7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
During World War II, a plane piloted by Major Steve Trevor crashes near Paradise Island, the secret hidden island home of the mighty and eternally young Amazons. He is rescued by Princess Diana and learns of the war against the Nazis. The Amazons decide to send Diana to help fight in this crisis.
Starring: Lynda Carter, Lyle Waggoner, Debra Winger, Tom Kratochvil, Richard EasthamComic book | 100% |
Fantasy | 58% |
Sci-Fi | 39% |
Action | 37% |
Adventure | 33% |
Family | 3% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (192 kbps)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Ten-disc set (10 BDs)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Adventures focusing on superheroes (and heroines, of course) in television series have really exploded over the past several years, and with the glut of both current and relatively recent fare in many viewers’ minds, it may be hard for some (especially younger types) to realize there was a time, and a rather long time at that, when superheroes and/or heroines were rather rare breeds on television. The 1950s really saw only one major superhero series that lasted very long and had much cultural impact, which was of course the still beloved Adventures of Superman. Rather interestingly, especially given the fact that the George Reeves series was so popular, it took several more years until another DC comic figure arrived to series television when the Adam West Batman arrived as a midseason replacement in January 1966, quickly became the hottest thing on the air, and then just about as quickly flamed out, cancelled by mid-March 1968. It’s also notable that this Batman often played things for laughs, something that two very short lived shows centered on (unlikely) superheroes that showed up during Batman’s run, Captain Nice and Mr. Terrific, also did. Perhaps because all of the aforementioned shows probably appealed to kids more than adults, it’s probably unsurprising that the next two series at least ostensibly with a tether to DC Comics world (fans will know the connection is somewhat tangential), Shazam! and The Secrets of Isis, weren’t just marketed directly to kids, they both aired on Saturday mornings during an era when cartoons were probably still more common than live action outings during that broadcast block. However, at around the same time as Shazam! and The Secrets of Isis started airing on Saturday mornings, with The Secrets of Isis rather incredibly being the first time in network television a female superhero starred in her own show (again, fans may remember characters like Batgirl who showed up late in Batman's run), prime time finally got a lead female superhero in the form of Wonder Woman (played memorably by Lynda Carter, of course).
Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. There's no verbiage touting a new remaster on the packaging, though our original news announcement mentions "completely restored". There are both pluses and minuses to this presentation that will probably generate some reaction from longtime fans. I was repeatedly struck with what I consider one of the pluses, general saturation of the palette, which looks excellent throughout almost all of the episodes. That might be counterbalanced somewhat by occasionally variant color temperature, with some scenes looking a bit on the cool side, and with what I assume might have been whites on things like bedsheets in the original broadcast (I frankly don't think I ever saw this show when it actually aired) looking slightly blue. While detail levels can also be commendable, especially in close-ups, a lot of the episodes are pretty soft looking, as can perhaps be seen in some of the screenshots accompanying this review, and while there definitely is grain in evidence, it is not always highly visible at least some of the time. I didn't notice any huge signs of age related wear and tear, and so I am assuming that the "restoration" mentioned above probably included some kind of clean up.
Unfortunately only a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track is included on this release. I've long been on the record (no pun intended) as decrying lossy audio on Blu-ray releases, and my score above reflects that opinion. That said, while really lacking some oomph in the low end, something that obviously could have helped energize both the often fun score (including the memorable theme music by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel) as well as some of the more explosive special effects, fidelity is fine, within a lossy context. Dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly, and while narrow, the tracks typically sport smart prioritization, even in some noisy action sequences.
Disc One
Fans of the television history of Wonder Woman will know that even the fact that Lynda Carter is seen in the title role in the series is itself a "rejiggering" of sorts, since the first pilot for a proposed Wonder Woman series starred Cathy Lee Crosby. Things just never seemed to totally "click" for this effort, despite some fun episodes and a winning lead performance from Carter. Still, there's some surprising energy on hand here, and the guest cast offers a host of mid-seventies luminaries which should delight trivia fans. I personally found the pluses of the video presentation to outweigh minuses, but I'm disappointed yet again by a Blu-ray release with only lossy audio. Finally, the previously released supplements are enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.
Commemorative Edition | DC Universe Animated Original Movie #4
2009
Season One / Warner Archive Collection
2011-2012
DC Comics Classic Collection
2003-2004
2014
2015
Warner Archive Collection
2004-2006
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #7
2010
2010
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #9
2010
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #19
2014
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #18
2013
2017
Commemorative Edition
2015
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #13
2012
Cinematic Universe Edition
2014
Commemorative Edition | DC Universe Animated Original Movie #2
2008
plus Theatrical Cut on standard Blu-ray
2016
DC Universe Animated Original Movie #8
2010
2018
DC Showcase Animated Shorts
2010