Wonder Woman discovers her hidden powers!
I love going to movies and I enjoy reviewing them. Last week, when I received an invite to see the most anticipated movie of the year: Wonder Woman, I was extremely thrilled and excited. A super hero, and that too a woman, great action, wonderful graphics, interesting story all mixed together made some exciting chemistry for a movie. Sure, it was a great entertainment. But I am also a chemistry teacher and researcher. And something in this super hero movie did not click with me: the real chemistry. Let me explain.
The story begins with a fairy tale style opening scene with Diana (Gal Gadot) as an Amazon warrior princess. In the training sessions, Amazonian women are preparing themselves for the biggest war. While General Antiope (Robin Wright) is pushing Diana to fight fiercely, Diana soon discovers her hidden super powers. We must give high points here to the director Patty Jenkins to bring these thrilling action sequences to life. This certainly helps build high expectations about the film.
Diana, the Wonder Woman truly believes that it is her duty to defend the world. She then accidently meets an American pilot spy, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and leaves the paradise island with him to end the war.
There are superhero stunts and fight scenes, but there is also a delicate love story. It was fascinating to see the Wonder Woman swiftly block the bullet stream with her powerful wrist armor. The story, cinematography, direction and everything was moving well. By this time, we know that movie has correct Film Chemistry to make it interesting. I was all submerged into the movie until it touched real Chemistry part!
In the movie, there begins a discussion about a new kind of Mustard Gas to be used as a chemical weapon in the war. We hear about so called Dr. Poison, whose stolen notebook has information about this super weapon, supposedly more powerful than mustard gas. What intrigues me is Diana saying, “It is a new kind of mustard gas, hydrogen based instead of sulfur.”
“That does not make any sense,” I whispered in my husband’s ears, who was sitting next to me. I started wondering if I heard it correctly. But then they again discuss about how any gas mask will be of no use with this new chemical weapon and Chemistry teacher in me would not agree with this Chemistry.
Yes, Mustard gas was tried as a chemical weapon in World War I, but there is no way we can substitute sulfur with hydrogen in this molecule. Even my students can easily predict with Lewis Dot structures that sulfur can form two bonds, but hydrogen can form only one bond. Mustard gas is a symmetrical structure (Cl-CH2-CH2-S-CH2-CH2-Cl). Sulfur is bonded on each side to chloroethyl groups. We may be able to replace sulfur in the molecule with oxygen or nitrogen based amine (NH/N-R), but certainly not with hydrogen.
Hydrogen gas itself would be classified as an explosive, but not when it is bonded in any alkane chain. If the intention of writers was to demonstrate this chemical weapon as an explosive and flammable substance, they could have consulted Chemists and added some other Organic Chemistry to it.
They also demonstrated complete disintegration of a gas mask on exposure to that super chemical weapon. In world war I, the use of gas masks became quite common to provide some protection from dangers of Mustard gas and other chemicals such as phosgene, chlorine and tear gas. It will be doubtful that there could be a severe corrosive action with hydrogen based mustard gas.
However, if we leave Chemistry part aside, the movie serves its purpose. It provides you with a horrific insight of chemical warfare and warns about life threatening dangers. It brings shivers and makes you believe why chemical weapons should neither be developed nor used anytime in the future.
The truth is - we all dream about super heroes and secretly would love to have superpowers. There are so many films with super heroes, the most popular with Superman and Spiderman. Not much with women though. However, this is not the first time we see woman warrior in films. We have seen it as Jennifer Lawrence in Hunger games and accepted it.
Wonder woman is an excellent character and the movie is beautiful, certainly worth to be seen. Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress was a perfect fit for the character of the Wonder woman and did a wonderful job. Chris Pine suits in his role. I personally loved Robin Wright as the general Antiope, who is a fierce fighter, a true believer and her task is to train Diana, ultimately help her become a Wonder Woman.
As a teacher, I loved the scene when Diana discovers her inner self and finally identifies her powers. Is that what we all teachers strive to see from our kids to discover their own capabilities?
Kudos to the woman director Patty Jenkins for pursuing the dream of Wonder woman and putting in live film! Go and see the film with an open mind. You will feel the Entertainment Chemistry!
Sandy Kulkarni
twitter: @sandykulkarnee
Wonder Woman: A Wonderful Movie