Wonder Woman

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:

Women train in hand-to-hand combat techniques and martial arts. They also use weapons like bows and arrows, spears, whips and swords.
There are extensive war scenes that show guns being fired at enemy lines.
A superior officer shoots a man in the head at close range.
Soldiers throw hand grenades, which explode.
Scientists observe chemical weapons (gas) being tested on people inside glass chambers.
A man is repeatedly punched in the head during a fight.
There’s a superhero combat scene.

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.