Movie Review: Wonder Woman

I have loved the character Wonder Woman for as long as I can remember. I loved the Lynda Carter 1970s television version, and I loved the 1980s SuperFriends version. I loved the original comics by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter, and I loved the George Perez and John Byrne reinventions. I even liked the New 52 version. But she is such a hard character to get right. Too many people either make her too silly and girly (like most of her comic appearances from the mid-40s to the 80s) or too witchy (like Bruce Timm's Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and the DC Original Animated Feature). But when she is done right, no one can compare.

Wonder Woman is a 2017 live action superhero action film based on DC Comics characters. It's rated PG-13 due to violence and a few sexual innuendos, but is appropriate for most ages.

Overview

Diana grows up on Paradise Island not knowing her true destiny until an American officer, Steve Trevor, accidentally crash lands on her island causing her to leave her home and travel to man's world to end World War I.

The Good

Gal Gadot. Gal Gadot was definitely the best part of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. After such a strong introduction, I was pretty sure this movie would be good. Her portrayal of Diane is spot on. She's sweet, kind, loving, compassionate, strong, and just. She never becomes witchy or disrespectful. Her strength isn't just physical but stems from her character.

Chris Pine. Chris Pine is great in everything he does. He's strong and powerful in this movie but also loyal and kind. His character isn't some Lois Lane weakling that needs saving and does quite a bit of saving on his own.

Story. The story is solid, interesting, and well told with nothing that would make you roll your eyes.

Pacing. The movie is long and doesn't rush anything, but it never drags

Action. The action is amazing! Even as spoiled as I've become watching so many Marvel movies, I was still blown away.

Humor. There isn't a lot of humor in this movie, but what little there is is incredibly funny, some of the funniest dialogue I've heard in a motion picture in quite some time. And it's spaced throughout the movie to provide relief from such heavy themes and settings.

Respect. This movie respects the characters. They all have an important roll to play and are treated like people and not plot devices (except for a couple of villains as you'll read about below).

Message. The movie has a very clear message that is relevant and important today about war, conflict, and human nature. While it is very clear and well developed, you never feel like you're being beat over the head with it.

True to the Comics. The filmmakers did a brilliant job incorporating so many elements from the comics (even the New 52) without any of them feeling forced.

The Bad

Villains. The General and Dr. Poison are played a little too cartoony and silly in places. The point of the movie is Wonder Woman and her discovery, so the filmmakers were wise not to spend too much time on developing the villains, but they could have made them more interesting.

Jumping and Strength Special Effects. Wonder Woman is shown several times jumping inhuman distances and lifting objects only Superman could lift. Unfortunately, these weren't done well. They look very fake and video gamey, and not in a good way. I wish the filmmakers had spent a little more time staging them so they felt more believable.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the special effects had been a little more carefully rendered and the villains weren't so cartoony. Otherwise it was everything I could hope for.

Overall

Wonder Woman is everything you could hope for in a superhero movie. It had a strong story, amazing action, beautiful visuals, and most importantly they got the character right. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

   

DVD Review - JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time

I grew up on SuperFriends, waking up each Saturday morning before 6:00 and watching the countdown until the viewing day began with a patriotic montage and the national anthem. I remember when SuperFriends went off the air for a year, and then came back as SuperPowers. I was so excited. After two more seasons it disappeared again forever. I kept hoping it would come back, but it never did.

And then in college Justice League debuted and I was excited thinking SuperFriends was back. Alas, it was not so. Justice League was a miserable failure until the end of the second season when it started to pick up, and by the fourth season (Justice League Unlimited Season 2) it came close to capturing the magic of SuperFriends.

Then I was in Target one day and saw the cover on the left and wondered what this was. I had heard nothing about it, and I keep my ear pretty close to the ground when it comes to superheroes.

JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time is a direct-to-video animated action, adventure, science fiction, superhero movie staring the Justice League (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Robin). It was released as a Target exclusive for a few months before gaining a general release. It is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

SuperFriends is Back! After the disappointment of Justice League and DC Entertainments move to DC Original Animated Movies, I thought SuperFriends was gone forever. I'm so glad I was wrong. This movie had the classic heroes and villains we loved from the original series, the Hall of Justice, the Legion of Doom, a scientific fiction trope to drive the plot, and lots of action.

The Action. This movie opens with a giant brawl between the Justice League and the Legion of Doom, and has plenty more fight scenes before the story is over. The animation was well done with all the characters given a decent chunk of time to show what he or she can do.

The Cast of Characters. One of the things that was so fun about the original SuperFriends was seeing all of my favorite heroes and villains together, and being introduced to new ones. The producers didn't let me down. They included over a dozen heroes and villains and gave each a good chunk of screen time and opportunities to use their powers and abilities.

The Costume Designs. The character designs were very true to the original with a fun, modern twist to keep them fresh. While my preference would be for the classic looks, these stayed true enough to the originals that I actually kind of liked them.

The Bad

Robin. Robin was really annoying. They portrayed him as a bratty hyperactive kid with no self control. I suppose they were trying to make him edgy, but instead they made him unlikable.

Wonder Woman. I love Wonder Woman, but she is a hard character to get right. The producers of this show decided to go with the tough, fierce warrior instead of the kind, compassionate, strong woman that we fell in love with in the comics and Lynda Carter TV show. While she wasn't as angry and witchy as some interpretations, she wasn't as likeable as she could have been.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I enjoyed seeing the SuperFriends back in action. I wish the movie had focused on them instead of the two new characters, Karate Kid and Dawnstar, and Lex Luthor. While they were interesting characters, I really miss the heroes I grew up with. Hopefully the next one will focus more on the old heroes.

Overall

Overall this was a very enjoyable movie with a lot of action, interesting character development, fun new costume designs, and a bit of a twist on the time travel trope. The movie has a good pace and while it is skewed for younger viewers, there is enough story and excitement to hold an older audiences attention. I give it 4 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.