WONDER WOMAN reminds us why we need superhero movies now more than ever.When comic book superheroes were initially conceived, the entire draw behind them was that they were personifications of what humankind should be. Comic book authors recognized that humans were weak and susceptible to evil forces, and that’s why superheroes were around to save them. They were like us, only stronger. Their intentions were always virtuous and noble; and, with their true hearts and impossible powers, a superhero was what humans should be. And, for a time, this concept was alluring and attractive.
But I think something happened along the way as the superhero mythos began expanding—people noticed that their once-beloved heroes were simply idealized humans, and they didn’t like the idea so much. They couldn’t relate to their heroes. Humans are morally messy creatures, and we wanted figures who we could relate to. So superheroes became more complex, and we got to watch our superheroes fight internal darkness as well as external darkness. Often it’s incredibly successful (Logan is a fantastic recent example), but sometimes it’s not (Man of Steel). Undeniably, though, this approach has changed superhero franchises forever. So Wonder Woman, in this case, is a bit of a shock. I’d actually say it’s an incredibly refreshing one. With everything going on in the world, it’s very easy to make a cynical superhero movie. But that’s not what Wonder Woman does, because that’s not who Wonder Woman is. Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot), whose real name is Diana, is raised among Amazonian warrior women. They live on an island called Themyscira, which, in its peace, has been quietly waiting for the imminent attack of Ares, the god of war. These warrior women have been training for this dreaded day of combat, and Diana is the strongest of them all. When Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), a spy for the WWI British army accidentally finds Diana’s island, he tells her all about the horrors of the war. Diana is convinced the World War has to have been Ares’ doing, and she sees it as her duty as an Amazonian to travel back with Steve, find Ares and end the war. But Diana learns it isn’t so simple. Not only is the “real world” very The war has spread all across the world, and the spirit of Ares has seemed to manifest itself into the hearts of all humankind. On earth, it’s normal that men, women, and children are slain every day. Diana is a complete outsider to this knowledge, and when we hear it explained to her, it’s jarring. We’ve been so desensitized to war that it takes the reactions of someone like Diana, hearing of it for the first time, to remind us just how ridiculous war is, and Gadot’s reaction is devastating. Diana is only motivated to do good, to vanquish war and help others. She is distraught when she sees how many individual lives have been affected by war, and harrowed when she learns mortals don’t have enough time to help each person with their own personal needs. But the human beings around her aren’t so pure of heart. It isn’t because of Ares why humans are flawed; it’s simply because that is the human condition. Ultimately, Diana has to find out how to save the world, but first she has to figure out if human beings, in all their ugliness, are worth saving. And she doesn’t come across her answer in the easiest way. What’s interesting about Wonder Woman is, despite how refreshing it feels, just how archaic its theme is. The duality of what humans should be and what humans are is an enigma we’ve sought after since the beginning of time. Every major religion tries to rationalize the coexistence of innate sin and Godly goodness, and most of them promise salvation— a god covering the banality of sin by his love. So, when Wonder Woman wants to save the earth, how can she be so sure if a flawed race is worth saving? Humans are not driven by virtue and nobility the way Wonder Woman is. Humans are morally messy. And the acknowledgement of the complexity of the human condition is just why Wonder Woman is the movie 2017 needs. It goes without saying that we’ve desperately needed a serious female-led superhero film (why did it take so long?!), but in these dark times, we just need hope as we deal with both good and evil. It doesn’t mean the journey to hope is perfect— Diana’s naïveté regarding earth c. 1919 gets her into some trouble, but she is always motivated to do the right thing. The friends she meets aren’t perfect, but they’re endearingly human. This isn’t a straight-arrow superhero fable like its early predecessors, nor is it a bleak look at the world. We are left instead with that conflict of what humankind is and what it ought to be. We may never attain perfection, and we may never deserve it. But we can believe in it. And if we all watch Wonder Woman and feel a little of her power to do good, the world could surely become a bit more wondrous indeed.
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