A review by Maya Henderson
Rating: 10/10
Ah, summertime. No more school for the little ones and college students are finally relieved of final exams. With that in mind, this is also the best time of the year for directors to pump out great entertainment and make their money off of the young demographic. With blockbuster hits like Baby Driver, Baywatch, and Fate of the Furious, this makes young people extremely hyped. Comic book publisher, DC Comics, also takes advantage of this time. As May turned to June, DC Comics released one of the most highly anticipated films of summer 2017, Wonder Woman.
This film is based off of DC’s most popular superheroine and feminist icon, Diana Prince and stars The Fast and Furious’ Gal Gadot. Her mother, Queen Hippolyta (the monarch of the amazons), prayed to the Greek gods for a daughter, and king of the Greek gods, Zeus, answered her by giving her Diana, who was born from clay. Growing up in amazonian culture on Themyscira (aka Paradise Island) and with no interaction with men (because it was ruled and governed by women) shaped Diana into the fierce warrior of justice we know today. One day, she encounters the first man she interacts with: Captain Steve Trevor. Trevor is a US pilot currently trying to help his country stop the Germans and end WWI.
The lassoed lassie was given high praise and has ignited Academy Award buzz. According to a tweet by Alicia Malone made on June 6th, 52% of audiences in America who saw Wonder Woman during its opening weekend was female. Another major jab that made a big dent in the glass ceiling was that it became the biggest opening for a female director, That’s right. A comic book film was actually directed by a woman, and that lovely lady is none other than newcomer Patty Jenkins. It’s not everyday that success achieved by women are recognized, especially ones made in the entertainment industry. Despite already having quite a few awards under her belt for her first cinematic success, Monster, Jenkins has officially made her mark in mainstream film through the success of Wonder Woman. A few weeks after the film’s release, Warner Bros. greenlit the Wonder Woman sequel, this time, Gal Gadot and Chris Pine suit up to take on The Cold War era. In Patty’s contract to direct the sequel, she will also be given equal pay as any other male director who has worked on a major blockbuster flick. Now THAT’S major girl power!
From comic book pages to the big screen, the messages that Wonder Woman has left audiences is that women can kick ass and look beautiful while doing it, women shouldn’t let anyone or anything stop them from reaching their full potential, and women are powerful too. This movie is one that everyone of every generation, regardless of gender should see.