When the news first broke that the Israeli model- turned- actor had won the role of Wonder Woman, I was quite dismissive. My heart had been set on Gadot's Fast and Furious 6 costar, Gina Carano, a former MMA fighter who displayed a natural screen presence. I apologize for not thinking the relatively slim Gadot had what it takes to fill out Diana Prince's wonder boots. I just couldn't see it, and that's an error of imagination on my part. When Gadot made her debut in 2. Batman vs. Superman, she was one of the few high points, granted she was only there for like fifteen minutes. My concerns were abated but could she hold her own film?

Sheila Hancock and Kevin Guthrie star in director Simon Hunter's heartfelt Scottish ramble Edie. Read the full review here at Movie Review World.

After 1. 40 minutes of consideration, I can declare that Gadot is a star and a terrific Wonder Woman. The rest of the film is pretty good though not up to her wonder level. One fateful day a downed airplane crashes close to their shore. Diana rescues the pilot, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), and is fascinated to learn he is a man. The Amazonians are distrustful of a man in their land.

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He warns them about the . The Germans are developing a powerful chemical weapon thanks to the treacherous Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya) and Luddendorff (Danny Huston). Diana decides she cannot stay idle. She leaves her home and travels with Steve to London and eventually the the European Front. Diana is certain the one responsible for the global conflict is none other than the god of war Ares, who will stop at nothing to annihilate mankind.

This is the movie many fans have been waiting for. Wonder Woman's structure and tone feels like what would happen if you crammed together Marvel's Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. It's got the ancient mythological society that is separate from mankind.

It's got the fish- out- of- water comedy of a god traveling to the world of man and trying to make sense of our clothing, customs, and backwards gender norms. It's also set during a world war far in the past and resonates with handsome period- appropriate production values. The comedy aspects are surprisingly restrained; the fish- out- of- water jokes are mostly deployed during Diana's first encounter with Steve's secretary, Etta (Lucy Davis).

The humor goes a long way to help coalesce the varied tones, tying the campier elements with the more serious war backdrop. It's a movie that recognizes, at long last, that the DCU can actually be fun. The lighter tone works as well to establish the charming dynamic between Diana and Steve. There's a screwball comedy feel that gracefully comes in and out, allowing Pine (Star Trek Beyond) to be simultaneously amazed and flat- footed at his ever- increasing crush's agency. They make a winning pair and there are several moments that are funny, touching, and lovely between them that made me smile. She draws you in immediately.

Gadot succeeds as a cultural icon come to colorful life. She succeeds as a comic actress bemused and wary at the era's gender politics. She succeeds as a dramatic actress able to convey the emotions of doubt and torment. But most significantly she succeeds as a person overcome with the sheer thrill of self- discovery. There's a moment where Diana takes a flying leap to grab a stone tower's ledge. She grabs it but the ledge breaks and she starts sliding down the face of the tower. She stops her downward plummet by punching her own handhold.

She then punches another. Gadot's face lights up, taking in the sheer scope of her personal possibility. She launches herself up the face of the tower, more determined and blissful than before. Gadot's greatest strength is her capacity of expressing Diana's growing sense of self. Her ongoing declaration of agency is given a welcomed and fitting action- movie cool treatment. The first action sequence involves ancient Greek femme warriors against German soldiers, and it's awesome. Watching the galloping horses and gilded warriors confidently mow down the enemy soldiers is a primal joy.

Jenkins pleasingly frames her action sequences and uses judicial cuts, keeping an audience oriented through the duration. It's action you can comprehend and relish.

Jenkins has a great command of her visual space and how to sell the bigger moments. We don't see Diana in her full Wonder Woman regalia until an hour in but when it comes it feels like a big screen moment decades in the making.

Diana gets her deserved heroic entrance. Jenkins color palate follows the gun mettle grays of Zach Snyder's pre- established diluted color scheme, but the less oppressive tone makes it feel less dreary. Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets (2017) Free Online more. Something of interest is also how little her camera sexualizes Gadot, who is by all accounts a stunning human being. Given Wonder Woman's costume, her creator's kinky origins, and the generally prevalent practice of the male gaze, I would have assumed there would be certain moments to highlight Gadot's physical assets.

The movie does so but it highlights her strength and fortitude rather than her curves. Her femininity isn't tied into how her body looks to appeal to men. It's about what her body can do and often to the immediate threat of men. She does get a couple killer evening gowns to wear but her sword is tucked away behind her shoulder blades, a powerful reminder that she's no man's sexual object. I understand that many will celebrate a big- budget action showcase for an idol of female empowerment, but I don't want to ignore problems either. The biggest issue for Wonder Woman is just how simplistic its characters and themes are.

