Wonder Woman Review

Alright, I spent my Sunday afternoon watching those direct-to-video (DTV) movies I picked up in the city yesterday, so let's get to it! Let's share my opinions with the world on....

Wonder Woman

Directed by Lauren Montgomery

Starring the voices of Keri Russel, Nathon Fillion, Alfred Molina, Rosario Dawson, Marg Helgenberger, Oliver Platt, and Virginia Madsen.

Backstory: So, the DC/WB has had a pretty good streak so far with the DTV animated films. For their latest one, they finally get around to the third part of the DC trinity, the Amazon Princess herself, Wonder Woman. Producer Bruce Timm himself admitted that they were never able to give Wonder Woman her due. Would they finally be able to do it by making her the star of her own DTV film?

Plot: For centuries, the Amazon warriors of legend have live in peace and solitude on the hidden island of Themyscira. Their only duty: to stand guard over Ares, god of war, rendered powerless by Zeus. But, their existence is shattered one day when American Air Force pilot Steve Trevor crashes his plane on their island. Ares takes advantage of the commotion to escape. So then, the Amazons choose a champion to go on a mission to Man's World. The mission is twofold: return Trevor to his home, and apprehend Ares. The champion chosen: their own princess, Diana. Will Diana be able to navigate the hazards of Man's World and re-capture Ares?

What I Liked: The one thing I wasn't expecting about this film was how funny it is. It's just funny as hell to watch Diana arrive in Man's World, and then spend a great deal of time bitch-slapping every piece of crap that women are expected to deal with in today's world. The voice acting is top notch, too. I'll admit, when it was announced that Keri Russel would be voicing Wonder Woman, I didn't think she had enough..bad-ass-itude to pull it off. But she does so wonderfully. And also, Nathan Fillion as Steve Trevor...again, funny as hell. But it's not all giggles. There's also some pretty hardcore action scenes with lots of blood and be-headings.

What I Didn't Like: Sadly, I found Rosario Dawson's voice acting to be a little flat. And it was so darn short. I don't know who decided that these WB/DC DTV films have to be 75 minutes, but that person must be punished. With so little time, there's so many supporting characters that I feel got short shrift.

Final Assessment: This is the best DC Universe DTV animated film to date. Keep 'em coming!

4 Nibs

Bonus Material: The film is out in both single-disc and 2-disc special editions. Of course, I got the 2-disc special ed. For bonus materials, you get a running commentary with the director and producers, three featuretts (the first one about making the film, the second about the history of Wonder Woman, and the third about Wonder Woman's ties to Greek mythology), a couple of Wonder Woman-centric episodes of Justice League, and a sneak peak at the next DC Universe DTV film, Green Lantern: First Flight, due out this summer.