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Is it June yet? The first of June marks the day that we will finally be able to see director Patty Jenkins‘ Wonder Woman movie for ourselves. The title role will be played by Gal Gadot, who is of course no stranger to the titular character, having played her as a supporting role in many movies including Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as well as Justice League, which is in post production. It’s the first time she’s had her own movie of epic proportions, so there’s no wonder that we can’t wait!
What Do The Trailers Say?
That she’s a fascinating character, and her story needs to be told. We’ve learned that this will be an origin story, featuring Princess Diana of the Amazons leaving her homeland, becoming Wonder Woman, and joining the Justice League (a nice set up for the Justice League movie, also out this year, no doubt). The trailers feature the modern day world, but the majority will be set in the First World War, unlike the DC Comic books.
From the five trailers, we can gather that Wonder Woman is a worthy contender in the league of superheroes. She performs impressive stunts, leaving us gripped and believing in her fighting abilities. By the final trailer, she has proven herself an unstoppable force.
Who Is Wonder Woman, Anyway?
Wonder Woman was created in 1941 and featured consistently in DC Comics. She was sculpted from clay and owes a lot of her history to Greek mythology due to her fictional parentage. She’s a warrior, too. Trained in the Amazon, she learned an impressive range of skills to use against an extensive list of enemies. She’s seen as an empowering figure for women and girls and has been given a developed backstory, which even includes being bisexual. She represents sexual equality and justice intertwined.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen her on our screens either. She has featured on TV throughout the decades, most notably in the ‘70s, in both Wonder Woman and The New Adventures of Wonder Woman. If you’ve missed out, watching her backstory can help you understand the development of the character! There was even a TV movie in ’74, but there were too many changes made – for example, her trademark look was altered, and the brunette became a blonde. Ratings were not great, and the movie ultimately failed.
Of course, whilst she hasn’t had her own movie until now, that hasn’t stopped a huge – and impressive – fandom surrounding her character. For example, she has proved an excellent cosplay character for women who don’t just want to be observers in this creative domain. In fact, one cosplayer, Morgan Clayton, has even won awards for authenticity in replicating the garb worn by Gadot in the movie, showing an immense attention to detail.
This is not the only example of Wonder Woman showing up in popular culture; she’s got everything from bedding to her very own games. The Wonder Woman slot, which can be found on the Sun Bingo slot games section, incorporates her story and sees her facing down her enemy in Ares, rewarding you for seeing the potential in her fierce ways! As with a lot of the merchandise associated with her character, her slot game pays attention to authenticity – it seems that lessons have been learned from the TV movie which tried to change too much!
(She even has her own Lego figurine)!
“Wonder Woman” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by levork
Why The Big Movie Now?
When asked why Wonder Woman is only now getting her own major blockbuster movie, Jenkins herself admitted in an interview that due to the stereotypical young male demographic of the genre, there was always a fear that audiences wouldn’t be ready for a woman in a leading role.
Thankfully, this seems a thing of the past and many talented young actresses are slowly but surely proving themselves as being more than up to the mark. Batgirl, Joss Whedon’s next project, seems sure to cement that even further, to give independent women a rightful place as role models in film.
After all, why wouldn’t a female superhero be every bit as inspiring as a male one?! If you can believe in the fantasy of superheroes at all, why is it such a stretch to believe in the reality of the strength of women?