Sci-Fi Storm

Put simply, Wonder Woman is a spectacular movie. It is likely the best superhero movie DC and Warner Bros has yet put out. And now it heads to [asin=B0714QRG4Z]Blu-ray[/asin], [asin=B072M856GW]Blu-ray 3D[/asin], [asin=B0714QRG51]Ultra 4K Blu-ray[/asin] and [asin=B074JS9QJB]DVD[/asin] this Tuesday, September 19th! And the Blu-ray releases include a special bonus scene not seen in theaters!

Like any superhero action movie, Wonder Woman is laden with action scenes and visual effects, but they are done so well and don’t detract from the character story, which delves into the origin of Diana, Princess of Themyscira, who we all know as Wonder Woman, although it starts off where Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had left with Bruce Wayne wondering about where she came from in a photo taken 100 years earlier.

The visual effects were simply amazing. To me, extensive use of “bullet time” effects can get annoying, but their use here was not only not distracting but incredible. Combine that with some of the spectacular location shots, and it makes for a beautiful movie. There were only a couple of visual issues I picked up on, and only on viewing the Blu-ray…the early wide shot of the Amazon training felt composited where it seems like some of the fighters were overlaid on the scene. And the glowing of the lasso rope felt too cartoonish…a light glow only to enhance the color would have been better.

The cast was excellent as well.

Gal Gadot was awesome. Aside from her appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (which as a movie I didn’t care for), this was the first movie I actually saw her in. I think she was perfect in the part as a fish-out-of-water superhero, both fierce and beautiful simultaneously.

Chris Pine as Steve Trevor…Pine for some reason always makes me feel like he’s somehow going to charm his way out of every situation with his smile…and I still like him. His charm I think works for the spy character.

I especially liked their misfit team: Charlie (Ewen Brenmer), the drunken singing Scotsman sharpshooter who suffers from PTSD but gets dragged back in to the war for the mission to stop Ares; Sameer (Saïd Taghmaoui), the French Moroccan super-spy master of disguise; and Chief Napi (Eugene Brave Rock), the Blackfoot mystic tracker and smuggler who knows he won’t die in _this_ war. I believe all three might be original characters. Throw in Etta Candy (Lucy Davis), Trevor’s secretary, who I think might be my favorite secondary character in the movie. If they wanted to do a spinoff TV series, this group would be it…

The story was compelling, not dwelling on the origin too long to no get to the meat of the story but still providing it and her motivation to travel to the world of men. But in the process, it provided a female character could be beautiful and strong and not simply be an object or companion. And while being based on the character we are familiar with, it provides a completely fresh take on the character.

The climax is a bit of a shocker, and I can’t comment without it becoming a serious spoiler, but that’s the one thing I didn’t like about the story – not because it was bad for the story, but for what it did…

The extras on the home release complement the movie very well:

Crafting the Wonder – The obligatory making-of feature, but very interesting as it shows the attention to details during filming, down the to color of smoke and how it would look on film and interact with the costumes, and individualized imagery given to the Amazons.

A Director’s Vision – A five part look at 5 important and exciting moments with director Patty Jenkins.

• Themyscira: The Hidden Island – creating the mysterious island of the Amazons
• Beach Battle – filming the spectacular battle between the Amazons and invaders
• A Photograph Through Time – The photograph that links two different eras
• Diana in the Modern World – Diana enters the strange world of men
• Wonder Woman at War – Filming of the incredible “No Man’s Land” battle scene

Warriors of Wonder Woman – The creation of the Amazons, and all the work transform them into the classic warrior women of mythology.

The Trinity – Exploration of the legend of Wonder Woman, in comparison to Superman and Batman.

The Wonder Behind the Camera – The women behind Wonder Woman discuss film making with a group of aspiring filmmakers while on set.

Finding the Wonder Woman Within – Poets and public figures discuss the importance and impact of Wonder Woman.

Extended Scenes – A few alternate scenes from the movie.

Blooper Reel – See why Chris Pine gave Gal Gadot the nickname “Giggles”!

And the exclusive special feature on the Blu-ray editions…
Epilogue: Etta’s Mission – Etta gets the team back together to take on new missions, including a search for a very powerful artifact that just might have an impact on the upcoming Justice League movie. Remember how I said that if they were to make a spinoff series, that was the team they’d do it with? Well, here is a start…

Wonder Woman will be the first modern DC Comics-based movie to join our disc shelf. [asin=B0714QRG4Z]Don’t forget to order yours today[/asin]!

Let’s hope this gives the boost they need and continue the trend in Justice League and beyond.