Author's note: DVD Talk sent me the one disc edition of this new animated original movie to review. A 2 disc special edition - with additional extras - is also available. Of course, there's a Blu-ray version as well, already reviewed for our site by John Sinnott here.

I have to confess: while I'm a long-time comic book superhero fan, I've never been all that interested in Wonder Woman. Sure, she's been a steady mainstay in the DC Universe for decades, but she always seemed second-tiered, a goofy near-parody of costumed crusaders (which I realize, talking about superheroes, is something that's very relative). Growing up with reruns of the Lynda Carter television series version - which seemed silly even in adolescence - probably didn't help matters much.

Still, I looked forward to seeing Warner Brothers' new direct-to-video animated production. While superheroes reign at the box office in recent years, they've also been populating a fair amount of respectable direct-to-video fare: with Marvel heroes appearing in flicks released by Lionsgate, and DC heroes, of course, showing up courtesy of WB.

Having now seen Wonder Woman, my response is a bit conflicted. It's entertaining, especially for adult comic book fans, but it has some severe problems too.

Wonder Woman retells the familiar origins of this "legendary" superhero. After a lengthy battle with a high body count between the all-female Amazons led by Hippolyta (voiced by Virginia Madsen) and the all-male armies of the god Ares (Alfred Molina), the women are granted an island by the gods shielded from prying eyes where they could live in peace and tranquility. Hippolyta fashions a baby out of sand and drops of her blood during a thunderstorm, and a flash of lightning animates the baby, who would grow up to be the titular Wonder Woman (Kerry Russell). When Air Force pilot Steve Trevor (Nathan Fillion) crash lands on the island, a chain of events ensues that sees Wonder Woman enter the modern world as Ares is freed from prison to wreak havoc anew.

There's no arguing the film's producers assembled a reputable cast of actors to voice the characters; in addition to the actors mentioned above, Marg Helgenberger, Rosario Dawson, and Oliver Platt can be heard in the movie. And the animation isn't bad either. In fact, the flick is colorful and there's some nice background work, especially on the island Themyscira and in New York City (though Washington D.C. isn't as well-realized in the movie's climax).

However, the film's PG-13 violence is a bit much for the proceedings and could alienate younger viewers. Older viewers, on the other hand, may feel the violence doesn't go far enough. Characters get sliced and diced throughout, for instance, but there's relatively little blood. I guess that sounds like a horror fan complaining about PG-13 slasher flicks, but it's true nonetheless. Wonder Woman tries for both audiences and thus never really succeeds at reaching either. The movie's faux feminism also seems forced, and Wonder Woman's romance with Steve seems perfunctory at best.

So, all in all, it's a brisk 74 minute animated romp more for the mature comic book fan than anyone else. As such, I'd recommend it - but it certainly could have been better.

The DVD

Video:

Warner Brothers provides Wonder Woman with an anamorphic widescreen presentation. Like most modern animation, this film looks very nice. Colors are bright, and details are sharp.

Sound:

Wonder Woman has one lone audio track: an English language Dolby Digital 5.1 affair. The frequent battle sequences seem to suitably surround the listener - and dialogue is always strong and clear, perhaps almost too much so in the mix.

Optional subtitles are available in English and French.

Extras:

An ad for the Blu-ray format and a trailer for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoon series precede the main menu. These don't appear to be accessible in the menu system, but a Trailers link provides access to spots for Lego Batman, Inkheart, Scooby Doo and the Samurai Sword, and The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest.

More significant extras include several featurettes. A First Look at the Animated Feature Film Green Lantern (10:11; anamorphic), From Graphic Novel to Original Animated Movie - Justice League: The New Frontier (10:44; anamorphic), and Batman: Gotham Knight: An Anime Evolution (10:09; non-anamorphic, for some reason) were passably interesting, if a bit too promotional for my liking. Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess (10:25; and again, non-anamorphic) seemed too brief considering it's supplementing the movie.

An audio commentary with several members of the film's creative team, including director Lauren Montgomery and writer Michael Jelenic, offers the most in-depth extra - though I find commentary tracks to typically be the most interesting extra on a disc.

Final Thoughts:

The audience for this overly-violent take on the Wonder Woman mythos may be limited, but I suspect comics fans will be pleased by Warner Brothers' latest foray into direct-to-video DC superhero hijinks. Recommended.

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