Christianity and Wonder Woman


I finally got to see the movie Wonder Woman recently.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, although I had heard mostly glowing reviews.

I was a bit nervous that it would be an over-the-top movie that was trying way too hard to make a woman a superhero.  I was so pleasantly surprised!


(Image not from movie)

I had heard some concern voiced that the movie would be too feministic.  As a Biblical feminist, I am not alarmed by the use of the word “feminist,” however I am against the quasi-feminism that tries too hard (that could be a whole other post for another time).  But I must say that the film did a fantastic job at portraying real feminism.

Diana was raised as an Amazon warrior, living on Paradise Island along with only women.  They were not crazy radicals, they were not trying to do a man’s job, they were not trying to just prove they were strong.  It was simply their way of life.  They were simply people doing their job…which happened to be fighting and training.

A recurring theme throughout the movie was doing the right thing.  “It doesn’t matter what they deserve…it matters what you believe.”  Diana was committed to truth, to justice, to mercy, to doing what was right.  She was not trying to simply be an invincible woman because “I am woman – hear me roar.”  She was just a person doing the right thing.

It was beautiful, I’m not going to lie.  Sure, there were some fighting scenes where I was like, “Well, that’s definitely not realistic.”  But….Iron Man, Thor, Superman, even Batman (and let’s be honest…Batman is by far the best)….definitely not realistic either.  Wonder Woman being a woman had nothing to do with the realistic nature of the film.  It was a super hero movie.  Super hero by definition is not realistic.

Diana ends up leaving her paradise to enter the world of WWI London.  There were several scenes that also highlighted sexism that existed in both that day and present day.  Upon reaching London, Diana had men leering at her, making comments about her place as a woman, and doubting her ability to help…whether in translating languages or in fighting on the battlefield.  Again, this was a place where the script writers could have made a blatant point.  Diana could have been offended and exclaimed, “Excuse me!  Just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I can’t help.” etc  Instead, they portrayed it so beautifully.  You could see the confusion in Diana’s eyes as she was trying to process and understand what was happening. To her, she was not a woman talking to a man. She recognized that they were both just people…trying to help end a war.  She didn’t define herself or anyone else by their gender. She simply took it in stride, and continued boldly and confidently doing her job.  So yes, she did show the men that she was capable, but she did it in a much more beautiful, strong way.

I also appreciated many other aspects of the film, such as the way they portrayed war.  We know it’s an awful thing, but we accept it as a reality of our world.  It was interesting seeing it through Diana’s eyes, as someone who had never seen war or violence in her life.

There was some love interest, and for a minute I was worried that it would go too far and overshadow the progress they had made in portraying a woman super hero lead.  But it was tastefully done, and did not detract from her doing her job.

All in all I thought it was a very well done film in general, and also did a great job introducing a female super hero lead.  It was not just about showcasing a crazy awesome woman (although she definitely was), it was simply about the fight between good and evil.

Here is another post explaining how Wonder Woman reflects the gospel of Christ.

Did you see Wonder Woman?  What were your thoughts?