MovieChat Forums > Wonder Woman (2017) Discussion > Decent movie spoiled by social justice w...

Decent movie spoiled by social justice warrior garbage.

posted 6 years ago by Portlis (18)
18 replies | jump to latest

I went into this movie expecting to watch badass women kick some ass. I think anyone watching this movie is clearly not opposed to "progressive" themes like strong women and such, myself very much included.

And yet, they had to force the social justice narrative down our throats. Can we not just have an entertaining movie and leave it at that? Can we not SHOW progressive themes such as strong women and/or minorities and let the viewer just appreciate it for what it is? Why does it need to be shoved front and center, bumping us out of the movie and back to real life for those few moments? If it made any sense in the context of the story that might be one thing, but why do we need to constantly be told how awful we are when we're trying to kill a couple hours enjoying ourselves watching a movie?

I'm specifically referring to 2 scenes -

1) The Native American dude's monologue about how "his people" stole the land from "my people". Why? Can we not just have a Native American actor doing some cool tracking / asskicking stuff and leave it at that? Props to them for having minority actors, that's great. But why do I need to be bumped back to reality and reminded how horrible I am, even though I was born in the 80s, treat everyone with respect, and have nothing to do with history? Can't I just be entertained for a couple hours? Lets say I'm willing to acknowledge that what happened with Native Americans in the history of the US was bad. Great. Now what? Problem solved? Or are we going to go through time making movies in perpetuity making sure the white man is sufficiently scorned? Or maybe, just maybe, can we make movies to simply be entertained and not scolded?

2) And the more egregiously obnoxious line - When Sameer says he wants to be an actor, but he's "the wrong color". So awful. Where to even start?

Lets start with the fact that he's actually a real life actor, acting in a movie, complaining about not being able to be an actor because of his skin color. Lol, the irony. Or maybe we should take a look at other countries casting, since we're so awful? I'm not sure what ethnicity he was supposed to be in the movie, but Sameer sounds like a very Middle Eastern or Indian name (I knew a dude named Samir from India). Do you think his skin color would prevent him from getting a role in a Bollywood movie? Maybe a Middle Eastern movie? Should we (white people from western countries) be clamoring for more white actors in Middle Eastern and Indian productions, or is it possible, just possible, that most of their actors are going to be Middle Eastern and/or Indian because that's what their population primarily consists of just like most of our actors are going to be white for the very same reason? Why am I not the least bit offended that white actors aren't the norm in Middle Eastern and Indian movies? I get it, America is a melting pot, we should have roles for people of all races and that's fantastic, but please stop shoving this garbage down our throats. If you want to cast an an Indian / Middle Eastern / whatever the fuck actor in your movie, just do it. If the movie is entertaining, no one will give a shit. Literally no one complained that Wonder Woman was an Israeli Jew, Sameer was whatever he is, and the Native American was Native American. All we want is an entertaining movie, a brief escape from reality, and to not be preached at.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 6 years ago

If you don't want any of those, stop giving them money. That's the only language they understand. Whining online is actually giving them free marketing.

Vote with your wallet. They can make any movie they want as long as it's legal. You can simply not to buy their products if you don't like 'em.

[–] Portlis (18) 6 years ago

I appreciate the response, but you do realize the problem with it right?

How is a person supposed to know that they're going to be preached at with SJW garbage in a movie before they've seen the movie? How can a person vote with their wallet after they've already paid for the movie? I thought I was going to watch a (hopefully) entertaining popcorn style action movie and nothing more.

Luckily, I watched it for free on HBO with a free trial I had from DirecTV, so I didn't pay a nickel for it anyway.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 6 years ago

Enter: "reputation."

A movie didn't come from nowhere. It has a director, producers, screenwriters, stars, that agreed to make the movie. You can avoid their future products.

That's why we have brands. And some brands are really really valuable, like WB, Disney, Marvel, Nike, Apple, etc. because we can assume a lot of things about a product based only on the brand and their previous products.

I didn't like Star Wars The Last Jedi, for example, that's why I would never watch any Star Wars movie or any movie produced by Ms.Kennedy or directed by Mr.Rian Johnson ever again. Forever.

