I choose to review Wonder Woman the movie because it is one of the first lead female superhero movies of our time. Sure there have been female superheroes in the past but none of them have had a chance to be lead characters yet. Growing up I was infatuated with Wonder Woman and Xena the Warrior Princess, I loved to watch those shows because these woman kicked butt and saved the day. Men and boys have a variety of choices; Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Flash, Captain America Thor and many more. Women and girls on the other hand have; Wonder Woman, Super Woman, Catwoman (who actually was a mischievous thief, not a hero), the pink and yellow Power Rangers, Black Widow and Elektra, I am sure there are plenty more female superheroes in the comic books but the ones who have been featured as lead characters in movies are very few compared to the male superhero movies released each year. The only lead female superheroes who have had their own movies thus far are, Elektra and Wonder Woman. That is why I had to watch it twice, it was that good.
Describe
Wonder Woman was directed by Patty Jenkins. Jenkins began her career as a painter in NYC then transitioned to filmmaking working as a first assistant camera person/focus puller for 8 years. Jenkins then attended AFI in Los Angeles before writing and directing the movie Monster. Jenkins won numerous awards and nominations including best first feature at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards according to www.imbd.com.
Wonder Woman's lead actress was played by Gal Gadot. Gadot was born in Israel, she served 2 years in the Israeli military, and won Miss Israel is 2004, in addition is also a mother to two young girls. Gadot has acted in many movies such as, Fast and Furious franchise, Date Night, Meet the Joneses, Batman vs Superman Dawn of Justice and Wonder Woman. To prepare for her part as Wonder Woman, Gadot trained in, Kung Fu kickboxing, Capoeira, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and swordsmanship. Her performance as Wonder Woman was recognized as one of the best performances out of the highly anticipated Dawn of Justice 2016 movie.
Wonder Woman takes place in a hidden island called Themyscira away from men and inhabited by the Amazonian race which is made of fierce female warriors who have trained to be fighters their entire life. Diana (Wonder Woman) was sent by Zeus as a weapon to kill Ares (Zeus disobedient and war loving son). Diana's mother Queen Hippolyta forbid Diana from training, until the day came where she believed it was necessary,becoming one of the best warriors in the island. As Diana is trying to figure out her identity and purpose, a plane comes crashing down into the waters of Themyscira, carrying an American Pilot called Steve Trevor, the island was then invaded by the a German ship in search of Steve Trevor. A battle then breaks out and the Amazons fight until all the German militants are dead with the only one surviving being Steve Trevor. Diana then becomes convinced that Ares is alive and thriving on the other side, so she arms herself with the Godkiller sword, her lasso, and suit of armor then heads out to attempt to save the world alongside Steve Trevor.
According to boxofficemojo.com, as of August 9th Wonder Woman has made a total of $400,488, 018, with a production budget of $149 million. During opening week Wonder Woman ranked # 6 among other highly profitable DC comic movies making $100,505,000.
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=wonderwoman.htm
Analyze
Gal Gadot portrayal of Wonder Woman was head on, she was strong, determined and most of all passionate to help humankind. If we compare Gadot's work in Wonder woman to another action packed filmed such as Fast and Furious we are able to see the similarities between the two characters she plays. For example, in the Fast and Furious franchise her character was portrayed as a strong, fearless woman who ultimately gave her life up to save her love interest and crew. In addition, In Wonder Woman Gadot again portrays a strong, fearless, warrior who is willing to give up her life for the greater good. On the other hand, Gadot's character in Meet the Joneses was an undercover spy who is trying to fit in a traditional American town and uses her sexuality as a weapon to lure in her prey. Compared to Wonder Woman, Gadot's character although dressed in flamboyant clothing she does not lure in her prey by using her sexuality instead she fights and amongst what her crew of 4 men are telling her that she can't do it she she still does it.
Interpretation
Wonder Woman matters because it is revolutionary, it is one of the first films to portray a female lead superhero without the feature of other male superheroes. There is no question as to what the target audience was and my answer is--female.This is also a great eye opener so society can take notice and realize that strong dominant female roles are lacking especially in the comic movie genre. Just as young boys and men enjoy watching male heroes woman and girls do too. What makes this industry think that girls and women wouldn't enjoy watching a female hero save the day? Hopefully with the release of this movie it will lead the way to many more future female superhero movies who will inspire woman and girls to fight for equality and their right to be heard.
In this movie their are no stereotypes or offencive messages, on the contrary I believe this movie is inspiring and there should be more like it. Hopefully it will kick start and end the equality battle women have been fighting for their entire lives.
Evaluation
The strengths in the Wonder Woman movie where, the realistic battle scenes, and the portrayal of her innocence at the beginning of the movie. The weaknesses where, not enough film time portraying the Amazonians, and the lack of further information about Diana further contacting her mother in the island of Themyscira. The realistic and action impacted battle scenes were dark, evil, and full of action they were portrayed perfectly. Seeing Diana's transformation into wonder woman at the end of the movie was a key factor in this movie because at the beginning she doesn't know about war and what it does and how evil the human race actually is, but throughout the movie she begins to understand the concept and is still willing to fight for humankind.The only weakness was that their wasn't enough movie time portraying the Amazonians I wish they would have fought another battle because their fighting strategies were outdated because of their remoteness, regardless they were still extremely strong, fierce, and powerful women. I also wish that it would have shown Diana somehow talking or having closure with her mother in the island, because that part was unclear I wasn't sure if she wasn't allowed back on the island or if she simply choose to never go back and check on them.
This movie is definitely memorable because it is a first of its kind and empowers all women across the world, and I believe it is some of the best work done by both the director and actress. Here are a few reviews that share my same thought on the movie and its message being send to females across the world.
According to a review from the Chicago Reader,"Jenkins tries not only to include men on Wonder Woman's side but also to make male viewers feel better about a woman saving them"(Pickett).
According to a review from the New York Observer, "Wonder Woman embraces issues of female power and the need to turn from hate to love, war to peace in a mainstream delivery system. And the female lead is not solely a mother, sister, girlfriend or hooker, however gold her heart: wonder of wonders!"(Adams).
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wonder_woman_2017/
Engage
The first time I watched Wonder Woman I was hooked I loved it, and shortly after I convinced my whole family to watch with me again they couldn't agree more, this was an amazing film. The cast of this film couldn't have been better. Gal Gadot did an amazing job portraying wonder woman, she has had many other fighting roles in her previous movies but this is by far her best. The first thing I did was google the main actress and found out that she has two daughters and is Israele, she is also a fitness fanatic. But as far as doing a social media search and youtube search i did not.
Summary
By far Wonder Woman has been the best movie I have seen this year, it is filled with action, female power. I hope this movie sets the tone for more female superhero movies to be released.
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