James Cameron says Wonder Wonder is a step backwards for female protagonists

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Although WONDER WOMAN has proven to be an enormous success for Warner Bros., receiving both impressive reviews and a healthy box-office, as well as garnering praise for its depiction of a powerful female protagonist, it has found a critic in James Cameron. While speaking with The Guardian about the upcoming 3D re-release of TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, James Cameron was asked what he thought about WONDER WOMAN, and although he enjoyed the film, he seems to have an issue with how Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) was portrayed, calling it a "step backwards" for female protagonists.

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. 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!

Not every female character has to be Sarah Connor. There are many ways to be powerful, and they don't all include blowing holes in robots with a shotgun. We can have Sarah Connor, but hey, we can have Wonder Woman too! Just like real-life, there are many different types of people. Not all female protagonists have to fall into the Sarah Connor or Ellen Ripley mold. If movies like WONDER WOMAN aren't solving the apparent problem of depicting powerful women, then how do we fix it? Even James Cameron isn't sure.

I don’t – I don’t know. 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!

What are your thoughts on James Cameron's WONDER WOMAN comments? Was Diana an "objectified icon" as Cameron says?