Bramell, Party of Five: Wonder(ful) Woman Indeed

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Wonder(ful) Woman Indeed

 
 
 
We took the family out to see the new Wonder Woman movie this week. As I sat  there in the theater next to my kiddos, we were all wiggly with excitement. Within the first half hour, I knew I was going to deal with some major feelings this movie was stirring around in me. And I sure didn't expect that. Now that I've had a couple of days to process my thoughts, I'm ready to share. 
 
First, I promise no spoilers. I watched enough episodes of Wonder Woman as a kid to know her history, but I wasn't sure how the filmmakers could make it updated and realistic. Done. Also, Gal Gadot was a perfect choice for the role. Of course, one cannot deny her beauty, but also cannot deny her healthy, strong and muscly body appearance. She's no frail waif of a princess. Right on.
 
I never wanted to stand up and cheer in a theater as much as I did during her first real fight scene. Without giving too much away, she was being escorted through the front lines of a war zone. She saw women and children crying for help in the midst of explosions and dead bodies. The men with her seemed cold and blind to the sight, content to press on toward their business at hand. She, however, called them out on their BS. She said, "This is wrong and I will fight for them." And she did, while the men watched, and I was teary  the entire 10 minutes. I couldn't help but think of the symbolism, while intended or not, that she represents so many women who keep fighting through BS every day to get their job done. It might be at home, in a workplace or in fighting for the rights of others. Instead of walking away, she fought because she believed. She stood her ground, and that is what I sat there and hoped my kids were understanding.
 
If you don't know, this movie is about a princess. But she definitely doesn't need a man to rescue her. The men clearly followed her lead, even though they didn't understand her motivation or her thought process. I haven't seen a movie like this in a long time, maybe ever. This is the kind of role model I want for my girls. The entire movie, she said (and showed) in many ways: YES I CAN, YES I WILL and I'M IN CHARGE.  She was strong, determined and confident. My response to this? More, please!! We need to see more movies just like this. Women can save the world, too!
 
After the movie ended, I questioned my girls a little bit to see if they picked up on some of the themes. I told them how rare it is to have a strong, female hero in a movie. And on top of that, this movie has a female director, which I told them was also rare in Hollywood. I don't think the importance of it really clicked with them, but they are young. One day I hope there won't be a need to have that discussion with them, that it will be a non-issue in the world.
 
I've been asked a few times if the movie is appropriate for kids, since it has a PG-13 rating. I will say that we probably let our kids slide on PG-13 more than we should, but this one is totally fine. There is no foul language at all, and the rating is likely for the war/fighting/battle scenes. This movie gets a big 10 thumbs up from my family.

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