Review: Wonder Woman: Blu-Ray Commemorative Edition
New Author working on this publishing thing. Also a fan girl, sci-fi geek and unofficial nerd lover.
With the new Wonder Woman movie being released, I picked up this commemorative Blu-Ray with new cover art and a steel book case. The original film was released in 2009. Again, I found myself pleasantly surprised at the witty dialogue and zippy adult humor. Bonus, it’s directed by Lauren Montgomery, executive producer for Voltron: Legendary Defender. Plus, it’s Wonder Woman. I mean, Wonder Woman, people!
Review: Wonder Woman: Blu-Ray Commemorative Edition
(spoiler alert)
This feature is really Diana’s origin story. We begin with a heated battle between the Amazons and Ares, which leads to the eventual capture of Ares (the God of War) and the death of Hippolyta and Ares’ son. From the banter back and forth between them, it’s implied that Hippolyta had Ares’ son against her will. This whole opening scene literally has heads rolling.
Summary:
Fast forward to the future and we see how Diana was born from sand, blood, and the will of the gods. The Amazons live on the enchanted island of Themyscira. She is raised as a warrior, but she often wonders about the outside world. Hippolyta wants to protect Diana from man. Okay, so I will admit that the stereotypes about men are a fairly large part of how Diana perceives the world. However, they’re delivered at just the right moments and with the perfect amount of humor.
Back to our story. An army fighter pilot, Steven Trevor (voiced by the amazing Nathan Fillion), crash-lands on the island. The Amazons learn that he is no threat. He is about to be returned to the outside world, but before Trevor can be escorted back, Ares escapes from the island with Persephone’s help. Some Amazons are killed during this prison break. Diana pleads with her mother to allow her to bring Ares back, however, Hippolyta won’t allow it. She calls for a tournament to determine the right woman for the job. Naturally, Diana wears a disguise and wins the tournament. She cannot be denied the honor to track down Ares and escort Steve back and she will not fail her mother or her Amazon sisters. We love you Wonder Woman!
The couple arrives in New York to “drop” Steve off, but he convinces Diana that he can help her find Ares. A laugh-out-loud moment between Diana and Steve’s secretary/friend occurs. At least, I thought it was very funny. There is also a scene where Steve thinks he can drink Wonder Woman under the table. I don’t think so. These light-hearted moments are a nice balance.
Diana and Steve track Ares down as he is about to perform a sacrifice to open a gate to the Underworld. He hopes to persuade his uncle, Hades, to remove the bracers that prevent him from using his powers. Diana is knocked unconscious by a harpy, prompting Steve to save her over trying to stop Ares. When Diana awakes in the hospital, she and Steve have the big, what-the-movie-is-all-about fight. She slaps him twice during this rant. He professes that isolation has denied them the chance to live and love. Wait for it…he then reveals that he cares about her. Of course, he does. He’s only been hitting on her throughout the entire movie!
Ares persuades Hades to free him. With the bracers removed, Ares and his army attack Washington, DC. Diana and Trevor arrive at the battle front with the Amazonians joining in on the fight. Ares doesn’t just want to destroy the world, but he wants power to rival the Gods. Just when the ladies get the upper hand, Ares raises a zombie Amazon army. One of the Amazonians discovers a chant to stop the walking dead, thus turning them against Ares. This gives Diana the opportunity to outmaneuver Ares and behead him. Reunited, Wonder Woman finally lets her guard down and kisses Steve.
She returns to her life on Themyscira, but is miserable. Hippolyta see this and realizes that perhaps being in isolation has hurt the Amazons. She allows Diana to go back to Steve and New York. In the final scene, we see Wonder Woman become a super hero as she leaps into action to stop Cheetah from robbing a bank.
Review:
Overall, I think it’s worth the purchase—it’s smart, funny and has a good storyline. Bruce Timm brought together a great cast with names like Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Oliver Platt, Rosario Dawson and more. Some great writers were involved here, including the legendary Gail Simone.
A little Easter egg that’s included in this Blu-ray is a special preview of Batman and Harley Quinn. Which, I’m totally looking forward to watching.
Fans will easily be able to see the parallels between this video and the eventual Wonder Woman movie of 2017 starring Gal Gadot.
Its a good reminder of how modern big-budget superhero movies often make their way through animated films first.
Any Wonder Woman fan should have this on their shelf.