Ever since Gal Gadot showed up as Wonder Woman, and helped save the mess that was Batman vs. Superman, women have waited to see the solo film. It’s no secret this movie had high expectations from women like:
- Please don’t sexualize her.
- Let director Party Jenkins do her damn job studio yobs!
- For pity sakes, a decent plot!
Mission accomplished.
Does it have flaws? Yes. It’s what sequels are for to address those things the movie could have done better. What the movie did best was deliver a film with heart, funny moments, and the kickass sequences expected from this heroine. While we got treated to Amazons doing battle that would make the 300 Spartans go ‘damn,’ Hippolyta seemed like a battle-weary character wanting something more from her daughter. She didn’t want another warrior, she wanted an Amazon who can prevent the fighting rather than react to battle.
It took me a while to get it. In the early part of the movie, Diana yearned for battle while Hippolyta wanted her to study and be a kid from time to time. Antiope played Robin Wright, a woman embodying the phrase suck-it-up-Buttercup, wanted Diana to learn in case the time did come to fight back. Yes, women would rather talk a tense moment out, but if that moment has passed, it’s time to fight back. Steve Trevor represented the other side of the coin as a man not wanting to be on the sidelines anymore. For both characters, the stakes, in this case, World War I, are too high.
Raise a glass to Patty Jenkins, and Gal Gadot for kicking down the door studios have held open by a crack for so long. And to Marvel, get your act together, please.
Unpaused Life 