Starring Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, Bella Heathcote

Directed by Angela Robinson

Sony, out now

The fictionalised account of Harvard psychologist William Moulton Marston, his relationship with his wife and former student, and creation of Wonder Woman. 

As George Takei would say – ‘Oh my!’ Saddled with the most ungainly of taglines – ‘The true story of the women behind the man behind the woman’ – this is actually a kinky take on the alleged origins of the Wonder Woman comicbook. While never grubby, it certainly presents a very different biopic, focusing on the complications of a ménage a trois.

It seems that the spanking and bondage of the original Wonder Woman were not quite as naive as we expected, and neither was the Amazonian’s outfit, which is presented here as being inspired by s & m and burlesque outfits. The Lasso of Truth is shown to be inspired by bondage rope.

Where the film works best is in its depiction between Marston (Luke Evans), Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall) and Olive (Bella Heathcote). Initially it looks like an innocent is being preyed upon, but it later transpires that she has eyes for Mrs, not Mr. Using the framing device of a hearing where Marston has to defend his comicbook creation, we flip back to the relationship as it develops over 15 years. The cast are great, with Hall particularly good as a neurotic ‘Grade-A bitch’, Evans is just loving all the attention, while wide-eyed ingenue Heathcote is like a rabbit stuck in headlights, fighting convention and resisting the prospect of a loveless marriage.

The implication is that these two strong women (and the movie keeps repeating its themes of dominance, compliance and submission) would eventually lead to the creation of Wonder Woman, though this is where creative liberties have allegedly been taken. William Moulton Marston’s granddaughter Christie Marston has stated that the film is historically inaccurate, taking offence at the way the women are portrayed as lesbian lovers and how the origin of the superhero came about.

Verdict: Not exactly 50 shades of red, white and blue, but this all-American superhero had a more tumultuous creation than most. It’s a shame if the truth really has been thrown out the window, as it’s an enjoyable movie – where’s that lasso when you need it? 7/10

Nick Joy