James Cameron is one of the best movie makers in Hollywood today. With hits like Titanic, Avatar and the Terminator series, he probably knows the ins and outs of films. However, his recent comments on summer hit Wonder Woman has us wondering what is going on in his mind. And after what he said, Patty Jenkins fired back with perfect logic.
The issue at hand is when Cameron was at press conference promoting Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The producer-director 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!”
He continued, “I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie, but to me, it’s a step backwards. Sarah Conner [Terminator] as 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!”
Defending himself and the probability that feminists would throw stones for his comments, he clarified, “There are many women in power in Hollywood and they do get to guide and shape what films get made.”
Patty Jenkins, the director of Wonder Woman was quick to fire back her response on social media. She posted a note that read: “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 for 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. I believe women can and should be EVERYTHING just like male lead characters should be. There is no right and wrong kind of powerful woman. And the massive female audience who made the film a hit it is, can surely choose and judge their own icons of progress.”
Image Credit: IMDb.com
