 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** Tagline: The future of justice begins with her Inspired by the classic DC Comics character, this epic tale charts the origins of the mighty Wonder Woman, who leaves her all-female island home hoping to deploy her powers to help put an end to the carnage of World War I. Storyline: Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when a pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers and her true destiny. Written by zemon19 Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson, September 20, 2017 Dating back to the early 1940s, the superheroine Wonder Woman has been the subject of comics, graphic novels, a TV series, telefilms, and animated movies but strangely, no standalone motion picture. All of that changed with Patty Jenkins's critically acclaimed $149 million blockbuster, Wonder Woman, which has grossed over $800 million worldwide at the box office. Reprising the role that she debuted in last year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Israeli actress Gal Gadot delivers a commanding and beautifully nuanced performance as Diana/Wonder Woman. Gadot largely carries the movie on her shoulders along with an assist from Chris Pine, who looks comfortable in the subordinate role of American spy Steve Trevor. While Wonder Woman features a cast of thousands, it benefits from key contributions in secondary parts from such veteran actors as Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, and David Thewlis. Screenwriter Allan Heinberg incorporates several characters from the Wonder Woman comics in his classical three-act script. Wonder Woman is essentially three movies in one. In a rather revealing indication of how they want to appeal to as many audiences as possible, Heinberg and Jenkins have combined the sword-and-sandals epic, British period drama, and war film into a two-hour-and-forty-minute cinematic journey. Following a prologue in Paris, the narrative flashes back to the paradisaical Mediterranean island of Themyscira where the all-female Amazonians live in peace. Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) tells her strong and precocious eight-year-old daughter Diana (Lilly Aspell) a bedtime story of how Zeus protected their motherland from Ares, the God of War. Hippolyta isn't convinced that Ares will one day make a return, a view not shared by her sister, Antiope (Robin Wright), who is far more concerned that he will strike again. Both Hippolyta and Antiope believe that the Amazonians should be well-trained and fully prepared for an attack but share opposing approaches to Diana's maturation and development. Antiope thinks that Diana should be well-versed in the art of sword play, for example, but Hippolyta figures that she's pushing her own daughter too hard. Everything changes when, seemingly out of nowhere, a plane descends from the sky and sinks into the Themyscira's ocean. Diana bravely plunges herself into the water to pull Captain Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) out of the sea. The Germans have been targeting the young American and when they empty their bullets, the Amazonian warriors are ready with their fire arrows. After the battle, the Amazonians interrogate Steve with the Lasso of Hestia, which forces the pilot to explain his identity and the essence of his mission. When Steve tells about a Great World War occurring, Diana is convinced that a manifestation of Ares is lurking somewhere in Europe and accompanies Steve by boat to England. Meanwhile, German General Ludendorff (Danny Huston) is conspiring with disfigured chemist Dr. Isabel Maru (Elena Anaya), known to British allied forces as "Doctor Evil," on a virulent mustard gas so lethal that it can penetrate the sturdiest of gas masks. A cadre of Ludendorff's men have infiltrated London to find Steve, who swiped a book of Maru's containing bombmaking formulas. Ludendorff later travels to the UK where he has a brief encounter with Diana, who believes that Ludendorff and Ares are one and the same. The scene shifts to the Western Front and No Man's Land where Diana transforms into Wonder Woman and almost single-handedly takes on the Germans. Wonder Woman shields herself from enemy fire. Because Diana and Steve each come from separate parts of the world where gender norms, social customs, and mores are very different, the scenes between the two characters are quite funny and amusing. For example, as Steve tends to his wounds in the Amazon's infirmary pool room, he's bewildered to what purpose the water really serves there. Since she was sculpted out of clay and exclusively been only around girls and ladies, Diana is a novice to reproductive biology (which she knows about, but only in books) and hence shows befuddlement when a nude Steve emerges from the pool. It's a comical moment because Steve thinks Diana is gazing at his genitals when she's actually staring at the watch to his left! It shows how Diana is also a virgin to the mechanical and industrialized world that Steve knows. When the pair go to London, it's culture shock for Diana in more ways than one. She's stunned not only by the city's drab, cold weather but also by a predominantly male and patriarchal society. When Diana speaks up at a meeting chaired by a UK war council, Steve tries to appease the British Parliament (all men, of course) that Diana is his blind sister (and later his secretary). But the stubborn woman will have none of this rubbish. In addition to the flirtatious sexual tension between Diana and Steve, Wonder Woman also works as a grand superhero epic with pomp and circumstance. Unsurprisingly, it has "A" production values (exotic locations, splendid sets, and precisely designed period costumes). But beyond the two main protagonists and overall spectacle, secondary characters either get lost or are too underdeveloped. For instance, Sameer (Saïd Taghmaoui) and Chief (Eugene Brave Rock), Steve's helpers in the war effort, are introduced toward the middle and given short shrift. Although Heinberg gives them heroic tasks, they're placed in conventionally subservient roles. Jenkins has defended their characterizations as being historically accurate (the ways that they were stereotyped at the time) but they each deserve a deeper back story. If the evil Maru received hers, why shouldn't they as well? Variety has reported this summer that Warner is internally mounting an Oscar campaign with prospective hopes for Wonder Woman to become the first superhero movie nominated for Best Picture. Director Patty Jenkins has reportedly signed on for a sequel. The post-converted 3D presentation on this BD-50 is above average. It earns a SOLID RECOMMENDATION but should be a secondary purchase consideration to the 4K package that also includes the Blu-ray with all the supplements. [CSW] -4.2- This reviewer said it better than I could: Truly incredible, and a wonderful surprise! This is easily one of the best ever "super hero" movies. Starting with the origin, how she came to be, using top notch actors and actresses like Robin Wright. There was an incredible amount of story/plot development, but it was laced with action. Realistic-type action, so you almost didn't really notice it. For people like me who go to the movies for the story, that's important. However, for the action-lovers, there was plenty of that, too. A perfect blend! I think it was truly a concerted effort on the part of the movie makers to ensure the movie was palatable for young girls. There was very little violence (including almost no blood). The women were definitely not objectified. Their outfits, while having short shorts, did not show a lot of cleavage a la Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman. Very tasteful. Someone used the word "classy" to describe Gal Gadot's character. It's an accurate term. This movie is one that a pre-teen girl can enjoy, be inspired by, and of course, be entertained by.. Seeing it in 3D with D-Box made it a truly mesmerizing experience and one that I will watch again and again. [V4.0-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box really enhances this movie. (Based on Comic Book) -- (DC) Cast Notes: Gal Gadot (Diana), Chris Pine (Steve Trevor), Connie Nielsen (Hippolyta), Robin Wright (Antiope), Danny Huston (Ludendorff), David Thewlis (Sir Patrick), Saïd Taghmaoui (Sameer), Ewen Bremner (Charlie), Eugene Brave Rock (The Chief), Lucy Davis (Etta), Elena Anaya (Dr. Maru), Lilly Aspell (Young Diana), [8]), Lisa Loven Kongsli (Menalippe), Ann Wolfe (Artemis [as Ann J. Wolfe]), Ann Ogbomo (Philippus). IMDb Rating (12/14/14): 7.5/10 from 164,985 users IMDb Rating (12/14/11): 7.6/10 from 99,415 users IMDb Rating (06/17/07): 7.5/10 from 39,304 users
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