In this direct-to-video animated release of Wonder Woman, the plot is based on George Perez’ reboot of the character. Specifically, the “Gods and Mortals” arc that started the character’s second volume back in 1987. The film presumes that Wonder Woman exists in a world of her own and there are no references to the greater DCU, allowing for greater exploration of Wonder Woman’s origins. In classic mythology, the Amazons were made up of female warriors believed to live somewhere around the Black Sea. In this new Warner Brothers movie, we get the original back story of her life, which explains she was of Amazonian lineage.
The film begins sometime before the existence of Ancient Greece, where a battle is raging between the Amazons, lead by their Queen, Hippolyta (voiced by Virginia Madsen), and the army of Ares (Alfred Molina), the god of war. It seems men have enslaved women long enough and the women are fighting back. Ares is the villain of the piece, dedicated to battle, fear, hatred, bloodshed, destruction, and chaos. Zeus and Hera (voiced by David McCallum and Marg Helgenberger) intervene and spare Ares’ life. In return for saving Ares’ life, Hera gives Hippolyta and her female followers their own mystical island paradise, Themyscira, invisible to the outside world, and Hera gives Hippolyta a child, Princess Diana (Keri Russell). Meanwhile, Zeus is thrown in a dudgeon, where he uses the time to plot his revenge.
Thousands of years pass and the Amazons have been living rather happily on their island.Themyscira seems like a very pleasant place to live. The inhabitants don’t appear to age and their all beautiful and curvaceous. Diana has grown into womanhood and learned the warrior creed of her people; she has also become the most talented tactician of martial arts in the group.
One day, a jet fighter pilot, Col. Steve Trevor (Nathan Fillion), downs his plane on the island; Diana bests the captain of Hippolyta’s armies, the powerful swordsmaster Artemis (Rosario Dawson), and wins the honor of returning him to civilization and reestablishing contact with the outside world. At the same time, Ares persuades an Amazon guard, Persephone (Vicki Lewis), to help him escape. As a result, Diana has the job of tracking down Ares as well.
When Diana arrives in Trevor’s hometown of New York City, she finally becomes the Wonder Woman we all recognize. She must defeat Ares (who finds a whole cult army waiting for him to lead), save the world, and carry on romance with Trevor. But first she has to kick some butt, starting with some would-be muggers.
The 2-D art work shows up in nice detailed in the background scenery but the character drawings are rather limited. The animation displays limited character movement, usually just the lips working and the figures remaining stationary, with persons walking in awkward, jerky motions.
The film is undermined by some mediocre voice acting. Amazonians speak in methodical, emotionless tones, but Russell, Dawson, and Madsen’s plodding deliveries make it sound as if they’re reading their lines for the first time. More distracting is Molina, whose vocal intonations simply don’t match the face and stature of the menacing warrior-god portrayed on screen. The only standout performance comes from Nathan Fillion. His quips sound natural, his voice reflects genuine emotion, and he seems far more invested in the project than everyone else.
Despite its problems, I still have to tip my hat to Wonder Woman for capturing my imagination and outclassing most other direct-to-video DC and Marvel animated films. In fact, were it not for such uneven voice work, Wonder Woman would be real stand out. Fans and non-fans alike should really give this one a look.
Warner has given Wonder Woman an impressive 1080p/VC-1 transfer that rarely misses the mark. The film boasts a rich palette, bold primaries, exceedingly inky blacks, and inviting contrast. Detail is sharp to a fault — the rough texture of each character’s lineart is apparent throughout, backgrounds are swimming with legible text and perfectly-defined objects, and every errant stroke of the animators’ pen is captured on screen.
Two minor problems are evident; even though banding is an issue that often plagues animated productions, its presence here often detracts from Wonder Woman’s visuals. Moreover, while the picture is generally clean, a few shots suffer from faint artifacting. Thankfully, image clarity is fairly consistent throughout the film and more often than not, the transfer looks great. All in all, it may not be a reference level presentation, but animation fans should nevertheless be pleased with Warner’s efforts.
Wonder Woman possesses a strong and reliable Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track that elevates Wonder Woman above its somewhat pedestrian sound design. Dialogue is crisp, clean, and nicely prioritized across the front soundstage, LFE support lends legitimate weight to the film’s various blows and explosions, and the rear speakers inject environmental ambience into Themyscira’s locales. Dynamic range is never lacking, directionality is spot on, and the sheen and wheen of sword slashes pierce the soundscape.
Wonder Woman arrives on Blu-ray with all of the special features that appear on the DVD edition, as well as a few exclusive Justice League episodes. Once again, all of Warner’s video content is presented in standard definition, but the quality of the material is noteworthy.
• Audio Commentary: Senior DC Creative Affairs Vice President Gregory Noveck, producer Bruce Timm, director Lauren Montgomery, and writer Michael Jelenic discuss the history of the “Wonder Woman” comic book, its adaptation for the film, choices in animation and character design, and the tone and direction of the project.
• A Subversive Dream (SD, 26 minutes): The first of two documentaries explores the importance and continued relevance of Wonder Woman, her influence on storylines and characters over the years and her effect on the industry as a whole.
• The Daughters of Myth (SD, 26 minutes): This second documentary digs into Wonder Woman’s origin, her connections with mythology, and her psychological profile.
• Animated Green Lantern First Look (SD, 10 minutes): An upcoming project preview that consists of little more than talking heads, concept art, and rough sketches.
• Bonus Justice League Episodes (SD, 89 minutes): Timm has selected four Justice League episodes for the Blu-ray edition including “Paradise Lost” parts 1 and 2, “Hawk and Dove,” and “To Another Shore.”
• Sneak Peeks (SD, 31 minutes): Archive sneak peeks at Wonder Woman, Batman: Gotham Knight, and Justice League: The New Frontier.