I did not and will not watch Solo: A Star Wars Story or Episode IX or whatever they will churn out. I don't care, really. That's how I roll.

[–] Portlis (18) 6 years ago

I get it, but at the same time the director, main actress, and all the actors except for Chris Pine aren't exactly household names. I didn't know who any of them were going in. On top of that, I try to go into movies with a clean slate and not much by way of spoilers because I think it makes the experience much better. Instead of needing to sift through directors, actors and writers and their previous work, it'd be fantastic if we could just go watch a relatively mindless comic book movie without hearing about how awful we are and getting preached at.

But you're right. I will be actively avoiding movies directed by Patty Jenkins and written by Allan Heinberg in the future. Fuck em.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 6 years ago

Well, you have to do your homework if you don't want to be shoved garbage.

You want to just sit around doing nothing and hope other people will pick and choose the right entertainment for you? What did you expect? This isn't communism. You work your ass, you get what you want.

[–] Nicko's Nose (1651) 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Portlis (18) 6 years ago

Anything that takes the viewer out of the movie and puts them back in real life is bad film making.

But props for calling me retarded. At least it's not politically correct garbage.

[–] Nicko's Nose (1651) 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] LetThemEatCake (2717) 6 years ago

then you can't enjoy any films today because the cinematic language is so brutish it's a constant reminder you are watching a movie, and it is indeed, godawful filmmaking, that is why I just focus on film prior to 1960's, which is the best. Having said that, I can spot the pandering from a mile away, that is why I didn't even bother watching Wonder Woman, and never will.

[–] Otter (24464) 6 years ago

Oh sweetie, it wouldn't be realistic to have a NA character who didn't complain about having his lands stolen and his people displaced. I mean, you complain about shit that bothers you, you just devoted ten paragraphs to minor annoying things in a comic book movie! Imagine how long your rant would be if if you had anything REAL to complain about, like Chief does!

Edit: and no, in 1919 acting was most definitely not an equal opportunity profession.

[–] Kurt (189) 6 years ago

It may seem so, but the movie obviously tried to juxtapose modern views with the situation around that time, which is WWI. This is mostly done via Wonder Woman, but here it should be seen in the context of more recent events which had happened shortly before the movie takes place, as this is the war 1914-18. Sure, their complaints are obviously based on how things are viewed now, and maybe they are meant to say something about the current situation, but within the context of the movie it's actually about the situation right then and there.

[–] atarofker (344) 6 years ago

1) Your ancestors butchered their whole population. Least you can do is hear them complain. If you can't even do that, then people like you are the biggest snowflakes possible.

2) How many brown lead actors do you know? Aziz Ansari...and? Even apu is voiced by a racist white guy. I rest my case

[–] Portlis (18) 6 years ago

You completely missed my point. I don't give a damn if people want to hold a big grand hearing about how evil the white man is and the injustices that have occurred in the past. More power to them. I'd just like to be able to watch a movie without this garbage being shoved in at every opportunity. I'd like to watch a movie where I can just sit for 2 hours and be entertained without being ripped back to the real world with real world "problems".

And no, my ancestors weren't even in the USA until the late 1800s/early 1900s. Not that it would matter, since I'm only going to be held responsible for my actions and not the actions of others before I even existed.

[–] mike (327) 6 years ago

I understand your point about being “taken out of the movie”. Anything that does that is bad. Although I wasn’t really bothered by the examples you cited I do agree that they were clunky and unnecessary.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (7188) 6 years ago

This movie was only sorta spoiled by the shitty, typical cbm ending.

[–] Nicko's Nose (1651) 6 years ago

OP is a big pussy. Reported my posts.

[–] Portlis (18) 6 years ago

Lol, no I didn't. Dork.

[–] funkychicken (613) 6 years ago

An unfortunate trend. I mostly watch old movies these days.

I disagree with actionkamen's comments "whining online" does help spread the word about this kind of crap. Warning potential customers that they are in for a dose of SJW preachy bullshit is a good thing, and will hurt the bottom line as much or more than "simply not buying their products".