The Wonder Woman Animated Movie was absolutely Amazing!! It truly surpassed my expectations. Of course, coming from a big Wonder Fan like myself, you might say I have a biased opinion and would automatically give any WW feature my thumbs up. But this one is truly amazing because it thrilled and touched the hearts of both fans and casual animation/comicbook enthusiasts alike.
For years, many have made statements about how difficult it is to 'figure out' Wonder Woman because of the paradox of her being a 'peaceful warrior' and because her origin and motivations are not as 'clear cut as Superman & Batman' and that because of this, she's 'hard to figure out.' Well, cast that theory and all doubt out the window because this is the best Wonder Woman story outside of Comics and the live action tv version with out beloved Lynda Carter. As a matter of fact, many Fans and Non Fans (or should I say "recently converted into fans") of WW even say that the proposed live action movie should use this Animated one as its template ot springboard for ideas on how to approach her for the big screen.
For those who have not seen the WW Animated DVD yet, please do not continue reading this article if you want to be surprised by the movie. For the rest of you, I would like to share what I consider the finest elements in the movie:
The Original Powers: Yes, I noticed that she does not fly in the movie and this goes against the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot by the Great George Perez. But having been a fan of Lynda Carter's TV series as well as the golden age Wonder Woman comics, I am accustomed to the non-flying version. As a matter of fact (if I remember correctly), George Perez upgraded Diana's Silver Age era ability of "Gliding on the air currents" to full power of flight because he did not want to use the Invisible Jet. That's right folks. When George rebooted Wonder Woman in 1987, he conceptualized the version of the Amazons that did NOT possess any modern technology. His approach was to give Wonder Woman more of a fantasy feel as opposed to being a traditional super-hero and substituted the Invisible Jet for true 'power of flight'.
But since the Animated movie is utilized the Invisible Jet, using Wonder Woman's original powers were the way to go with this treatment. And its not really a bad thing. Besides, the power of flight (or to glide on the air currents) can always be added in the future should there be a sequel. Because as much as I love the current comics version which began with Perez' treatment...there are aspects that did not quite work for me when issue # 1 came out in 1987.
In the Perez version, Diana already possessed powers greater than any Amazon from birth. So when she joined the contest, I was bothered by the implication that Diana had all the advaantages because she was born a 'super-Amazon' as opposed to the Marston original who was a child prodigy who improved by leaps and bounds through Amazon training. Plus, in the Perez reboot, there was no "tie" between Diana and another Amazon which had to be broken by "Bullets & Bracelets". Instead, Philippus tested the gun on Diana and she deflected all the bullets herself (which tells me she's the only one with that ability and no other Amazon had the speed to do it)
Fortunately, Marston's original concept was integrated in this movie version which added an extra level of excitement. In Marston's original (which was also pointed out in Michael Fleischer's Encyclopedia of Comicbook Heroes Vol. 2: WONDER WOMAN)and I'm paraphrasing here: Although Wonder Woman is a champion among the Amazons, her power is on the same order as theirs. This is why in the Original WW comics, 'bullets & bracelets' tested the mettle of 2 Amazons. In the WW Animated DVD, this concept was restored.
As far as the Invisible Jet, I realize that the writers did not want to stray from the main focus of the story which is why they skipped the explanation of where the Invisible Jet came from. But it was gratifying to know during a subsequent interview that the DVD's version of the Jet is still based on one from current comics continuity- it's of Lansinarian technology (which is a product of alien technology).
But more importantly, the movie succeeds in its storyline, dialogue, action (where all the fight choreography is storyboarded so nicely) and the incredible chemistry between the voice actorsand their flawless delivery of their lines: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Rosario Dawson, Virginia Madsen, Alfred Molina and the rest.
Having been a Wonder Woman Fan for all these years, I have come to appreciate the different versions of the character. I definitely have my favorite eras but I remain appreciative of the other takes as well. More importantly, this movie isn't just about action and pageantry but it's also about the very qualities the character has that makes her Wonder Woman- that she serves as a bridge between Themyscira and Patriarch's World, between the gods and humans, between Women and Men and how embracing unity, peace, communication and understanding brings greatness to humanity and meaning to her title.
"You're a Wonder, Wonder Woman"