I don't like animated movies. Sure, animation's great for Bugs Bunny and Saturday morning, but I've always felt that feature length cartoons don't really qualify as films, theatrical release or no, because they almost uniformally lack the subtlety and nuance of… More
I don't like animated movies. Sure, animation's great for Bugs Bunny and Saturday morning, but I've always felt that feature length cartoons don't really qualify as films, theatrical release or no, because they almost uniformally lack the subtlety and nuance of live-action films- after all, when your only creative limit is what you're able to draw, why bother with something like subtlety? Interestingly, I have also never been a fan of Wonder Woman. Unabashed comic junkie and raging geek though I may be, Wonder Woman is one of the few major superheroes- besides Aquaman and maybe the Fantastic Four- that just never really appealled to me; her origin is convoluted, her motivations ar hazy, her powers are ill-defined, and her costume (aside from being a bit skimpy for a feninist icon) makes no sense- why would an Amazon dress in red, white, and star-spangled blue? So taking these facts together, one would think that an animated Wonder Woman movie would would have about as much appeal to me as reading the Complete United States Federal Tax Code from cover to cover. One couldn't be more wrong. Wonder Woman, as it turns out, is the best superhero movie I've seen this year, with a script as solid as bedrock and a cast that can actually do good voice-work (I can't tell you how many dramatic animated features I've seen have just been killed by poor casting). The direction in particular appeals to me: unlike many other animated films, this is a movie that allows the story to unfold at a natural pace, taking the time for character moments and dramatic beats without going too far in the other direction- that is, building huge, minute-burning pauses where the characters just stare each other down or grunt (GOD, I hate Dragonball Z). Refreshingly, the movie also doesn't seem overly censored- in fact, the violence on display is somewhat shocking for an animated feature, with stabbings, beheadings, broken necks, and plenty of bloodshed on hand (even if the swords never get any blood on them). Overall (and please forgive the brazen oversimplification), the movie is like an intriguing cross between Superman and 300 with strong (but thankfully not overpowering) feminist overtones; it is a deftly crafted origin story that draws you quickly and completely into the character whom I once found shallow and uninteresting. The story opens in ancient Greece, during a fierce battle between an army of men and mythical beasts and a clan of Amazonian women. Their leader, Queen Hippolyta, bests the army's commander- Ares, the God of War himself- in combat, but before the final blow can be stricken, her hand is stayed by Ares' father, Zeus. While Hippolyta is furious that she cannot avenge the deaths of her people, she is granted instead a reward by the goddess Athena: an island paradise, Themiscyra, hidden from the world of man, where she and the Amazons construct a utopia free from the ravages of time and the deceit of mankind. There, she is granted another blessing- a child, fashioned from clay and given life by the gods, whom Hippolyta names Diana. Flash-forward a few millenia to the present day, when Air Force pilot Steve Trevor is shot down over the middle of the ocean and accidentally crash-lands on Themiscyra, where she is captured by the Amazons, including the now-grown Diana. Deciding that the best course of action would be to to return the pilot to his home, the Amazons hold a contest to determine who will be their emissary to "Man's World", and despite her mothers attempts to bar her from competing, Diana enters and emerges the victor. Unfortunately, as the contest is held, an Amazon turns traitor and unleashes the shackled god Ares from his prison on the island. Now Diana must find the God of War and stop him from bringing forth a plague of misery and death upon Man's World. The cast would be first-rate even for a live-action adaptation; for a cartoon, it's astonishing (continuing the current trend of putting well-known actors together into animated ensembles- another Pixar innovation, if I'm not mistaken). Playing Diana herself is Keri Russell, an actress that I've only seen in a couple of things (she had a brief but important part in Mission Impossible III, and she also was the main character in a TV show called Felicity, which I only saw advertised), but who I think was a great choice for the part, and probably could have played it in live action. Russell's voice is both youthful and confident, which makes Diana an intriguing hybrid of a naive princess and a proud warrior; the "warrior" part is particularly important, because this is a character who isn't afraid to spill blood to win the day, who actually kills a number of opponents in the film (thus distinguishing herself from both Batman and Superman, who are both, ironically, more