A harrowed, but nonetheless good-looking Chris Pine looks deep into Gal Gadot’s eyes in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman and tells her on the brink of a particularly critical point in the film, “I can’t let you do this.” Gal Gadot, who plays the superhero Wonder Woman, is overwhelmed by the destruction of war in the world of men, tells him, “You can’t tell me what to do.”
Image source: Warner Bros.
The DC Universe has given us some of the most iconic characters in the comic book world, including Superman, Batman, The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Robin, Daredevil, and so many more. In case you haven’t noticed a pattern yet, all these superhero characters are men, who have made their appearance in some DC franchise movie or another. In fact, DC has recently come under fire for their series of Batman and Superman related films, which have been pretty disappointing for fans who were psyched about the face-off between their two favorite superheroes, to say the least.
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In fact, the suits at DC probably felt that Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice was going to be DC’s rising phoenix, dragging it out of the ashes and making all the fanboys and fangirls gasp again by pitting their favorite superheroes against each other. That idea didn’t pan out well because the film was an extensive two hours and thirty one minutes of a couple of b*tthurt beefcakes fighting it out, delivering dialogues which were intended to bring out those ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs,’ but ends up evoking some flat ‘mehs.’
Image source: Warner Bros.
When Gal Gadot was cast as Wonder Woman for the BvS franchise back in 2013, people were more than unhappy with the decision, even though that problem was sort of drowned out by the outcry against Ben Affleck being cast as Batman. The slim frame, exotic features, and the relative anonymity of Gal Gadot, did not conform to the over-sexualized, bursting-out-of-her-corset fantasy of the superhero Wonder Woman that people had in mind. Despite this evident contention, and the generously distributed cameos of several other DC superheroes in the BvS movie like Aquaman and Cyborg, Wonder Woman still held her own and the world was prepared for an impending movie, which finally released this year.
What people did not expect however, was for the movie to become DC’s benchmark for all other future movies, especially after the crash and fall of Batman vs. Superman.
Wonder Woman is a series of firsts not only for the DC universe, but for Hollywood, and a lot of people are calling her the superhero we need today. Even though things have been considerably better on the feminism front, the fact that Wonder Woman is about to gross $600 million in the worldwide box office is a huge step forward. The film is a victory for all kinds of minorities, with Gadot playing the lead as a non-white woman and Patty Jenkins being the first woman to direct a superhero movie in a major franchise backed by an equally major studio.
Image source: Warner Bros.
It is undeniably true that Gal Gadot brings to life one of the most iconic DC heroes, who was created way back in 1941, and it is incredibly moving to watch this empowering portrayal. However, the feminist ideal that the movie seems to revolve around fails on more than one front, making it the epitome of a brave act and an instance of subversive feminism, where Gal Gadot’s skimpy leather skirt and uncomfortable-looking bustier attempts to supersede the otherwise male-dominated DC Extended Universe.
Diana, daughter of Hippolyta and Zeus, is determined to become a warrior from a young age, and is trained by her aunt on the paradisiacal island of Themyscira, which is inhabited only by women. She eventually grows up and starts displaying her superpowers when Captain Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, chances upon the island and Diana saves him from drowning. A day later, the two of them are cruising into the world of mortals in London. The fundamental plot hole of the story perhaps lies in the trope that despite being a lifelong resident in a protected island of super-fierce women where her mother is queen, it takes one mildly good-looking man to lure her out into the world of men. After this point, it is Chris Pine who leads her and guides her and shows her the ropes, and despite her superpowers, her vulnerability is apparent in the face of an unfamiliar environment she has never encountered, while being dependent on an unfamiliar man.
Image source: Warner Bros.
Even during the course of the movie, the dripping sexuality that has always been associated with Wonder Woman is not amiss. While trying on “normal” clothes, Chris Pine puts on glasses on Gal’s face to make her less “distracting,” and that is a word that is constantly associated with her. Despite being clearly the most powerful woman amongst all these pumped-up males, the superhero Wonder Woman is often called “distracting” because it is difficult for her associates to look past her physical appearance and accept her for the hero that she is.
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The film is not without its moments, and is undoubtedly a trailblazing act in a tradition of female superheroes, that will hopefully cease to be a rarity after Wonder Woman’s insane success. The most compelling plot point is of course, the fact that the whole movie rests on the shoulders of Diana Prince, who stands by her slightly naive ideas of good and evil, and ultimately prevails. DC’s reputation of mortal, slightly incompetent, helpless, and always good-looking female love interests is finally replaced with a male love interest, who is heroic in his own right and has some actual scope to act, whereas characters like Lois Lane have been forever used as plot props for the actual hero to act at.
Image source: Warner Bros.
This is in tandem with the unconvoluted world view that Diana leaves Themyscira with, because she has never encountered men. For her, the gender dynamics of a pre-Suffrage Movement English society is non-existent. Men and women are equal in her eyes, and that is the primary feminist statement that the movie is successful in making. In a franchise like BvS where there were barely any dialogues given to women, Wonder Woman is a refreshingly progressive take on the future of female superheroes, at least in the DC Extended Universe. In fact, Diana Prince is not the only powerful, vocal, and compelling character in the movie; the weapon of mass destruction is created by a female villain called Dr. Poison, who wears a ceramic mask, and is supremely dismissive of all male advances and validation and has a chilling personality in every sense of the term. Even Steve Trevor’s secretary- Etta- is an advocate of the Suffrage Movement and coordinates the action of Diana and her team for a brief period of time.
Despite the discrepancies and the very pointed acts of feminism in the movie, there is something else that makes this particular film so appealing and memorable. Wonder Woman traverses a journey which is both physical and moral. While leaving behind her Paradise Island, she also leaves behind the innocence with which she believed in mankind and through her struggles and battles, she comes to realize that men cannot be divided into good and evil, that there are versions of both in every person, and she must develop a very human characteristic in order to traverse their world – conscience.
Image source: Warner Bros.
What makes her even better than all the other superheroes created by DC is the fact that she chooses to fight a war that is not her own. In stories like Superman, Batman and The Flash, the self-absorption of the superheroes has been a consistent problem, where mankind is constantly used as a liability to fight out their own issues. Wonder Woman, who is not without her own problems and questions which need resolving, leaves the protective sanctity of her island and takes on a battle that is for the greater good, a battle which she fights to truly protect mankind. She saves the world from the influence of Ares, a.k.a. the God of War, not because of an accidental act of self-preservation. She saves the world for the sole purpose of saving the world, and that is what makes Wonder Woman both a hero and a superhero.
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The fact that Wonder Woman was created with so much life, and so much genuine passion, makes the movie such a real watch, despite the fact that it is a CGI-riddled story about a demi-god fighting a God in the coincidental background of World War I. While DC put its entire PR effort behind the series of films which were lukewarm successes, it is this unexpected masterpiece which is both delightful to watch, and thought-provoking. Wonder Woman, who has been absent from television and media since the 1970s TV show starring Lynda Carter, has finally made a comeback and consequently, not only did she save the world, but also managed to hold upright the entire DC Extended Universe, which was admittedly going a little askew.
Image source: Warner Bros.
Feature image source: Warner Bros.
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