James Cameron Slams Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman — Here’s Why
Avatar: Fire and Ash director James Cameron is reigniting the Wonder Woman debate, telling The Guardian that Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot’s 2017 hit leaned on Hollywood objectification rather than a feminist breakthrough, even as Zack Snyder pushed a different approach.
James Cameron is back on the Wonder Woman discourse, and he is still not impressed with how Hollywood celebrated that movie. Speaking to The Guardian, the Avatar: Fire and Ash director clarified his old take: he liked Patty Jenkins' 2017 film, but he thinks the industry gave itself a victory parade for something he sees as the same old objectification in a new dress. And yes, Zack Snyder had a different approach in mind back then, but Cameron was focused on the reaction, not the franchise plan.
What Cameron actually 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 was careful to add that he did not dislike the movie itself, but to him the hoopla around it marked a step backward.
Why he brings up Sarah Connor every time
When Cameron talks about female action leads, he inevitably points to Sarah Connor from his Terminator films. He says she was powerful without being packaged as a beauty symbol, and that her flaws are exactly what made audiences root for her.
"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."
He also noted the obvious math here: half the audience is women, so characters like Sarah should not be the exception.
My read: Wonder Woman was not built on objectification
I get what Cameron is arguing, but I do not think it lands with Wonder Woman. Jenkins never plays Diana as a flawless pinup. The character is messy in very human ways: she sees morality in sharp black-and-white lines, she breaks Queen Hippolyta's rules to do what she thinks is right, and she is torn between Steve Trevor and a mission that could literally save the world. Those are real, character-defining conflicts, not window dressing.
The movie's core idea is simple and surprisingly grounded for a mythic hero story: people are flawed, and you choose to fight for them anyway. Diana takes in the worst of us—war, death, betrayal—and decides not to give up on humanity. If that is a step backward, I am not seeing it.
The results speak for themselves
Also worth noting: female-led superhero movies are a tough sell more often than not (see The Marvels, Black Widow, Madame Web). Wonder Woman cut through anyway and became one of the DCEU's biggest hits, with critics and audiences actually aligning for once.
- Directed by: Patty Jenkins
- Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen
- Release date: June 2, 2017
- IMDb rating: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
- Worldwide box office: $822 million
- Production: DC Entertainment
- Where to watch: HBO Max