Disappointing Scripts

Rating: 1/10 (17 June 2017)

Contains spoilers.
I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s reading Wonder Woman comics. In addition to having a subscription, I had reprints of the original comics from the 1940s that I read over and over again. Wonder Woman was a role model for me, I suppose, and so, even though I don't usually go to superhero movies anymore, I decided to see this film because I had heard it had gotten good reviews. I was disappointed on the verge of disgusted with the changes made to the origin story and with the masculinist, patriarchal bent of the script. It almost seem as if the intention of the writers was to eliminate any aspect of the Wonder Woman story that verged on feminist or radical.
First of all, the real Diana was made out of clay by her mother, Hippolyta, and it was Aphrodite who breathed life into her. This was an amazing take on the misogynistic Pygmalion myth, in which women are depicted as capable of reproduction. Why did this film mock the real origin story of WW, and even worse, claim that she was the offspring of Ares and Hippolyta? This is one of many ways that the film twisted the story to subtly privilege masculine power. In the comic, there are many young Amazons being trained to be warriors. When Steve crash lands, he is rescued by Diana and a friend who are careful not to let his feet touch Paradise Island. This is important because Aphrodite and Athena have decreed that because men are warlike, they are not allowed to set foot on the island, and if they do, the Amazons will lose their immortality. This was eliminated in the film. I'll just make one more point (I could go on all day): the film never explained Diana's bracelets. The comics do. Before the Amazons settled on Paradise island, they were conquered and enslaved by Hercules and his men; they rose up and defeated them, but always wore their bracelets to remind them to never again allow themselves to submit to men. Again, the film ignored this uncomfortable piece of radical feminist lore. I also am baffled by the switch from WWII to WWI: Wonder Woman is specifically sent to fight the Nazis (in her invisible plane), and her costume is supposed to resemble the American flag. As another reviewer noted, making Steve an American spy fighting with the British-- is absurdly convoluted.
I guess overall I thought it was terrible that the film departed so much from the original story. WW is a great character because she has a great story, inspiring especially to women because it has the same radical edge of a lot of Greek mythology and tragedy. This patriarchal script subtly blunted that edge, turning the Amazons into victims and Wonder Woman into a naif who spends her time gaping at Steve's "equipment" in a torturous attempt at humor.