Story
This action adventure movie brings to life the DC comic book hero Wonder Woman. The movie tells the story of Diana (Gal Gadot), daughter of the Amazon Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) of the island Themyscira. Diana yearns to become a true Amazonian warrior but her mother, the Queen, forbids it. Diana rebels and enlists her aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright), to secretly teach her how to fight.
One day, a World War I pilot, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), crashes his plane into the ocean near the island of Themyscira and is rescued from the sea by the young Diana. When he shares his tale of the terrible war that is destroying the world, Diana feels she must leave Themyscira and help put an end to the terror and destruction. Steve reveals that he has important information about a chemical weapon being developed by the Germans. Together Steve and Diana hatch a plan to foil the deadly attack.
As Diana’s true superpowers begin to show, it becomes clear that she is more than a just a powerful warrior.
Themes
Violence; human suffering; warfare; weapons and chemical weapons
Violence
Wonder Woman contains highly stylised superhero action violence and scenes of war. For example:
Sexual references
Wonder Woman has some sexual references, romance and sexual innuendo. For example:
- When Diana asks Steve whether he is an average example of his gender, Steve replies that he is ‘larger than average’.
- Diana and Steve have a conversation about ‘pleasures of the flesh’ and ‘biological reproduction’.
- When Diana punches a man in a bar, another man says, ‘I am both threatened and aroused’.
- Diana and Steve dance together, and he later kisses her.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Wonder Woman shows some use of substances, including characters drinking alcohol in bars.
Nudity and sexual activity
Wonder Woman has some nudity, including when Steve steps out of a bath naked in front of Diana. The audience doesn’t see any nudity, because Steve covers himself with his hands. But Diana spends a moment looking at Steve’s naked body with curiosity because she has never seen a man before.
Product placement
There is no product placement of concern in Wonder Woman, but merchandising for the movie is likely to be targeted at children.
Coarse language
There is some mild coarse language in this movie.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Wonder Woman is a fast-paced, engaging and exciting action movie. Diana is brave, strong and powerful as well as selfless and naively optimistic about the innate goodness of humanity. The character of Wonder Woman is a breath of fresh air in a genre of movies almost completely dominated by male superheroes.
These are the main messages from this movie:
- Good can triumph over evil.
- You must try to fulfil your destiny.
- Camaraderie, teamwork and compassion for others are important.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include the following:
- Women make awesome superheroes.
- It’s important to challenge gender stereotypes
- Fight for what you feel is right.
- Have compassion for others, and try to help people who are suffering.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the reality and consequences of war.