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Deconstructing the Wonder Woman juggernaut

By Instep Desk
01 June, 2017

Wonder Woman certainly has a lot going for it including the fact that it is the first mainstream solo superhero film that has a woman at the center (Gal Gadot) of it and a woman (Patty Jenkins, director) at the helm.

 GameChanger

Stellar reviews, call for bans and other controversies that are chasing the upcoming Gal Gadot solo superhero film.

Wonder Woman certainly has a lot going for it including the fact that it is the first mainstream solo superhero film that has a woman at the center (Gal Gadot) of it and a woman (Patty Jenkins, director) at the helm. It is supposed to serve as the foundation for DC Comics’ superhero ensemble, Justice League and is also meant to redeem the studio after the unnecessarily dark and underwhelming Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice adventure. Despite the presence of Star Trek star Chris Pine, it’s Gadot who is running the narrative here.

While Marvel has assembled a dream team of A-list actors for its multiple-superhero tale The Avengers 3 including Robert Downey Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Pratt, all eyes are on Wonder Woman and whether it can surpass the standard set by standalone superhero films.

But as the film comes near its inevitable release, controversies are popping up at every turn. For instance, according to review aggregate site RottenTomatoes, the film has picked up a 97 per cent in rating based on the reviews available on the site so far. It has surpassed several films that belong to the superhero genre such as Logan (92 per cent), The Lego Batman Movie (90 per cent), X-Men: Days of Future Past (89 per cent), Iron Man (94 per cent), The Avengers (92 per cent) and Guardians of the Galaxy (91 per cent). While some are “freaking out” about these numbers, it is also believed that numbers are going to determine a lot of things. 

Alex Abad-Santos, writing for Vox.com, observed: “These numbers matter to both fans and Hollywood insiders because there’s unbelievable pressure on Wonder Woman to be good, given that it is the first solo female superhero movie in DC’s current extended universe. It’s an unfortunate reality that in the past, poorly received female superhero movies like Catwoman and Elektra have been cited as a reason not to create superhero movies that star women characters. Some people are justifiably worried that a bad Wonder Woman movie could be used as an excuse to axe future female superhero films.

Meanwhile, many people believe that Wonder Woman being good could help convince studio executives to take more chances, target wider audiences beyond the men at whom superhero movies are usually aimed, and put more effort into diversifying the movies they create. Further, good reviews can only help at the box office, and a large box office take will encourage Warner Bros. to at the very least make a Wonder Woman sequel.”

Apart from these pressures, one story in the UK’s Independent notes how Lebanon is looking to ban the film because its lead actor, Gal Gadot, is Israeli. While Lebanon’s ministry of economy is considering “take the necessary measures” the ban has not “been enforced”.

“A representative of one Lebanese cinema chain stated that a premiere has been planned. Furthermore, the Associated Press has reported posters and digital billboards for the film have been spotted in Beirut,” read the piece.

Should this happen, it will be the first time that a Gal Gadot film won’t be screened in the country since her past releases such as Fast and the Furious and Batman vs. Superman didn’t see a similar fate and were screened in the country despite protests.

–Wonder Woman opens on June 2, 2017

With information from Vox.com and The Independent