Movie Review: Wonder Woman
Can a woman fight with just as much strength as a man? Yes, and more. When “Wonder Woman” kicked off on June 2, 2017, she showed people all over the world that she was capable of defeating the most powerful of foes—the god of war Ares himself. Starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, the DC Comics film follows the backstory of Diana, Princess of the Amazons. With the help of a few men, she defies her mother’s rules and steps into the massive conflict raging in the outside world. While doing this, she shatters societal stereotypes about women and becomes a role model to many for her part in the war.
When people argue that Wonder Woman should ‘cover up,’ I don’t quite get it.”
Princess Diana (Gal Gadot) lives on a sheltered island with fierce female warriors known as the Amazons, whose destiny is to defeat Ares. After years of training, Diana soon becomes one of the strongest warriors, but is held back due to her mother’s caution. One day, an American pilot named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes onto the island. He tells the Amazons about World War 2, which he had been fighting beyond their little island. Convinced that the war is the work of Ares, Diana flees her home with the pilot and sets off to defeat the god of war.
Upon arriving in London, Diana works with Steve to become accustomed to society and blend in. When they talk to the government, everyone in the meeting room is stunned to see a woman speaking with them. Even with warnings from both Diana and Steve, the government officials choose not to help or aid the plan they had made. However, Steve takes a small group of his friends and together they set out to fight the war and save many lives.
Feminism is a central thread of the movie. Though the film takes place in the early 1900’s, it shows that women’s struggles for equality then look quite similar to the continued struggle today. “Wonder Woman” seeks to show that we should all be treated as equals, because we are truly equal. Even with nearly one hundred men in that meeting room, Diana ended up being the one with the boldest and best ideas. Everywhere she went, she faced discrimination due to her gender. However, even with these problems, Diana focused on the conflict at hand throughout the movie and never once let her confidence waver. Even during press conferences, Gal Gadot was faced with hatred from many people of her role in the movie due to her looks. In regards to the protests, Gadot replied, “When people argue that Wonder Woman should ‘cover up,’ I don’t quite get it,” she says. “They say, ‘If she’s smart and strong, she can’t also be sexy.’ That’s not fair. Why can’t she be all of the above?” Though the critics persisted, Gadot stood by her beliefs and empowered others to do the same. Wonder Woman has become an inspiration to girls and women everywhere, not only in the movie, but in reality as well.