A wonder to behold

I'll admit that the live-action DC films as of late have been sub-par when compared to the consistent quality of Marvel's film adaptations. As much as I loved Suicide Squad, the film definitely could have benefited from a more coherent plot as well as more Joker (poor Jared Leto) and as for Dawn of Justice...let's not dwell on it too much. Getting to the point, just about every DC character has gotten their moment to shine on the big screen with the exception of Wonder Woman who has never graced the silver screen up until now. Some, and to be honest myself included, were skeptic that a solo Wonder Woman film was a good idea considering her character background is so deep in Greek mythology and to explain that to both fans and a casual audience would be a challenge in itself. Normally, I don't like to be proven wrong but in cases like these, I'm SO glad I am. Wonder Woman takes us back to the origins of how the Amazonian princess came to be before she teamed up with the rest of the Justice League heroes. On a day of training, Diana (Gal Gadot) notices a WWI plane crash on the coast of her home island where she comes to the rescue of the pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). Having lived her entire life on an island with nothing but women, this is the first time Diana has ever met a man and is also the first time she has learned about anything from the world outside her island. Steve informs her that they are in the midst of World War I and that he is a spy sent to retrieve secret information on the concoction of a new chemical weapon that could overturn the tide of

These boots were definitely not made for walking

war in favor to the German Empire. After hearing his story, Diana becomes adamant in leaving the island to help Steve in his mission as she believes that a much bigger threat may have caused the global conflict. If Deadpool is considered the film that paved the way for more R-rated comic book adaptation then Wonder Woman can be considered the film that redeems the DC cinematic universe back to its' former glory. So much is owed to Gal Gadot's performance as Wonder Woman as she truly makes it her own as both a strong female icon as well as a bad-ass superhero. The film doesn't rush its' paces to get to the action set pieces (more on that later) as the first half of the film is intentionally dedicated to building Diana's character, from her first expose to the outside world, the politics of gender equality,

the atrocities of war, and the chemistry of real love. All these elements help Diana's character develop naturally as well as influence her in a vital moment during the climax of the film. It's good to know that director Patty Jenkins didn't ignore the importance of what makes a superhero super and that is their journey getting there; seeing Diana coming to terms with who she is and braving the front lines of enemy territory is both an emotional and exciting moment in the film. Speaking of which, the action set pieces are a beast and kudos points to the fight choreography as watching Wonder Woman mow down soldiers and taking them out with such brutality has never looked so graceful. Wonder Woman exceeded my expectations and deserves an extra pat on the back for helping the DC films break out of their quality slump which they have been stuck in for quite some time, and it's definitely one of the best films of the Summer. Wonder Woman gets my highest recommendation, and if it's any indication, it might be the comeback DC films has been waiting for and will finally give Marvel a run for its' money.