Can Blockbuster Films Have Broad and Accurate Representation?

Look (at this net) (that I just found).

But really, look: for a few years superhero movies have been letting me down. A couple here and there actually have characters I care about so I stick to them. Every comic book movie that has been released so far this year is one I have had no interest in. I lost faith and my lack of faith, unfortunately, included Wonder Woman.

THEN I WAS DESPERATE.

I was in Rome (a privilege, an incredible city, a blessing), but it was around 39 degrees in Rome and I almost destroyed myself the day before by walking around outside non-stop for hours.

Regardless, I decided to do an indoors, sitting down, air-conditioned activity. And I love movies, and I love going to different movie theatres. Multisala Barberini it was.

I got my ticket, grabbed some tasty pastries from a restaurant down the street and sat down.

I AM STILL VERY MUCH SURPRISED AT HOW MUCH I LIKED IT AND HOW WELL DONE IT IS.

Some points:

The cinematography is incredible. From the locations they chose. That Mediterranean sea scene with the neon blue water, as it is in real life (which I discovered in Nice only days before). The slow motion shots in the first fight scene and then the trenches was so well-executed.

The setting of the first World War is something I enjoyed; period piece, grounded in real events.

Allowing camp and ridiculous points made the movie fun, but it balanced grit and drama and heart-wrench well.

I loved the costumes.

I loved Diana throwing shade at men and Chief throwing shade at colonizers.

I loved how independent Diana was but that she could do things for herself, for others, for love, that she could have a love interest and her own interests. This broke down ideas that feminism somehow means asexuality or hating men.

I loved Charlie, Chief, and Sameer.

And this is what I wanted to talk about. Steve’s three friends who were all SO LIKABLE that I want a whole movie dedicated to this team, these characters. I want to know their stories.

I just looked up the cast. Sameer is a French Morroccan agent and Saïd Taghmaoui is French Moroccan. Charlie is Scottish and Ewen Bremmer is Scottish. Chief is Blackfoot and Eugene Brave Rock is Blackfoot.

Seeing a team that was from different places in the world, different continents, different accents, different languages, different skin colours, representing the diversity of people that exist and took part in the war and knowing they were played by actors of those diverse backgrounds makes me so happy. I am so happy Hollywood is doing this. It makes me so happy that more and more people are getting people who look like them on screen.

Personally, seeing Hispanics in Star Wars has made like being Hispanic more so this fills me with joy. As an anthropology student seeing different stories other than American and British get told within Hollywood makes me so happy.

To me, this film is a break in hegemony from within a hegemonic industry.

I want to keep watching stories I haven't seen before with characters I haven't seen before with people that have not been well-represented and I want them portrayed respectfully and correctly. And I want this from big-budget movies that reach a wide audience. Not only is this something I and many others want, it is a reality and one I know will continue. I'm confident because weeks after seeing this film I saw Get Out and Hidden Figures, both 2017 releases telling stories about characters who are black and the struggles, dangers that come with race in America. All these films got mad cash too, so, in this case, the studios should listen to what people want.