very fine effort - decided to use its wartime setting as a reason to deliver some classic movie serial/war movie vibes. Likewise, Batman V Superman raised the idea of heroes being held accountable for their actions but then let the theme disappear completely after Lex blew up congress. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, set up its discussion of war and peace and followed through with it in the end. This kind of thematic core makes it a much smarter piece than the average superhero movie. 2) Let The Movie Stand Alone This point ties in to what I was saying earlier about Wonder Woman being refreshing because it only features one hero. Most superhero films nowadays have to have connections to the wider universe they're part of. Obviously, we don't want to knock that too much as this kind of easy interconnectivity has been what comic book fans have been dreaming of seeing on the big screen for decades now. However, it has to be said that sometimes the references to the wider universe can feel shoe-horned in and hamper the movie's individuality. Many of Marvel and DC's films recently have felt less like whole cinematic experiences and more like one episode of a TV series you're watching on a big screen. For instance, both Batman V Superman and Captain America: Civil War had endings whose primary goal was to set up the next team-up movie instead of bringing the film we had just watched to a satisfying conclusion. Like many of the standout superhero movies from this decade - Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Logan, etc. - Wonder Woman puts its own story first and foremost and then its placement in a wider universe second. Again, we love it when things connect together, but we love good movies more. 1) Superheroines Sell Time for a quick history lesson. Before Wonder Woman, the only female-led Marvel and DC movies were 2004's Catwoman and 2005's Elektra, both of which are frequently cited as two of the worst ever entries in a genre that's produced some real stinkers. Since then, it's come out that Hollywood studios have taken the failure of these movies to mean that female-led superhero films either don't sell or just don't work. At last, with Wonder Woman this has been proven to be totally and utterly false. Not only have critics praised the movie, but it's drawn in the crowds far more than box office tracking predicted. It even beat the opening weekends of established franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Execs can no longer hide behind that flimsy excuse anymore - superheroines definitely sell. Thankfully, even before Wonder Woman's success, things were looking up in this area. Marvel will finally have their first superheroine movie in the previously-mentioned Captain Marvel and DC have a slew of them on the cards - most notably, David Ayers' Gotham City Sirens and Joss Whedon's Batgirl. Not to mention there are rumours that Sony are developing an all-women team-up movie of Spider-Man's supporting female characters. We can only hope that Wonder Woman will increase the number of female-led comic book films that studios decide to make. There are a heck of a lot of female superheroes out there who deserve their own movies and Hollywood's got a lot of catching up to do.