Wonder Woman: Commemorative Edition - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Wonder Woman: Commemorative Edition

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
It was pretty much inevitable that Wonder Woman was going to get a re-release considering the fact that DC is on the verge or releasing the live action film in just a few scant weeks. As much as I chuckle and roll my eyes at many re-releases, I am more than happy to promote the releasing of the 2009 film back into the public eye, as it was one of the better early DC animated films that came out in Blu-ray’s infancy. It was funny, definitely adult oriented, and full of action that served a purpose, and starring one of my favorite super heroines of all time. Fans of the original Blu-ray may be disappointed that the only difference on the disc is a single new special feature, and the inclusion of a DVD and Digital copy, but the movie itself stands on its own two legs as very impressive animated film amongst the rest of the New 52 films that DC seems intent on making.

We’re back at the VERY beginning of Wonder Woman’s (Keri Russell) creation, as the film starts out with Ares (Alfred Molina, chewing up the scenery in glorious fashion) waging war on the Amazonian people led by Queen Hippolyta (Virginia Madsen). Just as Ares is FINALLY defeated, Zeus and Hera intervene, commanding Hippolyta spare their war mongering son’s life. In consolation, they DO agree to have Ares’ power stripped from him with a set of magical wrist bands that turn the God of War into a mortal man, doomed to be imprisoned under Hippolyta’s control for all time. With her people ravaged, Hippolyta is given an island paradise where they are magically shielded from the rest of the world and can live in peace.

It’s several centuries later, and the Amazonian women are living in peace. Hippolyta has given birth (supernaturally) to a beautiful daughter named Diana (Keri) who is a head strong woman overconfident in her own powers. However, their peaceful life is not as peaceful as Hippolyta would have liked. She has several members of her long-lived race that wish for the glory days of battle, or at least some contact with the outside world. A world they banished from themselves years ago and are paying the price of loneliness. Their stable world comes crashing down when a wounded fighter pilot named Steve Trevor (Nathan Fillion) crash lands on their invisible island purely by accident. At the same time, Ares manages to escape his confinement due to a treacherous Amazonian lover, meaning that Diana is now not only tasked with the mission to bring Steve Trevor back to humanity, but save humanity from Ares himself before it’s too late.

Wonder Woman is a great origins story, that creates a very “ancient” feeling to it as well. The animation style of Bruce Timm and the eastern styles blend together to create a seamless action landscape that teems with blood, fisticuffs and a great feminist storyline that is more reminiscent of REAL originalist feminism vs. the third wave stuff that permeates so much of Hollywood today. The all-star cast pushes Wonder Woman over the edge, allowing it to really hover on the edge of greatness rather than be an average animated flick. Alfred Molina just chews up the scenery as the scene stealing Ares, purely malevolent in every way. Nathan Fillion is a close second though, stealing every bit of charm and charisma with Nathan Fillion being…well…Nathan Fillion. One liners, witty snark and a charming persona make Steve a fantastic character with some actual depth to him. There’s quite a few cameos throughout with Rosario Dawson, Oliver Platt, David McCallum, Marg Helgenberger and Virginia Madsen, but nothing beats Keri Russell’s subtle performance. Usually you can tell EXACTLY when Keri is on screen, but she is so absorbed into her role as Diana that I couldn’t tell it was actually Keri unless I REALLY listened hard.

Sometimes there’s a little bit less plot than you would hope for, but overall the movie is a blast to watch. My only real COMPLAINT is that as much as I love Nathan Fillion and he’s fantastic in the movie, it’s more him playing NATHAN FILLION than anything. Not a real complain at all, but more a little grumble for those who now that Fillion loves to use his charm and appeal than absorb into the character.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for violence throughout and some suggestive material




Video:

Wonder Woman comes to Blu-ray once more with the same VC-1 encode that the 2009 disc sported. That's not a horrible thing (even though the VC-1 codec is considered slightly inferior to AVC) as the image is vibrant and stable, much like most of the rest of the DC animated studios lineup. There's the occasional banding to mar the image (pretty much par for the course with most DC animated films for some reason. A phenomenon that seems to be baked into the masters of most of them), but other than that, the image is crisp and clean, with no major issues to report. The biggest boon (in my eyes) comes from the fact that Wonder Woman is using the Bruce Timm animation style, which gives us a nice nostalgic feel to the animated movies/shows of the late 90s and early 2000s before the art styles switched across. The colors are richly saturated, with the island of the Amazonians along with with Hades chambers showing the brightest use of primaries. Luscious greens of the island pop with bright blue waves, while Hades world is saturated with deep earth tones mixed with deep dark reds. The rest of the human world is a bit dim (as most of scenes take place inside office buildings or late at night), and there is some black crush that does get annoying here and there (Hades and his underworld is the most egregious for that issue), but once again, a minor issue. Fine detail is excellent throughout, showing off Timm's fantastic animation as well as no signs of major softness to the naked eye. An overall VERY solid transfer, despite the age of the original master and codec used.



Audio:

The original Blu-ray for Wonder Woman came with a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track, and after doing an A/B comparison between that one and this new 5.1 DTS-HD MA track, I have to say that they're pretty much identical. My guess is that they just took the original source audio and repackaged it using the DTS-HD MA packaging, giving pretty much the same great experience as before. The 5.1 mix is a very strong mix, with great use of surrounds and a nice action oriented track that rippled with bass. The dialog is strong and cleanly replicated, with no sounds of imbalanced or distortion, and the front sound stage is alive with all sorts of fighting and supernatural effects. The surrounds are GOOD, but do take on some of the nature that is a DTV animated movie. There's some mildly boxy pans across the rears, and while LFE is constant, it's never wildly THROBBING. The music is well placed and effective, but sometimes a little bit subdued being my only REAL complaint out of the entire audio track. An all around solid performer.



Extras:

• Featurette – What Makes A Wonder Woman: For 75 years, Wonder Woman has resonated with audiences because of her loving nature and quest for truth. Hear some of her biggest fans and fellow creators discuss how her qualities have crafted her into the icon we know today.
• Sneak Peek - Batman and Harley Quinn: Sneak peek at the next DC Universe Original Movie, Batman and Harley Quinn, featuring the talented creators and voice cast
• Creative Team Commentary: Scene and film analysis by producers Bruce Timm & Gregory Noveck, director Lauren Montgomery and screenwriter Michael Jelenic.
• Featurette – Wonder Woman: A Subversive Dream – A definitive look at a psychologist' s dream, and the rich history of one of the pillars of DC Comics.
• Featurette – Wonder Woman: Daughter of Myth – This revealing documentary explores the archetype and tradition of the female DC Comics Super Hero.

Final Score: ​

Wonder Woman was a fun watch 8 years ago, and was one of the BETTER DC animated films before they shifted over entirely to the serialized New 52 versions of the DC characters. Powerful, earning its PG-13 rating, and featuring an all star cast, Wonder Woman still is just as entertaining today amidst all of this super hero fatigue as it was back when the Blu-ray format was still new. My only complaints stem from the fact that this is using the exact same VC-1 master from 8 years ago, and the same audio mix (just repackaged in DTS-HD MA instead of Dolby TrueHD) and there is only ONE new special feature on the disc. For a commemorative edition it's a bit lackluster, but for those who have never bought the disc before, the addition of the DVD (making it a combo pack) and the Digital copy will be enough to ensure that this is the best version of the movie out there. As much as I want to gripe, rumor has it that this was SUPPOSED to include the uncut edition of the film, but WB had gotten an R rating on it back in 2009. Hoping that the MPAA was a bit more lenient nearly a decade later they submitted the uncut version once more for a rating and got the same R rating (something that WB didn't want for its target demographic) meaning they scrapped that project and just re-released the same old disc for a tie in with the upcoming live action Wonder Woman film (again, this is just what I have gleaned through the grapevine and contacts in the industry). Still a recommended film by me no matter what.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Alfred Molina
Directed by: Lauren Montgomery
Written by: William Moulton Marsten (WW creator), Gail Simone (Screenplay)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 VC-1
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish, Portuguese DD 2.0
Studio: Warner
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 74 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: May 16th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[Todd Anderson]

Nice review, Mike. I'm tempted to check this one out!

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will have to look for this one.