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The Inexplicable Wonder Woman Problem: The First Impressions Short Film Shows Us The Way

By TK Burton | Think Pieces | July 17, 2013 |

By TK Burton | Think Pieces | July 17, 2013 |


It’s sort of baffling, how difficult it is to get a viable Wonder Woman project off the ground. The character actually isn’t that hard to adapt. No, the Linda Carter version isn’t quite what we’re looking for, but the groundwork has been laid so easily. And yet, it keeps flailing in pre-production, or failing in its actual production. It’s a character with a rich comic book history, a strong, super-powered, take-no-sh*t woman who has her own peculiar set of vulnerabilities and quirks. She’s much more than just a female Superman, and she faces an entirely different set of challenges.

And the thing is, it’s been done successfully. All the producers and writers and director would need to do is follow in the footsteps of those successes. There’s the terrific animated film from a couple of years ago (click here for our review), and a short film from last year that had an excellent tone and feel to it (watch it here). There are even some amazing story elements to the current-gen video game, Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Now there’s yet another short film, one that I actually like even better. Directed by Leo Kei Angelos, it’s a simple setup - Diana (played capably by actress Hailey Bright) is on a date, it’s going well, and then is beset by a group of thugs led by a very creepy ringleader played by Doug Jones. And of course, she whups their asses, and does so with style and grace. It’s excellent. Take a look:

You see? A simple little snippet that could easily be expanded into something greater, without having to rewrite the character or make a mess of excessive changes (I’m looking at you, David E. Kelley). Stick to what’s been working for the last few decades, use the modern touches from the current stories, draw some inspiration from what’s out there. It’ll work.

It’s been working.

(h/t: Comic Book Movie)