Some women at Kent State feel empowered by the latest iteration of the fictional sword-wielding Amazonian warrior-princess film: “Wonder Woman.”

“It was so cool to see a woman be such a boss,” said Kyliann Hines, senior educational studies major.

Israel native Gal Gadot achieved critical acclaim for her portrayal of Wonder Woman. Indeed, “Wonder Woman” became the highest-grossing female-led superhero movie in history — nearly $40 million on opening day and $103.3 million opening weekend.

“I went to go see it with my boyfriend and when we left, I just felt so powerful, like I could do anything,” said Alicia Robinson, assistant director of Kent State’s Women’s Center. “It is so important for little girls and women in general to see women and especially women of color achieving and doing powerful, amazing things … I grew up in a time when there weren’t a lot of black barbies or women superheroes so, it’s nice to see.”

Gadot said herself in an interview with DC All Access that with “Wonder Woman,” there is nothing not to love. The character is universal, she said, and everyone can relate to Diana Prince because everyone wants a better world.

“It shows people of color in political offices, it talks about some religious things and of course it shows a powerful woman as well,” she said.

All women can take something away from “Wonder Woman,”Hines said.

“Not every woman is the same, but stepping out of our comfort zones and chasing our goals is something everyone can relate to,” she said.

The film certainly attracted people from all walks of life, including officer Tricia Knoles of the Kent State University police.

Knoles went to the first showing of “Wonder Woman,” has seen it again since and plans to go see it once more. She sees a bit of herself in the main character, she said, as Diana faced challenges which molded her into Wonder Woman.

“You know, trying to become a police officer, I had people telling me that ‘Females shouldn’t be in law enforcement’ and that, you know, ‘Just be a dispatcher’ but, I just pressed on,” she said. “I saw her doing that same thing in the film and it was awesome.”

The film can be a tool for women and young girls to be inspired and work hard, Knoles said.

“I think the base of the movie and what (Wonder Woman) shows in the movie is that you can do whatever you want,” she said. “You just have to work for it. It’s not going to be handed to you. You have to train, practice and push forward to what you are trying to do.”

In the film, Wonder Woman is shown as one of the main characters to stop the “War to end all Wars.” Meanwhile, Diana shows viewers lessons for women to learn from, Robinson said.

“Diana worked 15 times harder than anyone else around her and earned everything she ever received and I think that is so important,” she said.

Cody Patton is the diversity reporter, contact him at [email protected].