Media and Gender/Race Stereotypes

Film: Xmen's Weak Storm

I came out of the latest installment of the X-Men movie series, “The Last Stand,” like most fans of the comic book: deeply disappointed. Some were upset by the limited screen time of aficionado favorites like Angel (precursor to Archangel), while others lamented the two dimensional vilification of Magneto, X-Men antagonist and leader for mutant self determination. My own issue has been smoldering over the entire series – the disempowerment and basic all around “girlification” of X-Men leader Storm.
Why would filmmakers cast the coquettish Berry to play the fierce and dominating Storm in the first place? Given the fact that the film was put out by Fox, one might suspect the worst. However, one can only surmise that the filmmakers lacked the imagination to get beyond the bankable Berry, thinking they needed to tone down the only Black heroine to star in a major comic book franchise. And that’s too bad.

The comic book Storm’s cold blooded, self-assured fearlessness conjures up more of a Grace Jones or Angela Bassett than the cowering, wimpy character Berry brings to the screen. According to a recent interview, Berry expressed concern about the role saying she hoped to do more than ‘go get the plane’ in the trilogy’s final installment (Washington Post, “Halle Storm,” May 27, 2006).

Storm’s character was a bright spot in the relentless denigration of Black women in media. Her character operated as a strong metaphor for what it means to be a Black woman in the United States. In Africa, she was revered as a goddess and a queen. In the United States she faces fear and bigotry but she remains tough, unapologetic, strong; a warrior in every sense of the word.

 I've always viewed Storm as a queen and Wolverine as an unruly warrior or animal. When in the film, its the other way round. She always seems to be behind the manly hunky Wolverine, like he's in charge...

http://www.seeingblack.com/article_50.shtml