Attack of the 50 ft woman

It’s funny, but when we started discussing the issue of feminism, the first thing that came to mind was Attack of the 50 ft. woman. The film stars Daryl Hannah (Elle from Kill Bill) as Nancy Archer, a timid young woman with major self-esteem issues and almost no self-confidence, problems caused by the men in her life: her overbearing, workaholic father and her condescending, misogynist husband Harry (who just happens to be cheating on her). These two would probably be the dead-end result of a total patriarchal society. They had no respect for Nancy whatsoever. They seemed always ready to berate her whenever she’d speak her mind. At times, she’d be standing in a room with them, standing right in front of them, and they’d completely ignore her and just keep talking to each other (sometimes making decisions about her) as if she was just another piece of furniture. She was the epitome of how women would usually be depicted in phallocentric literature, always relegated to the silent background while the men were in the forefront, making all the “hard choices”. The only one who Nancy ever felt comfortable, appreciated and respected with was her psychiatrist, Dr. Cushing, an older, infinitely more self-assured, successful woman whom Nancy admired more than anybody else. Since Nancy didn’t have a mother figure (her mother had died at a young age), Dr. Cushing was the only one she could identify with. The bond between those two women throughout the course of the story would only get stronger. But it was still overshadowed by the men’s resentment

Soon the fates smiled upon Nancy, giving her the ability and opportunity to get even with her male tormentors. She was traveling through the desert when she encountered a mysterious ship of alien origin and was exposed to an almost-blinding light originating from the spacecraft before it disappeared. Understandably, the ordeal left her a bit upset. Once back home, she tried explaining to everyone what happened, needing some comfort after that trauma. Dr. Cushing tried to provide that comfort, but, as always, both her father and her husband wouldn’t listen to her. They dismissed her story as some PMS-related bout of insanity and went on disregarding her in their usual male-chauvinistic way. They would live to regret that decision. Nancy soon discovered that the light that hit her did not leave her unchanged. To everyone’s surprise, including hers, she suddenly began growing in size and in power. Before long, she was standing at full fifty feet tall, a giantess looking down upon the two tiny shocked men. The tables had turned at last. No longer would she be ignored or shunned. No longer would they take her words lightly. She was finally going to receive all the respect she deserved. But Nancy wasn’t vindictive. This wasn’t about revenge. It was, as it had always been, about them treating her as an equal human being instead of some accessory. This was about the feminist goal that she would discuss with Dr. Cushing in their many sessions. Despite this incredible power she now had over them, all she wanted was for things to work out for the best equally for everyone, especially between her and Harry. But it was not to be. The bastard tried murdering her and run off with the girl he was (currently) having an affair with. His attempt failed, though, as Nancy still lived.

To make a long story short, the rest of the movie goes on with Nancy going on a rampage across town, hunting for her murderous cheating husband, capturing him, standing up to her father, being shot at by the called-in air force and rescued at the last minute by the same spacecraft as before.

The final scene is within the ship where we find Nancy, accompanied by two other equal-sized women looking into a jar containing Harry and other men like him. The final words she says to him before the credits start rolling really say it all: “It’s not just me that’s changed, it’s a whole new universe Harry and it’s up to you to catch up with us.” I think this line really gets a message across. That a strictly patriarchal society, where men like Harry or her father are in charge, is obsolete, that it’s time for change, for a new better society with equal treatment for both sexes to emerge.