‘Wonder Woman’ destroys the shield between girls and superheroes

Story by Alexis Runnels, Staff Writer

Shielded away in a world of daring female warriors, Amazonian princess Diana never knew of her hidden capabilities until the time came to battle Ares, the god of war and cause of human chaos. “Wonder Womantells the story of how Diana defeats Ares and successfully ends World War I, with the help of a few newfound friends. Along the way she learns that humans are not as innocent as she once thought and even falls in love with one of them. Her strong feelings regarding the human race lead her to realize her potential to succeed in saving those in need.

Nearly every young child’s dream is to be a superhero when they grow up; to make an impact on the world and to save people with unnatural powers. My one wish for my baby sister is for her to grow up in a world where she has all opportunities available to her, no matter her gender. For her to never have to settle for the drab female version of a costume when the male version is so much more thrilling. For her to never think that a female heroine is simply a male hero’s tag along. For her to not get as excited as I got over a new female led superhero movie because it is normal to her generation.

Since the ’60s, there have been fewer than 50 female lead superhero movies and even less that have been solid hits. Well known films like “Supergirl” (1984), “Catwoman” (2004) andElektra”(2005) have all received a score equal to or less than 10 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and have a combined opening weekend gross of 35 million. “Wonder Woman” by itself had over 100 million in opening weekend gross. The movie proved to be a huge success not only for DC Universe, but for “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins, who just so happens to be the very first woman director of a large-budget superhero film.

Having only been out for two months, the critically acclaimed “Wonder Woman” has already surpassed all other superhero movies (with the exception of “The Incredibles), having a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92 percent.

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Diana’s ignorance to the sexism around her and unwavering love for humanity throughout the movie make for a moving film that can be impactful not just to DC Universe fans who have waited years for this movie, but for children who have only known a world of male superheroes.

“In my opinion “Wonder Woman” was even better than what it was hyped up to be,” junior Nathan Fisher said. “With DC Universe having a bad reputation between “Batman VS Superman” and “Suicide Squad” it was definitely a nice surprise.”

A movie as powerful and eagerly anticipated as “Wonder Woman” will positively push other action movie companies to do even better. This means more on the edge of your seat movies for the audience, and possibly even more female led superhero films as other companies try and compete for the public’s attention and money.

“The movie had an amazing soundtrack and purely exciting action,” Fisher said. “Which is something I feel that future superhero movies could learn from it”

In general, the over-the-top ratings and massive opening earnings prove just how widely seen and appreciated “Wonder Woman” is, meaning that it has a high probability of changing the future not just for movies, but for our children as well. The future generation will have a female icon to look up to that is not a cartoon character or a male’s side kick.

“I think ‘Wonder Woman’ will positively influence younger girls by showing that not just boys can be strong and determined and that women are so much more than what the media perceives them to be,” sophomore Nadia Fryer said. “Woman superheroes can be intelligent, fierce and confident, just like male superheroes.”