The future is female…
At least on screen!
With 2020 looking promising for more girl power moments on the silver screen. We’ve seen them in action as co-stars but up until 2017 when Wonder Woman had her debut solo film, there weren’t many comic book diva films to date. And the ones that were weren’t that great or had much financial success, despite looking good on paper.
Prior to that we had the less-received Supergirl in the 80s.
Tank Girl (which I personally loved) in the 90s.
In 2004, even Halle Berry’s sporting the sexiest ever cosplay could not save Catwoman (the usual villain-turned anti-hero). I had such high hopes but this poor thing bombed hard.
And lastly, Marvel’s Elektra, which was a spinoff from the Affleck Daredevil. Released a year later, this much like its predecessor wasn’t much better.
With the possible hundreds of heroine storylines, Hollywood either kept limited the ladies of comic books or shadowing them behind (or next to) their male counterparts. Notice that I didn’t include Suicide Squad or X3, where a woman was perhaps the most memorable part… Well that’s because the film didn’t center on them even if they stole the show.
And no UltraViolet doesn’t count.
In comes Wonder Woman, despite the many animated films under her belt, and her being one of the most recognized comic book heroines ever, it took like 75 years from her comic debut before she would ever get a solo film. With the exception of DC titans Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman is perhaps the oldest and longest running character on the roster. While she had a successful run on TV played by Lynda Carter, movie scripts for Princess Diana have been tossed around until eventually forgotten over the decades. And then she made her cinematic debut in Dawn of Justice, where her entrance near the end of the film was probably the best part. (That scene still gives me chills.)
Even with Gal Gadot’s performance and the chills she gave, she still received criticism for her slender frame and the fact she’s not as “busty” as the sketched counterpart. Never mind the fact that the Israeli beauty served time in the armed service solidifying her as a badass.
Nonetheless her time on screen was epic coupled with a score from Hans Zimmer made room for a film to come in 2017. It blew fans and critics alike away and eventually paved way for a sequel. While a commercial success & a win the DCEU seriously needed, it wouldn’t be long before the MCU followed suit. Wonder Woman perhaps inspired Marvel because in came Captain Marvel in 2018.
It was a commercial success and actually topped Wonder Woman’s record at the box office. It showed Hollywood that not only ladies could kick ass on screen but that we could also bring in bank as well. Things looked hopeful for the superhero ladies.
And then we got Dark Phoenix.
It wasn’t the best of X-Men franchise/universe especially that it followed Logan. Still between the reshoots, the muddled script, Dark Phoenix was doomed before it had a chance. But then again the Xmen franchise has always been hit or miss. I mean just look back at X3.
So what’s up Hollywood?? You do know that women can kick ass and that girls read comics? Right? Even movies that weren’t centered on a comic book hero but had a leading lady have done well at the movies. We even had a girl power moment during the final battle of Endgame. It sure took long enough…
Hollywood, it’s time to let go of the masculine dominated world of comic book leads and breathe a different type of life into your cinema. 2020 is literally weeks away. It would appear that the coming year is shaping up to be a bit more empowering for girls on the big and small screen. And it’s been a long time coming. I’ve been waiting since Buffy and Charmed went off the air to be wowed in the theater by bad ass diva leading the way. Gladly I won’t have to wait much longer.
Under Marvel, we have Black Widow, which debuted it’s trailer last week.
The MCU after years of procrastinating is finally giving us a film about our favorite Russian spy. Scarlett Johansson returns as the titular character along with some other familiar faces such as David Harbour of Stranger Things. Considering the events of Endgame, I am assuming this is a prequel set somewhere before Infinity War. 🤷🏽♀️
To the other spectrum of the comic book movie universe, DC is giving us Wonder Woman 1984.
After pushing the release date back, I’m looking forward to the 2017 follow-up starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine and Kristen Wiig. I mean if you’ve read my bio page…you already know I am super excited.
We also have Birds of Prey.
I’m actually excited about this DC gem because I actually enjoyed the show from the 90s. Even if it hasn’t aged well. The film features the Harley Quinn of Suicide Squad played by Margot Robbie. Other characters featured Black Canary and Huntress to name a few.
With these big budget films set to be released, I’m sure the pending success will open the door for more female lead sequels. But why stop there? There are so many other ladies that need to be adapted onto the big screen **cough** Storm **cough**
So why the delay? Who knows but rest assured I won’t go into one of my “Fuck the Patriarchy-feminist rants” today. Besides this isn’t a b*tch blog…
I guess I will have to rant about something on one of those soon, The Single Chronicles aside of course.
Until Next Time Kiddies,
Shalom
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