Rachael Really, REALLY loves WONDER WOMAN
While I am both a superhero geek and a feminist, I have surprisingly never given Wonder Woman her due. Maybe it's the panties of justice and go-go boots; maybe it's the invisible jet (I mean seriously, she comes from some ancient society that hid itself from man for centuries, yet somehow they knew enough about modern aircraft to build a jet?!); or maybe it's the common perception that Diana of Themyscira is basically Superman with breasts and a less interesting alter ego. I enjoyed the character for what she was on the Justice League Unlimited (the animated series), but as for solo outings and comic books, I wasn't exactly all that pumped.
And then I watched the new animated Wonder Woman (well, almost a month old now, but Netflix had a bit of a wait). It starred a truly all star, geektastic voice cast of Keri Russel (Wonder Woman herself), Rosario Dawson, Nathan Fillion (love interest, Steve Trevor) and Alfred Molina. And it was fantastic. It gave me hope that a real, live action version of the story could be told, or at the very least, that the adventures of Diana would make for a damn fine animated series.
The thing is that Wonder Woman isn't Superman. She doesn't have the gee whiz optimism or invincibility. She can bleed, and it doesn't take green rocks to do it. She has a complicated back story that's fascinating in its own right, but that also lends depth and layers to the character. She's bad ass and she doesn't babble, or wonder what she looks like, she beats down bad guys and uses her substantial brains and brawns to conquer the world. In short, she's Temperance Brennan (from Bones).
And this is a damn fine outing. It's a DVD animated film, like the recent (and awesome) The New Frontier or Superman Doomsday, and its crafted with both a love for the character and a sincere interest in telling a unique take on her origin story. The voice work is across the board top notch (if we could get all rascally good guys voiced by Nathan Fillion, I'd be a happy camper). The animation isn't anything special, but it's the type of fun JLA-style that works really well with the distinctly adult tales these tell.
That's what I love about these DVDs. Unlike the TV shows, which were mostly saddled with network considerations at aiming them towards children, these DVDs are pretty much made for teenage to adult geeks, who can deal with a few sex jokes and some serious violence (well PG-13 sex jokes and animated violence, but still).
The only bad thing I can really say about Wonder Woman is that it made me damn sad. It made me sad that we'll never see the Joss Whedon version of this story, because I truly believe no other convergence of author and character will ever make as much sense. He could have told us somehting beautiful with the story of Diana and I'm sad we don't get to see that happen. But I remain hopeful that someone who has a true grasp of the character, and doesn't want to cast Megan Fox, will eventually sit down and script a Wonder Woman movie, because if this DVD proves anything it's that there are some great Wonder Woman stories to tell.
And if all that seemed a bit grandiose for your tastes, check out some awesomely funny quotes from the movie right here:
Hippolyta: Here the true nature of men is laid bare. What other depraved thoughts must you be thinking?
Col. Steve Trevor: (with the lasso of truth on) God, your daughter's got a nice rack.
Wonder Woman: I’m sorry Etta Candy, but what’s wrong with you?
Etta: Excuse me?
Wonder Woman: Well you appear to be strong and in good health, yet you can’t move that table by yourself. I was just wondering if there was something wrong with you.
Steve Trevor: So the queen's kid, you know, the hot chick?
Artemis: Princess Diana.
Steve Trevor: Yeah, her. So, what's her deal?
Artemis: Her deal is that I will personally castrate you if you come within five yards of her.