by Emma Smith, Reporter
Grab your lasso of truth and swing your way into an “old is new” adventure with Diana of Themyscira. The “75 years” Commemorative Edition of the animated feature Wonder Woman is here.
Wonder Woman explores Diana’s origins and her reasons of entering the “world of men.” The film begins with a devastating battle between the Amazons and the forces of Ares, the god of war. Just as Hippolyta, the leader of the Amazons, is about to deal a fatal blow to Ares, she is stopped by Zeus. As compensation for preventing her victory, Hera binds Ares’ godhood with bracelets and gives him to the Amazons as a captive. The bracelets can only be removed by another god and render Ares temporarily mortal. Zeus also gives the Amazons the island of Themyscira, where they can remain hidden from the rest of the world. Hera also gives life to Diana, who Hippolyta forms out of clay as she can no longer have children due to a previous rape and forcible pregnancy by Ares.
Many years later, the Amazons are still living peacefully on the island, apart from the rest of humanity. Diana, now grown, chafes at the limitations of their island life. Adventures finds her when American pilot Steve Trevor crash lands onto the island. Though her mother is initially reluctant to allow Diana to accompany Steve home to New York, she allows it after Diana wins a contest of strength and battle abilities. During the commotion surrounding Steve and the contest, one of Ares’ guards Persephone helps him escape. Diana is tasked with taking Steve home and locating and capturing Ares. The Steve assists Diana with her mission, which takes them from the literal gates of hell to the steps of the Washington Monument.
Voice work is always integral to good animated movies and tv shows, and the vocal talent in Wonder Woman doesn’t disappoint. Keri Russell (The Americans) is a great choice for Diana. She manages to sound both young and strong at the same time. Nathan Fillion (Castle) as Steve toes the line between obnoxious frat boy and heroic military man in quite entertaining fashion. Alfred Molina (Close to the Enemy) has the perfect voice for Ares. I’m not sure how he manages to convey arrogance so effectively with only his voice, but he really does. Oliver Platt (Chicago Med) has a relatively minor role as the god of the underworld Hades, but he still makes an impression with vocal work best described as oozing. Rounding out the cast are Rosario Dawson (The Lego Batman Movie) as the warrior Artemis, Tara Strong (DC Super Hero Girls) as the bookish Alexa, Vicki Lewis (Finding Dory) as the traitor Persephone, Virginia Madsen (Designated Survivor) as Queen Hippolyta, Marg Helgenberger (CSI) as Hera, and David McCallum (NCIS) as Zeus.
The quality of the visual work is mixed. There are some beautiful visuals, particularly of the island, and the scope of the battle scenes is impressive. But the animation itself is often choppy, and some of the individual elements of the characters is crudely done. In particular, Steve’s hair looks odd in every frame he’s in. The animation is in the style of “Saturday morning cartoons” and is certainly watchable. It just doesn’t have the smoothness one may have come to expect from the ascendency of animated features in the past few decades.
Some other random thoughts from watching Wonder Woman:
- Why on earth are Greek gods speaking some weird Latin/Greek hybrid? I know google translate was around in 2009, and ancient languages aren’t interchangeable. That is depressingly lazy on the part of the writer.
- Watching Diana shoot down Steve’s awkward seduction attempts is very entertaining. It’s unclear why the writers felt they had to follow all that up with an unnecessary romantic ending.
- There is a surprising amount of social commentary in this movie, with varying levels of subtlety.
- It seems like a film with this level of violence would probably be R rated if all the blood wasn’t flowing from cartoon people. Be aware there are multiple decapitations if you are planning on watching this with children.
Special Features
- What Makes a Wonder Woman
- Wonder Woman: A Subversive Dream
- Wonder Woman: Daughter of Myth
- Commentary from the Creative Team
- A Sneak Peek at Batman and Harley Quinn
Overall
Wonder Woman holds up well as only the fourth movie in the DC Animated Original Movie universe, despite some growing pains. If you like the character, it is well worth a watch. The Special Features on this edition include the original explorations into the character, which are in depth and informative, as well as the new “What Makes a Wonder Woman,” which includes some interviews with the creative team from the upcoming live action Wonder Woman.
ComicsOnline gives Wonder Woman – Commemorative Edition – 4 out of 5 lassos of truth.