Diana is an interesting character but she's not that deep. She's following a common hero's journey and learning about the possibilities of man, good and bad. She's trying to understand the inherent contradictions of life, civilization, and war. There isn't any major test she has to overcome besides a broad accepting of one's destiny. Steve falls into the love interest/damsel role primarily reserved for women in these sorts of things. His scenes with Diana are some of the best in the movie but he's still underwritten too. The themes of responsibility and inaction are fairly broad and kept that way.

There isn't much room for nuance. Example: Steve brings Diana into the trenches on the Front and says their destination is on the other side of No Man's Land, the stalemate between enemy trenches. He then says . There's also the idea that Ares is responsible for men warring with one another to make a point about man's nature. Minor spoilers here but, shocker, Aries is eventually vanquished and the German soldiers all act like a magic spell has been broken.

They're much more chummy and not as interested in fighting. Doesn't this then assume that the next war, the one with the Holocaust, was all mankind's responsibility? Aren't we proving Ares' point about our very volatile nature? There's the charming Arabic soldier (Said Taghnaoui) who dreamed of being an actor, the Scottish sharpshooter (Ewen Bremner) who is unable to shoot any more, and the expat Native American (Eugene Brave Rock) looking to make a profit from war. None of these characters are given a moment to shine nor do they impact the plot in any way. Each one is given a minor characterization note but they don't come back to them. They are robbed of payoffs.

Why give the sharpshooter a PTSD- like trauma if he doesn't rise to the occasion or explore that trauma? You literally don't see him shoot anyone from a distance, meaning that his specialty he brings to the group is null and void.

The Arab wannabe actor doesn't get a chance to use his skill set either. Why introduce these characters and provide an angle for them if they're ultimately just going to be an interchangeable support squad? I know they're meant to be supporting characters but it goes to the lack of development, and less developed characters that are kept more as background figures offer a less realized world with less payoffs and a somewhat lowered ceiling of potential entertainment.

EIFF 2. 01. 7: Edie Review. Review. Published on June 2.

His final passing gives eighty four year old Edie (Sheila Hancock) a freedom she has long desired. However, despite Edie being in good health for her age, her concerned daughter Nancy (Wendy Morgan) would rather have peace of mind by slinging her into a local care home. But Edie – a once “wild child”, has other ideas, and her new found freedom ignites a strong desire to fulfil a promise she and her now departed father had once planned – to climb mount Suilven together.

With a new sense of purpose, a spring in her step and adventure on the cards, Edie heads to the Scottish Highlands oblivious to the immensity of the challenge she has set her sights on. Sheila Hancock anchors the film effortlessly in a stunning performance that seems almost tailor made for her.

Her ability and range as an actor conveys the mental pulling and pushing her character finds herself in to stunning effect. One the one hand Edie is trying to adjust to the full freedom her life now has, whilst simultaneously searching for that adventurous child she once was. Whether propelling down a highland road on a mountain bike at lightning speed or heading out for a night on the tiles, these new experiences have both positive and negative impacts on the path of self discovery Edie now finds herself on.

In the central supporting role Kevin Guthrie – as Jonny, once again delivers a dynamic performance that is bursting with heart and charm. The chemistry between he and Hancock – that is key to the films success, is handled with the care and attention it deserves, in what is one of the most tender onscreen friendships of the year. And then there’s the wild, rugged landscape to which the film calls home. The Scottish highlands and most notably Suilven, are captured with breath- taking effect.

It would be an understatement to say Scotland has never looked so incredibly awe- inspiring on film before. This is underpinned by Debbie Wiseman’s exquisite and deeply moving score that is just another element in what makes Edie such a memorable and joyous experience. At its heart, director Simon Hunter has created a light and upbeat film that shares a similar tone to Ken Loach’s . Despite these themes barely being mentioned – at least verbally, they are their nonetheless, simmering in the subtext. EIFF 2. 01. 7: Edie Review. Allan Brown. Summary: Boasting two incredibly tender performances, Simon Hunter’s upbeat Scottish ramble not only showcases Scotland in all its vast rugged beauty, but does a wonderful job at challenging our social stereotypes of ageing and friendship within society. Your Rating. User Rating: 4.

Tags: 4 Stars, Amy Manson, Debbie Wiseman, Drama, Edie, EIFF 2. Film Festivals, Kevin Guthrie, Paul Brannigan, Sheila Hancock, Simon Hunter, Wendy Morgan.

About the Author. Allan Brown Despite my 9- 5 being consumed by the daily duties of an Electrician, Movie Review World serves as a platform for me to share my thoughts, explorations and reflections on one of my biggest passions, film.