February 9, 2009
It is finally here…the first SOLO WONDER WOMAN movie. Friday February 6, 2009 animation guru Bruce Timm, DC Comics VP-Creative Affairs Gegory Novack, Director Lauren Montgomery, and Writer Michael Jelenic debuted this animated feature at the New York Comic Con. After a brief intro by Gregory Novack, and a little video by voice talent Nathan Fillion, the movie began.
First off, the voice work is superb. Starring Keri Russell in the titular role. With Nathan Fillion, Rosario Dawson, Virginia Madsen, Alfred Molina, and Oliver Platt rounding out this wonderful cast. Again, voice director Andrea Romano proves she is the best at what she does.
The film opens with a 300-esque battle (bloody and violent) between the Amazonians of Themyscira and the warring forces of Ares the God of War. The Queen of the Amazonians Hippolyta barely defeats Ares. Instead of allowing her to destroy Ares, Zeus cannot allow his son to be killed, instead he strips Ares of his powers, and forces him to be a prisoner of the Amazons forever.
The violence inherit in men forces the Amazons to hide Themyscira from mankind, forever preserving their utopia. Hera then blesses Hippolyta with a child sculpted from sand. We all know what becomes of this child. Diana…Wonder Woman.
What happens next is relatively true to the origin. Col. Steve Trevor crashes his fighter-jet into Themyscira after Hippolyta reveals the island for just a moment. Col. Trevor becomes a prisoner for the Amazons, and undergoes interrogation. Hippolyta decides that he is no threat, and must send him back to the world of man. Diana wins the contest to decide the emissary to the outside world. She is given her armor, gauntlets, tiara, and golden lasso of truth. This is where she becomes the heroine known as Wonder Woman, and Steve Trevor starts to fall for Diana.
During all of this, Ares escapes due to the help of a rogue Amazon. He reclaims his godly powers, and another war ensues. Pitting Ares -- and his army of beasts, monsters, and the undead -- against Wonder Woman and her Amazonian sisters.
This was a fun movie to watch. This is in large part due to the witty script by Michael Jelenic, William Marston, and Gail Simone. A lot of the jokes are gender related, but they never get old. Diana and Steves’s chemistry and flirtation truly glue this movie together and make it a very enjoyable experience.
Lauren Montgomery gets all the praise in the world. For balancing the over-the-top "demon into the wall" action, and the very intriguing dynamic between Steve and Diana. While keeping the basic kick-ass undertone that Wonder Woman deserves. This is as HER movie, hands down
This is a great addition to the DC animated collection. With all my die-hard Batman fandom put to the side, this is the best of the four animated films. You should definitely pick it up when it’s released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 3, 2009.
PS: If you don't laugh at "Pucker Factor" you don't have a soul.
After the film, There was a brief Q&A. I dropped the BOF name, and got a very special surprise. After the Q&A Bruce TImm himself came up to me, and asked what BOF was doing at the WONDER WOMAN screening. All I could say on behalf of Jett and his site was that BOF is always interested in the rest of the DCU. What better way to start bridging the gap, then by seeing the best animated film they have put out?
I asked him when the next "serious" Batman animated project would be coming our way. he laughed and said "Batman is always patient, you guys should be too!"
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