Wonder Woman
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Warner Brothers / 2009 / 74 Minutes / MPAA Rating / Street Date: March 3, 2009
After the opening battle, Hippolyta pleads with Zeus to allow she and the survivors to live on a special island. And there, on the mystical island of Themyscira, the proud, strong warrior race of Amazon women lives in a utopian civilization shielded from the corrupt world of man. But a betrayal within the Amazon sisterhood leads to the escape of Ares, the God of War, and Amazon Princess Diana must capture him before he unleashes global chaos and destruction. With the aid of cocky fighter pilot Steve Trevor, Diana tracks Ares to the United States capital for a battle royale.
The story continues with some creative and tough action sequences as Princess Diana gains her bearings and learns about American culture while she’s hunting down the escaped Ares in New York. As she fights crime, the public begins to call her “Wonder Woman.” Director Lauren Montgomery balances the action scenes with mellower moments including the awkward but funny sexual tension between Princess Diana and Steve Trevor. But heavy emphasis is on Diana’s headstrong mission to stop Ares. Actress Keri Russell voices Wonder Woman and does a satisfactory job – her intent and inflections are on the mark, but she really doesn’t have a strong, more throaty voice to nail the part. And Wonder Woman’s constant angst can be a one-note delivery… as the joker said to Batman, “why so serious?”
The film is loaded with quite a bit of themes, characters and situations, so the 74 minute run time is brisk, and I think it could have been longer with enhanced supporting character developments. And there are certain instances, without giving away the plot, where…well, a few scenarios had poor follow-through and left me scratching my head. But this is really a solid presentation overall, and while it may not wholly encompass the expectations of the most die hard DC Comics book fan, there is a lot here to respect and enjoy. The Video: How Does The Disc Look? The film’s aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in anamorphic video. This film uses many various hues from the orange-red war scenes to the blue and greens of the utopian island. All colors are solid, rich and vibrant. The animation style is not fantastically fluent (though animators add one level of shadowing to most characters so that arms, legs and faces don’t look too flat), but it comes across fairly confident if a little stiff; don’t expect the buoyancy of a Disney feature. Blacks are deep and whites are clean and her invisible jet (mostly done with whites) look quite good. No compression problems arise and I did not notice edge halos at all. This is really a rock solid presentation for traditional, cell-drawn animation. The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound? The disc includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 track alone. With everything generated in a controlled studio and access to state of the art equipment, one would think that the audio could sound vast, spacious and thrilling. Sadly, it’s just an ordinary 5.1 track. The vocal talents are very clear and effects moving between the front speakers are noticeable but ordinary with hardly any imaging. Surrounds are mediocre even with a few discrete effects. This movie has many, many action sequences and given that most are supernatural, it’s a shame that the audio engineer, Robert Hargreaves, seemed so restrained. What gives? Low bass is evident if very bland with no unsettling smoldering moments ever. The score by Christopher Drake (Batman: Gothic Knight), has the best dynamic range though the quiet moments musical subtlety (before a spring attack) don’t display much ambiance; the score is fine overall. I think Hargreaves gets the job done and there is little to complain about, but the audio could have been more aggressive & dynamic. No other audio tracks are included. The optional subtitles are in English SDH and French, though there are no Closed Captions. The Supplements: What Goodies Are There? The first supplement is an audio commentary with the film’s creative team including director Lauren Montgomery, screenwriter Michael Jelenic, DC comics colleague Gregory Noveck, and producer Bruce Timm. Most of the discussions are about compositions and ideas. However, there are some hesitancy and dead spots between the folks. With such a loaded and ambitious story on screen, this is certainly a disappointment. Next up is the featurette (10 min) A First Look at the Animated Feature Film Green Lantern. The Green Lantern’s history is discussed by DC Comics colleagues. And some behind the scenes footage with the voice –overs for the animated film is included. This is worth checking out. Following that is the featurette (10 min) From the Graphic Novel to the Original Animated Movie- Justice League The New Frontier. Many of the DC colleagues and film producer Bruce Timm talk about the Justice League and Darwin Cooke’s vision. While this featurette has interesting moments, it really never comes together and remains somewhat vague by the end. Another featurette (10 min) Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess interviews some of the cast and crew, and the original writer of Wonder Woman. A bit of the character’s history is discussed, including the fact that she was literally a gift from the gods, which I had forgotten. Young director Lauren Montgomery, with her gigantic, haunting eyes, seems very meek and hesitant for such an ambitious project. The last featurette (10 min) is Batman Gotham Knight an Anime Evolution. This was released in July of 2008 and I reviewed it here. Finally we have trailers which include: Lego Batman, Inkheart, Scooby-Doo and The Samurai Swords, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. You might also want to check out the special wonderwomanmovie.com. The 74-minute film is organized into eleven chapters. DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC? No ROM extras have been included. Final Thoughts Combining the collaboration of DC Comic colleagues and Warner Brother animators, this strong production generates an dashing Wonder Woman introduction and adventure. And so much goes on that it definitely qualifies as re-watchable. As mentioned above, this is a very PG-13 film with lots of bloody violence and more than a few sexual comments – it’s not your typical Saturday cartoon. The picture quality is solid, the audio quality is reasonable if uninspired, and some good supplements round out a winner. Those bullet-proof bracelets rock. |
This is not your typical Saturday cartoon; it is very PG-13. With a ruthlessly bloody opening battle scene and the first line of dialogue being from the villain, Ares – God of War, to Hippolyta, Wonder Woman’s Amazon warrior mother, this ain’t for the preschoolers. Ares chides her, “You seem as eager to meet me on the battlefield, Hippolyta, as you once did in the bedroom.” She replies, “I hope you prove more skilled in this arena, Ares.” Ok, then!
Respecting her origins before she even comes on screen, Princess Diana’s (aka Wonder Woman) exposition is skillfully done with action, characters’ clear motivations and some high drama. The story starts with her mother, Hippolyta, as mentioned above - a spectacular warrior queen, who even goes so far to behead her own corrupt son! Soon Princess Diana’s birth is then revealed, which was a gift from the Gods to Hippolyta. Princess Diana, of course, grows to be a very strong warrior, though she itches to leave utopia, contribute to the outside world and…enjoy the company of a man.
The rest of the cast do a terrific job, and I thought Michael Jelenic’s screenplay really delivered an entertaining, respectful presentation of Wonder Woman’s introduction and big mission to save the world from War; I watched glued to the screen. And the sprinkling bits of wise humor always help. And it doesn’t hurt that Princess Diana is sexy, too. And I am not a comic book guy, hardly knew anything about Wonder Woman/ Princess Diana, though I like comics fine. 
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