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Um, SPOILER!!!!!
she has the invisible jet in this too! Big deal I always liked the invisible jet.
This movie is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!
Can't wait for the GL animated movie
For some reason a Wonder Woman live action feature can never get off the ground. Sure the whole world remembers Lynda Carter on TV kicking ass and taking names. Despite the show’s success and the character’s long history there still isn’t a Wonder Woman movie. Is it that guys don’t wanna see guys rescued? That women in general just don’t make up enough of the movie going public? Hey Hollywood, did you see how much the Sex and the City movie made? An animated feature released direct to video is a safe bet for both Warner Brothers and DC Comics. Perhaps here on this stage the studio heads and the powers that be will see whether or not Wonder Woman can make the leap from small screen to the multiplex.
After watching Wonder Woman I’ll take that bet. Written by Michael Jelenic, Gail Simone and directed by Lauren Montgomery Wonder Woman is tour de force of both action and story that not only rivals but surpasses most superhero movies of the past. A bloody prologue reveals the basis for how and why Hippolyta (Virginia Madsen) took her warriors to Themyscira (Paradise Island). More importantly it lays the groundwork for not only the hatred Ares the God of War (Alfred Molina) has for his former beloved Hippolyta, but just how Wonder Woman (Keri Russell) came to be born.
Wonder Wonder as she first appears in full costume in the all new DC Universe film
© Warner Bros. Ent Inc.
Origin stories are always a must in first outings or re-introductions of a character to a new audience and often times they bog down the story with oversimplified exposition. Here it ties in nicely to the whole plot and serves it perfectly. Does Peter Parker’s origin have a lot to do with stopping the Green Goblin? Not really. Does Ares’ hatred for Hippolyta and his imprisonment effect Wonder Woman? You’d better believe it.
There are of course the well known trials that Wonder Woman competes in to become the representative of her people to the outside world. There is also her meeting Col. Steve Trevor, the perfectly cast Nathan Fillion, and her journey to becoming a hero, none of which disappoints. The film also escapes any preaching about the equality of women to men. When Wonder Woman is in our world she sees how women act and the hypocrisy of it all. This is done with humor and class and never a pointing finger.
WONDER WOMAN (slideshow)
© Warner Bros. Ent. Inc.
For the action junkie (yes you read that right) Wonder Woman is a balls-to-the-wall, bloody good time. This isn’t a movie for little kids and the prologue rivals the style and look of Frank Miller’s “300” comic. You’ll lose track of the body count and severed limbs as the Amazon Sisters battle the forces of Ares. If you are in it for the animation it is reminiscent of the old Justice League Unlimited series but here it has a realness to it. The old JLU series had that cartoony feel with it’s over-exaggeration of character traits. Here the look is real and even harsh but it never loses that iconic feel.
There are several documentaries about the history of Wonder Woman and her creator William M. Marston. Marston, a Harvard psychologist and developer of the lie detector, is examined as well as the effect and timing that Wonder Woman had on the youth of America. America itself is examined as well as the pulp books of the day but it is after Wonder Woman’s inception into comics that her presence is felt in everything from Rosie the Riveter to Ms. Magazine. There are down sides to the documentaries. The first is the redundancy of a lot of information. The second is learning that even after all of her strides for women after Wonder Woman joined the Justice Society of America in the comics her first team made her the secretary and she stayed behind when the guys went on a mission.
Steve Trevor reacts angrily to Ares' affront to an American icon in the all new DC Universe animated original movie, WONDER WOMAN
© Warner Bros. Ent. Inc.
Another odd feature is the old sneak peeks at Justice League: A New Frontier (see review) and Batman-Gotham Knight (see review). It is understandable that DC and Warner Brothers would want to cross promote these films but anyone that is a fan has either seen them or owns them. A trailer for both films would have been fine. The new Green Lantern sneak peek is also contained here and it looks to hold a lot of promise (see Mania’s full article on Warner’s next animated feature).
Thankfully Warner Brothers is carrying on the tradition of allowing uber producer Bruce Timm to include his favorite episodes from the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. “Hawk and Dove” is one of my personal favorites highlighting the duo’s team up with Wonder Woman. This episode is proof that second or third tier characters could make the JLU more interesting than the core seven. Genre fans will appreciate the two part “Paradise Lost” episodes for not only it’s tie to the new Wonder Woman feature but it’s bad guy pairing of Robert Englund as Felix Faust and John Rhys-Davies as Lord Hades.
Um, SPOILER!!!!!
she has the invisible jet in this too! Big deal I always liked the invisible jet.
This movie is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!
Can't wait for the GL animated movie
I love WW! The first female superhero Iv'e ever seen and the archetype for all that came after her. Because the original is the best.
My wife picked this up last night and we watched it together. Solid piece of work, great animation and voice cast. The story seemed to get a little muddled toward the end but overall I enjoyed it very much. My wife on the other hand loved every single frame and can't speak highly enough of it.
The battle at the beginning was EPIC. If they ever make a live action version, the beginning should follow what they laid out here.
This is excellent...she kicks Superman's DVD's ass....completely...I'll be looking at this again this evening....voice talents are top notch.
I purchased the other DC animated titles and enjoyed them so it looks like I will have to pick up wonder woman. The best thing DC ever did to the character is to ditch the need for the invisible jet and have wonder woman fly under her own power.