The long wait is finally over, after 75 years, Wonder Woman has her own movie! Beyond all the high hopes, there was a shadow of fear; would the movie be any good? Would the first female lead, female directed superhero movie be a success? Thankfully the answer is yes.

Wonder Woman is a joy to watch. Gal Gadot gives a true break out performance as Diana, enduing her with hopefulness, compassion, innocence, and strength. Steve, played by Chris Pine, is a likeable foil and love interest for Wonder Woman. At 141 minutes, it runs longer than necessary. In the final act the movie devolves into a CGI fest, and some of the CGI looks a little shoddy. These flaws however did not detract from the joy I had watching the film. I highly recommend seeing Wonder Women.

Spoilers follow….

In what might be surprising to some, Wonder Woman paints a picture of the world that aligns itself with the Christian message in many meaningful ways. Wonder Woman is a Christ figure who is compelled by compassion and love to help the helpless, rescue the lost, hurt, and dying. It is no accident that in the most iconic scene of the movie (Dianna stepping out into No Man’s Land) what causes Dianna to fight is her compassion for people who are hurting and dying. In Wonder Woman we have a heroine that does not glory in battle, but fights because of love and a desire for peace.

In the film Dianna realizes that war and death are because of humanity’s inherent wickedness. This is the Christian message. Humanity is fallen. We are born in our trespasses and sins, none can do good, all have sinned, and we are by nature children of wrath. We are lost and we need someone to come rescue us.

In the climatic last battle Ares attempts to convince Diana to join him because humanity is wicked and deserves destruction. Diana combats this argument with “It’s not about what you deserve, but about what you believe.” She follows with. “I believe in love” and later “Love will save the world.” Some might scoff at this dialogue, but the Christian says, “you do not realize just how true this is.”

Where Wonder Woman gives an ill-defined notion of love, the Bible presents a rich compelling version. Jesus is our compassionate hero who fights on our behalf. He conquered Satan, evil, and the grave through his sacrifice on the cross. The Gospel contention has always been that it is not about what we deserve, but about what we believe. We deserve death for our evilness, but we are offered life if we believe in Jesus.

Other religions tell us that we have to do good deeds to deserve salvation and atheists try to tell us that humanity is not wicked. Jesus says, “you are wicked, you do not deserve salvation, but I love you and I give my life for you so that you might have hope, peace, and joy.” Yes, love saves the world! “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

“Other religions tell us that we have to do good deeds to deserve salvation and atheists try to tell us that humanity is not wicked. Jesus says, “you are wicked, you do not deserve salvation, but I love you and I give my life for you so that you might have hope, peace, and joy.” Yes, love saves the world! “