Patty Jenkins responds to James Cameron's misguided opinions about Wonder Woman
Perhaps James has a few thoughts on the economic modalities, especially in the southern colonies?
While promoting Terminator 2 3D, director James Cameron made some bold statements about Wonder Woman, calling it a "step backwards" thanks to male Hollywood's "misguided, self-congratulatory, back-patting" over an "objectified icon."
Specifically, when asked what did he make of the excitement over Wonder Woman? Cameron said “All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards" For the record, he never said he liked the movie.
Cameron further supported his own misguided, self-congratulatory opinion based on a bar HE set over thirty years ago in which (Terminator's) Sarah Connor's non-beautified, strong-willed, imperfect 'mom status' is apparently still the gold standard for powerful women in cinema. "Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female!”
Cameron manages to dig an even deeper hole when asked why are movies still so bad when it comes to depicting truly powerful women? His response was misguided as it was swift and backhanded "There are many women in power in Hollywood and they do get to guide and shape what films get made. I think – no, I can’t account for it. Because how many times do I have to demonstrate the same thing over again? I feel like I’m shouting in a wind tunnel!”
Plain English: Ladies - [points finger] yeah you and you in power in Hollywood, I've been doing this since 1984. What have you done? Booyaa.
I know, gross but thank god for Patty Jenkins! And yes, I know this article screams you're burying the lede but Jenkins recent Twitter response delivers a much needed palate cleanser and sorta renders Cameron's shitty opinion an even shittier one.
“James Cameron’s inability to understand what Wonder Woman is, or stands for, to women all over the world is unsurprising as, though he is a great filmmaker, he is not a woman. Strong women are great. His praise of my film Monster, and our portrayal of a strong yet damaged woman was so appreciated. But if women have to always be hard, tough and troubled to be strong, and we aren’t free to be multidimensional or celebrate an icon of women everywhere because she is attractive and loving, then we haven’t come very far have we.”
James, this is not 1984. Get your head out of your ass. Your strong female-led characters can mutually co-exist with 21st century female-led characters such as Wonder Woman.
