Why James Cameron Says ‘Wonder Woman’ Film Is ‘A Step Backwards’

Many have heaped praises on Warner Bros. Pictures’ superhero flick “Wonder Woman,” but director James Cameron is not completely on board with the hype.

During an interview with The Guardian, Cameron said that Patty Jenkins’ movie is just “male Hollywood doing the same old thing,” since the heroine, played by Gal Gadot, is nothing more than “an objectified icon.”

“All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided,” he said. “I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards.”

He then compared Wonder Woman to Sarah Connor from his “Terminator” series, saying that the latter is actually more relatable given her flaws. “Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon,” he said. “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!”

Cameron’s thoughts differ greatly from the one shared by Gadot, who earlier told The Hollywood Reporter that the heroine is someone people can truly empathize with. Even though she is strong, Gadot said Wonder Woman does not flaunt her powers and only uses them to do good.

“Wonder Woman can be very charming and warm and have so much compassion and love for the world. She can be soft and naive. At the same time, she just happens to be this demigoddess who can beat the [expletive] out of you and can be a super badass and smart and confident. Ultimately, she's very relatable,” she said.

Despite Cameron’s criticisms, the movie has done so well that a sequel is now in the works, with Gadot returning as Diana Prince and Jenkins on board again as the director.

This time around, Jenkins said that they are going to place Wonder Woman in America. “The story will take place in the U.S., which I think is right,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “She’s Wonder Woman. She’s got to come to America. It’s time.”

“Wonder Woman 2” has been scheduled for release on Dec. 19, 2019.