pacifistic), and who we have to believe is capable of not only holding her own against mythical creatures and even gods, but can emerge ultimately victorious. Of course, a main character so serious needs a lighter foil, which we get in the form of Nathon Fillion as womanizing test pilot Steve Trevor- another casting choice that would have worked just as well in real life. Trevor isn't just a sounding pole for exposition, like he is in the comics- he's the comic relief, a tactless oaf who has to introduce Diana to the conventions of Man's World, all the while guilelessly hitting on her and giving her about the worst first impression of men she could possibly get. Nathan Fillion is a funny guy in live action, and I was relieved to find that it carries over into animation; he has some of the best lines in the movie, not to mention my absolute favorite moment in the film: "Of course. Invisible missiles. Hardy-flippin'-har!" The supporting cast is equally spot-on- Rosario Dawson's Artemis in particular is exemplary- with the sole exception of Alfred Molina as Ares, God of War. I like Alfred Molina, true, and I think he's a good actor, but his voice isn't quite suited to the ominous, looming deity the animators have represented; I think a silkier, more elegant voice actor would have been more appropriate- someone who conjures thoughts of ancient mysticism rather than regal pomp. Regardless, the cast comes together seamlessly, and play well against each other (even though they were recorded seperately- how ironic). The direction is quite skillful for an animated feature- Lauren Montgomery has an excellent sense of pace, somehow condensing the most convoluted origin story in comic books into a brisk, entertaining first act. The story evolves smoothly, naturally, and cinematically, the action sequences benefit greatly from the influence and inference of the epic battles of 300, and time is taken for dialogue scenes that don't necessarily contribute to furthering the plot, but do reveal character. The script does have its plot holes, unfortunately. Wonder Woman's invisible jet is never given a moment's explaination, despite the fact that the Amazons are living in the Bronze Age (it's a simple enough fix, though- if it had been Trevor's jet, mystically modified, it would have been clever and logical). Scenes also seem to have been omitted, like a bridge scene from the defeat of Deimos to the trek to the gates of Tartarus- you know, just a short little, "Oh, by the way, the gates of Tartarus are in Crete, and I know this because I'm an ancient Greek" kind of scene. And why, if Ares is a Greek god who regains his powers in Greece, does he travel to America to wage his war on mankind? Must Washington D.C. be ground zero for every major international conflict in movies? But since these are all minor nit-picks, things that seem motivated more by moving the story forward quickly than from any lack of actual consideration, I can't be too critical- it IS only an animated film, after all. And for all the points neglected, there are two incongruous elements of the character's backstory that are explained concisely and entertainingly (the star-spangled costume is specifically to honor the nation Diana is visiting as an emissary? Why, that makes perfect sense!). With twenty to fifty minutes more to flesh out the narrative, it could have been seamless, but I'll take what I can get. The art direction is also quite impressive for a direct-to-DVD feature, and the animation is smooth and fluid (which really helps the viewer to get into the spirit of the movie- nothing kills a cartoon movie more than scrimping on the animation). The score is surprisingly good- given an epic landscape to evoke on a direct-to-DVD budget, composer Christopher Drake creates a suitable musical backdrop that's operatic, ancient, and adventurous, bringing more credibility to an already solid production. The completed movie actually rivals a number of Warner's live-action superhero productions- probably because, being an animation project, it can bring to the table the grand scale of the character's adventures without an accompanying enormous price tag, so the producers have no real reason to interfere with the story or set pieces. Probably the best thing I can say about this film is that, when it was all over, I finally had a grasp on the character of Wonder Woman: I knew who she was, what she could do, where she was coming from, and most importantly, I wanted to know where she was going. It's a perfect inlet to the character and her history, but more than that, it's a fun, action-filled movie, the sort of thing you would pay eleven bucks to see in theaters if it was in live-action, and you'd probably see it more than once at that (I pity the poor filmmaker who has to top this whenever they get around to actually doing a live-action film). I came into this movie skeptical and unenthused; by story's end, I was excited, enthralled, and I most definitely wanted more. Bravo, Montgomery and company- you've turned me into a fan.
