In the worst of times, just as in the best of times, we look to heroes to guide us. Sometimes they stand before us a symbol of hope, or simply a reminder that things aren't as bad as we perceive them to be. Other times, they have the ability to pull us out of the depths of despair with just a kind word of encouragement. A hero can even take you back to a simpler, more optimistic time; a time devoid of shades of grey and moral complexity. A time when good could decisively triumph over evil. Today, more than ever, we need a hero that can raise our spirits and remind us that love and compassion are all humanity needs in order to find peace. That hero is Wonder Woman.
Something to consider when thinking of many comics heroes is how they were created to empower the most vulnerable and powerless among us: children. Each of us who gravitated towards superheroes as a child did so, whether we realized it or not, because they had the power to make things better. They didn't need permission, and they weren't at the mercy of anyone else. They were powerful, fearless, and courageous in the face of unspeakable evil.
In the case of Wonder Woman, she took that feeling of empowerment a step further. Not only did her books give children another fantastical hero to idolize, but she also stood as, perhaps, the singular example of a super heroine in the early years of her creation. She gave little girls and women everywhere a champion to cherish.
Created in 1942 by William Moulton Marston, the psychologist-turned-author would go on to reveal that he wanted Wonder Woman to be an example of “the new type of woman who, I believe, should rule the world.” Marston says that her origin was meant to symbolize “a great movement now under way—the growth in the power of women.” That was 75 years ago, and yet even now in 2017 we find that women are still fighting for their rightful place in society. A Wonder Woman movie that takes the world by storm could very well continue Marston’s mission for the character, and be an important cultural benchmark for women everywhere.
But she’s not just the hero that women deserve right now, she’s the one the world needs.
We live in unsettling times. Nations are being torn apart by infighting, humanity continues to find new ways to divide itself, and opportunistic entities are constantly searching for how to drive us further apart in ways that benefit only themselves. We’re constantly hearing about terrorist attacks and being inundated by news of heartbreaking deaths. There’s so much hurt and anger going around that we, as a people, could use an escape from it all.
Just as when we were kids, a hero like Wonder Woman can swoop in with a message of love and selflessness and - at least for a couple of hours - make us feel that there’s plenty of good in the world.
What makes the latest installment in the DC Extended Universe so special is that in Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot, she’s depicted as a true blue hero. Gadot plays the character with wide-eyed optimism, heroism, and without a hint of the angst that plagues so many modern day comic book films. Comparisons to Christopher Reeve’s iteration of Superman are quite apt, as he’s probably the last example of a DC Comics hero on the big screen who unapologetically fought the good fight out of the goodness of his heart.
What’s interesting about that comparison is that people incorrectly assume that Reeve’s aww-shucks “Boy Scout” version of Superman was a product of simpler, cornier times. Nowadays, people think of the late ’70s as an era of bell-bottom pants and disco-dancing. In reality, our country was hurting.
We were still recovering from the Vietnam war, we were reeling from a criminal President being impeached, there had just been a major recession, crime was up, and great cities like New York had experienced rioting and near bankruptcy. Things were scary, uncertain, and no one knew what the future held.
That was the world Reeve’s Superman was born into.
Rather than make a film that aped the murky geopolitical era everyone was living in at the time, director Richard Donner tried to create an antidote to it. In a decade filled with films that were somewhat dark and bleak, like Dog Day Afternoon, Taxi Driver, and Apocalypse Now (which would arrive only a year after Superman), Donner made an earnest film about a genuine hero that stood out like a sore thumb. And yet it resonated with fans around the world. Reeve’s Superman would become a symbol of hope and the ultimate version of the Man of Steel for decades to come.
When we look around us, where we are at this very moment, it’s easy to see that it’s time for a hero to rise who simply embodies good, old fashioned heroism. As per the film’s plot, Gadot’s Diana is warned against interfering in the wars of man, yet she can’t help herself. She cannot simply stand on the sidelines. She has to do what’s right, even if it means breaking her mother’s heart and abandoning the only home she’s ever known.
"Wonder Woman is different,” Gadot told We Got This Covered in an interview last October, when discussing how her character differs from many of the other heroes we see in the cinema these days. “What I love about her so much is that her agenda is love. It’s not about fighting, it’s not about who is stronger than whom; it’s not about women versus men. It’s about love, and acceptance of others. She stands for love, justice and compassion."
That sort of message is just what we need right now. At a time when everyone is hurting, thinking about things like the 22 lives lost in Manchester, the societal and political unrest in the United States, and the atrocities being committed by real-life villains around the world, wouldn’t it be great to have a universally-recognized symbol of positivity and hope to look to and rally behind?
Films have a magical way of uniting us. Just look at your average Comic-Con, where people of all races, genders, and creeds come together to celebrate their favorite characters and find common ground. Look at the varied group of people who fly in for Star Wars Celebrations, or who populate Doctor Who messageboards. Fandom is a beautiful, uniting force.
The fact that a teenaged girl in Shanghai, a middle school boy in Ohio, and a couple in Argentina seeking a few hours of escape from the rigors of life can all pop into a theater to see Wonder Woman is a testament to the power of film. This film, in particular, with its overriding message of selflessness and its anti-war mantra, can soothe many a troubled heart.
While there have been multiple incarnations of many of the most iconic superheroes, Gadot is the first Wonder Woman ever to appear on film. She has become the face of Diana Prince for an entire generation and, from the looks of it, she couldn’t be arriving at a better time. If not for all of mankind, then at least for all of fankind.
Mario-Francisco Robles (MFR) is a freelance writer, podcaster, and YouTuber who’s specialized in all things geek since 2013. You should follow him on Twitter @I_AM_MFR, since he loves interacting with his readers.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire