US
2017
2hrs 21mins
Dir: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Gal Gadot-Varsano and David Thewlis
When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny
This American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name is just one of many modern day ‘films’ that seem beyond the authors level of intelligence, or indeed interest. The story evolves around an immortal Amazon warrior demigoddess and crown princess who flits between the present day and 1918. Make of that, what you will! It is all a far cry from the frivolity, and even naivety, of The Titfield Thunderbolt, or the grim reality that lay behind the dark shadows, smoke and steam of Brief Encounter. Still, where Wonder Woman is concerned one can wonder in the delights of CGI. There is a scene filmed at London King’s Cross using SECR C Class 0-6-0 No.592 and accompanying vintage Southern Railway coaches borrowed from the Bluebell Railway. Not much is really seen of the train itself, and even less of the locomotive, but Pixomondo, the studio which did the visual effects for this scene, made a reel of their work that includes a before-and-after view of their work in this sequence, giving us a valuable insight of what the scenes would look like before CGI gets involved. A later scene showing soldiers arriving at a station is also entirely CGI…. Thanks to T.W. for the screen captures and information about the work of the CGI department.
