Wonderful Woman

In critics eyes, and perhaps audience's as well, DC has been on the down slide for awhile and losing the war to Marvel in cinematic adaptations. Last year, both major releases that DC's cinematic universe hinged on (Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad respectively,) were not just panned, but destroyed by critics. I myself enjoyed Batman V Superman, despite the negative reactions of others, but felt that Suicide Squad itself tried to "Marvelize" itself too much and became a hot mess of studio interference. Now here comes Wonder Woman, whose brief appearance by Gal Gadot in Batman V Superman was undoubtedly one of its highlights. After the mess that was Suicide Squad, and the poor reception to Batman V Superman, I was unsure how good it would actually be, let alone that it could actually be received well. Much to my delight, the reviews so far have proven Wonder Woman to be loved by all, so I was very much encouraged heading into my screening.

Wonder Woman gives us the origin story of Diana, an Amazonian princess raised on an island of powerful warrior women. Nothing much changes in her world until the arrival of a lost World War I soldier named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) who unwittingly brings the war to their paradisaical island. Feeling she can stop the God of War responsible for The Great War currently happening on the planet, she accompanies Steve to London and learns all about humanity and the ugliness of war. She also learns about who she is and her destiny.

Wonder Woman, so far, is the most delightful blockbuster of the summer. Gal Gadot really brought this famous heroine to life and she was so much fun to watch on screen. I found the fight scenes empowering and the human scenes warm and amiable. Her chemistry with Chris Pine is really what made this film work and I loved all of their interactions with one another. And while I know the fish out of water thing has been done a lot particularly in superhero films, but seeing Wonder Woman in 1910's London was really fun. I found myself cracking up quite a bit.

All in all, Wonder Woman is a triumph for the superhero genre (as well as DC) and an incredibly important film in this day and age. It was really amazing to have such a strong, powerful heroine up on the screen to be the role model that so many girls have longed to have. While this is not the first film of its kind to feature a female lead, it honestly is probably the best of its kind. RATING: 8.5/10