DC Comics movie adaptions have never faired well among critics: Man of Steel took in a lackluster 55 percent Rotten Tomatoes approval rating. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice notched a pitiful 28 percent on the influential ratings site, and Suicide Squad was saddled with a truly abysmal 25 percent.
In a turn no one saw coming (least of all the people who saw Gal Gadot make her Wonder Woman performance in the middling Batman v Superman), the new Wonder Woman film is a smash success among critics.
Thus far, it has earned a stellar 96 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is the highest ever for a comic book adaption. To put that in perspective, The Dark Knight has a 94 percent rating, and that modern classic even topped Maxim’s list of the greatest movies of the 2000s.
![WONDER WOMAN – Rise of the Warrior [Official Final Trailer]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VSB4wGIdDwo/hqdefault.jpg)
So how did Wonder Woman accomplish this incredible feat? Many saw Gal Gadot’s fierce performance was the key ingredient to success.
“Gal Gadot is unstoppable and spectacular to see in motion. Watch her fly,” Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers wrote.
“Gadot plays Diana in appealing fashion,” Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent wrote. “For all her strength and prowess, she is an innocent, even comic figure, who simply can’t understand the cynicism, politicking, and violence of the humans she encounters.”
Others cite director Patty Jenkins, who delivered straight-forward thrills and maintained a lighthearted vibe. Cath Clarke of Time Out wrote the film is a “rollicking action adventure in the tradition of Indiana Jones, with a fully functioning sense of humor.”
Reviews are still coming out so the film’s approval rating could eventually dip below that of The Dark Knight, which rightfully landed a spot on our list of the 30 greatest movies of the 2000s.
Still, just about everyone is showering the new Wonder Woman and her golden lasso with golden praise. Just get used to pronouncing Gadot’s name correctly–we’re pretty sure she just spawned a brand-new franchise.
