*mild spoilers below*
Image via wall.alphacoders.com
While I loved Suicide Squad’s visual style, it fell short when it came to plot. Margot Robbie and Will Smith appeared to be the only focus, among a group of other interesting characters and the final fight scene was a typical ‘cat playing with mouse until the mouse pulls out a wild card’ situation.
I was also pretty disappointed with Batman Vs Superman and the outcome of that, although Gal Gadot’s appearance brightened up the picture a little.
So, yeah. DC hasn’t been doing all that great so far. That was until Wonder Woman.
As origin stories go, it was the perfect set up for the character and I feel like Gadot offers one of the most enjoyable portrayals of Diana Prince. I’d never really been all that interested in Wonder Woman, most interpretations in games have made her feel stuck up, self righteous and a little bit of a goody two shoes.
Gadot’s Wonder Woman however, is strong and bold and formidable but she also has a vulnerable side and her love for everyone and everything she encounters is endearing to watch.
She is a fighter but she doesn’t lose her femininity and she doesn’t try to be sexy – something that I feel other female superheroes we’ve witnessed so far, such as Black Widow, actually attempt to convey.
There’s an innocence about her and while we see her stumble later in the film, as she can’t come to terms with mankind’s penchant for war and death, she makes us realise that love and justice is worth fighting for – as cheesy as that sounds.
While watching the film, I couldn’t help but be reminded of another wonderful female character – Leeloo from the Fifth Element. She is also beautiful and innocent but also capable of inflicting real damage when wronged.
Image via madame.llefigaro.fr
Both character’s new experiences of the world are fun to watch, as they learn new things and have a childlike innocence about them at times. They don’t quite understand why they can’t do certain things or act a certain way and while they know that they are stronger and more powerful than those around them, they would never use their strength in the wrong way.
There are other elements in the film that remind me of The Fifth Element. Etta, for example, is the bumbling but funny incarnation of Father Vito Cornelius, helping Gadot’s Wonder Woman dress and offering regular commentary on how beautiful she is. While Steve Trevor is of course Korben Dallas, a loveable rogue who can handle himself.
Throughout the film he also has to ensure Gadot’s Wonder Woman doesn’t upset the status quo, much like LeeLoo’s Korben does, and both men also try to talk them round when they lose touch with their ‘mission’.
So, basically Wonder Woman is the new Leeloo and I’m alright with that because Leeloo is one of the most pure, badass and beautiful fictional characters to ever exist.
What do you think? Can you see the likeness?
Jade
Pugs and Dinosaurs 
Wow, I never thought about that until your post, but you’re dead on with the similarities. They both have that childlike, fresh to the world innocence. They both have that moment of faltering when they wonder if they should just let the bad guy win. And in the end of both films, it’s love that saves the day. Wonderful and insightful comparison 🙂
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I started to just write up a review of the film then suddenly came to the conclusion halfway through and had to see if anyone else agreed! Good to know I’m not the only one who can see the likeness 😊
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Yes!! Spot on! I judt watched WW on DVD and about halfway through I realized: Leeloo! I found your blog by searching “Wonder Woman Fifth Element,” haha I knew I wouldnt be the only one. You absolutely nailed that certain something I couldn’t put my finger on: “endearing.” Both characters embody power and courage, in service to love and goodness. Two great “faith in humanity” movies. ♡
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I totally agree. And I can say more:
Let’s start with the fact that both Diana and Leeloo were not born naturally, they were created, created ideal, both externally and physically (albeit in different categories). They are both protectors of life, believe in love (which Leeloo learned at the end of the film to save the Earth), and experience real war. The latter makes them reconsider their views on their mission. They both have a lover – a blonde with military experience, who helps the heroine get used to a new world for her. And both of them, thanks to their eternal youth, experienced their friends and just dear people. These are basically all the similarities, let’s move on to the differences. Diana herself decided to defend the world, while Leelu was created solely to protect life. Because of what, if Diana between the first and second movies calmly built her life, then Leeloo after the first salvation of the world, judging by the fact that she later lay in the sarcophagus, such a luxury was not allowed. Especially if my theory that her first love from Ancient Egypt was killed by the Mondoshawans is true, to overload her memory and stop the Supreme Evil again. Diana is omnipotent and can deal with many things herself. But Leeloo, although strong, but not omnipotent and vulnerable, and depending on the situation, everything is always 50 to 50 (as she had at first in a fight against the Mangalores, and then there was a skirmish with Zorg). For those who created it, it is just a weapon that can be broken, but can always be repaired. How it was with her when she first died, and then she was brought back to life thanks to the regenerator. Wonder Woman also had deaths, but the resurrection went well. While for Leeloo, both death and resurrection were painful. And judging by the short moment on Floston, before the fight with the Mangalores, Leeloo has no memory that she once could love, she understood that she had no rights to an ordinary human life, and it was only a matter of time before she was led through it again. That is, if Diana, having defended the world, had the right to a free life in a quiet time, then Leeloo did not. In her native lands, most likely, she was not treated as a person. And she doesn’t have anyone she can call a parent (at least, I think so). For Diana, becoming a hero was a choice, and for Leeloo, it was the goal of her creation, which she did not choose. After the second salvation of the world, inspired by love, Leeloo can consciously choose the path of a hero and fight for her free life so that her memory will not be reloaded again (well, when they come for her, perhaps). And she can try to find a way to get rid of her eternal youth in order to grow up mentally and feel human life. To be not just a protector, but also a strong personality.
That’s all. As you can see, Diana and Leeloo, although the heroines are similar, but there are enough differences between them. Which again speaks of what kind of unique character Luc Besson created, and what great potential behind this character and the world in which he lives, which has not been fully revealed. And instead of doing that, he wrote, produced and shot dubious projects, and Taxi 5. Unleash that potential and Leeloo/The Fifth Element can officially be called what I call Wonder Woman for France. And she may even become her equal. She is an ideal protector who has the beginnings of internal conflict, her personal desires and interesting development. We can only hope that one day some publishing house with skilled scriptwriters and artists will decide to reveal it all.
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