A New BTS Featurette Breaks Down the ‘Wonder Woman’ Beach Battle

The battle on the beach is one of the most visually compelling setpieces in Wonder Woman, and it’s the catalyst that convinces Diana she needs to leave her home’s idyllic shores to save the world of men from themselves. As Patty Jenkins explains in a new behind-the-scenes breakdown of the fight, it was important for the whole thing to be from Diana’s perspective.

The feature reel is part of Wonder Woman’s behind-the-scenes extras on the home video release, which is dropping very soon, and provides some insight into why Jenkins chose to shoot that scene the way she did. Also, at the end, there’s a hilarious sequence where she’s shouting at soldier extras to pretend like they’re getting hit by arrows.

The beach battle was defined by one thing, which is Diana’s point of view. She has grown up with this idyllic, romantic idea of these Amazons all around her and battle and training. And she wants to be one of them. She’s seen them train in a very fair and organized way, where they all fight, and there are rules.

So this battle, what was fascinating to me [is] it’s the first time Diana sees her own people turn and this other side of them, which is brutal and capable and willing to wage a battle. And she sees the brutality of man.

It’s one of the best parts of the movie, emotional and visually gorgeous. If you were to distill the film down to a few choice thematic moments, the beach battle would certainly be one of them.

Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers… and her true destiny.

Wonder Woman will be available digitally on August 29 and on Blu-ray and DVD September 19.