Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017)

Directed by: Angela Robinson | 104 minutes | biography, drama | Actors: Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, Bella Heathcote, Connie Britton, Monica Giordano, JJ Feild, Chris Conroy, Oliver Platt, Maggie Castle, Alexa Havins, Sharon Kubo, Allie Gallerani, Christopher Jon Gombos, Forry Buckingham, Stacy Fischer

While just about the whole world is eagerly waiting for a sequel to Patty Jenkins’ ‘Wonder Woman’, Angela Robinson releases a film about her creator. This Dr. William Marston, unlike living legend Stan Lee, was not a huggable figure. On the contrary! The apparently neat professor was a hedonist and fan of bondage. In the 1940s, he did not score points with this lifestyle. His creation ‘Wonder Woman’ came under fire – just like the pro himself.

The story behind ‘Professor Marston and the Wonder Women’ is almost too bizarre to be true. This man was responsible not only for one of the first female superheroes, but also for the invention of the lie detector. In addition, he was way ahead of his time with his progressive view on love, relationships and the position of women in society. Marston stood for equality for men and women. However, he also stood for bondage and started a relationship with one of his students, Olive Byrne. His wife Elizabeth then fell in love with Marston’s pupil and a love triangle developed.

It all sounds like a definite opportunity to show off with a lot of exposure, but Robinson holds himself back. The polyamorous relationship is discussed in detail, but it mainly revolves around its history and the consequences it had for everyone involved. ‘Professor Marston and the Wonder Women’ is a well-crafted biopic, but the somewhat slow pace of narration and repetitive scenes – the sensitive Olive clashes with the cynical Elizabeth several times before apologizing and the professor saying it’s was not meant to be malicious – this film is not for everyone. The pace of storytelling stops and the acting is not equally fascinating everywhere.

Luke Evans plays Marston, but he lacks the charisma to properly portray this flamboyant and eccentric figure. Rebecca Hall, on the other hand, excels as the resentful Elizabeth. Bella Heathcote plays Olive but stays fairly flat in her playing. The characters never really come to life and that’s a shame. ‘Professor Marston and the Wonder Women’ is a decent film that does a great job of portraying the era of the 1940s. A better cast and smoother direction could have made this unique story a classic, now it remains with the predicate excellent biopic.