When someone mentions DC Comics there are three heroes that immediately come to mind: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. While Batman and Superman have had many TV animated appearances Wonder Woman has never gone solo, appearing only in Justice League and JLU. But now, DC Comics proudly presents its newest Direct to DVD/ Blu-ray release of Wonder Woman! This is the 4th release under the DC Universe Direct to DVD series and is produced by Bruce Timm, best known for his work on the Batman, Superman and Justice League Animated Series.

Story
This is Wonder Woman’s first full length animated film and DC has made sure that the character is handled proudly. We (the viewers) are treated to a beautifully animated origin story of not just Princess Diana, but of all of the Amazons and how they became secluded from the outside world. Many years ago the Amazons had been attacked by Ares, the God of War. The leader of the Amazons, Queen Hippolyta, was prevented from killing Ares by Zeus. Because of this action by her husband, the Goddess Hera gives the Amazons the mystical island of Themyscira, where they will be protected from the ravages of both man and time! Ares is also de-powered by Hera and imprisoned on their island.

Centuries pass and the Amazons are left alone…until fighter pilot Steve Trevor crashes on their island. It is determined that someone must represent the Amazons as a liaison to the world of man, and thus a tournament begins. Diana is denied entry into the tournament by her mother, Queen Hippolyta, but enters anyways. She quickly wins the tournament and her mother allows her to leave. While the tournament is proceeding, Ares is released from his prison by a surprising ally. Upon the discovery of his escape, Diana is now tasked with returning Trevor to the world of man AND stopping Ares at all costs.

Cast
The DC Universe Animated films have had a history of using great voice actors in their films and not holding back on getting the best talent available. Wonder Woman is no exception. The cast includes:

Keri Russel as Wonder Woman

Nathan Fillion as Steve Trevor

Alfred Molina as Ares

Rosario Dawson as Artemis

Virginia Madsen as Queen Hippolyta

Special Features
-Wonder Woman: A Subversive Dream Documentary

-Wonder Woman: Daughter of Myth

-Commentary by the Film’s Creative Team

-Bruce Timm Presents 4 Bonus Cartoons

-Exclusive Look at DC Universe’s Green Lantern Animated Film

-1080 video

-Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 Audio

Overall
The casting on this film couldn’t have been any better. Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion fill the roles of Diana and Steve perfectly. Alfred Molina’s Ares is definitely more of a force of nature and the conviction in his voice is just outstanding. I was very impressed with the designs for most of the characters, the exception being Steve Trevor, who seemed a bit…plain in comparison. There are also a few plot holes but nothing big (how do they have an invisible jet? Was it Trevor’s originally and it had been modified? I was confused as to where it came from…) This film is a great version of the Wonder Woman origin and it just goes to show that a Wonder Woman live action film could be amazing and entertaining. Diana doesn’t just fit in with the outside world, she must adapt. She is a fish out of water and looks at the world of man with a lot of conviction. She is a strong character and raises a lot of good points about sexism in our world and shows how strong women can be. I hope that we do get to see more animated adventures from this character because there is definitely a lot of potential for stories within the new animated universe that DC is creating.

ComicsOnline gives DC Universe’s Wonder Woman 5 out of 5 invisible jets.