A review of DC’s ‘Wonder Woman’

The highly anticipated blockbuster “Wonder Woman” premiered June 2 starring 32-year-old Israeli actress, martial artist and model Gal Gadot.

“Wonder Woman” was the first of the superhero genre to be filmed by a female director —  Patty Jenkins — and she did not disappoint. The film has brought in upward of $453.7 million at the box office so far and scored a 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film begins with a young Diana Prince, played by Gadot, growing up on a mystical island solely populated by female warriors called the Amazons. Despite her mother’s wishes, Diana is trained by her aunt, the general of the Amazons, and becomes the most powerful fighter on the island.

After British spy Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, crashes his plane into the island and tells the Amazons about the war threatening millions of lives, he and Diana leave the island to try to restore peace to humanity.

Despite her superhuman strength, seemingly blind faith in humanity and abnormal upbringing, Diana is actually an extremely believable character.

This is largely because of the focus put on her life among the Amazons. Here, we see strong women talking, working and training with the complete absence of any male influence. This is a viewpoint often missing in film and helps audiences of all types relate to Diana as a complex human being, rather than solely as a woman filling a role.

The quality of the acting and storyline in “Wonder Woman” prove that the film is more than just a series of battle sequences. As Diana enters the world of men, the audience laughs, cries and occasionally cringes as she grapples with a world where truth is elusive, morality is ambiguous, love is complicated and women cannot walk the streets of London in armor carrying a sword. The romance between Diana and Steve is refreshingly moving without dominating the plot. She is allowed to be sexual without being sexualized.

All in all, “Wonder Woman” is a tremendous success, uplifting women without comparing them to men. Diana embodies traits that men and women alike strive for. She is brave, independent, kind, driven, compassionate and selfless. Diana is the Wonder Woman that we all need.