Breaking the chain of a few false starts from its predecessors, Detective Comics Extended Universe, or DCEU to the die-hards, has stunned the world with a new super-heroine movie on the block that is now conquering the big screens.
This comic book turned movie was something people didn’t see coming. Wonder Woman tells the story of an Amazonian princess named Diana played by Gal Gadot, her humble beginnings, how she was trained to become a warrior, and subsequently, how she wanted to save the world. Eventually, she does just that when a British pilot named Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, crashes its plane on Themyscira and gave her an opportunity to leave (Yes, to save the world from Ares.)
The universal acclaim for Wonder Woman since its premiere is evident and hardly surprising. Case in point, critics and fans alike have been quick to point out that she has got the “complete package”: brain, brawn, beauty. All were satisfied with how the new movie came to be, given the fact that the past DC movies have gravely fallen short of expectations because of comic inaccuracy, rife with bad reviews from critics and comic book enthusiasts. This time around, Wonder Woman took all the fans and viewers by storm, and have earned huge compliments and great ratings after it was shown, proving all its naysayers wrong for having doubted its success.
It is high time that Wonder Woman has her own solo movie, so as to break the patriarchal ‘men as the only hero’ stereotype, and to show the world that women can hold their own on the big screen. After the Iranian actress debuted as Wonder Woman in the Batman Vs. Superman film, many were eager to finally see the Gal Gadot anchoring her own film as the lead, and she did not disappoint. It was as if Gadot was born to play the role of Wonder Woman, as she exudes both fearlessness and innocence in her depiction of the storied heroine. Wonder Woman was accurately brought to life.
Gadot may very well be Wonder Woman personified, since she filmed parts of the movie while being five months pregnant. Talk about girl power!
To the contrary, Wonder Woman is not without its faults. A few major points: Ares is the one who helped raised the Amazons, and Ares couldn’t actually kill Zeus, or even the gods and goddesses, and even demigods (see also: Percy Jackson and the Olympians). This is mere nitpicking ,of course, because all eyes were glued to Gadot throughout the film.
Struggle for empowerment?
Sparking debates all-across the globe, an American cinema chain called the Alamo Drafthouse offered a women-only screening to mark the premier of Wonder Woman. The move drew the ire of -- surprise, surprise – men accusing the theatre of sexism.
“Er, isn't this kinda sexist? Not to mention the fact that the legality is questionable given the Civil Rights Act,” one commented online, which really eludes the issue at hand. Alamo Drafthouse is known for its unique way of showing the viewers the film, even going as far as their special block screening of the Pirates of Carribean in a boat (yes, in a boat.) Regardless of the heat they took, the cinema was unflinching in its resolve to celebrate women, posting a statement on its site that read as follows: “Apologies, gentlemen, but we’re embracing our girl power and saying ‘No Guys Allowed’ for one special night at the Alamo Ritz.”
The note ended with a clear assertion: “Everyone at this screening will be female.”
In hindsight, we can all agree that DC didn’t give us another blunder of a movie as it has in the past – but rather a powerful, searing portrayal of female resilience in the face of adversity.
As Wonder Woman said, “I used to want to save the world.”
And she did, for comic book fans, at least.
http://www.npr.orgs/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/28/530490073/some-men-are-not-happy-about-a-women-only-screening-of-wonder-woman
www.dccomics.com/characters/wonder-woman
www.screenrant.com/wonder-woman-15-biggest-changes-from-comics-to-movie/