Wonder Woman
Just saw the movie and enjoyed it quite a bit. :)
First, a few disclaimers: I have no history with or attachment to this character, either by reading the comics or seeing the...TV show? Previous movie? I'm not really into superhero movies (I think the only one I've seen was the Tobey Maguire Superman Spiderman movie) or most action movies.
So I went to see Wonder Woman partly because I saw a bunch of people say it was good and partly because I wanted to support a woman-directed film. And I ended up finding it both entertaining and moving.
1. I teared up a bit watching Diana pull Steve out of the sinking plane, I think because of how powerful it was to see the "damsel in distress" trope reversed.
2. I loved that on the whole Diana was not sexually objectified. I mean, her outfit was a little silly (though SO showed me comparisons to other incarnations of WW, with their cleavage spilling out, so I guess it was an improvement!), and it was clear that Steve and others found her attractive, but it wasn't in your face and it wasn't the point of her character. Because she was brought up in a woman-only world, she had a refreshing lack of experience with or acceptance of the typical woman-as-sex-object BS.
I really enjoyed this article, which articulates it better than I could:
Perhaps the most quietly stunning scene in Wonder Woman is when Diana and Steve leave Themyscira on a boat, headed for Europe. When night comes, Steve behaves like a gentleman: He gives Diana the makeshift bed and chooses to sleep uncomfortably elsewhere. Diana is confused by this, since it doesn't occur to her that sleeping next to a strange man might be considered inappropriate or dangerous by a "normal" woman.
It's not simply that Diana is so strong and fast that Steve wouldn't be able to harm her: It's that she grew up without the experience of rape culture as we know it in our world. It wouldn't occur to her to be concerned about a man's physical presence, even alone in the dark. So, instead of crediting Steve for his chivalry, Wonder Woman seems to ask: What is the source of "gentlemanly" behavior? Why is that protection even necessary? What violence is it designed to compensate for?
Diana's lack of cultural and accumulated background trauma is perhaps what makes this version of her so iconic compared to other superheroes, across both Marvel and DC. While all superheroes personify various fantasies of power, in this iteration Diana represents the fantasy of freedom from structural violence and harassment. It's not just that she can fight her way out of danger-it's that she's a vision of what could be possible if women weren't in danger as often as they are.
3. On a related note, I loved seeing Diana encounter the human world with such an outsider's perspective on things like impractical women's clothes and watches and male genitalia. I could've watched another hour of her and Steve interacting and arguing and falling in love. ♥
4. The No Man's Land scene was my favorite action scene because it was visually arresting and brought hope to such a hopeless situation. (The ending battle scene between Diana and Ares...not so much. Too long, too much CGI blowing-up-of-things.)
5. I really enjoyed reading the thoughts from
marina on Diana's kindness. On that note I was struck by the moment near the end of the movie where the poison chemist lady takes off her mask to show the damage underneath and Diana seems to recognize her flawed humanity.
6. I was so sad when Steve died. I wasn't really expecting it; I was thinking he might fly the plane into the ocean to get rid of the poisonous gas and then maybe Diana could save him again. But I get how his death was necessary for the storyline.
7. I wonder where the opening scenes of Diana's homeland were filmed. I get that it was probably mostly CGI or whatever, but if there's a real place under all that computer fantasy land I'd love to go there. (Reminded me of the Amalfi Coast of Italy. *g*)
Crossposted from http://secretsolitaire.dreamwidth.org/248915.html. Comment wherever you like. :)
First, a few disclaimers: I have no history with or attachment to this character, either by reading the comics or seeing the...TV show? Previous movie? I'm not really into superhero movies (I think the only one I've seen was the Tobey Maguire Superman Spiderman movie) or most action movies.
So I went to see Wonder Woman partly because I saw a bunch of people say it was good and partly because I wanted to support a woman-directed film. And I ended up finding it both entertaining and moving.
1. I teared up a bit watching Diana pull Steve out of the sinking plane, I think because of how powerful it was to see the "damsel in distress" trope reversed.
2. I loved that on the whole Diana was not sexually objectified. I mean, her outfit was a little silly (though SO showed me comparisons to other incarnations of WW, with their cleavage spilling out, so I guess it was an improvement!), and it was clear that Steve and others found her attractive, but it wasn't in your face and it wasn't the point of her character. Because she was brought up in a woman-only world, she had a refreshing lack of experience with or acceptance of the typical woman-as-sex-object BS.
I really enjoyed this article, which articulates it better than I could:
Perhaps the most quietly stunning scene in Wonder Woman is when Diana and Steve leave Themyscira on a boat, headed for Europe. When night comes, Steve behaves like a gentleman: He gives Diana the makeshift bed and chooses to sleep uncomfortably elsewhere. Diana is confused by this, since it doesn't occur to her that sleeping next to a strange man might be considered inappropriate or dangerous by a "normal" woman.
It's not simply that Diana is so strong and fast that Steve wouldn't be able to harm her: It's that she grew up without the experience of rape culture as we know it in our world. It wouldn't occur to her to be concerned about a man's physical presence, even alone in the dark. So, instead of crediting Steve for his chivalry, Wonder Woman seems to ask: What is the source of "gentlemanly" behavior? Why is that protection even necessary? What violence is it designed to compensate for?
Diana's lack of cultural and accumulated background trauma is perhaps what makes this version of her so iconic compared to other superheroes, across both Marvel and DC. While all superheroes personify various fantasies of power, in this iteration Diana represents the fantasy of freedom from structural violence and harassment. It's not just that she can fight her way out of danger-it's that she's a vision of what could be possible if women weren't in danger as often as they are.
3. On a related note, I loved seeing Diana encounter the human world with such an outsider's perspective on things like impractical women's clothes and watches and male genitalia. I could've watched another hour of her and Steve interacting and arguing and falling in love. ♥
4. The No Man's Land scene was my favorite action scene because it was visually arresting and brought hope to such a hopeless situation. (The ending battle scene between Diana and Ares...not so much. Too long, too much CGI blowing-up-of-things.)
5. I really enjoyed reading the thoughts from
marina on Diana's kindness. On that note I was struck by the moment near the end of the movie where the poison chemist lady takes off her mask to show the damage underneath and Diana seems to recognize her flawed humanity.
6. I was so sad when Steve died. I wasn't really expecting it; I was thinking he might fly the plane into the ocean to get rid of the poisonous gas and then maybe Diana could save him again. But I get how his death was necessary for the storyline.
7. I wonder where the opening scenes of Diana's homeland were filmed. I get that it was probably mostly CGI or whatever, but if there's a real place under all that computer fantasy land I'd love to go there. (Reminded me of the Amalfi Coast of Italy. *g*)
Crossposted from http://secretsolitaire.dreamwidth.org/248915.html. Comment wherever you like. :)