Movie Review: Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman

For a long time, “Direct to Video” was considered the kiss of death when releasing a movie. If your movie went straight to the video store without a broadcast or theatrical release, it meant that no one wanted your product. It put your work firmly in the realm of the “B movie”. Nowadays, studios are realizing that more and more people have a movie collection at home, so you can see a nice shift in direct to video films. There are still those “Gee, another movie with Eric Roberts” moments, but you’ll often find some real gems in the bargain bin when you pass by your local Video City or Astrovision.

Take Warner Home Video and their recent partnership with DC Comics. They already gave is what is quite frankly the best superhero cartoon series EVER to air on TV, Justice League. When that ran its course after the fifth season, WB and DC started cranking out straight to DVD animated features. They’d already had some experience with this when they did a few for the old Batman Animated series, but now they were stepping out of the G-rated DC Animated universe they had created and moving into the big leagues of PG-13.

Wonder Woman, released earlier this year, is one of the results of studios accepting the new paradigm that cartoons aren’t just for kids. It’s obviously heavily influenced by the DC Animated Universe, no surprise since Bruce Timm, the man behind the DCAU, is the producer. Though the director, Lauren Montgomery, a former story boarder for Timm, is obviously a fan of Disney, she manages to keep the adult themes going. Despite their work on the Saturday morning squad, these guys (with the help of writers Michael Jelenic & Gail Simone) were able to cook up a story that appeals to adult fans, too.

They make full use of the PG-13 rating, with the film taking on a decidedly violent bent. It’s not too far out there, since Wonder Woman is really Diana of the Amazons, a race of warrior women cut off from the rest of the world since the days of Ancient Greece. It’s great to see the origins of some of DC’s best characters being retold. I think this really is the medium for it, and it works so much better than DC’s retcons, or Marvel’s whole “Ultimate” Marvel Universe. There are some really great fight scenes, and though it’s not Miller’s 300, you’ll get to see a beheading or two. At least in silhouette.

You’ll also see a lot of flirting in this animated film. It’s by no means Playboy’s Girl Next Door, but Montgomery’s Amazons aren’t afraid of their sexuality. A lot has been said about how good a role model Wonder Woman is for girls but face it, she’s a better hero for a child than Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears. Sure, she runs around in a corset and panties, but she can kick Batman’s ass while doing it, so things are about even. The whole thing is addressed when Diana teaches a crying girl how to swordfight. She shows her how to impale the boys who wouldn’t let her play pirates. “Unleash Hell,” she says.

Keri Russell plays Wonder Woman, and to her credit, I never once thought “Felicity” until I read the credits. Nathan Fillion (Serenity!), who plays a smarmy rogue so well, is perfect as downed pilot Steve Trevor, who trapped on an island of women, naturally finds time to play peeping tom. The rest of cast is filled with “real” actors, from Alfred Molina, to Virginia Madsen, to Rosario Dawson. The best voice acting is when you can’t recognize the voice because they’re selling the character. That’s the reason stuff like “Shark’s Tale” fails so miserably, since the animators are trying to hard too make the fish like Will Smith. Will Smith should become the fish. Happily, the cast here knows what it’s doing.

Art and cinematography for the film is excellent. The 70 minute runtime goes by fast since about 30% of it is composed of big fight scenes. It opens with the traditional action spectacular, an epic battle between Hippolyta’s Amazon forces and the Legion of Ares. It’s a nice foundation for the story and gets much of the exposition out of the way. Then you get into the Origin of Diana, the classic one where she is made out of mud and given life by Hippolyta’s longing for a child of her own. There’s the classic tournament where Diana wins the right to represent the Thymiscria as ambassador to the outside world, and yes… the Invisible Jet is there. No explanation whatsoever, but it’s there. You canon whores can be satisfied.

All in all, Warner and DC is giving Marvel and Lionsgate Home Entertainment a run for their money. You can’t help but compare this title with the recent Hulk Vs. Thor feature, and it is easily a match. While it’s not as violent, and the art is a little more Disney, the plot is every bit as engaging and fresh as it was when Diana was first introduced in 1941.