Comic book movies have invaded pop culture like crooked hats and fat laces. With the success of films like The Dark Knight and Iron Man from last year and Watchmen from 09, entertainment companies have jumped at the chance to adapt, recreate and profit from the popular storytelling medium. So a few years ago in a bold move to hang onto and profit from their own properties, comic book publishers like Marvel and DC decided to create their own production companies. Not only have they been able to maintain all of the legal rights to their stories, they’ve also been able to tell the stories they created from the beginning. This holds true, not only for live action films, but also animated features that go directly to DVD. This weekend I had a chance to check out the latest from DC, the origin feature story of Wonder Woman, and it did not disappoint.
The first direct-to-DVD animated feature from DC’s crew led by Bruce Timms was the wildly successful Superman: Doomsday where they retold the death and rise of Superman. Timms was one of the driving forces behind the original Batman animated series so putting him in charge seemed like a no-brainer. The second film was a bold retelling of the creation of the Justice League. Although not as polished as Superman, Timms and co had a much bigger universe to conquer. With the release of Wonder Woman, DC was able to go back to a central character and tell the myth they created back in the golden ages of comics.
Wonder Woman, like most of the DC animated features is not for the kids. Although fully animated (in retro 2-D fashion BTW) and with little to no blood and gore, the language, adult references and mature situations bridge the gap between unbelievable comic universes and television believability (is that a word?). The story follows the birth of Wonder Woman and her eventual departure from her homeland of the Amazon Warriors.
Timms and co have earned an A+ on casting, as they usually do. Although I was a bit confused as to why they would put Keri Russel (Felicity) in place to voice Wonder Woman, the result is amazing. Her timing is great and her tone is perfect especially during the scenes where WW is adjusting to the modern world. The casting of Nathan Fillion (Firefly and Dr. Horrible) was also perfect. His comedic timing and chauvinistic tone play perfectly in this flick.
Animation-wise there aren’t many surprises, if you remember the original Fox Batman Animated series, you’ll start to notice the similarities between the subtle background designs and intricate details in facial expressions and body movement during action sequences.
Wonder Woman is a great watch for an evening in. If you ever wondered who she is, where she got her powers or what she stands for, this flick will educate you much better than any blog entry.
March 16th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Yeah it looks like TV Batman animation, except they added more shadows and neat lighting effects on the windows. I think this is the Nathan Fillion curse that everything he works on has this TV-like quality to it. Still looks great though. Not complaining at all.
Great post, will have to check this animation out!