DC comics’ newest film, Wonder Woman, has been taking the world by storm with its unapologetically feminist characters and story. As of this writing, Wonder Woman has earned $572 million worldwide and held the number one spot in the box office for two weekends in a row and set a new all-time record for a US opening weekend total of a film directed by a woman.

What, you may ask, makes this movie so insanely popular? Critics and analysts point to positive word-of-mouth reviews and women encouraging their friends to see the movie, but I think that the messages of the movie are applicable to everyone. The movie follows a young woman named Diana, princess of the Amazon warriors, as she follows her destiny to save mankind from itself. There’s plenty of action and adventure, but also bonds of friendship, loyalty, and trust between the main characters that develop over the course of the movie. Everyone can relate to those ideas!

I saw Wonder Woman for the first time with a female friend last weekend, and we haven’t been able to stop talking about it! We love that the movie features an assertive, strong female lead who can surpass her male counterparts not only physically, but with intellect as well. We think seeing the movie with another woman was a great way to start talking about some of the ideas below. If you go see Wonder Woman with your mom, a female friend, or another female family member, think about some of these questions if you talk about it afterward:

• Which stereotypically “male” jobs are performed by women on the Amazonian Island? How do these women do these jobs differently than men?
• How is the society of the Amazonian Island organized? Is there a system of government? How does it work?
• When Diana first arrives in London, how is she treated in a society with men as well as women and how does that differ from her society on the island? Do women in London behave differently than the women on the Amazon Island?
• In the “No Man’s Land” scene and the scene in the village, what do you notice about how Diana’s group works together? Who gets to “be the hero”? Can you think of other examples of female characters acting similarly in other movies?
• Director Patty Jenkins said that the “No Man’s Land” scene was almost cut and she had to convince her producers to let the scene stay in the movie. Why do you think this scene was so important to her?
• Is Diana a hero? What makes her a hero? Are there any advantages or disadvantages to being a female hero versus a male hero?
• And finally, do you think this film is a feminist film? Why or why not?

I hope you all enjoy the movie as much as I did! I’m going back to see it again this week—writing this article has made me need to see it again!