Today’s quick review: Wonder Woman. In the centuries since the war to stop Ares (Alfred Molina), Queen Hippolyta (Virginia Madsen) and her Amazons have lived secluded from humanity on the hidden island of Themyscira. But when Ares escapes from his prison, Hippolyta’s daughter Diana (Keri Russell) must venture into the human world alongside American fighter pilot Steve Trevor (Nathan Fillion) to recapture the god before he can reclaim his full power.
Wonder Woman is an animated superhero movie based on the DC Comics character. The movie follows Princess Diana of Themyscira, one of the Amazons’ most talented warriors, on her mission to locate the escaped God of War. Wonder Woman features a focused plot, a fair amount of superhero action, and a quick tour through DC’s version of Greek mythology. Decent execution makes it a fine pick for fans of the genre but isn’t enough to make it stand out.
Wonder Woman sticks to the basics of the superhero genre but executes them cleanly. The action ranges from one-on-one fights between Diana and Ares’ minions to larger-scale battles with the Amazons. The setting’s ties to Greek mythology give it a nice variety of weapons, characters, and monsters to draw on. The plot itself is fairly linear, but Diana’s introduction to the outside world and a wide supporting cast of Amazons help flesh it out.
Still, Wonder Woman doesn’t have as much to offer as DC’s later animated films. The animation is serviceable but not as rich or fluid as it could be. The plot is a straight shot from Ares’ escape to the final confrontation, and the minor tangents along the way have no real effect on the central thread. Diana and Steve’s relationship never clicks the way it’s meant to; the skeleton of their arc is there, but the gradations are hard to capture.
Watch Wonder Woman if you’re a fan of the superhero genre looking for something short, well-constructed, and to the point. Wonder Woman has just enough in the way of action, setting, and characters to be an entertaining watch, but it’s slightly outclassed by DC’s best offerings. Superhero fans may want to give it a try. Those who aren’t already fans of the genre will probably want to give it a pass.
For a more expansive adaptation of the same source material, try the live-action Wonder Woman. For a DC animated movie of similar quality, try Superman vs. the Elite. For another animated version of Wonder Woman, this time as part of the Justice League, try Justice League: War.
7.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for solid action and a simple but effective plot.