Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Wonder Woman 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

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?

Wonder Woman 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray 3D version of Wonder Woman comes in a combo pack that also includes the 2D Blu-ray as well as an insert with a redemption code for the digital copy. The 1080p presentation contains a cumulative average video bitrate of 31.76 kbps. This encompasses averages for both the AVC video (20765 kbps; 16:9; High Profile 4.1) and MVC video (10994 kbps; Multiview Profile 4.1). The features-less disc sports a total bitrate of 38.50 Mbps. It is important to point out that the 3D was converted in post-production by technology firm Gener8 3D. While Dolby Vision, 3D, and 3D IMAX versions were struck from the digital intermediate (DI), director Patty Jenkins and cinematographer Matthew Jensen didn't specifically compose the 2.39:1 frame with 3D in mind. (Special acknowledgment to Mark Dillon of the American Cinematographer for that tidbit.) DI colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld did inform Dillon that "a lot of the work [the crew] did in the DI was about isolating elements throughout the frame and pushing them in the direction of that vision...there was a lot of subtle fine-tuning to make the live-action and effects come together seamlessly." I believe that 3D render wrangler Avadhut Nerurkar and 3D coordinator Aaron Reznick considered all of these variables when they performed the movie's 3D Stereoscopic Conversion.

A good portion of Wonder Woman is framed in tight widescreen compositions. In the 3D presentation that I watched, these images produce enhanced clarity for figures photographed in the foreground (they certainly stand out more). Group shots exhibit decent but not exceptional depth. There are not a high number of multi-plane compositions with deep space or deep focus. In the prologue in which Diana walks toward an elongated building (actually the Louvre Museum seen in the background of Screenshot #15), the 3D isn't a factor. Perhaps the most breathtaking sequence that showcases the 3D is when the Amazonian warriors fly through the air and fire arrows at the incoming fleet of German soldiers (see #3). Bullets and debris traveling through space come toward you during the battle on the Western Front. For lower lit scenes or shots with mostly charcoal blacks or mist/smoke, individual elements don't stand out as well. Moreover, there is some fuzziness to architectural edifices and objects that reside on the edges of the frame (such as the top lid of Diana's Wayne Enterprises briefcase; see the scene where capture #20 occurs). Overall, the 3D is best experienced and appreciated during the battle and warfare scenes. My score for the 3D Blu-ray is 3.75 and the video transfer earns a 4.25 (same as the regular BD presentation).

Wonder Woman 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unlike the 4K UHD and standard 2D Blu-ray for Wonder Woman, which include Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixes, the sound track on this disc is limited to an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (4133 kbps, 24-bit). While the mix has a wonderful balance of f/x and score in the fronts and satellite speakers, it is not as technically robust or dynamic as the Atmos recording. Specifically, I could hear clearer separation of discrete sound elements on the Atmos compared to DTS-HD MA. Also, I had a little trouble hearing the dialogue exchange between Antiope and the Amazons during one scene but that was just one exception.

Warner supplies optional English SDH, Parisian French, Italian (a 3D exclusive), Latin Spanish, Canadian French, and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles for the main feature. The SDH identify the character whose speaking and give a nearly complete transcription of the dialogue. (It even corrects some broken English.) White italics are displayed when voice-overs are uttered and when dialogue is spoken off-screen. There are compulsory English subtitles when languages other than English are delivered.

An English Audio Descriptive track as well as language dubs in French, Latin Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian (3D exclusive) are also available.

Wonder Woman 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Warner has produced a slew of featurettes on the making of Wonder Woman. All bonus materials have been relegated to the 2D Blu-ray disc included in this package. Subtitles can be accessed via remote. They include English, French, Latin Spanish, and Portuguese subs.

• "Epilogue: Etta's Mission" short (2:41, 1080p)

• "Crafting the Wonder" Featurette (16:26, 1080p)

• "A Director's Vision" Featurettes (25 min., all 1080p) - "Themyscira: The Hidden Island" (4:56), "Beach Battle" (4:56), "A Photograph Through Time" (5:07), "Diana in the Modern World" (4:39), and "Wonder Woman at War" (5:03).

• "Warriors of WONDER WOMAN" Featurette (9:53, 1080p)

• "The Trinity" Featurette (16:05, 1080p)

• "The Wonder Behind the Camera" Featurette (15:34, 1080p)

• "Finding the Wonder Woman Within" Featurette (23:08, 1080p)

• Extended Scenes (9 min., all 1080p) - "Boat Conversation" (3:37), "Selfridges Shopping" (2:07), "Parliament Steps" (1:13), "Morning at the Train Station" (1:13), and "Charlie Never Sleeps" (0:54).

• Alternate Scene: "Walk to No Man's Land" (1:04)

• Blooper Reel (5:37, 1080p)

• Bonus Trailer for Justice League

Wonder Woman 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.