Wonder Woman

The DC Extended Universe has greatly struggled with its films despite the immense popularity of its characters. While Man of Steel got things off to a decent start, both Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were overstuffed messes that made me fearful of what’s to come. Wonder Woman has changed all that. Not only is it the strongest film of the DCEU, it’s also one of the best superhero films, thanks mostly to Patty Jenkins’ brilliant directing and Gal Gadot’s near perfect portrayal as Wonder Woman.

Raised on the island of Themyscira, Diana Prince (Gadot) grew up among the Amazonians, a warrior race of women and the declared guardians of “man’s world” by Zeus. For decades, they’ve lived and trained in peace on their island, hidden away from society as they awaited the return of Ares the god of war who vowed to destroy them. One day a plane suddenly crashes off the coast of the island and Diana rescues Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) from the cockpit, and after a devastating skirmish on the shores with invading German forces she learns of the war that is happening around the world. Believing Ares to be responsible, Diana goes with Steve to London in order to find him and put an end to the war once and for all.

Wonder Woman acts as an origin story for Diana as it explore the story behind the photo we saw in Batman V Superman. She is very much the driving force behind the film, and Gal Gadot wonderfully handles every aspect of the character. In London, she’s a fish out of water who is experiencing “man’s world” for the first time. Steve is the first man she’s ever seen, and there’s a wonderfully hilarious scene in which Steve describes himself as average when compared to the rest of men. There’s a playful innocence to her character as she learns the customs of society and how everything works in London. As an Amazonian warrior, she dominates every scene she’s in, both physically and intellectually. She’s inquisitive as to how women can fight in such restricting dresses or why they’re not allowed in meetings full of men. Diana questions these things because they’re absolutely ridiculous and unheard of in her own society. There’s a lot of humor in the film, something the DCEU has been sorely missing.

Furthermore, the action sequences are absolutely incredible. Diana fights with her sword and shield, but she also has her magical lasso at her disposal, not to mention just her fists as well. This lends itself to some great fight scenes with stunning cinematography. The scene in which Diana enters No Man’s Land, her theme song swelling up in the background, will no doubt send shivers down your spine. She fights because she wants to save lives and help those who are in need. She cares, and as a result, so do we.

What Wonder Woman does best that the other DCEU films have failed to do is give us a character that we actually care about. Diana isn’t just some superhero flying about fighting evil because it looks cool or leads to some bigger picture. She’s this amazing character, both when she’s walking around London as Diana Prince and when she’s demolishing the German forces geared up as Wonder Woman. There’s nothing she can’t overcome.

Wonder Woman is a refreshing, joyful, hilarious, and action-packed addition to the superhero genre. While it’s disappointing that it’s taken so long for Hollywood to finally create a woman-driven superhero film, now that we finally have one I couldn’t be happier. Wonder Woman is exactly the kind of film we need right now.